Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Dear Shakespeare A Critique Of The Tempest Essay - 813 Words

Dear Shakespeare: A Critique of The Tempest To Mr. William Shakespeare, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I am going to get right down to business. I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest. In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes. The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now. As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master. In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo. It should develop in this fashion:†¦show more content†¦Stephano: Well bargaind for a monster such as thee. I shall consider it. If the scene is run in this way Caliban is developed as more human and less monster. Also it adds more urgency to the possible danger Stephano and Trinculo bring, but the comic aspect remains because the two are drunk. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;My second suggestion addresses the issues of Prospero and tempests. At the end of the play there is the opportunity for great suspense. The interaction between Prospero and his brother and conspirator could be much more intense. You could easily create an internal conflict for Prospero where he debates whether or not to take action against Antonio. Of course he cannot have given up his powers at this point. Instead of just letting Antonio alone Prospero could use his magic to give him pains, make him small or one of many other whimsical tricks to teach Antonio a lesson; I think that causing Antonio to sleep and in turn not taking him home would be the most fitting punishment. If need be Prospero could discuss it with the king, possibly in this way: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Prospero:nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Have you a moment my lord? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alonso: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Of course, what brings you? Prospero: As you know my brother Antonio caused my daughter and myself to be stranded upon this isle for these many years. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alonso: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ay, a factShow MoreRelatedCompare and contrast Ben Jonson’s ‘The Alchemist’ and Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’1842 Words   |  8 PagesThe study will encompass the compare and contrast of two great writers’ literary works. It will take comprehensive discussion on â€Å"Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist† and â€Å"William Shakespeare’s The Tempest†. Jonson and Shakespeare were contemporaries with more immediately recognizable common ground between them than difference. They shared the same profession and brought forth their works from the matrix of common intellectual property. They appealed to the same audience and both gained popularity and esteemRead MoreEssay on William Shakespeares The Tempest2096 Words   |  9 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Tempest Love, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a â€Å"strong affection†, a â€Å"warm attraction†, an â€Å"unselfish loyal and benevolent concern† for another. It is â€Å"to feel a passion, devotion, or tenderness† for another. Love is simple and yet so utterly complex. Love is that which has the power to build you up and when taken away has the potential to knock you down. The Tempest by William Shakespeare is a political play with a love story woven throughout it. This tale

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Anorexia And Bulimia Are Highly Deathly Diseases That...

Brianna Patterson Mrs. Napier English III honors 13 April 2015 Anorexia and bulimia are highly deathly diseases that affect all ages and sexes but primary female teenagers. Anorexia and bulimia are diseases of the mind that affects the body, while the media promotes both anorexia and bulimia and presents the sick body results as the ideal body. Many people are unaware of what anorexia is and how the disease affects both the mind and body. Symptoms include; obsession with weight, depleted food intake, personal ideal body image linked to weight (Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association) and â€Å"Thin appearance, Abnormal blood counts, Fatigue, Insomnia, Dizziness or fainting, Bluish discoloration of the fingers, Hair that thins, breaks or falls out, Soft, downy hair covering the body, Absence of menstruation, Constipation, Dry or yellowish skin, Intolerance of cold, Irregular heart rhythms, Low blood pressure, Dehydration, Osteoporosis, Swelling of arms or legs† (Anorexia Nervosa). The body is the only factor when dealing with behavior is affected as well â€Å"Refusal to eat, Denial of hunger, Fear of gaining weight, Lying about how much food has been eaten, Flat mood (lack of emotion), Social withdrawal, Irritability, Reduced interest in sex, Depressed mood, Thoughts of suicide†(Anorexia Nervosa) are all behavioral symptoms. The warning signs are; comments about being fat even when at a healthy weight, anxiety over gaining weight, obsessing over which

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Decision to Implement a New Information System Free Essays

The Decision to implement a new information system RE: Decision to Implement A New Information System I have been made aware that the business is looking to invest in a new information system for the handling of stock and other management activities. I would like to bring to your attention the fact that I am concerned about this new decision that management has made to implement this new system without through consultation with other managers and staff. I would like to stress that extreme caution should be made whilst considering to implement this new IS after the four million pound loss that was made during the implementation of the old IS few years back which led to the demise of the once very profitable craven comics. We will write a custom essay sample on The Decision to Implement a New Information System or any similar topic only for you Order Now I would like to outline that I have the companies best interests at heart as I was present when the crisis of a few years back had occurred and would not like the same mistakes being made again. I shall delve deeper into the reasons why I believe that craven comics should be diligent and extra cautious in considering to implement a new system to handle stocks in the warehouse. I feel that there are a few key points that need to be considered. Reflection We need to look back to the tragedy that occurred a few years back and really understand why the IT system failed and learn from these mistakes. The main reason for the collapse I believe is that the company was over ambitious with what they wanted to achieve but yet were not prepared to thoroughly plan and investigate different options available. The company relied heavily on the IT consultants without really understanding the type of system they were purchasing and the implications the new system would bring. Staff and management alike were not fully aware of what the system was actually for instead fighting with the system rather than working in harmony alongside the system making seamless work of stock management duties. Stocks were being misplaced in the warehouse, incorrect amounts of new stocks were being ordered by the system along side various other problems all due to the fact that the employees could not interact with the system effectively. Both employees and management were not trained in handling the system correctly as the system was clearly the wrong choice for this business. I thoroughly recommend that our current employees have a say in what type of system integration they would find useful as a system relies on people for it to work. The staff at the warehouse must have their say as many witnessed the disaster with the old information system and it could prove very beneficial to hear their views and ideas also. We need to plan effectively and make sure that the system first and fore mostly meets the user’s needs. These will be staff in the warehouse along with the managers. So we all need to meet up and give our views and ideas on what we need this new system to do. The failure of the previous IS was due to the fact that the system didn’t integrate itself within the business. This could have been due to the lack of planning, analysis and research that went into deciding what IS was most suitable. Therefore I think it is imperative that we sit down with all the key members of staff including warehouse staff and discuss the reasons for needing an information system. Questions like: what is wrong with our current system? What improvements would like to be seen? How much costs are being incurred with this system? Will the business benefit with a modern IS?. With these questions answered we can then conceptualise and initialise the project. If we think implementing an IS is a good idea we need to develop a project plan. We can then address the question of what type of IS will be most beneficial to this business? , a tailor made one or one where the system is bought off the shelf. With the disaster that occurred with our previous system, the business chose to implement a system with the help of IT consultants. The system implemented was one that was designed initially for a different organisation but was modified to work within Craven Comics. This, I believe was fundamental to the compatibility issues that were suffered. The system failed to perform within our business as staff couldn’t really get to grips with how it really worked and the system didn’t fit in with the existing practices that the business was used to. Recommendation I Firmly believe that investing in a package that has been tailored to meet our needs from the ground up is the best option. This way we can design a system that answers all the questions asked in the planning and analysis stages. This way, the various departments will be able to have their say and a system that meets everyone’s needs and fits into the way the organisation works and thinks will be attained. This method is clearly advantages over the readymade packages that are available. Readymade packages are good at doing a certain type of job for example stock checking, but may not do everything that is needed. This can be a very quick and often cheaper method with a clarity of the costs but yields negative results most of the time. There is a very slim chance that the system will fit into the organisations existing practices and staff may need to be trained to use this type of system which may prove very expensive in the long term. I also believe that outsourcing an IS will not be beneficial. Although outsourcing allows a business to focus a greater amount of time on its core business and reduce personnel, it means that the business has less control over the system. There could also be compatibility issues and a risk of losing competitive advantage is also present as valuable information could be leaked. I recommend that the ‘prototyping’ method is used in the implementation process of the information system. We could submit a systems specification to the IT department and develop the application in-house. This will enable our IT team to work closely with everyone in the business to design a system from the ground up to meet our needs to the fullest. This method will enable staff and management to monitor the project at every stage and make key changes and decisions if the project is not working. A small working model could be developed and will invariably evolve after discussions with the staff and mangers alike whowill be using the system. This way the system will mould itself to what the business requires and the way the business works. The performance of the system could be closely monitored; is the system fast enough? What’s the user support like? How much is it costing? Is it integrating itself correctly? and so on. If satisfactory results are not being achieved then there is time available to make changes and modifications. Training time and costs will also be reduced as staff will be growing and learning as the system grows. Once the system is complete then staff should be comfortable and should fully understand the operation of the system. The prototyping method will allow Craven Comics to have full control. Project Schedule and budget The business needs to have a project schedule and budget. This is very important and wasn’t present during the implementation of the previous IS. Funds need to be split into small manageable parts, for example consultancy costs, IT management costs, Labour costs should all be budgeted. This will enable the business to see where funds are going and any cost over runs could be dealt with swiftly. Problems in the planning stages are the main reasons why most systems fails. Planning and budgeting correctly will also avoid the business in being over ambitious as was the case a few years back. The business should know how much cash is available and exactly where the cash is going. Failure to do this was a major factor in the failure of the previous IS, this disaster could have been avoided. Analysis and Resource Budgeting We also need to analyse and budget for the resources we have. For example how many staff do we have? how much space is available? The hours that will be needed? Will this impact in sales for the business? All these are key issues that need to be thoroughly monitored and carefully planned in order to minimise a fall in company revenues during the implementation process. I feel that we need all the staff to play a part in helping in the development of the information system. We need to use just the sufficient amount of space that we think we would need to accommodate the system. we should have adequate space to store the mainframe and need to look at the placement of wires and cables so as to avoid any hazards. we need to look at the placement of a backup system and the storage space for all the relevant IT technology. This will allow valuable space to be maintained for the everyday running of the normal business. Risk The concept of risk needs to be taken into account also. We need to appreciate that there is an element of risk present in this project as is with every new project a business decides to undertake. We need to understand what could potentially go wrong, and the measures that we could take in order to avoid this and minimise damage to the operation of the business. This was not done during the implementation of the previous IS as a result the business didn’t know where resources were going and how errors could be dealt with. Management Management issues do also need to be addressed. We need to look at the reasons why management failed during the last disaster and make sure that these errors don’t reoccur. I believe managements lackadaisical approach was the main issue. Management were not truly aware of what the business actually needed but were just following the recommendations of the ITconsultants. Management also failed to communicate effectively with fellow employees and just expected them to know what was going on rather than explaining to them what they were looking to do and how it would affect them. Legal issues and quality standards Legal issues also need to be dealt with alongside required quality standards. For example, data protection and health and safety issues. Project Reporting The project needs to be reported on at every stage. We need status reports, progress reports and forecast reports allowing the project to stay on track and under control. This was not present during the last IS therefore the project veered off course and we lost control of costs and valuable resources. Once we are approaching the final stages of the implementation process we should sit with all the key staff members and conduct a systems follow up. This will involve re-evaluating the systems effectiveness through discussion with top managers and end users. We should also evaluate the controls, processing and the output of the system. This will enable us to prepare a post implementation review report and make necessary revisions to the system if required to do so. This is also useful for future systems implantation as we will have crucial data of what worked well and what didn’t and the changes that were needed to be made. If we had taken the above steps during the disaster of the previous IS then this would have allowed the business to save a considerable amount of time and money in implementing a new IS. Mistakes could easily be pointed out and avoided. The fact that we didn’t keep progress reports of the project a few years back we couldn’t really see what went wrong and at what stage clearly enough. Therefore it is imperative that we evaluate the project of implementing a new information system and ask questions like, did this project achieve our scope? Did we make the correct decision in choosing to prototype? Is the quality there? did we meet our cost/timescale targets? , what were the major hurdles and what measures did we take to overcome them? . The answers to these questions will enable the business to learn from the mistakes and make sure that they don’t reoccur during any future projects. Craven Comics failed to take the above steps therefore there is no accurate record of the mistakes that were made a few years back. Final thoughts/Conclusion Overall I believe the decision to implement an information system is a good idea as the correct Information System can prove very valuable for an organisation. I also recommend looking at past disasters and the measures the firms took to overcome them. Disasterssuch as the international stock exchange (Taurus project, London Ambulance Service and Northumbria Police and so on and so forth could be looked at to gain invaluable insight. I believe a bespoke package will be the best option. This is the similar to the measures Craven Comics took a few years back. But I believe if all my recommendations are followed then this will be a very beneficial choice for this business. We need to approach the project with care and must avoid the mistakes that were made a few years back. I will grateful if you can take the time out to acknowledge the advice that I have given to you in this report. I have the companiesbest interests at heart and would not like to witness the collapse of this business again. Arif Saddiq Year 2 Accountancy and finance References Websites Library of Failed information systems projects’[online] [date unknown] ,http://www. scit. wlv. ac. uk/~cm1984/qmp/failures/NINE. HTM [accessed 20 march 2009] [accessed via www. google. co. uk and searched it failures] Wikipedia 2009, Information systems, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Information_systems [online] accessed 21 march 2009] How to cite The Decision to Implement a New Information System, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

The characters in the Play Essay Example For Students

The characters in the Play? Essay He occasionally offered words of sympathy to her such as when Sheila asked, So Im really responsible? and the Inspector replied, No, not entirely. A good deal happened to her after that. Just slightly before the Inspector arrived, Mr Birling was speaking about the need to share with no one except yourself and your immediate family so how ironic that Sheila will not share her guilt with anyone in the family. The impact the Inspector has on her is incredibly big and is arguably more-so than anyone else in the family. Mr Birling tries to assure the inspector that anyone in the same position would have done the same thing. Mr Birling uses his high social status to try to discourage the inspector from asking him any further questions about Eva Smith, How do you get along with our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts? Perhaps I should warn you he is an old friend of mine. Mr Birling knows people in high places, but the inspector does not have any of his nonsense. At the beginning of the play Mrs Birlings character is rather like her husbands. She thinks that her family is so important and respected in Brumley that they couldnt possibly be involved in a murder case. This doesnt change through the play and in Act 2 JB Priestly portrays her to be rather hypercritical. She finds out that the reason this girl seeked the help of her committee was because a young man got her pregnant before she died so she insists that, he should be made and example of. And shouldve been forced to marry her, only to excuse herself from being part of the inspectors inquiry. The inspector knows who the young man is and makes sure he understands what Mrs Birling has to say, So he is completely to blame? Her opinions change when she finds out that the young man responsible for the girls pregnancy is her own son, Eric, and takes back every thing that she has said, but I didnt know it was you. She does not accept responsibility for refusing Eva Smith/Daisy Renton the help she needed and ending her ordeal, I wasnt satisfied with this girls claim, I didnt like her manner. Her words mean that she tells the truth in saying she was not satisfied with her claim but really she did not approve of her behaviour and the mess she had gotten herself into. Eric knows that he got her pregnant but didnt wish to get himself into any more trouble, you havent made this any easier for me have you mother

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Jabidah Massacre Essay Example

The Jabidah Massacre Paper In 1963, the resource-rich territory of Sabah, which had been under British control since the late nineteenth-century, formally became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The Philippines, however, protested this, claiming that Sabah had never been sold to foreign interests, and that it had only been leased (padjak) by the Sulu Sultanate and therefore remained the property of the Sultan and by extension the property of Republic of the Philippines. This dispute led the-then Philippine presidents Diosdado Macapagal then later on Ferdinand Marcos to establish special military units tasked with fomenting dissent amongst Sabahs non-Malay ethnic groups, namely the Tausug and Sama, two groups closely aligned ethnically and culturally with Filipinos. The code-name of this destabilization programme was Operation Merdeka (Operation Freedom), with Manuel Syquio as project leader and then Maj. Eduardo Abdul Latif Martelino as operations officer. The object of this program was the annexation of Sabah to the Republic of the Philippines. The plan involved the recruitment of nearly 200 Tausug and Sama Muslims aged 18 to 30 from Sulu Province and Tawi-Tawi and their training in the island-town of Simunul in Tawi-Tawi. Simunul was where the Arab missionary Makhdum built the first mosque in the Philippines in the 13th century. The recruits felt giddy about the promise not only of a monthly allowance, but also over the prospect of eventually becoming a member of an elite unit in the Philippine Armed Forces. From August to December 1967, the young recruits underwent training in Simunul. The name of the commando unit was Jabidah. We will write a custom essay sample on The Jabidah Massacre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Jabidah Massacre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Jabidah Massacre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer On 30 December 1967, 135 to 180 recruits boarded a Philippine Navy vessel for the island of Corregidor in Luzon for specialized training. This second phase of the training turned mutinous when the recruits discovered their true mission. It struck the recruits that the plan would mean not only fighting their brother Muslims in Sabah, but also possibly killing their own Tausug and Sama relatives living there. Additionally, the recruits had already begun to feel disgruntled over the non-payment of the promised mon thly stipend. The recruits then demanded to be returned home. Four decades later, an incident known as the Jabidah massacre, continues to haunt the Philippines. No-one is sure how many trainee soldiers, most of them Muslims, died when a plan to attack the Malaysian state of Sabah leaked out and authorities moved to destroy the evidence. The Jabidah massacre, also known as the Corregidor massacre, refers to an incident which occurred on the night of March 18, 1968 on the Philippine island of Corregidor. It was on this night that members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) massacred at least 28 Moro Muslim recruits under their supervision. The Jabidah Massacre is widely regarded as having been the catalyst behind the modern Moro insurgencies in the Southern Philippines. As the sole survivor later recounted, the plotters led the trainees out of their Corregidor barracks on the night of March 18, 1968 in batches of twelve. They were taken to a nearby airstrip. There, the plotters mowed the trainees down with gunfire. Jibin Arula, the survivor, said that he heard a series of shots and saw his colleagues fall. He ran towards a mountain and rolled off the edge on to the sea. He recalled clinging to a plank of wood and stayed afloat. By morning, fishers from nearby Cavite rescued him. The truth of the massacre took some time to emerge. In March 1968 Moro students in Manila held a week long protest vigil over an empty coffin marked ‘Jabidah’ in front of the presidential palace. They claimed â€Å"at least 28† Moro army recruits had been murdered. Court-martial proceedings were brought against twenty-three military personnel involved. There was a firestorm in the Philippine press, attacking not so much the soldiers involved, but the culpability of a government administration that would ferment such a plot, and then seek to cover it up by wholesale murder. The matter even made its way to the Supreme Court in 1970, on a preliminary issue. Although the exact number of deaths still continues to vary depending upon the source of the reference, there is no denial of the fact that Corregidor was host to a massacre on that night. Comments and Analysis In March 1968 Moro students in Manila held a week long protest vigil over an empty coffin marked ‘Jabidah’ in front of the presidential palace. They claimed â€Å"at least 28† Moro army recruits had been murdered. Court-martial proceedings were brought against twenty-three military personnel involved. There was also a firestorm in the Philippine press, attacking not so much the soldiers involved, but the culpability of a government administration that would foment such a plot, and then seek to cover it up by wholesale murder. The plan of Ferdinand Marcos was failed because of the leaked happened. The members of the Jabidah do not want to continue the fight in Sabah because they were deprived of having promised monthly stipend. They were also dismayed because they discovered the true intention of the regime Marcos. The member of the Jabidah does not want to fight their Muslim brothers like Tausug and Maranao. The plan of Marcos was destroyed and unsuccessful so he ordered his military personnel to kill all the members of the Jabidah. It is not right to kill innocent people. Those people who were killed are not aware on the true mission of Marcos. Because of what Marcos did, many of our Muslim brothers wants to revenge on what happened in Jabidah massacre or in other words the Corregidor Massacre. There are Muslims who made a group that will fight the government for the wrong things they have done to our Filipino people. The main legacy of the Jabidah massacre was the crystallization of Moro discontent and the subsequent formation of the Moro National Liberation Front and, later, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Because what President Marcos done, the insurgency in our country increased, from that tragedy the Moro National Liberation Front was established and wants to fight the government and to separate the land for muslims only. Killing our co-Filipino is not a moral activity instead of killing other why we should help one another for the betterment of our country. Instead of decreasing insurgencies in our country, it become larger and larger and until now we can’t stop the insurgencies in our country because of wrong doings of our government. The justice for the people who died in Jabidah massacre was not given attention. After years past, the cased was disappeared and nothing happened. No right justice for those people who died in the massacre. Philippine justice system and no real punishment was ever handed-down to the accused. References http://www.corregidor.org/heritage_battalion/jabidah.html

Monday, November 25, 2019

A Look at the Salem Witch Trials essays

A Look at the Salem Witch Trials essays Many of the American colonists brought with them from Europe a belief in witches and the devil. During the seventeenth century, people were executed for being witches and follower of Satan. Most of these executions were performed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Mostly all of the accused were women, which makes some modern historians believe that the charges of witchcraft were a way of controlling the women who threatened the power of the men. During the witchcraft trials, hundreds of arrests were made, and some were even put to death on Gallow's Hill (Karlsen 145). In 1698, the villagers of Salem won the right to establish their own Church. They chose the Reverend Samuel Parris as their minister. Many of the villagers were then sorry that they had done so because of his harsh demands. They then vowed to force him out. There was much pressure surrounding the Parris family. The children of the family would entertain themselves by listening to stories told by Tituba, their slave (Natio nal Geographic). January of 1692 is when the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials first began. The Puritans of this time were very harsh, unyielding, and quick to judge. They condemned innocent women on the basis of intangible evidence, confessions, and such things as "witchmarks" (Hill). As Dorcas Hoar said, "I will speak the truth as long as I live" (Salem Home Page). Nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Reverend Parris, were the first to start to display signs of strange behavior. Some of this behavior included profane screaming, convulsive seizures, trance-like stages, and unexplainable animal-like noises. Shortly after this, other Salem girls began to demonstrate this same behavior. (Salem Home Page). The girls' torment "could not possibly be Dissembled", stated Cotton Mather (National Geographic). Unable to determine any physical cause for the symptoms and behavior, doctors concluded that th...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Economic Costs and Benefits of Introducing Minimum Wage in a Essay

Economic Costs and Benefits of Introducing Minimum Wage in a Competitive Labour Market - Essay Example Given that the parents are well educated, it is also expected that their children with have the equal opportunity for a good education. Aside from biological and cultural factors, industrialization has been pointed as the main cause of inequality which started between the agriculture and the industrial sectors. Industrialization can lead to a lesser demand for human resources. Therefore, increase in competition among the workers is possible. In line with this, the unequal resources such as the access to education between the rich and the less fortunate people resulted to a wider gap on the distribution of wealth between the two sectors of the society. Using the law of supply and demand, this study will examine the economic costs and benefits of introducing minimum wage within a competitive labor market. Eventually, whether or not there will be any changes in the economic cost and benefit analysis will be answered given that the only employer within the labor market is the monopsony. Minimum wage is referring to the minimum hourly, daily, or monthly wage wherein employers are required to pay the workers in exchange for their service. Specifically, in the UK, the minimum wage is  £5.93 per hour (BBC News 2010). Normally, the government implements the minimum wage law in order to protect the socio-economic welfare of the workers from abusive employers. As a result of implementing a minimum wage law, workers could enjoy the benefit of improving their standard of living by actually removing poverty from the lives of the people (Daniel 2010; Filion 2009). Since employed individuals will be able to receive a minimum wage, these people will be able to enjoy the benefit of spending more money on purchasing their preferred basic commodities which are necessary in order to stimulate the national and international economic growth (Daniel 2010).  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

How buyer behaviour is used in the context of marketing Essay

How buyer behaviour is used in the context of marketing - Essay Example Firstly the study provides the information about the number of prospective buyers residing in a particular region. Secondly the study helps to understand the demographic and psychographic features of the buying population. Thirdly the study confirms the tastes of the consumers in relation to choosing and consuming different products. Fourthly it analyses the responses of the consumer to the different types of promotions carried on by the company. Fifthly it also endeavors to understand the responses of the consumers to change in the price structure of goods and services produced. Sixthly it helps in highlighting the desires of the consumers in making repeat visits to a certain stores located at particular localities (Malhotra, 2008, p.45). The behaviors of the customers can essentially be grouped under four categories. Firstly the products, which are cheaply available to the consumers, like snacks and cold drinks are almost bought by the consumer amounting from impulse and owe little to decision-making actions. Secondly the consumers while purchasing products from a known category often take little decisions regarding its brands and market value. However in the third case the consumers when purchasing products of high economic value and belonging to niche categories makes a lot of decisions (D’Souza, 2009). ... Estimates made show that on a weekly basis around 21 million customers pay their visit to the stores of the company located in United Kingdom. The products offered by the company are generally of high class and render the best quality to the different classes of consumers in the region. The products offered by the company belong to categories like women’s and men’s wear. Marks and Spencer which specializes in the women wear market also is expanding its share in the retail market by moving over to other categories like children wear and home furnishings. The company operates based on a total number of 600 stores based along the region of United Kingdom. (Marks and Spencer, 2011). Understanding Buyer Behavior in Retail Management The process of understanding the behavior of the consumers in the context of retail management can be subdivided along three essential fields of study. Firstly the retailer must make an analysis of the marketing segments to which it desires to of fer its products and services. Secondly after segmenting the particular market the retailer must understand the process of targeting the prospective customers. Thirdly the retail operations of a company earn success in their strategy of positioning themselves in the light of the large number of competitors targeting the said market. The process of marketing segmentation in the context of retail management signifies the identification of those consumers to which the retailer desires to offer its products and services. The retail company also focuses to design its marketing programs, which aim to serve the consumers identified in the above context. Herein, the retail company also decides

Monday, November 18, 2019

1920s represents the transition of the United States Assignment

1920s represents the transition of the United States - Assignment Example The decade’s three Republican Presidents – Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover only partially addressed these issues. The economic growth of the 1920’s did not extend to the agricultural sector and the rural areas. While ‘Big Business’ flourished, farmers income declined. The federal government extended strong support to big business. ‘The American Way’ came to represent weak government regulation of business and less support for labor unions. High tariff policies for foreign goods, repeal of excess profit taxes, cutbacks in the Federal Trade Commission, and government encouragement of price-fixing were responses of the government to support business. This attitude is summed up in President Harding’s request for â€Å"less government in business and more business in government† (Schultz, 1999). Despite farmers campaigning for farm relief legislation, Coolidge vetoed the McNary-Haugen bills. The 1920’s witnessed an upsurge in racism and ‘nativism’: intolerance of African-Americans and immigrants. ‘The Red Scare,’ fear of the Bolshevik menace, cultural fundamentalism, and a revival of public support for the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrated this trend. In response to perceived popular sentiment, the federal government passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, and the stricter Immigration Act of 1924, which drastically limited the flow of immigrants from Europe and stopped those from Asia. (Dorn, n.d.) However, although these problems persisted, it cannot be denied that the 1920’s remained a decade of prosperity between World War I and the Great

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Feminism in Legal Jurisprudence and Social Analysis

Feminism in Legal Jurisprudence and Social Analysis Discuss critically the contribution of feminist thought to social and legal analysis. Consider the extent to which you regard feminism as a distinctive and coherent approach to these fields of enquiry. Introduction This paper will critically examine the feminist contribution to legal jurisprudence and social analysis. The theoretical range and methodologies of feminist dialogue will be investigated in context of legal philosophy and social academic discourse. First, classical social theories of law will be discussed in order to asses the value of feminist analysis of social theories. In particular the feminist investigation of the socio economic theory of Marxism will be discussed in order to understand the sociological perspectives concerning the role women played in the social order. Secondly, aspects of feminist legal inquiries looking at thematic issues central to feminist thought will be analyzed. In relation to this, internal academic criticisms between feminist factions will be addressed to highlight the sheer diversity of feminist legal jurisprudence. This essay will aim to demonstrate that feminism is a distinctive inquisitive range of inquiry, but it is not a unified approach to lega l and sociological fields. In this sense its pluralism and diversity can at times leave the movement fractured and divided. But this essay argues that this does not diminish the ability of the movement to raise important ideas while tackling broad theoretical academic queries. Feminism thought: contextual origins Feminism thought originated from a historically wide ranging social debates and theories. It can trace roots back to the women’s liberation movement which gained momentum in the 60’s and 70’s along side other social struggles in the same era, notably the American civil rights movement. Feminist thought is indefinable as a single unitary theory. Feminist thought primarily is a ‘diverse, competing and often opposing collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies.’[1] The innermost guiding issue is to critically discuss the role of women and their experiences in various social, political and economical contexts. Issues of inequality, discrimination, institutional female representation, socialized or biological constructions of gender differences and resulting cultural implications are a just a few lines of inquiry explored by modern Western feminist thought. Thus feminist thinking is a multifarious and pluralistic academic dis cipline. There is ‘no single form of feminism that represents all feminists.’[2] Social feminist theories Feminist legal thought, it can be suggested, has made a substantial contribution to social analysis. It is a relatively new area of analysis for feminist scholars. Feminist social theory examines social relations between the sexes, expressly looking at how societal actions can be transported into the public domain for the emancipation of women. It is suggested feminist social theory has made pivotal contributions[3] and changes in modern society. It has worked to revolutionize existing attitudes with reference to social structures. It is argued, that recent social changes have been achieved through the committed agitation of feminist thinkers who fully participating in socially engaged issues such as women’s rights and reform. This has resulted in the ‘increased involvement of women in public life’[4] suggesting feminist legal thought has in some small way played a part to advance equality of the sexes. In this sense, social feminism is continually evolving[5] thr ough analytic inquiries to understand female subordination which assimilates issues of class and gender. This includes the consideration of wider factors related to identity, race, and ethnicity. By focusing on such factors, Holmstrom argues social feminist academics aim to ‘help use this analysis to liberate women.’[6] In this context, feminist thought has been able to add confidently to general social theory. For example feminist inquiries of social theory have helped to change the way sociologists previously conceptualized social theories, by focusing upon reoccurring lines of inquiry. For example, first, feminist social theory discusses biological differences and socialized activity in society. Secondly the interpretative meaning and explanation of what the term ‘social’ can mean has been praised as helping to erect a broader scope of inquiry than exhibited by earlier forms of sociology. As a direct consequence it is argued ‘feminist theories have moved beyond the issue of women and point the way to a more creative form’ of intellectual inquiry.[7] Thirdly, social feminists have usually examined patterned links between males and females which are socially structured. This can be seen in the work of Catherine Mackinnon discussed below. Finally, the feminist inquiry looks into how particular social relationships are formed and the structural workings of societal institutions.[8] It’s methods of examining ‘the meaning of the â€Å"social†, how a person’s experience affects her understanding of the social world and how males and females relate to each other’ has led sociologists to rethink previously established and influential social theories.[9] Critiques of classical social theory This impact is most noticeably seen in the radical feminist analysis of traditional social theories such as Marxism. Mackinnon [10] and Sydie[11] critically reveal how classical theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim marginalized women to varying degrees, in order to promote social and economic aspects of their theories. Thus a major criticism leveled at classical theory is that women are fundamentally ignored by male sociologists who were preoccupied with the ‘male activities, experiences and parts of society dominated by males.’[12] For example, sociological classical theories are formulated within context of industrial society and economies. Feminists argue that capitalism helped to expand the male public sphere of influence through industrial structures. This expansion in turn was balanced by the constraint of females in the domestic private section of society, with almost no engagement in public, political or economic events.[13] This can be seen in women’s ele ctoral disenfranchisement and the suffragette movement in 18th and 19th century England. Feminist analysis of Marxist ideas A large area of feminist discourse concerns Marxist ideas. Marxism is analyzed through its historical materiality and approach. It conceptualizes history as distinct ‘succession of modes of production.’[14] Each stage of society’s historical development will progress through evolving social stages such as feudalism, capitalism and socialism. Such phases are characterized by unique modes of production. Such modes of production within the economy are made up by the integral power relations between the ‘direct producers and the owners of the means of production’ who exploit workers. Holstrom explains that within Marxist theory, issues of inequality and class division are utilized by feminist scholars to extend the range of social inquiry. Further more, they are used to examine societal divisions between the sexes, and the ‘process through which social relations of gender are created organized, expressed and directed’ as such gender relations fundamentally ‘create society.’[15] For example Mackinnon provided an influential feminist account of the social and economic theories of Marx: Marxism and feminism provide accounts of the way social arrangements of patterned and cumulative disparity which can be internally rational and systematic, yet unjust. Both are theories of power and social inequality. As Marxism exposes value as a social creation, feminism exposes a desire of the socially relational[16], internally necessary to unequal social orders. Thus, Marxist study is focused on the production of commodities for exchange and the subsequent social exploitation encouraged by this phenomenon. Feminist thought argues Marxist emphasis is placed on creative human labour which sustains the productive economy. In analyzing the modes of production and social exploitation, the societal theory neglects females who were not seen to be exploited in the same way as male workers as they did not constitute the oppressed labor force.[17] A further example of the disregard of women’s contribution to the production of commodities is the female role in the private sphere. It can be suggested that Marx ‘spends little time analyzing goods and services produced in the household and family’[18] where the trade is non commercial. Thus, feminist theory provided a valuable analytic discourse exposing the fallacy that Marxist ideas discuss all types of labour. It is in fact, limited by the barrier of gender inequalities. It failed t o adequately investigate such discrepancies according to feminist criticisms. Such external activities outside the market, such as reproduction which biologically provides the supply of labour from the family, are taken for granted by Marx.[19] Thus, feminist thought crucially highlighted how Marxism failed to comprehensively debate how a woman’s domestic and familial role aided the value of labor power as an economic commodity in society. Social theory examines many aspects of gender differences and inequality, factors which the works of classical sociologists developed no such theories about. Feminists revealed deep-seated conceptual weaknesses in such theories. For example Mackinnon’s critique of Marx discusses the notion that within the idea of class relations, women were to Marx defined by nature[20] and not by society. Therefore Marxism offers no authoritative scrutiny on the role of women within class division of society. Social feminist disciplines are argued by Adams and Sydie to help voice challenging questions which are ‘women centered in perspective, questions core concepts and assumptions of sociology’[21], and asks how change can produce a more socially acceptable human society for the sexes. In summary this paper believes feminist thought has performed a pivotal function in reassessing the nature of traditional sociological theories such as Marxism. In doing so, feminist scholars have created new perceptions of sociological theories in relation to discussing women in society. Feminist Legal and Jurisprudence Feminist legal theory, developed from the Critical Legal Studies School of jurisprudential thought. Feminist legal theory, aims broadly to: Analyze the contribution of law constructing, maintaining, reinforcing and perpetuating patriarchy and it looks at the ways in which this patriarchy can be undermined and ultimately eliminated.[22] According to the writer Leslie Bender patriarchy is a term used by feminists to address the ‘ubiquitous phenomenon of male domination.’[23] Discussion of patriarchy allows feminist discourse to examine social and legal power relations, primarily as men have used institutional methods of power to subordinate women. These methods of power ‘manifest itself in the political and economic world that governs families and sexual relationships.’[24] Freeman argues that this fundamental belief in social patriarchy is the only primary notion which brings together feminist legal theoretical discourse as a whole body.[25] Theoretical lines of inquiry stemming from the Critical Legal school, demonstrates that feminist legal thinking also aspires to create a basic critic of the: ‘inherent logic of law, the indeterminacy and manipulability of doctrine, the role of law, in legitimating particular social relations, the illegitimate hierarchies created by law and legal regulations.’[26] In this sense, feminist legal theories endeavor to locate and identify the underlying imbalances in legal rules and institutional structures in society, assessing the impact upon women as a whole. In a wider context, feminist thought is seen as an inevitable progression in academic debate into the area of jurisprudence. Ashe argues it is a ‘natural progression of the engagement of female reflection to one more area of discourse’ in view of other feminist studies in sociology, philosophy and history.[27] Therefore the extent of feminist contributions to legal jurisprudence can not be underestimated. It forms a solid ‘committed inquiry’ according to Dalton[28] in order to address female subordination, analyzing fundamental questions as to how and why mechanisms operate and succeed in placing women in such social positions. Furthermore feminist inquiry into law is a vital contribution for those studying the field. For example, this author believes continued fem ale expression and analytical work helps promote feminist legal jurisprudence within mainstream discourse. Dalton pessimistically characterizes the belief that from an outsiders view it is ‘beyond the pale’ to be a ‘women who teaches and writes as a woman, expressing women’s concerns.’[29] This paper would doubt the assertion that the role of academic feminist legal thought is viewed so disparagingly by mainstream society. Feminist legal thought may be thought of as a selective field of inquiry, but it is important for legal jurisprudence that all aspects of the law are examined from a variety of theoretical standpoints. This enables academics to discover and discuss the nature of law as an evolving social institution in a comprehensive manner. It helps to frame feminist jurisprudential within an inquisitive, exploratory framework which guides such discourse. This enables academics to focus on particular points in the discussion. This can be demonstrated by Heather Wishik,[30] in which feminist legal inquiry concentrates on answering the following analytical questions to provide a structurally coherent focus within the legal field: 1. What have been and what are now all women’s experiences of the ‘life situation addressed by the doctrine, process or area of law under examination? 2. What assumptions, descriptions, assertions and or definitions of experience – male, female or gender neutral –does the law make in this area? 3. What is the area of mismatch, distortion or denial created by the differences between women’s life experiences and the laws assumptions or imposed structures? 4. What patriarchal interests are served by the mismatch? 5. What reforms have been proposed in this area of law or women’s life situation? How will these reform proposals if adopted, affect women both practically and ideologically? 6. In an ideal world what would this woman’s life situation look like and what relationship if any, would law have to this future life situation? Such an analytical framework and inquiry demonstrates the reasoned theoretical approach plotted by feminist legal thought within jurisprudence. Locating specific questions enables feminist legal discussion to examine areas of law with purpose and structure, while sustaining its clear purpose of understanding the position of females operating within social structures. Feminist Legal Methodology To understand how feminist thought in relation to law is carried out, it is necessary to discuss the methodology of the academic school. The methodology can be simplified into three main points. First, it challenges the ‘positivist empirical tradition’ arguing that it is assumptive to accept the validity of observation and objective measurement. Feminist legal theorists therefore challenge a firmly established positivist concept within jurisprudence, that through a neutral standpoint the ‘truth or reality will emerge.’[31] Lacey discusses the ‘supposed’ neutral framework for legal reasoning such as the rule of law which is central to liberal and positivist legal philosophy. The idea of the rule of law is that it sets up standards which are applied in a neutral manner to formally equal parties. Questions of inequality and power may effect the capacity of those parties to engage effectively in legal reasoning. Gilligan on constructing moral problems in relation to gender has opened up a striking argument about the possible masculinity of the very process of legal reasoning.[32] The importance of challenging the conventional legal methodology helps to legitimately question the fundamental instutionalized legal reasoning processes which impact upon society. Finally, feminist methodology continually asks what is known as ‘the woman question’, investigating the nature of law through probing and recognizing female events which the law regulates in society. K.T Bartlett elaborated on the ‘woman question’ in Feminist Legal Methods[33] to mean ‘how the law fails to take into account the experiences and values that seem more typical of women than men or how existing legal standards and concepts might disadvantage women.’ Secondly, female practical reasoning stemming from contextual investigation is used to highlight the fundamental differences between people, and recognizes the value of the disenfranchised in society. Freeman suggests female practical reasoning is an interpretative approach[34] also used by the critical legal methods. Such influence means the interpretative approach is drawn on to ‘emancipate and uncover aspects of society especially ideologies that maintain the status quo by restri cting or limiting groups access to the means of gaining knowledge.’[35] Thirdly, through the tactic of ‘conscious raising,’ sharing and increasing individual awareness of the female life experience is a tool for feminists. Such ‘conscious raising’ enables the exploration of social constructs while challenging the objective truth exhibiting itself as ‘law and the criteria for legal legitimacy.’[36] The validity of such characteristic feminist methodological traits discussed by Bartlett reveals ‘things which traditional legal methods ignore.’[37] Such an approach places emphasis on the idea of: Positionality a stance that acknowledges the existence of empirical truths, values and knowledge. Knowledge is situated in social contexts and reflects different experiences. Thus they key lies in the effort to extend ones’ limited perspective.[38] This methodological standpoint is used as a launch pad by feminists to comprehensively consider different types of knowledge. Through experimental and far-reaching scrutiny, feminist scholars believe such a methodology will lead to heightened responsiveness achieving the goal of self determination and change in society. Freeman argues this point by stating an ‘improved methodology will result in a better understanding and ability to urge transformative practice.’[39] Categories of feminist legal thought Within feminist jurisprudence, there are many theoretical branches focusing on different conceptual points by academic feminists. Freeman identifies four main categories within feminist jurisprudence which have discussed extensive aspects of law’s relationship to the female gender in society. For example Liberal, Radical, Cultural and Postmodern approaches to feminist legal thought have provided thought provoking and powerful examinations of how women can be affected by law. Such diverse inquiries also investigate the consequences this has for female gender identity and socialized power relations. All theories are important as particular writers under each category discuss very real topical legal subjects which the reader can relate to. Examples of legal topics discussed by feminist scholars For example the legal subjects of rape, domestic violence, and harassment have been examined under English case law. R v. R (1991) has been a notable case for radical feminist attention in discussing the laws of rape, which attempt to protect women from sexual violence within and outside marriage. Feminists look at such emotive topics in order to place critical attention on women’s legal rights as citizens, examining the context of situations associated with the female experience. It can be suggested, a crucial aim of such discourse in not only theoretical, but represents genuine pragmatism to produce change which prevents rape head on,[40] and alters traditional ingrained conceptions which permeate gender relations in society. For example, rape should not be conceptualized as a phenomenon female victims should ‘have to deal with trying to avoid’ but infact it should be reformulated as an act which men must prevent.[41] It can be argued, it is imperative for femin ist legal scholars to continue to question how we view issues of sexual violence and critically assess how laws might unintentionally reinforce negative male values against women. A second area of feminist legal analysis is concentrated on the notion of equality for the sexes. Laws regulating pension retirement ages and equally pay opportunities under labour laws have been an issue within liberal feminism. Aspects of inequality between the sexes have been discussed using the differences in pay opportunities between the genders, and the existence of the glass ceiling in economic corporate structures. Such examples showing the range of analysis feminist legal thought pursues, demonstrates how resourceful the discipline is. Further more feminist thinking can provide distinct and logical investigations of previously unexplored areas of law. Black letter law, statutory legislation and rules effecting social relations and power structures have been exposed by feminists questioning the nat ure of legal rules upon female social existence. In this respect, feminist aims of uncovering the patriarchal aspects of the legal system increase awareness and help to establish necessary debates challenging the current condition of legal structures. This essay will now discuss some of the theoretical contributions of liberal, radical, and cultural feminist thought to legal theory. Feminist responses to Liberal theories This essay believes analysis of equality and earlier liberal theories have provided a valuable contribution to legal analysis. The work of Cain[42] and Lacey both examined models of equality in a legal environment. Liberals believe in the autonomous rational individual and minimal state involvement with private agents, which theoretically displaces gender differences. It suggests all humans are equal on the basis of possessing free will. Liberal feminism is rooted in the belief that women as well as men are right bearing autonomous human beings. Rationality, individual choice, equal rights and equal opportunities are central concepts for liberal political theory. Liberal feminism building on these concepts argues that women are just as rational as men and those women should have equal opportunities with men to exercise their right to make rational self interested choices. [43] Cain directly challenges established libertarian thought, arguing it is not the point ‘ to make women into men but expand the possibilities for female life experience by freeing women from the limitations of the male constructed category of â€Å"women† if she so chooses.’[44] Nicola Lacey extends this line of argument by examining the institutional limitations which are placed on women. This is known as the public and private sphere which effects power relations between men and women. The private spheres of life, such as family domestic life are contrasted to male dominated areas of public life such as in employment. Freeman argues ‘family is seen as beyond the control of the state, as power is deemed to be in the public arena while power relations in the domestic sphere can be ignored.’[45] Lacey raises an important theoretical point, questioning the extent to which the state should legitimately intervene into the private realm, especially in the co ntext of domestic violence and sexual abuse within family relations. It is argued the state should favor a pro interventionist policy in such cases even if it goes against traditional liberal values infringing on individual civil liberties and private autonomy. Thus, Lacey argues the ‘ideology of the public and private allows the government to clean it’s hands of any responsibility for the state of the private world and depoliticizes the disadvantages which may spill over the divide, affecting the position of the privately disadvantaged.’[46] Lacey argues the language of public and private spheres helps to support the status quo of pre existing power relations. For example, in the case of domestic violence the victims are ignored, resulting with ‘women being depoliticized and marginalized.’[47] It is suggested by Freeman that women’s injuries are ‘often not recognized by public legal culture’[48] such as in prosecutions which invo lve Battered Women’s Syndrome, and the application of provocation and self defense in criminal prosecutions. Olsen suggests the lack of state intervention is itself ‘a political act confirming the status quo and affirming the public private power relations.’[49] Such powerful discussions of feminist thought applied to legal analysis shows how traditional theories can be persuasively challenged from the feminist perspective to encourage new degrees of awareness and dialogue. Radical ‘identity’ theories Radical feminist thought is voiced by Mackinnon[50], claiming the dominant official voice is that of the male. It is suggested that the only significant distinction between the sexes is inequality. It is a patriarchal society where socio – legal structures facilitate the entire oppression and exploitation of women by men. Law is viewed to perpetuate the imbalance of power representing ‘a particularly potent source and badge of legitimacy’ which is systematically geared to enable male domination. Radical theories are controversial as they argue that dominance within power relations is central to accurately voicing the ‘authentic feminist approach.’[51] Such theories can be criticized for being defeatist as it implies that ‘inherent masculinity of the law can not be changed by increasing women’s entry into the structures of the legal system or by incorporating female values into its rules and processes.’[52] Therefore, laws aimed at abolishing discrimination and establishing equality in the workplace is deemed ‘futile’ in attempting to realistically alter the status of women. Logically the theory follows, if the law is fundamentally male orientated then its apparent objectivity and ‘equality for all persons’ is a cruel myth promoting a ‘false consciousness’ among women who believe they are regarded equally under law. Harris suggests that radical feminist legal theory believes only in the validity of exposing the ‘systematic stereotyping and denigration of women’[53]. Only through the broad methods of conscious raising will true social freedom grow, overcoming patriarchal structures as female self awareness of their own oppression is enhanced. Criticism of radical theories It is important to note such radical feminist legal theories have been ferociously criticized by those of difference and equivalence feminism. For example academics such as Cornell[54] specifically attack Mackinnon for conceptualizing female experience as a form of sexually passive victimhood. Secondly, Harris[55] criticizes radical feminist thought for over generalizing the suggestion that female dominance is the only universal experience encountered by women. Furthermore, is it incorrect to characterize the law as male, since discrimination is not limited to gender. It can apply to race which can affect both men and women. Cornell attacks Mackinnon’s conclusion that the distinctive female values are simply a social construct formulated within the confines of the male dominated system. Therefore they are not truly feminine values per se. Cornell strongly criticizes Mackinnon’s reclamation of tough language to argue the point that women are degraded for example, in porn ography as ‘passive receptacles’ in intercourse. [56] Cornell believes such ‘militant anti utopianism, is the inevitable expression or her argument that there is only one self-enclosed, self-perpetuating reality for women’[57] that of male domination. Cornell contends that the sexes are different, and this must be recognized to encourage positive conceptions of sexual difference. She argues it is possible to maintain equality but also remain different and embrace the existence of womanhood which is rejected by the radical theorists. Such internal factionalism within the movement of legal feminist thought, it can be suggested reflects negatively on the discipline in terms of promoting a coherent and distinctive approach to the legal field. But such disagreements are ultimately reflective of the extensive nature of feminist thought in tackling the legal field. Cultural feminist theory It can be suggested cultural feminist theory, especially exhibited in the work of Gilligan[58] has provided a distinctive but divisive legal analysis of law. In Gilligan’s difference feminism, the writer argues constructs of morality are formed at an early age and are crucially gender orientated, thus specific to males and females in different ways. Difference feminism has created an alternative paradigm assessing male and female social structures. Gilligan suggests women focus on an ‘ethics of care’ instead of the male ‘ethics of justice’. An ethics of care is argued to stress the values of

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Bobs World :: essays research papers

Bob's World "Bobby," yelled his mother in a shrill voice. "Bobby, you have to get up and go to school today!" "But mom, I have to work at school and I can't watch TV there," Bob pleaded. "Besides I get the lowest marks in my class because the work is so easy that I get bored." "Just come and have your breakfast and go to school," she ordered him. As Bob headed towards school, he saw one of his friends skateboarding down the street. "Yo Bob, you wanna try my board, man?" the youth asked. "No thanks, my knee is acting up again," Bob replied. "Sure man, whatever you say dude," was the reply he got as the youth skated away at top speed. "Hi Bob," came the voice of Lucille as she came up to walk to school with him. "Hi Lucille," Bob replied shyly. Bob and Lucille were good friends. Bob wished that they could go out on a date but, he knew there was several reasons why they would not make a good couple. First Lucille had told him that she did not like it if her boyfriend was a lot smarter and better at sports than her. After-all they were so different. She worked so hard to get stuff done while he needed very little time if any at all. She was the captain of the soccer and basketball teams while, if his knee was better, he could beat her at any sport. He knew they were just so different they were fated not to be together. The two friends chatted their way to school. She talked about her sports games and practices and how much homework she had while he talked about the TV shows he had watched. When they got to school they said their good-bye's -- she had trigonometry and he had basic computers. As the teacher started her usual rant about this and that, Bob turned to his brilliant (like him) friend John when he said. "Hey man didn't I see you walking with that Lucille chick?" John asked him. "Ya I mean she isn't smart or as good at sports like you and me but I like her anyway," Bob replied. "But Bob man, she just smacks of effort, how does one person do so much work?" John asked Bob. "I know that is a serious letdown, doing stuff sucks, I don't know why she does it," Bob used his usual drowsy voice.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Health care in the United States Essay

Obamacare is a federal statute that represents the most significant government expansion and regulatory overhaul of the United States healthcare system. Obamacare will increase healthcare costs tremendously. A positive to it is that it will provide over thirty million uninsured Americans with healthcare. Obamacare will affect businesses, especially small businesses by cutting their hours and jobs. It may also prevent them from providing their employees with health benefits. Obamabcare will also affect Medicare and Medicaid with budget cuts of around $ 716,000,000, a tax increase, and also increase the cost of medications. Health insurance exchange will be set up to try to organize the programs and offer different choices for health care plans. Overall, Obamacare will affect people that already have insurance by making their costs continue to rise. Obamacare is estimated to make the cost of insurance skyrocket, but no one truly knows. Obamacare is mostly modeled after Romneycare. Obamacare is going to cost the federal government $1.1 trillion net cost. Obamacare will be paid for mostly by the 9% tax increase and the $716 billion dollars cut from Medicare. Doctors will also be affected by pay cuts, business mergers, and them having to close their practice to new patients. Obamacare will affect young adults with premium increases, loss of coverage, government takeover of student loans, less money for education, and crushing fiscal burdens. It will affect senior citizens by increasing the age at which they can retire, and by cutting the amount of access they have to medical care by a doctor. Obamacare will affect hospitals by merger increases and many of them will lose doctors. They will be under a tremendous financial squeeze while having to manage the overall health care of their patients. To fight back against such things, many states are changing laws and not accepting it at all. Some negatives of Obamacare are newer higher taxes and the government’s control over doctors’ decisions. Drug companies and medical device companies will benefit from this law because more people will have access to medicines and equipment. Drug companies will benefit more because these patients will have medicines paid for that before they may not have been able to afford. Obamacare’s employer mandate is among the newest laws with the most anti-growth provisions. When implemented, it will force most American businesses to offer government approved health insurance to their employees or else pay new federal taxes for not doing so. This costly new  requirement will make it more expensive for companies to hire new employees in the future. Consequently, it will destroy jobs and many companies are likely to slow down hiring in anticipation of it being implemented. Major players that were instrumental in getting this bill past were Gary Cohen, President Obama, Max Baucus, Ron Wyden, Bill Nelson, and Maria Cantwell.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Schoolboy from Songs of Innocence and Byrons Don Juan, stanzas 37-48.

The Schoolboy from Songs of Innocence and Byrons Don Juan, stanzas 37-48. 'The Schoolboy' and this extract from Byron's epic Don Juan are concerned with the theme of learning. Blake regards formal schooling as confining and destructive to a child's nature, whereas Byron ridicules and shows the ineffectuality of strict puritan education.'The Schoolboy' comprises six stanzas of five lines with a strict ABABB rhyme scheme. The rhythm is iambic, the natural speech pattern, loose tetrameter and trimeter, representing the child's struggle against the confinement of school. The schoolboy is the speaker of the first three stanzas, but the voice then changes to that of an adult appealing on behalf of the children. The entire poem is composed in the present tense which gives it a sense of immediacy.Blake begins his poem by presenting the reader with a pastoral idyll. The child who rises 'in the summer morn' (1.1) and with whom 'the sky-lark sings' (1.4) is part of nature which provides such 'sweet company' (1.5).BLAKE FERGUSONThis general bliss is also compounded wi th the use of positively charged words such as 'love' (1.1), 'sweet' (1.4) and the satisfied exclamation of 'Oh' (1.5). On reading the words aloud the mouth widens to form a smile.The 'But' of the second stanza alerts the reader that this gentle happiness is to be broken. 'But to go to school in a summer morn' (2.1) echoes the opening line of the poem and in so doing draws attention to the differences between the two. The singing is now 'sighing' and this is reflected by the tone which becomes heavy and listless (2.5). The school itself ispersonified as it 'drives all joy away' (2.2). Blake uses the word 'joy' on three occasions: here and again in the fourth and fifth stanzas. In each case the joy is equated with the natural state and is...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Northrop P-61 Black Widow in World War II

Northrop P-61 Black Widow in World War II In 1940, with World War II raging, the Royal Air Force began seeking designs for a new night fighter to combat German raids on London. Having used radar to aid in winning the Battle of Britain, the British sought to incorporate smaller airborne intercept radar units into the new design. To this end, the RAF instructed the British Purchasing Commission in the US to evaluate American aircraft designs. Key among the desired traits were the ability to loiter for around eight hours, carry the new radar system, and mount multiple gun turrets. During this period, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, the US Air Officer in London, was briefed on British progress relating to the development of airborne intercept radar units. He also gained an understanding of the RAFs requirements for a new night fighter. Composing a report, he stated that he believed the American aviation industry could produce the desired design. In the United States, Jack Northrop learned of the British requirements and began contemplating a large, twin engine design. His efforts received a boost later that year when a US Army Air Corps board chaired by Emmons issued a request for a night fighter based on the British specifications. These were further refined by the Air Technical Service Command at Wright Field, OH. Specifications General Length: 49 ft., 7 in.Wingspan: 66 ft.Height: 14 ft., 8 in.Wing Area: 662.36 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 23,450 lbs.Loaded Weight: 29,700 lbs.Maximum Takeoff Weight: 36,200 lbs.Crew: 2-3 Performance Maximum Speed: 366 mphRange: 610 milesRate of Climb: 2,540 ft./min.Service Ceiling: 33,100 ft.Power Plant: 2 Ãâ€" Pratt Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,250 hp each Armament 4 Ãâ€" 20 mm Hispano M2 cannon in ventral fuselage4 Ãâ€" .50 in M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated, full-traversing upper turret4 Ãâ€" bombs of up to 1,600 lb. each or 6 Ãâ€" 5 in. HVAR unguided rockets Northrop Responds: In late October 1940, Northrops chief of research, Vladimir H. Pavlecka, was contacted by ATSCs Colonel Laurence C. Craigie who verbally detailed the type of aircraft they were seeking. Taking his notes to Northrop, the two men concluded that the new request from the USAAC was nearly identical to that from the RAF. As a result, Northrop produced the work done earlier in response to the British request and immediately had a head start over his competitors. Northrops initial design saw the company create an aircraft featuring a central fuselage suspended between two engine nacelles and tail booms. The armament was arranged in two turrets, one in the nose and one in the tail. Carrying a crew of three (pilot, gunner, and radar operator), the design proved unusually large for a fighter. This was necessary to accommodate the weight of the airborne intercept radar unit and the need for an extended flight time. Presenting the design to the USAAC on November 8, it was approved over the Douglas XA-26A. Refining the layout, Northrop quickly shifted the turret locations to the top and bottom of the fuselage. Subsequent discussions with the USAAC led to a request for increased firepower. As a result, the lower turret was abandoned in favor of four 20 mm cannon mounted in the wings. These were later repositioned to the underside of the aircraft, similar to the German Heinkel He 219, which freed up space in the wings for additional fuel while also improving the wings airfoil. The USAAC also requested the installation of flame arrestors on the engine exhausts, a rearrangement of radio equipment, and hard points for drop tanks. The Design Evolves: The basic design was approved by the USAAC and a contract issued for prototypes on January 10, 1941. Designated the XP-61, the aircraft was to be powered by two Pratt Whitney R2800-10 Double Wasp engines turning Curtiss C5424-A10 four-bladed, automatic, full-feathering propellers. As construction of the prototype moved forward, it quickly fell victim to a number of delays. These included difficulty obtaining the new propellers as well as equipment for the upper turret. In the latter case, other aircraft such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, and B-29 Superfortress took priority in receiving turrets. The problems were eventually overcome and the prototype first flew on May 26, 1942. As the design evolved, the P-61s engines were changed to two Pratt Whitney R-2800-25S Double Wasp engines featuring two-stage, two-speed mechanical superchargers. Additionally, larger wider span flaps were used which permitted a lower landing speed. The crew was housed in the central fuselage (or gondola) with the airborne intercept radar dish mounted within a rounded nose in front of the cockpit. The rear of the central fuselage was enclosed with a plexiglass cone while the forward section featured a stepped, greenhouse-style canopy for the pilot and gunner.   In the final design, the pilot and gunner were situated toward the front of the aircraft while the radar operator occupied an isolated space towards the rear. Here they operated a SCR-720 radar set which was used to direct the pilot towards enemy aircraft. As the P-61 closed on an enemy aircraft, the pilot could view a smaller radar scope mounted in the cockpit. The aircrafts upper turret was operated remotely and targeting aided by a General Electric GE2CFR12A3 gyroscopic fire control computer. Mounting four .50 cal. machine guns, it could be fired by the gunner, radar operator, or pilot. In the last case, the turret would be locked in a forward-firing position. Ready for service in early 1944, the P-61 Black Widow became the US Army Air Forces first purpose-designed night fighter. Operational History: The first unit to receive the P-61 was the 348th Night Fighter Squadron based in Florida. A training unit, the 348th prepared crews for deployment to Europe. Additional training facilities were also used in California. While night fighter squadrons overseas transitioned to the P-61 from other aircraft, such as the Douglas P-70 and British Bristol Beaufighter, many Black Widow units were formed from scratch in the United States. In February 1944, the first P-61 squadrons, the 422nd and 425th, shipped out for Britain. Arriving, they found that the USAAF leadership, including Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz, were concerned that the P-61 lacked the speed to engage the latest German fighters. Instead, Spaatz directed that the squadrons be equipped with British De Havilland Mosquitoes. Over Europe: This was resisted by the RAF which wished to retain all available Mosquitoes. As a result, a competition was held between the two aircraft to determine the P-61s capabilities. This resulted in a victory for the Black Widow, though many senior USAAF officers remained skeptical and others believed the RAF had deliberately thrown the contest. Receiving their aircraft in June, the 422nd began missions over Britain the following month. These aircraft were unique in that they had been shipped without their upper turrets. As a result, the squadrons gunners were reassigned to P-70 units. On July 16, Lieutenant Herman Ernst scored the P-61s first kill when he downed a V-1 flying bomb. Moving across the Channel later in the summer, P-61 units began to engage manned German opposition and posted an admirable success rate. Though some aircraft were lost to accidents and ground fire, none were downed by German aircraft. That December, the P-61 found a new role as it helped defend Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Using its powerful complement of 20 mm cannon, the aircraft attacked German vehicles and supply lines as it aided the besieged towns defenders. As the spring of 1945 progressed, P-61 units found enemy aircraft increasingly scarce and kill numbers dropped accordingly. Though the type was also used in the Mediterranean Theater, units there often received them too late in the conflict to see meaningful results. In the Pacific: In June 1944, the first P-61s reached the Pacific and joined the 6th Night Fighter Squadron on Guadalcanal. The Black Widows first Japanese victim was a Mitsubishi G4M Betty which was downed on June 30. Additional P-61s reached the theater as the summer progressed though enemy targets were generally sporadic. This led to several squadrons never scoring a kill for the duration of the war. In January 1945, a P-61 aided in the raid on the Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines by distracting the Japanese guards as the assault force neared. As the spring of 1945 progressed, Japanese targets became virtually nonexistent though a P-61 was credited with scoring the final kill of the war when it downed a Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo on August 14/15. Later Service: Though concerns about the P-61s performance persisted, it was retained after the war as USAAF did not possess an effective jet-powered night fighter. The type was joined by the F-15 Reporter which had been developed during the summer of 1945. Essentially an unarmed P-61, the F-15 carried a multitude of cameras and was intended for use as a reconnaissance aircraft. Redesignated F-61 in 1948, the aircraft began to be withdrawn from service later that year and was replaced by the North American F-82 Twin Mustang. Refitted as a night fighter, the F-82 served as an interim solution until the arrival of the jet-powered F-89 Scorpion. The final F-61s were retired in May 1950. Sold to civilian agencies, F-61s and F-15s performed in a variety of roles into the late 1960s.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Week 6 - Essay Example The first evident characteristic of Baroque in this sculpture is drama and emotion, which makes the audience share the feelings of Bernini. Drama and emotion are brought out by the space around the statue. Another Baroque characteristic in this sculpture is twisting and uncontrolled torsos, which create a tortion that, enhance a dynamic representation of the figure. Finally, the sculpture depicts use of tenebrism as seen by the sharp contrast between the sculpture and its background. The background is completely dark while the sculpture itself is light. Michelangelo’s David is a High Renaissance work, which takes the form of a pyramidal composition revealing stability of the sculpture. This contrasts with Bernini’s David, which is a Baroque style represented by diagonal lines that show energy, drama, and movement. Hence, while Michelangelo focus on representing the beauty of David, Bernini is concerned with emotion that ignites reaction from the audience. On the other hand, Donatello’s David is an early Renaissance work that depicts the reemergence of nudity. In addition, the sculpture unlike Bernini’s shows no motion and drama. In Donatello’s sculpture, a victorious David is standing as a representation of the Republic of Florence blessed by God. Therefore, there is no emotion as in the sculpture of Bernini, but a mere representation of might and

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Comparing and Contrasting 4 states in Middle East Essay

Comparing and Contrasting 4 states in Middle East - Essay Example Crane was in favor of a Palestinian state, and made several declarations in contra of the Balfour Declaration, which called for the creation of the Jewish state. Israel was actually the brainchild of Theodore Herzl, â€Å"†¦who founded the Zionist political movement.†2 â€Å"On 29 November 1947, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted in favor of [Partition Resolution (UN Res. 181)]†¦replacing the British mandate with two independent states†¦The UN partition resolution laid down a timetable for the termination of the British mandate and for the establishment of [both] Jewish [and] Arab state[s]†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 Relations between the West and the Middle East were not always entirely contentious. In the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon (the British High Commissioner in Egypt) and the Sharif of Mecca (Hussein bin Ali), the two men discussed the political future of the Middle East—McMahon encouraging an Arab revolt within the Ott oman Empire, since it had sided with Germany as an ally. Speaking of the Middle East, the Masjid-e-Suleiman was The Mosque of Solomon—the site where a large amount of oil was located. Palestine was a former British colony. Lebanon was a former French colony. The Druzes migrated due to the civil war in Lebanon in the 1860s. The Maydan Quarter of Damascus and the Druze was basically a riot over grain that led to a rise in Arab nationalism in Syria. In Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt—there were a bunch of â€Å"Accommodationist Notables†, wealthy prominents who were considered to have stakes in controlling mandates in the Middle East. With the advent of the Bombing of the King David Hotel (carried out by Irgun, which, like Lehi was a Zionist paramilitary organization), there were Britons, Arabs, Jews, and others killed. What had happened was that Irgun had been given a mandate by a man named Moshe Sneh. He ordered his men to dress up—one man as a Sudanese, ot her men as Arabs—in order to pass security. Someone warned the Palestine Post that the bombing was about to occur. Also, the French consulate was apparently warned in advance. However, the appropriate warnings did not go off in the Hotel, which was owned by Jewish nationals. The bombing lit off a firestorm in Britain. The bombing was decried, and Irgun was called a terrorist organization. This was done partly because Zionist Jews wanted to make a statement against a Nazi-British alliance. Anti-Jewish sentiment was also strong in Britain, and Britain’s occupancy of the Palestinian state only served to deepen the divide between Britain and what would one day become Israel. In fact, the Irgun organization would one day have their members absorbed into the state of Israel’s Likud party, which has somehow been involved in every major election in Israel since the early 1950s. Speaking about divisions of land in the Middle East, The Sykes-Picot Agreement was basically an Anglo-French agreement post-World War I that followed a previous agreement which carved Syria, Kurdistan, Acre, and Haifa between Russia, Britain, an unnamed Arab state, as well as Palestine. The pilfering of land would not be unique to the Middle East, however. Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Union territory in 1941, Hitler claiming that his people needed more space. Hitler would continue to invade most of Western Europe and a large part of Eastern Europe. However, when he tried to march against Russia, his soldiers found themselves not

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Question is in the instruction part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Question is in the instruction part - Essay Example In relation to architecture, it may be useful to define the concept of ‘Gothic’, which first belonged to the medieval period in Europe, from about 12th to 16th centuries. The characteristics included the pointed arch, large ribbed vaults and large, high windows, and later the flying buttress. The style was applied mainly to churches and cathedrals, therefore having religious and ecclesiastical connotations, though stately homes, convents and monasteries also adopted it. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, its revival coincided with the popularity of the Gothic genre in English fiction, often quoted as having originated with Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ (Walpole 1764). The underlying ethos seems to be one of highly charged emotional content, thrilling sensationalism and a rejection of the rational and classical clarity with determined the Enlightenment. Gothic fiction and architecture would seem to seek to extend beyond normal, ratio nal boundaries in society and to find instead, a more exciting form of expression and stimulation – almost taking reader and characters to the brink of insanity through the alteration of perceived reality. Certainly, the Gothic literary conventions call up childhood fears, myths, legends and superstitions, and in so doing, overturn common perceptions and distort reality. Just as it is impossible to fully understand the workings of the human mind, the environments created in the fiction are difficult to grasp, alien and mysterious and possibly reflecting, in the form of the deep, dark pits and dungeons, an allegorical picture of psychic depths beyond our conscious knowledge. Robert Barry (1995) states that: In ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, Poe creates an atmosphere of increasing tension and doom, launching into a description which engages the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Power In The First Part Of A Clockwork Orange Essay Example for Free

Power In The First Part Of A Clockwork Orange Essay The opening of the novel is the line Whats it going to be then, ey? This is clearly something that is said by someone in an authoritative position and we learn in the next sentence that this is Alex. He is our narrator and this gives him a certain amount of power as he can choose what he wants to tell us as readers. Burgess also shows Alexs power through the various violent attacks he perpetrates on people who we would consider to be in a position of more authority than Alex is in our own society. The first of these instances is the attack upon a schoolteacher, which is a clear and obvious indicator that this society is very wrong. At the tender age of fifteen, it would be considered totally inconceivable that Alex would not only attack, but also humiliate a man who relies upon respect from youths in order to do his job. The physical power the gang have over the teacher is almost a way of compensating for Alex and his gang feeling threatened intellectually and in this sense the teacher is the more powerful. This idea of physical versus intellectual power is explored again when the gang leave the town centre to seek victims in the suburbs. When they find the writer and his wife, they destroy the book and beat the couple into teary subordination. These actions are lead by Alex who is portrayed as an almost psychotic intellectual and so dislikes the idea of not understanding the fair gloopy title of the book. I believe he is also prone to paranoia because he gets angry at the merest suggestion of someone being more intelligent or cultured than himself. As a totally egocentric way of asserting his power, Alex also beats up a drunk who is stumbling around and singing because he found him disgusting. This does not show any correlation to the other attacks as there is obviously no intellectual challenge from this man and so this attack is purely a confidence boost and has no real reason at all. Aside from their physical power, Alex and his gang also command a certain amount of fear amongst the elderly folk at the pub they visit. They are able, through brash bribery and intimidation, to get a room full of adults to comply with their wishes fairly easily even though no violence is used, or even suggested. This shows that the gangs of youths roaming the streets are infamous and that the civilised society they prey upon is doing little, if anything, to stop them. The power presented to us here, or lack of it, is the states diminished power over criminals of a violent and numerous nature. This is further demonstrated when Alex and his gang come across a rival gang in a desolate place where their laws are obeyed e. g. survival of the fittest. The power each gang has over the other is decided in a very fitting way considering what is done with this power because the gang who can cause the most injury and pain wins the power to carry on doing so to other people outside the gang wars. One such unfortunate victim is the old woman who is the last of Alexs victims as a free man. The gang, and Alex, assume they have unrivalled power over the old woman not only because of her age but also because they see themselves as untouchably strong in fights and aggression. However, Alexs power seems to be with his gang because, contrary to his own beliefs, he finds he cannot do the robbery alone and is shocked to find the old woman beating him with a stick. This is a very strange thing to happen to Alex as he sees himself as above the possibility of actually getting hurt. However, it is clear that this invulnerable character is only as such when he is supported by his gang, who are given very little credit throughout the first half of the novel for their various roles within the crimes. The utterly surreal struggle for power and control between the old woman and the young but hardened criminal ends with a swift blow to the head from Alex and so we see his physical power keeping him in control yet again. However, the authorities finally get Alex under their control through (ironically) fairly violent methods. The police are portrayed as fighting fire with fire, so to speak, as they beat Alex and humiliate him just as he had done to so many before. This is cleverly done by Burgess as this lets the reader see how these people, who are fighting against Alex and the culture he represents, are actually no better than him in a moral sense as they get their power in exactly the same way e. g. through violent beatings and intimidation. Another example of role reversal is the relationship between P. R Deltoid and Alex both before and after his arrest. Prior to the arrest, Alex was very dismissive of P. R Deltoids warnings and cared little about what he had to say, as he was untouchable and would never be caught, as he was such an intelligent young man. However once he realises how much trouble he really is in, he becomes very meek and humble before P. R Deltoid and asks him for help. It is then that P. R Deltoid becomes the one who does not care and, in his position of power over Alex, spits in face. This is an act usually saved for use by the very lowest of people and is yet more evidence of the hypocritical use of humiliating actions on Alex by the people who are supposed to be putting an end to these actions. Throughout the first part of the novel, Alex uses barbaric force and pure physical strength to overpower his enemies and victims. He sees this as proof of his own undeniable strength when, in fact, it is down to his gang that he is not harmed by his numerous encounters with violence. His egotistical delusions lead him to believe that he can impose his power upon someone by himself and this over-confidence ultimately concretes his arrest. From this point, the readers of this novel would expect to see the police processing and punishing Alex harshly but effectively and humanely. Instead, we realise that the police are so used to seeing the violence that they no longer try to avoid it and instead resort to it themselves. We are shown that power has changed hands dramatically over the course of the first part of the novel but we can also recognise that the way in which the power is gained and exerted does not change in the slightest as it passes from criminals to civilians to policemen. This is a very interesting comment on the dystopian society presented to us in this book and serves as a powerful warning for our own future.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Effect of Market on Pay Rates and Structures

Effect of Market on Pay Rates and Structures Executive Summary This assignment is based on two parts. Part A is focused on what is happening in the market of pay rates and structures. How management decide to pay to their employees and factors affecting the pay systems? Part A is mainly discussed on the factors that affecting to the pay rates in organisations. The role of management to deciding the pay structure and the system, they should follow to decide the pay rates. It consists of many illustration and examples in the way of case studies. It includes an overview of the scope in reward management, a description of the factors of pay rates coming in this context. The careful review and analysis are performed on deciding the pay rates, the conclusions are judged with suitable references and examples. In part B of this assignment, the topic of dismissal is discussed. The types of dismissals procedure and the methods of managing the dismissals in organisations. In this assignment, we discuss the need of the dismissals and how to manage it properly. The is supported with literature reviews and case studies. What is the affect of the dismissals on the employers as well as employees and how society is affected by this? This part will discuss on fair dismissals and the legal aspects of the dismissal process. Part A Do you think â€Å"management freedom of action in deciding relative pay rates is constrained by the product market, the labour market, collective bargaining, technology and the internal labour market † Discuss and debate. What factors should management consider in your opinion? Substantiate with many examples. Introduction The skills of managers had explained that there are several ways of connecting different types of efforts and rewards relying on what is being occurred and by which method. There are many varieties of pay distribution structure. Payment by outcome plans of different types, system then connect time-related encouragement to achievement criteria group and individual schemes, bonus plans relates to plan outcome. Sometimes payment systems are determined to work in some conditions but not in all. Sometimes, managements experience with the payment system is not planned in a proper method to show which payments are suitable for which situations, its objectives? The management indicate to some of the characteristics in choosing proper payment systems such as- product market, labour market, trade unions, technology and the expectations and manners of workplace. There are further factors which also need to be considered by the management while deciding or modifying the pay system. Each factor is present in every situation, but differs in their application depending on the time and situation. The management should organise systematically the payment systems and would require a method of calculating the differences applied in these factors. The managements experience need a process of designating payment schemes in such a manner that it should match with the conditions. Although, there is no specific criteria or any particular system designed, which can provide management to classify payment systems, especially to help at the time of choosing payment system. Also there is no particular format or method which is available to suit unusual or unpredicted situations. It has been said that when basic necessities are satisfied, like food, shelter, clothing, then other higher needs comes further. Therefore employees expect from the management to redefine their jobs, so that their jobs can be enlarged and they get work promotions, which could enlarge their range of skills. There is need for training to enlarge the skills of employees, which they expect more from the managements side to be classified as continuous process. Management have to deal with all these problems. Firstly, they have to classify the schemes and motivate th e workers. Secondly, they have to add the procedure that provides them opportunity of the design of organisation. Thirdly, to add the aims of the managers which they would need to set themselves. Consequently, there are many other factors while discussing the pay rates by the management. Pay Structure The time, management selects the pay rate for their workers, they have to choose how they will reward them. The systems transparency is the basic key to make certain that everyone knows the system of their payment calculation and on what basis they are receiving their bonouses or enhancements. What is Pay Structures? According to Armstrong and Brown, Definition: â€Å"Pay structure gives a structure for managing base pay and other aspects of reward† Some main types of pay structures are Traditional graded structures Broadbanded structures Graded pay structures Job families Mixed model ( broadbanded and job family) Pay spines Individual job structures In many organisations, there is lack of formal pay structures and they use ‘spot rates for different jobs or people. There is no scope of progress in pays, just what they think at that time the pay should satisfy minimum needs for the workers that will be the pay of that worker. For example, Thistle Hotels acquired a market-driven spot rate approach. According to the authors, in the UK ,there are great numbers of organisations with less than 100 employees have no formal pay structure, just what they think at the time of the appointment of the employees, they are worth, that will be the pay structure of them. But in other big organisations, they use the formal structure of pay which Appoint pay scales grouped into grades. Progress the actions for pay progression. Specify the criteria on which individuals or jobs can shift between grades, bands or levels. Factors Affecting Pay Rates Managers freedom of action make manager more flexibility in determining an employees pay rate within a specified salary range. With this flexibility comes accountability, however, requiring managers to apply sound judgment using a set of established pay factors to justify an employees rate of pay. Salaries are â€Å"managed† normally around market rates depending on departmental needs, the work units needs, and budget availability or constraints. Applicant and employee situations may make one or more of these factors more important in determining the pay rate. Managers may also consult with Human Resource staff experienced in applying pay factors as a resource when making pay decisions. There are primary pay factors to consider when making a pay decision in career. Those pay factors are described below.Pay decisions should be made fairly taking into consideration all of the following. There are several things and issues which management to kept in mind because these issues are important and core issues could make a impact on management in terms of relative these core issues are under. On first stage we need to discuss these issue then after that recommendations could be make easily 1) Labour market: In labour market, labour organization is usually showed as a complication for adjustment. But responses of unions are aggressive opposition to acceptance or even explicit cooperation. There are three main characteristic responsible for this kind of events. These are mention in the below diagram. A) Strength of labour movement: In industry, the labours an aggressive attitude on wages tends to be associated with relatively strong unions. As expected, the small or week unions are less aggressive. The large or powerful unions are more responsible because they are greatly participation in discussion and decision making at the national level. On the other hand in the developing countries this kind of formality is totally different. Only a few unions have strong labour movement and among this the aggressive attitude is common. B) Economic Cycle: In the developing as well as industrial nations, the depression is reduces aggressive attitude of labour regularly. C) Political institutions: The nature of the political command is only associated with how governments handle labour relations. More important things are that behaviour of labour unions towards the nature of political party and how these unions are connected with these parties. The workers cooperation is related to those things which encourage the business to invest. The current sacrifices will ultimately relate to future gains or profits. (Booth, A. (1995), The Economics of the Trade Union, Cambridge, CUP.) Case Study: Labour Market Outcomes and Trade Reforms: The Case of India* The Policy Reforms of 1991 In 1991, modifying labour laws to enhance flexibility in labour markets was envisaged as  part of the economic reform program that commence. However, the lack of harmony and political instability has postponed industrial relations reforms. A handful of changes have been initiated in recent years. For instance, as part of the restructure of unprofitable public-sector enterprises, a voluntary retirement system was institute by the government to reduce their workforce. In 2002, the government decided to modify the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 allow companies to lay off employees without seeking its permission, if they employ less than 1,000 workers. This change is likely to impact 95 percent of Indian enterprises, provide employers with greater freedom in their labour decisions and improve labour market flexibility. Labour Markets: Regulations and Rigidities The informal sectors of the economy, which account for the bulk of employment, have remained outside the scope of labour laws and labour-market Institutions. Furthermore, the informal nature of employment contracts, the illiteracy of the workers, and the surplus labour in the rural economy have condemned attempts to unionize these workers. In India, Most labour laws are applicable to the organized sector. The organized sector offers what can be called â€Å"good† jobs and failure of the sector to draw out labour from unorganized sectors leads to a general decline in employment conditions. Labour Market Rigidity Indias labour market is ranked 45th labour market flexibility in the GCR 1998. Rigidities include rigidities in the deployment of human resources, in work practices, and in wages. While India is a labour surplus economy, wages are often set at above market clearing levels, particularly in the organized sector. The downward demands on wages are mitigate by labour market imperfection such as the existence of monopolistic trade unions and minimum wages guaranteed by law. These conditions apply especially to the public sector. The government fixes minimum wages for workers in the unorganized sector. However, constitutional minimum wages have been largely ineffective in influencing wages in unorganized sectors due to weak enforcement, irregular revisions, and lack of proper indexation to cost of living. In an economy where state-sponsored social security is nearly absent and where â€Å"good jobs† are unusual, employment security in the organized sector is of apparent value. The issue is not simply one of removing rigidities; it is also one of concurrently ensuring the economic and social security of the workers. While labour market flexibility will make possible readjustment and restructuring, it must be accompany by some kind of insurance and social security to the huge unorganized labour force in the country. Employment provided under the â€Å"Jawaharlal Rodger Yolanda† — a form of unemployment benefit where the government provides employment through labour-intensive infrastructure projects. (Pushan Dutt, Department of Economics, University of Alberta, 2005.) 2) Product Market: A full understanding of how product market regulation affect labour market out comes requires a systematic measurement of the channels through which these regulations affect equilibrium outcomes in various economic environments. In this framework, job insecurity generates a perverse effect on workers incentives, which shifts up the real wages schedule and may yield employment losses. Product market regulation and redundancy payments contribute to reducing labour turnover, thus easing the workers incentive constraint. Consequently, and against conventional wisdom, regulations may have a positive impact on employment, and a substitution effect may emerge across deregulation policies. Moreover, in some cases a complementarily arise between regulation in product and labour markets, both interacting to ensure more stable labour regulation.(oxford journals, industrial and corporate change, 2006) Product market reforms can give significant economy advantages. All organisation for economic development (OECD) countries rely essentially on competition in product markets to organize product. The advantages of competitive markets over command and control system is generally recognized. It is regularly difficult to provide experiential evidence of the effect of incremental changes in the intensity of competition for aggregate economic performance. This is partly because product market competition is only one among many factors influencing key aggregate performance indicators, such as productivity and employment. OECD has a rational connection between strong competition in markets for goods and services and better productivity and employment outcomes.( Product Market Regulation and Market Work: A Benchmark Analysis, Lei Fang and Richard Rogerson, NBER Working Paper, February 2007) Case Study: BT- telecommunications company increase marketing response rates by 100 percent. Challenge: BT needed to identify customers propensity to purchase and then calculate their likely competitive value once they become customers, to obtain the greatest value from its marketing budget. After creating accurate customers profiles, BT planned to develop new product targeted to specific customers groups. Solution: BT selected PASW Modeller (one type of software) to analyze data and build exploratory models for its â€Å"business highway† campaign, which was aimed at small business customers. A higher response rates to marketing campaigns, increase product revenues, and an even greater market share for the company. Results: 1) Improved direct mail campaign response rate by 100 percent. 2) Provided sales and marketing with a targeted â€Å"best prospects† list the once peaceful telecommunication industry has turned competitive. To retain its customers, gain new customers, and maximize sales, the company needed facts about exactly who was buying its products and services. To identify these customers, the company established a customer and campaign analysis team, headed by Senior Consultant Stephen OBrien, within its business connections division. The teams first assignment was to model customer profiles for BTs Business Highway product, which provides small business customers with three telephone numbers, one standard and two digital, on a single line. The launch included a major direct mail campaign and national media coverage. (http://www. Financial times.co.uk, 2007) 3) Collective Bargaining: Collective bargaining is specifically an industrial relations instrument or device for employment relationship. In collective bargaining, the union always has a combined interest for the benefit of several employees. Where collective bargaining is not for one employer but for several, cooperative interests become a characteristic for both parties to the bargaining process. Further, in labour relations involve the public interest on pay which can impact on need to be satisfied, such as the subsistence of the freedom of association and a labour law system. The nature of the relationship between the parties in collective bargaining distinguish prices. (Sriyan de Silva, Collective Bargaining Negotiations, 199, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION) Governments are interfere in collective bargaining because the negotiations are of interest to those away from the parties themselves. In collective bargaining certain essential conditions the negotiations from normal commercial negotiations in which the buyer may be in a stronger position as he could take his business elsewhere. In the employment relationship the employer is a buyer of services and the employee the seller, and the latter may have the more powerful authorize in the form of trade union action. (Blau, F.D. and Kahn, L.M. 1996: International Differences in Male Wage Inequality: Institutions versus Market Forces, Journal of Political Economy, 104, 4, 791-837.) The ILO Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98), 1949 describes collective bargaining as: Voluntary negotiation between employers or employers organizations and workers organizations, with a view to the regulation of terms and conditions of employment by collective agreements.( ILO, Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949) According to Marginson and Sisson. There are several essential characteristics of collective bargaining, all of which cannot be reflected in a single definition or description of the process: It is not corresponding to collective agreements because collective bargaining refers to the process, and collective agreements to the possible result of bargaining. It is a method used by trade unions to develop the terms and conditions of employment of their members. It seeks to restore the imbalanced bargaining position between employer and employee. Where collective bargaining impinges on government policy. Where it leads to an agreement, it modifies the individual contract of employment because it does not create the employer-employee relationship. (Marginson, P. and Sisson, K. 1998: European Collective Bargaining: a Virtual Prospect?, Journal of Common Market Studies Vol 36, 4, 505-28.) Case Study: Bargaining Power for Farmers, or The More Things Change†¦ Richard A. Levins is Professor and Extension Agricultural Economist in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Since the closing of the frontier in the last quarter of the 19th Century, the encounter with an increasingly dominant urban-industrial society has emerged as the major force in American agricultural development.The dramatic impact of this encounter during the last two decades has contributed to a crisis in social organization in both urban and rural areas.This crisis has resulted in intense concern by farmers and farm organizations over agricultures changing role in the national economy. â€Å"Bargaining power for farmers† has turned into one of the leading issues in current agricultural policy discussion. The milk holding action by the National Farmers Organization (NFO) in March 1967 dramatized, both to the general public and the national political leadership, the seriousness of the efforts some farmers were willing to make in order to achieve greater bargaining  power in the marketplace. In response to this new evidence of rural unrest Secretary of Agriculture Freeman took to the country for a series of â€Å"shirtsleeve† conferences with largely hostile farm audiences across the Midwest.Task force studies and meetings with farm producers  and marketing organizations to explore the interest and economic consequences of strengthening the power of farmers to bargain about terms of sale and market prices were conducted by USDA during the fall of 1967. In his January 1968 State of the Union  Address and his February 27 Agricultural Message, President Johnson recommended that Congress give serious attention to legislation â€Å"to help farmers bargain more effectively for fair prices.† The issue of bargaining power for farmers is not new in the history of agricultural policy discussion. Farmers have long used organization as a means of improving their political and economic bargaining power.The National Grange, oldest of U.S. farm organizations (founded 1867), grew rapidly in response to the long period of rural distress in the 1870s.The Farmers Alliance Movement in the 1880s represented a second major attempt by farmers to organize themselves, an effort that led to the formation of the Populist Party in 1891.The Farmers Union, organized in 1902, drew heavily on the old Farmers Alliance-Populist movement for its leadership and support. In contrast to earlier political efforts, however, the Farmers Union placed major emphasis on achieving economic power through cooperative marketing. The most dramatic effort by farmers to achieve direct marketing power occurred during the 1920s. Farmer cooperative associations achieved protection from antitrust action through the Cl ayton Antitrust Act (1914) and the Capper-Volstead Act (1922). Under the leadership of Aaron Sapiro of California, national commodity cooperatives for wheat, cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and many other crops were formed.The objective was to obtain control over a sufficient portion of the entire crop to become a dominant factor in the market. Control of producer deliveries were to be achieved by means of long-term contracts with members. (http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2002-4/2002-4-02.pdf) 4) Technology: Technology also plays an important part in terms of pay rise or relative pay rate because now a days technologies like work process engineering has minimise the labour role also because in the past labourer do so many things with hand but now a days those things could be easily done by the help of technology has some how overtaken the place of labour work .So management also bare in mind that if they are going increase relative pay or they going to invest in technological side they can save a lot of money while investing in technology. So technology also plays important role in terms of pay rise . 5) Internal labour market: Internal labour market also plays an important part on relative pay rates because now a days even though free capital market concept but all of this some countries at present they protect internal labour market .Because now a days internal labour market peoples enjoyed more benefits instead of peoples who came from some where else .Internal labour market also gives management some so management they believes internal labour market is bit more expensive then international labour market. 6) Financial Resources Available: Generally , it is HR staff for how much the salary will be paid to workers but there is also the responsibility of the manager as well to promote their workers. Often, when manager want to promote their staff the financial of the organization will become the challenge for the manager. Therefore manager should be aware of budget resources of all decision will be made. They have to weigh the available budget that company has against with the other factors for the best solutions. Managers should insight of the competencies and how HR used to recruit, hire, evaluate, develop, and pay their staff. The manager probably get help form consulting with HR staff for more information. Before promote any staff for more pay that is the duty of manger to make sure that the company have the budget available for that position for the promising a pay rise, which means if no fund available that is no point for manager to post or advertise for a higher position to their staff. As a managers that is nece ssary to work with all level position in the organization such as subordinates, upper management and most important is cousulting with HR for get the information as much as possible to decide what range of performance will be the most required for employee in each section to move from one level to another. As the employee , they have right to use their new ability or their specific competence they gain for a increase pay. Normally, if the employees who have the higher-level skills which not needed for the work the skills they have will be not considered for higher paid. Employees must be able to use their new competencies within the work unit to qualify for a pay increase. Managers must make sure that they have a plan and are allocating pay raises fairly and equitably rather than haphazardly or under changing â€Å"rules† for different employees. 7) Appropriate Market Rate: As managers, it is crucial to understand of market labor value of particular job for making decisions about the salary. Sometimes market rate not fixed all the time therefore the manager can justify paying higher rate on some case. Managers should be aware of the competencies and skills that already listed as minimum qualifications for the job. Managers should ask HR to establish a higher Market Reference Rate that exceeds the established market rate (if verified by market conditions). HR regularly monitors market rates for certain jobs but can do special reviews at the request of managers in situations like these. Generally, management should not pay too high than the established market rate for new employees for the task that only worth for certain amount. Hence, management have to study and always updated the established market rate for each position and level that will be promoted. The best way for manager to update is to consult closely with the HR offices for market salary info rmation. 8) Internal Pay Alignment: Manager should attempt to equalize the pay amount of the worker at the same level, same task , same job and performing in the same unit as much as possible The manager have to make sure that the person who will be paid more than the others, will be justified by more than one factors not only the years of services. When the manager becomes aware of any possible unjustified pay inequities among peers, these inequities should be investigated and resolved or justified to maintain fair treatment and to avoid legal problems based on possible discrimination or equal employment issues. The HR office is available to assist with reviews of internal pay equity issues. Fair salary offer for new employee should be consider with the existing employees salary and benefit package compare with the market rate. The manager may decide to make some salary adjustments. Or the manager may decide that this is not an important factor compared to other pay factors, and may not need to make any adjustments. M anagers might again consult with HR staff for help in analyzing differences in pay and benefit package comparisons. For more example, a chosen experienced applicant may be coming from another state with a comparable salary but where the cost for family health insurance was significantly less than the company rates. The manager may decide to add a proportionate increase to the salary offer to make up for the applicants increased insurance costs. In another example, a chosen experienced applicant may be coming to us from another state with a much higher salary (above the market rate for this position). The manager decides to offer the company standard market rate salary and considers this a fair offer since the cost of living in the company area is significantly less than in the applicants former state. 9) Required Competencies: That is the managers duty to make sure that the staff or an applicant has the minimum qualifications of the job. Qualifications are the competencies such as the knowledge, skills, abilities and traits which is determine and employees perform. These things are the factors of how applicants are hired and staff appraisals. Hence, it is very crucial that the competencies is expected for each person to categories their level in a particular job. Manager should make sure that any pay rates accurately reflect an employees competency level and the correct associated market rate. Moreover, managers have to make sure that a current staff have the minimum skills which required of the job. In filling a vacant position, the manager should consider on the level before posting and lists minimum and preferred qualifications. Also the pay range for the job at the suitable contributing, journey or advanced level. The duties and responsibilities for the job also counted for recruit employee. An applicant who only has the minimum qualification is not possible to qualify for a higher-level job therefore they can not be paid at higher level. Manager must check that the duties, responsibilities and ability are consistently applied to the correct levels. Basically, the more education and experience a person has got , the higher the level of competencies. Managers should be aware that employees or applicants years of experience do not always equate with levels of competencies, however. This means that two individuals working in the same class may have equal years of experien ce, but be at a different competency levels therefore different pay rate. Case Study: Pay strategy at Eastern Power plc Prior to Eastern Power plc becoming a privatized electricity supply company, pay awards were across-the-board annual pay increases and personal progression through salary grades until the maximum of the grade was reached. Annual pay awards were based on cost of living indexes nationally negotiated between the employers and trade unions on an industry-wide basis. With the formation of independent and competing electricity supply companies, the pay system was identified by senior management at Eastern Power as an important means of demonstrating the companys new, more autonomous, market-driven nature. Furthermore, it provided a tangible mechanism for reinforcing the cultural change required of individuals accustomed to working in a large public utility. Performance-related pay was introduced with no real preparation of the workforce and minimal, if any, training of line managers about either its intended purpose or application. During the first two years of operating PRP , the reported employee and managerial experience was far from positive. Complaints of inequitable treatment grew, many managers were uncomfortable with their increased discretion and pay decisions were frequently viewed as unfair, subjective and over-dependent on personal managerial preferences. Line management reported feeling unclear about what was expected from them in the new organization, which was reflected in the difficulty they had in setting clear and measurable targets for the employees for whom they were responsible. At Eastern Power plc, moving to performance-based pay strengthened the power and influence of line managers in the employment relationship but it also increased their supervisory responsibilities, accountability and emphasized the importance of demonstrating fairness and consistency in their decision-making. In a rapidly changing organizational context, it may well provide an immediate means of ‘signalling a changed organizational climate but clarifying mutual expectations of the wage/effort bargain at the level of the individual remains of paramount importance in the employment relationship. The process of achieving the desired alignment is widely recognized as complex and ‘reward management can be seen as indicative of the contradictions that exist within the discipline labelled human resource management'(Kelly and Monks, 1998:113). In part this is due to the very tangible nature of pay compared with many other human resourcing strategies. The contradictions observed in rewards policies certainly provide plentiful illustrations of a dilemma long identified in strategic human resourcing: how to elicit organizational commitment through the development of employee potential( Walton, 1985) while optimizing the use of human resources just as any other economic factor ( Storey, 1992 ). Source: http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B871.pdf (John Leopold Lynette Harris Tony Watson , The strategic Managing of Human Resources, Prentice Hall ,2005 p 211-220) Case study: Smart company