Managing Diversity in the Workplace Essay - 1140 Words

Managing diversity and demographical changes in the workplace presents many dilemmas. Confronted with constant change, management, business educators, and organizational consultants continue to meet the challenges of a new and diverse workforce in a number of ways. Diversity can be defined in numerous ways. Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all inclusive and recognizes every individual and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, gender, ethnicity, age, national origin, religion and disability, but may include sexual orientation, values,†¦show more content†¦That unceasing mockery made me feel insecure about who I was and where I came from. As I got older, my insecurity changed to a positive nature because of the sense of belonging in an environment where everyone came from the very same ethnic background at the private yeshiva for girls where I was enrolled for the duration of my high school years. I was constantly exposed to the multifarious cultures in our society due to leading a life of living in two worlds, my religious environment with my family in one and my socialization with my deaf friends who came from a variety of ethnic background in another. For what I was exposed with growing up has brought my sense of understanding and respect for ethnicity into perspective. I love learning about others and sharing about mine as well as long as the feelings are mutual. The way I behave affects others’ behaviors towards me. This allows for an amicable and friendly relationship with my fellow peers personally and professionally. With respect to the differences in maintaining skills and abilities, an individual’s behavior can be impacted by its own capabilities or lack thereof. Awareness of one’s physical ability and skill can enhance how one behaves. Maintaining skills is a learned power of doing something competently such as speaking fluently using proper form of language or the memory of mixing drinks. MaintainingShow MoreRelatedManaging Diversity in the Workplace1043 Words   |  5 PagesManaging diverse employees in a multicultural environment proves challenging to managers; yet, increasing diversity in the workplace is very beneficial for an organization. Diverse employees will provide a wider array of talents and will relate better to varied customers. Because managers have more influence than rank-and-file employees, it is imperative that managers commit to diversity of the workforce. Dissimilarities among people due to differences in characteristics can erode companies. FirstlyRead MoreManaging Diversity in the Workplace1356 Words   |  6 Pagesare instances, however, when workplace behavior can get out of hand and be inappropriate, causing a rift between employees. Many companies today hold yearly ethics courses designed to pinpoint an acceptable quality of behavior from their employees and also open up the floor to those who have issues with the company and its policies. Sometimes confronting an issue head on in a supportive environment will help find a positive solution to any issues of harassment or workplace abuse. Harassment should notRead MoreEssay on Managing Diversity in the Workplace1207 Words   |  5 PagesJohn F. Kennedy once said If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools1 Kelli A. Green, Mayra Là ³pez, Allen Wysocki, and Karl Kepner2 Introduction The worlds increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in an insular marketplace; they are nowRead MoreManaging Diversity Within The Workplace1605 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract- Managing Diversity in the workplace requires a lot of focus, training, and time. This paper gives an insight into the world of management and how diversity plays a big part. It explores the key benefits to putting emphasis on diversity and also how not putting emphasis on diversity could hurt your business. This paper also gives examples on how to go about managing diversity in the workplace. With proper focus on managing diversity, your organization can be at a big advantage. I. INTRODUCTIONRead MoreManaging Diversity in the Workplace Essay3304 Words   |  14 PagesDiversity in the Workplace Abstract Imagine that you are a highly qualified former Hispanic executive who was recently laid off from a fortune 500 hundred company. Within that company you held several key roles in which you were crucial to the success of the organization. In the prior roles you may have never really understood the need or the process of managing diversity. You hold several advanced degrees in key business fields despite all of your experience education and the economy flourishingRead More Managing Diversity in the Workplace Essay1900 Words   |  8 Pagesexercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion. -- Max de Pree Workplaces today have become increasingly diverse with employees of different genders, races, cultures, ethnic origins, and lifestyles. Changes in the cultural make-up of organizations have been so vast that it has become imperative for leaders and supervisors to understand cultural diversity and how it canRead MoreManaging Diversity And Equality Within The Workplace2677 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction Managing diversity and equality effectively in the workplace is the core responsibility of any organization in the contemporary business world. Shen, Chanda, D’Netto and Monga (2009) conducted a survey whose results revealed the massive diversity within the British society in terms of ethnicity, nationality and religion. As a result, the Equality Act of 2010 was formulated and became law whose provisions focus on legal protection against discrimination based on gender re-assignment,Read MoreEssay about Managing Diversity in the Workplace1449 Words   |  6 Pagesorganizations need diversity to become more creative and open to change. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity has become an important issue for management today (UCSF). Workplace diversity refers to having a variety of different types of people working together within a place of business. Employee gender, race, religion, sexual preference, physical appearance, family or marital status, education, culture, personality, or tenure establishes diversity in the workplace. Diversity is rapidlyRead More Managing Diversity and Ethics in the Workplace - 12979 Words   |  12 Pages Managing Diversity and Ethics in the Workplace Introduction There steps leaders and managers can take to effectively manage diversity and ethics concerns. How a manager effectively manages ethics and diversity, within the organization is directly correlated to the cultural, organizational and external environment influence ethical behavior. One of the step’s leaders and managers can take is to incorporate diversity training of the organization. Read MoreManaging Workplace Diversity Essay1219 Words   |  5 PagesDiversity is a term used most often to describe the different types of race, religion, and nationalities but in today’s business world, it is used to describe the different individual behaviors of employees. Diversity is about characteristics and demographics that differ from person to person and how they affect human behavior. To understand how diversity affects the work place let us look at four types of diversity--Differences in skill and abilities, Values and attitudes, Occupation differences

Living in 1900 or 1750 Free Essays

Between the years 1750 and 1900, there were many important changes to agriculture, transport and education. These were generally for the better yet perhaps didn’t affect everyone to the same degree. Looking at each we will see if everyone’s life was changed for the better. We will write a custom essay sample on Living in 1900 or 1750? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Looking firstly at transport, it can be seen that by 1900 transport had improved greatly, instead of everyone walking and riding bikes people could go on a steam boat or train. The railways were excellent as it meant that fresh food like fish could be delivered and people could go to the seaside whereas before people who didn’t live near the sea couldn’t get food such as fish as there was no way for fish to travel. Also people from the country could never go to the seaside or go out on day trips as the only transport that they had was themselves or bikes , but in 1900 they could go nearly anywhere on the steam train. Most people’s lives were changed for the better but it wasn’t cheap to ride the train so it didn’t help poor people at all. Secondly, when we look at education in 1900, it has also improved. In 1750 very few children went to school and those children who did were from very rich families. Hardly any children could read or write except those who were rich enough to go to school, whereas in 1900 nearly everyone could read and write because school was compulsory for all five to twelve year old children, both boys and girls. By 1900 there were ten universities in England, five in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Ireland. Nearly everyone’s lives changed for the better, as most people could read and write so they could get decent jobs. Thirdly, while we look at agriculture we can see that it has dramatically changed. Agriculture in 1750 was based on the British Empire. The cattle and livestock were from the places in the British Empire and so were all the crops. But in 1900 the British Empire had developed rapidly so there were many new and exotic crops for Britain to eat. It changed peoples live for the better as they had a more balanced diet with lots of new fruits and all other crops. Also working conditions changed a lot during these years. In 1750 there were very little industries which were known as cottage industries as they worked in small workshops next to there homes. Whereas in 1900 there were loads of huge factories instead of small workshops. In 1750 there was hardly any pollution if any but in 1900 the air was full of pollution because of the factories. The factories in 1900 were illuminated and had safe guards on most dangerous machines. I think in some aspects it had changed for the better but in others it hadn’t. It had changed for the better because it was safer and the factories produced loads of goods but there were lots of pollution. Medicine in 1750 was appalling, nobody knew anything. There were know vaccinations or anything, but in 1900 anaesthetics and antiseptics were developed so now, most patients didn’t die of shock. Also Louis Pasteur had discovered that germs cause disease, this led to vaccines being developed for diphtheria and other diseases. Also sewers were installed and the water supplies were a lot better, this cut back the amount of germs around. This changed everyone’s lives for better as the vaccinations were available for all. I would rather live in 1900 as the way of life is a lot better. Louis Pasteur had discovered that germs caused disease which helped develop vaccinations. I would like to live in 1900 as school is compulsory so nearly everyone can read and write. How to cite Living in 1900 or 1750?, Papers

Analysis of TVs Mad Men Essay Example For Students

Analysis of TVs Mad Men Essay The saying goes, â€Å"Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider. Girls go to college to get more knowledge. † In the 1960’s, the irony of this phrase was obvious, besides the fact that the group claiming to be more intelligent is calling the boys stupider, which isn’t a word, but because boys went to college to get more knowledge and girls went to college to find a husband. Many men suppressed women rights during this time period, especially occupational opportunities in the work place. Men believed themselves to be superior to women in all aspects of life according to their genetics. Few women challenged this idea that was accepted by past their mothers, grandmothers, and all who preceded them. Some women defied this expected standard to be submissive and not to yearn to be anything more than a housewife. Even more progressive, a handful of men treated people with respect based on their work ethic rather than race or gender both inside the workplace and in their personal life. The Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency in the television show Mad Men represents many stereotypical attitudes of men and women in the 1960’s in America, but also several anomalous viewpoints for the time period. Predictably, the male executives of Sterling Cooper Advertising are no exceptions from the theme of belittling women through their patronizing actions toward them in their office setting. This condescending demeanor is exemplified in multiple situations throughout the series. After a brainstorming session involving mostly women to help advertise a lipstick for Belle Jolie which is a client of Sterling Cooper, one executive named Freddy Rumsen was frustrated with the women’s apparent lack of maturity. He said to his colleagues that they â€Å"should have put a man in there so theyd take it seriously† (Weiner, The Hobo Code). After he makes that comment, Peggy Olson, a secretary at Sterling Cooper, entered his office and gave him an idea for the campaign and compared her to a dog playing the piano (Weiner, The Hobo Code). Their total lack of respect toward women is shown when Paul Kinsey attempts to seduce Peggy Olson in his office. When she declines his offer, his first reaction is that she must â€Å"belong to someone else† (Weiner, Ladies Room). At first she tries to explain that this wasn’t the case but he didn’t understand the possibility that she had a choice in whom she dates, so she eventually tells him that she is in fact taken. It is a sad fact that Peggy’s only male friend in the office, even if only for a few minutes, also had intentions to sleep with her. In response to the dominant role the men play, the women in the office accept their inferiority to the men. It seems to be an unspoken agreement that if a man bought lunch for a female colleague, sexual intercourse would ensue. Peggy Olsen, as a new and naive employee, questions Joan about this custom by asking, â€Å"why is it that every time a man takes you out to lunch around here, youre the dessert? † (Weiner, Ladies Room). Whenever the men insult the women, the women retreat to their bathroom to cry instead of confronting the transgressor. This clearly represents that they themselves dont view themselves as equals to males. Joan Holloway describes the role of being an assistant to that of a mix between being a mother and a maid (Weiner, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes). They dont make any important decisions but they look after the superficial needs of the people who do, including getting coffee, placing phone calls, and Joan alluded that they also have sex with their employers if requested. Depending on whether they were a man or women, life on Madison Avenue could have been a dream come true or a means to support oneself before finding a husband to do it for them. Contrary to normalcy of a gender hierarchy, Joan Holloway’s attitude toward the higher-level executives such as Roger Sterling and Don Draper is openly confident. .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .postImageUrl , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:hover , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:visited , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:active { border:0!important; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:active , .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue6ee1c6124273a5849bbb2a72c83623d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Specific reference a film EssayShe carries herself with an air of pride in herself. Pride and self-esteem were highly uncommon traits for women at this time, especially given the dysfunctional working conditions. Joan is always shown straightening her posture and sticking out her chest around Don Draper and Roger Sterling (Weiner, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes). She eventually rises up in the company over the years, until she becomes a partner later in the series in Season 5 episode 11 (Chellas and Weiner, The Other Woman). As much as she believed in herself and getting to the top through her sometimes-brutal honesty as she puts it, even Joan wasnt exempt from being subjected to sexual acts for the sake of her job. In order to gain partnership in her company, she is encouraged by her higher-ups to sleep with a perspective client (Chellas and Weiner, The Other Woman). During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter Magazine, Christina Hendricks said of her role on the show that â€Å"‘ thought Joan was such a bitch, and struggled sometimes trying to make her as real as possible because thought, who would be so mean? she says, recalling how surprised she was that viewers found Joan to be empowered rather than cruel† (Hollywood Reporter Staff, The Arc of Joan). The writer of the show, Matthew Weiner, actually intended for Joan’s role to be a small detail to introduce Peggy for first few episodes before being inspired to characterize her as a women of â€Å"all of this power, sexualit y and confidence† (Hollywood Reporter Staff, The Arc of Joan). Even more foreign to the psyche of the typical American man, Don Draper’s attitude toward Midge Daniels is one of mutual respect. The concept of a man treating women with respect was even more rare than a woman asking for equality. When Don is stuck on a pitch for an important tobacco client, Lucky Strike, he ends up at his apartment asking her for advice and help (Weiner, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes). She finds this to be humorous and jokes about Don’s supposed superior brain size and definite ego (Weiner, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes). He clearly values her thoughts and creative talent so much so that he can take playful insults from her because he knows the social norm is the opposite. Instead of trying to control her, Don goes with Midge to a concert being performed by her friend even though he didn’t want to go. This may have been due to her promise of sex but he could have had sex with any other women, so this shows her power in the relationship is at least equal if not leaning slightly more in her favor. While the characters of Mad Men are fictional, their experiences are very real for both the men and women that lived in the 1960’s corporate world of America. For the most part, the established sexism was a daily reality. Just as I am sure it was in real life, Mad Men also features a few deviations from the norm through Don Draper and Joan Holloway and occasionally Peggy Olsen, although she doesnt discover her freedom until much later in the series than Joan. While the show might be called Mad Men, their disrespect eventually led to plenty of â€Å"mad† women, which resulted in the American feminist movement of the late 1960’s and ‘70s, only a few years after the show takes place. Bibliography: Hollywood Reporter Staff. The Arc of Joan: The Secrets Behind Mad Mens Most Divisive, Decisive and Delicious Character.  The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 6 June 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Ladies Room.† Weiner, Matthew. Mad Men. DVD. AMC. Lionsgate, 2006. â€Å"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.† Weiner, Matthew. Mad Men. DVD. AMC. Lionsgate, 2006. â€Å"The Hobo Code.† Weiner, Matthew. Mad Men. DVD. AMC. Lionsgate, 2006. â€Å"The Other Woman.† Chellas, Semi and Weiner, Matthew. Mad Men. DVD. AMC. Lionsgate, 2006. Weiner, Matthew. â€Å"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.† Mad Men. Revised Production Draft. April 20, 2006. http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Mad_Men/Mad_Men_1x01_- _Smoke_Gets_in_Your_Eyes.pdf. March 26, 2013.

Well

SAS is a privately-owned creator of software in the globe. It was ranked as the finest company to work in, owing to their drive to provide customers with the greatest business methodical technology and sustenance. The company has a user friendly HR strategy which provides technology applications enabling its customers to navigate easily and capitalize in the challenges and opportunities faced in their business life.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Well-designed HR systems in SAS specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company has its own balanced scorecard solution which includes a planned and HR vision software. The measurement of HR strategies is the best starting point to deal with an economy where value creation is dominated by human capital and some assets which are indefinable. Strategy is part of their goal, enabling the organization to learn how to lever the knowledge to their advantage. Combining s trategy and analytics has remarkably made the organization make informed decisions concerning the welfare of its customers (Cary and Lincoln 2000). The organization provides its employees with balanced lives which eventually lead to business and adept technology which can be appreciated. An environment that inspires the employees is offered, allowing them to build long-term relationships with their customers and focus in solving their economic troubles. As a result, SAS gleaned greater value from the huge volumes of data they collect resulting in their being the leader in business analytics. SAS enables its customers to turn vast quantity of data into usable knowledge in a supportive, encouraging and empowering culture. The employees create hours that they feel work best for them, and they end up feeling like a family. It is possible for another firm to adapt to the culture of SAS. Creating a family-like environment for its employees is influential in increasing the productivity of employees. Conflicting HRM practices Conflicting practices in HRM is one of the reasons of lack of total performance in any organization. There are two levels that HRM is concerned with; the recruitment, motivating and developing of competent employees, and the assignment of conflict management. A level of conflict is usually experienced in many organizations hence the HRM specialist must formulate methods to eliminate or alter the conflict that arises (Campbell, Macklin Pinnington 2007). The conflicts usually involve achieving targets of production against representing the interests of the workforce. Achieve a balance between the two is indeed a hard task in this time of political and economic reforms.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recommendations Organizations must understand that the endowment and commitment of their staff and managers are their greatest asset s. There must be structural challenges in the organization which must ensure that the workforce of the organization get recognition for their work. Managers must posses principled negotiating and counseling skills in order to handle issues of vacancies, transfer and voluntary retirement of employees. Local management enlightening and training mechanisms must be developed to equip the management with the necessary skills. Attempts to recruit and retain highly skilled workers must be made from the onset in order to have a minimal workforce which is productive. The company should embrace the idea of development of the careers of the employees and enable discussions on their career and aspirations (Campbell, Macklin Pinnington 2007). Conclusion It is the responsibility of HR departments to ensure that their organization creates a favorable environment for its employees. Suitable working conditions create greater productivity and career enhancement. Highly-efficient employees will be mo tivated to be more productive and boost the organization’s image. References Campbell, T. Macklin, R. Pinnington, A. (2007). Human resource management:Â  ethics and employment. New York: Oxford university press. Cary, N. Lincoln, M. (2000). Balanced Scorecard Collaborative Taps SAS for HRÂ  Action Working Group. Web. This research paper on Well-designed HR systems in SAS was written and submitted by user Keaton Durham to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

review for A peoples history of the United States essays

review for A people's history of the United States essays What is behind the glorious appearance of the history of the United States? Howard Zinn provided the readers an answer to that question in his book, A People ¡s History of the United States. Different from the textbooks that were always praising how great a country America is. A People ¡s history of the United States gave the readers a brief idea on the cost behind the surface, the lives and people that were lost or forgotten, and the unjustness that was put on various groups of people. Zinn ¡s description of the history of the United States came from a very biased perspective. He wrote down history with an attitude that changed the original facts that would mislead his readers. He wanted his readers to know what facts came before the greatness of America was achieved. How the country was formed from destroying numberless Indian tribes, the discrimination towards the Indians and the colored people and women, and the war that was actually started by the United States with Mexico and taken half of it ¡s country. Americans who took high school history and people in the rest of the world who took world history always looked at these events in a way that the US government only did what they did to accomplish a positive goal. But Zinn saw that the US government was in favor of the business class and was interest only in what would make profit. From the point of view of this book, all the decisions the government made was based on profit, either to expand the country for more land which meant more production or to gain more consumers to buy the products. The book was written to try and see the history of the United States from a people ¡s point of view. If it is said that the textbooks provided in high schools is extremely biased from the view of the government, then this book would be the book that is extremely biased from the view of the working class, the natives, and the colored immigrants. How the people felt about the wars fough...

An information system

An information system Introduction: An information system is a set of interrelated components that collect or retrieve, process, store and distribute information to support organisational decision-making and control. One of the key issues with ‘information systems’ (IS) (these days) is that companies cannot measure if they are becoming more profitable or efficient by using the systems that they purchase. In a study done by KPMG on 200 UK firms, around seventeen billion GBP is lost each year due to the mismanagement and misalignment of information technology (IT). One way to evaluate a firms’ IS usefulness is to use the resource-based view â€Å"inside-out approach,† which means that a company should identify its core business values and in turn, align these goals with a suitable information system that will fulfil these needs. Often times, however, large multinational firms implement new technology, regardless of whether it benefits the company or not and there is no way to mea sure results. Therefore, it is beneficial to look at a firm who has implemented a successful IS, for which it receives its competitive advantage. Inditex is a major holding company based in La Coruà ±a, Spain, which maintains controls over popular clothing stores such as Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka amongst others. For the purpose of this report, we will look at Zara in more detail, a store known for its high fashion for reasonable prices, with many clothing stores in prime locations in metropolitan cities around the world. It competes with other clothing stores such as H&M and Gap but it sets itself apart from them using its savvy information system and rapid production schedule. For the purpose of this report, we will examine Zara’s Technological and Socio-Economic Environment along with Zara’s knowledge chain management to evaluate its alignment of information technology as a function of Zara’s business strategy. IT in alignment with Business Strategy: Zara’s business strategyis to provide fast fashion for low prices. Based on this principle, one of Zara’s developed core competencies is its effective and minimalistic approach to utilizing IT for the purpose of timely knowledge transfer, fast production turnaround and employee empowerment. Aspects beyond which are not directly connected to Zara’s core competencies, the company prefers to outsource, such as its logistics. In order to understand the effects of IT on Zara’s business model, we must take into consideration the technological and socio-economic factors affecting Zara, such as its management process, employee skills, technology, structure and strategy. The management process: The management processof Zara is supported by its holding company Inditex, who manages other popular European brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, etc. however, each clothing store is distinct because Inditex supports organisational learning, as opposed to maintain ing firm control on these stores. Not only is each entity separate, but management encourages employee empowerment at Zara by allowing its employees the flexibility to choose new clothing designs for its store on a bi-weekly basis. Therefore, in just one city alone, one Zara store may have significantly different inventory than another Zara store up the road. Despite these differences, Inditex is still able to create economies of scale and scope based on the learning curve between its inter-related brands.

Major HR issues and International managers Essay

Major HR issues and International managers - Essay Example Thus, â€Å"globalization is mainly process driven by international trade and investment for the benefit of the investor as well as the host country, with particularly emphasis on the employees as well as employees on both sides† (Rothenberg 2002, p.1). While employing local employees in the host country as well as employees from the foreign countries or expatriate employees, organizations have to implement certain International Human Resource Management (IHRM) aspects to manage those employees optimally and effectively. This is where the role of international managers assumes importance. That is, the international managers by using IHRM concepts have to play a prominent role in the management of human resources or employees particularly foreign or expatriate employees. Human Resource Management (HRM) is concerned with the way in which organizations manage their people (Redman and Wilkinson 2001). So, this paper will discuss how the employee centric HRM aspects like appraisal and assessment techniques, rewarding system and importantly training has to be managed effectively by the International managers to enhance the manageability of the local employees working in an MNC under foreign management as well as the expatriate employees working in an MNC under foreign management, in total employees who are working under foreign or international management. Role of International Human Resources Management (IHRM) Organizations particularly MNCs, will not remain â€Å"static†. They will or have to break ‘boundaries’ both from geographical perspective as well as economical perspective to utilize the opportunities in the new markets or countries and emerge successful. Thus, internationalisation is a happening concept which is being used by many firms to expand their reach globally. â€Å"As the global economy expands, as more products and services compete on a global basis and as more and more firms operate outside their countries of origin, th e impact on various business functions becomes more pronounced† (Briscoe and Schuler 2004, p. 20). When the organizations enter new countries as part of their global expansion plans, they will recruit employees from the local population. They will do that as a feasible as well as a responsible thing. That is, feasible thing in the sense, as the MNC will be stationed in those host countries, recruiting from local places will be an easy process than bringing employees from their home country or other Third countries. (Scullion and Collings 2006). In addition, as they will be manufacturing and marketing product or service for the local population, local employees will be the best choice. Importantly, it is a responsible thing because through recruitment of local employees, MNCs will try to give a share of their benefits. Although it is an unwritten rule, organizations are duty bound to recruit the local employees. Apart from fulfilling their responsibility, this recruitment of lo cal employees importantly will provide the MNCs with cheap and surplus labour. Thus, with the recruitment of local employees being a key component of MNC’s operations, the recruited employees have to be managed optimally by the International managers on the basis of effective HR policies or IHRM policies. After the

Team Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team Effectiveness - Essay Example Poorly managed teams on the other hand will always end in irreconcilable failure. Effectiveness of any given team depends on the leadership, roles assigned and the basis of its formation. It is always imperative for team members to understand all the defining factors and forces set to drive the given team. Effective teams always depict certain unique characteristics that are different from failing or ineffective teams. One of the common and basic characteristics of any effective team relies on the listening skills and levels of understanding of all individual members within the team. Most successful teams comprise of members with good if not excellent listening skills (Felthan 2012). Good listening skills enable members of a given team to understand issues very quickly and seek clarification where necessary. Good listening skills empowers individual members of a team to contribute to discussions and present constructive questions targeted at enhancing the level of performance of the given team. Unlike team comprised of members with poor listening skills, teams with members of good listening skills will be able to reach to quick deliberations and save time as members have the capability to paraphrase and summarize concepts. However, fundamental inter-member understanding maybe to a team, disagreements and disputes are healthy for any growth oriented team (Yarbrough 2009, p.27). Not all members in a given team will feel satisfied with every presentation, proposal of discussion of the team. Such dissatisfactions have the potential of creating room for clarification and exemplification for every individual to understand the grounds and factors behind certain proposal or presentation. Members require tolerance to each other and show no signs of withdrawal from any fierce discussion triggered by misunderstanding by any given member. For a team to be effective and operate smoothly there has to be clear demarcation of roles and statement of duties and

How does Hamlet deal with the revengers r&amp Essay Example for Free

How does Hamlet deal with the revengers ramp Essay Revenge is defined as retaliation for an offence or injury; Hamlet has two main reasons for needing revenge, political and moral. Politically he has to kill Claudius for the offence of denying Hamlet, the heir to the Danish kingdom, his usurped crown. He also has a moral reason, as the son of a dear father murdered(II. ii. 581); he has a duty to extract revenge for the injury; and filially to protect his mother by ridding her of an incestuous and immoral marriage to a murderer. He has no doubt even to himself that he does have this dutiful role to perform, I know my course (II. ii. 596). To seek this revenge he would have to kill Claudius and his mother, for they are both guilty of having impure souls. But one of the very first internal conflicts Hamlet has is when the Ghost tells him nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven (I. iv. 85). This leaves him in great turmoil, as he can justify to himself the killing of Claudius, but not letting his mother live. He is so overcome with a sense of purity and morality, especially with concern to women, it does not seem right to him that something so tainted should be allowed to carry on in the world. He wants his perfect revenge, one that would satisfy his meticulously accomplished conscience, but he can not carry it out, so instead he declines it altogether, or at least puts it off in stages, until he can prove it to himself and can put it off no longer. He is willing to taint his own soul and so go to hell and enter a damnation possibly even worse than that in which the Ghost resides, which he tells Hamlet just to know about would, harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres, thy knotted and combini d locks to part, and each particular hair to stand on end like quills upon the fretful porpentine (I. iv. 16). Yet he is willing to suffer all this for the sake of revenge in killing Claudius, to avenge his father, so to save his mother, to leave her to heaven (I. v. 86), when even he is not allowed this blessing. What he is giving up to be the dutiful son and revenge his fathers murder in comparison to what Gertrude is giving up leaves his worse off than her, even though she has been an adulterous wife. Therefore her being allowed to live on in sin is as wrong not only on her part, but also on Hamlets for allowing it to be. Hamlet knows what he is sacrificing of himself, his immortal soul, if he is to take on the revengers ri le. It is a heavy burden to carry, and not one that he is willing to undertake lightly, so he wants to be absolutely certain of Claudius guilt before taking action. For as certain as he is of the course of action that must be taken, the truth of the Ghosts words must be ascertained, for when Hamlet converses with him he does not know for certain if it is a spirit of health or goblin damned, bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, be thy intents wicked or charitable (I. iv. 40). So to affirm the facts for himself, Hamlet has the players perform the play and watches for Claudiuss reaction to his own murderous and incestuous actions being acted out before him. For Hamlet this is supposed to be a resolution, a confirmation of his suspicions before he can act, a catalyst to spur him on depending on the success of his experiment. Hamlet becomes angry and disgusted with himself; he cant understand his own lack of passion, even after proving to himself that Claudius is guilty. He is very aware of himself not crying in the rehearsal of the play, when the players are moved to tears over the story of the rousid vengeance (II. ii. 486) of Pyrrhus, Priam and Hecuba. As soon as he is alone, he bursts out O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, Could force his soul so to his own conceit That from her working all his visage waned, Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect. And all for nothing He feels miserable at his deficit, he is forced to compare himself and he comes of he worse. What would he do had he the motive and the cue for passion that I have? Make mad the guilty and appal the free. He again feels this lack of justified fervour when young Fortinbras goes to battle to fight and possibly to die for a land that is acknowledged to be not worth the sacrifice we go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name (IV. iv. 18). This is again someone showing emotion and action when there is not as much reason to do so as there is for Hamlet. When he is alone he sees what Fortinbras has done as being honourable and a rebuke of his own inaction, whereas before when talking to Fortinbras captain, he had been cynical as to the actions they were carrying out. He analyses himself as thinking too precisely on thevent A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward (IV. iv. 41). He sees his need to think things through before acting as a deplorable weakness. Even he can see hat he is being weak minded and indecisive. But even when convinced he cant kill his uncle deliberately, in a rage he thinks he has killed him, but it was just Polonius. Having proved Claudius guilt, Hamlet now has to act, and yet does not act straight away, but postpones it, indicating that there are also other deeper subconscious reasons that could affect him. The death of his father at the beginning of the play and the hasty incestuous marriage of his mother upset him greatly and have led to his obsessions with death, decay, sin the body and its parts and with women, purity and the defiling of them. We can see this from speeches such as, O that this too too sullied flesh would melt Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His cannon gainst self-slaughter. (I. ii. 129) Frailty, thy name is woman. (I. ii. 146) For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion have you a daughter? (II. ii. 181) Or in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil in which Hamlet is clearly fixed on purity, women, death and suicide. Claudius being a murder and committing incest and yet still having the crown of Denmark and outwardly appearing to be just, honourable and a good leader (quote? ) could explain why Hamlet often confuses the order of society in his speeches. This can be seen when he calls himself a rogue and peasant slave (II. ii.547) when he clearly isnt, or when he calls himself unpregnant and likens himself to a whore in the same soliloquy, when he obviously is not. To Hamlet, Claudius is tainted and impure in mind and action, yet he is a good ruler of Denmark, a good king, and a good diplomat. He is efficient, confident, in control of affairs, in every way assured and poised. Hamlet identifies with Claudius in a way that restrains him from being able to kill him, hamlet has all the ability and the necessary desire, but Claudius has everything Hamlet wants, which leads to internal sub-conscious conflict on as well as his conscious conflicts. His mothers ability to alter the direction of her affection from one person to another so suddenly hurts Hamlet, as having to share her with his own father was difficult enough, but at least was understandable. He is now jealous that someone else holds such high regard in her affections but at the same time is disgusted with her for loving someone else. But as his jealousy is repressed, as he doesnt even admit to himself that he is jealous of his mothers lovers, all he feels is a deep sense of disgust towards Gertrude that helps him deal with his rejection. Hamlet could be suffering from the theory that Freud developed, the Oedipus theory. This states that as children, young boys feel great bitterness and resentment towards their fathers for making them share their mothers affections and for having sexual relations with their mothers which the young boys also desire, and so they view their fathers as rivals that they would rather have out of the way. These thoughts are repressed as a form of defence for fear that their fathers will realise what they are thinking. To compensate for this they resolve the complex by over identifying with their fathers and adopting many of their fathers attitudes. This could be used to explain Hamlets impediment and self-frustration towards his revenge. He tries to carry out the task, but he is held back in some way, because he cannot kill a person who he recognises as so like himself in what he wants to be like and wishes he could do. His desires towards his mother have been so long repressed that they are now repulsive to him, but yet her remarrying brings those thoughts to his attention. He sees someone taking the place of his father in her affections, the place that he has long coveted. The nature of this usurper, a relative, makes the link between the two even more incestuous in Hamlets mind and even more connected towards him. This, coupled with the fact that Claudius is able to gain his mothers affection by killing old Hamlet, ridding him, once again something that Hamlet has long wanted to do but repressed from himself, hinders Hamlet greatly from carrying out his revenge. When Hamlet discovers the identity of his fathers murderer his first instant reply is O my prophetic soul! My uncle? (I. v. 40). This does imply that unconsciously the idea had been in his mind and had suddenly been brought back to his awareness.

United Nations Millennium Goal Essay -- World Issues, Interventions

Target C of the seventh United Nations Millennium Development Goal is to ‘halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation’ (UN, 2000). With our current model of sanitation, the flush toilet, we are simply unable to provide sanitation to everyone as the flush toilets are grossly inefficient, requiring large amounts of water and sewer infrastructure to function, two things increasing hard to possess in the developing world (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2011). This lack of possession leads to defecation and urination into unsafe sources, such as nearby streams and rivers which also provide drinking water for these people. The unsafe urination and defecation increases the incidence of fecal-oral contamination and occurrences of other communicable diseases. It also forces the poor villagers to walk farther in search of uncontaminated water sources. Interventions and the redevelopment of the sanitation system can bring about many positive changes in developing countries where present knowledge and present development of sanitation is poor. Optimum benefit from water sanitation interventions can be achieved if the communities are made aware of the links between hygiene practices, poor sanitation, polluted water, and disease (UNHRC, 2011). The redevelopment of the sanitation system is essential for the third world countries; however, the global community must overcome challenges before implementation to ensure lasting success. The redevelopment of the sanitation system, particularly the reinvention of the toilet is an efficient and significant way of improving health and hygiene, and women’s education and personal safety. Currently, 40% of the world’s populati... ...blem of implementation by spending more money on education and actual procurement of the reinvented toilets rather than the administration. It is great to take the increased education of the developing country to our advantage by using the school children to spread the message about sanitation to their families and deep into their communities. School Environment and Sanitation and Rural India states that â€Å" The best way to break bad practices is to cultivate good practices and childhood is the best time for that as children are receptive to all influences† (Majra and Gur, 2010). From these two suggestions for implementation, it seems very logical that the global community should focus on providing access to proper sanitation facilities at schools and on providing water, hygiene, and environment education at primary schools to further spread the reinvented toilet.

History of chocolate Essay

-Chocolate is one of the oldest treats enjoyed by many people. I have loved chocolate ever since I was a little girl. I have enjoyed the different tastes, textures, and styles of it. I want to share with you the history of chocolate, types of chocolate, and some benefits from eating chocolate. Chocolate’s history started over 2,000 years ago. It began in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America from the seed of the cacao tree. This small tree grows best in the tropical atmosphere because it receives the best amount of rain, shade, humidity, wind, and nutrients. A. According to Susan J. Terrio, the author of Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate, the first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink. This was the very first way that chocolate was consumed Chocolate played a special role in both Mayan and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cocoa beans as offerings to the gods and served cocoa drinks during sacred ceremonies. All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cocoa beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a â€Å"tribute†. [2] The Europeans sweetened and lightened the drink by adding refined sugar and milk, ingredients the people in Mesoamerica did not use. By contrast, Europeans never integrated it into their general diet, but compartmentalized its use for sweets and desserts. In the 19th century, Briton John Cadbury developed an emulsification process to make solid chocolate, creating the modern chocolate bar. For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the Industrial Revolution arrived, many changes occurred that brought the hard, sweet candy to life. In the 18th century, mechanical mills were created that squeezed out cocoa butter, which in turn helped to create hard, durable chocolate. [3] But it was not until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution that these mills were put to bigger use. Not long after the revolution cooled down, companies began advertising this new invention to sell many of the chocolate treats seen today. [4] When new machines were produced, people began experiencing and consuming chocolate worldwide.

Beatniks: The New Ideology of Manifest Destiny and Freedom

The 1950s were a time of revitalization. They were a time of rebirth for the American people. World War II had ended and heralded the reinsertion and reintegration of thousands of service members into society. Working women who epitomized Rosie the Riveter and passed into the workforce along with their 12 million counterparts working when the US entered the war, saved the money they earned. Prior to the end of the war, there was not much to spend earned income on with the exception of war bonds. Afterwards, however, American industry expanded like never before. The buying power offered to Americans expanded, as well. Goods that were not available during the war became readily accessible. This increased the job market and stimulated the economy. Not only that, but the returning soldiers helped the US experience a population boom helping to facilitate a spike in consumerism. Veterans were starting families and were in need of housing which the Levitt family began and perfected, building housing areas called Levitt-towns. People were increasingly more materialistic—shopping for wants and not just needs. It was truly the Fabulous Fifties. Out of this time was born a generation of seeming radicals that fought against the agreed upon normalcy of the times. This ‘Beat Generation’ reimagined the ideals of Manifest Destiny and freedom because they wanted to be free to explore what was considered insanity by many but for them was artistic expression—a breaking free of conformist beliefs of the supposed American dream of materialism and gain. The Beat Generation or Beats, as they were sometimes called was a term coined by the author and member of this same generation Jack Kerouac during a conversation with fellow writer, John Clellon Holmes. He clarified his phrase by saying beat â€Å"meant being socially marginalized and exhausted—‘beaten down’—and blessed—‘beatific’ † (â€Å"Mid-1950s-1960s†, 2007). The term implied their generation was beaten down for their artistic nature and general deviance from mainstream behavior. Beatniks were labeled law breakers, troublemakers and rebel rousers and charged with being communists. In fact, in 1961 the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover claimed that the beatnik lifestyle was in the top three major threats to American society and way of life. Kerouac and other founders of the generation took offense to this accusation. Their insistence was they merely wanted to be free to explore what may have been considered absurdity but really were searching for what they felt was missing in life. They were searching for a deeper meaning. They refused to be complacent just because the war had ended and the world was seemingly a better place. Things were not perfect just because the economy was on the rise. The war had not solved humanity’s problems and consumerism was just an empty shell for them. Therefore, this search for a higher self, took the form of experimentation. Many of the Beats were openly homosexual or bisexual and freely experimented with their sexual natures. They aligned themselves with the culture of jazz musicians and the music they made. Jazz music followed no preordained rules. There were no wrong notes no matter how raw. The more noisy and discordant, the better and more real—emotional—it sounded. The Beats raged in their literature and poetry, sounding much like discordant peals of music echoing from the saxophone of a jazz musician, against those who would suppress them. These feelings were elegantly detailed in the semi-mad ravings of Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl. Like Ginsberg, many wrote under the influence of drugs like Benzedrine and marijuana, experimenting with them in order to achieve a state of transcendentalism. Gregory Stephenson (2009) explains it thusly, â€Å"The poet, for a visionary instant, transcends the realm of the actual into the realm of the ideal, and then, unable to sustain the vision, returns to the realm of the actual. Afterwards the poet feels exiled from the eternal, the numinous, [and] the super conscious. The material world, the realm of the actual, seems empty and desolate. The desolation the Beats felt was born from the feeling of being out of sorts and disconnected with a world no longer theirs. This made them howl. They howled, they cried out, they wailed and fought against a forced subjugation. And thus, refusing to be subjugated, they were ostracized. Thereby, making them howl more and inspiring the title of Ginsberg’s poem. In analyzing the poem, it is clear Ginsberg wanted to accomplish two things. First, he wanted to exact an unmistakable and distinct delineation between those who fall under the Beatnik category and those they feel are the conformists of their time. Secondly, he made it known that this was their declaration, it was their manifesto of freedom. â€Å"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of nigh, who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyes and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1955). The material world Stephenson speaks of and the fix Ginsberg speaks of correlates to the Beats movement centered on a lifestyle of a total rejection of this mainstream idea that one and one must always equal two, one must always know when the right time is to settle down, what constitutes a productive member of society, a person must write and speak in formalities, have a certain religion, wear what is acceptable and love who is acceptable in order to be accepted into society. They used alcohol and drugs to feel and then proceeded to write down what they felt, even if it was not in a formal order that made sense. Therefore, â€Å"the academic community derided the Beats as anti-intellectual and unrefined†¦Established poets and novelists looked down upon the freewheeling abandon of Beat literature† (â€Å"The Beat Generation†, 2013). Furthermore, this ‘freewheeling abandon’ applied to more than just the literature of the Beat movement, it applied to their psychical bodies, as well. American history was based on an idea of expansion, evidenced by a phrase coined in 1845 by editor, John O’Sullivan, called â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. Those that settled in the newly founded America believed â€Å"courageous pioneers†¦had a divine obligation to stretch the boundaries of their noble republic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Manifest Destiny†, 2013). And yet in the 1950s these ideals America was founded on came to a screeching halt despite the mass production and affordability of automobiles and the interconnectedness of cities by highways. People became complacent and began to settle down in Post-World War II newly built homes in newly generated housing areas. The word of that era was conformity. The houses were all built to a certain style; the yards were groomed in the same way; the people behaved in a manner as what was expected of them. The idea of buying a home and being stationary represented a large section of what the Beat Generation saw as conforming to a capitalist and consumer-based lifestyle. The Beats advocated a hobo type of lifestyle, rather than one weighed down by physical possessions. â€Å"These men†¦were attempting to escape what were perceived as the restrictive shackles of the nuclear family but†¦rejected the trappings of a settled bourgeois lifestyle and were geographically mobile† (McDowell, 1996). So the romanticism surrounding Jack Kerouac’s autobiographical book On the Road, which spoke to those in this generation and wanting to relate or understand them, also became the definition of the ideology of the Beat Generation. An ideology which said ‘Life should be actively lived and you must make of it what you want, not what others tell you to want to make out of it’. It was about â€Å"†¦grabbing and doing it. It was about not wanting to stay somewhere and rooting, but rather going somewhere and making your own reality† (â€Å"American Road†, 2011). Kerouac epitomized this in his book: â€Å"†¦I left with my canvas bag in which a few fundamental things were packed and took off for the Pacific Ocean with the fifty dollars in my pocket. I’d been poring over maps of the United States in Paterson for months, even reading books about the pioneers and savoring names like Platte and Cimarron and so on, and the road-map was one long red line called Route 6†¦I’ll just stay on 6†¦I said to myself and confidently started†¦Filled with dreams of what I’d do in Chicago, in Denver, and then finally in San Fran,†¦I started hitching up the thing† (Kerouac, 1957). He wondered and daydreamed about what he would do in those cities, but knew what he did not want to do. Kerouac’s character, Sal, did not want to miss out on anything by becoming deadened, which is silently implied, had he joined the rat race and gotten a job. It was wasted energy. He â€Å"hated the thought of it†¦There were so many other interesting things to do [and meet]† (Kerouac, 1957). The ideals incarnate in his book through his characters were an open and honest free love of people, an enjoyment of the experiences that were happening in the now, and a meeting of the minds of ll types and races of people. They were colorblind. And this was also new in a time when people who were different were excluded or called communists. In a time when Joseph McCarthy was initiating a ‘Red Scare’ and accusing citizens of being communists and Hoover’s G-Men were illegally wire-tapping politicians and regular citizens alike, people had become overly sus picious of everyone. People were anxious to show militarism and an acquiescence to conform to what was inherently American. Yet, in spite of this, Beatniks marched to their own poetry and beliefs. Ginsberg howled and Kerouac left on a holy trek to find a true inner consciousness, laden with real freedom and genuine spontaneity. Several times, Sal’s character considered traveling elsewhere instead of his intended destination for no other reason than to see where the roads would take him or what or who would lie in that particular direction. Though most, if not all, those in this beat generation originally came from a middle class background, they rejected it as being conformists and closed minded. â€Å"Conformity [to them] was born from fear of the political system† (â€Å"American Road†, 2011). They were not afraid though they felt this overt obsession with conforming to an evil government and material possessions was killing the spirit and creativity found within. This idea was further cemented by Ginsberg statement of the best minds of his generation being destroyed. In the second part of Howl, Ginsberg continually mentions the name or entity â€Å"Moloch† and in the context he uses it, one can ascribe a negative connotation to it: â€Å"What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars†¦Moloch the heavy judger of men! Moloch the incomprehensible prison! Moloch the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows! Moloch whose buildings are judgment! Moloch the cast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments† (Ginsberg, 1957)! This entity â€Å"Moloch† no doubt represents all the things in American society considered to be the norm, but for the Beat Generation is stifling and oppressive. Cement and aluminum were the utensils builders used to build homes like Levitt-towns and universities that inhibited free thinking and self-expression. He mentions unobtainable dollars because the pursuit of money and material possessions was a fleeting happiness. Once possessed, it is no longer desired. And everywhere they turned there was heavy judgment, except from their own kind. The publishing and almost instant success of Jack Kerouac’s book, On the Road, as well as the publishing of other Beat writers, like Allen Ginsberg, marked the beginnings of an evolutionary change. The Beat Generation became a subculture that truly impacted America. Men and women—teenagers and young adults, were finding themselves increasingly disillusioned by a lifestyle that was centered on home and work. People were taking a page from Kerouac’s life and hitting the road on a journey to find themselves and what meaning life really had for them. They were taking verses from Ginsberg’s manifesto and â€Å"†¦bit[ing] detectives in the neck and shrieked with delight in policecars for committing no crime but their own wild cooking pederasty and intoxication†¦ (1957). Indeed, the Fabulous 50s brought with it trials and tribulations, materialism and consumerism, and in general, the earmarks of an American social way of being that is still prevalent today. But within that culture, a counterculture was also born whose inhabitants were not satisfied with the world as it was. They were not satisfied with what the world wanted to turn them into. They wante d to march to the beat of their own drum; to experience what was out there in the world and truly be liberated. Born of this desire was the Beat Generation, the forebears of the hippies of the 1960s. They advocated a freedom and liberation of minds and bodies. They wanted to be liberated of all censor. They wanted the freedom to love hard and fast, to travel at will and forsake the idea that in order to be truly happy one had to engage in a rat race of empty labor for money and material possessions. The Beatniks reinforced and reimagined the ideals of Manifest Destiny and chose to manifest their destiny of finding the freedom to be themselves and love it despite opposition. References Films Media Group (2011). American Road [H.264]. Retrieved from http://digital.film-s.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=18596&xtid=48260 Ginsberg, A. (1955-1956). Howl. Collected Poems, 1947-1980. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179381 McDowell, L. (1996). Off the Road: Alternate Views of Rebellion, Resistance and ‘The Beats’. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/622491 Stephenson, G. (2009). Daybreak Boys: Essays on the Literature of the Beat Generation.

The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt

The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt The way in which we divide the day into hours and minutes, as well as the structure and length of the yearly calendar, owes much to pioneering developments in ancient Egypt. Since Egyptian life and agriculture depended upon the annual flooding of the Nile, it was important to determine when such floods would begin. The early Egyptians noted that the beginning of akhet (inundation) occurred at the heliacal rising of a star they called Serpet (Sirius). It has been calculated that this sidereal year was only 12 minutes longer than the mean tropical year which influenced the flooding, and this produced a difference of only 25 days over the whole of Ancient Egypts recorded history. 3 Egyptian Calendars Ancient Egypt was run according to three different calendars. The first was a lunar calendar based on 12 lunar months, each of which began on the first day in which the old moon crescent was no longer visible in the East at dawn. (This is most unusual since other civilizations of that era are known to have started months with the first setting of the new crescent!) A thirteenth month was intercalated to maintain a link to the heliacal rising of Serpet. This calendar was used for religious festivals. The second calendar, used for administrative purposes, was based on the observation that there was usually 365 days between the heliacal rising of Serpet. This civil calendar was split into twelve months of 30 days with an additional five epagomenal days attached at the end of the year. These additional five days were considered to be unlucky. Although there is no firm archaeological evidence, a detailed back calculation suggests that the Egyptian civil calendar dates back to circa 2900 BCE. This 365-day calendar is also known as a wandering calendar, from the Latin name annus vagus since it slowly gets out of synchronization with the solar year. (Other wandering calendars include the Islamic year.) A third calendar, which dates back at least to the 4th century BCE was used to match the lunar cycle to the civil year. It was based on a period of 25 civil years which was approximately equal 309 lunar months. The Leap Year in Ancient Egypt An attempt to reform the calendar to include a leap year was made at the beginning of the Ptolemaic dynasty (Decree of Canopus, 239 BCE), but the priesthood was too conservative to allow such a change. This pre-dates the Julian reform of 46 BCE which Julius Caesar introduced on the advice of the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenese. Reform did, however, come after the defeat of Cleopatra and Anthony by the Roman General (and soon to be Emperor) Augustus in 31 BCE. In the following year, the Roman senate decreed that the Egyptian calendar should include a leap year, although the actual change to the calendar didnt occur until 23 BCE. Months, Weeks, and Decades The months of the Egyptian civil calendar were further divided into three sections called decades, each of 10 days. The Egyptians noted that the heliacal rising of certain stars, such as Sirius and Orion, matched the first day of the 36 successive decades and called these stars decans. During any one night, a sequence of 12 decans would be seen to rise and was used to count the hours. (This division of the night sky, later adjusted to account for the epagomenal days, had close parallels to the Babylonian zodiac. The signs of the zodiac each accounting for three of the decans. This astrological device was exported to India and then to Medieval Europe via Islam.) Egyptian Clock Time Early man divided the day into temporal hours whose length depended upon the time of year. A summer hour, with the longer period of daylight, would be longer than that of a winter day. It was the Egyptians who first divided the day (and night) into 24 temporal hours. The Egyptians measured time during the day using shadow clocks, precursors to the more recognizable sun dials seen today. Records suggest that early shadow clocks were based on the shadow from a bar crossing four marks, representing hourly periods starting two hours into the day. At midday, when the sun was at its highest, the shadow clock would be reversed and hours counted down to dusk. An improved version using a rod (or gnomon) and which indicates the time according to the length and position of the shadow has survived from the second millennia BCE. Problems with observing the sun and stars may have been the reason the Egyptians invented the water clock, or clepsydra (meaning water thief in Greek). The earliest remaining example survives from the Temple of Karnak is dated to the 15th century BCE. Water drips through a small hole in one container to a lower one. Marks on either container can be used to give a record of hours passed. Some Egyptian clepsydras have several sets of marks to be used at different times of the year, to maintain consistency with the seasonal temporal hours. The design of the clepsydra was later adapted and improved by the Greeks. The Influence of Astronomy on Minutes and Hours As a result of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, a great wealth of knowledge of astronomy was exported from Babylon into India, Persia, the Mediterranean, and Egypt. The great city of Alexandria with its impressive Library, both founded by the Greek-Macedonian family of Ptolemy, served as an academic center. Temporal hours were of little use to astronomers, and around 127 CE Hipparchus of Nicea, working in the great city of Alexandria, proposed dividing the day into 24 equinoctial hours. These equinoctial hours, so called because they are based on the equal length of day and night at the equinox, split the day into equal periods. (Despite his conceptual advance, ordinary people continued to use temporal hours for well over a thousand years: the conversion to equinoctial hours in Europe was made when mechanical, weight driven clocks were developed in the 14th century.) The division of time was further refined by another Alexandrian based philosopher, Claudius Ptolemeus, who divided the equinoctial hour into 60 minutes, inspired by the scale of measurement used in ancient Babylon. Claudius Ptolemaeus also compiled a great catalog of over one thousand stars, in 48 constellations and recorded his concept that the universe revolved around the Earth. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was translated into Arabic (in 827 CE) and later into Latin (in the 12th century CE). These star tables provided the astronomical data used by Gregory XIII for his reform of the Julian calendar in 1582. Sources Richards, EG. Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History. Oxford University Press, 1998.General History of Africa II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa. James Curry Ltd., University of California Press, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1990.

Bank of America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bank of America - Research Paper Example It trades across various asset categories to companies, governments, organizations, and people in the globe and it company more than 150 countries of the globe. This essay seeks to analyze the talent management program that leads to the organizations success, the strengths of the program. It will analyze how they lead to achievement and opportunities for improvement. In addition, the essay will also create two effective approaches to meet the talent management challenges in the future. The talent management program used for the bank’s success was the use executive on-boarding approach. The bank accommodates international and local executives every year. This program is designed to help new executives learn to be facile in navigating the bank’s large matrixes organization. It also helps them in building and leveraging networks of relationships for career success and implementing the company initiatives. The bank utilized a multifaceted approach to establish at the execut ive level and the managements support to the development program of leadership. The development of the bank leadership executive activities include management, selection, on-boarding, performance, executive talent upgrading process, process of experiences development and compensation. The organizations culture promoted by Lewis encourages conduct, trust, teamwork, and accountability at all management levels. The company deeply emphasizes individual performance and believes that today’s performer is not necessarily tomorrow’s performer. To develop an effective on-board program, the firm has created a program that is categorized in to four phases, which includes the selection phase of the program. The company does not only use expertise and experience to select executives but also leadership ability and cultural fit. An executive lacking leadership and interpersonal skills as well as cultural sensitivity is perceived to cause derailments, (Bank of America, 1994). To elim inate this, the company uses partnerships with executive search firms to get the ideal candidates for the positions. The people in the recruitment position must have an understanding of culture and leadership requirement of the bank when called upon to do an executive level research. Job design is also another consideration made in the selection phase, whereby the stakeholders are given clear job specifications before they are given a mandate to conduct the executive research. This allows the hiring executive not to make a blind selection of the new employees. Additionally, the LD partner is vital to the selection phase as he serves as the main talent officer in the process of recruiting and on-boarding. This individual usually has between ten to fifteen years of experience and with a leadership or organizational development background. This experience gives them an increased level of credibility in the eyes of the executive and the stakeholders. After executives have been selected, this is the entry phase and the most critical weeks on a job are the initial weeks on hiring. The new executive is expected to accomplish dour vital outcomes; develop business acumen, learn organizational culture, master the roles of leadership demands and build critical organization relationships. The new executive must be able to learn customer and financial information in regards to his/her new roles. He /he must also set realistic goals

The Indain And The Horse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Indain And The Horse - Essay Example The arrival of Europeans greatly impacted the native societies and cultures and brought about a sea change in their lifestyles. Along with slavery, cultural intolerance, fatal diseases and inhuman practices, the Europeans and Spaniards introduced the horse to these Native Americans. Mexico was the primary source of horses' for North America as were the populations of southeastern USA. Although the modern variety of horses had originally evolved in America three million years ago, they had been wiped out during the Ice Age along with many other species when there had been a drastic change in North American habitat. Hunting by paleo-Indians also contributed to their extinction. Colonial Spanish Horses (as they came to be called), were brought to America by Spanish Conquistadors and hold immense significance in the history of the New World and the cultural revolution that took place following European colonization. "The horse returned to North America when explorers Cortes and DeSoto came mounted on magnificent Barbs from Morocco, Sorraia from Portugal and Andalusians from Spain" (History 1492-1620 The Spanish Colonial Period).To start with, these horses were a source of strength for the Spaniards and facilitated conquer of many a native civilization (D. Phillip Sponenberg). The natives were not accustomed to such large animals and were initially terrified; moreover, the Spanish government policy forbade native Indians to own or use horses. Many natives had their first encounter with these animals as slaves and workers on Spanish ranchos where they eventually got acquainted and learnt how to train, use and control them (History 1620-1800 The Indian Horse Pe riod). Many North American Indians acquired and learnt horse riding and handling from Indians from the southwest through trade relations. In the late seventeenth century, the Pueblo Rebellion caused the Spanish to flee New Mexico and leaving many of their horses behind which turned out to be very advantageous for the Pueblo Indians (History 1620-1800 The Indian Horse Period). The Ute Indians the Comanche were inter-related and the later probably supplied the former with their horses. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Comanche had earned a notorious reputation among the Spanish in New Mexico because of their horse stealing raids on Spanish rancheros. The Comanche allowed the Spanish stay in Texas to help them raise horses (Eddins, Ned). "The Comanche became the epitome of the Plains Indian Horse Culture. There was a saying in Texas that "The white man will ride the Mustang until he is played out - the Mexican will take him and ride him another day until he thinks he is tired - the Comanche will get on him and ride him to where he is going" (Frank Dobie). Within a few decades after acquiring horses, many military leaders considered the Comanche as the finest light cavalry in the world" (Eddins, Ned). Comanche warriors mediated the horse trade between Indian tribes and French settlements east of the Mississippi in a major way. In this way, horse trade eventually spread out of the southwest towards north to the Shoshone and from them to the Nez Perce, Flatheads, and the Crow; north and east to the Kiowa and Pawnee and then to the cousins of the Pawnee, the Arikara (Eddins, Ned). Indians not only acquired horses from the Spanish, the warriors emulated the Spanish in terms of handling, riding, and use of equipment. From the Arikara, the

Journal entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Journal entry - Essay Example News reporting needs to be as objective as possible because otherwise it could be construed as propaganda. People tend to only hear what they want to hear, so if they only are presented with one political or social opinion then they will likely widely believe anything because it fits their predetermined point of view. News reporting is a vital service necessary to keep the population informed of important national and world events. If news reporting is not objective then the lines between truth and fiction will become blurred. This is a serious concern to everyone no matter his or her political persuasion. Without another point of view to balance a news story, there will be two contrasting views of the news, neither of which will be centered or based on fact. In terms of politics, this will result in a broken down system where neither side is able to trust the other because "their version" of the news will be very different. Once politics has reached that stage, the citizens will no longer trust the government because they will have their own conspiracy theories about the real intentions of politicians. The only way to prevent such a situation is to make sure that news reporting is kept as objective as possible by sticking to the facts and having very little opinion or emotional appeals included.

Deforestation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Deforestation - Research Paper Example â€Å"The average facade temperature of the globe has augmented more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900 and the speed of warming has been almost three folds the century long average since 1970† (Global warming). Eilperin (2009) mentioned that the earth’s surface temperature has been increased around 0.750 C during the last century itself and the atmospheric temperature may even go up by 6 degrees before the end of the current century (Eilperin). Global warming and climate changes are some of the worst problems facing by the human community at present. Atmospheric temperature is rising rapidly for the last few decades and as a result of that unexpected weather calamities are occurring. Many studies have proved that the average atmospheric temperature has increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900. Sea level rise is another major problem created by global warming. It should be noted that atmospheric temperature rise increases the melting of huge ice blocks from P olar Regions and as a result of that sea level is increasing gradually. Unexpected floods, storms, earthquakes, tsunami, etc are other problems associated with global warming. Plenty of reasons were cited for global warming problems. Some people believe that manmade activities are causing global warming whereas others are of the view that solar activities are causing these problems. In any case, one thing is sure- atmospheric temperature is rising much rapidly at present. Greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and industrial units are often cited as the major reason for global warming; however, many people believe that deforestation is the major reason for global warming and climate change problems.... But when forests are logged or burnt, that carbon is released into the atmosphere, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and accelerating the rate of climate change. So much carbon is released that they contribute up to one-fifth of global man-made emissions, more than the world's entire transport sector (Deforestation and climate change). Human consumes oxygen from atmosphere for breathing purpose whereas plants or forests consume carbon dioxide from atmosphere for making food or photosynthesis process. It should be noted that plants are the only food manufacturers in this world and all the other living things rely heavily on plants in one way or another for their food needs. On the other hand, atmospheric carbon dioxide is essential for the food manufacturing processes of the plants. Plants have the ability of liberating oxygen to atmosphere at the time of food manufacturing. In other words, plants consume carbon dioxide and liberate oxygen to atmospher e. Forests are our own natural resources which no man can imitate. It has its own part in the biodiversity of life even if man refuses to acknowledge them. One of the most important roles our forests play is absorbing carbon dioxide from the air—tons of it, for that matter. Without them, the ever harmful carbon dioxide will just float above our heads, further increasing greenhouse gas emissions (How Deforestation Affects Climate Change). There is a balance between the volume of carbon dioxide and the volume of oxygen in the atmosphere. Plants are responsible for maintaining this oxygen-carbon dioxide ration in atmosphere. It should not be forgotten that carbon and its oxides like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide etc have the ability to increase

Analyzing The Theme Of Nature In Literary Devices English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Theme Of Nature In Literary Devices English Literature Essay The theme of nature is very important to each of the texts to be discussed in this essay: The Fat Black Womans Poems by Grace Nichols; Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. In a sense, the fact that each work is created within a different literary genre to some extent dictates the essential differences amongst them. However, this essay sets out to examine how, in addition to comparing literary devices, nature is used as a different imperative in each of the selected texts. Throughout the play, Willy escapes back into his memories and it is deeply significant, therefore, that the countryside is allied to this: I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But its so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is warm  [3]  Loman both belongs in the country and out of it because he has simply used it, as he has used both things and people, to get ahead. The fact that he has been unsuccessful is therefore a betrayal of his own and a generic dream that is never fulfilled nor justified, just as the story he begins to tell Linda, his wife, ends not in reverie on the idyllic, as it started, but on loss of control: all of a sudden Im going off the road!  [4]  Miller uses nature, therefore, as an emblem of Willys displacement: Many of Willys activities can be seen as highly symbolic. He plants seeds just as he plants fal se hopes: both will die and never come to fruition, largely because the house has become too hemmed in by the city.  [5]  In addition, a further lost dream of Willys has been connected with nature, that of his brother, Bens, offer to join him and make his fortune beyond the suburban life Willy has lived: William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!  [6]  For Willy, therefore, nature has become a place of lost hope where the grass dont grow anymore  [7]  ; it does not belong and nor does he: A victim of both a heartless capitalist society and his own misguided dreams, Willys eventual suicide is presented with tragic dimensions. His beliefs may be misguided, but he stays true to them to the end. Although he has neither social nor intellectual stature, Willy has dignity, and he strives to maintain this as his life falls apart around him.  [8]   Displacement is also a major feature of Jean Rhyss novel, Wide Sargasso Sea. First published in 1966, it is a prequel to Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre, first published in 1847. The novel uses nature as a means of developing the narrative of Rochesters first wife, Bertha Mason, here known as Antoinette Cosway, a young woman who feels herself displaced following the freeing of the slaves who had worked on her familys plantation. The very word place occurs many times in the novel  [9]  and Antoinette seeks solace in what she sees as an Eden garden, her former home, from which she is cast out: A very important early set piece is Antoinettes description of the garden at Coulibri, where she was a child, a garden which was probably based on Rhyss memories of her mothers family estate at Geneva. It marks childhood as taking place in a damaged Eden.  [10]  The description of the garden is thus very important to an understanding of Antoinette and of the way Rhys uses her connection with nature to aid her character and thematic development: Our garden was large and beautiful as that garden in the Bible the tree of life grew there. But it had gone wild. The paths were overgrown and a smell of dead flowers mixed with the fresh living smell. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the light was green. Orchids flourished out of reach or for some reason not to be touched. One was snaky looking, another like an octopus with long thin brown tentacles bare of leaves hanging from a twisted root. Twice a year the octopus orchid flowered then not an inch of tentacle showed. It was a bell-shaped mass of white, mauve, deep purples, wonderful to see. The scent was very sweet and strong. I never went near it.  [11]   The possessive pronoun with which this paragraph opens immediately establishes the dichotomy of Antoinettes situation. This is her home, it should feel like hers but it does not. The beauty she infers has a duplicitous lushness because it has gone wild, emblematic of a land which has lost control, albeit for a positive reason. The living and the dead mix and encroach upon one another, and there is a serpent in the garden in the snaky orchids. Moreover, the twisted root implies a distortion of what was meant to be, metaphorically echoing Antoinettes displacement. In addition, this is not the only example of places appearing resonant of disposition and/or situation: Places are extremely alive in this novel: the menacing, lush garden at Coulibri, the mysterious bathing pool at Coulibri, sunset by the huts of the plantation workers, the road from the village of Massacre up to Granbois, the sea and sky at sunset from the ajoupa or thatched shelter at Granbois, the bathing pools at Granboi s (the champagne pool and the nutmeg pool) the forest where Antoinettes husband wanders until he is lost, the road to Christophines home, the trees and bamboos around the house at Granbois.  [12]  Here, Antoinette appears simultaneously intoxicated and repelled by the sweet and strong of the garden, which perhaps says something about her similarly ambivalent attitude towards those around her and they to her: The picture we now have of Rhys and her heroines is that of a passive, impotent, self-victimized schizoid who, comfortable with failure, wields her helplessness like a weapon all as natural as being female.  [13]  The presentation of nature at the honeymoon house is similarly difficult to place, seeming to be one thing but actually being another, but her former home is a sacred space where Antoinette hugs to herself the secret hidden in Coulibri.  [14]  It is, indeed, these secrets in isolation, echoed in the descriptions of Antoinettes homeland that make the repres entation of nature in Wide Sargasso Sea so clearly an imperative of the text: As long as Antoinette can remember and order the events of her memories into a temporal or causal sequence, create even an illusion of sequence and maintain a measured sense of space and time, then she can hold her life and self together. Her act of narration becomes an act of affirmation and cohesion, a nod to the world and its conventions, an attempt to prevent herself from dissolving. When, in Part Three, Antoinette lies encaged in Thornfield Halls dark, cold attic, the threads that hold her to the reality that the world perceives as sanity finally break. These threads are the elements of conventional narrative: linear chronology, sequence, narratorial lucidity, distance. She herself admits at this point that time has no meaning; sequence disintegrates into a confusion of present and past and ultimately into a dream which narrates her future.  [15]   This has been quoted at length because it addresses many of the literary devices that the novelist, as opposed to the playwright or poet, can use to develop a theme. With regard to nature, it is used by Rhys, as suggested above, to create a temporal space for Antoinette that is emblematic of the identity she has lost. The wildness which is encroaching upon the Eden of the garden, later to be completely destroyed, is an example of the way in which the novelist can use one strong image to lead into another, both being resonant of the past. Indeed, again as stated above, the act of telling the tale creates the character in the mind of the reader and the locations in which she is placed are connected to that, as is the temporal dislocation which memory produces and which is often, as with Antoinette, indicative of her state of mind. The evocation of nature as a turbulent and emotive presence adds to this, with the sea as the ultimate semiotic of challenge, chaos and dislocation. Grace Nichols second collection of verse, The Fat Black Womans Poems, published in 1984, also uses nature to evoke a particular image. However, as this is poetry, the linguistic and literary devices used are very different from either those of the playwright and/or novelist. Nichols grew up in Guyana  [16]  but has made her life and career in England, she has lived and worked in Britain since 1977  [17]  , and this cross-cultural imperative is very much evident in her work: her poems frequently acknowledge the alien climate, geography, and culture of Englands cities  [18]  Within The Fat Black Womans Poems, Nichols seeks to evoke a different perception of beauty from that which is shown in white Western culture: Nichols also deploys the fat black woman as a powerful challenge to the tyranny of Western notions of female beauty  [19]  and thus engender a new heroine, a woman who revises the aesthetic of female beauty.  [20]  One of the techniques Nichols employs to do this is combining nature with an aspect of the physical self, as here in Thoughts drifting through the fat black womans head while having a full bubble bath: Steatopygous sky Steatopygous sea Steatopygous waves Steatopygous me  [21]   The unfamiliar word, steatopygous (meaning having fully rounded buttocks) is repeated for emphasis and juxtaposed with images of nature so as to produce an emblem of the black woman as close to nature, her body shaped like the sky, waves and sea. Nichols is empowering black women in image by doing this as she does by giving the black woman her own unique voice: In making the fat black woman the speaking subject of many of these poems, Nichols signals her refusal to occupy the subject(ed) position designated for the black woman by history and to insist on more complex subjectivities.  [22]  Nichols is also concerned that the voice should seem naturalistic and therefore the natural images perform yet another function: Like many Afro-Caribbean writers, Nichols infuses her poetry with the spiritual energy of the tradition of women before her, a tradition that has little written record.  [23]   In another poem from the collection, Beauty, this reproduction of a different image of physical appeal can also be seen to be connected with nature: Beauty is a fat black woman walking the fields pressing a breezed hibiscus to her cheek while the sun lights up her feet Beauty is a fat black woman riding the waves drifting in happy oblivion while the sea turns back to hug her shape  [24]   Again, the woman is juxtaposed with nature, providing a unity between the persona and her surroundings which is both literal and metaphorical. Repetition is used once more by the poet to emphasise the connection between the theme of the collection and beauty in abstract. Indeed, the word Beauty, the only capitalised word in the poem, is set alone on a line, as is hibiscus, as if to stress its importance as an emblem or iconic of what Nichols says is an imperative i.e. that this is what beauty unequivocally is. There is a mutual embrace between the woman and nature, she pressing the hibiscus/to her cheek and the sea turn[ing] back/to hug her shape. It is as if Nichols is suggesting that the fat black woman who is riding the waves/drifting in happy oblivion is in unison with nature and recognised by it as being so. All of nature, indeed, like the sun [that] lights up her feet is glorifying her and she it. There is no punctuation in the verses, emphasising the smooth, natural flow of th e descriptions and the way in which they are intended to imply all that is inherently natural. As Nichols writes in The Assertion, This is my birthright  [25]  and thus the investigation of beauty within the poems becomes a socio-political imperative, too. In conclusion, all three texts Millers Death of a Salesman, Rhyss Wide Sargasso Sea and Nichols The Fat Black Womans Poems all use nature as a way of enlarging upon and more effectively demonstrating their central concerns. An important element of this is the way in which pathetic fallacy is used by the authors, i.e. nature reflecting and/or suggesting a mood or theme. As the three texts discussed here are from different genres, they of course use nature in different ways, employing different literary devices, as has been shown. However, for each of the authors nature is singularly important and enriches the individual texts immeasurably. In the final analysis, therefore, it might be suggested, indeed, that nature itself becomes almost a communicative character within each of the very different works discussed within this essay, as its importance to the creation and communication of each cannot be overestimated.

Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

It is known that in literature, a tragedy is one of the most popular genres. It always combines some story which discusses human sufferings with a certain sense of audience fulfillment. The roots of the tragedy are related to ancient Greece. A Greek tragedy is a sad story, which represents a character with a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and the audience experiences catharsis. Willy Loman as a real tragic hero comes to the decision to commit suicide because of serious financial problems of his family (Phelps 79). This play has already been criticized by a number of literary critics who represented different opinions on the plot of the book. The major goal of this paper is to critically evaluate the play Death of a Salesman written by the well-known American writer Arthur Miller, paying special attention to the play’s characteristics of a tragedy. In the play Death of a Salesman, the author investigates human nature and represents his main character as a person whose dissatisfaction with his own life leads to his tragic end. The plot of this literary work is rather simple. The play consists of two acts. In the first act, Willy Loman, the main character of Miller’s play returns home from New York. It is found that his goal was to travel to Boston, but he could not achieve this goal and returned home. The author of the play states that Willy’s personal dissatisfaction is the result of the tension in interpersonal relations between him, his wife Linda, and their two sons Biff and Happy. The first act of the play is focused on such issues as Willy Loman’s emotional instability because of his personal dissatisfaction, Biff’s frustration and the family’s financial problems. Moreover, the author represents his story is such a way that Willy’s emotional instability leads to the tension in rela tionships between Willy and Biff, who is also unhappy because of his professional failure. Willy says: â€Å"The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!† (Miller 31).