Saturday, August 31, 2019

Crime and Ethical Standards

Crime and Ethical Standards Since you have demonstrated your knowledge about criminal Justice so well, the chief of police has another assignment for you. Chief Draper wants you to review a specific case and assess the arresting officer's conduct. To prepare your report, you consider certain factors, such as the societal factors that may have influenced the suspect's behavior, the role of the government in terms of protecting both society and an individual's rights, and the ethical standards that govern law enforcement. Here's What HappenedCentral police officer Lance Marion responded to a call for service from a high- end retailer, who reported that an unkempt woman wearing disheveled, dirty, and torn clothing left the store without paying for Items she selected while shopping In the Misses Clothing Department. The store manager reported that the woman failed to respond to any verbal prompts made to her by store associates. As Officer Marion drove toward the store, he noticed a woma n matching her description walking along the side of the road, carrying what appeared to be clothing.Once the officer reached the location of the woman, he recognized her?Mary Jones? s being an individual he had arrested several times before for public drunkenness, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, felony larceny, and prostitution. Officer Marion anticipated that this could be a very challenging situation because Jones did not like law enforcement, tended to be aggressive, and had, In the past, run as soon as she saw a police cruiser. Marion called for backup and asked Jones to stop as he stepped out of his vehicle.She started to run, but he caught up with her very quickly. Jones struggled with Officer Marion on the ground, although he managed to humanely subdue her and place her in handcuffs. Officer Marion called the incident into Communications and placed the suspect in his cruiser. He then gathered the clothing items dropped by the suspect along the side of the road. He noticed the items had price tags displaying the name of the retailer who reported the initial incident to law enforcement. During transport, Jones yelled and became very agitated.When she arrived at the police department, Jones was very upset. She tried to hurt herself by banging her head on the desk as the officer tried to Interview her about the alleged larceny report, It was clear to Officer Marion that Jones was under the influence of drugs, so he discontinued the interview process. Marion requested Here's What You Need To Do †¦ After carefully reviewing the case details, prepare a 2- to 3-page report assessing whether the procedures (both legal and ethical) were followed appropriately.Use the Argosy University Online Library resources to find articles that support your assessment. You may also use your textbook. Your report should address the following: Select one of the crimes Jones has been previously charged with (e. G. , public drunkenness, resisting arre st, possession of a controlled substance, felony larceny, or prostitution). What type of crime is it (misdemeanors or felony)? O How is this crime defined in the state in which you live? O How might societal factors have influenced this suspect's crimes? Analyze how the purpose of government and the social contract might protect the rights (e. G. , safety and security) of the suspect in this case. Compare the various roles Officer Marion must play in this case. Consider that Marion must enforce the law and protect the suspect from harm at the same time. Analyze how a law enforcement officer's actions might be influenced if he or she is arresting an â€Å"unsympathetic suspect or victim,† specifically suspect or victim who the officer has arrested before or who engages in a high-risk lifestyle, such as substance abuse, drug dealing, or prostitution.Justify whether Officer Marion acted accordingly. How might the criminal Justice professional maintain ethical standards when work ing with diverse populations? Once charged, what rights does the defendant, Jones, have? Be sure to organize your paper into clear and concise paragraphs. You should read the grading rubric before starting your paper to ensure you cover all the material appropriately. Include an PAP-formatted reference page that links to your in-text citations.

Friday, August 30, 2019

My stepmother

I have a perfect family now.   Like all proud parents, I have my mother to thank for everything.   Unlike all proud parents, however, I have my mother to thank for showing me the perfect example of how not to be a parent.   This â€Å"mother† that I refer to of course is not my birth mother but rather my stepmother.   She was forever the bane in my life.   She is, however, the reason why I am a good parent and why I have always strived to become a good parent.Now that I have two children of my own, I realize just how important it is for their upbringing to have a solid family around to support them and parents who encourage instead of discourage.   I like to think of my own family as a â€Å"can do† family and not a â€Å"don’t do or else† type of family.   I show my children the same love and affection that I received from my father and my birth mother and perhaps, I may even show my two children more love and affection because I know what i t feels like to live in fear and cower in terror.As I lay here recovering from my latest battle with my terror of a stepmother, I recall how I sensed it from the moment that I met her that we were never going to get along with each other.   While I did sense the animosity as our eyes met each other on that fateful day when I was but a child of six years old, I have never understood why my stepmother resented me so much.   There seemed to be nothing that I could do right.   This latest emotional battle that I and my stepmother had but a day ago has left me so drained.   It was not even a big deal.   It was only with regard to me wanting to speak to my father since I had not heard from him in a while and it soon heated up into full blown mud flinging.I was never this brave, for lack of better term, towards my stepmother.   I remember a time when I was six years old.   This was the same moment that I met her and I saw how she pretended to be very nice and kind towards my father and his family, meaning me and my siblings. From her mouth spouted all sorts of sweet nothings and words of praise and admiration for how fine a parent my father was and how lucky we all were to have a dad like him.   I heard from her the honeyed words of praise but saw deep in her eyes the petrifying glance of a medusa.   I was correct in my assumption as soon after my father left to attend to an errand and the monster that was lurking beneath began to emerge.The succubus who had seduced my father had now set her sights upon me, the only other woman in my father’s life and I was to be her next victim.   She pounced upon me swiftly and caught me off guard.   I was taken abrupt as she began to terrorize me and likening my appearance to that of various parts of the anatomy that I shall not mention.   To top it all off, she even dared call my own birth mother a woman of ill repute to whom I would most likely turn into.   Suffice it to say that from that moment on there would never be peace when my stepmother and I would meet.That moment in my childhood changed my life not only because from that point on I had somebody there to terrorize me but also because of the fact that it taught me a valuable lesson about parenting; never leave your children in the hands of a stranger even if other people trust them.   One can never be too cautious these days with all those veiled demons lurking and waiting for you to leave your children alone and then they pounce and harm and terrorize your children.   While that experience did turn me into a stronger person and a better parent, I firmly believe that my children do not have to undergo the same mental and emotional torture that I encountered in order to learn their lesson.It used to take me awhile to recover from the battles that me and my stepmother used to have.   There were times when I would be in shock for an entire month and would spend several days just hiding in my room and refusing to speak to anyone.   This type of experience is something best left in stories about monsters or evil stepmothers.   This is the reason why I have asked God to make me strong for my children and to give me a long life so that I can be there for them always to ensure that nobody will ever make my two children suffer.   I also ask that God make me a good mother so that I will always be able to provide for my children to keep them with me and keep them happy.Being God fearing, I felt that I could change the way my stepmother treated me by doing what Jesus told the apostle Peter and turn the other cheek.   Though my stepmother was a hypocrite, I tried my best to carry on a working, if not good, relationship with her.   I thought that my efforts had finally paid off when I heard that my stepmother had spoken to my other asking her in a very nice and friendly manner if she would be amenable to letting me stay with her.   She said that she would bring me to the United States and give me a life that was better than the one I currently had.   She could declare me as her daughter and then, together with my father, we could all go to the â€Å"Land of the Free†.   I will never forget those exact words because those were the ironic words that she chose to use when she was explaining all of this to my birth mother.It did not take a lot of convincing to make my mom amenable to the idea and soon I found myself in my room preparing for that long trip to the â€Å"Land of the Free.†Ã‚   As I packed the last of my belongings I heard my father telling my birth mother that everything would be alright and that she had nothing to worry about regarding my safety.   I was on my way to a better place and better life.   The thought made me smile yet little did I know that I this day would mark the end of one life and the beginning of another one, a life of fear, terror but ultimately happiness.My stepmother never intended for me to have that good life in the â€Å"Land of the Free.†Ã‚   She had ulterior motives at that time and simply wanted to punish my mother by taking me away from her.   The reason for her vengeance was because I was born to my birth mother while my father was married to my stepmother.   Since my stepmother could not directly go against my birth mother for fear of incurring my father’s wrath, she turned to making me suffer.   She was convinced that I was to blame for all the trouble and anxiety that she was going through and she intended to make me feel what she was feeling and more.Of course at that time, all of these ulterior motives and malicious plans were beyond my comprehension.   As a little girl I always tried my best not to hate or resent her for anything that she did to me.   I always tried to do my best to make her feel good and happy with me and to ultimately make her feel proud and happy of me.   As I eventually learned, however, such a scenario was never meant to happen.   Instead, with every act of good that I attempted, I was to be chastised and embarrassed in front of strangers and treated like I was the lowest life form on this planet.If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, it is probably that fear is a good teacher.   If it were not for the fear that my stepmother instilled in my heart, I would not probably be the good mother that I am now.   While it is arguably a terrible feeling that I always need to fear for the safety of my children, I always tell myself that one can never be too cautious.Another lesson that I learned from all of this happened when I was around 18 years of age.   Now, my father never had any idea of the abuses that I suffered at the hands of my stepmother.   He always assumed that we were happy that way and I kept it that way since I did not want to tell on my stepmother for fear of making my life worse than it already actually was.   It was early morning when one of life’s lessons hit me sma ck on the head.   I awoke to the fists of my stepmother on my face as she berated me for not attending to some of my chores.   Apparently I had neglected to make sure that the dishes in the kitchen were as clean and shiny as she wanted them to be.   My stepmother was determined to make me pay for such an oversight and took justice in her own hands and began pummeling me with her fists.For the first time in my life, I felt an intense hatred towards my stepmother.   Nobody has ever laid a hand on me.   Not in anger.   Not in frustration.   My father was never around to console me and help me cope with my situation since he had no idea that such an atrocity was being committed under the roof of his own house.   It was that day, however, that I decided that I would no longer put up with any of this and I decided to leave home.   It was the best decision to make at that time and the worst decision to make in hindsight as I left with some guy that I had recently just met .Things soon turned bad as I fell into a string of failed relationships but just as quickly my fortunes began to improve as I met good people during the times that I needed it the most.   These recollections pain me because as I traversed this journey called life and served my sentence I met other people; people who were good unlike my own stepmother.I ask myself sometimes whether I had done anything to deserve the treatment that was receiving from my stepmother.   I asked myself if I indeed was the cause of all her troubles.   I realize that I never really asked to be born into this world.   All children are supposed to come into this world as innocents but I entered this world pronounced guilty and destined to serve my sentence from the moment that I took my first breath.My birth mother has no idea what I have been through and I don’t intend to tell her about it.   I guess that it how things should be.   As a mother, I do not want to know that my own children ha ve suffered or been hurt.   I guess the warmth and glow that overcomes a mother as she first hugs her child is the reason for that.   I was born and I too have given birth.   I was born into this world a slave, a victim of a vengeful demon.   I have been emancipated by the birth of my own children and I know that when my time comes I will have enough good memories with my own children to last me till eternity.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Burned by Ellen Hopkins Essay Example for Free

Burned by Ellen Hopkins Essay Ellen Hopkins wrote this novel about a girl who grew up in a Mormon household, and is beginning to think that this is not a lifestyle she wants for herself. With an abusive father, lazy and passive mother, and constant conflicts with the Mormon teachings and beliefs, she refuses to give in to that way of life. She refuses to ever become property to a husband who she is taught to â€Å"obey† or a baby producing machine. With her new resilience and want for a normal life, it angers her father. He sends her to live with his estranged sister for the summer, but what he doesn’t realize is that he’s giving her freedom and a chance to live. She learns to love and that life as she knew it was never a life meant for her. Hopkins’ book shows the life of a Mormon girl; Pattyn Scarlet Von Stratten. Pattyn is tired of the Mormon lifestyle and rebels against her family and the rules of her home and church. Her father spends most of the time drunk and angry and her mother has a whole household to take care of. After Pattyn gets in a fight and breaks a window, her family has had enough of her rebelling so they send her to live with her Aunt, out in the middle of nowhere, for the summer, so she can no longer get in trouble. It turns out that she has fun on her stay with her aunt, she learns how to drive and ride a horse, and meets the love of her life. She fell in love with Ethan, the son of her aunt’s friend. He is not Mormon and her father would kill the both of them if they were together. After returning home things start to go bad again. She mouths off to her father and gets beaten. She takes the rap for something her sister does, and gets beaten to save her sister. She also learns that she will have Ethan’s baby. Like all of Hopkins novels, Burned also has a tragic ending. Ethan and Pattyn get in a car wreck and she wakes up in the hospital to learn that she lost Ethan and her baby. In the end she says that God could not be love because love was a corpse, because she lost the love of her life, and the only thing remnant of him. The book leaves you with the vision of Pattyn sitting above a busy highway, about to take you own life. Burned by Ellen Hopkins. (2018, Oct 19).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Classical Theories of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classical Theories of Management - Essay Example The classical management theory comprises of three schools of thought: scientific management, bureaucratic management, and administrative management. Although some organizations apply one or more of these theories in managing their employees, most people consider them outdated and inapplicable in managing the 21st-century workplace that needs more visionary leadership styles. Frederick Taylor advanced scientific management in his quest to increase organizational productivity (Taylor, 2003). Frederick emphasized on the efficiency of production processes that could be achieved through empirical research. Availability of skilled labor became a major problem among the 19th-century industrialists (Cameron & Green, 2009). Only a few people were educated at the time, and the few available were in high demand due to the increased number of industries hiring them. Managers thought that the best way to increase the efficiency of the available labor was to draw strict lines between tasks. This decision might have been arrived at because managers believed that they were more intellectual than the workers were, and their duty was to supervise workers as they perform their work. Taylor’s emphasis on high target is desirable since business organizations desire to grow and expand. However, this principle concentrates on selecting the highest standard possible for employees. Taylor did not accurately define the highest standards; this can cause exploitation of employees especially those who are hired on hourly rates. Although Taylor encouraged managers to use the piece-rate basis of payment, some companies may stress employees to work harder than their capacity as these companies strive to achieve their target standards (Hersey, Blanchard & Johnson, 2001). This can cause stress and poor welfare among employees. Standard conditions proposed by Taylor encourage rigidity of organizations.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Human Anatomy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Anatomy - Term Paper Example The primary thing that needs to be considered is the basal metabolic rate that regulates the amount of calorie expended by the body for existence. Definitely as the net body mass becomes low on shrinkage with lowered bone density and body fat, the lowered calorie intake induces the body to burn lesser energy. Lowering of BMR is somewhat a self induced adjustment due to the metabolic changes associated with shrinkage helping the body to function as an efficient energy saver, thereby burning lesser calories. (United Nations University, 2008) The next important adaptation related to the shrinkage must be a lower cardiac output due to the lower aerobic capacity. The lowered cardiac output that is the extent of oxygen transport from the heart to the cells of the body is related to the overall cardiovascular requirements of the body. A low cardiac output is definitely coupled with the lowered tidal volume of respiration in a reduced body with a decrease in the cardiac tissue mass. There is a formidable relationship between body mass, body size and blood pressure level. In fact blood pressure has been found to vary directly to the body height. The body being smaller in size hardly requires much pumping pressure to transmit blood to the rest of the body. Hence, lowered blood pressure is an essential physiological adjustment the body makes in order to go with the small stature after the shrinkage. Heartbeat Rate Due to the lowered blood pressure and cardiac output proper blood circulation demands more heart beats for a smaller sized body as compared to a larger one. This is, in fact, seen in case of smaller animals that have a faster heartbeat rate than humans. As a matter of fact the heartbeat rate in mammals varies inversely to the fourth root of the body weight measured in kilograms. Amino Acid Metabolism The protein - energy relationship is a significant parameter that adjusts itself with the other physiologic conditions during phenomenon of shrinkage. Amino acids required as essential substrates for protein synthesis are necessary for energy production along with increased body weight and stature. Therefore shrinkage essentially involves an adaptable lowered rate of amino acid metabolism, thereby curbing the extent of fat production leading to protein synthesis at a lower profile than in regular sized individuals. Ammonia and Urea Metabolism With a smaller stature the dietary requirements become lower and result in lowered amino acid intake thereby reducing the production of ammonia and urea in the liver. Moreover due to a lowered extent of protein synthesis, the essential enzymes like urease and protease are synthesized accordingly in sparse quantities compared to the normal sized individuals decreasing the production of ammonia to perfectly go with the smaller stature after shrinkage. References 1. "Low BMIs, BMRs and Energy Requirements", 2008, United Nations University, retrieved from: http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food2/UID10E/uid10e08.htm#changes%20in%20body%20weights%20and%20stature%20and%20their%20influence%20on%20bmi%20and%20energy%20requir

Monday, August 26, 2019

Comparison of U.S. and Other Healthcare System Assignment

Comparison of U.S. and Other Healthcare System - Assignment Example Government provides insurance through Medicare and Medicaid. Private or government covers the cost of healthcare depending on individual plan. Despite provision of insurance by government and private sector, significant numbers of people in the U.S. remain uninsured. Riegelman and Kirkwood (2014, pp. 217-218) point out that close to 15% of the U.S. population do not have insurance. The study further reveals that, 20 million people in the U.S. will remain uninsured. The delivery services provided by the US healthcare system are dominated by private practice with close to 33% primary care physicians and 66% specialist. The healthcare system of other advanced countries such as Canada and the UK are a bit different. The state of Canada spends close to 10% of the gross domestic product, GDP financed by 30% individual private insurance and 70% government taxes. Canadian state provides insurances for critical and basic services. They are also subsidies services for poor individuals. The similarity between the US and Canadian healthcare system is that both are dominated by private practice. However, the Canadian system has a balance primary care physicians and specialist accounting to 50% each unlike the U.S. healthcare system indicated above (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2014, p. 218). Canada healthcare system provides a wide range of insurance; both government and private insurance are accessible to the population. The government funds necessities in healthcare and preventive measures with the assurance that all individuals have access. Additionally, private insurers are not permitted by the government to provide insurance for basic medical services. The Canadian government subsidies insurance medical services such as homecare, long-term care and drugs. Private insurers are also allowed to insure such medical services. Additionally, the state keeps the cost down by negotiating the cost of bulk purchases of medical necessitates such as

Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Personality - Essay Example The MBTI indicates Steve Jobs to be an Introvert who preferred to think for the betterment and was sensitive for the people around him. Steve Jobs used his inclinations towards technology for the development of advanced technological innovations to make the people enjoy their lifestyle with convenience. He gathered data which were needed for the projects he dealt with and also criticized it. He was at times insensitive in the initial years which were working against him and made him lose his power. Nonetheless, with his hard work and perseverance he learnt to be flexible and impulsive in his approach towards work. He perceived to what he wanted and how to achieve it with a dynamic and charismatic attitude. This indicates that Steve Jobs showcased the ISTP type which is Introversion, Sensing, Thinking and Perception as he worked hard and knew what he wanted. He as a leader focused on innovation and efficiency throughout his career in Apple. His dynamism in his work and his attitude ca n be observed through the use of the products of Apple. The brand image and the market presence for the company were possible due to risk taken by Steve Jobs. He had the ability to take risks based on his strong perception and thinking capability towards the success of the business. He was sensitive towards the employees and the people around him in order to derive the best results from the employees due to his strong leadership skill. He through his personality and sensitivity made the people motivated and made them work for the benefit of the company. He was disciplined in his approach hence was able to maintain the cost efficiency with quality products for the customers. He was introvert yet had a strong sense of thinking, dynamism and thrived in terms of risk taking approach; which are the synonymous for the people with ISTP type of personality. He was

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Business and Financial Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business and Financial Environment - Essay Example As the company includes more and more debt to its capital structure the rate of Return required by the company increases. WACC which comprises of weighted average of cost of Debt and cost of Equity increases as the firm is exposed to more and more debt. The increase in debt increases the risk of the company and as the debt to equity ratio in a capital structure of the firm increases the Return on Equity required by the firm increases which increases the WACC for the firm. This will also increase the amount of earnings required by the firm to keep its value to its previous position. This risk inherent for an organization due to its operations is called business risk. It is the risk of a firm when it uses no debt. Technically or in terms of formulation it is the uncertainty in the future returns on assets of a firm (ROA). We can write ROA as: This gives us a way to measure the business risk of an un-levered firm i.e. measuring deviations in the ROE of that firm. Such a business risk is called firm's Basic Business Risk. "Business risk is the uncertainty associated with operating cash flows of a business. There are different dimensions of business risk, namely sales risk and operating risk (mtholyoke, 2007)". Variations in business risk not only depend on the type of industry a firm is operating in but also varies within the industry from firm to firm. Business risk's dependence is influenced by six common factors. a) Demand Variability the more the variations in demand of a firm's product, the more will be its business risk b) Sales Price Variability firms which operate in a market where prices are stable faces low business risk as compared to the firms which operate in a highly volatile market. c) Input Cost Variability the firms who are weak on the supply side and have high variability in input costs are exposed to high risk d) Adaptability of output prices with changes in input prices the firms which are in command to change their output prices with changes in input prices are less exposed to business risk. e) Ability to develop new products in a timely, cost effective manner the more the industry requires introduction of new products in market, the more the firm will be exposed to business risk f) Degree of operating leverage the high the degree of operating leverage the firm is operating at, the more will be its business risk Operating Leverage the firms which have high degree of operation leverage i.e. a major portion of their operations depends upon fixed cost leaves their firms more exposed to business risk. That means a decline in sales will not decline the cost since major portion of cost is fixed therefore even a smaller decline in sales

Saturday, August 24, 2019

IMC is Not a Proven Marketing Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IMC is Not a Proven Marketing Theory - Essay Example Direct Marketing is an approach used to create relationship with customers and delivering information about products to customer, the method is mainly used for selling financial services to customers, direct marketing also helps to close sales cycle within a short time period. Sales Promotion is the process that helps the company to increase brand visibility in point of sales and point of purchases, companies use the technique to increase new product usage ratio among customers, the process also helps to increase customer footfall in the retail stores, companies use loyalty card, discount method, incentive schemes to increase purchase ratio among customers. Public Relation companies can go for organizing public events or news paper editorial about their new product, they use trade shows to increase category visibility among customers, creating good word of mouth about the product is one of the major objectives of public relation (Jones). Many advertising agencies have shifted focus f rom creating unilateral promotional message to making multidimensional promotional message. Main purpose of IMC is to channelize the promotional message in a unified manner though all promotional medium. David Ogilvy has characterized IMC as one stop solution offered by advertising agencies to companies. Keith Reinhard (CEO of DDB Needham) thinks IMC is an effective way to produce creative brand message. Many research scholars think demassifiction played pivotal role in evolution of IMC. After 1970, media industry started to restructure into smaller operational units. They started giving importance to various promotional medium rather than concentrating on age old advertising model. In this way IMC has emerged as a common platform to integrate various promotional medium (Schultz, Tannenbaum and Lauterborn 6). IMC is a process to align communication objectives of a company with corporate goals to achieve business efficiency. Jerome McCarthy used the concept of four P’s (Produc t, price, place and promotion) during 1950’s for the first time (Jerome McCarthy used 4P’s concept in his book â€Å"Basic Marketing† published in 1960 and he used the concept to explain campaign made by JWT). Philip Kotler and other academicians (in 1965, Philip Kotler described 4P’s as various marketing variables in his article) proselytized the concept in coming years. Four P’s can be described in the following manner. Product- the strategy emphasizes on manufacturing products, maintaining the quality standard of product and optimum utilization of resources during production process. Price- deciding the price of the product in accordance with the demand of the product, setting high price or low price for the product is an important part of pricing strategy. Place- designing distribution network for the product, company creates distribution network to expand the reach of the product, appointing c&f agents, stockiest, wholesalers, retailers are pa rt of distribution strategy. Promotion- companies use direct marketing, sales promotion, and advertising activities to

Friday, August 23, 2019

3 x 450 words assignments B. strategy, Org + Behave, B. Environ - B Essay

3 x 450 words assignments B. strategy, Org + Behave, B. Environ - B. spec - Essay Example Organizations that are effective are largely concerned with their performance level and also the aspect of performance consistency1. The organizations major objective is to offer customers the same quality of product or service whenever the customer visits the organization, regardless of the location. Quality performance results into repeat customers while consistency leads to loyalty of the clientele. Communication breakdowns that may be caused by cultural misunderstandings are a threat to efficiency in performance. For instance, an employee may opt to use indirect communication with a fellow employee who prefers direct communication and this result into a communication breakdown. Multicultural organizations are the organizations that hire employees from various cultural backgrounds, where the organization serves the clients that are from varying cultures or even the combination of both2. Expectations and behavior of the people within the multicultural organizations or the customers that are served by the organization may be driven by the cultural rules. It is, therefore, important to respect the cultural rules. The difference in cultures may arise from factors like direct or indirect communication, definition of identity as either individual or connection to a certain group and the level of comfort in the hierarchy. Organizational culture and organizational structure are some of the concepts that have the greatest predictive power and highest explanatory in the attempts to understand the forms and causes of people behavior in the organizations. Subsequently, the two concepts are mostly used when conducting research on variables that independent in the explanation of several phenomena that are present in companies or other forms of organizations. The influence of organizational culture and structure on other factors of management is normally researched

Thursday, August 22, 2019

“The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† by Flannery O’Connor Essay 1.Explain the significance of the name Shiftlet. The name Crater. Shiftlet suggests he is a sketchy character or that he will change. Crater is an empty space or hole, indicating that she is in want/need of something 2.Underline any positive references to nature. Explain the significance of these references. At what point in the story does nature change/darken? Why? Nature begins as a beautiful sunset that represents Shiftlet as a possible good person. As the car becomes a possible item for him to obtain, nature darkens until he leaves Lucynell in the diner and the storm comes to indicate his lost redemption. 3.Identify and explain any allusions to Jesus Christ. The carpenter occupation, the crooked cross in the sun, raising the car from the dead; all of these references suggest Shiftlet is a good character who is capable of redemption 4.Why does O’Connor include Shiftlet’s explanation about the doctor in Atlanta? This is an indication of comparing formal education to natural instincts. Nature vs Nurture. The story addresses the theme of a man in search of the meaning of life and the open heart is a metaphor for this theme. He cannot know the meaning of life. 5.Why does Shiftlet compare the car to the spirit? He makes several references to the car and the potential it holds The car is a temptation to the spirit and a spirit at ease/peace does not need to keep moving or wandering. He is telling Mrs. Crater that he is NOT the man she thinks he is. 6.Why does Shiftlet feel â€Å"the rottenness of the world about to engulf him†? Shiftlet makes an anguished plea to God to take him away. He is what is rotten in the world and the impending thunder is a symbol of his missed opportunity for redemption. 7.Explain the significance of the title of the story. Where is it referenced in the story? Why? A sign warning about driving. Significant because he is driving his temptation away from his redemption. Title is a motif of salvation/redemption. It applies to both Shiftlet and Crater to warn them to seek change before being left morally bankrupt. Additional Notes: Shiftlet begins as a man in search of something in life and believes he can find it in the car/wedding gift. But he chooses to continue wandering and abandons Lucynell who represents atonement. Mrs. Crater lures Shiftlet into her home to gain his services as a carpenter and potential suitor for her daughter and in turn loses

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Example for Free

The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Anselm’s ontological argument described in part (a), was refuted in his own lifetime, by Gaunilo, who demonstrated in a reduction ad absurdum of his own, that if the logic of the argument were applied to things other than God, it led to invalid conclusions. Gaunilo didn’t identify any specific fault with the argument, but argued that something must be wrong with it, because if there wasn’t anything wrong, then we can use its logic to prove anything, which we may have no reason to believe to be true. For instance, Gaunilo argued that it’s possible to construct an argument in the exact same form as the ontological argument, that claims to prove the existence of the perfect island: this island must exist for if it did not then it would be possible to conceive of an island greater than that island than which no greater can be conceived, which is absurd. Therefore, if the ontological argument works, then the argument for the existence of the perfect island must work too. They are both logically similar, so they stand, or fall together. However, the argument for the island is clearly spurious, as we have no reason for this ‘perfect island’ to exist. Unless a theist can point to some relevant difference between his argument for the existence of God, and Gaunilo’s argument for the existence of the perfect island, the theist will have to abandon the ontological argument for the existence of God, as well as Gaunilo’s, because if one fails, then they both do, as they are so similar. This weakness of the ontological argument adds fuel to the fire for atheists through Gaunilo putting forward his argument for the existence of the perfect island as an objection to the ontological argument. He knew that they would both fall, which shows that neither argument works which further supports atheists. Another weakness of the ontological argument which gives support to atheists is Immanuel Kant’s objection to it: Existence is not a Predicate. Fundamental to both Anselm’s and Descartes’ form of the ontological argument is that existence is a predicate, an attribute or a quality that can be possessed or lacked. These qualities for example, may or may not belong to a thing or being and their presence or absence is part of our understanding and apprehension of it. Kant observed however, that existence isn’t associated with the definition of something, since it didn’t add to our understanding of that thing. This supports atheism as existence is merely something that we can have or not have, and it is absurd to say what something is like without it existing. It also supports atheism as an atheist would say that we can’t ascribe existence a priori to a definition of a perfect being. Bertrand Russell furthered Kant’s observations, proposing that ‘existence’ was not a predicate, but a term used to solely indicate the instance of something in the ‘spatio temporal’ world. To say something exists only tells us that that thing occupies a space on the earth. For example saying ‘Cows are brown, and exist’ tells us only one thing: they are brown. The ‘and exist’ shows that they are on the earth, however it’s a tautology since to say they are brown, effectively suggests that they exist and aren’t imaginary. Thomas Aquinas had already questioned this aspect of the ontological argument, claiming that Anselm was guilty of making ‘transitional error’ – moving from the definition of God to the existence of Him. He observed that Anselm also was guilty of making an assumption about the definition of God that was not necessarily shared by all believers. This supports atheism because not all believers believed in Anselm’s definition of God, which poses the question, if people have different views on the right or wrong definition of God, what’s to say that they could ALL be wrong, and atheism is the truth in it all? Furthermore, Aquinas said that understanding the term ‘God’ means that God exists in the understanding, not in reality. God’s existence in reality must be demonstrated a posteriori, with evidence or experience. Atheism is supported in this way, as atheists could argue that anyone can believe what they like in their minds, but something has to be evident in material form in reality to be actually real. Overall, the weaknesses generally give support to atheism as they show alternatives and flaws in the ontological argument. The ways in which atheists interpret the critic’s objections leads to further belief that God does not exist. Atheists are supported primarily by the fact that the ontological argument is a priori, so does not rely on empirical evidence, therefore if there was empirical evidence for God’s existence, they might be swayed slightly in their beliefs.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

A Dream Within A Dream English Literature Essay

A Dream Within A Dream English Literature Essay A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe is a poem about the loss of love , the heartbreaking sadness that one faces and the ephemeral nature of time and fleeting of existence. The poem is well known due to Poes various poetic techniques that have been used to represent the excruciating context that Poe expresses in his poem. The main theme of the poem is the loss or lack of love that one faces. By taking a look at Poes use of concealed tone and structure, the various poetic techniques used and as well as the concealed literary devices; Poe expresses an excruciating context. One can easily notice that Poe wrote this Poem after he has lost someone of his love ; Poe writes the poem as a reflection to his misery on the horrible event therefore the poem holds his misery for the loss of love , burden and as well the hopelessness and lament towards life. Poe uses a very depressing tone in his poem to express his love for his loved one in the poem; Poe creates two stanzas that are disparate but however ultimately linked. Poe makes both the stanzas describe that life slips away from us like a long lost lover or also a fistful of golden sand creeping through fingers. Gradually life slips away like sand, or maybe even an hourglass. Poe is secretly trying to tell us by the two stanzas that life is precious but sometimes death can come like a wave from a surf tormented shore and take your loved one away. Poe makes the structure of the poem ordinary and typical to ending in only couplets or triplets however the theme of loss of love is often periodically rephrased in some way in each of the stanzas. Throughout the Poem, Poe also exclaims with sorrow and angers many rhetorical questions that are predominantly asked to only utter his importance and outburst rather than an answer. An example of his exclaimed rhetorical questions would be when in the last stanza Poe makes all the last lines expressed in questions rather than answers. In the First Stanza, Poe starts the Poem with a formal good bye to his loved one (line 1 and 2) Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you know these two lines express Poes affection and anguish as he loses his loved one. Poe also gives the reader the image of a kiss on a brow and a parting which indirectly means that he and his loved one are parting ways in the beginning. This event that Poe uses the image of could symbolize that it is the end of a relationship, time or even life. It is putative how Poes loved one claims that life is only a dream, now that Poe accedes that fact as his loved one has been extinct from his life, Poe therefore mentions Yet if hope has flown away à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The less gone? (Line 6 and 9) put across Poes hopelessness when it comes to hope. Poe also repeated the word in two times in two lines (line 7 and 8) to accentuate how hope is fragile and can be destroyed abruptly at any moment that no one knows. Poe concludes the first stanza by men tioning that All what we see or seemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. a dream within a dream . Here, Poe uses alliteration within the terms see and seem to delineate the reader the fact that nothing that one sees, feels or even notices is any more real than a dream. In the second Stanza, Poe uses a disparate environment to express the situation loss of love ; the excruciating context in the Poem. Poe introduces the reader to his lack of love or impotence in other words through the imagery of himself grasping grains of golden sand that creep. This image that Poe represents in his Poem is a significant idea in Poes Poem due to it being ultimately Poes central argument that Poe seems to keep on rephrasing on each of his stanzas In the poem. First, Poes image of golden sand falling delineates the readers of an hour glass which then symbolizes time passing by. The narrator, Poe grabs sand that trickles between his finger , which then reminds him of the meaninglessness of life, and that nothing is more real than a dream. The third piece of imagery that Poe introduces the reader to is the powerful image of the surf tormented shore and puts himself standing among the roars of waves. By placing himself among the tormented roars of waves, Poe creates a metaphor that is used to express Poes torments from the loss of his loved one, and how the waves and roars are powering him and at the same time drowning in his own misery. The poem continues and is basically all about the narrators struggles and pain that he feels for his loved one. All of these metaphors have meanings close to the ephemeral nature of time, which leads Poe to the conclusion that life almost seems to have no meaning and no purpose with the lack of love , as life passes by so fast. The sand and the surf tormented shore or waves are an example that Poe uses to symbolize slow and gradual decay of life and love. The waves keep hitting the shore, until slowly the shore gets depleted by the everlasting waves. All of these symbols lead back to these images which also ultimately lead back to Poes theme of Is it therefore the less gone? and the lack of love that one faces. While I weep- while I weep! (Line 7). Here, Poe gives the reader the notice that how his weep as hi s misery overwhelms his defenses, as he pains for the loss of his love. As Poe explains his misery, weep and pain he implores God for help. Poe emphasizes his pain as Poe wants to save one that has already passed away by placing a metaphor of saving one from the pitiless wave , Poe continuously uses the phrase O God to express his feelings and emotions towards his loved one. Then to conclude, and finish with the theme Poe uses two questions at the end of his poem Is it all we seeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. A dream within a dream, to rephrase once again that everything was a dream and that of the ephemeral nature of time no one can surmount life and that everything will be simply just a dream. In Conclusion, A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe, is a poem that has use of many poetic techniques and ways to express such an excruciating idea where loss, love, anger and the ephemeral nature of time all take place is overall very effective as Poe manages to do so in such a short poem with only two stanzas. The poem displays some very important aspects of life such as death, the ephemeral nature of time and hope in some cases as well within the theme of loss of love and just one who loses their love. Despite this poem, A Dream Within A Dream will still be remembered by myself on how Poes perception that everything around us now is just a dream and nothings as real as we know it.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Isers Act of Reading :: essays papers

Isers Act of Reading Critiquing a Critique: Wolfgang Iser’s The Act of Reading Texts on critical theory present an interesting challenge when one sits down to critique or review them. The purpose of these texts is to persuade the reader that all texts should be read and critiqued in the manner described within its pages. The process of evaluating such a book based on criteria that the reader has already established is made much more difficult by the fact that the focus of the book is to explain, in the majority of the cases, why the criteria being used is inferior to what the book itself recommends. How then, does one approach the problem that surrounds critiquing an instructional text on how to critique? The simplest way to approach the dilemma is to establish whether or not the points made by the author are valid, regardless of whether or not the reader agrees enough with the other to adopt his style of criticism. In this particular case, the author, Wolfgang Iser, is attempting to convince his readers that an approach he calls â€Å"aesthetic response† is the proper way to read and critique texts. Iser claims that his style is universal and can be applied to virtually all forms of writing. For this to be true, then one of the books written by Iser to help describe the process, The Act of Reading, should be able to validate his aesthetic response theory once it is read and critiqued by the manner described within the theory itself. Interestingly enough, the style of Iser’s book and the approach the author takes in explaining his theory to his readers run completely counter to the ideals of his theory. Iser’s aesthetic response theory contains is based on several points. First, the purpose of the reader is not to attempt to discover the single, hidden meaning within a text. The author backs up his position by providing this explanation: If the critic’s revelation of the meaning is a loss to the author†¦then meaning must be a thing which can be subtracted from the work. And if this meaning, as the very heart of the work, can be lifted out of the text, the work is then used up-through interpretation, literature is turned into an item for consumption. This is fatal not only for the text but also for literary criticism, for what can be the function of interpretation if its sole achievement is to extract the meaning and leave behind an empty shell?

The Yellow Wallpaper -- essays research papers

The Yellow Wallpaper: In the 19th century, mental illness was an uncommon issue to be discussed. The public would treat the illness only by avoiding the matter and forcing the sick to feel helpless. At that time, the medical profession had not yet distinguished between diseases of the mind and diseases of the brain. Neurologists such as Dr. Silas Mitchell treated the problems that would now be treated by psychiatrists, such as depression. The most accepted cure was Mitchell's â€Å"Rest Cure,† which required complete isolation from family and friends. It forbid any type of mental or physical energy, and required total bed rest. The harsh results of the â€Å"Rest Cure† are easily seen in the story titled â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1891. The main character was given the â€Å"Rest Cure† and soon began to descend deeper into the traps of insanity. Before fully understanding mental illnesses her actions would be linked to â€Å"hysteriaâ₠¬ . Hysteria was the term given to women with signs of depression. (Showalter, p. 127) Embedded largely in women's discouraged ambitions and limited opportunities, a reaction of supposed hysteria cases occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Due to rise in this type of mental illness, the period became known as the â€Å"Golden Age of Hysteria.† Authorities of the time defined the problem in terms of femininity and female sexuality. Coming from the Greek term hysteron, meaning womb, hysteria was known as a strictly female illness that was caused by women's delicate constitutions and emotionality. Many doctors believed the uterus caused it, which was why they concluded that men could not become hysterical. (Showalter, p. 129) Hysteria was assumed a largely self-created or imagined illness. People did not generally take it, or mental illness seriously. Though hysteria became a focal point of study by physicians throughout the world. Symptoms included fainting, vomiting, choking, sobbing, paralysis, and temperamental fits. Reflecting the belief that women were prone to hysteria because they were less rational and stable than men. Dr. Edward Tilt, in a typical Victorian textbook definition, wrote: â€Å"mutability is a characteristic of hysteria, because it is characteristic of women† (Showalter, p. 129). As more studies were conducted, however, some doctors began to link hysteria with restricted activity and sexual ... ...ut you.† Her response is â€Å"I don’t weigh a bit more.† She proves him wrong and he avoids the response by saying â€Å"But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk in the morning.† She overlooks his true intentions and focuses back on the wallpaper. She almost revels to herself and John that the â€Å"Rest Cure† isn’t working as expected. and actually show that he doesn’t care. â€Å" begins to interpet the yellow wallpaper, as having many life like similarity tries to resorts to reasoning with herself so that she may feel husband keeping he away from any outside world her minds wanders into insanity. Her husband doesn’t know any better than to restrain her from exerting energy. He feels that he must keep her in bed to better her health. This in the end is the reason she goes insane. He must feel a bit ashamed being a doctor and not knowing of any other cure to The signs of metal illness are evident when the main character resorts to ripping at the wallpaper to release some built up anxiety. Work Cited Page Rena Korb An overview of The Yellow Wallpaper, in Exploring Short Stories, Gale Research, 1998. Showalter, Elaine. The Female Malady. New York: Random House, 1985. The Yellow Wallpaper -- essays research papers The Yellow Wallpaper: In the 19th century, mental illness was an uncommon issue to be discussed. The public would treat the illness only by avoiding the matter and forcing the sick to feel helpless. At that time, the medical profession had not yet distinguished between diseases of the mind and diseases of the brain. Neurologists such as Dr. Silas Mitchell treated the problems that would now be treated by psychiatrists, such as depression. The most accepted cure was Mitchell's â€Å"Rest Cure,† which required complete isolation from family and friends. It forbid any type of mental or physical energy, and required total bed rest. The harsh results of the â€Å"Rest Cure† are easily seen in the story titled â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1891. The main character was given the â€Å"Rest Cure† and soon began to descend deeper into the traps of insanity. Before fully understanding mental illnesses her actions would be linked to â€Å"hysteriaâ₠¬ . Hysteria was the term given to women with signs of depression. (Showalter, p. 127) Embedded largely in women's discouraged ambitions and limited opportunities, a reaction of supposed hysteria cases occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Due to rise in this type of mental illness, the period became known as the â€Å"Golden Age of Hysteria.† Authorities of the time defined the problem in terms of femininity and female sexuality. Coming from the Greek term hysteron, meaning womb, hysteria was known as a strictly female illness that was caused by women's delicate constitutions and emotionality. Many doctors believed the uterus caused it, which was why they concluded that men could not become hysterical. (Showalter, p. 129) Hysteria was assumed a largely self-created or imagined illness. People did not generally take it, or mental illness seriously. Though hysteria became a focal point of study by physicians throughout the world. Symptoms included fainting, vomiting, choking, sobbing, paralysis, and temperamental fits. Reflecting the belief that women were prone to hysteria because they were less rational and stable than men. Dr. Edward Tilt, in a typical Victorian textbook definition, wrote: â€Å"mutability is a characteristic of hysteria, because it is characteristic of women† (Showalter, p. 129). As more studies were conducted, however, some doctors began to link hysteria with restricted activity and sexual ... ...ut you.† Her response is â€Å"I don’t weigh a bit more.† She proves him wrong and he avoids the response by saying â€Å"But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk in the morning.† She overlooks his true intentions and focuses back on the wallpaper. She almost revels to herself and John that the â€Å"Rest Cure† isn’t working as expected. and actually show that he doesn’t care. â€Å" begins to interpet the yellow wallpaper, as having many life like similarity tries to resorts to reasoning with herself so that she may feel husband keeping he away from any outside world her minds wanders into insanity. Her husband doesn’t know any better than to restrain her from exerting energy. He feels that he must keep her in bed to better her health. This in the end is the reason she goes insane. He must feel a bit ashamed being a doctor and not knowing of any other cure to The signs of metal illness are evident when the main character resorts to ripping at the wallpaper to release some built up anxiety. Work Cited Page Rena Korb An overview of The Yellow Wallpaper, in Exploring Short Stories, Gale Research, 1998. Showalter, Elaine. The Female Malady. New York: Random House, 1985.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Hammurabis Code of Laws Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hammurabi was the sixth king of the first Amorite dynasty of Babylon. He supposedly ruled from 1792-1750 BC. During his rule, he wrote a code of law, which was the first to be translated from cuneiform. The code was written on several stone tablets so that all people could see them. It had a prologue, an epilogue, and 282 articles, and included rights for women, even though they didn’t have as many rights as men did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hammurabi’s code was based on the saying ‘an eye for an eye’. This means that the retribution for the crime would roughly fit the severity of the crime. For example, if someone poked someone’s eye out, someone would poke that someone’s eye out. I think this is fair because it doesn’t make sense any other way. For instance, if one was jailed ten years for a minor theft (a purse, a bike, etc.) and someone else was jailed ten years for a major theft (robbing the bank, stealing a valuable painting, etc.), that wouldn’t be reasonable. In Hammurabi’s ‘an eye for an eye’ theory, all the punishments are equal to the crime, which is very practical. Most of his laws are based on this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Hammurabi’s code, there were different fines for crimes on certain classes of people. For instance, if one freeborn man were to hit another freeborn man or someone of equal rank, the first freeborn man would have to pay one gold mina in gold. However, if a freed man were to hit another freed man, the...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Kath Walker’s We Are Gloing

Basically the theme of the poem is the Aboriginals oppression. The fact they have had to give up on their old way of life and let go of the world that used to be theirs. The Aboriginals knew â€Å"We belong here, we are of the old ways† but eventually through white civilisation and development this life is â€Å"Gone and scattered,† everything is gone and now they had to leave. In summary, the theme of this poem is the oppression experienced by the Indigenous population that resulted in a loss of culture and life for the Indigenous now â€Å"gone and scattered. One example of a technique in the poem includes repetition such as that of the word ‘gone. ‘ The word gone typifies the themes of loss and it's repetition enforces this concept. Other techniques include alliteration such as ‘silent and subdued,' similes such as â€Å"Where now the many white men hurry about like ants,† capitalisation of the word Thunder, six stanza structure, first perso n narration etc. Good luck! The obvious technique is slow deliberate repetition. This reinforces the ancient sigh of a people dispossessed. All that is sacred has been violated. A history is being expunged. Alliteration: subdued and silent ( we even faintly hear the shush) Simile: white men hurry about like ants There are metaphors used by the naive speaker in this poem. They are the land, the elements, the fauna, the flora and the history. The warning is all this heart will be gone if the white man has his way. Kath Walker was right. Her warning was not heard. And they are gone! 1. Explain why they are â€Å"silent and subdued†. 2. How are white men represented? Why? 3. What is a bora ring and explain why it is so central to this poem. 4. Explain their reaction in line 8. 5. Lines 9-17 begin a ‘litany’. What is the effect produced? 6. Comment on the significance of metaphors used in the poem. 7. Comment on the structure and form of this poem. 8. Why does Thunder have a capital letter? 9. Comment on the mood and atmosphere created here. 10. Combine comments on its theme, title and conclusion. Answers 1. They were silent and subdued because little remained of their tribe and many strangers were busy at work like ants. 2. The white men were represented as ants because they were busy at work and hurrying around. 3. A bora ring is where an initiation is performed and is hardened earth done by foot which is surrounded by raised embankments in a formation of a circle and it is central because the bora ring is not being respected as a sign says, â€Å"Rubbish maybe tipped here†. 4. Their reaction meant that to the white men they are strangers and are treated like they don’t belong in Australia but the Aboriginals feel that the white men are the strangers and are in their land. 5. It gives an effect of showing their side of really saying that they are the real natives of Australia and not the white men and that now that they are the past. 6. It compares and shows how the Aboriginals feel. 7. It has six stanzas and has no rhyming pattern. 8. The emphasis the word as thunder is really the loud terrifying sound as a result of lightning. 9. They are in the fresh air of Australia near the Bora Ring and the mood is of sadness and subduedness because of how the Bora Ring is being mistreated. 10. ‘We are going’ are the three words in the title, conclusion and theme and portrays how the life of the Aboriginals would be as the Aboriginals are not welcome to their own homeland therefore they are saying that they will leave their old ways and be cast upon a low unwanted class forever.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Anita Roddick (The Body Shop) Essay

Inspiring profiles and best practices for entrepreneurs Twenty-six years ago the Brighton Evening Argus ran a story on a dispute between two funeral parlour owners who were upset about a new cosmetics boutique which had opened up next door. It wasn’t the nature of the business they were getting hot under the collar about, but its name. They thought the green shop front emblazoned with the words Body Shop in gold leaf might put off prospective customers. â€Å"They wanted me to change my shop front which I had just spent  £870 of my  £4,000 loan on,† recalls Roddick. â€Å"My smart move was to call the Argus and tell them I was being threatened by Mafia undertakers who wanted to close me down.† The press loved it. The story of the beleaguered single mum with the house in hock trying to support her two kids with a bootstrapping start-up worked a treat. The small splash made Body Shop a cause celebre, won plenty of local support and won an important battle to get the business off the ground. The anecdote is a small aside, recounted with a chuckle and a hint of outrage in a long interview. But although the battles got much bigger as Roddick grew her business into the multinational retailer it is today, anyone with even a passing familiarity with the Body Shop story will instantly recognise the defining characteristics of its fiery feisty founder in those early days of the business: Ethical Anita versus the big bad world. There has never been any compromise in Roddick’s views on how business should be done: this is why her husband Gordon was tasked with handling the City suits (â€Å"they didn’t like me talking about sexual tension at work†) and why she stepped away from the business in 1998 when the shareholders said a campaigning chief executive was not what they wanted for Body Shop. You might think after thirty years of business and the comfort of a healthy shareholding and a wedge of cash in the bank Roddick’s hunger for campaigning might have diminished. But little has changed since 1976. Her latest venture, a publishing start-up, produces books on ethical matters. It promotes her on the speaking circuit and all the profits going into campaigning. The only difference is now she occupies the position of an icon for women and female entrepreneurs: â€Å"something I don’t take lightly† And there is still plenty to shout about when it comes to what she sees as an ethical vacuum in business today. Suffocation She rails against the suffocation of UK businesses as we outsource to cheaper countries; the failure to preserve the needs of shareholders in public companies; the lack of respect for the responsibility of business to the community at large; the ongoing need for women to conform to a male template in order to succeed; the lack of recognition of the value that employees bring to a business. â€Å"Being ethical in business is not about giving stuff away† Roddick is emphatic about what this means in practice: not sandals, beards and group hugs in the boardroom but the adoption of simple moral values. â€Å"People use the excuse of business to leave their morals at the front door and I don’t know how they get away with it.† But can ethical business really fit in with the cut-throat world of today? Her business, she says, is living proof. She describes Body Shop as a â€Å"great business experiment† which is still proving a point: you can run an entrepreneurial business, provide a return to shareholders while campaigning on ethical issues and placing a high value on human capital. â€Å"Being ethical in business is not about giving stuff away. It’s about your relationship with your employees, it’s about the aesthetics of the workplace and it’s about communication,† says Roddick. â€Å"There is no reason why the workplace can’t be a genuine creative place, why there can’t be flexitime, why there can’t be transparency and even good manners.† If Roddick doesn’t sound like a business woman it’s because she has never claimed to be one. She puts her success down to a need for a livelihood and sees herself as the accidental entrepreneu r.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Rebuilding Employee Morale Essay

Layoffs and work-force reductions have a big impact on both those who lose their jobs and those who remain. Employees who remain after a work-force reduction may be affected for weeks or months afterwards. They may feel overwhelmed, have a hard time focusing on work, or experience low morale. This may be a stressful time for you as well. As a manager you not only have to make the transitions yourself, but you’re also counted on to help steer your team through the changes. As a manager, it’s important to be aware of what employees are feeling and to offer support in ways that can help your team get through this difficult and challenging period. And it’s important to recognize how the changes affect you as well. Common feelings employees may have Several employees, or hundreds of employees, may have lost their jobs at your company. Whatever the size of the work-force reduction, it’s likely that many well-liked people who were doing good work will be leaving the company and that the employees who remain are sad and are grieving for co-workers who were let go. The remaining employees may also be fearful about the security of their own jobs or how their roles might change. Employees may experience some or all of the following emotions, all of which can affect productivity, commitment, and morale: †¢ Sadness. †¢ Anger. †¢ Guilt. †¢ Fear and anxiety. Many may wonder, â€Å"Am I the next to go?† †¢ Envy of those who are leaving. Employees may feel that those who were laid off are moving on to new opportunities while they are â€Å"stuck at the same old job.† †¢ Apathy. They may find it hard to concentrate or get back to work. †¢ Loss of trust in the organization. Employees may lose trust in upper management’s messages and mission and may not feel that the company cares. †¢ Overwhelmed. People may feel overloaded and worried about how their workload will change. 57114-1008 2 Rebuilding Employee Morale Following a Layoff Helping employees cope A layoff or downsizing is a business decision. But before employees who remain can move on and begin working productively again, it’s important to deal with the emotional side of the job cuts and their impact on people’s lives. †¢ Hold an initial meeting with employees staying on your team on the day of the downsizing announcement. Have an open and honest discussion with them about the job cuts and why they took place and how they will help keep your organization moving forward. Employees need to know why the cuts happened and what the organization is doing to avoid more job cuts. Talk about the layoffs in terms of job functions and the business. Do not discuss specifics or specific individuals. Expect this to be a time of deep emotion, confusion, and anxiety for your employees. †¢ Hold a â€Å"jump-start† meeting. A work-force reduction can change the way your team functions. In the days following the announcement, plan and hold a jumpstart meeting to get people focused on what matters. At the meeting: – Review the organization’s goals, strategy, and new direction. Enlist your team’s support in finding ways to meet those goals. – Clarify the reasons for the change. Identify and describe ways that individual employees may have to shift their attention. – Explain fully the expected results of the team’s efforts, linking those results to the overall business goals of the organization. – Identify those things the team and individuals are already doing well that support the new direction or business strategy. Highlight what may change. – Discuss needs and develop concrete action plans for short- and long-term periods. – Provide training if employees will be asked to take on new work or functions. †¢ Give employees continued opportunities to talk about their feelings. Encourage them to voice their fears, questions, complaints, and concerns. Hold meetings. You can do this both one-on-one with employees and as a group. Have drop-in sessions. These will be helpful for employees and for you as a manager. Remember that when people are allowed to express their feelings they are better able to adjust and move on. Continue to have these discussions for as long as they seem productive. Watch that employees don’t get stuck or caught up in too much negativity. Use coaching skills to help them accept the change and move on. †¢ Be honest with employees and keep lines of communication open. The more honest and straightforward you are, the more quickly you’ll rebuild trust on your team. During times of major change, information is often incomplete. No manager has all the answers. If an employee asks a question about the reorganization that you are not in a position to answer, don’t be afraid to say, â€Å"I don’t have the answer to 3 Rebuilding Employee Morale Following a Layoff that question.† If possible, commit to finding answers and information within a fixed period of time and â€Å"close the loop† with the employee who asked the question. If relevant, share the information with everyone on the team. Remind employees that in times of flux even some of the updated information will change but that you will keep them as up to date as you can when this happens. †¢ Lead by example. Take a close look at your own attitudes and behavior and how you are responding to the workplace change. Positive, sincere, and communicative managers who demonstrate strong leadership qualities while acknowledging the difficulty and pain of the layoff are typically able to get their staff back on track during times of adversity and challenge. †¢ Offer resources to help employees reduce feelings of stress. Make sure members of your team are aware of the resources available to them to help reduce feelings of stress, including the employee assistance program (EAP) or the program that provided this publication. †¢ Recognize that, initially, employees may be so absorbed with the reorganization that they get less work done than usual. During times of major change, especially in the period right after the change, it’s common for people to look out for themselves. Employees may spend increased amounts of time on personal activities like phone calls and Internet use. By keeping employees actively engaged in constructive job-related tasks with a direct value to the business, anxiety can be kept in check and employees will be more focused on what matters. It’s important to take action to rebuild the team and help employees get back up to speed and move forward. Ways to rebuild trust and morale It can take months for employees to adjust to a major organizational change and to new systems and ways of doing things. It’s important to keep an eye on employee morale during this transitional period. Here are some ways to rebuild trust and morale on your team during this time: †¢ Spend extra time with your team and with individual employees. In times of stress managers can be tempted to spend more time in their offices away from their anxious employees, but this is just the time your employees need you to be more visible and accessible than usual. †¢ Communicate openly and often about company strategies and goals. Share information. Clarify goals. Be honest in your communications. If more change is coming, share as much as you’re able to with employees. It’s critical to check with upperlevel managers on what messages to communicate to employees. Different messages coming from managers across departments will result in mixed messages and rumors. Encourage employees to share any rumors they hear with you and address each one as quickly as you can. 4 Rebuilding Employee Morale Following a Layoff †¢ Talk about changes within the organization and how these may affect the work and your group. Talk about how the work will change as a result of the reorganization. Let everyone know that plans or tasks may change and that this is normal during times of transition. If work expectations for the department or individuals have changed, communicate this as soon as possible. Be clear and concise about new job duties and responsibilities. Remember to give frequent updates. This helps employees deal with feelings of uncertainty and confusion. †¢ Avoid complaining about the organization or telling employees your woes. Managers sometimes do this to reduce feelings of guilt — they want employees to feel that they are suffering, too. But a manager who complains to employees only loses respect and creates more anxiety among employees. Speak with other managers you trust about your feelings and concerns and to get more ideas of what steps you can take to help rebuild your team. Take very good care of yourself during this time as many managers experience additional stress as they guide their teams through challenging times. †¢ Use team-building exercises to renew relationships and commitments to goals. Work on a group or team project together. You might order pizza or bagels when you do. Offer a seminar on dealing with workplace change. Work hard to be sure everyone understands his or her role on the team and how group efforts contribute to the larger business goals. †¢ Be respectful of the people who have been laid off. Avoid comments like â€Å"He wasn’t such a great employee anyway.† Focus on the positive attributes of employees who have left. Express regret and make sure your team knows that you wish them well. This will show those who are staying that the organization treats people with respect and dignity. Your employees will assume that if they were to be laid off, you would talk about them the same way you talk about former em ployees. †¢ Help employees see the opportunities that change can bring. The reorganization may mean that people will have the opportunity to learn new skills or to take on new responsibilities. †¢ Recognize and reward good work and continued commitment. Let employees know that you appreciate everyone pulling together to do their part in meeting the company’s goals. It’s more important than ever at this time to reward employees who are staying — for meeting goals and milestones and for steady, dependable effort. Here are some ways to offer rewards: – through company recognition or incentive programs – by giving public recognition at a meeting – by sending an e-mail to upper management applauding an employee’s efforts and spelling out what those efforts were and how they contributed to the company’s goals – by using bulletin boards to call attention to someone’s good efforts 5 Rebuilding Employee Morale Following a Layoff Keep in mind that it takes time for people to let go of old ways, adapt to new ones, and recommit to the organization. The more proactive you are in helping employees through this transition, the more everyone will be able to adjust, move on, renew their enthusiasm, and confirm their commitment to the company. Written with the help of Elizabeth Bakken, B.A., M.A. Ms. Bakken has a certificate in organizational development and an extensive background in the fields of human resource development and career coaching. She writes a column, CareerWise, on executive career issues for the Rochester Business Journal.  © 2001, 2008 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved. 102908

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

“Is Racism a Permanent Feature of American Society?” Essay

The situation dealing with racism became alive at the start of slavery. The whites controlled the blacks years ago and today in some parts of America it is still happening. Racism had split today’s society into two parts. One side is the blacks and the other side is the whites. If you are not African American or Caucasian, then whatever the color of your skin is, that determined what side you was placed on. Some say that in the twenty-first century, racism is still in Americans Society. Those people are totally right, but the question is will racism be a permanent feature of Americans society. After reading Dinesh D’Souza’s response to the previous question, there is more than enough evidence to say that racism will not be a permanent feature in America’s society. Black people do crime and white people see it on television. White people do everything and anything that they can to keep blacks out of sight. If that’s following a black man around the store, or not hiring any black people to work for the whites, but a white person is always going to think twice about associating with blacks. A black man walks into a shoe and he is followed all around the store by a white man. The white man is not too close the black man but he is close enough that the black man knows that he is getting followed. All the way until the black man gets to the register and pays for his items. Then the white man says to the black man, â€Å"Have a nice day and come back soon.† The first thing that this black man thinks is that the white man was a racists person. But he was unaware about the other black man that came in before him that stole five pairs of shoes, and just walked right out the front door without paying. The only reason the white man was following the black man was because he did not want to get robbed again. The black man did not know that, so that’s why he felt as though the white man was racists. All whites are not racist but it’s just the bad things that some blacks do that hurt the whole race. A black lady comes to an interview to be a greeter at a restaurant. She has all the certification and experience that is need for the job. She answered all the questions correctly and gave great reasons why she should be hired. But for some reason she does not get the job and they tell her that she needs more work before they hire her. She feels that the company is being racist because she is a black woman. What she doesn’t know is that a black women before her got that same position and almost got their business shut down. The company made an agreement that no more black  would be allowed to work in that company. The black women had everything that she need for the job but because of the black lady before, she was not hired. That is another example of how some black people mess things up for the whole race and because of that blacks call white people racist. Derrick Bell believes that because the whites are in control of the education, they make it too hard for blacks to pass. Well black families are way different than white families, and they also have different beliefs. Some white families push their kids to do good and set high standards for them to reach. On the other hand, some black families just make sure their kids are making average grades and they are not being bad in school. While the whites children are on the right level or even above the grade level, the black kids are just barley pass their classes. When open house comes alone and the black parents find out that their child is not doing well in school, the first thing the black parents say is their child’s teacher is racist and the teacher is giving their child bad grades. But the whole situation is the difference between how black children are raised and how white children are raised. That does not have anything to do with any kind of racism. According to D’Souza it is just as excuses to not have to deal with the situation. To sum it up, racism is not a permanent feature of American society. Some blacks will tell you that it is but, those are the same blacks that make it hard for white people to trust them. Racism was very big at some point but after it died down, it all came to what race was going to rise to the top. The whites did their job and now because of they have biggest business in the United States. Black people are not determined to do a lot of different things. They just want everything to fall in their laps or they want someone else to do things they want for them. If some people didn’t mess it up for the whole race then we could be at the top of businesses and have our faces on build boards, but that chance was messed up long time ago. Racism does not have to continue in today’s society.

Response to Coments on DQ1 Hunt and DQ2 Smith Essay

Response to Coments on DQ1 Hunt and DQ2 Smith - Essay Example The majority of accountants have a very high sense of moral and ethical standards. â€Å"Ethics in accounting is of the utmost importance to the accounting professional and those who rely on their services (Enotes, 2011). The academic community should stress more the importance of ethics in business. All courses should teach applications of business ethics in relation to the material being taught. DQ2 In your response you mentioned that investors use financial information to make decisions whether to buy or sell stocks. Common stocks are a very common type of investment, but there are other financial instruments that are traded on the open marketplace. In the money market corporate bonds are often sold by corporations in order to raise money. There are other instruments such as mutual funds which reduce the overall risk associated with the investment. It is true that both investors and creditors need financial information, but I believe that this information is more important for le nders than for investors. Lenders deal with billions of dollars in debt. In the recent global financial crisis we saw how volatile the financial system can be. The banks in the United States received the largest governmental bailout in the United States history. On October 2008 the US Senate passed a $700 billion bank bailout package (Amadeo, 2011). References Amadeo, K. (2011).

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Space Race (specifically the early years) Research Paper

Space Race (specifically the early years) - Research Paper Example strong technological and security, competition, Russia was ahead of the United States, but this later changed when the United States sent the first man to moon. This research will demonstrate the space race timeline and highlight some of the major events of this period. The initial advantages that Russia had over the united states will also be discussed and other programs that the united states have launched in order to achieve their space interests. The fall of the Nazi German after the Second World War saw the United States and German emerge as major superpowers who had the technological abilities to control major innovations in the world. The two countries were embroiled in a major silent political, geographical and military tussle that was christened the cold war, an era when technological advancements were at their peak. Based on the newspaper headlines of the 50s and the 60s, the Soviet Union was way ahead of the United States on the development of space capability, a situation that bolted the later into action, opening the area for major competition. The initial periods of the space race was marked with major secret spying between the United States and the Soviet Union as the two countries were concerned of the major technological research activities being undertaken by the other. The united states were still concerned with the pearl harbor attack and was interest in revenging against the soviet union, a country that was using all means possible to keep their depleted army resources a top secret1. President Dwight Eisenhower of the United States introduced the open skies in 1955, marking the beginning of an era of space exploration and major discoveries. This policy allowed the Soviet Union and the United States to fly reconnaissance aircrafts over each other’s airspace as a way of gathering intelligence information. In the same year, the United States announced that it will be working on the development of a scientific satellite, prompting the Soviet

Monday, August 12, 2019

Friends versus Family Dilemma Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Friends versus Family Dilemma - Coursework Example Adolescence is a phase of life when children begin to feel a fluttering in their wings and try to become independent. They make friends and start spending more time with them. Not only that but they also begin to get emotionally attached to their friends. This attachment makes their parents and family members uncomfortable. Children’s desire for independence makes their parents insecure. They feel that instead of giving importance to the family, children are giving importance to friends. No parent likes to see their children get away from their emotional blanket. Parents feel that by spending more time with their friends, there is a possibility of their children going away from them and also getting influenced by friend’s ideas and values. This fear of losing their child to friends makes them put restrictions on the child. However, the problem is that parents do not understand that when children grow up and reach teenage, their social and emotional needs change. What te enagers need is friendship and not security. Parents are the means through which a child gets exposure to the social world. Parents provide their children with unconditional love, support, security, and shelter. They do their best to fulfill all the basic physical, mental, emotional and social needs of a child. Child’s moral values, culture, traditions and thinking pattern are inculcated by his parents. Parents expect that their child should make them proud by doing the right things in life. Because of this expectation, they become protective towards their child. They fear that if their child tries to be free from their protection, he will forget all the traditional and cultural values that they have taught him.     

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Climate change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Climate change - Assignment Example These satellites enable scientists to study the earth’s climatic change and also find out the cause of the rapid changes (Cook). This group largely helps in giving out information and predictions about the earth’s climate. One of the satellite checks on the effect caused by global warming and also the greenhouse effect (Cook). The science communication group believes that these effects are the main causes of the rising sea level due to ice age melt downs, thus explaining why there is an ice melts down in the arctic (Cook). HTTP://friendsofscience.com/ is a scientific resource and study page created in Canada, Alberta, and it is based in Calgary and it is owned by Michael Ignatieff (Cook). The friends of science website believe the sun is the main indirect and direct driver of the change in climate. Human activities are completely chucked out of the effects causing the rapid climatic change. The website was launched on 2002and since then it has come up with ten myth of the change in climate (Cook). The website completely denies the fact that there is global warming for the last three decades, they support their statement because they say that the balloon and satellite temperature record show that there is no sign of global warming (Cook). The main mission of the friends of science website is to reveal to people the main causes of the ice meltdown in the arctic (Cook). They empower this concept by their balloon satellite experiment hence blaming global warming on the sun thus explaining the concept of the ice meltdown in the arctic (Cook). They examine the main causes of the climatic change hence acknowledging people on what is really going on (Cook). The climate change has greatly led to the ice meltdown in the arctic according the friends of science website (Cook). They website believes that there is no global warming, and the sun is responsible for

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Case Study - Essay Example The punishment on the four boys has a beneficial impact on the greater society since it teaches on the importance of morals such as respect for one’s property. Through the punishment of the boys, the need to have a well-functioning society devoid of disregard to other people’s property is supported. I strongly feel that the punishment on the boys is morally justified, though the sentencing of the boys may be extremely unreasonable. The punishment is moral since the conduct of the boys cannot be tolerated at any cost. Any wrong action must be followed by a tough consequence. This is the only way that will allow for a complete weakening of any wrong systems that might be thriving in the society. As utilitarianism goes, punishment contributes to a greater good in the society (Williams & Arrigo 180-181). Chang, Juju., Brown, Ely & Effron, Lauren. The Controversial Felony Murder Case of The Elkhart 4: Should Teens Be Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison? 25 Jul. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Friday, August 9, 2019

Epicurus believed that death should be nothing to us. Describe and Essay

Epicurus believed that death should be nothing to us. Describe and critically assess his principle argument for this conclusion - Essay Example Unfortunately, we can become acquainted only with small parts of his works and some letters,  which reached our times. All the fine points of  Epicureanism can be learned from the works of his followers and critics. Nevertheless, the philosophy of the thinker is valuable and worth-discussing as it presents very interesting ideas about life and death, pleasure and pain, and teaches us how to avoid the fear of death that prevents people from enjoying life. Epicurus had very interesting view on philosophy. He stated that the aim of this science was to reach the pleasant, calm life, absolute harmony without fear and hurt, full-fledged life among true friends. According to the philosopher, delight and hurt define what is good and bad, while death represents the end of everything, both the body and the spirit and that is why humans should not be afraid of it (Bakalis, 2005). The philosopher did not believe that any supreme forces can control human’s life and punish humans. According to his materialistic point of view, our world is founded on the atoms’ behavior and represents eternal system (Panicha, 1967). Epicurus considered the science of philosophy to be very helpful for people in their attempts to make their life more pleasant. The philosophy can help get rid of troubles that make our life poorer. One of the troubles that prevent us from enjoying our life is the fear of death. According to Epicurus, this fear spoils our life and in order to get rid of it, it is necessary we should understand what death really is. In order not to suffer people must feel safe. Here Epicurus is talking about the value of justice. According to the philosopher, only justice can eliminate harm and suffering completely. The philosopher talks about the justice system as about an agreement we sign with each other people make with each other to guarantee our safety. Get used to believing that death is nothing to us. For all good and bad consists in sense experience,

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Build A Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Build A Team - Essay Example From the West Coast Transit team member profiles, the following members have been selected to be part of the A team that will undertake the above mentioned project: Natalie, Elizabeth, Katelyn, Bob, Susan and William. In brief, these six members have good qualities that can positively yield in great team performance. Essentially, collaboration and coordination are basic tenets of teamwork in an organization (Schultz, 2007). In brief, Natalie is positive and has great communication skills; Elizabeth enjoys the collaborative aspect of the job and has a positive attitude; Katelyn’s mindset suits teamwork; Bob’s attitude is positive and he is a team player; Susan’s attitude is positive and she is an excellent team player and William is also positive and believes that he is a team player. When combined, the qualities of the selected six members are likely to contribute towards the formation of a strong and formidable team that can collaboratively work together to prod uce positive results for the organization. The other people have not been selected to become part of the A team as a result of their negative attitude. For instance, Ian is arrogant and he does not want to back down from his ideas. Doug is a bit of a temper and he is easily frustrated and is viewed as abrasive by his workmates. On the other hand, Michael is overconfident and at time battles with depression though he collaborates with others when the need arises. It can be observed that the qualities of the members left out of the A team are not consistent with the spirit and letter of teamwork. The attitudes of these members can impact negatively on the overall performance of the team since they can lead to conflicts. As indicated above, the A team is formed for a specific purpose. Given the diverse factors that may influence the behavior of your team members, the job characteristic model and goal setting will be

Music Industry in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Music Industry in US - Essay Example music market. Accessing the U.S. distribution channels is incredibly difficult. These channels involve four elements: the process of promotion (to break into the market), the system of licensing and distributing, the role of retailers, and the restructuring of the United States market's priorities which is currently going on. The production, innovation, sales, and distribution of music involves a complicated network. This network is controlled by large global firms, known as "the majors" that have complete control over the sourcing, creating, industrializing, distributing, and retailing of music. There is also a very big group of "independent" music companies that work in the same way as the majors which keeps the difficulty of accessing the U.S. distribution channels very tough and expensive. The U.S. has been the leader in music industry innovation and has a huge effect on the other music markets throughout the world. Along with world domination, from the U.S. comes some of the biggest names, i nnovations, and record labels in the business. However, the country is the least internally-oriented market partly because of the media. ... In order to "create a buzz", or the initial testing process, much money is spent on independent record companies to promote the campaign, set up performances, and pay for the airplay as being played on the radio many times over is the key to success for breaking in. It has been suggested that $500,000.00 is required to test a record. Labels and distribution is also very difficult as there are three main categories in which these can be handled: by going through a major record company that has its own distribution network, independents that distribute under a major company, and independents that uses other independents to get the items distributed. 85% of the music that gets to retailers is distributed by the major record companies. Independents use major companies because of the high costs in building and maintaining nationwide warehouses and distribution centers. Bigger companies can handle the legal and bridging costs as well as slow payments. U.S. laws also require that imports pay mechanical royalties although the country of origin has already charged these. This means that royalties have to be paid twice. It simply is too expensive doing business any other way in the U.S. The distribution of products to retailers is controlled by distributors and these distributors are the key to promotion. These major distributors have teams of people who have developed strong relationships with the top buyers such as Wal-Mart. Product priority lists are created by the major distributors as fees are paid to them. The higher up's of the major distribution companies, who are considered to be all powerful, prefer this "monopoly" type of doing business. New music must go through

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Death is my best theme Essay Example for Free

Death is my best theme Essay Death is my best theme, dont you think? (Williams). Explore the varied uses Tennesse Williams makes of death and dieing in A Streetcar Names Desire Referring to A Streetcar Named Desire, I completely agree that death is Williams best theme, closely followed by sex. There are many references to death as well as imagery and symbolism. He also uses many varied points on death. The first major speech about death is when Blanche is talking about her losing Belle Reve Blanche: All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldnt be put in a coffin! This is the first thing that Blanche says that has any power and real feeling behind it and the topic is death. This is showing that death is going to play a large part in the feeling in and behind the story. Blanche: You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but deaths-not always. Stella is being associated with the funerals and Blanche with the deaths. This is showing Stella being quiet and Blanche being louder and more highly strung as that is how she has described the difference in her speech. Although on the outside this speech made by Blanche may sound like she is just talking about the deaths of all her family members but it is also relating to the death of Belle Reve and how the two are connected Blanche: How in hell do you think all that sickness and dying was paid for? Death is expensive, Miss Stella! She describes death in quite a lot of detail in this speech; it is showing that death is going to become an important topic in this play. A lot of the deaths seem to be because of the men and their gambling and this could be a view of Williams. Blanche: Honey-thats how it slipped through my fingers! Which of them left us a fortune? In A Streetcar Named Desire a lot of the times when death is being discussed, sex seems to come into the conversation to. There is a strange relation between sex and death here. I let the place go? Where were you. In bed with your-Polak! This is not the strongest reference to death and sex combined although it is a slight one. A much stronger one is Blanches speech about her late husband- Blanche: Then I found out in the worst of all possible ways. By coming suddenly into a room that I though was empty-which wasnt empty, but had two people in it. Blanche: Hed stuck the revolver into his mouth, and fired-so that the back of his head had been-blown away! Seeing her husband have sex with another man and then blow his head off within the time span of two hours causes a strange equation and connection between sex and death. The way he killed himself could also be perceived as a homosexual reference sticking the gun in his mouth. A vendor comes around the corner. She is a blind MEXICAN WOMAN in a dark shawl, carrying bunches of those gaudy tin flowers that lower class Mexicans display at funerals and other festive occasions. Here, the woman carrying the funeral flowers is symbolising two things Death and Blanche. It is ambiguous whether or not any of the other characters can see or are aware of the presence of the Mexican woman except from Blanche. Blanches thoughts seem to be provoked by the Mexican woman and it almost seems as if the Mexican woman is a representation of Blanche herself, and the Mexican woman is walking around celebrating death which shows the death within Blanches past and presence. Mexican Woman: Corones para los muertos. Corones Blanche: Legacies! Huh. And other things such as blood-stained pillow-slips You can really see Blanche going mad in this scene as she is almost talking to herself rather than to Mitch and this symbolises the dying of Blanches mind. She also has fragmented speech patterns here and if talking about incoherent memories that only she can really understand. Blanche: -and on the way back they would all stagger on to my lawn and call-Blanche! Blanche! The deaf old lady remaining suspected nothing. But sometimes I slipped outside to answer their calls. Later the paddy-wagon would gather them up like daisies. the long way home. Another view on death Tennesse Williams uses is the death of Belle Reve. Shown using Blanche and Stanley, there is a clash between two worlds and the Belle Reve world is dying communicated by Stanley taking power of Blanche and bringing her into their world and getting rid of her airs and graces. He breaks her and makes her realise that her old way of living is dead and that she has to enter the real world. In A Streetcar Named Desire the conflict between two ways of life is concentrated within the battle between Blanche and Stanley. The old civilisation vested in Blanche is demonstrably decadent; her only means of survival in the modern world is to batten onto someone else and live off their emotional, physical and material resources, like a decorative fungus. (Commentary). Blanche: I will die with my hand in the hand of some nice-looking ships doctor, a very young one with a small blond moustache and a big silver watch. Blanche: And Ill be buried at sea sewn up in a clean white sack and dropped overboard-at noon-in the blaze of summer-and into an ocean as blue as (chimes again) my first lovers eyes. Blanche brings the equation of sex and death together again here as she is planning of dieing with a man by her side. This speech made by Blanche nearing the end of the play also has a slight reference to Othelia in Shakespeares Hamlet. Othelia died in water and that is what Blanche is dreaming about doing. Queen: One woe doth tread upon anothers heel, So fast they follow. Your sisters drownd, Laertes. Laer: Drownd? O, where? (Hamlet). In conclusion Tennesse Williams uses a lot of different views on death, the connection between sex, the death of other things except people like the death of Belle Reve and Blanches mind, and the death of people who happen to all be someone in Blanches Past. Williams uses different angles to express the theme of death, symbolism of the death of Belle Reve, the Mexican woman symbolising the death of Blanches mind, and the outward talking of real death of people. This makes it an important topic as it depicted in so many ways. Death is defiantly in the running for Tennesse Williams best theme in A Streetcar Named Desire.