Wednesday, July 31, 2019

British Perspective on the Boston Tea Party Essay

In 1773 parliament passed the tea act in which the British pay less for tax to ship places. This made the prices of tea lower from Britain. Since Boston’s tea would be more expensive nobody would buy it from them. The tea act was just another problem adding up between the colonists and britain. This made the colonists want to be independent from Britain. The colonists decided to rebel and dumb three hundred and forty two chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The act was given the name the Boston Tea Party. Most of the British thought of the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. Really the Boston Tea Party was just another step to independence for the colonists. In 1763 the British put a line along the Appalachian Mountains so the the colonists could not move into the Ohio River Valley. This was called the Proclamation Line. The British prohibited the colonists from their land to protect them from the Indians. The colonists who went against the British and crossed the line were later killed by the Indians and then asked for the British to protect them again. When the colonists asked for help they British were still in a lot of debt from the war they fought to protect the colonists. They put British soldiers on the line to protect the colonists. This was a little bit rude of the colonists to try moving into the Ohio River Valley when the British were trying to help them. The fact that the British were forbidding the colonists from passing the Appalachian Mountains made them very mad. They looked at it as the British not allowing them to settle into more land. The colonists were not allowed to buy and live on the land that they fought and won a war for. It was there land and they were being deprived their right to their own property. The Sugar Act happened in 1764, the next thing to make the colonists angry. The sugar act put tax on sugar from other countries making it more expensive. The sugar was now more expensive than the British sugar. The British perspective on it was logical because they were in major debt from  the war they fought for the colonists. They were just hoping that the colonists would by their tea so they could use the money to pay off the debt. They thought they were being fair by not taxing their sugar so the colonists would not have to pay a tax. The way the colonists saw the Sugar Act was an act of selfishness. The British taxed the tea the colonists used to buy because it was cheaper. The British had no right to tax the colonists. They had no say in how much the tax should be or what it was on. They used sugar everyday it was completely unfair. In 1765 the British made the Quartering Act. It required for british troops to have to live in the colonists homes when they were stationed in the colonies. The British thought it was only fair for the colonists to take care of their soldiers. Many of those soldeirs fought in the war against the French and Indians. It would cost too much for Britain to pay to build housing for the soldiers. The colonists did not like the Quartering act. They did not want to take care of the soldiers. First of all because the soldiers were the ones from keeping them to get to the rest of their land in the Ohio River Valley. Now they were being forced to take care of the soldiers. Nobody wanted to because they did not even have enough room in their homes. They did not have enough money to clothe and feed them either. The soldiers were very rude to the colonists and kind of scared most of them too. In 1767 a powerful British man named Charles Townshend had the idea of putting taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and other everyday products of the colonists. The reason for taxing these products was so Britain could get more money for their government. They also did it for more power over everyone. The colonists did not like the Townshend acts. It was just a way for Britain to take more money. The colonist rebelled just like they did with the quartering and sugar act. They boycotted British products. The trade between  them dropped by fifty percent as a result in the boycott. They claimed it was unconstitutional because the colonies did not have any say in the Parliament. The debate wether or not the colonies had represntation in parliament was not settled until the revolution. The Tea Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1773. The British made it so the colonists could not but any tea from any one else besides the East India Company. The East India Company was poor and the British wanted to help them with their business. The tea act made the price of tea lower from the East India Company so everyone would buy from them. They said that it was a benefit to the colonists because they could get tea cheaper now. The tax on the tea was very minimal and they just wanted to put a tax on it to show they have the right to tax. This made the Colonists look at the Tea Act as another taxation without representation situation. It meant they could not buy tea from anyone else and so their tea would lose its business. They were also angry because it went against the english right of only being taxed by the elected representatives not the parliament. The Sons of Liberty were a group of patriots who were dedicated to getting independence for the colonies. They Sons of Liberty Believed in being free. They were a secret group that wanted to fight for America. The group formed when the British Empire became on of the most feared powers in the world. Samuel Adams formed the Sons of Liberty. The British saw the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. They saw it as a group of drunk and crazy people dumping their tea into the boston Harbor with out paying for it. They completely rebelled against the government and wasted a lot of money after all that the British have done for them. On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty boarded three British ships. They dressed up as Mohawk Indians in order to be able to access the ships. They also had to arm themselves with hatches and axes to make their disguises more believable. They opened and dumped every single chest into the Boston  Harbor. This was called the Boston Tea Party. When it was over there were three hundred and forty two wooden chests floating in the water. Many other people boycotted the tea in the same way later on. The colonists did this to show independence. I can see how the British thought the Boston Tea Party was an act of Terrorism. I believe that the Boston Tea Party was not an act of terrorism. Britain took advantage of the colonists. Even though they tried helping the colonists a few times they still should not have used us to make more money for their government. They should be able to run and take care of their own money issues without taking the colonists money. The colonists were definitely right in taking action and rebelling against the British in every way they could. The Boston Tea Party was just another step closer to the independence of America.

Unit 1 Business Enviroment

Describe how John Lewis would be influenced by economic factors in a time of economic recession and economic growth in the UK economy The two economic environments that I would be describing about are recession and growth on the business activities of John Lewis. Growth occurs when more goods are being produced and consumed, and also incomes are rising. During growth people spend more money on goods and services as they have more money to spend and also businesses would invest more and hire more labour as it links to increasing demand.Recession however occurs when people involved in business become more cautious so they cut their spending down and also cut back on their orders as well as making workers unemployed or redundant. Growth affects the business activities for John Lewis because just as economy can change for a business so can demand for products and both could be associated with each other. During periods of growth you expect to see a fairly high demand for John Lewisâ€⠄¢ good quality products so customers and potential customers would buy as during this time customers behaviours over money is more care free compared to when its in a period of recession.Mostly you could see John Lewis looking into recruiting more workers as since demand can increase a lot during the growth environment they’ll need more workers to spread out the job load for the employees otherwise if the business didn’t and just overloaded a employee with workload it could de-motivate that worker a lot it would contradict with the theory of Frederick Herzberg about the 5 factors to bring the potential to satisfy in a worker and the other 5 factors to motivate a worker after the you fulfil the factors that bring the potential to satisfy first.Or John Lewis could get the employees internally through transferring existing employees from other John Lewis branches of which are not at a so busy period as some other branches. Since customers and potential customers become m ore care free on how they spend their money, this is the period within the economy where you’re mostly likely to see customer switching back to their normal spending traits and return to spending money happily on good quality products, so demand in substitute products would decrease around this period.This will benefit John Lewis as sales for the good quality products would be increasing which furthermore could lead to John Lewis recovering from their losses if they were in one and go into break even or begin to start getting profits. John Lewis would buy more stock from its suppliers at this period of the economic environment as when demand increases you must get more supply to meet that demand.Also John Lewis at the time since they buy in bulk from their suppliers they can benefit from getting more stock at a good price that gives good value for money, as usually suppliers would offer you extra amounts of stock if you buy in large quantities.During this period of time inter est rates would be low compared to in recession because there isn’t as much financial institutions to try get as much finance as they can from small amounts of borrowings from their company in this period as customers, business etc intend to borrow more money in this period of time as they are fairly financially stable, so to encourage the businesses and customers to begin taking sources of finance they lower the rates. So John Lewis is more likely to start borrowing sources of finance if needed then in the period of growth.Recession affects the business activities for John Lewis because in recessions it causes a drop within demand for most good quality products potential customers and customers use to buy before. As during this period of time customer’s behaviours change to usually only spending on good quality products for what they essentially need but nevertheless if it was a want customers usually look for a substitute product that still meets the needs and purpos e of a particular product but is just found at a cheaper price because of the type of brand it is etc.As usually this is when we see customers taking more care of their money and become more cautious on what they spend their money on. When customers change their behaviour in spending it would affect also John Lewis as since it’s concentrated solely on selling good quality products at high prices they would suffer from a reduced amount of income coming into the business at times of recession. Therefore businesses would usually cover their losses and begin unemploying workers at the business so it reduces businesses costs in the long term.As a result John Lewis may start encountering losses during this period of economic recession as most of the products they sell are high quality products which are sold at its reasonable valued price so the price may still be high for most existing customers at the time, therefore sales in these products would reduce. The methods John Lewis wo uld try to recover from the losses in the short term would be to begin unemploying workers and making other employees redundant.However, in recession John Lewis would have a drawback of not benefiting at all from their suppliers as since demand is falling they would buy smaller quantities of stock so you will no longer benefit from getting extra stock as you didn’t buy in bulk, so value for money decreases and also you will still be charged for full price deliveries etc as you have to pay for their transport, and the amount you pay is determined by how much they have to travel.In recessions we see interest rates intend to be high as financial institutions would like to benefit as much as they can from small amounts of finance borrowed therefore it can help the economy get out this economic environment quicker. M2 – Compare the challenges faced by John Lewis in the periods of growth and recession Challenges faced by John Lewis in economic period of growth are maintainin g a high performance team, managing cash flow and knowing when to say no to the right or wrong opportunities.Managing cash flow is a challenge for John Lewis because when they enter the period of growth they must manage their cash inflows and outflows on a daily basis and avoid getting too engaged in the change of economic environment. Maintaining a high performance team is a challenge faced by John Lewis because they must first make sure they are hiring the right talented people for the job as well to train the employees to the degree of what high performance means for John Lewis. This is very time consuming and costs a lot of money.Knowing when to say no to the right or wrong opportunities is a challenge for John Lewis because good opportunities will strengthen things about John Lewis and will end in a convincing value plan. Whereas bad opportunities will do the opposite to John Lewis and bring their business reputation down and will bring problems to the business. So overall, kno wing when to say could determine the business’ future and is very time consuming as you must think thoroughly about the decisions the business as a whole is going to make.John Lewis faced challenges in the recession in our economic environments of which are increased unemployment, economic uncertainty and the engagement of employees. Increased unemployment is a big challenge for the recruiting department of John Lewis because as unemployment is rising so are the number of applicants looking for jobs therefore the recruitment department would need to work even harder to make sure the select the right talented worker as well go through all the application. This is time consuming and costs the business money.Economic uncertainty is a challenge for John Lewis because since government spending is reducing, debt crisis and looming threat of recession are occurring; John Lewis can’t manage to keep reducing their costs forever so they direct their new attention into growth and expansion in order to find a method to get out of the period of recession. Engagement of employees to John Lewis because during difficult economic periods their employees must be supported well and efficiently so labour productivity can stay at a fairly stable level to keep the business running properly.So overall challenges faced in recession are tougher than challenges in growth for John Lewis because more money tends to goes out of the business rather than in as during the recession they have to pay redundancy, deal with loads of applications for jobs, pay the usual business running costs as well as lower prices for their products and services customers are more cautious over their spending. Whereas during the growth period money coming into the business and out can seem to break even or you will get more money coming in then out.This is because during growth customers’ behavior over spending tends to be more carefree and also John Lewis won’t have to keep their lo wered prices like in recession because they could still manage to sell their products and services at a higher cost. Also in growth since demand is likely to be higher, business costs for stock and materials will be better value for money than to recession as you don’t buy in bulk as much during recession periods unless the product or service is a substitute to expensive versions of the product or service. So John Lewis could benefit more from their suppliers during growth periods.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Nike Company Background

About Nike Inc.Nike, Inc. /ˈnaÉ ªkiË / is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area, and is one of only two Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Oregon. It is one of the world's largest suppliers ofathletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24.1 billion in its fiscal year 2012 (ending May 31, 2012). As of 2012, it employed more than 44,000 people worldwide.The brand alone is valued at $10.7 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. The company takes its name from Nike (Greek ÃŽ ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ºÃŽ ·, pronounced [nÇ Ã‹ kÉ›Ë ]), t he Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Hurley International and Converse.Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008, and previously owned Cole Haan and Umbro. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of â€Å"Just Do It† and the Swoosh logo. (source : Wikipedia.org)Origins and HistoryNike, originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS), making most sales at track meets out of Knight's automobile. According to Otis Davis, a student athlete whom Bowerman coached at the University of Oregon, who later went on to win two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics, Bowerman made the first pair of Nike shoes for him, contradicting a claim that they were made for Phil Knight. Says Davis, â€Å"I told Tom Brokaw that I was the first. I don't care  what all the billionaires say.Bill Bowerman made the first pair of shoes for me. People don't believe me. In fact, I didn't like the way they felt on my feet. There was no support and they were too tight. But I saw Bowerman make them from the waffle iron, and they were mine.† In 1964, in its first year in business, BRS sold 1,300 pairs of Japanese running shoes grossing $8,000. By 1965 the fledgling company had acquired a full-time employee and sales had reached $20,000. In 1966, BRS opened its first retail store, located at 3107 Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California next to a beauty salon, so its employees no longer needed to sell inventory from the ba ck of their cars.In 1967, due to rapidly increasing sales, BRS expanded retail and distribution operations on the East Coast, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. By 1971, the relationship between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the Swoosh newly designed by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike on June 18, 1971, and was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. In 1976, the company hired John Brown and Partners, based in Seattle, as its first advertising agency.The following year, the agency created the first â€Å"brand ad† for Nike, called â€Å"There is no finish line,† in which no Nike product was shown. By 1980, Nike had attained a 50% market share in the U.S. athletic shoe market, and the company went public in December of that year. Together, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy have created many print and television advertisements, and Wieden+Kennedy remains Ni ke's primary ad agency. It was agency co-founder Dan Wieden who coined the now-famous slogan â€Å"Just Do It† for a 1988 Nike ad campaign, which was chosen by Advertising Age as one of the top five ad slogans of the 20th century and enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution.Walt Stack was featured in Nike's first â€Å"Just Do It† advertisement, which debuted on July 1, 1988.Wieden credits the inspiration for the slogan to â€Å"Let’s do it,† the last words spoken by Gary Gilmore before he was executed. Throughout the 1980s, Nike expanded its product line to encompass many sports and regions throughout the world In 1990, Nike moved into its eight-building World Headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon. (source : Wikipedia.org)AcquisitionsNike has acquired several apparel and footwear companies over the course of  its history, some of which have since been sold. Its first acquisition was the upscale footwear company Cole Haan in 1988, followed by the pur chase of Bauer Hockey in 1994. In 2002, Nike bought surf apparel company Hurley International from founder Bob Hurley In 2003, Nike paid US$309 million to acquire Converse, makers of the Chuck Taylor All-Stars line of sneakers.The company acquired Starter in 2004 and Umbro, known as the manufacturers of the England national football team's kit, in 2008. In order to refocus on its core business lines, Nike began divesting of some of its subsidiaries in the 2000s. It sold Starter in 2007 and Bauer Hockey in 2008. The company sold Umbro in 2012, and Cole Haan in 2013 as of 2013, Nike owns two key subsidiaries: Converse Inc. and Hurley International. (source : Wikipedia.org)ProductsNike produces a wide range of sports equipment. Their first products were track running shoes. They currently also make shoes, jerseys, shorts, baselayers, etc. for a wide range of sports, including track and field, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, association football (soccer),lacrosse, basketball, and cricket. Nike Air Max is a line of shoes first released by Nike, Inc. in 1987. The most recent additions to their line are the Nike 6.0, Nike NYX, and Nike SB shoes, designed for skateboarding. Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes called Air Zoom Yorker, designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors'.In 2008, Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3, a high-performance basketball shoe designed with the environment in mind. Nike sells an assortment of products, including shoes and apparel for sports activities like association football, basketball, running,combat sports, tennis, American football, athletics, golf, and cross training for men, women, and children. Nike also sells shoes for outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, skateboarding, association football, baseball, American football, cycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, aquatic activities, auto racing, and other athletic and recreational uses. Nike is well known and popular in youth culture, chav culture and hip hop cul ture for their supplying of urban fashion clothing. Nike recently teamed up with Apple Inc. to produce the Nike+ product that monitors a runner's performance via a radio device in the shoe that links to the iPod nano.While the product  generates useful statistics, it has been criticized by researchers who were able to identify users' RFID devices from 60 feet (18 m) away using small, concealable intelligence motesin a wireless sensor network. In 2004, Nike launched the SPARQ Training Program/Division. Some of Nike's newest shoes contain Flywire and Lunarlite Foam to reduce weight. On July 15, 2009, the Nike+ Sports Band was released in stores. The product records distance run and calories expended, keeps time, and also gives runners new programs online they could try running. The 2010 Nike Pro Combat jersey collection were worn by teams from the following universities: Miami, Alabama, Boise State University, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon State University, Texas Christian University, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh. Teams will wear these jerseys in key matchups as well as any time the athletic department deems it necessary. (source : Wikipedia.org)Location & ManufacturingNike has contracted with more than 700 shops around the world and has offices located in 45 countries outside the United States. Most of the factories are located in Asia, including Indonesia, China, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines, and Malaysia. Nike is hesitant to disclose information about the contract companies it works with. However, due to harsh criticism from some organizations like CorpWatch, Nike has disclosed information about its contract factories in its Corporate Governance Report.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Managing work life balance and wellness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing work life balance and wellness - Essay Example The recent economic crisis is thinning and with that, HR managers are scheduling interviews. Companies have started viewing their employees as an important and noteworthy fraction within the stakeholders’ list. Hence, now the scenario calls for improvement in working conditions; job stress, work-life balance and employee wellness are factors that are taken very seriously by HR managers. This change was primarily inspired by studies that show the correlation amongst mental fitness and organizational performance (Hancock & Szalma, 2008, pp.32-34). Research shows that (Cassidy et al., 2009, p.262) while a poor work-life balance has a long lasting negative effect on an employee’s productivity, it is much more harmful for his/her creativity. Therefore, it is more so essential for HR managers in creative firms to maintain equilibrium within an employee’s timetable. People Management Challenges faced by HR Professionals I. Change Management While ‘change managemen t’ is vastly a broad term, therefore the focus here would lie upon three major changes: 1. Economic Change: Change brought about by variations (mostly negative) within economic conditions drastically affects an employee’s work-life balance, this is because adverse economic conditions point towards job losses and this possible ‘loss-of-secure-income’ position drastically affects an employee’s performance as the employee loses sight of his goals and concentrates more towards keeping his job intact. This situation according to CIPD (2010) creates stress, which would result in behavioural changes such as lack of focus, failures of commitments, increased time on work (due to reduced work speed and lack of commitment). 2. Technological Change: While it is commonly believed that adapting newer technology would result in job-cuts, researches have proved otherwise (Hayter, 2000, p.267). But this too does not hold true for some industries, as while apparatus might not necessarily cut jobs, but they definitely bring about a change by drastically increasing the level of skill required to conduct an operation, this increase in mental pressure is responsible for stress which disrupts work-life balance. 3. Strategic or Operational changes: While operational changes are a must for every organization owing to changes in consumer behaviour and technological enhancements, such changes many have many effects on an employee’s performance, as operational behaviour sometimes become compulsive. The overall wellness and work-life balance is largely based upon the HR department’s ability to handle and promote change within an organization. In order to avoid complications, the HR team must prepare a theoretical training module based upon the proposed changes and initiate training procedures to prepare the staff for the upcoming change. II. Time Management Time management is a crucial challenge for HR professionals, as time is the basis of the work-life balance. While some might disagree that time management is concerned with HR, it is not true as under most professional work environments the revenues are high enough to sustain explicit staff members for each type of job, then it is the responsibility of the HR department to allot work to the best suited employee or department. A recent initiative by the HR department ofR depatym,ent DS Norden a Dutch

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

2 - Essay Example Initially I did not take them seriously but eventually this became a daily affair. One day I was even humiliated in front of many patients and was occasionally made the laughing stock. I chose to stay mum on the subject and never reported it to my parents or friends. The abusing in the hospitals grew up day by day and one fine day I was seriously abused in front of one of my junior colleagues. Unable to gulp down the humiliation, I decided to report the instance to the HR manager but he said he was more interested in other important issues and advised me to handle these petty issues on my own. I was totally depressed and started having sleepless nights; I was so annoyed that I sometimes became rude to the patients. Due to this I used to have high blood pressure and as a result I took leave from work quite frequently. I also took leaves with pay cuts just for the reason that I did not want to face those group of bullying nurses. The things started taking a turn for the worse as my mentor came to know about my complaint to the HR manager. As revenge the entire group made up a falsified case against me for which I had no fault. I was reprimanded before the entire staff and humiliated badly. This was the last straw to break the camel’s back and I decided to resign from the job. This decision was extremely painful for me as it meant destroying a dream which I had nurtured as a child. My extent of frustration was so much that I decided to leave this profession forever and joined a lower paid job as a clerk in another organisation. Workplace bullying is often described in the nursing literature as a phenomenon which attracts considerable attention all over the world. Workplace relations have shown profound effects towards the physical health, mental health and the general well being of the employees. It has also been found that nurses who have been exposed to

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Asbestos Exposure In Buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Asbestos Exposure In Buildings - Essay Example (Alleman & Mossman, 1997), (Competition Commission, 1975) prior to the 19th century asbestos boom, the mineral had a minor utility in household items, although Peter the Great did maintain a factory for the production of asbestos products. (Competition Commission, 1975) its use in construction during the 19th century was primarily limited to Chrysotile fibres intended for insulation purposes. CASE STUDY: When people first meet Robert Hamilton, they would be forgiven for questioning whether this man is terminally ill. He has an amazing spirit, a lust for life and a great sense of humour. It is this positive attitude which helps Robert get through some of his darkest times since his diagnosis with mesothelioma in July 2006. Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. Robert, of Polmont, Falkirk Central Region, worked as an assistant foreman at I.C.I. in Grangemouth for 28 years and although he didn't handle the asbestos himself, he was exposed to the fibres everyday in his work place during the maintenance and refurbishment works going on around him - the entire building and all the pipes were insulated with deadly asbestos. A key part of Robert's job was directing maintenance workers throughout the I.C.I. building to where work was needed in repairing or replacing the asbestos cladding and lagging. "When the boys put the lagging on, the dust would go everywhere. You could feel the dust in your throat and we used to go for a couple of pints after work to wash the dust out! "Nobody told us anything about asbestos. The staff were given different items of protective clothing for other chemicals that they worked with, but not for asbestos." Robert Hamilton, now aged 66 years, is supporting the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)'s national campaign "Asbestos - the Hidden Killer". The campaign aims to tackle the rising number of asbestos-related deaths by educating tradesmen about the risks they face. Any building built or refurbished before 2000 could contain asbestos. It is estimated that around 500,000 workplace buildings contain asbestos and many more domestic premises could contain it. The first symptom Robert experienced was a chesty cough which he presumed he had picked up through the air conditioning on holiday. The chest infection didn't clear and his GP went on to diagnose pn eumonia and then TB, for which Robert received six months of treatment. "It took a year before I was correctly diagnosed with mesothelioma. On diagnosis they gave me six to nine months to live. It does knock the breathe out of you when you are diagnosed. "It takes a while to sink in, it's as if you are talking about someone else. A lot of crying goes on and asking 'Why me - what have I done to deserve it?' "Telling the family was devastating and my wife is very scared at being left on her own." Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years before it becomes active and starts attacking the external lining of the lungs. The majority of sufferers die within one or two years of being diagnosed. Robert has lived with this debilitating disease for over three years now. There is no cure for mesothelioma - only treatment to alleviate the symptoms. He has endured three courses of chemotherapy, the latest being in March this year and he had major surgery to remove a lung; and has tried r adium treatment. It took Robert a long time to recover from his surgery and during this time he has had a stroke and suffered from depression. Living daily with mesothelioma has had a huge effect on Robert's life he explained: "The life that you know is gone. I can't walk for more than 20 minutes and I easily

Friday, July 26, 2019

Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Geography - Essay Example now an ever-present danger of homogeneity and important cultural aspects of a nation are being gradually replaced such as the national language that is slowly being replaced by English. Europe today is considered an old continent in demographic terms. Most of European nations suffer from slower birth rates and longer lifespans due to advances in medicine. These two factors combined to make most European nations suffer from declining populations with profound implications for economic growth, its pension system and competitiveness. There is now a growing backlash against immigration to Europe from the outside as it undermines the respective national identities. This makes multi-culturalism a very tricky issue with most host countries. The recent killings in Oslo, Norway is symptomatic of the cultural clashes in which Europe is being gradually Islamized by the tide of immigrants who are attracted to Europes progressivism in its social, political and economic policies (Hegghammer 1). Asylum seekers abuse these policies and claim asylum status although not qualified; many immigrants simply want to avail the generous benefits provided by European countries. Some call fo r a counter-jihad. Recent internal migrations from those poorer countries do not solve overall population decline. Europe does not have a common culture except perhaps its social democracy today. Essay 2 – the breakup of the USSR and the collapse of the Soviet communist system has profound effects on its economy and culture. The shift towards the capitalist free-market economic system has left many former members of the Russian Domain struggling to adjust. Some countries that were lucky enough to have natural resources are benefiting from the new liberalization and privatization programs implemented to attract foreign direct investments to their countries. Examples are Ukraine (with a good agricultural economy and a manufacturing base that is quite robust) and some Central Asian countries like

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Change management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Change management - Assignment Example People develop new initiatives, new projects, and new technologies, which are all meant for improvement, or for solving problems. Change is experienced at various levels, including the personal and the group level. Therefore, in this case, companies are places where change will be experienced in form of organizational change. Although change is a good concept, this might result in detrimental effects, if it is not well managed. Therefore, the skills and knowledge about change management are important for individuals and organizations today in order to experience a successful transition. This semester, through different class activities, I have learnt and gathered great and diverse knowledge about the concepts of change and change management. I have learnt about these concepts in greater depths, including the different theories of change management. In addition, I have practiced reflections on change and organizational change, based on my personal experiences. All these have been help ed to shape my perspective on change and change management, thus built my personal philosophy of managing change. This essay is a reflection of important insights and knowledge about change management, which I have acquired during this semester. ... Companies today are faced with high competition in the market, thus they have to compete favorably, in order to remain productive. For favorable competition, these have to adopt new strategies, which will make them have a competitive advantage in the market. The new strategies might involve the employees in the company or the business processes, including technology, employee roles, among others, and this will call for the employees to adjust to the new processes. Today, there are cases of employees, who have showed reluctance in adopting changes in their companies, while others have shown adherence. This means that employees will respond to change in a company differently (Hiatt & Creasey 2003). On the other hand, Beerel (2009) notes that some professionals lack sufficient knowledge on change management, thus, have failed to effect change in their companies successfully. People hold different views and perspectives about the academic knowledge and theories of change management. Howe ver, during this I have come to appreciate the importance of the insightful views of various scholars about change and change management. This includes different models and theories, which scholars have developed to help explain the process of change and change management. With regard to the current theories on change and change management, I have taken special interest in the scholarly work of Dr. John Kotter. Being a professor at the Harvard Business School, I consider this to prove that he has diverse knowledge on issues in business, including change management. Among his 18 books about leadership, I find â€Å"Leading Change† (1995) and â€Å"The Heart of Change† (2002) to be more relevant to the topic of change management, as these

Compare the moral theories of Kant and Aristotle. Argue for the Essay

Compare the moral theories of Kant and Aristotle. Argue for the superiority of one or the other. Qualify your position however y - Essay Example There are similarities in their views on the role and nature of knowledge and morality in the lives of human beings, while there are differences in the tenets that make up their philosophy. Aristotle, in his philosophy, maintains the importance of the soul in the acquisition of moral virtue. It is only by fulfilling the dictates of this soul, which is guided by reason that one would be able to achieve happiness. This happiness could be achieved by man, who was at the highest position in Aristotle’s teleological view of things. Man was at the highest position in his scala naturae, which means the Great Chain of Being, as a result of the possession of rationality and reason, unique to man, who maintains his superiority as a result of this rationality. The rational human person, the creature at the top of the biological ladder, would have a good character that arose out of the creation of moral virtue. To create this character, he would need the fortune to be tutored by somebody higher than him like a teacher, something that would be available only to the elite sections of the society. Aristotle himself was tutored by people like Plato and he was tutor to Alexander the Great. Contemporary Greek ideas and practices were thus, a great factor in the development of the theories of Aristotle.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Assignment 2 MJ Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

2 MJ - Assignment Example The scene then fast forwards to the present day where the first born son named Jamal is older and his son is about to get married and the second born son had fled to America to escape the injustices that were happening in his country. The second born son, Bassam goes back to Abuddin with his American family for the wedding. The president dies during the wedding ceremony and Jamal inherits the presidency. The country is ruled through a lot of fear as the ruling family is known to persecute anyone who threatens to oppose their rule. The royal family lives a lavish lifestyle and has servants at their beck and call. However, the time is when most parts of the world were calling out for the end of dictatorial rule and thus the royal family was under a lot of pressure from a rebel group to hold an election. Bassam, being more accepting of the democratic ways, convinces his brother to go through an election. Jamal is definately authoritative and does whatever he wants to satisfy himself. He does not care much about anyone else or what anyone would say. He does things that only benefit him; satisfy his needs, and his hold onto power. His first action shown in the series is him forcing himself on one of his subject’s wife as the husband waits outside and he does not care about the husband’s feelings and neither those of the children of the woman who are waiting outside. His major aim is to satisfy himself regardless of who gets hurt. Jamal justifies his actions by claiming that his wife had left him and that his subjects are there to please him and do as he wishes whenever he wants. He extends his cruelty to innocent people simply because he has the authority and capacity to do as he wishes and no one is bold enough to face him. Jamal had been brought by his father and taught to be ruthless to people who did not agree with him. From his childhood, he had been forced to go everywhere with his father and even

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Spirent Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spirent Communications - Essay Example This paper highlights that  the Spirent had significant growth in both revenue and profit from the year 2009 to 2012; however both the parameters took a plunge in 2013. The operating profit and the total equity also decreased in 2013, after a steady growth till 2012. The sudden down turn in 2013 is because of certain under investments and hurdles in some market segments and also because of some significant changes in the wireless communications industry. The data centre market has become severely competitive and the customers are rushing towards cloud based services. The vendor of wireless devices has faced lower profitability in that year. The unfavourable economic condition of Europe along with decreased expenditure of the Chinese customers is also responsible for the company’s decline in performance in 2013. The company is taking all the necessary steps to reorganize the business structure so that they can adapt to the changing consumers’ needs.From the study it is clear that  the company also established a reporting and automation tool called Test-GNSS. In the next year, Spirent made collaboration with West Coast Labs to improve its test methodologies and benchmark for performance of content security and network systems. Spirent acquired Mu dynamics, and incorporated Spirent Studio with Spirent Landslide in order to streamline their business operations.  The company also acquired Metrico Wireless and subsequently introduced a new subsidiary called the Hybrid Location Technology Solution.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Polonius has sometimes been presented Essay Example for Free

Polonius has sometimes been presented Essay There has been much debate amongst critics and directors alike on the depth of Poloniuss character, and his purpose in the play. There are those, such as critic Myron Taylor, who view him as a more sinister persona, arguing his ineffectuality does not excuse his moral deviousness. Appearance has become his reality, thus implying he is used for menacing dramatic effect. However others take a more sympathetic view, for example Elkin Calhoun Wilson; that dotage repeatedly amuses us in his fondness for lecturing and giving advice, however sound, to his meandering young;, therefore interpreting him as a more bumbling and comical element to an otherwise serious play. Despite understanding both these views I still, like Hamlet, see Polonius as a rash, intruding fool [Act. 3Scene. 4 line33]and believe anything done that may appear enigmatic or ominous can only have occurred unintentionally (in the script) or through exaggeration in directing. Similarly to Wilson, I can see how Polonius would add light-hearted, comic relief to the play, especially when paired with quick-witted Hamlet, highlighting the cracks in Poloniuss delusional wise role he has adopted. Polonius has traditionally been played as a sinister character, with exaggerations on his spying and sneaking around castles, as is portrayed in Franco Zeffirellis version, though many productions in the 20th Century have instead portrayed him as older and more bumbling to bring a comic element to the play. There are two sides of Polonius shown in Act 1 Scene 3 and Act 2 Scene 1. These focus on his relationships with Ophelia and Laertes, and to me portray him as foolish again, though not unintelligent. He appears authoritative Look tot I charge you; come your ways [Scene3 line. 135 to Ophelia] and gives further instructions to Laertes Aboard, aboard.. neither a borrower nor a lender be [lines55+75]. This particular line enforces the idea he is comical/foolish; advising Laertes to leave else hell miss his crossing, yet proceeding to bombard him with a lengthy advisory speech that states what is obvious. It does seem that he is rambling here as well, as of course Laertes is returning to university, not just starting, making the well-meant advice effectively knowledge that Laertes already has. Both his offspring create an impression of having to be patient with him, replying in just short sentences as if to make up for time lost Most humbly do I take leave my lord [Laertes line 81]. The audiences knowledge that he isnt as respected as he thinks himself to be can be humorous, developing an almost bumbling man who is held in higher esteem by himself than even his long-suffering, and in the case of Ophelia, oppressed, children. With Ophelia, there is a significant difference their relationship than that with Laertes; Polonius seems highly insensitive to her feelings, and Ophelias replies become more restrained and subservient. When speaking to Ophelia, for example, Polonius advises her on her relationship with Hamlet Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers [Act 1 sc. 3 line 127]; in Kenneth Branaghs production of the play, Ophelia has already slept with Hamlet, and Branagh makes use of flashbacks in Ophelias mind of their sexual relations as she listens absent-mindedly to her father. This helps back up an image of Polonius as rather ignorant, especially as Ophelias reply is so submissive, building an impression of an advisor of little use to anybody, which in turn strengthens his role as a comic. However, this display of likeability could be argued to be compromised in Act 2 Scene 1 as Polonius plots to send spies after Laertes put on him What forgeries you please, [Act 2 sc. 1 lines19+20], potentially revealing a darker side to him, yet for me this is ruined later on in dialogue And then, sir, doesa this-he does-what was I about to say? suggesting he puts on an act whilst playing up his deviousness, as the inconsistency in language, dashes and faltering punctuation portray an inconsistent mind that runs away too easily and is not to be taken seriously; quite like the character itself: not intended to be a serious one. With relevance to Claudius, when both in a scene, Polonius can either be argued to be more devious or even more of a fool. The former view could have been picked up on because of the spying and meddling that occurs between the two of them, such as in Act 3 Sc. 1 Her father and myself, lawful espials, Will so bestow ourselves [ lines 32+33] and to some may show a more sinister shade to his persona. In Branaghs full-length version, Polonius is shown to be slyer, with the including of his (spying) scene with Reynaldo; a scene some directors cut out to enhance their own, more positive view of the character, due to his scheming. Polonius is in a superior position in the court, which has been argued to be deliberate to use his status power to a menacingly-inclined advantage, but is this because of his wisdom (as critic Harry Levin believes [Polonius is] quotable because of the wisdom of his comments), or because Claudius just needs a friend? There is a theory which might explain his position, interpreting him as someone who once had a great mind, but is now losing control of it. This is Polonius in a more tragic light, though Claudius evidently still relies on him and trusts him, as he follows Poloniuss advice regarding spying, but also agreeing to a meeting between Hamlet and the Queen before Hamlet is sent to England. The latter theory is the viewpoint that perhaps Claudius and Gertrude see him as a fool. When Polonius in Act 2 Sc. 2 gets carried away in his own wordiness Why day is day, night night [line 88] unintentionally, he is opposing himself to the idea of his speech brevity is the soul of wit [line 90], and Gertrude even remarks More matter with less art. [line 95], in other words, bluntly pointing out that Poloniuss act as a wise advisor is conjured by himself; that he is not the mind he thinks himself to be. Act 3 Scene 1 reconfirms my original theory, as Polonius guesses-incorrectly and slightly hypocritically-that the cause of Hamlets madness is down to Ophelias rejection, again giving Hamlet, and the audience, the upper hand yet do I believe The origin and commencement of his grief/ Sprung from neglected love. Even when it is confirmed that hamlets madness has nothing to do with Ophelia, Polonius sticks to his theory despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. Far from appearing sinister then, the two (Claudius and Polonius) together appear foolish, like puppets with Hamlet as their master, manipulating and playing their minds. This is demonstrated earlier in the play, as Polonius tells Ophelia not to believe his vows for they are brokers [Act 1 sc. 3 line 127], yet here, he himself is taken in by Hamlets performance. It is also worth noting that Polonius had previously told Ophelia Affection? Pooh, you speak like a green girl [Act 1 Sc. 3, lines 127, + 101], showing he is proving to be stubborn on a matter he previously disagreed with-and seemed so ready to persuade Ophelia likewise of- himself. Polonius is often contrasted with Hamlet. It could be argued his place in the play is to emphasise Hamlets quick-wittedness and intelligent nature. He seems not to understand the Prince is teasing him conversationally; I did enact Julius Caesar, I was killed I th Capitol; Brutus killed me [Polonius Act 3 Sc. 2lines 105+106] It was a brute part of him to kill so capitol a calf there [Hamlet lines 107+8]. Scenes like this also help to contrast Hamlets sharp dialogue with Poloniuss slow, lengthy style of speech, particularly when he is with the King or Queen and uses it to impress: as Elkin Calhoun Wilson has noticed and over-elaborating it [his wisdom] in speech with the King and Queen. Hamlet further makes Polonius the butt of his jokes in Act 3 Scene 2 By th mass and tis, like a camel indeed [Polonius line 375] Methinks it is like a weasel [Hamlet line 376] and has more fun at the old diplomats expense. It also quite blatantly makes a joke out of Polonius, the laughs in the audience this time actually being against him, as he remains too involved in the sound of his own voice to properly register what Hamlet is saying, establishing him unarguably as a comic character. Hamlet is a character with an excellent command over language in the play though, and is naturally clever without striving to be, whereas Polonius speaks in dragging, slow bouts and wants to be considered wise. There is clearly little respect towards Polonius from Hamlet (you are a fishmonger [Act.2 Sc. 2 line 174], and, as he is the protagonist of the play, this sways the audiences opinion towards him. He is almost too cruel towards him at some points though, e. g. old men have grey beards they have a plentiful lack of wit [Act. 2 Sc. 2 lines 197-201], clearly describing Polonius, and so perhaps enforcing the idea of him as a tragic character. Right until the end, Hamlet still treats Polonius as a second-class person; showing no remorse at his death and branding him a rash, intruding fool [Act 3 Scene 4 line 33] which of course he was. The words intruding convey a completely different meaning to cleverly inquisitive and rash doesnt invite the praise spontaneous would. He was then labelled a fool during his time in the play, and labelled a fool again upon his exit. It is ironic Poloniuss death should be so unceremonious [Act 3 Scene 4, stage directions Exit Hamlet dragging in Polonius line 219] given that his persona in the play was one of elaboration and false grandeur. This is almost like a last, bittersweet laugh against him, exactly the opposite of how he would have liked to have exited, the word dragged being of particular importance, as when performed on stage this would have been so undignified as to have crossed slightly into black humour territory, depending on the director (Ill lug the guts into the neighbour room, Hamlet, Act. 3 Scene. 4, line 213)It is also exposing that Polonius should have been killed from behind the arras, and in a foolish way too. It would have been wiser to remain hidden, and so by shouting, symbolically, perhaps Polonius was revealing the shallowness there was to his sinister persona. Hamlets reaction is one of brevity and disrespect I took thee for thy better [line 134]. However, his death does act as a catalyst for the race towards the ending of the play; Hamlet is sent to England to meet his death, though Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are killed instead. This proceeds to him finally taking revenge on Claudius, and results in the murders of Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes and Claudius. Whether this increases his worth or not in the play is open to interpretation. Elkin Calhoun Wilson decides Polonius has a minor tragic dimension as well as a major comic boasting [my] eyes catch a more embracive view of him than Hamlets possibly can and with this I can, to an extent, agree. It is tragic he should be cast off in such a way, and in him there was not just the doddering old fool, but also, as Elkin writes, a comic appendage. Overall then, looking at various views and studying the text thoroughly, I can stick by my judgement of Polonius as a foolish, though comic, character. Although considered unimportant by those in the play, I believe him to bring a welcome relief from the drama and tragedy entangled in the plot which would otherwise make for a very depressing production. Of course, it is down to personal interpretation how a director would present the character, but to me the lengthy and self-important dialogue is unavoidable, and the undignified death inevitable, making Polonius -arguably- doomed to lack credible menace void of irony and humour, and therefore set firmly as a foolish prating character. 1999 words Sophie Mayall. Bibliography: Websites used:http://www. metroactive. com/papers/metro/02. 20. 97/branagh-9708. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Polonius www. jstor. org- Studies in English Literature 1500-1900: Vol. 8, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean England www. jstor. org- Shakespeare Quarterly: Vol. 9, No. 1 (Winter 1958), pp. 83-85 Films: Kenneth Branaghs film version Hamlet: 1996 Franco Zeffirellis film version Hamlet: 1990 Copies of the text: Cambridge School Shakespeare First Edition, published 1994 Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare, published 2000 Journals: Shakespeare Quarterly: Vol. 9 (winter 2005), Vol. 8 No. 2 (spring 1968).

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Hr Challenges In The Hiring Process Management Essay

Hr Challenges In The Hiring Process Management Essay Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the spectrum of challenges encountered by the HR professionals while managing the hiring practices in a multicultural society in medium-to-large health care organizations, both private and governmental, within Abu Dhabi and Al Ain cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research methods were used to obtain the required data, and in-depth individual interviews with key HR professionals were conducted. Findings The findings of this study have indicated that there are unique, major and minor challenges that workforce diversity inflicted on the hiring process, among the selected health care organizations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Research limitations/Implications The time and resources for this research study were not adequate to gather sufficient samples outside Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. All interviewees have rejected the tape recording and it was difficult to conduct focus group interviews to gain wider perspective. Since this research is qualitative in nature, it is hard to generalize across other sectors and cities. It is required to have quantitative researches in this area. Originality/value This paper provides valuable insights regarding the hiring processes challenges in Multicultural society in UAEs health sector which has not been adequately investigated before. Keywords: Hiring Challenges, Culture, Multicultural society, Diversity Management, Recruitment, Selection, Orientation, United Arab Emirates, Health industry. Paper type Research paper Introduction Diversity management has been one of the widespread research areas in Human Resources Management in the 21st century that aims at understanding and improving the management of culturally diversified workforce in organizations. Diversity is a fact that could not be ignored or avoided and it has both good and bad sides. The importance of this topic lies in the significant impact of cultural differences on how work groups interact (Kossek Others, 2003). Also, it is seen as a source of competitive advantage through effective management of a diverse workforce. Another reason is the changing composition of workforce around the world towards different language, age, gender, ethnic background, nationality, lifestyles and other characteristics (Seymen, 2006). According to Harris (2004), Promoting cultural synergy influences social change in human behavior and improves system effectiveness. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, in general and UAE in particular, are considered a rich area for research on diversity management due to the unique composition of workforce and demographics (Forstenlechner, 2010). This high level of diversity has great influence on managing the hiring process and results in many challenges which will be discussed in this research. Multicultural Societies According to Marshall (1998), multicultural societies are featured by cultural pluralism which means the division of the culture into diverse religion, age, ethnic, linguistic, racial groups, national origin or gender (DNetto Sohal, 1999; Kossek Others, 2003). It can be found at various levels, such as cities, nations, schools, neighborhoods or businesses. Organizations foster and manage diversity in order to survive in increasingly heterogeneous societies and to sustain their competitive advantage. Diversity stimulates problem solving, creativity and system flexibility (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin Cardy, 2007). Diversity Management at multicultural (or diversified) organizations means building and maintaining policies, practices and regulations that will treat all employees fairly and will leave no advantage for a group over the others in order to enable them to reach the required levels of performance to achieve the organizational goals (DNetto Sohal, 1999; Jenner, 1994; Thomas, 1994). The Hiring Process The hiring process is divided into three sections: Recruitment, Selection and Orientation. The Recruitment Process is the process of creating a pool of candidates who are potentially suitable for the position by using a variety of recruitment sources. The selection process is the process of making the hiring/rejection decision for the list of applicants according to the selection criteria and by using a variety of selection tools. While the orientation process is the process of getting the new employee to know all aspects of the organization (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2007; Ivancevich, 2010). Diversity Practices in the Hiring Process Successful organizations aim to attract the best candidates regardless of their ethnicity, gender or age. Their hiring practices should be based on job-related and organizational criteria. In addition, the recruiters should be trained and skilled to run a successful selection process (Kandola Fullerton, 1994; Cornelius, 1999). And in order to assure that a diversified group of candidates apply to the job, the advertisements should be placed in ethnic language newspapers as well as the regular daily newspapers and websites. It is also important to have a diversified interview panel and selection techniques that would allow diverse people to answer to the questions or tests at their best capability (Morrison, 1992; Schreiber et al., 1993). The interview panel should be highly skilled and trained to understand candidates from different cultural backgrounds, researchers have found that most interviewers have no understanding of special interview techniques that suit candidates from different ethnical backgrounds (Caudron, 1990; Morrison, 1992). Challenges in Multicultural Societies The literature on cultural diversity management has studied issues like understanding the concept of diversity management (McVittie, 2008; Miller Rowney, 1999), the effect of diversity on individuals and groups, the benefits of diversity (Risberg SÃ ¸derberg, 2008), the diversity management best practices and HR strategies (DNetto Sohal, 1999, 2003), and the effect of diversity on organizational performance (Richard S. Allen, Gail Dawson, Kathleen Wheatley, Charles S. White (2008); Velma E. McCuiston, Barbara Ross Wooldridge, Chris K. Pierce, (2004). Most of the available literature has addressed the diversity in Western European context (McVittie, 2008, Miller Rowney, 1999; Harris, 2004; Leveson Joiner, 2009 ; Kramar, 1998). On the other hand, less attention is given to diversity management studies in the Middle East region and the subject is considered under-studied according to the 4th Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference (2010). Some of the available literature in the region studied employees attitudes towards diversity (Bakr Ahmad Alserhan, Ingo Forstenlechner, Ahmad Al-Nakeeb, (2009) ; Tariq M. Khan, Fintan Clear, Ahmed Al-Kaabi, Vahid Pezeshki, 2010) as well as managing diverse teams in the Middle East (Forstenlechner, 2010 ; Neal, 2010). With regards to the challenges faced by HR professionals in multicultural societies, the literature has studied the challenges in Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and the hiring difficulties when doing business abroad (Dowling et al., 2008). Increasing diversity through recruitment practices is another widespread topic (Tipper, 2004) as well as challenges in leading diversified workforce in general (McCuiston et al., 2004). Some of the challenges that face HR professionals when managing a multicultural workforce is convincing the higher management that diversity as well as good quality diversity management programs are useful to the organization. These challenges stem from the fact that some top managers still perceive diversity management as costly and can cause disruption in the organization (DNetto Sohal, 1999). Another challenge faced by HR professionals is the communication issue (Adler, 1986; Loden Rosener, 1991). Case of UAE The United Arab Emirates, like the GCC labor market in general, is considered a unique case because of its workforce composition. According to the (Statistics Center Abu Dhabi, 2010), the size of the employed labor force in 2008 in the city of Abu Dhabi was 889,417 of whom only 10% are nationals. This high profile of non national workforce is considered a challenge for HR Professionals. According to Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (2008), the insufficiency of skilled labor in Gulf countries and UAE is a major problem. Most of the literature about UAE has discussed topics related to Emiratization as an employment challenge (Forstenlechner, 2008), diversity in banking sector (Alserhan et al., 2009) and difficulties in training a diversified workforce (Jones, 2008). No literature was located on the challenges in the hiring process within a multicultural society like UAE. Therefore, this study contributes to the HR Management literature by exploring the spectrum of challenges encountered by the HR Professionals while managing the hiring practices of culturally-diverse workforce in UAEs health care organizations. Challenges in the Hiring process in UAE The supply of the labor force is being affected by the economic and growth conditions. For example, India (which is a strong resource for cheap labor inside UAE) now undergoes a major technological and economical growth which causes the skilled labor to return to India (or what is called Brain Gain) and reduces the flow of labor outside the country (Anand, 2007). According to Al Ali (2008), it is difficult to strategize for long term programs as this non-national workforce is hired on a temporary employment visa which is considered a transient environment that doesnt encourage long term commitment as it creates a sense of job insecurity and uncertainty. Therefore, special efforts need to be given in the hiring process to attract and retain the workers. Another challenge facing HR professionals is hiring female workers. According to Naithani (2010): Participation of female in migrating workforce to GCC is one of the least in the world with only 29 per cent of the migrants being females. This shows that females have less opportunity for finding a job. Also, the laws and regulations related to visas and work permits sometimes prevents workers from exchanging jobs as they would need a no objection certificate from their previous sponsor (Naithani, 2010). The majority of non national workforce in the UAE is from Asian countries like Philippines or India, which is considered a challenge when hiring. According to Al-Waqfi Forstenlechner (2010), managing groups of people from similar nationality has multiple difficulties and can lead to conflicts, stereotyping as well as to less commitment as these groups indentify with their similar social group over the organization. STEROTYPING MAHA ADD HERE In terms of team management, multicultural workforce can be a true challenge when managing teams. Therefore, the hiring process should take into consideration that the new hire will fit in the team (Neal, 2010). According to Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (2008), 91% of the key positions in Gulf countries are occupied with expatriates due to lack of qualified national workforce. The report also revealed that in healthcare, only 63% of the Arab CEOs believed that there is an adequate transfer of knowledge and know-how from expatriates to nationals which led to continuously depending on expatriates to fill the positions and not achieving the required Emiratization quotas. The report also highlighted that fact that the cost of non national labor is increasing significantly which will reflect on the hiring process in terms if rising wages and security. In terms of hiring expatriates in different levels, the report shows that it is extremely difficult to hire in senior management, followed by middle management and operational/technical positions. Methodology Since the research approach that has been selected is exploratory in nature, qualitative research methods are best suited for obtaining the required data. To explore the variety of challenges encountered by the human resource personnel while managing the hiring practices requires the use of qualitative research methods. The researchers have decided to conduct the research on health care organizations due to ease of access and availability of many heterogeneous hospitals in size and ownership. Data Collection The selected organizations are located in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain cities, these hospitals were all selected within Abu Dhabi Emirate to save travelling time and expenses on the researchers. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with key HR personnel in the selected organizations. The researchers have approached the organizations through email and phone calls to obtain the approval for interviews. Once the approval was obtained, a detailed email was sent to the interviewees including the date and time of the interview as well as a consent form stating the purpose of the study, the procedures, and the confidentiality of data. All of the selected organizations have rejected the use of tape recording. Following acceptance of their verbal approval, the research team was divided into groups to conduct the interviews simultaneously. All interviews answers and notes were transformed from handwritten notes to typed transcripts and notes ready for analysis. The adopted analytical approach was Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) where the research team scanned the transcribed text, created and applied relational coding between categories and recognized common themes across participants. The research team has adopted the introductory techniques shown in Appendix 1. This ensures conformity and unifies the approach to potential participants at all research sites. Research Questions The literature review has discussed few challenges faced by multi cultural organizations in the hiring process; however, it has not totally uncovered those challenges in UAE. Hence this research aims to explore more challenges faced by the HR Department during their hiring process in multicultural organizations. In this study, two main research questions were formed. These questions were ordered from general to specific and from most significant to least significant. Further questions were probed according to the interviewee answers. Main Research Questions: RQ1: What are the hiring challenges faced by HR professionals in health care sector in the multicultural society of UAE? RQ2: What were the most difficult challenges faced? What were the least difficult challenges faced? The interview is mainly loosely structured with open-ended questions to maximize participants responses (Mack et al., 2005). Data Analysis Kvale (1996) details seven stages of conducting in-depth interviews. Verifying involves checking the credibility and validity of the information gathered. A method called triangulation is used as a means of checks and balances. Basically, one type of triangulation would be to use multiple perspectives to interpret a single set of information. Another simple way to triangulate would be to have a colleague read the transcripts to see if he/she came away with the same overall meaning (Guion, 2009). Initially, each team member was assigned a transcript, since the research sample consists of five health care facilities and the research team members are five. Each member read the assigned transcript and attempted to identify main themes. Then, as a method of credibility and validity check, triangulation was implemented. Afterwards, the research team sat together to do the final analysis. Categories were color-coded by using text highlight color. This section represents the final template of data analysis. Each title covers a broad theme and its associated categories. The initial research objectives are directly addressed by the following themes: Communication Challenge, Working Hours, Hiring Cost, Group and Team Management, Cultural Group Dominance, Failure to Adjust to the Culture, Turnover, Bias and Stereotyping, Selection Process, Emiratization. These themes provide a general outline of the research team interpretations of the interviewees perceptions. Participants in this research were referred to the as interviewees. The words of the interviewees were presented in quotes where they were italicized and bounded by double quotation marks. The final discussion section of this research report will review the research analysis entailment in relation to the research objectives and derive from the interview data a summary of perceived diversity challenges in the hiring process. Each title presents a data summary within each theme Results Research questions The results of this study have indicated that all selected hospitals have been facing challenges in the hiring process due to high rate of cultural diversity in UAE. The reported challenges were divided into major and minor ones. Some of these challenges were found to be common among the selected hospitals, like communication, hiring cost, culture group dominance, and group and team management. The minor challenges were found to be the working hours, Emiratization, failure to adjust to culture, biases and stereotyping, turnover, and selection process (certificate authentication and background check). The research questions have also uncovered new challenges that were not found in the studied literature review, for example the working hours, failure to adjust to the culture, selection process (certificate authentication and background check). Discussion The challenges were sorted under the three phases of the hiring process: recruitment, selection and orientation phases. Based on the discussed literature review, the challenges are: Diversity Challenges in Recruitment Phase Working Hours: Attracting a diversified workforce in terms of gender was found to be a challenge affected by some culture group requirements in working conditions. For example, Arabic female candidates prefer shorter working hours due to family obligations as well as cultural norms. The nature of work in the health sector requires 24/7 service which may not be suitable for females. On the other hand Naithani (2010) has reported a different set of challenges pertaining to hiring female workers. Also, it was reported that UAE national candidates want to continue their education which may conflict with the working hours. This challenge was not discussed in the researched literature review. Some locals are still studying so they cant leave the collage to work with us. With UAE fen males, it is difficult for them to accept shift jobs because they need to go home late. Cost of Hiring: The cost of hiring was found to be a common challenge in all hospitals which confirms what Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (2008) and Naithani (2010) have reported. In terms of health sector, the problem is even bigger. Part of the cost is related to the workforce demography in UAE which is composed mainly of non-nationals. These include the cost of international advertisements, the cost of relocation (i.e. visa, air tickets, shipping allowances, and hotel accommodation), competitive compensation packages, the high cost of living, using hiring agencies abroad, and the high standard lifestyle and backgrounds of certain nationalities. The other part of the cost is related to UAE employment regulations. The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) regulations which require passing the licensing test for the medical jobs. The test for nurses is online however for the physicians they must take it in person inside HAAD. The hospital brings them on a visit visa to take the test and bears the accommodation and other expanses. Not all candidates pass the exam; hence the hospital takes the risk of losing such expanses. The maximum number of exam trials is three. Furthermore, security check is required by UAE immigration law before hiring any candidate they should pass the security clearance. However, not all cases are being cleared which imposes a hiring cost on the organization. We face a major problem related to the cost of hiring because first we bring the medical staff on a mission visa which costs us 1800 Dhs, tickets charges and hotel accommodation to take the exam an in many occasions they fail. We bare the cost The maximum number of trials for the exam are three, and if they fail we are unfortunate Emiratization: The challenge that was tackled by Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (2008), as well as in this research, is related to Emiratization particularly the lack of qualified local workforce in the health care field led to the heavy dependence on non-nationals. In most cases the non-nationals are more qualified so the selected hospitals prefer to hire the expat over the local employee based on skills only. Some challenges were unique to our research findings. For example, the female UAE nationals wear the veil which conflicts with organizational policies. As a result, Emiratization efforts in the health care are challenged by this matter. In addition, as previously mentioned in the working hours theme, Emirati female candidates are repelled by the long working hours in the health sector. Moreover, Emirati workforce is more attracted to work in the governmental sector because of better packages. We do have instructions to nationalize medical positions, but local candidates prefer to apply for governmental hospitals due to better benefits. And To attract more UAE nationals, the aptitude tests differ between the non-nationals and the UAE nationals. The test runs for 30 munities for locals while 20 for non-nationals. As well as the test is easier for locals than others Diversity Challenges in Selection Phase: Communication It was found that communication is a major challenge among all selected hospitals; the same was reflected in the studied literature review (Adler, 1986; Loden Rosener, 1991). It was found as a common challenge during the interview time because some candidates do not speak English or if the interviewer is not bilingual. Because I speak only English, when I interview an Arabian candidate who doesnt speak English, I call for a translator Another part of this challenge is the necessity of selecting bilingual candidates who speak both Arabic and English to communicate easily with the patients. All the doctors must be able to speak Arabic and English to build a trust relationship with their patients. The same situation is for the nurses as they need to understand the patient language and needs. Bias and stereotyping Another challenge revealed by our research is bias and stereotyping during interviews. The HR department in one of the hospitals is made up solely of one nationality which could increase the risk of biases during interviews as the selection panel is usually a one man show. Add Drs Ref about Emiratization The nationality of the hiring committee members generally consists of the local people of the country who are having enough knowledge about the people residing in their country so the local people are usually chosen for the selection procedure. The gender does not generally matters in this procedure as the person who is recruiting should have knowledge of their sector instead of gender which is not seen in this area. The age of the committee members are aged which have great experience in their whole life which are filled with the fully filled experiences which are bad and good every time. We dont consider this problem a major one because we do make our selections based on personal qualifications requirements. I conduct all the interviews by myself. Background and Security Check Two unique challenges were uncovered by this research. First, the challenge of conducting background checks overseas because of the difficulty in checking the criminal records and the possibility of falsifying these records. Second, the slow and tedious certificate attestation process. UAE Embassies around the word have a system called IntegraScreen to make sure the certificate is authentic. As an example of the first challenge, HAAD requires the proper certificates authentication that they conduct by themselves to avoid any forged certificates. As mentioned in the previous phase of recruitment, failure to pass the security check clearance reduces the pool of candidates in the selected hospitals. HAAD also requires the proper documentations; hence they run the authentication by themselves to avoid any fraud certificates. Emiratization A final challenge in this phase is linked to Emiratization as some of the selected hospitals have tailored their selection tests (i.e. English Proficiency Test) to accommodate the deficiencies in the national workforce, for example, one of the selected hospitals and in an attempt to attract more UAE nationals have created aptitude tests which differ between the non-nationals and the UAE nationals. We make our English Test for nationals easier to attract them as part of our Emiratization program. The test runs for 30 munities for nationals while 20 for non-nationals Cultural Group Dominance The selection of the candidate is influenced by the HR department inclination towards the selection of certain nationalities like Indians and Filipinos. The selection decision is generally skewed towards candidates who fall under the interviewer nationality preference. This can partially explain the cultural group dominance. An example of this dominance, one of the selected hospitals mentioned that it has 30% of its workforce from Philippines and 20% from India. Most of them are in clerical and nursing jobs. Their majority is because they are qualified and they pass the licensing exam. Another hospital mentioned that Indians constitute almost 70% of the total workforce, in this organization all HR Department professionals are Indians. The diversity rate in our HR department is 0% Diversity Challenges in Orientation Phase: Cultural Rigidity: During the orientation training some of the new comers may remain culturally rigid against the newly introduced national culture of UAE. For example, some of them may reject the idea of adhering to the dress code which is reflecting the UAE Islamic culture. During Ramadan Time, non Muslims are not aware about prohibition of eating publically so we tell them to go for a specific room to have their lunch. Limitations of the study This research study has some limitations. Due to the lack of sufficient time and resources, the research team was not able to expand the study to other sectors and cities. Hence the study was in in a confined regional area (Abu Dhabi and Al Ain). The research team has planned to do focus group interviews with tape recordings to enable the interviewers to focus on the discussion rather than note taking, and to gather information from different perspectives. However only one or two HR personnel per hospital were available and they have all refused tape recordings. Most of the studied organizations have refused to give precise documented statistics about the level of diversity. The majority of the interviewees were from the HRs management; hence it is likely that their answers to the challenges have a negative bias. Implications for future research The newly explored challenges in this research have implications for future researches. First, as this study focused only on one sector Healthcare and in two cities (Abu Dhabi and Al Ain), future researches can study different sectors and emirates using quantitative research methodology to study those challenges in dept in order to identify their causes and help to find solutions to them. Second, this study lacks the use of focus group interviews to gain different perspective and the interviewees were mainly from the management of the HR. Hence future research can be done by interviewing focus group members with different levels of seniority. Third, this study was done only in UAE, it can be replicated to other GCC organizations to assess the level of challenges in UAE compared to other GCC and find the gaps. The study can be further expanded to include Middle East countries to asses UAEs challenges in a regional market.

How Do The Social Media Affect Our Culture Media Essay

How Do The Social Media Affect Our Culture Media Essay Ill just quickly go to Erics house to see if Erics Home, and ask what hes doing tonight. I hope that Monica is not involved with Eric, although I often see her talking to that guy. Or shall I call Amber, because I heard she likes me. That was a typical youngster life about 50 years ago. When you wanted to talk to someone, you went to him or her, or gave them a phone call. That was our way of interacting with people in our culture back then. Quickly looking if Eric has posted something this night on Twitter. Hoping that Monica isnt doing something this evening, although she often sends messages to that guy on Facebook. Or shall I talk to Amber on Facebook chat? She likes all my pictures, maybe she fancies me? This is a more modern approach which we would use nowadays. Just compare the two examples, and you see the big difference. Therefore we can ask ourselves the question: Are we connected better nowadays with social media, or are we worse off? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our culture has norms and values. It makes us who we are, what we feel connected to and how we behave. One of the aspects of culture is social interaction between people. How we behave to one another and in which way we do that. Social media has taken a big role in our social interaction. We no longer have to speak to a person to know what they are doing. We just look on twitter of Facebook. Or we give them a quick message on MSN or Whatsapp. This leads to less real-life or physical contact. This could be seen in a negative and in a positive way. The real connection such as visual and emotional expressions arent shown anymore, because you both look at a computerized display. This way messages could be understood differently than they should be, because they dont get to know the real meaning behind the message. Social media can create a gap between generations. The majority of social media users are teenagers or young adults. [fact1: 50% of the world population is under 30 years of age] Although more and more people start to use this type of media, it are especially younger people who start using social media, not adults. People who are for example 50 years or older do have trouble to keep updated with all modern technology like computers, not even mentioning the social media use on these computers. We dont have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well DO it Erik Qualman Social media can also be dangerous. That might sound odd, but you all might have experienced the dangers of social media before. When you posted something on Facebook or Twitter, and after that you regret that you made that post. Thats a negative side of internet. We all have to be careful now with what we do or what we say. When things are put on the internet, it can stay there forever. When there was no internet, words that were said would just be forgotten after a certain time, and people couldnt copy it. Now with social media, messages can be copied, duplicated and spread so easily that you really have to be careful with what you say. Your privacy can also be put to the test by showing and sharing all the things you do. People know what you are doing, where you are and what your status is. [fact1: there are over 110 million updates posted on Facebook and Twitter every day] Many people dont do anything with it, but some will use that information for purposes you dont want them to use. So called leaking info can also be dangerous. For example in important negations or other meetings, there have been multiple people who accidentally leaked important and secret information which were shown in such meetings. There are other things important too for our culture. Our very own Dutch language for example. Its used less and less on social media. This is due to the globalization and English being used more and more often as an lingua franca. [fact1: if Facebook were a country, it would be worlds 3rd largest country in terms of population] Nowadays you see and increasing use of English: English quotes, abbreviations (brb = be right back, omwt = on my way to.. and ftw = for the win) or complete English sentences. There are multiple reasons for this: English sounds a lot cooler than some Dutch words. Some jokes are only funny in English or you have an audience in mind that doesnt speak your language, but who do speak English. Social media is not only negative. On the other hand contact is made easier, because you have a sort of safety behind your computer or mobile phone. Nobody sees you. You can act out who you want (remember though: this can be deceiving too). You also make contact easier via social media. Many people prefer a message via internet on e.g. Facebook or Twitter than giving them a call or go by and visit them. People are usually more shy in public. Therefore you can say that there could be more social interaction between people, and a reason for that contact is made easier than before. Social media invites people to write more messages, updates or other messaging. You have to keep updated by reading your friends updates, but you have to post what you are doing too; making dinner, going to the beach or just going to sleep. [fact1: visiting social sites is now more popular than checking personal email] It reaches all your updated friends on social media, so the message you sent is multiplied dozens of times. Its like give a speech to a huge square filled with people. The only difference with that speech is that social media messaging happens every minute, those speeches only take place a certain amount of times in a year, because not everybody wants to group-up too often. Focus on how to BE social, not how to DO social Jay Baer Social Media are sometimes called the biggest shift since the industrial revolution. We all notice that social media has turned into something really big. Some use it more often than others, but our culture has changed. There is now more contact via internet. Will this in the end kill our social cohesion and will groups of people be left out? Or will our social interaction become extensive and will our relationships get better? These are all questions which cant be answered yet and can only be answered in the future. The thing we do know is that how social media changes our culture is all in our hands; how we deal with it. Be careful with what you do on social media, because before you know it, social media can blow it. It is a great gift though, and with proper and with humble use, we all can enjoy the use of it; whether Monica is doing something tonight or if Amber is really into me.. -Ivo Brouwer

Saturday, July 20, 2019

First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991 Essay -- history

First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991 The First Persian Gulf War between 1990 and 1991 was the most militarily efficient campaign in US history where comparatively few lives were lost. This war accomplished many goals, including that it secured the economic advantages for the â€Å"Western World†. It encouraged a free flow of natural resources, established the value of air power and superiority, and verified that a free alliance for justice will prevail over armed aggression. In the end, the United State’s goals were accomplished: Kuwait was liberated from Saddam and peace settled into the Middle East (Rayment). The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. This posed a threat on the United States because of their oil ties in this area. On January 23, 1980 President Jimmy Carter responded with a statement called the Carter Doctrine. In this, Carter stated that, â€Å"An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.† (Richie, 25). Ten years later, United States officials were reminded of the Doctrine as signs of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein began to appear. With a portion of the world’s oil of eleven percent, this invasion would add another nine percent. Not only was this dangerous but if Iraq continued a southern advance, he would gain the oil of Saudi Arabia. Saddam could possibly control forty-six percent of the world’s oil supply and manipulate the global economy (Richie, 25). On July 17, 1990, photos from a KH-11 spy satellite showed that Iraqi military equipment was being positioned near the Kuwait border .General Colin Powell was not concerned with this advancement because the lineup did not include necessary equipment such as fuel trucks and artillery that would be needed for an invasion. Powell believed that this was just a practice exercise or a bluff because Saddam had been pressing Kuwait to lower the oil production in order to keep the prices high (Richie, 26). Kuwait was a small country that had once been part of the Ottoman Empire like Iraq. Then Kuwait had become a British Protectorate from which it had been granted its independence. Its borders had been set in a subjective manner causing it to be difficult to de... ...s pride, and possibly his life. Saddam and his troops were not the only ones to have made faults (Marshel). Had the United States carried out their task, Saddam would not have repressed his own people, violated peace agreements and worked on weapons of mass destruction (Rayment). The United States was able to keep Saddam from succeeding in his attempt to conquer the Middle East eight years ago, but they stopped when they should have pursued the most (Marshel). Without the errors that both sides had made, the present day world would have been affected in a completely different way. Works Cited Allen, Thomas B., et al. War in the Gulf. Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Pub., 1991. Bush, George. â€Å"Persian Gulf War.† Annals of American History. 3 Mar. 2004 "Desert Storm 1: 1990-1991." Gulf War. 2003. 3 Mar. 2004 . Lee, Roger A. â€Å"The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991).† The History Guy. 14 Aug. 2001. 3 Mar. 2004 Marshel, Jim. "Mistakes of the Gulf War." Unpublished essay, 13 Mar. 1998. 3 Mar. 2004 . Rayment, W. J. The Gulf War. 2004. 3 Mar. 2004 . Richie, Jason. â€Å"Persian Gulf War, 1991.† Iraq and the Fall of Saddam Hussein. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Oliver Press, 2003.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Madness in College Athletics Isnt Confined to March :: Sports Basketball Essays

The basketball arena is packed with a sellout crowd of over 13,000 cheering fans. The television cameras capture the game for the entire nation. A horn blares, and the game, which was supposed to be a blowout, is now in overtime. The pressure is huge, because if the underdog wins, it would make history. Both teams are anxious, but focused, knowing that one misstep, misjudgment, or misfire could make or break the season, and everything they have worked for all year. Such was the scene during the recent ‘March Madness† game, between #4 seeded Syracuse, and #13 seeded Vermont, a.k.a. the ‘Cinderella Story,’ of this year’s NCAA tourney. The Catamounts, who were not expected to make much noise during the tournament, opened it with a bang, after securing a win over powerhouse Syracuse in the final seconds of overtime. Now imagine, a player on Vermont’s super squad. He has spent the past few years working nonstop to get to this point in his basketball career, and it has finally arrived. However, after the cheering, congratulations, and celebrations, he must go back to school, and finish studying for midterms, which happens to coincide with the post-season schedule. When fans watch March Madness, or any other college sporting event, it is safe to say that most don’t look at their TVs, and think about how the athletes will spend the bus ride home trying to catch up on the schoolwork they missed so they could compete in the away game. However, this is the reality of a college student-athlete. There are constant obligations to fulfill, and expectations to be met, on every level, and most of the time, the reality is stressful. â€Å"Athletes have additional time constraints, and pressure to perform not only academically, but athletically†¦.and then there’s the stress that their body undergoes,† said Lauren Haas, director of student-athlete support services at Northeastern University. Haas also pointed out that student-athletes face a strain to try and lead the life of a normal college student, even though they have additional requirements. Student-athletes often have similar obligations to the average student, in the classroom, and in the workforce. Academically, athletes must complete the same amount of schoolwork as their peers, although they have less time to complete it, and they miss classes to participate in scheduled competitions. Most professors do not offer an extension on the workload. Financially, many athletes have jobs to offset tuition costs, which they must juggle into a busy schedule.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Achetypal Works of Dystopian Literature Essay -- Essays Papers

Achetypal Works of Dystopian Literature The endeavor to achieve utopia, the best existence obtainable to humanity, is a response to the problems present in society. It is a way of dealing in the imagination with these problems, suggesting an ideal for society to strive towards. From Plato’s Republic on, however, utopia has had a characteristic shortcoming. Huxley observed that the inhabitants of Utopia are radically unlike human beings. Their creators spend all their ink and energy in discussing, not what actually happens, but what would happen if men and women were quite different from what they are and from what, throughout recorded history, they have always been (Kennedy 44). The search for utopia continues strongly today, except in place of the traditional, constructive, positive utopias, we have what is almost a new literary strain-utopia in reverse, cacotopia, the worst of all possible worlds (Herzog 74). This anti-utopian society is one in which characters lead dehumanized lives because a utopian ideal has fallen apart or gone afoul of its original intent. The main characters in dystopian novels are often trapped in their lives and struggling to escape; these novels usually intend to criticize existing social conditions and political systems. While utopian literature portrays ideal worlds, dystopian literature depicts the flaws and failures of imaginative societies. Often these societies are related to utopias, and the dystopian writers have chosen to reveal shortcomings of those social systems previously considered ideal (Booker 10). Many critics rank Aldous Huxely’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four as two model works of dystopian literature (Cushing 521). Both novels ... ...ter with Wendy Cole, â€Å"What Ever Happened To Play?† in Time Magazine, April 28, 2001. Available http://www.time.com/time/education/printout/0,8816,107264,00.html. Kluger, Jeffrey, â€Å"Next Up: Prozac,† in Time Magazine, Vol. 152, No. 22, November 30, 1998. Available http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/dom/981130/cover_story.the_age_of_4a.html. McMichael, Charles T., â€Å"Aldous Huxley’s ‘Island’: The Final Vision,† in Studies in the Literary Imagination. Vol. 1, No. 2, April, 1968. Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1981. Schellenberg, James, â€Å"Review of George Orwell’s 1984,† in George Orwell. New York: Penguin, 1984. Anonymous, â€Å"Are We Living in an Orwellian World?† Available http://www.newspeak.com/Newspeak.htm. von Hoffman, Nicholas, â€Å"Huxley Vindicated,† in The Spectator, Vol. 249, No. 8036, July 17, 1982.