Inequality in Education Essay

Inequality is an unequal rewards or opportunities for different individuals within a group or groups within a society. Education is recognised as major social institution. However, inequality in education is linked to major problems in society. In education a key factor that influences a child’s performance at school is social class. By going through Marxist and Functionalist perspectives, explanations for such inequalities can be understood. Difference in social background results in differences in achievement within an academic field. The level of achievement of the middle class is hugely different from that of the working class. Students success depends on parents income and parental choice. In other words the higher the social class of the parents, the more successful a child is likely to become in education. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have low academic status than the students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. The education system remains socially selective, the higher the social class of the parents, the better the education of the children. Educational inequality starts young for children of disadvantaged class and they struggle to keep up throughout their school years. Children of lower socio-economic background at age 3 are one year behind the national average. By the time they are 14, they are two years behind. We can see this figure is staggering and extremely worrying. As a result, these children are less likely to go into higher education and more likely to be categorised into a lower academic ability. The functionalist perspective on education is concerned with the functions or role of education for society as a whole. It focuses on its contribution in maintaining social stability through development of social harmony. It believe in building bridges between values and passing culture and norms through education. Functionalist views education as the basic needs for a  society in order to survive. Particularly, functionalist sees education providing a trained and qualified labour force and its effective role selection and allocation in a meritocratic society. The Marxist perspective on education highlights the way education system reproduces existing social class inequalities and how it is carried out to the next generations. Marxist argues that the values passed on by school are those of ruling class. In contrary to functionalism Marxist does not believe education system is neutral filter and grade according to meritocracy. Instead it believes social class and other factors influence success and failure in education. Marxist approach argues that there is no equality of opportunity in education, education rather covers the fact that the social class influences educational success and there is inequality Inequality in education can put individuals of the groups that are affected by these at a disadvantage in the future. Inequality in education gap will remain because even though we are aware of it we have learnt to tolerate it.The education system reproduces existing social class inequalities, and passes them from one generation to the next. Thus we can see that children from low socio economic class lack the aspiration to excel academically. This is not because of the fault of their own but they were born into lower socio-economic class. Bibliography Maureen T. Hallinan (2006)Handbook of Sociology https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9780387364247# http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jan/27/education-inequality-in-england-where-is-the-gap-widening-demos K. Browne, (2006) Introducing sociology for AS Level, 2nd Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press G. Marshall, (1994) Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, 2nd edition, Oxford,

Drama Story Death Of A Salesman Essay

Death of a Salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller. Basically, Miller was not a very prolific writer and Death of a Salesman had been his most famous work. At a certain point, this particular play could be regarded as a tragedy although not in the normal sense. What I mean when I said ‘tragedy though not in the normal sense† is that usually we associate tragedy from a person with a very high status who in the end had been faced with many problems which led to his failure. However, such had not been the case with this particular play since from the beginning Willy Loman really never had anything good. The brilliance within this play lies with the fact that Miller had been able to portray a certain sense on his audience that tragedy is not for the rich or for the better-off person’s alone. Rather, tragedy is a part of our everyday life and thus it could happen to anyone of us. He had been able to portray that particular part by making the play revolve most on Willy Loman. As a matter of fact, Loman is almost the same as that of being a ‘low man’. The play made use of interplay of two time frames basically that of the past and the present. The protagonist in this story is Willy Loman whose occupation is that of a businessman. Willy had been one of the victims of the so-called American dream and he love competitions. All throughout the play phrases such as ‘well-liked’, ‘I’m going to lose weight’ and the like could be found, and they are repeated numerous time. One may wonder what those repetitions mean. Basically, the significance behind those repetitions lies on the fact that Willy believe that it is the outer appearance which would bring you success and not one’s intelligence per se. For Willy academic performance is of no significance, rather it is being admired and well-liked that really matters. This can be seen from the scenes wherein he often reiterated that Charley and Bernard are both ‘liked’ but not ‘well-liked’. All throughout the play Willy dreamed of being a very popular salesman so that when he dies people all throughout the world would come to pay their respect to him. The reason why he had not been a successful man may lie on the fact that what he tried to sell had not been his goods, rather it was his character. Dave Salesman had been Willy’s role model and he greatly idolizes the man to the point that he wanted his death to be the same as that of Singleman. Miller showed his genius by naming his characters â€Å"Singleman† and â€Å"Loman† since there is a great allegory between the two. Miller named the pleasant salesman as Singleman mainly because he wanted his audience to think of Dave as a single man who had never been committed to anyone and who had never shared his life with his family. In contrast, Loman is almost the same as that of â€Å"low man† which could possibly mean a man with a very low sense of morality and the like. Thus, since Singleman is Loman’s hero it greatly shows the contrast between the two and it also showed Willy’s weird opinion of what success is like. The death of a salesman talks not only of the literal death of Willy who as the story goes committed suicide since it is the only alternative he sees in order to secure his dreams (which re left for his sons to continue), rather the story also talked about the death of Willy’s dream. As mentioned earlier, Willy believes that success lies within being well-liked and being popular. Willy said Charley is not very much well-liked and yet as was seen on the play Charley is very much successful as compared to Willy. One of the main themes of the story is â€Å"the American dream†. Based on Willy’s understanding, what constitutes an â€Å"American Dream† is being well-liked and being attractive which in turn would result in success. However, his bizarre opinion of what success is like led to his own downfall. This blind belief led tom psychological decline which in turn made him daydream a lot. All throughout the scene there’s a constant drift from past to present which often time confuses the audience on which timeframe the casts of the story is in at the moment. However, the use of the two timeframes gave Miller an opportunity to compare and to contrast Willy’s dream and reality. The shift of one timeframe to another also allowed Miller to forbid his audience to have a permanent opinion of his characters since it allowed him to show the characters in the story in pathetic and wicked light alike. However, as Willy experienced a psychological decline the boundary between the past and the present are no longer define and thus both existed in a parallel ground. When Biff informed Willy of his interview with Bill Oliver Willy advised him to demand for a high amount of salary from Oliver claiming that if his son starts big then he would also end big. He also made it a point to impress Oliver with Biff’s personality. This particular scene showed how very unrealistic Willy is. It also contradicted the belief that everyone should start small and work little by little up the corporate ladder since Willy believes that they could all start big since they are a Loman. Thus, this particular advice of Willy to his son proved to be very contradictory. Also, Willy himself did not follow his own advice with his interview with Howard. Whereas he advised his son to ask Oliver for a large amount, he himself did not do that with his interview. Rather, he begged Howard to station him in New York since he can no longer deal with too much traveling. He even said that he is willing to accept a moderate salary. This also showed a great contradiction with Willy’s advice and his own deed. In analyzing stage directions made for Happy â€Å"Sexuality is like a visible color for him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  we could see that Americans wrote plays which show step by step how a character is supposed to act. It also spells their characters age, characteristic and the like. They are very strict in this manner in that they spell everything out down to the smallest detail. In the play, one could see that Willy is a victim of his society, particularly that of capitalism. This can clearly be shown from his interview with Howard, the son of his boss. Since he could no longer produce money, Howard fired him out of his job. All throughout the story we can see Willy’s strong hold on his American dream which served him nothing but misery in the end, and now that he is old and no longer productive he had been thrown out of his job. Another significant part on the movie is the fact that the play is set in post World War II New York City, yet Willy’s flashbacks date back to 1928. The reason behind this is that it was in year 1928 that Willy had been able to sell big time and it was also the year that he bought his Chevrolet. Thus, seeing from this point of view one could clearly justify why most of Willy’s flashbacks happened in that particular year. It was in year 1928 that Willy had been most productive and it may lead him to believe that it is the start of his great career. Biff Loman had been a kleptomaniac on the story. This particular attitude may be attributed to the fact that his father did not tell him that stealing is bad. In one particular act on the play Biff told his father that he stole a football yet Willy did not reprimand his son. Rather he said that as long as Biff is well-liked he would be very successful one day. His father’s belief flowed into him believing that people would easily forgive him for stealing things as long as he is popular. One of the reasons why Biff had been constantly stealing things is the fact that he wanted to please his family. Most of all Biff wanted to impress his father by showing him that he could get anything he wants at whatever cost. What Charley meant when he said in Willy’s requiem that Willy is a â€Å"happy man with a batch of cement† (Miller, Williams, & Paul, 1984) is the fact that Willy had not been doing the things he really want or the things that he is most good at. Willy is not really cut out to be a businessman to begin with rather he could have been better off had he been a gym owner or a sport’s coach. Willy had also been a man who enjoys doing things with his hands (he loves planting) and thus it makes the audiences wonder on whether Willy had been better off had he chosen a more appropriate career for himself. It also pointed out how Willy had never been true to himself. He did not succeed in any way because he is in constant competition and he had always been after commercial success although he is not really good with that particular thing. Commercial success overshadowed personal success and happiness which in turn led to a greater tragedy. Everything about Willy had been wrong from the start. He had the wrong beliefs as well as the wrong dream. He loves gardening and he is good with working with his hands thus if he had chosen another path (probably that of farming) then he may have had a better chance with success. The Parent/Child relationship had been present all throughout the play. Miller clearly showed how a parent’s belief and way of rearing up their children could affect their child all throughout their life. This can be seen clearly with the way Willy passed on his dreams and beliefs to his two sons. Willy’s wrong beliefs had been the primary source why his sons also failed in their lives. In one of the scenes in the play wherein Biff and Willy had been arguing Willy accused his son of ruining his life just to spite him however Biff rebutted him by saying that Willy filled him with hot air which led to his inability of getting any permanent job because he cannot bear taking orders from other people. I think Biff’s claim is more accurate as compared to his father. Of course, it is true that Biff’s disappointment with his father made him lose interest in pursuing his studies however, the main reason why Biff could not really find a good work for himself is because his father made him believe in wrong beliefs particularly that he is far superior to other people. To conclude, the play had been rather interesting because of its clear way of portraying the effects of capitalism. It also showed how wrong beliefs particularly that of beliefs regarding American Dream could lead to the distraction of people. The play also portrayed how the parent/child relationship could affect an individual thus all in all the play is exceptional save for the fact that there are times that the play is rather vague because of the constant interplay between past and present. Reference: Miller, A. , Williams, L. M. , & Paul, K. (1984). Death of a Salesman: Barron’s Educational Series.

Power in ‘Ozymandias’ (page 14) and in one other poem from Character and voice: Compare Essay

Bothe Ozymandias and The River God have a strong theme of power throughout the poems. Power in The River God is first present when the river says â€Å"But I can drown those fouls† The use of the word â€Å"can† brings out the power of the river. He has the choice over people’s lives and the river is not afraid to let us know this. The whole sentence sounds like The River God is trying to add fear to whomever he is addressing, showing them he is in charge and they should know this. Ozymandias also attempts to bring out fear through his power. â€Å"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!† He is confident that he is more powerful than the mightiest and wants everyone to know this. The poet uses the word â€Å"despair†, in other words Ozymandias is saying look and be afraid. The word shows the worry and fear of those who lived in the times of Ozymandias. Both Ozymandias and The River God believe they are more powerful than any other, they are both arrogant and do not see anyone as competition to their reputation. The River God says â€Å"O I may be an old foul river but I have plenty of go†. He is saying that even though he is worn down and old he is still as strong and mighty as he was when he was a young river. The use of the word â€Å"plenty† brings out his arrogance, he is not just saying he is powerful but he is saying he will carry on with this strength for years to come. However in Ozymandias there is proof of his down fall, his loss of power. â€Å"Nothing beside remains† and â€Å"a shattered visage lies† are both evidence that even though he had all this power once he died it all left. The poet could have done this to show the reader that nothing lasts, everything has to end. The use of the word shattered is strong as it is almost like somebody defeated Ozymandias and that somebody was time. Als o it is quite ironic that on the stone it was written â€Å"Look on my works† as none of them remained and therefore couldn’t of been as important as he made out. Ozymandias is written to sound powerful when read out loud, iambic pentameter is used which gives the poem a regular sound.

Hum M3 sha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hum M3 sha - Essay Example According to Branden, values shape individual behavior and are responsible for the social make-up of an individual (34). In addition, they represent the beliefs of what is considered morally correct or upright. Values distinguish between what is good or bad. Values are not in-born, they are learned from peers. Such a learning process explains how human beings acquire values. Animals do not learn, but their actions are shaped by nature and the environment. Values are a significant part of how human beings view emotions. Branden convincingly argue that values are responsible for individual’s self-esteem (40). In addition, self-esteem controls one’s ego, hence shaping thoughts and feelings. An average score of 1.0 in the dominant values indicates a modest perception of power across a broad range of values. On the other hand, a higher score (34) is achieved by assessing cognitive empathy. Such a score is an indication of understanding the thoughts, feelings, and situation of others. The score on cognitive empathy is supported by an almost similar score (32) on emotional empathy to indicate the sensitivity of other peoples’ thoughts, situation, and feelings. The dispositional mood scale indicates a strong personality in that, positive attributes achieve a high score whereas negative attributes achieve a low score (Positive energy 4.5, relaxation 4.4, negative arousal 1.5, and tiredness

Political Comic Strip & Character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political Comic Strip & Character - Essay Example The political comic strip was therefore effective in relaying an intended message using the rhetorical element of ethos, or character. As shown, the speaker in the comic strip was noted to be a president due to the visual image of the presidential seal on the podium. The readers could in fact have other characters of a president in mind, were in not for the comic strip to have been printed and published during the helm of President Obama’s term. As a president of the United States, definitely, the credibility, reliability and trustworthiness of the person had been firmly established being the topmost elected political figure. As such, the argument in the strip focused on relaying that being the president, the only dilemma of a serious economic situation, such as government spending, is the perceived reluctance of the people to spend. The message was clear, straightforward and humorous and provided the needed appeal to a wider range of audience. Webpage on Ellen DeGeneres The b iographical webpage selected was biography.com and the famous person chosen for the discussion is Ellen DeGeneres, one of the most viewed television talk show hosts in the United States in contemporary times. The objective of this portion is to evaluate how the webpage makes an argument about the subject?s character. First, after searching for the name of Ellen DeGeneres from biography.com, her profile is immediately accessed. Viewers could see her photo at the left side portion of the screen, and under the photo were quick facts such as name, occupation, birthdate, education, place of birth and even her zodiac sign. Following that rundown of short personal information, the label ‘BEST KNOWN FOR’ â€Å"Ellen DeGeneres is one of America’s most well-known comedians and talk show hosts, also serving as a prominent gay/lesbian role model† (Ellen DeGeneres.biography, 2013, p. 1) was disclosed. From this information alone, viewers who could have not known DeGene res could already be provided with an accurate overview of what she represents. The most important adjectives or words that establish the person include well-known comedian, talk show host, and gay/lesbian role model. In the middle portion of the page, the topmost portion was reserved for viewers who might opt to see a video of Ellen. Below this portion, the following headings and detailed discussions were presented in the following order: synopsis, early life, stand-up comedy, Ellen: the Sitcom, Ellen: the Talk Show, and personal life; of which the whole information are contained in two pages. From the information that are presented in this webpage, viewers are provided with enough contents that could effectively establish the character of a person. Although one has known Ellen DeGeneres from being a regular viewer of her television show, some information were new and assisted in confirming that Ellen was indeed funny, talented and has a kind and sincere heart. Her closing remarks in her Ellen: the Talk Show: ‘be kind to one another’ aptly embodies her character. Likewise, by disclosing that she was a lesbian, the brief historical information on her life and specifically at the time when she revealed this homosexuality in public could be perceived as challenging; yet, necessary to provide a more accurate image of her sexuality. Eventually, the revelation paid off since from then, her

What is the theme in the story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Essay

What is the theme in the story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck - Essay Example All what Elisa can perform is to watch Henry from a distant as he performs his job. Any kind of detail that reaches her about the ranch management is conveyed indirectly from Henry, who only speaks unclearly, and in with words of humiliation instead of treating his wife fairly as an equal partner. The tinker appears cleverer as compared to Henry, however does not have Elisa’s passion, spirit, and desire for adventure. As per Elisa, he may even match the skills of tinker. Yet, it the one who is favored for a ride about the country, leading an adventurous life that he imagines is flabby for women. Steinbeck employs the tinker and Henry as substitutes for the paternalism of patriarchal societies in common: the way they ignore women’s potential, the same the society does. Steinbeck outlines that urge for sexual fulfillment is incredibly powerful and causes an individual to behave in an irrational way. Henry and Elisa are in a functional marriage but very passionless and they appear to treat one another more of a sibling than a spouse. From the story, Elisa is a tough woman associated with sexuality and fertility but lacks even a single child, revealing the nonsexual character of her relationship with Henry. Regardless of the fact that her marriage does not fulfill her needs, Elisa has remained a sexual person, a behavior that Steinbeck portrays as desirable and normal. From her frustrated sexual desires, Elisa’s attraction to the tinker is astonishingly uncontrollable and powerful. When she tells about staring at the star at night, for instance, her language is through and nearly pornographic. She goes on her knees before him and in a position of sexual submission, looking and reaching out towards him, as the narrator describes it, â€Å"like a fawning dog.† In quintessence, she subjects herself at the intimacy of a completely unfamiliar person. The outcome of Elisa’s strong attraction is perhaps even much destructive than the desirability itself.

TRuss Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TRuss - Lab Report Example in simple structures and to experimentally determine the internal forces in simple structures, and to compare those results with values obtained analytically. Trusses used widely in most construction projects. These include in buildings such things as scaffoldings, bridges towers, roofs to name but a few. Trusses can be defined as structural elements that are long and assembled by connecting them at the end. The basic structure of a truss is shown in figure 1 below; The use of trusses in construction process is at times faced with problems of determining the failure modes of the specific structure and determination of appropriate factors of safety. This can be achieved theoretically by calculating the amount of load that is capable of causing failure in the pin connections, theoretically calculating the load to cause yielding on members that are severely stressed and theoretically calculating the critical buckling load. In this laboratory project, the allowable load that can be applied to each of the trusses is determined. Also, the forces in each of the members of the truss are determined. Basically, the ultimate goal of the lab project is measuring Forces in Truss Members Using Strain Gages As stated above, trusses are mainly used for stiffening structures. This implies that the truss is subjected to various forces that may be tension, compressional or both. A truss is made up of members joined together at the edges. Since the trusses are subjected to forces by the structures they support and the truss is made of members, then it implies that each member is subjected to 2 forces i.e. each member is a two force member. In the use of trusses, the weight is not considered since they are assumed to possess negligible weight as compared to the load imposed on them. Trusses exist in various types that include simple trusses, and complex trusses. Trusses are subjected to compression, tensional or both tensional and compression force due to the load imposed on them.

Debt sustainability and Fiscal Councils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Debt sustainability and Fiscal Councils - Essay Example The most obvious reasons of rising government debt are the failure to collect enough taxes or revenues in order to meet the expenditure of the government. Economists argue that if the level of government deficit is very high then it implies that the government will be unable to spend a similar amount in the future (Euro Economics, 2015). The following equation captures the debt to GDP ratio in a comprehensive manner.Growth rate of debt to GDP ratio= primary deficit/ B + i –growth rate of nominal GDPB= nominal quantity of government bondsi= nominal rate of interestPrimary deficit= This measures the total budget deficit of the government minus the amount that has to be paid as interest on the debt.The equation above shows that there are three main factors which can cause very high level of government deficit (Abel and Bernanke, 2005). The first one is a very high deficit spending on the part of the government. The second one is an increase in the rate of nominal interest on the debt that has been collected on the part of the government and third is a sluggish economic growth. Falling rates of interest has contributed to a high level of debt as it became easier to finance the operations of the government through debt instruments. A rise in the propensity of savings in the emerging markets has been found to be a major factor which has contributed to the fall in the interest rates. Finally, preferential treatment of payment of interest on debt has been found to be a contributing factor.

Culture in organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Culture in organization - Essay Example According to my mentor, it is essential to have culture in an organization. This is because culture creates an opportunity for the employees to learn from each other on different cultural values. Such includes improvement on their appreciation of individuals from other cultures. As such, it becomes easier for employees to interact and conduct business with different people from all geographical locations in the world. Culture is an integral part in determining the interaction strategies and methods for employees. Such includes enhancing a health competition at the organization workplace. Culture also ensures that employees have a sense of direction while at the workplace, which determines their ability of achieving success in different spheres of life (Lowe 1). Furthermore, culture ensures that employees have an identity while in the organization. Such includes a cultural policy, which offers the direction and guidelines for employees while in the organization. Consequently, an organ ization wins loyalty from employees, which contributes towards the achievement of success in business activities. Culture creates a difference of promoting the brand image of a firm by establishing a common platform for individuals. Such is possible because culture brings unity among employees from different cultural backgrounds. These employees also get a chance of establishing long-lasting relationships, which enables them to extract the best from all the team members in an organization.

Memo about (Absolute Zero - The Conquest of Cold ) Essay

Memo about (Absolute Zero - The Conquest of Cold ) - Essay Example In addition, the theory also emphasized that heat could neither be â€Å"destroyed† or â€Å"created.† Entrepreneurs like Frederick Jude and Henry Feroe, who started a company that offered shipment services that were preserved by ice which he got from around his place. He knew that ice (cold) could be used as a preservative and hence commercialized its use. The idea became more popular as the world got into the industrial revolution. If not for Joule, the concept of energy conversion from mechanical to heat energy could not have been utilized. Joule demonstrated through his experiment of the possibility of converting Mechanical energy into heat. It is by the help of Thompson that he improved on Joules theory and came up with the Laws of Thermodynamics. The first Law of thermodynamic stated that energy can always be converted from form to form, but cannot be destroyed or created. The second Law of Thermodynamics stated that heat cannot move from a cool surface to a hot s urface. The first substance to be used in artificial refrigerators as working liquid was ammonia liquid. It is evident from the documentary that the invention of the refrigeration system took a very long time as it entailed a cocktail of a number of theories before it was actualized. After the first artificial prototype was made, several attempts to come with a good refrigeration system was put in place and several companies ventured into its production becoming a commercial product. In the documentary, I found it interesting how the refrigerator came to be made. As we live in today’s world, one cannot always appreciate some of the inventions unless they look back into the history involved in its making. It is a fact that the making of the first artificial refrigeration system took many decades before it came in place as it entailed a number of theories and facts before any agreement could be made regarding how it should work. Eventually, through the discovery of the law of conservation

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Global Warming - Essay Example This is a difficult dilemma, because the effects of climate change will manifest themselves in different ways in different regions, from pole to pole. The political reasoning of the problem solution suggests that all countries need to make coordinated and deliberate actions based on special international conventions on climate change. Scientists and international scientific community are now under a tremendous pressure, as a correct identification of climate change trends and its main consequences in the future will save humanity from immense ills and, vice versa, adoption of expensive measures without sufficient scientific grounds will lead to huge economic losses. Global Warming Its easiest definition runs that global warming is a gradual increase in average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans in the 20th and 21st centuries. Scientific judgments, expressed by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, directly supported by National Academies of Sciences o f the Big Eight, say that the average temperature on Earth has risen by 0.7 Â ° C since the Industrial Revolution (the second half of the 18th century) and a considerable proportion of observed warming over the past 50 years was caused by human activities, primarily by gas emission (carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)), that cause the greenhouse effect (Mank 1). The increase in average global temperature led to a decrease in continental glaciers. In addition, we should expect a decrease of the permafrost zone, which presently occupies a significant part of the planet, as well as anticipate changes in the methods of management, farming, construction, etc. in the zone itself. Measurements and calculations showed that for the last 100 years mountain glaciers have decreased by approximately 2.000 cubical kilometers; the annual decline averaged 0.06% of the total mass of Alpine ice. Signs of glaciers’ degradation are observed in all regions of the Arctic, where global warming manifests itself to the maximum extent. Climate warming leads to sea levels rise. Over the past 20 years the rate of increase has doubled and reached 2.5 cm/yr. This rise promises significant environmental consequences. Saltwater intrusion in deltas of the major rivers will destroy protected habitat for wild animals and birds, spawning grounds for fish. Sea level rise will increase a probability of devastating storms. The issue of dams’ building needs to be thought through today. About 70% of the seaside is currently being destroyed as a result of natural lift of water and increasing human activities. This process will be further exacerbated by global warming. So, according to the UN Environment Program data, in the Nile Delta, for example, one-fifth of the arable land of Egypt can be flooded by rising water, which will affect about 10 million people (Mank 3). Scientists state that in addition to sea-level rise, rise of global temperature will lead to changes in the quantity and distribution of precipitation. As a result, there is a strong possibility of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, etc.; harvests will fall in the affected areas and will increase in other zones (due to increasing concentration of carbon dioxide). Climate warming may cause a geographic

Discourse on Method Essay Example for Free

Discourse on Method Essay Are there any identical restrictions on the ways in which human beings may use and treat nonhuman animals? If so, what are they and how are they considered morally justified? In this philosophical enterprise, I will first review three standard responses to these questions and briefly indicate why none of them is entirely satisfactory. Afterwards, I will elucidate what axioms should be adopted as the kernel of truth in each of three responses, and finally juxtapose them into the fourth axiom, which is more adequate position. In so doing, I will argue the importance, from an ethical point of view, of further inquiry into the nature and extent of consciousness in nonhuman animals. Historically, Western philosophers have established three postulates explaining the validity of using and treating nonhuman animals in experiment disregarding the questions about its nature and its extent of ethical restrictions. One, they argue on the basis of our indirect obligation to animals maintaining that act of expending animals for different experiments is only impermissible if and only if we have a direct obligation. Two, humans do not have any obligation to animals, and given this fact humans can do whatever they want with animals. And lastly, direct obligation posits that ethical restrictions on the use of animals are possible only on the basis of considering their sake. Among the most noted philosophers in the western tradition, St. Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant have acknowledged restrictions on human conduct with regard to the utility and treatment of animals, but these restrictions are, in their stance, ultimately grounded upon the obligation to other human beings, and to animals. Amalgamating views that can be traced both to the Bible and Aristotle, Aquinas held a hierarchical or means-ends view of the interplay between plants, animals, and humans respectively: There is no sin in using a thing for the purpose of which it is. Now the order of things is such that the imperfect are for the perfect†¦ things, like plants which merely have life, are alike for animals, and all animals for man. Wherefore, it is not unlawful if men use plants for the good of animals, and animals for the good of man, as the Philosopher states (Politics i. 3) Nevertheless, it does not follow for Aquinas, that one can do anything to an animal. For example, one is still prohibited from killing another person’s ox because this will be an act of injury other’s property, which is an undeniable act of theft or robbery. And there may even be similarly indirect grounds for not harming animals that are no one’s property. Thus, Aquinas explains, if any passages of Holy Writ seem to forbid us to be cruel to dumb animals, for instance to kill a bird with its young: this is either to remove man’s thoughts from being cruel to other men, and lest through being cruel to animals one become cruel to human beings: or because injury to an animal leads to the temporal hurt of man, either of the doer of the deed, or of another. Kant also held such position insofar as humans obligated to restrain themselves in their dealings with animals due to their obligations to other humans. Thus, So far as animals are concerned, we have no direct duties. Animals are not self-conscious and are there merely as means to an end. That end is man†¦ our duties towards animals is merely indirect duties towards humanity. Animal nature has analogies to human nature, and by doing our duties to animals in respect to manifestations of human nature, we indirectly do our duty to humanity†¦ If†¦ any acts of animal are analogous to human acts and spring from the same principles. We have duties towards animals because thus we cultivate the same duties towards human beings. If a man shoot his dog because the animal is no longer capable of service, he does not fail in his duty to the dog, for the dog cannot judge, but his act is inhuman and damages in itself that humanity which it is his duty to show towards mankind. The arguments provided by these philosophers validate the philosophical perspective incorporated in the axiom of indirect obligation. Albeit the fact that we are in a way have obligations to animals, this should not be misconstrued as obligations that humans owed to the animals but rather these obligations are owed to humanity. Nonetheless, there are significant problems with Aquinas and Kant’s conjectures, at least in their present forms. First, insofar as Aquinas assumes that it is necessary for humans to use animals for food and hence to deprive them of life, his position must be reconsidered in the light of modern knowledge about nutrition. It has been maintained, for example, that a perfectly nutritious diet may require little or no deprivation of animal life and, even if it does, that the average American consumes twice as much animal protein as his/her body can possibly use . To such an extent, we continue to consume large quantities of animal foodstuff requiring pain and the deprivation of life, then. We do so, not so much to serve vital nutritional demands, but rather to indulge our acquired tastes. Secondly, insofar as Aquinas’ view is based upon hierarchical worldview and presupposes that those lower in the order or less perfect are to serve good of those higher or more perfect, it is open to a serious theoretical objection. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to imagine that a group of beings ? perhaps from another part of the universe ? who are more rational and more perfect than we. Let say that such beings are impeccable than we are, it seems to follow, if we adopt the principles underlying Aquinas’ stance, that we ought to acquiesce in their using us for whichever of their purposes they fancy we would serve. But do we want to agree with the rightness of this? And if we take Aquinas’ standpoint, would we have any grounds on which to disagree. As for Kant’s view, the main difficulties have to do first with his emphasis on self-consciousness as a condition for being the object of a direct obligation, and second with his assumption that all and only human beings are self-conscious. I will postpone consideration of the first difficulty until later. For the moment, let me simply develop the second. Even supposing that self-consciousness is a necessary condition for the being the object of direct obligation, it does not follow either that all human beings are the object direct obligations or that no animal can be the object of such obligation. First, advances in the medical knowledge, techniques, and technology have, among other things, preserved and prolonged the lives of a number of human beings who are severely retarded or otherwise mentally impaired due to illness or accident. In our day, then, if not in Kant’s, one cannot assume that all human beings are self-conscious. Second, some contemporary researchers have suggested that at least some non-human animals have a capacity to become self-conscious that has, until recently, been undetected or ignored by men. Whence, even if we follow Kant and accept self-consciousness as a condition for being the object of direct obligations, it is does not follow that all and only humans satisfy this condition. Some humans, it may turn out, will not be the objects of direct obligations and some animals will. If animals are not conscious, that is, if they are not sentient and have no capacity for pleasure, pain, or any mental conditions, they may not even be the objects of indirect obligations. Insofar as Aquinas says that it is possible to be â€Å"cruel to dumb animals† and Kant says that â€Å"he who is cruel to animals becomes hard in dealings with men,† each presupposes that animals, unlike plants and machines, are sentient and are thereby capable of sensation and consciousness. Thus it is surprising to find Rene Descartes comparing animals to machines. Nevertheless, this is just what he did in Discourse on Method when he compared machines made by the hand of man with human and nonhuman animal bodies made by the hand of God: From this aspect the body is regarded as a machine which, having been made by the hands of God, is incomparably better arranged, and possesses in itself movements which are much more admirable than any of those which can be invented by man. † Living human bodies were, for Descartes, distinguished from living animal bodies by the presence of an immortal soul which was a prerequisite for mental experiences. Without a soul, a biological body was a natural automaton, â€Å"much more splendid†, but in kind no different from machines. For Descartes, the criterion for dichotomizing those living bodies which were ensouled from those which were not was the capacity to use language. The former, he posited, included all and only human beings. , there are none so depraved and stupid, without even exempting idiots, that they cannot arrange different words together, forming of them a statement by which they make known their thoughts; while on the other hand, there is no other animal, however perfect and fortunately circumstanced it may be which can do the same. Insofar as Descartes’ position presupposes that all and only human beings have the capacity to use language, it is open to the same sort of criticisms and objections that we raised against Kant. That is, advancements in medicine are providing more nonlinguistic humans and advances in science are suggesting that at least some nonhuman creatures have more linguistic facility than we previously assumed. Moreover, even the if Descartes were correct on his reasoning that the capacity to use language is uniquely human, why should this, rather than the capacity to feel pain and experience distress, be the principal criterion for determining the nature and extent of ethical restrictions on the expenditure and treatment of animals? It is this objection which sets the stage for positions which hold that humans have direct obligations to at least some animals. Jeremy Bentham argues that pain and pleasure were what governed behavior and that any ethical system which was founded on anything but maximizing the net balance of pleasure over pain, dealt in â€Å"sounds instead of sense, in caprice instead of reason, in darkness instead of light. † Every action for Bentham was to be assessed in terms of its likelihood of maximizing the net balance of happiness. But, he noted, if the capacity to experience pleasure and pain was what qualified one to be taken into account in estimating the effects of various courses of action, then nonhuman as well as human animals would have to be taken into account insofar as they, too, had the capacity to experience pleasure and pain. Thus, for Bentham, it is sentience, or capacity for pleasure and pain, that determines whether a being qualifies for mortal consideration. The question now is what grounds we have to consider that animals do suffer from our â€Å"cruel† acts. In response to such question, one holding a utilitarian direct obligation theory must show why individuals believe that animals are conscious. There are number of ways one might go about this. One, one could stress behavioral similarities between men and animals in their respective responses to certain standard pain and pleasure producing stimuli. Comparing the behavior of animals to infants would be valid indication of such similarities. Two, we could stress relevant neuropsychological similarities between humans and animals. The fundamental insight of indirect obligation theories is their recognition of difference between simple and reflective consciousness. Beings having only simple consciousness can experience pain, have desires, and make choices. But they are not capable of reflecting upon their experiences, desires, and choices and altering their behavior as a result of self-conscious evaluation and deliberation. Beings who can do this I will, following John Locke, label â€Å"persons†. A person, in Locke’s stance, is â€Å"A thinking intelligent being that has reason and reflection and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places. † although they are mistaken in believing that the class of human beings, indirect obligation theorists were correct to emphasize the social status of persons. For only persons are capable of tracing the consequences and implications of various courses of action and then deliberating and deciding to embark on one rather than another on grounds other than self-interest. To do this is part of what it means to have a morality, and it is the capacity for taking the moral pint of view (that is, voluntarily restricting one’s appetite or desire for the sake of others) that gives the person their special worth. The fundamental point of Descartes’ no obligation axiom was to recognize the connection between the development and exercise of language. As Stuart Hampshire has recently pointed out, although people often associate the use of language primarily with communication, â€Å"language’s more distinctive and far-reaching power is to bring possibilities before the mind. Culture has its principal source in the use of the word ‘if’ in counterfactual speculation†. Only language, then, gives us the power to construct complex unrealized possibilities. Therefore, a being cannot be considered a person without the incorporation of language in human psyche. Finally, the fundamental argument of direct obligation principles was to note that one need not be a person to be the object of a moral obligation. Simple consciousness and sentience is sufficient to entitle a being to be considered for its own sake in the ethical deliberations of persons. If, for example, the capacity to feel pain is sufficient for prima facie obligation not to cause gratuitous pain to persons, why it is not also valid ground for a similar obligation not to cause pain to animals? With regard to the evil of avoidable and unjustifiable pain, the question is, as Bentham emphasized, not â€Å"Can they reason nor can they talk? † but, â€Å"can they suffer? † Putting all of this together, we can say that persons, who are characterized as possessing reflective consciousness, may have a higher status than beings having only simple consciousness. Their special worth is a function of the extent to which they use language â€Å"to bring possibilities before the mind† and then restrain their more trivial desires for the sake of not harming others whom they recognize, from the moral point of view, as their equals in certain respects. Among the beings whose interests must be taken into account for their own sake in the moral deliberations of persons are beings possessing only simple consciousness. To the extent that persons reluctantly cause pains, suffering, and even death to beings possessing simple consciousness in order to meet important needs, what they do may be justified by appeal to their higher status or greater worth. But, to the extent that persons inflict avoidable pain and suffering on such beings merely to satisfy certain trivial tastes or desires, they pervert their greater capacities. In so doing, they ironically undermine their claim to higher status or worth and thereby weaken any justification they may have had for sacrificing beings having only simple consciousness for important ends. References: Aquinas, S. T. (1981). Summa Theologica (F. o. t. E. D. Province, Trans. ): Christian Classics. Bentham, J. (1988). The Principles of Morals and Legislation: Prometheus Books. Descartes, R. (1999). Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy (Fourth ed. ): Hackett Pub Co Inc. Hampshire, S. (1979). Human Nature. New York Review of Books. Kant, I. (1963). Lectures on Ethics (L. Infield, Trans. ): Harper and Row. Lappe, F. M. (1975). Fantasies and Famine: Harper and Row. Locke, J. (1994). An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Prometheus Books. Velasquez, M. (1985). Ethics Theory and Practice: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Passing by Nella Larson Gender Analysis Essay

Passing by Nella Larson Gender Analysis Essay Nella Larsen was an American writer of the Harlem Renaissance. One of her novels, Passing, took place New York society during the 1920s. The story surrounds the reunion of two women, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield and their struggles they face because of passing. Through Passing, Nella Larsen demonstrates the challenges that the gender constructs during the time as women are powerless against race and men. Irene and Brians marriage symbolized the different roles of women and men in their home. Although she told Clare that she had all the things she wanted and that did not need to pass as white, Irene still struggled with her marriage and the control of her sons. In the beginning of Passing, Irene recalled the memory of meeting Clare Kendry in Chicago after receiving letter from her. Unplanned, Irene saw Clare in Chicago and was disturbed by her. After dropping Clare out of her mind, she turned her mind to her lovely family, To home, to the boys, to Brian. Brian, who in the morning would be waiting for her in the great clamorous station. She hoped that he had been comfortable and not too lonely without her and the boys (Larsen P1 4). It seems that she has found a destination where she can find her own peace and comfort solution for all her troubles she has. This quote reveals the message that the women should be expected to find their love and their solutions to their problems. This als o shows the expectations society has for women. Home is where the women should be at. Throughout Passing, Larsen starts to unveil pieces of her complicated mind and thoughts of Irene. For example, when Larsen brought up how women think about their husbands That craving for some place strange and different, which at the beginning of her marriage she had had to make such strenuous efforts to repress, and which yet faintly alarmed her, though it now sprang up at gradually lessening intervals (Larsen P1 4). Even though she made Brian stay in New York for his job, which showed some power over Brian, but overall she is powerless against Brian in many aspects as explained, She was, to him, only the mother of his sons (Larsen P3 1). This unveiled the point of view men have about marriage in this society. Women think that children, kids, babies can fill up the cracks of their own marriage. The power of the women in their own family, where they have to depend on their husband in everything, seems to fade every moment: She closed her unseeing eyes and clenched her fists. She tried not to cry. But her lips tightened and no effort could check the hot tears of rage and shame that sprang into her eyes and flowed down her cheeks; so she laid her face in her arms and wept silently. (Larsen P3 1). Irene couldnt do anything but think and endure the pain that she went through, thinking about Brians affair, that she still has to stay with him whether he had an affair or not. Until this point, Larsen has shown the perspective, the struggles of the women when they depend on men to survive. Clare Kendry reveals the expectations of women in society and symbolizes the power struggle of the women in society. She has taken a risk by passing and living in a white society. She has put herself in a dangerous situation to bring her access to power and to the higher class in the society. She represents the need for power of women in society, striving for equality. Like Irene, Clare is helpless and powerless against her husband, John Bellew in her own home. She is catlike (Larsen P1 1), trying to hide her own identity because of her own sake. Her true root goes with her gender and drags her down to the bottom against John. She had to accept everything John said. During the reunion with her old friends, Gertrude and Irene, John came into the room, with a surprise greeting that startle everyone, Hello, Nig, (Larsen P1 3) despite not being aware of Clares background. The racist term has offended anyone that has a black background. Gertrude and Irene who had caught her lip between he r teeth and sat gazing at husband and wife, (Larsen P1 3) and even Clare, but she did not do a thing. She knew that if she stood up against him for calling her that, her perfect white life would be over. She knows she has no power over her husband. Later in Passing, John Bellew found out the original root of Clare. Clare herself was speechless, stood at the window, as composed as if everyone were not staring at her in curiosity and wonder, as if the whole structure of her life were not lying in fragments before her. She seemed unaware of any danger or uncaring. There was even a faint smile on her full, red lips, and in her shining eyes (Larsen P3, 4). She finally realized that she was free of him and free of being powerless against her husband. Everyone in the room stood up for her. Even though she felt liberated for an instant, she knew the intolerance of Bellew would cause a tragic end to her. She stood there, next to the window, frozen. The next thing, she was gone. She fell thro ugh the window, which had freed her from the pressure of her husband, as the pressure the expectations on the women of the society had put on them. The end of the story portrays the pressure of the women in their own home, society, which in some ways death is the only solution; they had to follow every single word of men, who is portrayed in the story as more a power creature. Clare Kendrys husband, John Bellew represents the power of the man against the women in the familys structure. Passing is the story about the life surrounds two main character, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield but it portrays them as powerless creatures that struggle in identify themselves in their own society. It also portrays the picture of men as power creatures against women, as if they are the gender slave owners where the women are the gender slaves. John Bellew is the perfect figure that is portrayed in this story, symbolizing the power of the men in society. Clare Kendry, fearing that John might figure out her original root, shrinks herself into a small creature, powerless, helpless against him. This situation symbolizes the ideology in the familys structure of power in the society, where men are always in charge of the house, and women have to follow what they said. When he came into the room during the party, his greeting to Clare was, Hello, Nig (Larsen P1 3). Despite the f act that he didnt know about Clare and her friends background, the greeting still heated up their anger. Even though it was very offensive, Clare and her friends still could not do anything about it. This shows the power of John over all the women, as the only man in the room. His power controls Clare in everything, where she had to be careful what she did that include her racial root. Nella Larsen has portrayed the power that men have and abuse it in their own household or even in the society in general. Even though Passing is a novel that surrounds the racial issues during the 1920s, the story still has a different approach to its theme. Rather than focusing on race, it focuses on the gender challenges in relationship, marriage, or even in society overall between men and women. Through the novel, Nella Larsen has showed the purposes of men and women in society where they support each other not abusing the power they had. She also proves the false beliefs that society has in their family, where men have to be in charge of their household.

Strategic change management at the Citibank

Strategic change management at the Citibank Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York. As of March 2010, Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States by total assets, after Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. Citibank has retail banking operations in more than 100 countries and territories around the world. More than half of its 1,400 offices are in the United States, mostly in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Miami. More recently, Citibank has expanded its operations in the Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas. In addition to the standard banking transactions, Citibank offers insurance, credit card and investment products. Their online services division is among the most successful in the field,[citation needed] claiming about 15 million users. As a result of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 and huge losses in the value of its subprime mortgage assets, Citibank was rescued by the U.S. government under plans agreed for Citigroup. On November 23, 2008, in addition to initial aid of $25 billion, a further $25 billion was invested in the corporation together with guarantees for risky assets amounting to $306 billion. Since this time, Citibank has repaid their government loans in full. Citibank was one of the first U.S. banks to introduce automatic teller machines in the 1970s, in order to give 24-hour access to accounts. Customers could use their existing Citicard in this machine to withdraw cash and make deposits, and were already accustomed to using a machine with a card to get information that previously required a teller. In April 2006, Citibank struck a deal with 7-Eleven to put its automated teller machine (ATMs) in more than 5,500 convenience stores in the United States. In the same month, it also announced it would sell all of its Buffalo and Rochester, New York, branches and accounts to MHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MT_BankHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MT_BankT Bank. Introduction Change Management is a set of process of an individual is been moved to another process for making the success or to achieve the objectives of the organisation. For eg If a person works in india is an process expert if the company wants to start a new branch in America. Then what the company should do? The Company should take a fair decision by moving the employee from india to America. So that he is aware of the process and he select the skilful person who is worth for this project. So change in the world is common and good for the surrounding as well. But the change should make profit for an organisation objectives. Strategic change management is an intergrated process in the organisation by creating the strategy and implementing in to work activities. By implementing we need to monitor the activities work done by the employee so based on the regular check we can make a change to the organisation as well as it will increase the economic growth of business. Change management is a well structured designed approach by interchanging the person or team from a current state to a desired state or company wants him to go for a particular state to accept the current change in business environment for the growth of organisation. Task 1 2.1 Need for Change: The Changes are happening in the organisation of both external and internal issues. The following issues of point are below: Drastic change in the global market growth Changes in economic downturns Serious changes in business strategy Technological changes in business Expanding business widely All Organisation have to make their own changes, otherwise they will be moving in the same tempo, they cant achieve more what the other does. So strategic changes is something very essential for a business success. To mee the challenges definitely the organisation needs a change from both the external and internal environment Citibank as a private are facing some of the challenges, the following below changes are below : Economic downturn : Everyone is aware the global market is in a serious crisis position now. In this situation badly affected country in America and Europe. Because of Lehman brother bankrupt the company finding a hard position now. Lehman brother was 4th largest investment bank in the USA, because of the bankruptcy the America is in a critical situation. This should not happen to others banks, So because of this every bank is using new strategy to overcome with this situation. This economic downturn made a great collapse on banking sector. Competitive pressure : India is the second largest population in the country. In india we can find many private banks to its best and they give the service to the custome is also outstanding. Now this is the time every bank should use the strategy to bring customers with our bank. So the Citibank has started a new facility by transferring the funds to other banks by NEFT. This was not introduced in the othere banks. So everyone attention has turned to Citibank. So this is there we need to implement the strategy and make successful. So this would create a competitive pressure to other banks. Technological Development: In last few years technology has been developed a vast and it helps in many ways for us. Some of the banks dont have facility of transferring the funds to other person for the same bank he has the account. We can transfer the amount but it will take one day for registration then we can transfer the money. Citibank has came up with new strategy by with in a minute money will be transferred to the account. If we had that person in to the payee list. Because of the technological development it make very easier to the customer. Planning for extension: Citibank atm has lot of branch over Chennai and Mumbai cities, as a feed back from customers they have opened lot of atms for customers welfare. So by creating a wide extension they can retain their largest market position. Stake holders demand: Its nothing but who participates in the organisation by directly or indirectly. Directly means those who have invested the money in the organisation. Their demand is like company should earn profit and they have to top listed in the global market. Indirectly means customers, their demand is like online services, atm services, deposits and payment in online. So this will motivate the bank for change. 2.2 Driving Factors that influence the change: Changes does not take place in every short while, There are some important driving factors which plays to be an important role for change in the organisation. There are two parts of factor external and internal. External Factors : The External environment factors are of two different types the general environment and task environment. External Environment : The general environment of organisation are listed below: Political changes and implementation of a new government Current economy changes such as rising down of stock market and exchange rates Technological change which may affect the human life in both products and process Legal implication of new government polices Clearly these factors are apart from influence in change in the organisation. Definitely the organisation will over come the challenges would do well and anticipate to these development as they translate directly or either a threat that must overcome an opportunity. Internal environments: Internal factors play a major role for changing in an organisation. These factors are driving the change and make the organisation support for achieving the objective. Change of Management: Each and every organisation make a change over the chief executive officer after some years of service. When a new chief executive office comes in to the organisation make some new strategic changes to the organisation. Financial Issue: Generally every organisation want to make the budget competitive for the project. They need the output result to be effective in minimum budget. This is what every organisational objective. In some times this wont work out in some of the projects, in this case they will make the change to cut down the budget amount. Technological Development: In this modern world everyday a lot of new inventions have been invented new by the scholars to promote the business, make the life convenient and comfortable. Organisation can advertise their business by the technology they can use the opportunity and competite others. In case of Citibank, have some of the factors which driven its change in the last few years. Economic Downturn : In the global recession Citibank has been badly affected for eg Citibank back end BPO projects have been outsourced to india in the name of Citigroup global services, once the recession affected the market as well as the bankrupt of lehman brothers as affected the America badly. At that time citigroup has been acquired by TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES. Otherwise it would be difficult for the organisation to continue their business. Political issue: Generally according to the new government rules and regulation, the bank will adhere to the policy and make a new strategy according to the new legislation. Technological Development : When comparing with other bank always Citibank at the top. Their service is outstanding eg online service is user friendly to the customers. They make use of the full technology development. Customers expectation : Citibank always fulfil their customer needs. Eg they provide sms service to pay the bill or to know the outstanding amount of the bill. Apart from that they are doing extra services like paying the mobile bill, electricity bill etc. Demographical situation : Citibank has lot of branch in india and other main cities like Chennai and Mumbai, So they have the plan to open the brach in remote villages of citi for the benefit of the customer request and the feedback. This will creat a extra ordinary change in socio economy of india. Pressure from the rivals: Generally in india there are lot of private banks which is very competitive, Citibank has done many strategy changes to make the bank as unique, for eg. Those who lend the money for mortgage, the citi has came front and offer loan in an attractive interest to the customers. The above factors discussed here which plays the major role for change in the organisation. I have not listed down all the factors. Whatever the factor that is not important, organisational change is the process which is related to growth of the organisation. Its failure or success but the change is very important to the organisation to achieve the organisational objective. 2.3 Resource Implications : Resources are the major factors of the organisation. The better resources can bring the revenue and opportunity to the organisation. Organisation use different resources to achieve their goals. The major resources used by the organisation are described below : 1. Human Resources 2. Financial Resources 3. Physical Resources Human Resources : Human resources is the most important resources in the organisation. They maintain all other department in the organisation like, admin, cafertaria, marketing, supplier etc. HR team is the one who recruit people for other department. If a new process comes to the organisation they are one who recruit people according to the criteria of the process. HR team facilitates other roles in the organisation like employees needs and trainings etc. To achive the organisational goal change is much needed for organisation. Financial Resources : Finance is very much important to the organisation, with out that nothing can be done. For each and everything we need finance. Eg to give training to employees and induction to new people for each and everything we need money. So the company will focus on finance, they need a good output with minimum budget. In the recession period many of the banks have faced the problems. Some of the banks have reduced the salary of the employees of the bank. Physical Resources : Physical resources support the human resources department to do the job properly in a right way. For eg human resources cannot do all the work with out proper physical resources. Infrastructure, transportation, machine are coming under the physical resources which can help for human resources and together they can achieve for organisational growth. 3.1 Systems of involving stakeholders: Stakeholders are the people who have interest in the organisation or have influence or power over it. For changes in the organisation stakeholders plays a major role. The internal stakeholders have more power and more interest. Some have low powe and high interest. Stakeholders support is very essential to organisation with out their support changes is not possible. The Key stake holders may divide into two categories: Internal and External Internal Stakeholders : Internal stakeholders are people who work inside the organisation is called internal stakeholders. For eg customer, employees and management. They are the most effective to the changes happening in the organisation. External Stakeholders: The people who are outside the organisation are called external stakeholders. For eg supplier, buyer, government etc. Stakeholders of Citibank: Citibank stakeholders play a major role in changes of organisation. They are the one who accept change and make it successful. With out them changes is not possible. They have to accept the change so that we can achieve our organisational objective. The stakeholder of Citibank can describe as following: Investors : The investors of bank is vey important. In that stakeholder is the investor. So he is more important to organisation. So they have the full influence to changes in the organisation. Employees: Employees of the organisation plays a major role in change of organisation. When the changes need to the organisation, the direct support comes from the employees to change or resist the change. All the employees of the bank in the organisation are key stake holders of the organisation. Management: Management is solely responsible for the growth of the organisation. They are the one who implement the strategy and implement in day to day activities and make success for the organisation. Customers: Cutomers are the asset to the organisation, when the changes place in the organisation customer focus to the organisation. As well as bank is very keen on customer when the change is going on. Share holders: Shareholders are the owner of the organisation. The bank gives high priority to the shareholders, with out their decision the bank cannot change anything in the organisation. Shareholders have high interest and high priority in the organisation. Community: Community is something very important, bank have to look around whats happening because some of the muslim banks are giving interest free as that is religious to them. So like that we need to give low interest of mortgage to customers, so that customer attention will turn around. Government: Government is one type of stakeholder in the organisation. Because we are paying corporate tax to the government as well as they have the strong power on the business. Bank obeys legislative roles made by the government. Stakeholders of the organisation has every power to change in the organisation and implement the change in day to day activities. Once the stakeholder gives the suggestion, management will think about the change and implement the same in to organisation. The stakeholders have more privilege to occur the change in the organisation as they have more interest in the organisation. 3.2 Involving stakeholders in the change management strategy: Involving stakeholders in the strategy change is depend on the realationship between the stakeholders and the organisation. The steps involving stakeholders are below: Identifying their interest in organisation Identify the output strategic challenges Graph the relationship between Recongnise the important stakeholder from the organisation As per mendelows matrix the stakeholders of categorisation is described below High power + High interest = Investors, Executive body High Power + Low interest = Government, Low power + High interest = Employees, shareholders Low power + Low interest = Customers, community 3.3 Evaluation of the systems used to involve stakeholders: Change in the organisation will be success only if we regularly do the audit check on that particular changes. So we can be aware of whats happening because the impact of failure of an effective change can be very high, losing in market, changing in senior management, losing of employees. In the recent Citibank has made a major changes in the organisaiton : They have message services, online services those who lend the money for mortage is very low interest to the cutomers. By implementing this changes they have used some methods to involve its stakeholder in the change management strategy. Meetings : Citibank has arranged meeting with his stakeholders to share the view of change in the organisational strategy Coaching: Citibank is regularly monitoring the employees. If an employee sticks in to the same process for two to three, years the employee will feel very bored to work, so he needs a change, so the organisation will come front and give coaching about the other process, so that employee should be ready to accept the change. Delegating: Its one of the methods to involve the stake holders in the change management process. The management can assign some of the task by dividing between the team to delegate the work properly. This will make a huge change process in the organisation. Presentation: It is one of the useful methods to understand the stakeholder. The bank will set up power point presentation and make them understand what we are doing in the organisation. So that stakeholders are aware of what we are doing in the organisation. 3.4 Resistance to change Resistance to change can be defined as an person or team engaging in acts to stop or disrupt an attempt to introduce change. Resistance itself can make different forms from undergoing of change initiatives in the organisation. Two types of resistance can be considered: Resistance to the content of change : A change in the technology or innovative to a particular reward for recognition. Resistance to the process of change : This type of change is for the affected employees. With out prior information a job is been assigned to the employees. After management knows they go for a change in the organisation. Steps should be taken to manage the resistance of change in the organisation : Negotiation Edit Review Management should be aware of whats going around in the organisation, because change in the organisation is something is not very easy to change. First the management teams go for the discussion and comes to the conclusion what should be implemented or not in the organisation. Then again they have to set up the meeting for the stakeholders, we need to explain the advantages of the changes in the organisation to shareholders and make them understand. At last we have to convey the changes to the employees. We conclude for whatever the changes might be in the organisaiton. And what ever the reason the changes have made necessary to implement in the organisation. The changes in the organisation is very much effective to achieve organisational objectives. Models of Strategic Change: There are many models of strategic change: 7S Model Mckinsey Five stages transition circle Kulber Rose Eight steps to successful change John p kotters Change management model Kurt luwin Casual Change model Burke Litwin 7S model of Mckinsey : The 7S model can be used in a variety of situation where an alignment perspective is useful, below are the following examples: It helps to improve the performance of the company Managers are willing to examine and learn its intention and reason and execute the model It will help to create a great business Strategy : Plan for allocation of a firm scarce resources, overtime to reach identified goals. Structure : The organisation is well structured and centralized. System : Day to day work in organisation and procedures should be follow employee Shared Values: This deals a major value to the company that influence the corporate culture and the general work in organisation. Style: The key role of manager is adopted in the organisation. Staff: Number of employees in the organisation. Skills: Highly skilled employees are working in the organisation. The Mckinsey 7S model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either hard or soft elements: Hard elements are Strategy, Structure and System. Soft elements are Shared values, skills, style and staff. Hard elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them: These are strategy statements; organization charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems. Soft elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful. Placing Shared Values in the middle of the model emphasizes that these values are central to the development of all the other critical elements. The companys structure, strategy, systems, style, staff and skills all stem from why the organization was originally created, and what it stands for. The original vision of the company was formed from the values of the creators. As the values change, so do all the other elements. 1.2 Evaluations of relevance of models of strategic change: Organisation is making changes according to the current situation and current economy. There are so many models in strategic change but we cannot implement all the strategy in to the organisation. We need to implement the correct strategy in a right time to execute the success of the organisation. Among the other models of strategic change Kurt Lewins model is used in most of the cases. Organisation should use this model for strategic change for organisational development. For a change organisation should change the chief executive officer and the managing director for achieving the organisational objective. So that new managing director introduce new online banking service and atm service. At the beginning the employees wont accept the change. But later on we should tell the advantage of the changes in to the organisation. Then the new executive of the bank go for a change to manage the organisation. First the bank should arrange the meeting with the branch manager and the whole employee of the organisation and the backend team. And they should make understand the changes and benefits to the organisation. When the managers understand the importance of change in the organisation, then they will cascade the message to the employees, in this way all the employees will ready for the change and move for their comfort zone. Secondly the management should be aware of changes is very important in the organisation. This stage of change is needed when the situation arises for the organisation. The changes will make the employees training, mentoring, groupdiscussion, so that employees could learn the changes and implement in the work. At the end change has been made now the managers and employees together should perform and achieve the goals of the organisaiton. 1.3 Assessment of the value of using strategic interventions techniques in organisations : The field of organisation using a variety of processes, approaches, methods, techniques, applications to address organisational issues and to achieve the organisational objective and to increase the performance of the organisation. Human process interventions: With todays strong importance on human values. The following interventions are getting a great deal to the organisaiton. And that will change the organisation to different reach over the customers. The human process will do a project and make them understand the benefits of change over the organisation. The following interventions will be helpful to change the projects in the organization. New employees, different cultures working together, many complaints among organizational members, many conflicts, low morale, high turnover, ineffective teams, etc. Guiding Individuals Training Counselling Motivating Mentoring Leading in front Group based Group Discussion Built the team Management conflict Virtual teams Self directed work teams These strategic change interventions will make a huge change in the organization. The organization arranged training for the employees and they should monitor the self evaluation of the employee. This will make the change in operational system successfully. 4.1 Develop appropriate model for change: Today organization face rapid change like never before, Globalization has increased the market and opportunities for growth and revenue. Ability to manage change to meet the stakeholders needs is very important by todays leaders and managers. Step one: Create urgency For change to happen, it helps if the whole company really wants it. Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving. Identify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what could happen in the future. Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited. Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking. Request support from customers, outside stakeholders and industry people to strengthen your argument. Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition Identify the true leaders in your organization. Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people. Work on team building within your change coalition. Check your team for weak areas, and ensure that you have a good mix of people from different departments and different levels within your company. Step Three: Create a Vision for Change A clear vision can help everyone understand why youre asking them to do something. When people see for themselves what youre trying to achieve, then the directives theyre given tend to make more sense. Create a strategy to execute that vision. Ensure that your change coalition can describe the vision in five minutes or less. Practice your vision speech often. Step Four: Communicate the Vision Its also important to walk the talk. What you do is far more important and believable than what you say. Demonstrate the kind of behaviour that you want from others. Talk often about your change vision. Openly and honestly address peoples concerns and anxieties. Apply your vision to all aspects of operations from training to performance reviews. Tie everything back to the vision. Lead by example. Step Five: Remove Obstacles If you follow these steps and reach this point in the change process, youve been talking about your vision and building buy-in from all levels of the organization. Hopefully, your staff wants to get busy and achieve the benefits that youve been promoting. Figure: Force field analysis In the above figure, we see that there are some forces which want the proposed change called driving force Firstly identified these both forces to implement change in right way. Then it arranged sitting with the restraining forces to develop a sense of urgency into them and use the driving forces to motivate the opposition rather than contradiction. Secondly the bank found some powerful people who positively support the need for change. It formed coalition with authority, delegation, status and expertise. It also ensures the team to have a good mix of people from different levels and different areas. Finally, it developed a sense of need of change in all kind of stakeholders of the bank e.g. customers, employees, directors, investors, community and others. It also introduced reward people for making change happened. 4.2 Plan to implement a model for change: Organisations use some tools to implement a model for change. Organisational development, business process re-engineering, delayring and rightsizing, push and pull strategy are the most common tools used for implementation of change model. Business process re-engineering: Business process reengineering (often referred to by the acronym BPR) is the main way in which organizations become more efficient and modernize. The two cornerstones of any organization are the people and the processes. Even the act of documenting business processes alone will typically improve organizational efficiency by 10%.engineering transforms an organization in ways that directly affect performance. 1) Envision new processes 2) Initiating change 3) Process diagnosis 4) Process redesign 5) Reconstruction 6) Process monitoring The most common approach to process improvement is to take an under-performing process, which is key to achieving the business objectives, and set about a systematic analysis to determine the most important areas for overhauling. These are then tackled on a project-by-project basis. The analysis and improvement is tackled by a temporary Process Improvement Team drawn mainly from people within the process. We may conclude the point in this way that organisations need to use techniques before implementation of any change. Otherwise it may bring disaster for the organisation by resistance force to change. It also recommended that various tools or techniques may be used in integrated way for implementation of change in the organisations. 4.3 Appropriate measures to monitor progress: Effective change is needed to monitor the progress of change. Monitoring the progress of change is most important for effective change. Change is a process, where there might be some wrong with people and some wrong with process. Change does not take place without proper monitoring over the process. Managers are required to keep an eye on the ongoing change and the reaction of this change. The evaluation of change progress can divide into following categories. Goal-based evaluation<

Huckleberry Finn Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

River of Life and Realism in Huck Finn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the river to symbolize life and the adventures of Huck to show the realism in the novel. These two elements are shown throughout the book in many different ways. Sometimes one would have to really sit down and think about all the symbolism in this classic novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  T. S. Eliot stated, “We come to understand the River by seeing it through the eyes of the Boy; but the Boy is also the spirit of the River'; (333). Throughout Huck’s adventure, as he and Jim are traveling down the river on a raft to Cairo, we see the admiration Huck has for the river. He sets it up to be respected as he would a very dangerous but sincere person. He knows everything of which the river is capable. The river has only to desire something to happen and it will. The different currents and movements are the various personalities of the river. No one can predict the next mood that it might take on. For this reason, Huck chooses to admire the powerful and dangerous body and respect it for its personality(338-46).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The only mode of transportation that Huck and Jim have to flow down the mighty Mississippi is a raft . The river controls the voyage of Huck and Jim. It will not let them land at Cairo, where Jim could have been free. It then separates them and leaves Huck at the Grangerford house for a while. Finally, it reunites the two friends and presses upon them the company of the king and duke (Eliot 332). It is their means of escape. “... ‘stead of taking to the woods when I run off, I’d go down the river about fifty mile and camp in one place for good...'; (31). Huck can always depend on the river to take him anywhere he wants to go.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every move Huck makes seems to get him into some kind of trouble. No matter what the problem, he always goes to that monstrous body of water to solve the mess that he is in. The two friends use the river to slide away from trouble. “...Jim goes again to the raft and lets her go a-sliding down the river';(Angell 131). An example of how Huck uses the river as a safeguard is when he tells Pap he fell in the river in order to escape a great amount of abuse (31). Also, the river repre... ...ealism that was in the world when Twain wrote the book and that same realism is still around today. Even though some times people want to deny it for fear of reality. Works Cited Angell, Roger. “Huck, Continued.'; The New Yorker. New York: June   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995:131. Blair, Walter. “The Grangerfords.'; Mark Twain and Huck Finn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  London: Union   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press, 1962:199-203. Blair, Walter. “So noble and so beautiful a book.'; Mark Twain and Huck Finn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  London, England: Union Press, 1962:42,74-9. Budd, Louis T. “Realism in Huck Finn.'; New essays on Adventures of Huck   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cambridge University Press, 1985:36,102112. Eliot, T. S. “An Introduction to Huckleberry Finn.'; Form and Symbol:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The River   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and the Shore. New York: Chanticleer Press, 1950:332-33. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bantam Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993.

Corruption and Greed in The Canterbury Tales Essay example -- The Cant

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories by a group of pilgrims who are heading to Canterbury Cathedral. In this book, the pardoner and the reeve show antipodal characters in many ways. The pardoner is beautiful blonde hair man who is being loved by everyone. However he is very corrupted and smart and sells fake religious stuff to people saying very good compliment. On the other hand, the reeve is very serious and honest business man. He is very smart enough to know what criminals think and do. The pardoner story-tells a great example (or tale?) of seven deadly sins and reeve’s story is mocking of the miller. These very different characteristic men tell story telling that human beings are always punished for being greedy. The crooked pardoner and the honest reeve have different purposes for telling their tales, but their stories have the same major theme; sins deserve punishment. The pardoner tells the readers that money and greed is root of all evil throughout this tale. In his tale, there are three drunken men, one day, decide to find Death and annihilate it. They ask one old man where the death is and he points at the tree where a lot of gold are. When they find gold they only think of getting gold as many as possible and end up planning to kill each other. Three men are unaware of their own evil and as a result, three all die. By story-telling this tale which comprehends no interaction with his behavior, the pardoner negate his own moral and advises other people how should they live their life in order to avoid sins. In the reeve’s tale, the miller, Symkyn, is very well know for stealing other people’s properties. Two university students, John and Aleyn, have their corn stolen from that miller ... ... is not greedy at all because he doesn’t show off the fact that he is rich. He is loyal to his lord and a working-hard business man which is free from sloth, lust and gluttony. He is a perfect example of the human who lives their life best, not committing deadly sins unlike the pardoner. He disgusts of the miller in the book who is being very gluttony and lust. He warns the miller that he will be punished as in his tale says â€Å"He who does evil should not expect good.† He analyzes the miller in the book to the miller in the tale, Symkym; greed will bring disaster to him and will punish him by the fate. These completely different characters share the same theme for different reasons and purposes which tells the reader that the standard of morality is same to various people and they should not commit the sins which certainly will be punished in some way in the future.

The Choosing Essay by Liz Lochead

The Choosing Essay Marianne Lavery The poem â€Å"The Choosing† by Liz Lochead deals with problems of growing up and the issue of education through the two central characters, Mary and Liz. This poem is about two young girls called Mary and Liz who grew up together living an ordinary life. They were both intelligent and ambitious. They were best friends for years at primary school until they had the chance to go to secondary school and they went their separate ways to start their new lives. Later on in the poem they meet very unexpectedly on a bus years later. This really does show the reader just how much the two girls have change from primary school. In stanzas 1, 2 and 3 the poet Liz Lochead has emphasized the similarities between the two girls by describing their appearances. They both had the same â€Å"mouse-coloured† hair which suggests they are ordinary. Also they were polite, smart and proud. The poet has used repetition by saying how â€Å"equally proud† they are. This emphasizes the similar attitude the girls had towards their education. Alliteration has also been used. â€Å"Collins’ Children’s Classics†. Stanza 4, describes how their lives took different paths. Mary moved because of cheaper rent somewhere else and Liz stayed where she was, in her hometown where she grew up. Mary’s father had a very bad attitude towards girls’ education and he is also sexist. He didn’t believe in high school education especially for girls or in forking out for uniforms†. Marys family had also financial difficulties according to the poet. The final three stanzas shows that ten years have passed since the two girls went their separate ways but they find their selves sitting in the same bus as each other. However this time as they meet, Mary does not recognise Liz. Mary is sitting next to her husband â€Å"who is tall, curly haired a nd has eyes only for Mary†.

Korean Drink Sikhye Essay

Seol, the biggest traditional Korean holiday of the year, is when family members gather and eat a traditional meal with a variety of dishes which eventually, leads to overeating. What drink is used help digest all those food, Sikhye. Sikhye is a sweet drink made of malt and rice that has been a traditional beverage throughout Korean culture. It was first introduced in a book on knowledge of living called Samunsaseol in 1740. In the 1800s the recipe was revealed in cook books named Gyungonyoram and Siuijeonseo. There are various kinds of sikhye, Andong sikhye, Jinju sikhye, dried meat sikhye from Gyeongsangdo, dried pollack sikhye from Gangwondo, halibut sikhye from Hamgyeongdo, sailfin sandfish sikhye, and yeonan sikhye. It is said that Sikhye was created in North Korea and made mainly of fishes, powdered red pepper, and radish. Then it was introduced in the South and instead of fishes, malt was put in. After that it gradually known to be established with malt and rice only. Sikhye is a fermented drink made through patience. This drink was first drunk due to its job of stimulating digestion. Sikhye is also referred to dansul or gamju. While Sikhye is rice punch with rice floating in it, gamju is rice punch without rice floating in it. The famous drink is made by pouring malt water into boiled glutinous rice to leave for a while to ferment. Then the rice is removed from the water and rinsed and drained. The remaining water is boiled with sugar and ginger and served cool with the rice. The taste of this refreshment is the malt that is used. Malt is also significant due to its nutritional value. Sikhye is a natural sweet drink made without any artificial sweeteners. This drink prevents food from decomposing in our bodies and has anti-cancer substances. That is why it is important to drink sikhye after a meal. Due to this fact, it was served to Kings as a dessert. The beverage helps balance the body warming a cold body and cooling a hot body. Therefore it is good for diets and hangovers. Sikhye, one of the most cherished Korean drinks, is an important factor in Korean Culture. With its refreshing while unique sweet taste, it grabs people from different ethnicities. It is found in almost every Korean grocery store. While its great while bought, it best when homemade especially in Korea. In Korea, homemade Sikhye is naturally made which makes it distinctive from other drinks. It is known to be one of the best drinks in the culture. There are little ingredients that go in Sikhye, but there it needs a lot of patience to make. The ingredients in this refreshment are Korean rice, malt powder, warm water, caster sugar, ginger, and pine nuts if want to garnish. When making sikhye, what you need to do first is to mix warm water and powdered malt and leave it for three to four hours until the water becomes yellowish. The next step is to mix hard-boiled rice with the malt water in a small earthenware jar and keep it warm for four to five hours. The temperature should be kept at 60 to 70 degrees. If it were lower or higher temperatures, it would spoil the fermentation process. After about four hours, open the jar and check to see if the grains of rice are floating and if they are, take the rice out of the jar using a strainer, and rinse it with cold water and place it in a separate container. Then refrigerate the rice. The next step is to boil the remaining water and add some sugar for taste. Remove the foam that appears on the surface while boiling. After boiling the water, put it in a jar and refrigerate it, to make it cold. When served in special occasions, pour the water in a glass bowl and put the floating rice and other ingredients for decoration. If need more sweetening, add more sugar. This is how to prepare Sikhye and serve it during occasions.