Discrimination and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Essay

The South was racially biased for years after the Civil War. The Southern states would create legislation to enact â€Å"Jim Crow† laws upon the black community. Segregation was at its peak in the United States and the black community had been oppressed long enough. Conforming to the segregated South only caused hostility. The government that recognized blacks as members of society ignored them. In fact, the government that could protect the black community from the violence incurred by terrorist groups was often members of the groups themselves. Rebellion was the only and final option. In order for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be ratified by Congress, the black community needed to rebel against the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws of the South, the violence invoked by hate organizations, as well as (with assistance from white college students) the hypocrisies of the United States government. Jim Crow became a general term used in the South to refer to the segregation and discrimination laws that affected African-American life. The name originated from â€Å"an 1832 song called Jump Jim Crow by Thomas Rice† (Hillstrom 9). The song may have been named after a slave that Rice knew or from the expression â€Å"black as a crow†. The main purpose of Jim Crow laws was to segregate and disenfranchise the black community. During the Jim Crow era, â€Å"various states passed laws that banned blacks from hospitals, schools, parks, theaters, and restaurants† (Hillstrom 9). In all cases, the facilities marked colored  were noticeably inferior to the whites. Many cities and states would ratify their own specific Jim Crow laws. Some laws such as blacks having to cross the street when a white woman, on the same sidewalk, was walking toward them or â€Å"maintaining a separate building, on separate ground, for the admission, care, instruction, and support of all blind persons of colored or black race† (Bell 4) were absurd. In the summer of 1955, a 14-year-old boy was brutally beaten and killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The husband and brother-in-law of the woman were charged with murder but were acquitted of all charges after only sixty minutes of deliberation. In an interview months later, with protection from the Constitutional clause of double jeopardy, both brothers openly admitted, without remorse, to maiming and killing the boy. The quick deliberation and acquittal outraged the country and helped to energize the Civil Rights Movement. The Jim Crow laws were progressively getting worse for the black community. Lawmakers needed to be black, or abolitionists, in order for the laws to change. Rebellion by way of the ballot box was the answer. In The United States, the democratic process is supposed to allow voters a chance to correct social injustices. Citizens within the black community should have the ability to vote black candidates into office. Blacks could elect city council members, mayors, judges, and even state representatives. But in Mississippi the people in power, all of whom were white, denied blacks the opportunity to vote. The white community believed that if blacks achieved the right to vote, they would make up the majority. The black majority would force out the racist whites from power and change the social injustices. Mississippi Senator Eugene Bilbo stated, â€Å"If you let a few (blacks) register to vote this year, next year there will be twice as many, and the first thing you know, the whole thing will be out of hand† (Aretha 20). The black community needed to vote in order to achieve change. Without the right to vote, segregation and the disenfranchisement of African-Americans would cease to change. The southern-white lawmakers created a complicated system to keep African-Americans from voting. â€Å"White local and state officials systematically kept blacks from voting through formal methods, such as poll taxes and literacy tests† (Summer 1964). The literacy test prevented even educated African-Americans from achieving voter registration. The test required voters to â€Å"read and interpret a section of the state constitution to the â€Å"satisfactory† of the registrar† (Aretha 21). This allowed â€Å"white registrars to decide whether or not a person passed. Most blacks, even those with doctoral degrees, failed† (Cozzens 1). Fear was a constant tactic for the racist south. Black applicants â€Å"had to give, under oath, information about his or her address, employment, and family members. This information would then be given to the applicants employer, the KKK, and other organizations† (Let Freedom Ring 149). Having the bravery to rebel against society, by registering to vote, caused many blacks to fear retaliation from the KKK and their employer. In the post-Civil War era many white Southerners resented the changes imposed by the Union. In the years during Reconstruction, terrorist groups sprang up all over the south. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the White Citizens Council, â€Å"the uptown Klan†, which was often made up of sheriffs, doctors, lawyers, and even mayors, quickly gain thousands of members across the south. The KKK had four explicit tactics in their war against blacks, â€Å"First was cross burning, second would be the burning and dynamiting of houses and buildings, third was flogging, and the Fourth was extermination† (Watson 143). In 1964, a single Mississippian county had â€Å"37 churches and 30 black homes and businesses were firebombed or burned, and the cases often went unsolved† (Summer 1964). Hate crimes were becoming increasingly common and extremely brutal throughout the South. The black community needed and sought change. After many years of brutality and hatred, many blacks believed they were inferior to whites. To combat the inferiority thought, Bob Moses created â€Å"Freedom Schools† and community centers open to the black community. â€Å"The community centers would offer facilities limited by the Jim Crow system: libraries, arts and crafts, daycare, and literacy classes† (Burner 124). Freedom Schools taught students African-American history and current events. Moses saw the Freedom Schools â€Å"as an opportunity to teach the â€Å"politics of Mississippi† and begin to build a core of educated leadership in the state† (Burner 124). Members of SNCC and CORE believed that rebellion was a necessity, and rebelling with nonviolent methods would allow the nation to see the atrocities inflicted in the south. In order to gain momentum, the black community needed assistance from the federal government and the national media. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) came to the forefront for reform. In 1961, seven blacks and six whites tested the federal law, which called for the desegregation on interstate travel. Called the Freedom Riders, thirteen people â€Å"rode buses into the south, daring the federal government to enforce the law. The Freedom Riders were arrested in North Carolina, beaten by mobs in South Carolina, and saw their buses fire bombed in Alabama† (Watson 24). The thirteen men rode into the south with whites sitting in the back of the bus, the blacks in the front, and would use the same facilities at bus stations as stated by federal law. James Farmer, one of the thirteen riders and the director of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) stated, â€Å"We felt we could count on the racists of the South to create a crisis so that the federal government would be compelled to enforce the law† (Cozzens 1). The rebellion of the thirteen brave men to ride into the south created the national media attention the activist desperately needed. The national media started to show the country how hypocritical the United States had become. Men of many races fought for their country in a time of war, but came home to a country that was at war within itself. In the early 1960’s, the black community rebelling for equal rights began to capture the attention of Americans across the country. 1964, a presidential election year, was a pivotal time to rebel for the African-American right to vote. For generations the south held a dominant Democratic Party. Rebelling against the injustices set by the â€Å"whites-only† Democratic Party could only be changed by use of the ballot box. Bob Moses, a member of SNCC, decided to send volunteers into Mississippi to register voters. The voter registration drive came to be known as â€Å"Freedom Summer†. Bob Moses outlined the goals of Freedom Summer as to increase black voter registration and to organize a legally constituted â€Å"Freedom Democratic Party† to compete with the whites-only Democratic Party. Moses instructed recruits, â€Å"Don’t come to Mississippi this summer to save the Mississippi Negro. Only come if you understand, really understand, that his freedom and yours are one† (Aretha 41). To achieve the attention of the national media, Moses and other members of SNCC decided to recruit white college students from the north. â€Å"Violence against Northern Whites would at least get Mississippi on the nightly news† (Rachall 173). Children of the dominant social class, rebelling against their parents and the accepted society of the south, in fact attracted national attention. Moses stated, â€Å"These students bring the rest of the country with them. They are from good schools and their parents are influential. The interest of the country is awakened and when that happens, the government responds† (Aretha 30). Rebelling against the hypocrisies of their nation, their parents, and even society, white college students came by the hundreds to volunteer for â€Å"Freedom Summer†. Volunteers went to Oxford, Ohio, currently the campus of Miami University, for a weeklong orientation. Volunteers were not going to be paid and would need to support themselves. They were told to bring money for living expenses, bail, and even medical bills if necessary. The volunteers had to be prepared for death. James Forman, of SNCC, told the volunteers, â€Å"I may be killed, you may be killed, the whole staff may be killed† (Cozzens 3). The students were told that if arrested, go to jail quietly. The authorities would have cause to react violently if volunteers were to resist. The national media and the south would exploit the aggression and discredit the actions of a nonaggressive rebellion. Rebellious college students used Hitler and Mussolini’s ideologies, fascism and the idea of a united master race, as a direct correlation to what was happening to blacks in the South. World War II was only twenty years prior and the Cold War was just beginning. Many Americans still held hostility towards Germany and the idea of racial class distinctions. The spread of communism and Nuclear War were constant backdrops to every evening newscast. If the United States could announce to the world their â€Å"Policy of Containment† then the world should hear about hypocrisy within the United States. The Blacks and volunteers used the memories of the war to prove how fascist ideas were being entertained. Rebelling and protesting would allow the world to see the deceitful ways America. In June 1964 rebellion against hate crimes, voter rights, and the segregation of blacks was underway. A Michigan State student said of their arrival in Mississippi, â€Å"The greyhound bus dropped us off on a residential street, we had no idea where we were. Almost immediately we found ourselves being circled by pickup trucks with rifles and big dogs in the back† (Aretha 47). Jane Adams, Southern Illinois University, stated, â€Å"Mississippi had geared up for war. They saw us as invaders coming in for a complete assault on their way of life. Everybody on both sides expected that there would be a bloodbath. We all expected we could die† (Aretha 47). Two white men and a black man rebelling against southern society were easy targets for police. Two white men, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, as well as a black volunteer James Chaney were last seen going to a bombed out church to offer their condolences to the congregation and to offer their assistance with the investigation. The men disappeared after being singled out by the racist authorities. The next day, staff called police when the three men failed to check in at their headquarters. The police, often members of the KKK, often used their authority to invoke fear into both black and white volunteers. KKK pamphlets declared, â€Å"We are now in the midst of the long, hot summer of agitation which was promised to the Innocent People of Mississippi by the savage blacks and their communist masters† (Watson 142). After the disappearance of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney, President Johnson and the FBI became involved. The story of the missing, as well as the peaceful rebellion, quickly gained national attention. Two of the men’s skin color became a key factor for the instant media. Rita Shwerner declared, â€Å"We all know that the search with hundreds of sailors is because my husband and Goodman are white. If only Chaney was involved, nothing would have been done† (Rachal 168). The media may have not paid much attention if only a black man went missing. The media told the story of the missing men on nationally televised nightly newscasts and public outcry immediately followed. Finally the south received assistance from the federal government. Lyndon Johnson sent hundreds of men from the military to search for the three men. As the search went on, the Mississippi Governor and a member of the White Citizens Council exclaimed, â€Å"Of course I don’t approve of murder, but those kids were asking for trouble† (Aretha 50). The shot and beaten bodies of the missing men were found after a month. It later surfaced that the local police arrested the three men for speeding. After dark, the police released the men to the KKK. Eighteen men were originally arrested but only a few were convicted and served light sentences. Finally in 2005, 41 years after the murders, Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to three life sentences, without the possibility of parole, to be served in succession. After the deaths of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney was the perfect time for blacks to rebel louder. To achieve the voting rights for the segregated community, the rebellious blacks and whites created a stronger alliance than ever before. By coming together, the black community showed America that the rebellion would not end until equal rights and the ability to vote was achieved. The summer of 1964 became the high water mark for equal rights in America. â€Å"Freedom Summer† along with nonviolent protests across the south lead to the signing of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act â€Å"prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color. Discrimination to voting applies nationwide to any voting standard, practice, or procedure that results in the denial of the right of any citizen to vote. Section 2 is permanent and has no expiration date† (Section 2). Rebellion was a necessity to end the disenfranchisement of the African-American community. Rebellion for the black community was not to conform to the racist south, but to consciously do the opposite. Without rebellion and bravery the south may have never changed. Volunteer Bruce Hartford professed, â€Å"We used to say: If you don’t like the history they’re teaching you in school, go out and make some of your own† (Aretha 35).

Ethical Theories of Nursing Essay

When a person meets the unfortunate circumstance of being admitted to a hospital for an illness they are depending on healthcare personnel to have their best interest in mind and make them better. When people think of who it is taking care of them and making them better they specifically think of Doctors and Nurses. As Doctors and more specifically Registered Nurses it is their duty to have a client’s best interest in mind and always act in their benefit. This raises the question, what guides Nurses to maintain this mindset of always putting the patient first? The answer is their ethical duty, meaning every nurse is guided by ethical theories and principles which help guide them as a patient advocate. It is these ethics that make a nurse so valuable to clients and ultimately makes a nurse the client’s best advocate. In this paper the core ethical theories and principles will be discussed and how exactly this helps RN’s be the best possible advocate and what benef its the clients themselves derive from these ethical theories. In order to properly understand the ethical theories of nursing one must first know what the core ethical principles and theories in nursing are. The ethical principles of nursing are Autonomy, Beneficence, Fidelity, Informed consent, Integrity, Justice, Nonmaleficence, Paternalism, Veracity, as well as Privacy and confidentiality. Some ethical theories that influence nursing practice are Consequentialism, Deontology, Ethical Relativism, Utilitarianism theory, Teleology, Virtue ethics, and Justice and equity. To a layperson some of these words may make sense and others may not. In order to better understand how these theories and principles shape the practice of nursing you must better understand what they mean. A brief description of some of these terms will be given before their influence on nurses is discussed. Autonomy refers to the patients’ own rights to make decisions about their healthcare, health, and lives without the interference from healthcare personnel such as the physician, the nurse, or other team members. This means the nurse would have to resist the urge to interject his or her own feelings, values or beliefs onto the patient. This principle was made more evident with the passing of the Patient Self Determination Act by Congress in 1990 (â€Å"Ethical Principles,† n.d., para. 2). Beneficence is very simple, it is referring to always doing what is beneficial to the patient and therefore in their best interest (Silva & Ludwick, 1999). This principle also invo lves taking actions to help benefit others and prevent  both physical and mental harm of the patient. Fidelity is synonymous with faithfulness and is therefore achieved by remaining loyal, fair, and truthful to patient and encompassing the idea of being a patient advocate. An example of fidelity would be keeping a promise to a patient of coming back to check on them even if they become slammed with a heavy workload. Informed consent is directly related to autonomy in the fact that it allows the patient to make an informed decision about their treatment (Daly, 2009). This means that accurate information must be provided to the patient in order to make an informed decision. Three elements involved in informed consent are Informed, Competent, and Voluntary. What this means is the patient has all the accurate information, they are in a stable and competent mindset to make the decision, and that they are voluntarily making the decision. Justice is simply referring to fairness and equality. It is applied to healthcare by providing equitable access to nursing care. Nonmaleficence literally translates to â€Å"do no harm† and is a concept that originated from the Hippocratic Oath. Nurses apply this principle by not causing injury, being either physical, psychological, emotiona, or financial (â€Å"Ethical Principles,† n.d., para. 16). Paternalism is a negative principle of nursing and is implied when a nurse does not respect the patients’ right to autonomy by making decisions for the patient because he or she thinks she knows what’s best for that patient (Sliva & Ludwick, 1999). Privacy and Confidentiality is relating to maintaining the security of a patient’s information and only sharing that information on a need-to-know basis with other healthcare members involved with that patients care and act to prevent breaches of confidentiality. Veracity as a word is associated with truthfulness. In nursing it is a duty to disclose pertinent information and the obligation to respect confidentiality at the same time. This means giving truthful information about the risks of a procedure while still respecting the patient’s confidentiality. These are the main principles of ethics as far as it pertains to nursing and knowing this information is vital to understanding ethical theories and how to bet ter apply them as a practicing nurse. As mentioned earlier some of the Ethical theories are Consequentialism, Deontology, Ethical Relativism, Teleology, Virtue ethics, and Justice and  equity. It is important for Nurses to understand the definition of each of these, as well as how to apply them, and how it benefits the patient. It is pivotal for nurses because it will ensure that they are preforming their jobs and duties with the highest regard to patient advocacy and maintain the ethics which nursing is based on. Consequentialism, also referred to as utilitarianism, seems simple enough to understand as the word â€Å"consequence† is evident. Consequentialist ethics refers to the idea that the correct moral response is always going to be related to the outcome, or consequence, of the act. This idea can also be thought of in a way that if a decision must be made it would be wisest to make the decision with the central aim of doing the maximum amount of greatest good for the greatest number of people. The actual ‘good’ that is being referred to can be expressed in numerous ways such as referring to values such as happiness, being pain or symptom free, or another life enhancing outcome (â€Å"Ethical Theories,† n.d., para. 2). There can be a backside to this theory however which can cause acts that would be contrary to the rights of individuals if the end result is one that would improve care for many others, this is referring back to the theory of doing the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. Deontology is simply following the moral theory of doing unto others as you would want them to do unto you. This theory is placing more value on the intentions of the individual as opposed to the actual outcome of any action. It also focuses on rules, obligations, and duties. In order to follow the theory of deontology it requires absolute adherence to these obligations and acting from duty is viewed as acting ethically. An ethical person must always follow the rules, even if doing so causes a less desirable outcome. Since with this theory it is the motives of the actor that determine the value of the act a bad outcome may be acceptable if the intent of the actor was good. On the back side of this theory there is a criticism in healthcare that applying a strictly deontological approach to healthcare can lead to conflicts of interest between equally entitled individuals which can be difficult or even seemingly impossible to resolve (â€Å"Ethical Theories,† n.d. para. 4). Teleology is a theory that is opposite to deontology in a sense. Whereas with deontology it is the intent of the decision made that determines the value as opposed to the outcome, with teleology it is the  outcome that determines whether the act is good or of value and that achievement of a good outcome justifies using a less desirable means to attain the end. Ethical relativism takes into account for the variability in what is considered to be normal or acceptable to any given culture. What this is saying is that every culture has their own set of norms and therefore certain behaviors that may be acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in others. A nurse must keep in mind that ethical standards are relative to person, place, time, and culture. The nurse must take on the fact that whatever a person thinks is right, is right. Right and wrong is not definite in most cases as there are no absolute truths. While there are no universal truths in ethical relativism there are few topics that are not open to debate, such as incest (American Nurses Association, 2011). Although this theory has been largely rejected it is still valuable for a nurse to consider when caring for their patients. If a nurse is better educated on the culture of their client and what is considered normal or taboo they will be better equipped to provide excellent care in that persons eyes without infringing on their culture or having a biased opinion of them. Virtue ethics is different from other ethical theories in that it places much less emphasis on which rules people should follow and instead focuses on helping people develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity. These character traits will, in turn, allow a person to make the correct decisions later on in life. Virtue theorists also emphasize the need for people to learn how to break bad habits of character, such as greed or anger. These are called vices and stand in the way of becoming a good person. This theory, while having the patients best interest in mind, focuses on the healthcare provider and asking them to learn good habits while breaking bad habits in order to predispose them to making the correct decision automatically while providing care to their clients. It requires the nurse to take a look at his or herself and make judgments on their character and work to change whatever is deemed unethical about themselves for the greater good of their patients. Thi s is an essential process of becoming a nurse as nobody is perfect and allowing oneself to be open minded about change will allow them to be the best nurse possible. Justice and equity is simple, it refers to being fair and equal to all patients no matter their socioeconomic status or resources at their disposal. This ethical theory is meant to  protect the less privileged people in society and give them access to fair and equal healthcare access without bias from the healthcare members caring for them. The theory states that a â€Å"veil of ignorance† should be worn regarding who is affected by a decision and should be used by all decision makers because it allows for unbiased decision making. An ethical person should choose the action that is fair to all, including both the advantaged and disadvantaged groups in society. This theory is in place to protect those less fortunate people and is essential to all of society to keep the balance and fairness when it comes to healthcare. Now that all of the ethical principles have been defined it is easier to make sense of how the ethical theories came about for our healthcare system and all the members of the healthcare team taking care of the patients. It is essential for these theories to be understood and applied by nurses all across the world in order to attain the best results for patients and the future of our healthcare system. It is essential of nurses to be well versed in the ethical principles and even more so in ethical theories to help guide them in their decision making when caring for clients. A nurse who knows the ethical theories and furthermore applies them in the field will have better client outcomes and prevent errors that can cause harm to a client in any way shape or form. These theories truly help protect not only the patients being cared for but also the nurses caring for those patients.

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Three

â€Å"How do you like it here?† Jane asked me, as we were washing the dishes after dinner. â€Å"On Huckleberry, I mean.† â€Å"This is not the first time I've been asked that today,† I said, taking the plate she handed me and drying it. This got a slightly raised eyebrow from Mom. â€Å"General Rybicki asked you the question,† she said. â€Å"Yup,† I said. â€Å"And what did you tell him?† Jane asked. â€Å"I told him I liked it just fine,† I said. I put the dried plate into the cupboard and waited for the next one. Jane was holding on to it. â€Å"But do you?† she asked. I sighed, only slightly dramatically. â€Å"Okay, I give up,† I said. â€Å"What's going on? Both you and Dad were like zombies at dinner tonight. I know you missed it, because you were wrapped up in your own heads, but I spent most of dinner trying to get either of you to talk more than a grunt. Babar was a better conversationalist than either of you.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Zoe,† Jane said. â€Å"You're forgiven,† I said. â€Å"But I still want to know what's going on.† I motioned to Jane's hand, to remind her I was still waiting on that plate. She handed it over. â€Å"General Rybicki has asked your father and me to be the leaders of a new colony.† It was my turn to hold on to the plate. â€Å"A new colony.† â€Å"Yes,† Jane said. â€Å"As in, ‘on another planet' new colony,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† said Jane. â€Å"Wow,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Jane said. She knew how to get mileage out of a single word. â€Å"Why did he ask you?† I asked, and resumed drying. â€Å"No offense, Mom. But you're a constable in a tiny little village. And Dad's an ombudsman. It's kind of a leap.† â€Å"None taken,† Jane said. â€Å"We had the same question. General Rybicki said that the military experience we had would cross over. John was a major and I was a lieutenant. And whatever other experience we need Rybicki believes we can pick up quickly, before we set foot on the new colony. As for why us, it's because this isn't a normal colony. The colonists aren't from Earth, they're from ten of the oldest planets in the Colonial Union. A colony of colonists. The first of its kind.† â€Å"And none of the planets contributing colonists want another planet to have a leadership role,† I ventured. Jane smiled. â€Å"That's right,† she said. â€Å"We're the compromise candidates. The least objectionable solution.† â€Å"Got it,† I said. â€Å"It's nice to be sort of wanted.† We continued washing dishes in silence for a few minutes. â€Å"You didn't answer my question,† Jane said, eventually. â€Å"Do you like it here? Do you want to stay on Huckleberry?† â€Å"I get a vote?† I asked. â€Å"Of course you do,† Jane said. â€Å"If we take this, it would mean leaving Huckleberry for at least a few standard years while we got the colony up and running. But realistically it would mean leaving here for good. It would mean all of us leaving here for good.† â€Å"If,† I said, a little surprised. â€Å"You didn't say yes.† â€Å"It's not the sort of decision you make in the middle of a sorghum field,† Jane said, and looked at me directly. â€Å"It's not something we can just say yes to. It's a complicated decision. We've been looking over the information all afternoon, seeing what the Colonial Union's plans are for the colony. And then we have to think about our lives here. Mine, John's and yours.† I grinned. â€Å"I have a life here?† I asked. This was meant as a joke. Jane squashed it. â€Å"Be serious, Zoe,† she said. The grin left my face. â€Å"We've been here for half of your life now. You have friends. You know this place. You have a future here, if you want it. You can have a life here. It's not something to be lightly tossed aside.† She plunged her hands into the sink, searching under the soap suds for another dish. I looked at Jane; there was something in her voice. This wasn't just about me. â€Å"You have a life here,† I said. â€Å"I do,† Jane said. â€Å"I like it here. I like our neighbors and our friends. I like being the constable. Our life here suits me.† She handed me the casserole dish she'd just cleaned. â€Å"Before we came here I spent all my life in the Special Forces. On ships. This is the first world I've actually lived on. It's important to me.† â€Å"Then why is this a question?† I said. â€Å"If you don't want to go, then we shouldn't do it.† â€Å"I didn't say I wouldn't go,† Jane said. â€Å"I said I have a life here. It's not the same thing. There are good reasons to do it. And it's not just my decision to make.† I dried and put away the casserole dish. â€Å"What does Dad want?† I asked. â€Å"He hasn't told me yet,† Mom said. â€Å"You know what that means,† I said. â€Å"Dad's not subtle when there's something he doesn't want to do. If he's taking his time to think about it, he probably wants to do it.† â€Å"I know,† Mom said. She was rinsing off the flatware. â€Å"He's trying to find a way to tell me what he wants. It might help him if he knew what we wanted first.† â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"This is why I asked you if you liked it here,† Jane said, again. I thought about it as I dried the kitchen counter. â€Å"I like it here,† I said, finally. â€Å"But I don't know if I want to have a life here.† â€Å"Why not?† Jane asked. â€Å"There's not much here here, is there?† I said. I waved toward the general direction of New Goa. â€Å"The selection of life choices here is limited. There's farmer, farmer, store owner, and farmer. Maybe a government position like you and Dad.† â€Å"If we go to this new colony your choices are going to be the same,† Jane said. â€Å"First wave colonist life isn't very romantic, Zoe. The focus is on survival, and preparing the new colony for the second wave of colonists. That means farmers and laborers. Outside of a few specialized roles that will already be filled, there's not much call for anything else.† â€Å"Yes, but at least it would be somewhere new,† I said. â€Å"There we'd be building a new world. Here we're just maintaining an old one. Be honest, Mom. It's kind of slow around these parts. A big day for you is when someone gets into a fistfight. The highlight of Dad's day is settling a dispute over a goat.† â€Å"There are worse things,† Jane said. â€Å"I'm not asking for open warfare,† I said. Another joke. And once again, another stomping from Mom. â€Å"It'll be a brand-new colony world,† she said. â€Å"They're the ones most at risk for attack, because they have the fewest people and the least amount of defense from the CDF. You know that as well as anyone.† I blinked, actually surprised. I did know it as well as anyone. When I was very young – before I was adopted by Jane and John – the planet I lived on (or above, since I was on a space station) was attacked. Omagh. Jane almost never brought it up, because she knew what it did to me to think about it. â€Å"You think that's what's going to happen here?† I asked. Jane must have sensed what was going on in my head. â€Å"No, I don't,† she said. â€Å"This is an unusual colony. It's a test colony in some ways. There will be political pressure for this colony to succeed. That means more and better defenses, among other things. I think we'll be better defended than most colonies starting out.† â€Å"That's good to know,† I said. â€Å"But an attack could still happen,† Jane said. â€Å"John and I fought together at Coral. It was one of the first planets humans settled, and it was still attacked. No colony is totally safe. There are other dangers, too. Colonies can get wiped out by local viruses or predators. Bad weather can kill crops. The colonists themselves could be unprepared. Colonizing – real colonizing, not what we're doing here on Huckleberry – is hard, constant work. Some of the colonists could fail at it and take the rest of the colony with them. There could be bad leaders making bad decisions.† â€Å"I don't think we'd have to worry about that last one,† I said. I was trying to lighten the mood. Jane didn't take the bait. â€Å"I'm telling you this isn't without risk,† she said. â€Å"It's there. A lot of it. And if we do this, we go in with our eyes open to that risk.† This was Mom all over. Her sense of humor wasn't as deprived as Hickory's and Dickory's – I can actually make her laugh. But it doesn't stop her from being one of the most serious people I've ever met in my life. When she wants to get your attention about something she thinks is important, she's going to get it. It's a good quality to have, but right at the moment it was making me seriously uncomfortable. That was her plan, no doubt. â€Å"Mom, I know,† I said. â€Å"I know it has risks. I know that a lot of things could go wrong. I know it wouldn't be easy.† I waited. â€Å"But,† Jane said, giving me the prompt she knew I was waiting for. â€Å"But if you and Dad were leading it, I think it'd be worth the risk,† I said. â€Å"Because I trust you. You wouldn't take the job if you didn't think you could handle it. And I know you wouldn't put me at risk unnecessarily. If you two decided to do it, I would want to go. I would definitely want to go.† I was suddenly aware that while I was speaking, my hand had drifted to my chest, and was lightly touching the small pendant there: a jade elephant, given to me by Jane. I moved my hand from it, a little embarrassed. â€Å"And no matter what, starting a new colony wouldn't be boring,† I said, to finish up, a little lamely. Mom smiled, unplugged the sink and dried her hands. Then she took a step over to me and kissed the top of my head; I was short enough, and she was tall enough, that it was a natural thing for her. â€Å"I'll let your dad stew on it for a few more hours,† she said. â€Å"And then I'll let him know where we stand.† â€Å"Thanks, Mom,† I said. â€Å"And sorry about dinner,† she said. â€Å"Your dad gets wrapped up in himself sometimes, and I get wrapped up in noticing he's wrapped up in himself.† â€Å"I know,† I said. â€Å"You should just smack him and tell him to snap out of it.† â€Å"I'll put that on the list for future reference,† Jane said. She gave me another quick peck and then stepped away. â€Å"Now go do your homework. We haven't left the planet yet.† She walked out of the kitchen.

Using Roof Shingle for Asphalt Pavement Research Paper

Using Roof Shingle for Asphalt Pavement - Research Paper Example In addition it contains between 32% and 42% of a coating filler such as limestone followed by some 28% to 42% of granules. The remaining portion of asphalt shingles is composed of fiberglass, cotton rags, paper and adhesives (Carter, 2008). The use of asphalt is pervasive throughout shingle manufacturing and asphalt constitutes a major part of shingles. The large amount of asphalt present in roofing shingles make these shingles suitable for recycling applications such as for constructing roads. It is estimated that the United States alone manufactures around 12.5 billion square feet of asphalt shingles in a single year (Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer's Association, 2012). In recent years there has been a renewed emphasis to recycle asphalt shingles for road based applications since the shingles contain a large amount of asphalt that can be reused. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that around 11 million tons of waste is created each year from asphalt shingles in the United States. This waste is comprised of around one million tons of scrap generated by various asphalt shingle manufacturers while around ten million tons of waste is generated from construction sites (Environmental Protection Agency, 2005). This indicates that asphalt shingle supply can be considered as a reliable source for use in road construction given its continuous supply. Another notable aspect is that asphalt shingles and their related waste comprises around 8% of building related waste. Also, asphalt shingles represent around 10% of the waste created from demolition debris. Recycling one ton of asphalt shingles is estimated to conserve one barrel of crude oil (Owens Corning, 2011). Asphalt shingles can be recycled for use in a number of different road based applications including aggregate for road construction, creating pavements, to control dust content on gravel roads etc. It is typical to use asphalt shingles to form the hot aggregate mixture used for manufacturing and paving roads. The amount of asphalt shingles is kept constant at 5% in the aggregate mixture for desirable properties. It has been researched that increasing the amount of asphalt shingles to 7.5% in the aggregate mixtures renders the mixture soft and compromises pavement performance. In addition, using asphalt shingles from construction projects may also result in brittle pavements that might crack especially at low temperatures. For this reason asphalt shingles are typically used where stone mastic asphalt mixtures are required (Newcomb, Stroup-Gardiner, Weikle, & Drescher, 1993). Waste asphalt shingles are recycled by shredding them to half an inch size for batch plants and shredding them to a quarter inch size for continuous feed plants. These materials are added to the overall aggregate mixture before the virgin asphalt is added for binding. The waste shingles that are typically used for creating HMA contain hard asphalt. The combination of this hard asphalt and the soft virgin aspha lt tend to provide highly desirable properties to the overall aggregate mixture. Generally the resulting mixture of waste hard asphalt and soft virgin asphalt provides better stability as well as better resistance to rutting which make it desirable for use in pavements. The departments of transport of a number of states have approved the use of asphalt shingles for constructing roads and pavements. Asphalt shingles have mostly been approved for use in hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. While the use of asphal

Research Paper - Can we really trust our goverment , do we really have Essay

Research Paper - Can we really trust our goverment , do we really have privacy - Essay Example Therefore, governments should balance between the privacy protections whilst embracing technology development at the same time. This study focuses on the areas where the governments have failed to address privacy protection and the recommendations to settle the issue. Several studies have proved that, in the current world people cannot trust governments, as they have intruded into their privacy in the name of security until there is nothing confidential. Security is legitimately a matter of individual inner voice. It has a place with each person to choose what he considers a piece of his private life and how much of it he is eager to open to others. When you welcome a companion into your home, when you stroll on the road, when you post something on the Internet, or when you make a financial exchange, you are discharging some data about yourself (Bazelon 587). As it were, social life essentially includes a rupture of security, and it is or ought to be dependent upon every person to select which choice he is ready to make between the benefits of protection and the benefits of social communication. Yielding some social life for protection includes an expense; relinquishing some security keeping in mind the end goal to have to a greater degree, a social life does as well. Eventually, that is a matter for every one of us to choose (Barnes 1-7). As more of our social life appears to be going ahead in the virtual universe of the Internet, this is the sort of central guideline that ought to educate the open deliberation about protection on the web. Typically, this as on such a variety of different issues requires the administration to assume this liability and to settle for the benefit of every one of us (Oneill 1-41). For instance, there have been more assaults on the protection practices of expansive IT organizations, for example, Google and Face book as of late. Governments are examining Google for unintentionally gathering information transmitted to its

Discussion 1-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 1-2 - Essay Example Other commonly used MS Office applications include the Power Point for presentations, Access for managing database, and Publisher for publishing various documents or designs. There are many advantages of MS Office Applications. One of the advantages of MS Office is that it has all the components that may be required for use within a classical office. Other than having vast number of features, MS Office has no corrupt files in addition to the fact that the auto recovery function can be used in making sure that any document is not lost to its entirety (Habraken 10). Even though MS Office has various advantages, there are some demerits or drawbacks associated with the same. For instance, MS Office has compatibility problems. There are versions that are not compatible with some operating systems. The above table was derived from excel. The Excel was used to find out the total number of eggs for breakfast depending on the number of members of the family present in a given day. Each family member needs to consume 2 eggs for breakfast. Therefore, a function was developed to find out the total number of eggs that would be required as the number family members change. The formula was to multiply the number of family members and the eggs per member.

Human Resources Management in Supporting Corporate Strategy Dissertation

Human Resources Management in Supporting Corporate Strategy - Dissertation Example man and operational risk in an organization 14 2.13Talent management 15 2.13.1Talent management in Abu Dhabi government 15 2.14Employee engagement 15 2.14.1 Culture Difference 16 2.15Total quality management in HRM 16 2.15.1TQM practice in UAE 17 Chapter 3 Methodology 19 3.1 Research Philosophy 19 3.2 Research Approach 21 3.3 Research Design 23 3.4 Data Collection Methods 24 3.5 Data Analysis 24 3.6 Limitations 25 Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis 26 4.1 Evaluation of the human resources system 26 4.2 Primary research findings 27 4.2.1 Analysis of the ethical questionnaire 27 4.2.2 Analysis Interview Questions Answers 30 4.3 Discussions 34 Chapter 5Conclusion& Recommendations 35 Chapter 6 Personal Reflections 37 References 40 Appendices 45 Research Proposal A 45 Interview Questions B 51 Interview Questions & Answers C 52 Online survey questions& Results D 59 Ethics Form E 71 List of Figures Figure 1 The number of respondents from different departments of Abu Dhabi 28 Figure 2The distri bution of the length of service of the respondent 28 Figure 3The responses of the respondents in response to the agreement of the Abu Dhabi vision 2030 29 Figure 4Ratings provided by the respondents with their concern about their respective departments 30 Chapter 1 Introduction Research Question What is the methodology that being utilized in the current HRM system of Abu Dhabi government entities and institutions? Is this methodology adequate to support Abu Dhabi business strategy in terms of recruiting and developing employees and managers? If yes, rationale support is needed. If not, rationalize it with evidence(s) and suggest solutions to improve the current methodology. Aim: The aim of this research to improve human resources practices in Abu Dhabi government entities that will support... The attainment of the prosperity and the generation of wealth has been the apex criterion of the government of Abu Dhabi and the Federation of the United Arab Emirates has highly relied on the people which it thinks to be the true wealth. For the purpose of the achievement of its role, federation of Abu Dhabi will be highly focusing on the achievement of its own comprehensive and multifaceted vision. The vision was targeted at the creation of a confident and security and also towards the establishment of a sustainable and globally competitive economy. The high level management of Abu Dhabi has entitled all the governmental entities in the preparation of a policy paradigm which would be consisted of a large number of integrated initiatives already implemented and will be incorporated in the future for the purpose of achieving sustainable development. For materializing the vision, there must be effective functioning of coordinated work within the governmental entities and that of the A bu Dhabi government. The continuation and distribution of the understanding of the objectives of the Abu Dhabi government will generate the superstructure of future success dynamics. The competitive and globalised economy depended on the influx of human capital, the dimension of the social and human resource policy incorporates within it a systematic amalgamation of multifaceted goals and initiatives which needs to be highly understood both by the government and the private sector as they act.

Assumptions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assumptions - Essay Example Celeste being a loyal wife wants to help her husband as she realizes that the responsibility of her children lies on her shoulder as well in the same way as her husband. She wants to ease the burden put on her husband by working along him and earning for the house. 4. Jim should look for any other job which is flexible with his routine. The job should have a flexible timetable which is according to the demands of the family. This job would also help him to give adequate time to his family. 1. Jims resignation from other jobs would provide him with enough time to spend with his family and it would create good effects on his children and wife. Jim should consider having a leave from his part-time job so that he can check if his resignation from that particular job would matter or not. 2. Division of work would make it difficult for Celeste to give appropriate time to her home and job and hence it would be hectic for her. She should get advices from different working women and work

The Brand Perception Impact of Advertising for Starbucks Company Essay

The Brand Perception Impact of Advertising for Starbucks Company - Essay Example These models are developed using historical sales and marketing program data. Software of advertising media contribution models are used for marketing model application (Mathieson, 2005). How does the management of a company know that they have best location scheme How does the management come to know that the company will get expected results from the targeted marketing program scheme How the company will get the market share, growth in prices, buyer's satisfaction and opposing advantage result Yet developing a company position scheme is not easy. Because companies do not develop their location scheme on frequent basis, yes the adjustments will be happen on the stage of product market maturity, in response to environmental changes and on opposing forces but it does not mean that company is developing frequently. After the success of the product, the company has the right to change their product scheme but not their location scheme because it is not easy for any company either they produce their products on a large scale or on a small scale (Goodchild, 2001). The position of a company plays an essential role in the brand's quality of a company (Day, 2002). Sometimes some errors are involved in the location scheme after the success of product. ... These location errors include; UNDERPOSITIONING: Under positioning can happen when the buyers do not have certain ideas about the company and its product and do not have clear perceptions regarding both (Aaker, 1994). OVER POSITIONING: This over positioning can happen when the buyers do not aware that how much money should be spent on the product because that product is available in market in much cheaper rates (Cravens & Piercy). So buyers have made their narrow thinking about the company, product or brand. CONFUSED POSITION: Confused positioning happens in buyers when the frequent changes take place in the location of the brand (David, 1987). So buyers do not realized that this product is good for them or not. DOUBTFUL POSITIONING: A product loses its credibility when claims are made on it. POSITIONING AND TARGETING STRATEGIES: When management takes a decision to target several segments then the positioning scheme becomes challenging. The main goal of management is to develop an appropriate positioning scheme for each segment (Kanuk, 1999). The way of focusing positioning scheme should be used for each targeted segment. The brand positioning is the area where employees give their services and solve the problems of the targeted customers. If a company is on the correct location then it gives more benefits and gets differentiated from others which are necessary for attracting the buyers (BrandXpress blog, 2005). Research Questions: The aim of this research is to examine the effects of branding on the advertising of the Starbucks Company. Objectives Research objectives include: To review the literature about this issue up till now. To improve the awareness about branding. To analyse the advantages and disadvantages attached. To investigate

Principle of Electric Motor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Principle of Electric Motor - Essay Example If the current carrying conductor is bent in a rectangular loop, then the two opposite sides that are at right angles to the magnetic field will experience force (Hyper Physics, n.d.). The direction of the force on both rectangular loop sides will be opposite to each other and therefore will produce a torque to the loop and the loops will continuously rotate. In practical applications an electric motor have a large number of loops attached to the coil armature and the magnetic field is generally produced by large electromagnets. Mainly two types of electric motors are widely used and there is slight difference between the working principles of DC and AC electric motors. Working of DC and AC electric Motor: In DC electric motor electricity to the armature coil is supplied through a commutator. Commutator reverses the current after every half cycle so that the torque applied to the armature is in one direction only and thus the coil rotates in single direction. In an AC electric motor the AC current is passed through the rotating contacts. These rotating contacts are also called brushes and the main disadvantage of these AC motors is that a part of energy is wasted as heat, which also shorten the life of the electric motor, however in an AC motor the magnetic field is also produced by same AC voltage (Hyper Physics, n.d.).

Implications for HR Practices in Other Companies LIKE Zappos.com Research Paper

Implications for HR Practices in Other Companies LIKE Zappos.com - Research Paper Example HR Lessons from Zappos.com A similar company in online retailing is Modcloth.com. It has been in operation for only two years, so it has a lot to learn in terms of having a clear-cut organizational culture. Zappos.com took the time to define what its company culture is, and then made sure that all individuals who worked for it fit into the culture. Everything else that they did was an offshoot of this parameter (Palmeri, 2009). Therefore, Modlcoth.com can learn from this company by doing the same. They must decide on the values and norms that will help them achieve their goals. Once this is done, then the organization can focus on other strategic elements. Modcloth.com may also emulate the extent to which organizational culture is a personal responsibility for all staff at Zappos. Modcloth treats organizational culture as a human-resource issue yet Zappos takes a totally different approach. Zappos prefers to hold everyone accountable for the maintenance of their culture. Individuals often work towards this component in every aspect of their jobs. This culture is captured in ten statements that include â€Å"Being adventurous and creative," â€Å"being humble† and â€Å"pursuing growth." The proactive nature in which Zappos diffuses its values may also be used by managers in Modcloth.com. They should not just expect their employees to discover their values independently. Training for new workers should involve learning about the company’s style. Modcloth.com can benefit from teaching employees explicitly about these issues before they allow workers to interact with clients. Sephora.com is a highly successful cosmetics online retailer. Its HR practices, however, do not mirror this new-age approach. Their hiring process is something that needs improvement. It normally carries out a technical recruitment process with a little focus on organizational culture. Zappos.com focuses on a person’s fit with the company culture during recruitment. The y believe that possessing technical skills will not yield substantial results if these cannot translate into their values. Therefore, they do not compromise on it. Hiring processes usually last for a relatively long time. The firm expects job candidates to attend at least one departmental and company event as interviews continue. This leads to the appreciation of organizational values. Sometimes some recruitment processes may last for up to four months (Inghilleri & Solomon, 2010). In Zappos’ recruitment, interviewers often ask six questions that are likely to determine the person’s behavior. Usually, these questions are meant to assess the extent to which a candidate’s behavior fits in with the company culture. However, some parts of the interview will also look at the applicant’s skills. Sephora can learn a lot from these hiring practices. First, they must hire for their core values. Secondly, they must have a structure to follow when recruiting. Sephor a.com usually leaves aspects of the hiring process in the hands of professionals, and what they decide is the final word on the matter. This means that transparency is a challenge. Zappos.com has a highly transparent hiring process. Once an interview has been completed, the interviewer is expected to vote on whether the candidate should be hired or not. These individuals often enter their feedback into a computer. They are also supposed to give explanations for why

Intel China Essay Example for Free

Intel China Essay As we know from the case Intel is a big company which produces microprocessors and software. From the case we have three characters; Charles Tang, Yong Li, and Qing Chen. The issue of the case is the termination of a project that is been carried out by Li that must be terminated. In the case Tang informs Chen to inform Li that he will have to finish the project he is in due the objectives we not reached or followed. The main issue is that the manual of software that was originally supposed to be made by Li has turned into a book, therefore missing the purpose of the project. When Li is informed by Chen about the orders stated by Tang, Li gets upset and furious with Chen ignoring her authority. The reasons for Li to get upset are that he has developed self interests on the project. This lack of authority from Li could be a consequence of the power he indirectly gets from the guanxi he has built over the years with senior managers. Also the fact that Chen is a woman may have influenced his reaction. Tang should have communicated himself to Li about the project change due to the importance of the matter to Li. Also Charles attitude to fit a horizontal rather than a vertical communication flow. Things in America might work that way but in Chinese are not used to direct negative forms. When a Chinese wants to express a negative answer, he or she will never say no directly but they will go around the subject and look for excuses not to make it. All about saving face. Like Chen, any person who is humiliated losses face. In the case of Chen the questioning of her authority over Li was the fact that made her lose face. In a personal opinion the way Tang managed his personnel was inappropriate. As mentioned before, Tang should have informed directly to Li about his decision to move him to another project. In the case that Chen still communicates to Li the termination of the project Li should be punish for the reaction. By being a subordinate of Chen, Li must obey orders from above. Otherwise I believe that he should be reminded of his position in this company. Furthermore instruct Chen in the art of negotiation and human resource management. Another issue is Tang wanting to be â€Å"one of the bunch of Intel employees† which means that he wants to be considered and treated as one more which could confuse the employees used to almost not treating with their bosses. Again the big issue in this case seems to be communication. Tang must find a way to reach their employees in a fair and effective way so situations like this not happen again. Also the fact that he has been away from China so long may cause him to forget basics in treating with his compatriots.

The SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis PG is a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer products. It operates in five distinct business segments: fabric and home care, beauty care, baby and family care, health care and snacks and beverages. It has some of the most well-known and established brands in its portfolio but faces intense competition from other global consumer giants as well as local companies. Strengths Large scale of operations PG has significant scale advantages. It is the global leader in all its four core categories fabric and home care, beauty care, baby and family care, health care. Its products are sold in over 160 countries worldwide with manufacturing capabilities in over 42 countries. The company manufactures and markets close to 300 products. It derives substantial economies from its scale of operations in finance, logistics, marketing, research, new product development, innovation, technology and other functions. The companys huge buying power (from commodities to media) is being progressively leveraged through global procurement and services. A large scale gives PG significant competitive advantage against the smaller, unorganized players in local markets. Strong branding PG is one of the worlds most successful brand creation and brand building companies. The company participates in more than 40 product categories with 300 brands in roughly 60 markets. Some of its very well-known brands include Tide, Pampers, Bounty, Charmin, Cover Girl, Pantene, and Clairol. Moreover, as of 2004, the company had 13 brands with sales exceeding one billion dollars. Together, these brands have sales of over $24 billion. PG continuous involvement in consumer research helps it understand, anticipate and respond to consumer needs and wants and hence create marketing and advertising innovations more effectively and efficiently than many other companies. PG brand leadership helps it implement brand building innovations with retail and media partners in ways that few companies can match. It has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Folgers, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams , Crest, Clairol Nice n Easy, Actonel, Dawn and Olay. These brands have leading market share in their respective categories, an offer the company a significant edge over its competitors. Product innovation PG creates more new brands and categories than any other consumer goods company. In 2003, three of the top 10 new non-food products introduced in the US were PG products. Over the past eight years, PG has introduced the number one or number two new non-food products in the US every year. PGs brand-creation and product development leadership is driven by the companys enormous research and development capacity. The company has nearly 7500 researchers working in 20 technical centres on four continents. It has more than 29,000 patented technologies for its products. Strong performance in core categories On a worldwide basis, fabric home care, beauty care, and baby family care products are Procter Gambles largest businesses, contributing a total of roughly 80% of sales. PGs fabric and home care is also its largest and oldest business and it continues to grow to record levels. The segments net sales grew 10% to $15.26 billion in 2005. The baby and family care and heath care divisions recorded an even higher growth in net sales. The net sales from the baby and family care division grew 11% to $11.9 billion while health care business recorded net sales growth of 11% to $7.8 billion in 2005. Strong performance by its core business groups is one of the prime reasons contributing to the companys above industry average revenue growth rates, and has significantly helped the company to grow to a stage where it is virtually hedged against threat from smaller new entrants. Developing markets infrastructure PGs developing markets infrastructure is a huge strategic advantage. The company has developed a best in class distribution infrastructure consisting of exclusive distributors in fast growing markets like China, Russia, Poland, the Philippines and India. Unlike most of its competitors, who use agnostic wholesalers that sell a variety of competing products, PGs network, while independently owned and operated, sell only PG HPC products (although often they carry various no competing food products). PGs scale allows these distributors to achieve higher dollar profit (not profit margin) while insuring that PGs products get all the distributors attention. Moreover, because of the large distribution pipe (unlike the multi-tributary wholesaler system), PG is able get the breadth of its products to market faster and more efficiently, even in the outer reaches of some of these developing markets, without multiple wholesaler markups that typically occur under the wholesaler system. The company s highly efficient markets infrastructure has helped the company in considerably increasing the speed at which its products reach the market and the companys overall market scalability vis-ÃÆ'Â  -vis its peers. Weaknesses Customer concentration The companys operations are heavily concentrated among its top customers. PGs largest customer, Wal-Mart, accounted for 18% (2003), 17% (2002) and 15% (2001) of sales. PGs top 10 customers account for 35% of its sales. A financial hardship experienced any of these customers; or a substantial decrease in sales to any one of the top customers could materially affect revenues and profitability of the company. Performance of the Clairol business Since the acquisition of Clairol in 2001, PG has been aggressive in using its distribution channels overseas to expand Clairol Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners into new markets. In the US, however, the brands rapid growth before PG acquired Clairol has proven difficult to maintain and Herbal Essences has lost share in an environment of aggressive competitive promotional spending. With regard to the hair colorants side of Clairol, its 35% market share (approximately) in the US (number two position) has slipped further to market share leader LOreal. This in a scenario where global hair color is expected to grow at mid-to-high single digit rates in the next few years. The companys inability to grow its Clairol business could have a negative effect on the PG Beauty division. Overexposure to mature markets PG remains largely a mature-market company, with only 26% of sales and 22% of profits generated outside the US and Western Europe. Moreover the company is primarily exposed to mature categories in these markets, such as laundry detergents and paper. This indicates that the company focuses on leveraging its scale which often means growing where it already has a sizeable detergent and/or consumer paper business. The downside is that this strategy does not necessarily align its portfolio to tap growth, mainly in developing and emerging markets. As a result only 35% of PGs sales are in developing and emerging countries and its total market share in the FMCG segment is estimated to be below 20% as compared with 27% for Unilever. In contrast, its share in developed markets is estimated at 37% or twice Unilevers 18%. The companys overexposure to mature markets could act as a setback to future growth prospects. Opportunities Developing markets The consumer products business in developing markets is expected to be a significant opportunity for FMCG majors globally. This is primarily due to the fact that these markets are witnessing growth across three basic demographic factors: population growth, household formation and household income growth. These factors have driven developed market growth for decades and are now driving strong growth in many developing markets. China, for example, is now considered one of the most lucrative markets by FMCG companies, which could be further explored by the company. Due to growth across developing markets, PG can look towards achieving substantial growth by focusing on these higher-growth, structurally attractive markets. Gillette acquisition PG and Gillette are currently category captains at retailers in many of their respective product categories (given their leadership market share positions in their categories). Therefore the combination of these two dominant players will imply that they would to able to summon their competitive advantages across a wider variety of key categories, thereby increasing their competitive onslaught on smaller home and personal care (HPC competitors and private labels. Furthermore, the two companies also benefit from synergies in oral care, which could be a significant positive for PG. Other revenue upsides expected from the merger include Gillettes growth potential in emerging markets; cross-leveraging shaving and skin care brands and technologies; and, go-to-market efficiencies. The Gillette merger is expected to significantly add value to the company and help it further strengthen its already leading market position. New product pipeline PG has announced a full pipeline of new products to come in 2005. This is a clear evidence of PGs intense commitment and focus on its core business. Some of the most noted announcements include the launches of Hugo Boss Skin Care for men; Tamp ax Fresh tampons (the companys first scented flushable tampon, priced at a 10-15% premium to base Tampax); Iams Savory Sauces for dog and Iams MultiCat pet food; Charmin Basic toilet tissue (launched in February 2005 and Bounty Basic paper towels (launched in April 2005), both selling at a 15% discount to the brands base products; Bounty Glass and Surface Care towels; Charmin Mega Roll toilet tissue; and Tide Simple Pleasures. The launch of new products would significantly help the company in pushing forward its revenue generation across some of the otherwise matured product categories in the FMCG market. Threats Intense competition PG operates in a very competitive market, with rivals including consumer giants such as Johnson Johnson, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark. Each of these has revenues in excess of $10 billion. Private labels or store brands strive to match innovation quickly and try to present a compelling value alternative in many categories. This requires the company to continually strive to develop innovative products and price its goods competitively. For instance, sales in PGs beauty division could weaken sequentially as a result of an aggressive innovation drive from LOreal. Throughout 2005, LOreal is expected to launch a large number of new products globally. An increase in competitive onslaught by a majority of the companys competitors is expected to further challenge the companys growth. Increase in prices of raw materials The company is witnessing a significant increase in its raw material prices. Oil prices are up an average of nearly 40% year-to-date in calendar 2005 (after increasing 34% in 2004 and 19% in 2003), while resin prices are up an average of 14% (versus a 13% increase in 2004 and 21% increase in 2003) and pulp prices are up 8% (after rising 18% in 2004 and 14% in 2003). As a result of PG is facing higher commodities costs, which is expected to have a negative bearing over the companys earnings. ECs Gillette deal stipulations In 2005 EC announced that its only stipulation to the closing of the Gillette deal is PGs sale of its Crest Spinbrush business (brand which holds only a roughly 5% share of the power toothbrush market in Europe, representing nearly $200 million in sales to PG globally) as well as the licensing out of its oral care brand names associated with the Spinbrush, including Crest, Blend-a-Dent and Blend-a-Med. The licensing out of some of PGs oral care brand names has raised a concern over the companys ability to preserve the integrity of those brands given that those brands represent important future growth drivers for PGs toothpaste business. Furthermore this also raises a risk of the US Federal Trade Commission asking the company to further divest some of its other businesses. Uncertainty in pharmaceuticals business PGs Intrinsa, a prescription drug designed to counteract the loss of sexual desire in post-menopausal women, was rejected by the FDA in December 2004. The company is still waiting to hear from the FDA as to the extent of the required further testing of the product, to the extent its economical (the sample size is not too broad and the time frame of the test is not too long) span.. Concerns are also being raised over the FDA status of another drug soon to be launched by PG, Pexelizumab (a drug designed to reduce infarction and mortality post cardiac bypass surgery). This is primarily because the companys pharmaceuticals track record is marred by the withdrawal of both Vioxx and Celebrex from the market, in highly-publicized cases. The companys poor pharmaceuticals track record combined with an uncertain outlook for two of its major drug releases is expected to negatively impact the companys ability to grow in the highly lucrative over-the-counter pharmaceuticals market.

Lebanese Arabic Conversational

Lebanese Arabic Conversational Question 1: Describe a â€Å"conversational routine† from a language other than English (but not a greeting). Include some detail on how it may vary and the situations in which it is appropriate. Then discuss in some depth how this routine reflects cultural assumptions or values. Language: the Mirror of Cultural Values Introduction Having a deep faith that culture is the way of life of people or in other words what crafts their â€Å"lifestyle,† beliefs, customs and practices, a person attains that the language articulated by the people possess culture embedded traits learnt since childhood. That is why language is a very essential component in culture because it reflects the important cultural assumptions and values of a society. Lebanese is a language with a rich vocabulary that includes a large number of cultural keywords; these key words are words that reflect cultural values, beliefs and even history. Therefore this paper will be focusing and accessing a particular Lebanese Arabic conversational routine, where one can learn about a particular culture by studying its language, moreover clearly noticing the presence of cultural assumptions and values in it. Cultures Impression on Language Language is highly influenced by the culture of the speaker and they seem inseparable. Language is what Kramsch and Widdowson () say â€Å"expresses cultural reality†¦. made up of signs that in them have cultural value †¦. Speakers view their language as a symbol of their social identity.† Thus I depend on their quote that â€Å"language symbolizes cultural reality† Being aware that culture is a very complex issue, with many different definitions. Defining culture is far beyond the aim of this paper, but for this purpose it will suffice to quote a few definitions to point to the main elements of the relevant senses of the word here in this essay. Culture is defined by Frow and Morris (1993 cited in June 2002 Center for cultural research) as the â€Å"the whole way of life of a social group †¦.. it is a network of representations texts, images, talk, codes of behavior and narrative structures †¦. shaping every aspect of social life.† Another usage in the Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary stressing the social aspect of culture and defines it as 5 a/b:â€Å"the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b:the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time.† Considering the above, cultures language reflects the things that are important in that culture and judging on Sapirs (1956 cited in wikepedia) hypothesis that culture is â€Å"to a large extent built upon the language habits of the group,† below I will give a simple introduction to the Lebanese culture in order to explain the culture embedded language . Lebanese Background Lebanon has accumulated thousands of years of culture in its 1042 m2 of land because of hundreds of empires having passed by its lands and with each passing the people grasped the essence of their knowledge. Also its people were migrating to western countries because of political upheavals and the Civil War. Affirming this Dr Mora () declares that cultural values are formed from â€Å"environmental adaptations, historical factors, social and economic evolutions and contact with other cultural groups.† It would need a more in depth study of the Lebanese culture. Nevertheless, here is a rough and ready introduction to some of there customs/cultural norms. As indicated in Khalidi and Mcllorys Culture Dictionary (2003), Lebanon is a small country that has its basis on religion. It is made up of Christians, Muslims, and Armenian and their various factions. Hence it is made up of many communities and all in all has 18 recognized dominant religions and despite 4000 years of occupation we arent wiped of the map (Medley 2007). Depending on experience and Medley (2007), Lebanese people are extremely sociable people in streets and at home. Also, they are identified as a â€Å"collectivistic culture† (based on Triandas definition cited in Neuliep 2000a) due to religious facets (Ayyash 2001) and because you are never alone in your burdens. Emphasizing that every one knows everyone, we convey closeness, respect and conciliation through physical touching unlike the West (Ronowiez 1995 and Wierzbicka 2003) and we tend to treat all unrelated people as family because to us family is the â€Å"nucleus of culture.† So you can be addressed by the strange taxi man at the airport as â€Å"uncle.† Proclaiming the sensibility of warmth and kindness are the most striking features in our country and especially in our language because our vocabulary is ample with thanks and blessings reflecting the blessings of God. Looking at it from this religious angle, the Lebanese tend to be like this because they are to be judged on their behaviors later in the Afterlife. Looking into another matter, it should be noted that the Arabic language Fos ha is used in legal matters, parliamentary issues, news reports, biblical references and the Quran and official speeches etc. because the language was closely linked with Islam in the past. This supports and is based on what Bessley (1998) stated, â€Å"many language communities adopt their standard orthography more or less by historical accident.† On the contrary, most Lebanese use a modern Lebanese dialect in daily conversations, bulletin boards, shop titles, internet chatting etc. and dont speak the language they write, which dramatically differs from Fos ha (Medley 2007). Below I will demonstrate in the conversational routine per se this modern spoken Lebanese vernacular. Conversational Routines In the field of linguistics the term routine refers to a â€Å"formulaic utterance† used in certain ordinary situations (greetings, parting, thanks, apologizes etc.) that can be as short as an utterance to as long as a phrase (UNE Course notes). Upon this definition, then one can state that a conversational routine is when a certain word or phrase is commonly used and soon becomes a habit. And as time goes, more and more of these routines are thought up and applied. In every culture, there are several, but the actual number is too great to be counted. The Lebanese culture has allowed the use of many conversational routines. Some examples are: Yaani = I mean Ya aami = Uncle or hey Yii ya allah = Oh! My God Mashi = ok or walking Ya zalameh = Yo! Man Yalla = coming or ok! Inshallah = hopefully Habiibii = lover or my beloved Shoo = what These are all words and phrases used in peoples daily lives and on a regular basis. Integrating conversational routines such as these and others helps reveal the Lebanese â€Å"ethnic and hybrid† identity stated by Tabar (2007). Succeeding this, I will exemplify the conversational routine â€Å"Walla† in its different contexts/meanings in five different dialogues and uncover its impinging religious and cultural elements. Other conversational routines are also used here, but I will stress on one to be concise. Note that I have attempted to Romanize the Lebanese Arabic into English phonetics instead of Arabic scripts to represent the Lebanese vernacular of Arabic and the abbreviations below imply the following: First Speaker (S1) and Second Speaker (S2). 1st usage: S1: â€Å"Laykee habiib sheftee shou sar la Hilda? Ya haram, rahet aala al mestashfa.† (Honey, Did you see what happened to Hilda? Poor Hilda, She was hospitalized.) S2: â€Å"Shoo, Walla! Leish? shou sar?† (What? Really! Why? What happened?) 2nd usage: S1: â€Å"Khalast darssak, ya sabii?† (Did you finish your studies boy? S2: â€Å"Walla, drasset kolou.† (I swear by God, I finished all my studies.) 3rd usage: An incident where a child accidentally falls and the observer says: â€Å"Wa-allah yehmeek† meaning ‘And God protect you. 4th usage: S1: â€Å"Btekhidinee aala al souk?† (Will you take me shopping or to the mall?) S2: â€Å"Walla, inshallah aaboukra.† (I promise, hopefully tomorrow.) 5th usage: When someone is hosting you with a drink or appetizer and you refuse shyly by saying: â€Å"La wallah† meaning â€Å"No thank you.† I have demonstrated from personal experience the usages of â€Å"Walla† as: ‘Really, ‘I swear, ‘I promise, ‘God protect, and ‘No thanks and there are many more functions. Equally interesting and stimulating, Peeters (2002) reviewed Traversos (2002) analysis of the word ‘Walla in the spoken Arabic. In her line of research, she examines how it â€Å"underscores the complexity of the relationship between language and cultures† and shows not only what Arabic grammarians see as a â€Å"corroboration device i.e. emphatic marker meaning ‘by God but â€Å"operating as a grammaticalized discourse particle comparable to the English particle such as ‘really and ‘truly (Wierzbecka cited in Peeters 2002.) Peeters (2002) adds that it is a â€Å"key word† like Wierzbeckas ‘a la` â€Å"because of it frequent use and its cultural specificity† (cited in Peeters 2002.) Similarly to Tabars (2007) study of the word ‘Habiib it has a common core with ‘Walla that is they both refer to a form of bonding between the speakers â€Å"on a basis of ethnicity or religion.† This theory also applies that when Arab origins use these terms they reveal a sense of â€Å"closeness† illustrating the ethnical element and friendship/family nature of the Lebanese Arab cultures. Overall, a conversational routine can be used everywhere. It doesnt exactly have a specific place to be put in, but a clue on how to use them according to the Lebanese would be that most express exclamations, surprises, frustrations, anger etc. and if not, then their second most common use would be to fill up a place where you have nothing to say or when you are trying to think of something to say. Rationalizing on what Thorton (1988:26 cited in Language and Cultures) proposed then we should not ask â€Å"what culture is but what culture does† to our language. In conclusion, this paper bought to light that the cultural norms of the interlocutors language are exposed through it. And that this intertwined relationship between language and culture aimed to point that they largely depend on each other to reflect and determine the cultural assumptions and values of a specific social culture in order to address and build a better understanding world for all.

Does UK Public transport live up to expectations? :: Business Management Studies

Does UK Public transport live up to expectations? Introduction Public transportation has always been a key issue to the government by trying to promote public transport more than using a car. Today public transport is pushed more to help reduce factors of pollution and congestion which seem to be growing all over the UK. Transportation needs vary greatly depending on peoples commuting needs and therefore trying to focus on transport as a whole over the UK is very difficult to research. I have used over 20 documents to help me research this statement. Literature Review Out of the documents that I was able to find the documents seemed to have very positive or negative opinions about public transport with only a few mixed opinions. The following facts were from mixed view documents. There were many documents which were about crime on public transport and around areas of public transport. The main issues were about train stations and buses where situations of theft were experienced on regular basis. Crime is a factor which is now being dealt with increasingly with investments going into cameras at train stations and increased security. Buses are also being equipped with cameras on board so that drivers can see the upper floor. These articles can be found in the appendix and are articles AP 1, 3, 4 and 5. Many articles were also mixed as they acknowledged improvements being made but were also negative as plans are always based on 5 to10 year developments and cost millions if not billions of pounds. This seems to make people loose faith in public transport as it is slow and costly. An example of this is the  £10bn investment into the London underground found in appendix. Many articles brought forward positive opinions of public transport these opinions and facts are as follows. There are new websites being created to help people plan their journeys by public transport. These sort of sites help people by telling someone which, buses and trains they may need and which ones. A site which I used is www.transportdirect.co.uk. A site like this gives people confidence as they know what forms of transport they may need and how long a journey may take. In appendix this site can be found as AP6. New investments are being made to link major cities. An example is Leeds and Sheffield being linked by one train route. This is designed to help reduce congestion on the M1 this can be seen in appendix AP7. Appendix article AP8 shows achievements made over 2003 and 2004 and tells us of more park and rides schemes being used and set up more.

The Search for Terra Australis Incognita :: essays research papers

During the Sixteenth and Seventeenth century, the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch sailors explored a large part of the world. They discovered a lot of land in the South East Asia but wanted to travel further south. The explorers were interested in Terra Austrails Incognita (meaning unknown south land), to expand on their trade and colonies as they were seeking more power. The trade from south East Asia, at the time, was very lucrative, so exploring the unknown southern land below it, was a good opportunity to look for more. Two, very famous explorers were William Jansz and Able Tasman. William Janzs made the trip to Australia on a ship called the Duyfken. His reason to explore it was because it was thought to be rich in gold. Able Tasman wanted to discover the unknown southern land and was given two ships to complete the trip to Australia, the Heemskerk and the Zeehaen. In 1606, William Jansz sailed to New Guinea on the Duyfken to try to discover new land. This voyage eventually lead him to Terra Austrais Incognita, where he was to unfortunately meet the aboriginals, who were unfamiliar and unsure about foreigners and didn?t welcome him very nicely. Jansz thought of them as ?wild, cruel, black savages? In 1642, Able Tasman, made the voyage towards the southern land in the Heemskerk and the Zeehaen. He discovered and explored an island, and thought it was inhabitant by giants, because of cuts in the trees about a giant?s height. He named the island van demon?s land. He then traveled to New Guinea in 1644 to see if Terra Austrails Incognita was connected to the computer. Australia wasn?

Joel Joe Varghese Essay

Don Bosco held its much awaited event-Voice of DBA-Solo Singing Competition for classes 3 to 12. The competition was divided in parts that is, for classes 3 to 5, for 6- 8, for 9 and 10 and for 11 and 12. But fortunately the event for classes 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 was held together. I felt excited as now I could listen to my favourite singer – Joel K Varghese. Many singers came and sung melodiously but when the Joel’s name was announced, the atmosphere of the auditorium transformed to liveliness. Applauses and hoots of students flowed through the auditorium. Joel had won the best solo singer’s award in Bosco Fiesta 2014, so we had great hopes for him being the winner of the competition. And then the lines rang in my years- Lately I have had the strangest feeling, With no vivid reasons here to find†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Silence spread all over the auditorium and we all listened quietly and enjoyed it very much. This song was sung by Joel in Bosco Fiesta 2014 for which he bagged the first prize. Ability to smoothly change and keep pitch, strong lungs, and usually, a lot of talent in auditory memory are the qualities that a good singer has and no doubt that Joel is one of those good singers. His ability to capture attention of the audience through his voice becomes a model for all the Bosconians. His song ended and so did my happiness. I was enchanted and spellbound by Joel’s song. The situation was the same as when William was stunned by the reaper’s song. Results were not declared but I have a strong feeling that Joel will bag the first prize in the competition for he is THE TRUE VOICE OF DBA .

Oedipus Rex as a Religious Drama

Titans who devoured Dionysus. [3] Only his heart remained, which Zeus ate and Dionysus was born a second time. [4] Zeus destroyed the Titans with lightening, and from their remains sprang human life, consequently humans are both divine and evil. [5] Sophocles embodied this aspect of God given human nature, mutual opposites, In the character of Oedipus. His actions are driven by the mother. 6] He is not consciously guilty of the crimes of incest, but the reality and irony of the play states that he is endorsing them. He takes the role of husband and son, brother and father; he is mutually guilty and innocent, despite the Juxtaposed nature of these conditions, a reflection of the conditions from which humanity sprang. There is a definite tone of reverence in the dark subject matter, and a subsequent lesson that Gods that their prophecies demand respect. Nevertheless, the setting of the festival and tribute to the Gods make it a fundamentally religious lay.Central to religious drama is the concept that ‘man must conform to divine order- even at the cost of himself. 17] In Oedipus Rexes, this divine order Is predetermined by the prophecies of the Oracle which is the driving force for the entire plot. Oedipus' parents receive the prophecy at his birth; later, when called a ‘bastard', Oedipus goes to the Oracle and receives the same Information; and when a plague attacks Thebes, Croon Is sent to consult It again, which reveals Its fulfillment. [8] The oracle's presence Is highly active, and In this sense, fulfils the role of an antagonist.Its also enforces Aristotle notion that a character is only a result of plot, as the characters action are solely dictated by the information provided by the Oracle. [9] The role is further enforced by the fact that it is not a mere invention; it was a very real part of Greek culture, where spirituality and politics are intricately linked. Despite the characters best efforts (Accost and Alias leaving their son for dead, and Oedipus fleeing who he believed to be his parents. ) Its fulfillment was seemingly inevitable, perhaps even caused by their knowledge of the prophecy. 10] It s in the avoidance of circumstance in which the prophecy could be fulfilled, that is proximity to the dangerous other, that Oedipus and Alias were able to meet. [11] As afore mentioned the prediction is the force behind the plot, but it is the characters resistance that cause the conflict and therefore the drama. Not to taint a religious discussion with a Freudian psychoanalytical perspective, but, as this conflict shows, opuses Is perhaps ten least Kelly person to nave an opuses complex; en allocates his life to its avoidance. 12] When he discovers his predicament, his costs are encashment, the loss of his children and his eyes, â€Å"Now I will do what must be done to the source of This is a highly symbolic action as in Greek the words for ‘know and ‘see' are correspondent. [14] He is literally removing the à ¢â‚¬Ëœknowledge' of his sins, knowledge he sought with such dynamism from the oracle, an image drenched with irony. The eventual acceptance that Apollo will have been fulfilled is, perhaps, the religious moral of the play; the Gods are omniscient, therefore their laws will always be up held.Aristotle states, within its six elements (plot, character, diction, spectacle, thought ND song)[1 5], that ‘Tragedy is an imitation†¦ Of events inspiring fear or pity[16] and that the Tragic hero is ‘above the common man', but not definitively good, he must have a flaw. [17] In relevance to Oedipus Rexes, and the sense in which it is a religious play, these elements highlight the enforced influence the presence of the Gods have on the actions of the characters, and the concept of free will. The event ‘inspiring fear and pity is most likely the act of incest.Although a taboo subject regardless of culture and period, its interpretation changes across time. A modern view is o ne that inherently links incest to child abuse, as we are greatly influenced by feminist theory. [18] Such theory states that incest is an abuse of the power dynamics in the family unit, usually from father to daughter. [19] However the incest portrayed in the play is unwittingly performed, by consenting adults, but, nevertheless, provokes a disgusted reaction. The cross-contamination of ‘blood' is universally considered tainted and unnatural'. 20] The circumstances surrounding Oedipus and Costar's union could be the fear provoking element. The magnitude of the tragic universe created requires he reader to question whether or not Oedipus would really have killed a stranger over ‘right of way, if the riddle of the ‘Sphinx' was honestly that difficult- which allowed his passage to Thebes, or if the drunken mans accusation of ‘bastard' were mere coincidence. The enormity of the irony suggests some foul play on the part of the Gods.

One flew over the cuckoo’s nest Essay

   Through Kesey’s use of literary features, his novel helped base an understanding on what society decided to believe is normal. Kesey highlights the significance of the insane and their positive energy. He uses McMurphy as a tool to highlight each patient’s positive side whereas society only searches for the negative. Kesey’s outlook on mental illness is simple; he uses his novel to point this out. His novel shows how the patients in the ward are there because society placed them there. Society labeled these people to be against the norms or conformities, which in return allowed the patients to feel inferior and out of place. This novel stresses the fact that each person should not be forced into a corner; they should be given rights to live regular lives with other people. Society should not force inferiority complexes on these patients. The fact that most of the patients were voluntary helps prove this point. It shows how society forced them into a completely different and inhumane lifestyle. Another novel that joins this rebellion against society in relation to insanity is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. In this novel, Plath interprets insanity in her own way trying to prove practically the same point as Kesey. Plath’s use of description, metaphors, and characterization help provide her main point of allowing insanity to merge with reality. The Bell Jar is a novel equipped with descriptions that allow the reader direct access to the main character’s mind. Plath uses an abundant amount of physical descriptions such as the description of Esther’s surroundings at all times to help give examples of how society has forced this woman to think. Esther’s thoughts on life, death, and the world all seem to be reasonable and justifiable thoughts. She is capable of convincing the reader that those thoughts are not insane. Through the use of descriptions, Plath was able to highlight the unjust life of a 1950s woman. Plath also uses metaphors to highlight the suppression made by society on the women. The title of the book is the major metaphor that best represents Plath’s idea on society’s conformities. The entire novel revolves around the idea of the bell jar and this jar represents how society analyzes and reduces the contents provided in the jar. The jar represents insanity. Esther feels secluded and isolated from the real world when she is labeled as mad. She feels like she is an airless jar that ruins her perspective of what the real world is. It signifies a buffer that ends the connection between Esther and the real world4. These literary features were all used to highlight Esther’s alienation from the real world. It shows how a young woman from the 1950s was forced to act. Esther wanted to pursue a writing career and is supported completely, but her thoughts begin to change when the fact that she cannot merge her career with being a mother come to place. Esther becomes depressed and her thoughts begin to change on the world. These individual thoughts begin to accumulate leading to actions that are condemned upon by society. Society expects a lot from Esther such as the idea of her virginity. Esther rebels against the conventional role of virginity with women at that time by embarking on a sexual experience. Esther did not become insane because she believed against the norms of society but rather insanity fell on her. The treatments in both novels are similar in many aspects. At first, the hospitals provide healthy conversations between the patient and a professional psychiatrist. In both novels, the sense of talking is important because a lot of information is released about society and what they think of it. Another treatment usually done after talk therapy is electroshock therapy. Electroshock therapy was created in 1936 in order to help patients clear their mind5. As years passed, this treatment began to evolve which therefore led to the change of its purpose. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, ECT was used as a form of punishment. Patients were punished for doing anything out of the ordinary. In The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood undergoes several electroshock therapy sessions to clear her mind. She continuously states how painful the therapy is and tries to refuse treatment. Her recollections of these treatments show the inhumanity in medical treatments. Another treatment that falls into the controversial category is Lobotomy. It is shown insignificantly in The Bell Jar, one patient briefly converses about it. On the other hand, Lobotomy has a major impact in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The main character undergoes a lobotomy at the end of the novel. This act completely criticizes the ways of society in relation to medical treatments. Many forms of medical treatments on insanity exist but whether they provide a positive outcome is the main question. Society and mental illness are very closely related in the sense that society creates the separation between sanity and insanity. That separation is miniscule and changes constantly over time. Both of these novels emphasize isolation, suppression, and seclusion forced by society. Society forces these on the ideas that are condemned or not wanted. These ideas should not force inhumane actions but rather welcome ideas as an advantage to a better society, a more open society. Mental illnesses and treatments are used as major themes in novels to help highlight the negative aspects of what society creates. Through showing the unjust actions forced by society on people, the idea of insanity should evolve from punishment to help. Word Count: 1,605 1 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. 2 Gale, CD-Rom, HS Library. Source 1 3 Gale, CD-Rom, HS Library. Source 1 4 Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography, 1941-1968; Contemporary Authors, Vols. 17-20.