Comparison the characters Oedipus & Odysseus Essay

The major focus of this tragedy is on the character of the hero, Oedipus. He is a person of great importance; in fact, the security and health of the community depend upon him. And he has to meet an urgent crisis, something which threatens the continuing existence of the city. And because he is very conscious of his own qualities, he takes upon himself that responsibility. Oedipus, above everything else at first, is a person who acts decisively and who is celebrated for so doing. In that sense, Oedipus is like Odysseus, who is also famous for his ability to act and react in an emergency. What is most important about them, however, emerges not from their initial decisions to act but rather from what happens as the conflict they are caught in gets more complicated. Oedipus has a heroic confidence in his own abilities, and he has good reason for such confidence, both from his sense of past achievements and from the very high regard everyone has of these achievements. As his situation gets more complicated and things do not work out as he has imagined they might, unlike Odysseus, he does not adapt, change, or learn. He becomes more and more determined to see the problem through on his own terms; he becomes increasingly inflexible. Having accepted the responsibility for saving Thebes, he will on his own see the matter through, without compromise, without lies, without subterfuge. Oedipus demands from life that it answers to him, to his vision of what it must be. Throughout the play he is seeking to impose his will upon events. People around him are always urging caution, prudence, even an abandonment of his quest, but to act on such advice would be for Oedipus a denial of what he is. And, as he repeatedly states, he would rather suffer anything than compromise his sense of who he is and how he must conduct himself. Odysseus is quite distinct. He sees everything and is always prepared to recognize that he has been wrong. He can adapt; that is one of the most attractive things about the story. The reader may know the outcome, what holds him is the expectation of some new revelation about Odysseus’ bag of tricks. What will he do next to get out of this jam? What is he doing to triumph over the suitors? Because he is such an infinitely protean  character, the reader knows he is going to discover something new about Odysseus in every episode. The reader’s sense of Oedipus is very different. He is not going to be any different, he is going to persevere in being exactly what he has been. So there is a terrible fascination with seeing the events unfold, in seeing Oedipus himself become the major motivating force in his own destruction. The force of the play comes from the connection between Oedipus’s sufferings and his own actions, that is, from the awareness of how he himself is bringing upon his own head the dreadful outcome. Oedipus is doomed, mainly because he is the sort of person he is. Someone else, someone with a very different character, would not have suffered Oedipus’s life.

Assignment: What is Diversity

I was asked to do an assignment where I have to question 10 students about what is the meaning of diversity because we hear so much about diversity. But when I asked people what they mean by it, I got different answers. Every time when I mentioned Diversity, it got a bad rap because some of them related it to affirmative action, and because there's a lot of fear surrounding it. So I noticed that the word conjures up negative feelings sometimes. While some were saying that diversity only refers to skin color, which is not always correct, others found it as a misconception. For them, it relates to differences in gender, race, religious background, ethnicity, age and background. It also differs from other aspects such as your educational level or your family status. You can find a lot of diversity in businesses and your children’s schools. But what they had in common was that Diversity affects our lives every day. Everywhere we go, no matter what city, state, or country you travel to, you will always be surrounded by diversity. This can be both a good and a bad thing. However, diversity is a part of our daily lives and it is something that we must learn to live with. I think that some of their answers applied to Diversity Myths because there were some of them who think that diversity is to be feared because it is measured in many different ways. Gender, sexual orientation, religion and even geographical differences are just a few that affect diversity. People of different situations tend to react differently to diversity. It may depend on where you live or how you were raised and also what is â€Å"accepted† in our society. But they are not in accord with the concept that Diversity is a new phenomenon. It is true that it has been used in the past but the fact is that now we hear the word a lot, so much so that some people call it â€Å"the ‘D' word.

Critical Analysis: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

In this love story written by Zora Neale Hurston, we find out that the main character, Janie saw her life as a great tree filled with many trials and tribulations. â€Å"Their eyes were watching God† was written from a woman’s point of view to tell the story of a woman desperately searching for true love and fulfilment. Janie Crawford grew up with her grandmother who forced her to marry at the age of seventeen to ensure a better life for herself. Logan Killicks was an established potato farmer and he was more than twice Janie’s age. He used her for slavery but Janie refused to accept this lifestyle. See more: how to write a critical analysis essay step by step One day she met a tall handsome man name Joe Starks and ran off with him to Florida. There he established and became the mayor of a small town called Eatonville. This relationship was one of possession and power and Janie was denied any interaction with others in the town. Janie was his trophy wife; she was only allowed to work in their store until Joe became sick and died. Janie then met and fell in love with a young man called Tea Cake. He loved her and took her on picnics, hunting, fishing and dancing. Both, Tea Cake and Janie worked together on the â€Å"muck†, on a field picking crops. On a tragic trip to the Everglades, a hurricane came and Tea Cake was bitten by a wild dog while trying to save Janie and contracted rabies. In his last few months, Tea Cake began to lose his mind and tried to kill Janie so she was forced to take his life. No one could replace Tea Cake, so after his death Janie returned to Eatonville to work in her store. When she returned, people assumed that Tea Cake had run off with her money, but Janie did not care because finally she had experienced true love. The purpose of this book is to tell the story of a woman’s search for true love. In her pursuit of love, she experienced relationships based on confinement and possession, persons who only saw her as a slave and a trophy wife. All Janie ever wanted was someone to love and appreciate her as an individual and as an equal. Eventually, this was achieved when she met Tea Cake. The writer uses many techniques to engage and capture her audience’s interest on this journey of true love, independence and fulfilment. Throughout the novel, the writer uses an ironic tone. After Janie’s first relationship as a slave she found herself in another controlling relationship with Joe Starks unintentionally. Although Tea Cake allowed Janie her freedom at first once competition presented itself he took on a possessive and controlling role also, â€Å"Tea Cake had a brainstorm. Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behaviour justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. † It was also ironic that at Joe’s funeral she was not sad or hopeless as the wife would normally be, but instead she felt strong and free, â€Å"Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist†. Hurston also used dialect to make the story and characters more real to the reader. Words such as ‘wuz’, ‘dat’, ‘mah’, ‘dey’ and wid showed the culture and spirit of the characters and made the story believable. Once I was comfortable reading the dialect, it was easy relating to the characters as their emotions were evident based on their unique expressions. Hurston’s use of figurative language was remarkable where she brilliantly used a metaphor to describe Janie’s life. â€Å"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered. Things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches. These words describe the ups and downs in Janie’s life, the things she did and those she wished she could have done. Dawn represents the new things she experienced and the brighter days that she had to look toward and doom were the trials and sad times in life that she faced. This created a summary of everything Janie faced in life for the reader and was effective in relating to the character and her feelings. Hurston used imagery to characterize and distinguish between men and women in. She compares the dreams of men to ships. She says â€Å"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. † She then goes on to say â€Å"Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly. She believes men and women dream differently. Men set their sights on things they will most likely never accomplish. If they fail, they pack their bags and forget about it, they don’t keep striving to achieve it. Women on the other hand have their sights set on dreams that are realistic and they don’t just wait for their ship to dock, they â€Å"act and do things accordingly†. This idea is represented with all three relationships Janie has in the novel. First she marries Logan, with the hope that her dreams of love and prosperity can be fulfilled. Unfortunately this did not work. Then Janine marries Joe Starks, but feels no real love for him. Then Janne meets Tea Cake. He fulfills her dream of love, and is the only person that makes that dream come true for her. The most prevalent theme presented in the novel is love and friendship. Tea Cake loves Janie and wants her to be happy. He’s the only one who gives Janie the freedom to be who she is, not who someone wanted her to be. All of Janie’s life she was hidden behind a mask that only was taken off with Tea Cake’s love. â€Å"He drifted into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place. † After Tea Cake’s death, Janie did not feel alone. Tea Cake had given so much love to Janie that would last her whole life. â€Å"He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Tea Cake’s death freed Janie for her searching was finally complete. The writer also uses the flashback method, she begins the story with the end of Janie’s journey, when she is back at home and then tells her friend Phoebe her life’s story leading up to her returning home. This was an effective technique because it showed the process and struggle some endure during the pursuit of happiness. Overall the writer was effective in achieving her purpose. Hurston gives her readers the tools to understanding Janie’s motivation with meaningful patterns of metaphors and symbols that deliberately guide readers through Janie’s experiences. The novel invoked many feelings, such as sympathy and concern for the way she was treated, and sadness and struggle this intelligent beautiful woman had to endure. In short, Janie struggles, Janie submits, Janie silences herself, but Janie grows. By the end of the story, I, as a reader, am her best friend Pheoby, sitting on that porch with her and listening her to tale. I understand her insecurities, I feel her pain, and I am able to share in her joy as she was able to experience true happiness and find fulfilment. This novel is so relevant to society because it sends a strong message to women who are still victims of battered relationships, women who feel weak and are struggling to make a failing situation work. This novel serves as empowerment, showing us that we should not be afraid to pursue other relationships if the current one doesn’t bring the happiness that is desired. It teaches that life is a journey filled with ups and downs, but it is up to us to determine our happiness as Janie did. Also it cautions us to be careful with whom we choose to love.

Accounting,corporate governance and ethics Essay

Accounting,corporate governance and ethics - Essay Example The accounting profession has evolved over the years and today is viewed as making big contributions to inspiring investor confidence in various enterprisesThe tedious accounting profession is a sensitive undertaking especially when it comes to certifying to accuracy Because of this sensitivity, the accounting profession had adopted a professional code of ethics for all members. People however believe a lot of reformist agenda had been thwarted by the vested interests of pro-corporate public policy makers (Conrad 313). The chief ethical difficulty that faces most accountants today is what constitutes a full and timely disclosure (Duska & Duska 7). The accounting profession has seen a lot of corporate scandals which had spoiled its sterling professional image in which countless individuals lost their lifetime savings. It has been as a reaction to these scandals that laws were passed to strengthen the standards of the profession to avoid repeating the same mistakes and as additional sa feguards for investors. Regulators, lawmakers, accounting professionals and policy makers had scrambled to draft these new rules and regulations to impose higher standards in the profession but ultimately, it is the individual’s conscience that will preclude any scandals or lapses from happening again. Management boards and executive committees likewise have spent considerable time into the deliberations of formulating their own set of corporate standards and code of ethics to prevent accounting scandals from occurring in their firms or in any part of their organization. An aim of this paper is to explore the accounting profession as it is today compared to previous years. Discussion Accounting is one of those professions in which utmost trust is reposed on those who practice it as a profession (as source of income and livelihood). It is no different from client- lawyer engagement or a patient-doctor relationship in which confidentiality is paramount. As a profession, account ing is charged with the task of making sense out of numbers and it is for this capability for which the various users of financial information rely on for their judgment. It is therefore very crucial that the information contained in financial statements can be relied upon for their timeliness, integrity, usefulness, relevance and accuracy. Stricter government regulations regarding corporate financial reporting has removed some of the more immediate temptations and threats to the integrity of financial statements. However, self-regulation of the industry is also vital in this regard and to educate members of the profession regarding their sacred duty to make the financial figures credible to the public. The most significant reform to ever come about the recent corporate accounting scandals that involved Enron and others is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of July 30, 2002. It is a very significant piece of legislation in one respect: it now requires corporate executive officers to also sign o ff on the financial documents prepared by third-party auditors. What this piece of law means for the accounting profession and the executive boards of publicly-listed companies is both entities must now certify as to the accuracy of the data as contained in the audited financial statements. Previously, management boards and executive committees of affected companies can wash their hands off any audited financial documents if there are discrepancies contained in them but the Sarbanes-Oxley Law (or SOX for short) had changed that cavalier attitude. For the first time ever, not only are the auditing firms to be liable for failures to detect any accounting anomalies as they go about their task of auditing, the management people of the audited entity are also equally liable. The new law had rightly put some pressure on

Women, Minority Ethnic Groups, and Transform Unions Essay - 1

Women, Minority Ethnic Groups, and Transform Unions - Essay Example Various steps have been taken by trade unions to ameliorate this imbalance in the form of making provision for the reserved seat for minority ethnic groups and women and by allowing for proportionate representation. Irrespective of the fact that such transformational steps have been adopted by the trade unions since the last few decades, the mindset of the trade unions still remains quiet patriarchal and majority oriented (Heery & Salmon, 2000). Now is the time for the trade unions to meditate on the impact of women and minority ethnic groups in the union culture and as to have these marginalized segments of the British workforce have contributed to and facilitated the revival and survival of the trade unions in the UK (Heery & Salmon, 2000). This article investigates the augmenting diversity in the British workforce and the biases being faced by the ethnic minority groups and women at the workplace. One purpose of the paper is to identify as to how these sidelined segments of the Br itish workforce tend to redress the workplace discrepancies by trying to transform the trade unions. The paper also looks into as to how the trade unions respond to the demand for change emanating from the ethnic minority groups and women. This paper is based on the available academic and online sources pertaining to the topic under consideration. Hence it is possible that it may leave untouched some facets of the concerns and expectations of the ethnic minority and female workers. Still, it will try its best to have an insight into the dynamics of trade unions with respect to members affiliated to the ethnic minority groups and women. In a broad context, diversity is universal in the sense that every individual tends to differ from other.  

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Essay Example Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is deemed to be quite effective in protecting the investors and enhancing the factor of accurateness and reliability in various corporate financial activities. It has further been noted that the act mainly aims at enhancing the above mentioned aspects in a constant basis with the implementation of strict laws and rules for audit committees of public companies, binding accounting professionals’ functions under the stated regimes (Rolf, 2005). Effectiveness of Sarbanes-Oxley Act in Minimizing Corporate Fraud and Protecting Investors The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, with its strict supervision encourages companies to adopt stern control system on their operational activities, which are expected to minimise the crime rates relating to investor fraud within the organisation. The effectiveness of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act can be exemplified from the fact that it has been able to develop various new legal enforcements with regard to deal with corporate f raud and ensure punitive measures for the wrongdoers within any business. Additionally, the effectiveness of the act can also be justified from the fact that it not only punishes the companies that are involved in fraud but also the participants who initiates the same and therefore, assists in maintaining an all-inclusive framework to prevent accounting fallacies (Rolf, 2005; Ernst & Young, n.d.). Suggestions for Improvement. The act aims to take continuous plunges in developing its strategies and creating provisions that can restrain companies and accounting professionals from conducting corporate fraud, taking its learning outcomes from the classic disaster case of Enron scandal. However, like any other act or legal provision, Sarbanes-Oxley Act also has the scope for further improvement, so that it can enhance its effectiveness to the next level. Suggestively, the act needs to include certain penalties that would be efficient to target low level frauds. Currently, the charged pen alty structure of the act can be regarded as quite severe for any kind of fraud in the context of corporate governance. Impact of the Formation of PCAOB on Auditing Firms and the Public Accounting Professions It is apparent from the above discussion that Sarbanes-Oxley Act is quite effective in dealing with the increasing cases related to corporate fraud. In strengthening its position as an effective legal provision aimed towards reducing corporate frauds, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as used to form the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The PCAOB is a non-profit organisation that deals with protecting the interests of the investors by promoting the accuracy in accounting reports as well as emphasising independence of professionals in developing audit reports. Apparently, aimed towards binding accounting professionals, the initiation of this regime has imposed certain impacts on auditing firms and the public accounting professions, the most affected aspect being auditor i ndependence. In the aftermath its enactment, the staff of PCAOB are in constant supervision of auditing firms and the public accounting professionals likewise, in order to identify any kind of violation of applied laws and professional standards in developing financial reports. In this regard, some of the rights of the authority include their power to impose

An opinion paper on inaugural adresses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An opinion paper on inaugural adresses - Essay Example economic situation had somehow improved from the grim scenario of the Carter administration. The two parallel situations of the early 1960s and mid 1980s therefore were almost of the same footing as far as both presidential speeches are concerned, and in terms of socio-economic and global realities. Kennedy and Reagan' speeches were equally moving and heart warming. But while the whole of Kennedy's address could be poignantly quotable, it wheeled around solely on world issues such as the threats of communism, nuclear war, and global alliance. Domestic concerns, if at all, were mentioned just in passing. On the other hand, Reagan's speech was much more than just motivational. It was comprehensive and tackled a lot of home grown problems as well as global ones which contained specific concerns such as public administration, taxation, and employment: At the heart of our efforts is one idea vindicated by 25 straight months of economic growth. Freedom and incentives unleash the drive for entrepreneurial genius that is the core of human progress. We have begun to increase the rewards for work, savings, and investment; reduced the increase in the cost and size of government and its interference in people's lives. We must simplify our tax system, make it more fair, and bring the rates down for all who work and earn. We must think anew and move with a new boldness, so every American who seeks work can find work; so the least among us shall have an equal chance to achieve the greatest things-to be heroes who heal our sick, feed the hungry, protect peace among nations, and leave this world a better place (home of heroes). But more than practical issues, Reagan proved to be a man with a deeper sense of history. With an impressive stroke, he took his listeners 'by the hand', toured them back in time using such vivid and vibrant example as: History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us Now we are standing inside this symbol of our democracy. Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge; a lonely President paces the darkened halls, and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes west and sings a song, and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air. Although, most presidential speeches refer to historical events to enhance a crucial issue, no one presented them as dramatic and touching as Reagan did. And he did so by immersing his listeners to a particular point in history, took them there, and made them feel the drama that was unfolding; but only to bring them back to the present with a call to unity, action, hope and faith in God: It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair. That's our heritage; that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, as we raise our voices to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world with our sound-sound in unity, affection, and love-one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a waiting and hopeful world. No president had ever reached the stature of

Managing Innovation by Cross-Functional Teams Research Proposal - 1

Managing Innovation by Cross-Functional Teams - Research Proposal Example Corporate strategy in effect maps out the businesses in which an organisation intends to compete in a way that focuses resources to convert distinctive capabilities into competitive advantage. (Andrews, 1997). In this vein, managing a cross-functional team requires considerable skills as effective teamwork is seldom an automatic process. Organizational change or change in general can be defined from a variety of points depending on the perception of the user. An individual or employee in an organization may look at a new post or position as a change while higher management may feel it is unimportant. (Cao et al, 2000, p187). Changes viewed also by management may also not be looked upon as change by outsiders like competitors or suppliers. This has led to the categorizing of change in various ways, some of which include strategic and non-strategic change, incremental and radical change, changes of identity, co-ordination and control, planned and emergent change, change in terms of scale, human-centered change in terms of individual, group and inter-group or organizational level, quantum change and so on. (Cao et al, 2000, p187; Todnem, 2005, p372). Innovation is a management change process. There is a growing number of existing literatures on value drivers, core competences, and success factors in an organisation. E.g. Sim & Ali (1998) compared the attributes and performance of firms from developed countries with those from developing countries within the same industry, Park & Russo (1996) focus on the differential impact of firm’s size to its success and parents shareholders value, Hagan (1998) and Prahalad & Hamel (1990) focus on the core competence of an organisation however, none of these studies has addressed the qualities and salient features with respect to a particular organisation. Under today’s fierce competition it has become increasingly necessary to probe

Effective Bookkeeping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effective Bookkeeping - Essay Example A failure to keep books properly can have very real ramifications for a school, a district, and the workers in it: it could cause intense scandal and cost people jobs and the district money. Furthermore, regular audits are done to ensure that all moneys are accounted for in reasonable ways, meaning that mistakes will get found and will have real consequences for everyone in the chain of bookkeeping, which could possibly include dismissal. It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of proper bookkeeping. This will simply serve as a refresher, please remember that the full description of appropriate policies and legislation relating to school accounting can be found in the Tennessee Internal School Uniform Accounting Policy Manual. There are several things that can lead to effective bookkeeping, and it is firstly important to emphasize basic and fundamental general rules before moving on to the specifics. Firstly, a record keeping must be orderly and complete. Any transaction incl uding school funds should be kept in a safe location, organized by date and able to be recalled at will. Secondly, transparency is of fundamental importance. If anything does seem to be amiss, it is my responsibility as principle to immediately notify a superior, and thus it is your responsibility to immediately notify me. ... These include funds of a variety of sources, including rental fees for non-district use of school property, student activity fees, donations, and even including cafeteria money. One of the most important and sometimes irking aspects of accounting is that specific fees sometimes need to be assigned to specific tasks, and cannot be used for other tasks. A school’s general fund, which constitutes money gained for the operation of a school, for instance, are only allowed to be use to supplement and not to replace the obligations of the school board, for instance. This means that while the general fund should not be used for school repairs, for instance, which are the responsibility of the district. Thus it is important to keep auditors happy and the whole process smooth that we be very conservative when administering funds, keeping careful track of the money flow and be able to demonstrate that moneys collected under one fund, the general fund, for instance, are not used in inappr opriate, or even seemingly inappropriate ways. Thus, it is incredibly important to keep strong firewalls between different kinds of funds used by the school, and flag any funds that might transfer between the two. Finally, it is of the greatest importance that enough internal controls are in place to ensure that the school is not damaged or defrauded, and that moneys are not misused. There can be very serious consequences from lack internal controls, including bank deposits being stolen, money being diverted for internal use, and so forth. This means things discussed above such as physical control of records, but also daily tallying of cash flows in and out (in cafeterias, and with cash registers, for instance) as well as ensuring proper security

Art of the renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art of the renaissance - Essay Example I am trying to persuade one of my patrons to support these young men and so it was a fortunate coincidence that allowed me to come and view your works at the same time. I very much enjoyed my visit to that quaint little corner of the city behind the Cathedral of San Marco. It was most interesting to see the new works that Fra Angelico is doing for the monks there and I do believe that they will soon be finished. I don’t expect you will be permitted to view them, my dear, because the monks will hardly be prepared to open their doors to even one so beautiful as you, on the grounds that you are a women and hence forbidden to enter their hallowed rooms. I do assure you, however, that Fra Angelico’s frescoes are magnificent and truly a masterpiece worthy of this fine city of ours. I happened to meet him when I was coming out of the tavern, and he says that there has never been a more glorious time or place for art than our beloved Florence at the present time. When I told hi m that I was coming to see your paintings, he was most intrigued and informed me that he had indeed spied one or two young women carrying easel and paints and setting out their wares for sale at the marketplace alongside the boys. My how times have changed since my youth! I always have fond memories of your innocence and beauty since the days when I used to visit your father so many years ago. Your mama told me that one day you would be married to young Giovanni and live in that beautiful house by the lagoon. It is so very pleasing to see you all grown up and experimenting with art in your spare time now that you have settled down to married life. I expect that you have very little time for painting now, what with all your wifely duties, and so it is all the more fitting that you should have a chance to hang your paintings in public just for once before you have a family. I must say that I found your paintings delightful in their naive and honest depiction of womanly habits. Your ap preciation of the intricacies of female dress gave me a glimpse of the lady’s dressing room, and I am sure no man could have captured the mood of these scenes quite as well as you have managed it. Of course, there are some technical points that you have yet to learn, but I feel that I can excuse some such faults in your composition because you have not had the benefit of formal tuition in the way that my young Florentine apprentices have had. They will one day astonish us all with their brilliance, because they can match the power of the imagination with the skill acquired through long training at the feet of master artists. But you, my dear, have studied your subject well, and your pictures will no doubt be very useful as gifts to your adoring friends and family who will adorn the walls of their private spaces with your little oeuvres. I was particularly impressed with your copies of the work of Michelangelo. I expect that he will one day be revered across the whole of Europ e, because he captures the spirit of our age so perfectly. You would do well to copy his work more in the future, if you have time to continue your hobby, because he will teach you so many wonderful things about space, and proportion and texture – things that you could have learned about if you had been a man. As it

Management information systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Management information systems - Essay Example Gissaral Electronic business is having main intentions regarding the customer management at (Reponen, 1993): 10 New Technology Scope: Gissaral Electronic business has the future intension of implementing the following key business services and systems. In this scenario there will be following scope for new technology implementation (Reponen, 1993): 11 Management Information system: The term information system can be defined theoretically as â€Å"a set of organized components that collect, process, store, and transfer information to carry decision making and control in an organization†. In addition, the information systems store and maintain information regarding important places, people, and things within the organization or in the set up surrounding it (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p.7; Hoffer et al., 2007, p.429). However, a management information system is an application or function of information system that provides management oriented reporting. In addition, these reports are typically developed on a predetermined schedule and come out in a prearranged structure (Whitten et al., 2000, p.47). 12 Decision support systems/ DSS: For the Gissaral Electronic, decision support system (DSS) will be the first choice, because it provides the comprehensive information for making a decision, and develop information systems particularly designed to aid and formulate decisions. Furthermore, the decision support systems depend on models and methods to create brief tables or an amount that decides a decision (Oz, 2008). 13 Customer information system: The next main choice regarding the technology solution at Gissaral Electronic will be customer information system. We want to implement this system for the business management, data handling and transaction management. This system will be a business management (business information management) system (Computer Sciences Corporation, 2010;

How the Digital World May Change Essay Example for Free

How the Digital World May Change Essay The rapidly changing societies with constantly improving technology and occurrence of social digital technologies dramatically changed the way people communicate and interact with each other making them either â€Å"digital natives†, â€Å"digital residents†, â€Å"digital immigrants† or â€Å"digital visitors† based on their generation or familiarization with technology. More and more people today perceive the world as the complicated and mature network of computerized and online applications that help to communicate, search for, exchange and share information, make business with international partners, play games on distance, and many other purposes. Though, the question is whether digital natives and digital residents are the same in their perception of the world, behavior and life habits in the future? Behavior of Digital Residents Since personally I was born before 1994, I am related to the category of digital residents, who were born before the occurrence of social digital technologies. Such people like me learnt the computer and Internet-related skills either in schools or universities and have an opportunity to compare life and perception of the world before and after the digital world. Despite I am not a digital native, my behavior as a digital resident is already influenced by numerous technologies I am using daily like cell phone, computer, DVD player, iPod, etc. With occurrence of cell phones, for example, people became more flexible and mobile in their behavior, actions, plans and ability to communicate with their family members, friends and colleagues. Moreover, many people combine conversations by cell phone with other activities like cleaning the house, working on the computer, shopping or driving a car (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). Recently more and more people, including me, prefer to make their personal or business calls while driving to the office, shop or gym. It might be a good way to use time efficiently, though at the same time might cause problems and distract a person from driving and being careful on the road. In one of his first video chapters Robert Schrag (2010) addressed exactly this issue when young people got used to talk by phone and type text messages while driving. Though, the main difference in such behavior between digital natives and digital residents is that the last ones are more careful, reasonable and less dependent on the technologies than digital natives are (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). It might sound crazy, but computers, cell phones and other technology-related products became a mandatory and integral daily part of their lives. While as a digital resident I am less dependent, or better to say, obsessed with technology, the changing world of education and business requires being constantly aware and familiar with the latest technologies, either to learn the updated and useful information for my personal and professional development or to keep pace with younger people whose knowledge of languages, computers and technology-related applications make them more competitive at the labor market. Conclusion  As for the future behavior as a digital resident, it is rather hard to predict since more and more innovations enter our lives. For example, nowadays a debate exists concerning two main issues: human cloning and brain chips. Personally, I do not support either of these ideas since with their occurrence and legacy people will be controlled by those who created such innovations while the human being is independent self-thinker who is responsible for his/her own actions, has personal wishes and dreams and is unpredictable in his/her behavior. While digital world gives me more and more opportunity to learn the world and communicate with other people, at the same time it controls me more and more shaping my behavior in the way innovators and digital world creators want. I personally think that technology should be wisely and within certain limits without suppressing and eliminating the natural things and personal communication between people.

Resources to Support Childrens Language Development

Resources to Support Childrens Language Development Task 1 An annotated resource list detailing stories, books, rhymes, songs, finger-plays, story props, puppets, resources and classroom contexts which can be used to support and extend literacy for real life purposes in their setting. You must take into account the particular needs of bilingual learners. In doing this you will realise that what you are doing is describing what you will provide in the role-play context and why. This amounts to a very basic plan together with a rationale for the resourcing. Resource List Following much discussion about poor standards of English teaching, the Literacy Hour was introduced into all English primary schools through the National Literacy strategy during the school year 1998/99. The daily literacy hour is divided between 10-15 minutes of whole class reading or writing; 10-15 minutes whole-class session on word level work (e.g. phonics, spelling) and sentence level work; 25-30 minutes of directed group activities; and a plenary at the end for pupils to revisit the objectives of the lesson, reflect on what they have learnt and consider what they need to do next. The resource list that has been complied has been designed to support activities that take place during the literacy hour. The educational resources market is huge and there is a great deal of choice available. There are many new publishers. For example, Badger Publishing Ltd (www.badger-publishing.co.uk) was established in 1989 and provides a range of books, which are designed to improve children’s literacy skills. The company’s publications are divided into three categories. Badger History for Foundation and Key Stage 1 uses bright and colourful images to stimulate the interest of children in historical concepts. Badger History uses nursery rhymes, changes in everyday life, stories and legends, and significant people and past events drawn from the history of Britain and the rest of the word. Each year of Foundation and KS1 has its own Big Book and Teacher Book. Each Big Book has 10 themes. Details of the book for nursery / reception classes are listed below. Big Book 1 for Nursery / Reception Old Mother Hubbard 12 days of Christmas London Bridge is falling down Boys and girls come out to play Miss Polly had a dolly Ride a cock-horse Mary had a little lamb Sing a song of sixpence Oranges and lemons Rats Badger Nursery Rhymes introduces the first sight words for reception classes. They also provide a literacy course, which aims to fulfil the early learning communication, language and literacy goals and the National Literacy Strategy. The publication contains 24 popular nursery rhymes, coverage of all 45 high frequency words and a range of objectives (word, sentence and text level work). Badger also has another range of publications, which are called Storyteller. This is a new series which uses 36 familiar stories to support the writing, speaking and listening objectives of the National Literacy Strategy in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. This publication allows children to hear and learn about traditional stories, develop comprehension skills, develop speaking and listening skills, use drama to explore themes and characters, and increase their experience of the language and structure of stories. Each book has its own focus. For example, the publication for Reception uses stories, (The Gingerbread Man) with rhyme and repetitive phrases. Fingerplays are a fun way of introducing poetry to children. Fingerplays are also useful tools for practicing fine motor skills, following directions and introducing concepts. They also provide the opportunity to strengthen children’s language experiences and improve their literacy skills. The following fingerplays can be added to the list of resources: Balls (size, counting) Grandmother’s Glasses Choo! Choo! Two Little Blackbirds (counting) Funny Bunny Up, Up, Up (spatial concepts) Jack in the Box (spatial concepts) Unwind the Thread Riding in a Wagon A Teeny Weeny Spider Pat-a-cake Hickory, Dickory, Dock Grand Old Duke of York Literacy Connections (www.literacyconnections.com) is an American based organisation, which provides a vast array of information on reading, teaching and tutoring techniques, ESOL literacy, and adult literacy. Whilst, its resources etc, obviously cater for the needs of the American educational market, many of the items can be readily adapted to meet the literacy needs of children in the UK. A variety of songs can be accessed from this website. They can used to promote and develop a range of literacy skills. A selection of these songs is shown below. â€Å"Alphabet† is an interactive rap song. It targets the comprehension and manipulation of the alphabet and various words in the English language. Using this rap for Reception classes, challenges the children’s abilities to listen, respond, and demonstrate awareness of language patterns and sounds. The â€Å"Alphabet† Song A, B, C, D, E, F, G H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Q, R, S, T, U, and V W, X, Y, Z A Boy Caught Danny Eating Father’s Groceries A like ant, B – boy†¦. The â€Å"Alphabet Animals at the Zoo† song allows children to develop the following skills and gain a greater understanding of a number of concepts. Notably – identifying letters of the alphabet, learning the order of the letters of the alphabet, recognising symbol sound correspondence, and increasing vocabulary movement. The children stretch, shake and bounce to warm up during the opening verse. Next, they create motions which go with a word for each letter of the alphabet. For example, arch, reach up and bend backwards, bend, bend forward, clap, clap hands, droop, let head, arms and spine sag forward, expand, make the body tall and wide. After completing the alphabet, each child faces someone and does the motion that goes with the first letter of his / her name. Alphabet Animals at the Zoo Learn the abc’s with ease While getting fit and having fun Aphabetise your exercise And do your moves one by one At the store or in the car park You’ll cause a small commotion If you suddenly stand and start The alphabet in motion Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, provides a wide range of resources, which can be accessed from its website (www.teacher.scholastic.com). It provides information on how children can create pet puppets and use them interactively in their play. Pet Puppets The creation and use of pet puppets in their play, helps children to develop their social, language and literacy skills. The following materials are required: socks (one for each child), fabric markers, children’s safety scissors, white craft glue, materials to decorate puppets (e.g. feathers, buttons, fabric scraps etc), chart paper and marker. The children work together to create sock puppet pets. In making the puppets the children will be engaged in the following activities: Read stories to children about pets or animals and then engage them in a conversation about different types of pets. Do they have pets? What types of pets do they have? What types of pets do they have? What types of pets do they wish they had? Tell the children that they make sock pet puppets out of socks. When the puppets are complete – the children should be encouraged to participate in activities to develop dramatic-play and language skills. The Role of Parents In Developing Their Children’s Literacy Skills The most important benefit that parents can give to their children is their undivided attention. In a classroom situation a teacher will have to deal with 30 or more children. Therefore, the scope for a teacher to work one-to-one with a pupil is highly restricted. Thus parents play a crucial role in developing their children’s language, literacy and social skills. Adams, M, (1990), estimated that by the time her son was six, he had received 1700 hours of stories being read to him. He had also spent 1000 hours watching the literacy-focused television programme â€Å"Sesame Street†. By contrast, she calculated that in the first year of schooling he would have received 360 hours of literacy instruction, and less than 18 hours were given in individual attention. Toomey, D, (1993), reported studies, which demonstrated that, without help and guidance, parents were much less likely than teachers to praise, and pause and therefore encourage guesses or self-correction, or to give clues if children were hesitant. He suggested that careful thought, and appropriate resources, needed to be given to ensure that this invaluable potential support was channelled effectively. To deal with this issue the government has launched a number of initiatives e.g. Sure Start. This is designed to encourage parents to play a proactive role in their children’s learning. Resources For Bilingual Children There is a huge selection of resources available for developing the language and literacy skills of bilingual children. The use of such resources in the Literacy Hour depends heavily upon the make-up of the Reception class. For example, let us assume that a reception class contains 24 children. If the class contained 20 bilingual children and four native English speakers, this would clearly need a completely different teaching strategy, if the numbers were reversed. In both situations the literacy needs of the two groups most be accommodated. This is why the role of Teaching Assistants has become very important in terms of helping Reception Class teachers deliver a teaching strategy that meets the learning requirements of the children in a specific set. In Task 2, this issue is revisited – as the observation of the children entails analysing the effectiveness of the teaching and resources used in the delivery of the Literacy Hour. In the activity that was observed a specialist bilingual resource was not used. A First Experience book was used Tidy Up – this introduces children to the everyday activity of tidying up. A list of household objects (e.g. coat hanger etc) are involved. No matter how good the teacher, the support and resources are, bilingual speakers are always going to have major problems, if their parents do not make a significant contribution towards developing their children develop their English language and literacy skills. Young children have the monumental task of learning their native language. However, more non-English speaking children are now entering UK schools and are required to develop skills in English as well. Many teachers are now finding that some pupils are not proficient in any language. This is because children are pushed into learning a second language without continuing development in their native language. According to Fillmore, W, (1991), this is happening because children are pushed into learning a second language without continuing development in their native language. Research has shown that children that develop adequate language skills are more likely to experience success when they begin reading (Liberman, 1983; Roth, Speece and Cooper, 2002; Snow, Burn and Griffin, 1998). Early language acquisition begins at home and occurs somewhat naturally, through interactions with friends and family members. Children need these opportunities to develop their native language before they can master a second language. Summary An extensive resource list has been developed. The source and purpose of the items in the list has been explained. If children are going to learn – they must be encouraged to participate. In other words they need to be engaged in a positive and progressive. The contents of the resources list are designed to become fully involved with role play. For example, a teacher can read a short story to group of children. The children will become completely in tune with the experience, when they dress up and act the storyline themselves. Resources provide the opportunity for children to use their imagination. Literacy skills do not sit in isolation. Reading, writing, speaking and listening all interact with social interaction and new learning experiences. Further to this, as highlighted, is the importance of parents becoming actively involved in developing their children’s literacy and language skills. For bilingual children different teaching strategies are required to facilitate their particular learning needs. Specialist resources do exist – but more often than not – the key to success, is using readily available learning resources in new and imaginative ways to meet their needs. Task 2 The second piece of coursework is an evaluation of how well the planned activity meet the intended outcomes – i.e. did the role play area, support and extend the reading, writing, speaking and listening of all the pupils, including bilingual pupils. Introduction This task involves the observation of a number of activities that took place during place Literacy Hour. The children that were observed are in a Reception Class. Communicative competence provides a theoretical framework within, which these observed activities will be reviewed and critically evaluated. Also research findings relevant to the areas under investigation will also be considered. Educational Theory Underpinning Literacy Skills Communicative competence is a concept introduced by Dell Hymes and discussed and redefined by many authors. Hymes’ original idea was that speakers of a language have to have more grammatical competence in order to communicate effectively in a language; they also need to know how language is used by members of a speech community to accomplish their purposes. There are eight aspects of communicative competence. They are grouped together into two groups of four: Linguistic aspects: Phonology and orthography – Phonological competence is the ability to recognise and produce the distinctive meaningful sounds of a language, including; consonants, vowels, tone patterns, intonation patterns etc. Orthographic competence is the ability to decipher and write the writing system of a language. Grammatical competence – This is the ability to recognise and produce the distinctive structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication. Lexical competence – This is the ability to recognise and use words in a language that speakers of the language use them. Lexical competence includes understanding the different relationships among families of words and the common collections of words. Discourse competence – This is used to refer to two related, but distinct abilities. Textual discourse competence refers to the ability to understand and construct monologues or written texts of different genres, such as narratives, procedural texts etc. Learning a language involves learning how to relate these different types of discourse in a way that is coherent to the readers and listeners. If you like, the linguistic aspects of learning a language are the theoretical aspects that have to be mastered. In terms of learning how to read and write, the starting point is phonology. Mastering phonetics is at the very heart teaching Reception Class pupils how to read. The other three aspects are developed over a longer term period. Although by the end of the Reception Year – the children must have made some progress towards becoming effective in terms of the grammatical and lexical competencies. Pragmatic aspects: Functional competence – This refers to the ability to accomplish communication purposes in a language. For example, the ability to use language to greet someone. Sociolinguistic competence – This is the ability to interpret the social meaning of the choice of linguistic varieties and to use language with the appropriate meaning of the communication situation. Interactional competence – This involves knowing and using the mostly-unwritten rules for interaction in various communication situations within a given speech community and culture. Cultural competence – This is the ability to understand behaviour from the standpoint of the members of a culture and to behave in a way that would be understood by the members of the culture in the intended way. Cultural competence therefore involves understanding all aspects of a culture, but particularly the social structure, the values and beliefs of the people, and the way things are assumed to be done. Practice makes perfect – is a phrase that all school children will be familiar. If a child is going to become a proficient reader, writer and speaker of English, then they must be provided with endless opportunities to practice their skills and knowledge of the language. Herein lies the real importance of role-play in learning – it provides children with the opportunity to master the pragmatic competencies. As already stated, in Task 1, parents must become actively involved in developing their children’s literacy skills. Observation Of The Literacy Hour This was a Reception Class in a primary school. The class has 24 pupils. 20 of who are native English speakers. The other 4 are bilingual. The literacy hour is spread throughout the day and is covered in a number of sessions. Session 1 – Whole Class Reading (15 minutes) Session Objectives: The pupils will extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words Hear and say initial and final sounds in words and short vowel sounds in words Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom Show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about where, who, why and how. This session involved using the story (The Gingerbread Man) from the Storyteller range of books produced by Badger Publishing Ltd. The teacher read a line from the book and asked the whole class to read the line aloud. For those children who struggled with a line they were assisted by the teacher or the teacher’s assistant to complete the task. This process lasted for about five minutes. The teacher then asked questions to help the class to recap on what they had read so far. The children were then put into pairs and were asked to read alternate lines to their partners. For those pupils who struggled with this task – they were aided by the teacher or the teacher’s assistant to complete their sentence. The teacher then moved the session beyond the book and asked the pupils to consider what materials they would like to be made of. This generated a wide range of interesting and amusing responses – ranging from rubber to chocolate. The children were asked to consider what special power they would like to have and why, in their new characterisation. The repetition of the reading aloud of sentences from the story book did not really motivate the pupils. However, when they were allowed to use their imagination and develop their own characterisation in a new format, the majority of the group found this stimulating. The reading aloud and repetition of the sentences was designed to allow the pupils to further develop their lexical competence. The relaxation of the structured rigidity, that is a by-product of reading aloud, provided the pupils with much greater freedom to use their imaginations and consequently develop the pragmatic aspects of the communicative competence framework. As with everything in life, the educational system suffers from two major constraints. That is, a lack of time and a lack of resources. As outlined, in Task 1, there is very little scope for offering individual pupils a sufficient amount of one-to-one contact with the teacher. The average size of Reception Classes in the UK is greater than 24. The bigger the class size and the greater the diversity in language skills (i.e. how many bilingual children are in the class?) then more pressure is placed on the teacher. The Literacy Hour has been in operation for nearly 8 years and its impact has been extensively researched. According to researchers from the University of Newcastle – whole class teaching has not encouraged opportunities for pupils to question or explore ideas to help them regulate their own thinking. The researchers have identified the problem of teachers adapting to the new curriculum without changing their old teaching styles or patterns. Consequently, many of the innovations of the National Literacy Strategy are not implemented as a result. Session 2 – Fingerplays – Directed Group Studies (25 minutes) Session Objective Show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about where, who, why and how. The class was divided into six groups of four. Each group was presented with a different fingerplay (e.g. Unwind the Thread, Riding in a Wagon, Hickory Dickory Dock etc). The teacher was assisted by a teacher’s assistant and a volunteer worker. Working their way round the groups – the children were instructed on how to participate in the fingerplay and were encouraged to work as a group to generate ideas on what they thought the words contained in the rhymes, actually. The children were then asked again to work as a group and think of a storyline that could be developed using a fingerplay. This session was adequately staffed and this meant that no group of children had to wait long for assistance, in terms of getting answers to their questions. This role-play element of the session proved to be very successful and the children on the whole worked well within the groups to which they had been allocated. This session provided opportunities for the children to develop their proficiency with regard to the pragmatic aspects of the communicative competence. Session 3 – Developing The Language Skills Of Bilingual Pupils (20 minutes) Session Objective – By the end of the session the pupils will show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about, where, who, why and how. Two of the bilingual students have only recently joined the school. Both of them are new to the UK and to English. Although their parents read to them in Urdu, they are used to a different writing system and print which goes from right to left, rather than from left to right. The TA (Teacher’s Assistant) is using a book which the teacher used at the beginning of the academic year (ie Tidy Up). It is a picture story with no words. The TA had been working with the two new pupils for two weeks and had established a good rapport. She worked her way through each picture and explained to the children what was happening in each scene. A volunteer worker, who was fluent in English and Urdu was on hand. The TA had a number of items (e.g. a clock, a coat hanger, a drinking mug, a torch etc) which featured in the story. As she produced each object she encouraged the children to handle it and say its English name. She asked questions about the objects – what they were for, where might you find them, and so on – and asked the children to find them in the pictures. She talked about the each item’s part in the story. The volunteer remained silent throughout and only interjected when the children did not understand what was being asked of them. Speaking briefly in Urdu to clarify and issue, and then allowing the TA to resume contact with the children. She then asked the children to take on roles of characters in the book, and she also took on a role. Together they acted the story out, using the household objects as props and she encouraged the â€Å"characters† to talk about what they were doing. She then asked the children to â€Å"read† the book in English, and supported (with help from the volunteer worker when appropriate) them individually as they did this. At the end of the session, she reviewed the session, the progress the two children had made. Overall the session was a positive experience for all of the concerned parties. The volunteer worker is helping the children to develop literacy skills within their first language i.e. Urdu. The parents of the children are attending ESOL classes at the school and are actively involved in helping their offspring develop their language skills in Urdu. This is having a positive impact on their ability and willingness to learn English. The use of role-play both at school and at home is increasing their proficiency in both languages. Thus in this instance the use of role-play has generated positive benefits. The objective for the session was achieved. The successful completion of this activity reinforces the factors which are at the heart of the educational theory stated at the beginning of this task. It is counterproductive to fast track the two new arrivals into the class. They need to be helped to master their native language as well as being slowly introduced to English. Their confidence with regard to speaking their own language and becoming more exposed to English, will be increased by the use of role-play activities as observed and by being positively engaged by their parents and extended family, within their home and domestic surroundings. The results of this observation provide a clear link to the previously stated research of several authors (i.e. Fillmore, W, 1991; Liberman, 1983; Roth, Speece and Cooper, 2002; Snow, Burn and Griffin, 1998) that early language acquisition begins at home and occurs somewhat naturally, through interactions with friends and family members. Children need these opportunities to develop their native language before they can master a second language. References Research Evaluation of the National Literacy Strategy – Academic Findings and Recommendations (www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/liteval.html) Literacy Improvement Programme – Developing Literacy in the Early Stages (www.ltscotland.gov.uk) The National Literacy Strategy – Guidance on the organisation of the NLS in Reception classes (Department for Education and Employment, September, 2000) Parental Tips for Enhancing Print Awareness, Phonological Awareness and Oral Language Skills in Young Children Learning English as a Second Language – Crystal Torti, Yvette Carrasco (Top Tips on Parenting, Fall, 2004, Volume 6, Number 3) Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print – Adams, M. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press – 1990) Parents hearing their children read: a review – Toomey, D. (Rethinking the lessons of the Haringey Project – Educational Research, 35/3, 223-236, 1993) Cluster 1 – Thinking about children as learners – What role do parents play in children (www.abdn.ac.uk/education/research-and-initiatives/RTR) Early Childhood Today – Pet Puppets (http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect/Petpuppets.htm) Fingerplays Index Page (http://falcon.jmu.edu/ramsey/fingerplayindex.htm) Aspects of communicative competence – (www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/OtherResources) First Experiences (http://books.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/cpc) How Most Children Learn To Read – Derry Koralek, Ray Collins (Reading Rockets, 1997 – www.readingrockets.org/articles/386) Various pages from Literacy Connections (www.literacyconnections.com) Various pages from Badger Publishing Ltd (www.badger-publishing.co.uk) Literacy Reception Module (Department for Education and Employment, September, 2003)

Theories of Motivation: Analysis of Maslow and McClelland

Theories of Motivation: Analysis of Maslow and McClelland â€Å"Why are there multiple theories of ‘motivation in organizational behaviour? Discuss this question by including a critical evaluation of two theories of motivation.† The purpose for writing this essay is to describe different motivational theories by concentrating on how managers motivate employees in an industry with a high level of turnover and low levels of motivation. This essay will mainly evaluate Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and McClellands Needs of Achievement theory and it will include other theories to support the argument.   Many organisations face difficulties when trying to motivate their staff to complete a given task. If the employees are motivated the company is likely to be successful and achieve set goals. To be able to understand motivation and the way it works, first we have to understand human nature itself. In some cases this could be a straightforward process however in others it could be very complex. There has to be an effective management and leadership to guide employees through the motivation stages. Many companies believe that pay is the prime motivator, however nowadays people may want to exceed acknowledgment, participation and heightened sense of worth at the workplace. This is where empowerment plays a very important part in a companys progression as it is supported by R.French. â€Å"Empowerment is the process by which managers delegate power to employees to motivate greater responsibility in balancing the achievement of both personal and organisational goals†. (French, R., Rayner, 2008, page page 184) By empowering employees this will make the staff more satisfied, productive and motivated throughout their working hours. Throughout the years many theorists have tried to explain what motivation is by designing theories describing how managers should stimulate their staff. The two approaches to motivation are Content and Progress theories and they were published in 1950s. Content theories explain the specific factors that may stimulate people within the organisation by analysing the individuals needs and trying to assume what can motivate their behaviour. On the other hand a Process theory highlights the thought process by examining how and why individuals decide one action over another at the organisation.   This theory mainly focuses on the persons beliefs and how certain performances will lead to rewards such as pay raise and promotion. While both content and progress theories are central in helping us to understand motivation this essay will focus on the content approach in particular the classic motivational theory of Maslows hierarchy and David McClelland needs for achievement.   Abraham Maslow created the Hierarchy of needs theory in 1940-50s and to this day its still popular with managers. He developed the hierarchy to understand human motivation, management training, and personal development by creating five distinct levels. Maslow designed two main strategies lower order needs and higher order needs. Lower order needs includes Physiological needs (these are the most basic human needs such as food, and water etc) moving one level up is safety needs (which would be need for security, protection and stability). After an individual has exceeded the lower order needs mentioned above, he or she moves on to higher order needs which are Social needs (need for love, affection, relationship with another person), Esteem needs (respect, self esteem, need of esteem from others etc) and after achieving the previous 4 levels the person progresses to the desired level Self actualisation will motivate both employees and employers. (French R, 2009, page160) However with every motivation theory there has always been disadvantages. Maslow himself has been critical about the theory he created and in a statement he said:â€Å"My motivation theory was published 20 years ago and in all that time nobody repeated it, or tested, or really analyzed it or criticised it. They just used it, swallowed it whole with only the minor modification† (Wilson, F.M 2004, page 146) In approaching this problem Maslows work has faced a great deal of criticism to whether or not the concepts are different depending on culture. In countries such as Japan and Greece lower order needs such as security motivates employees to work harder more than self actualisation. (R. Rayner, 2009, page 162). Unfortunately those countries have lower employment opportunities; therefore residents mainly focus on security needs rather than self actualisation. Whereas some managerial companies disregard the lower order needs and go directly to higher order needs such self esteem and self actualisation. â€Å"Hall and Nougaim have found that as managers advanced, safety needs became less important while higher order needs were more important but this could be explained by a process of career change and advancement†. Wilson, F.M (2004, page 147) The above two statements suggest that people do not follow the traditional process of the hierarchy. Maslow believes that individuals are motivated by unmet needs which are in a hierarchical order; people have to keep moving up the hierarchy in order to succeed, this method has not been followed due to cultural difference and managerial configuration. Touching onto Alderfers ERG theory he argues that Maslows theory is not flexible and as a result of this people may become frustrated as they are not able to move to the next stage. Alderfer has minimized Maslows 5 stages into 3 levels: existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs.   This theory is more flexible as people can downgrade a level if they cant achieve the higher stage. After having evaluated Maslows hierarchy theory, this essay will now focus on McClelland need for achievement theory. Peoples needs keep changing as well as their career occupations. Some seek the need for achievement as a way of motivating themselves at the workplace. Over the years this observable fact has fascinated David McClelland. After spending 20 years studying at Harvard University McClelland and his associates tried to identify the urge to achieve. They began a long research using Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) as an evaluation of individual needs of different people. This is a technique that asks people to develop a spontaneous story for each photo. David McClelland used the feedback from people and collected data and facts on motivation. After a series of tests using the TATs technique, David McClelland was able to identify three needs, which he believes are important in understanding human motivation and behaviour. These are; the need for achievement (nAch), need for affiliation (nAff) and need for power (nPower). Need for achievement is concentrating on those individuals who seek to excel and therefore tend to avoid low and high risks situations. They have a desire to achieve something superior and get to the bottom of problems as well as completing difficult tasks. They need regular feedback from managers in order to view their progress of their achievement. On the other hand need for affiliation is about creating harmonious connections with other individuals. This group of people may perform well in customer service and consumer interactions situations. Last of David McClelland needs is need for power, this assemblage of people are mainly focused on taking control over others, manage their behaviour or be in charge. Like Maslows Hierarchy theory, David McClellands acquired needs theory has its disadvantages and criticism from other theorists. Erikson proposes that ‘The need to achieve is a behaviour that is only acquired and developed during early childhood therefore if its not mastered at an early stage it cannot be achieved in adult life. French, R. Rayner C, Rees. G, Rumbles.S, Organisational Behaviour, 2009 However on the other hand McClelland argues that the need to achieve is behaviour and it can be done through training in adulthood Ref: R, French, Organisational Behaviour, 2009, page 164 McClelland has already put into practice training in countries such as Kakinda and India and taught people to think, talk and act as high achievers. Other critics have disagree with the influencing attributes of entrepreneurs are dominant. High needs of achievement individuals are continuously competing with standards of excellence. Further, they are involved with tasks of moderate difficulty. ‘The argument that need for achievement is the dominant motive disposition for entrepreneurs may be in conflict then with other research (Langan- Fox and Roth 1995) Wilson, F.M (2004). Organisational behaviour and work. Oxford University press, page146 (Lowry 1982:63) TAT test was also criticised by organisations due to the length of the examination and the complexity in conducting it. Taking an overlook at the most well know motivational theories, I have been overwhelmed by the demand and expectations each author expects from the individuals. Theorists such as Maslow believe that individuals are motivated by unmet needs which are in a hierarchical order; people have to keep moving up the hierarchy in order to succeed.   Whereas Herzberg states that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not on the same range. He believes motivation can cause satisfaction or no satisfaction, as well as hygiene factors can cause dissatisfaction when absent and no dissatisfaction when present. McClellands need for achievement takes it future as he underlies Maslows Hierarch theory self-actualization. However McGregors Theory Y equals much of Maslows self-actualization level of motivation. His theory focuses on self-direction, self-control, and maturity control motivation. Reward systems are an important factor when managers want to motive their staff.   I believe that fulfilling extrinsic aims is a very common method used to motivate individuals at their work place. Managers can not follow just one of the above theories as each individual has different ways in which they are motivated. I believe that motivation cannot be forced onto an employee; it has to come within them. If a certain person does not enjoy their work environment it will be impossible for them to be motivated. Over the years theorists have tried to create a theory to accommodate the needs both employers and employees, therefore at the present time we have a huge variety of motivational theories to choose from. Having closely looked at Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and McClellands acquired needs theory ,I have come to a conclusion that both theories demonstrate peoples motivation needs, however this a complex process because most individuals are not aware of their motives, their needs and expectations keep chancing.   Each of the above theories has its advantages as well as disadvantages; its up to the individual to choose which one of them works best.

The Female Manager :: essays research papers

Reasearch Report I have decided to write my report on the female manager, identifying three women who are presidents or CEO’s of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, providing information on their background and how they made it to the top. The first female I wanted to talk about is Muriel Siebert. She is currently CEO of Siebert Financial Corporation. She has had a chair on the National Women's Business Council and she made history as the first woman to buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967. I hope she fits in the category, because I think this lady is wonderful. Muriel Siebert has been called "The First Woman of Finance." Among other firsts, she is the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and the first to head one of its member firms, Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. She took a leave from her firm in 1977 to serve five years as the first woman Superintendent of Banking for the State of New York. She is known as an outspoken speaker who pulls no punches in lectures, panels and talk shows. She often exhorts industry to utilize women more aggressively. "American business will find that women executives can be a strong competitive weapon against Japan and Germany and other countries that still limit their executive talent pool to the male 50 percent of their population." Muriel Siebert has advised, "The men of the top of industry and government should be more willing to risk sharing leadership with women and minority members who are not merely clones of their white male buddies. In these fast-changing times we need the different viewpoints and experiences, we need the enlarged talent bank. The real risk lies in continuing to do things the way they've always been done." Muriel Siebert not only proves what she preaches, but she practices it too. Her best-known gamble made historic waves in 1967 when she applied to become the first woman member of the New York Stock Exchange. Although she had risen to a partnership in a leading Wall Street brokerage firm and had made big money for colleagues, her effort was patronized, ridiculed or openly opposed by many men on Wall Street. She was turned down by nine of the first ten men she asked to sponsor her application. Before considering her for membership, the Stock Exchange imposed a new condition: she needed a letter from a bank saying they would lend her $300,000 of the near-record $445,000 seat price.

Cry the Beloved Country Movie versus Film Essay -- compare contrast

Cry, the Beloved Country is a moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom. They live in an Africa torn apart by racial tensions and hate. It is based on a work of love and hope, courage, and endurance, and deals with the dignity of man. The author lived and died (1992) in South Africa and was one of the greatest writers of that country. His other works include Too Late the Phalarope, Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful, and Tales from a Troubled Land. The book was made into a movie starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. The book takes you to South Africa, where the land itself is the essence of a man. It as if the mountains, soaring high above the clouds, are the high moments in life, and the valleys are those low and suffering times. Next, you will take a journey to a place called Johannesburg. While reading the pages, the reader begins to envision Johannesburg being a polluted, very unkind, and rushed city. The setting is more of an emotional setting than a physical setting. As I stated, it takes place in South Africa, 1946. This is a time where racial discrimination is at an all time high. The black community of this land is trying to break free from the white people, but having little success. It is this so called racism that is essential to the setting of the story. Without it, the book would not have as much of an impact as it does. This film, the second adaptation of the book, has little room for hatred or anger. Ins tead, its underlying tone is one of a profound grief that the title hints at. Taken as a whole, Paton's novel promotes healing and understanding, and it speaks as powerfully to audiences today as it did when it was first published, fifty years ago. The book ends with a tone of ... ...ing message and provide an emotional punch to equal the book's resonance, which would have probably made a longer film, but added to the continuity if the film. Although the film is slow, it takes on surprising power from the dignity of its performances and the moral strength of its ideas. The book is the same way except you are being fed more of the characters emotion through words than through pictures. Not every moment of the film is as potent as the book (which is noted for passages of passion and impassioned eloquence), but as I said before overcomes its own limitations to become a glorious tribute to the workings of a faith that does not blind but opens up the human spirit (Douglas 25). Alan Paton's novel of apartheid in 1940s South Africa receives a sanitized and overly sentimental treatment in this film, a little trivializing to the book's relentless power.

How did The Second World War affect America? Essay

Having been drawn into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, America was inevitably altered in many ways by the wartime circumstances and the affects of which are still noticeably present today. The war induced economical, social and political reforms in America. America is one of the world’s great superpowers and with such massive territorial and economical resources she became the main source for arms and equipment flowing into Europe. Existing factories were adapted to cater for the demand for war machines and with this sudden influx of business, provided by the Allied war effort, America found herself in a wartime economic boom. More jobs were available due to the new demand and wages increased leading to a generally higher standard of living. With the primary focus on arms and weapons there was a shortage of consumer goods during the war but following that saw a return of consumer goods and mass exportation to Europe opening up a new market for commerce. To fund the initial production of the arms in demand federal taxes were significantly raised mainly in the form of income tax. Government spending has led to increased taxation remaining a permanent, long-term feature of the US government since WWII. Socially the war benefited the majority of black-Americans and women in America who before then, were normally classed below white males living in America. For example, restrictions were placed on blacks and women in America that made it hard to get a job or receive equal pay. Women were seen as housekeepers and were not considered as workers unless in extremely poor circumstances and un-married (even then women were not paid equally in comparison to men), for it was the men that supported their wives and household, alone. However with men being conscripted into the army during the war many positions in the labour work force were being deserted and if this continued there would not be enough workers and soldiers in order to maintain a consistent high rate of production and supply troops to fight a war. As a result women were brought in to replace those sent off to fight and gained adequately paid positions in factories and other jobs that were otherwise only available to men, therefore when the war ended the soldiers returned and found jobs were no longer as readily available as was previously, because women provided more competition and sexual discrimination started to diminish but it was by no means completely wiped out. By 1945 36% of the workforce was female and two thirds of these women stayed in employment after the war demonstrating a permanent social shift created by the war effort. Discrimination against African-Americans also began to subside slightly as President Roosevelt implemented the F.E.P.C. (Fair Employment Practices Committee), to end racial indiscrimination in the war industries, following the actions of A. Phillip Randolph in 1941. This was sparked off by the increased segregation of blacks and whites in the US armed forces despite the supposedly unified war effort and the fact that other countries did not implore segregated units. The black population were angry that their colour would instantly condemn them to low indignant lives. However during the war reforms were welcomed to certain extents and by 1945 blacks employed by the government rose from 60,000 to 200,000. Then without the intervention of the FEPC all three war services allowed black officers still however segregated but nevertheless improving standards between blacks and whites. It seems that the war did not have an active role in reforming the situation in America between blacks and w hites but it provided a form of passive provocation. With the increased need for workers and factories many cities became popular sites for those seeking employment such as the African-Americans and poor southern farmers. The Industrialisation of America because of the war effort requiring greater arms production and manufacturing of goods led to urbanisation in the late 1940s and 1950s and suburbs were inevitably formed; there became areas of great prosperity and others of poverty due to neglect by those who left for the industry. Politically the war had a significant impact on policies and the routes taken by the wartime presidents Roosevelt and, following on, Truman. Firstly FD Roosevelt was a Democrat and introduced an expensive New Deal policy, which was designed and hoped to bring America out of the depression however it came up against great opposition by many Republicans. To counter this threat he ran for the 1944 election with a more conservative Democrat running mate, Harry S. Truman in turn creating a more seemingly moderate approach, which later secured victory for Roosevelt in the election. Then after Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, Truman became president and hoped to continue Roosevelt’s domestic policies. Both Roosevelt and Truman were fierce anti-communists and in 1947 during Truman’s term it was decided that in US interests the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine should be incorporated to keep the European market open for America’s capitalisation and therefore keep chances of communist take-overs minimal. Both policies were part of the idea of Containment and fed money into Europe in order to ensure its revival, which would then lead to American prosperity for consumer goods would be in demand and exports would be available but also to prevent communist expansion. Truman also tried to enforce the ‘Fair Deal’, which was similar to Rooselvelt’s new deal but less money was involved. This aimed to improve social security, provide full employment, increase the minimum wage, build more homes and secure employment equality for all races. This ambitious policy never really achieved its aims for the mostly Republican Congress largely opposed the Fair Deal due to its high expenditure and need for increased taxation. This led to Government control being reduced considerably as was introduced during the Depression and wartime. Socially America has changed considerably and sexual and racial discrimination has been tackled. Women in particular have been granted or have fought for the right to work with the fortunate circumstances of the war creating a definite social change. Also economically America has benefited for many of what were the Allied countries are still within a trading circle with the USA as its centre and looking at the more short-term benefits, America prospered with all the required arms production resting upon her factories. Politically taxes have remained high and Government power has been reduced but without the policy of Containment Eastern Europe may not have recovered with such effectiveness and America may have descended into another depression due to poor over-seas commerce.

Communication on the Internet

Communication on the InternetCommunication before the discovery of internet is only imparted through auditory means, body languages and manual writing. The technology of internet however gave people many options on how to communicate faster and easier. The most popular use of the Internet is communication. The creation of every technology is originally for his advantage. However, man as rational and creative beings always seek ways to make something more beneficial to them even if it is immoral.Communication seems to be the foremost target or objective of internet. Human beings can now communicate in a fraction of second with an individual who is sitting in the other part of the world with the help of plenty messenger services. People can now avail the facilities of email, friendster, facebook, myspace, chat and others. Through these social networking sites, it allows anyone to view information about them which includes photos, blogs, favorites, videos etc.It is an excellent way to k eep in touch and maintain relationships with family and friends. It is now becoming easier to widen one’s social network and establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts and ideas. Moreover, the opportunity of global friendship that the internet creates will give one an opportunity to explore other culture, tradition and social orientation. It widens people understanding about human nature, why and how things happen. Today, groups or communities have sprung up on the internet where people of common interest discuss common issues thus create shared understanding. Many people through blogs and websites share their information about their interests or hobbies. When the information has been read by someone with same hobbies and interest too, it is easy to make friends and contact. Generally, internet is becoming a friendly place that offers cheap and easy alternative to traditional methods of communication.However, internet can be very deceiving too. Pe ople can readily post wrong information about themselves to impress and get attention. There are internet users who used messaging system to create an intimate relationship with someone they don’t know and even see in person. They unconsciously seek belongingness on those people they meet through the internet. As a result, they give too much emotional attachment and trust that may result to higher expectations. In the internet, people can easily exaggerate things about themselves though the power of language.When a particular net communicator ask someone â€Å"what is the color of your hair?†, instead of saying â€Å"black hair† the receiver may say â€Å"jet black hair†. Or when being asked â€Å"what is color of your eyes?†, instead of saying â€Å"brown eyes†, the receiver may say â€Å"deep brown eyes†. The use of impressive and descriptive words has psychological effects on the receiver. He may likely create wrong impressions and expectations that when he finally meets that person, he will easily get discourage. The internet eliminates the physical aspects of relationships which are very significant to establish a connection.Communicating online is becoming a trend and face to face interaction is not already a commonplace. For those people who are less personal and interactive, they tend to use internet to create social connection. These people are most of the time have low self esteem and has lots of social anxieties. When they can’t be seen or identified, they are more willing and comfortable to open up and share true feelings. However, the receiver who doesn’t hear the tone, who doesn’t see the physical language and doesn’t feel the strength and vulnerability of its emotions, may misinterpret the meaning.As a result, the receiver is more likely to pass wrong judgment and the person giving the information is more likely to get hurt. Moreover, communication via internet instead of face to face will lessen one’s opportunity to meet new people and to create true personal friendship outside home. It will also lessen one’s chance to enhance his communication skills and to work out his social anxieties. Moreover, some people are getting addicted on internet communication that makes them set aside their physical interactions on friends and family. Communication online unconsciously encourage online courtship and friendship too which is not always effective. To fully invest emotionally with someone, there must be a constant human contact where you share experiences that will make you effectively learn together.Since you can easily lie on internet communication, the ability to escape identity is more likely to happen. People can easily fulfill their illusions about themselves via the internet. People can easily send wrong information to feel belong which resulted to losing themselves. Moreover, internet communication sometimes discourages conflict re solution. If two communicators are faced with conflicts, they can easily log off or sign off and not to deal with the issue at hand. It is postponing issues that are most of the time unhealthy.Internet is not only used to create intrapersonal relationships where you disclose something personal about yourself. Internet also becomes an effective tool in business communication. Since internet is inexpensive sometimes free, instant and reliable than conventional communication, more and more people are making business online. Some sell and promote products via the internet and some shop at home. Some has given the option to work at home through freelancing.However, one disadvantage of these conveniences provided by the internet is that it might unconsciously discourage people to make human contact. Thus, will make their experience less meaningful. An internet marketer keeps him away from human contact thus a greater possibility to feel lonely and isolated. Everybody needs to meet people and socialize. Your personal experience with them will create more rapport. You will also learn from them and get to know yourself more as well. The feedback you acquire from them is more genuine than those web savvies. Moreover, conducting online transactions will create inability of both consumers and businesses to evaluate the credibility and legitimacy of the transaction.Internet on business saves time and money. Internet through chat and electronic mails made it possible for the employees to be able to communicate with the clients and management. These apparently cut down expenses since employees or companies don’t have to spend in traveling to attend business meetings. It will also increase the productivity of the employees since the easy and instant communication via the internet will give them more time to finish more activities.However, the experience to go to places and see it yourself will be lessening. To physically and visually experience something has a greater impact and has a greater meaning. But there are also people who used internet for their own advantage through using online communication in acquiring knowledge from different kinds of people. They treat online communication as a great opportunity to gather information in an interactive manner – that includes exchanging information through personal email messages and support groups.Since communication via the internet widens one’s social network, it is inevitable sometimes that people acquire some inappropriate culture from other countries. They might be easily influenced by friends abroad who enjoy such culture. They might apply it even though it is apparently inappropriate to adapt in his own society.Communication can be very effective on the internet. However, on the internet you can not completely assume that the information is private. There are people or predators who can you’re your trust but eventually put you on dangerous situations for their own advanta ge. But on the other side, â€Å"internet makes it easier for governmental and private sector entities to obtain information about consumers and possibly use that information to the consumer’s detrimental†.

Leigh Ann Walker, Staff Accountant Essay

Leigh Ann Walker was an exceptional student in college. Her 3.9 grade point average and her involvement in numerous business organizations set her apart from most other students. As a result of her hard work and dedication on campus, Leigh Ann received a total of six job offers. Upon graduation, Leigh Ann accepted an offer from a Big Six accounting firm to be an entry-level auditor. Despite such accomplishments, we believe that Leigh Ann made a significant mistake by lying to her supervisor about her CPA examination, and that she was rightly punished for her actions. We feel as if Leigh Ann’s supervisor, Jackie Vaughn, did not overreact in this situation, but rather she handled the situation like a professional should. The public accounting industry is one that has substantially high standards for integrity and honesty, and in order to maintain that reputation, the individuals that frame the industry must not compromise their standards in any way. Further, the public accounting industry is in an even larger spotlight today as a result of high-profile accounting scandals that have taken place in recent years. The process of regaining trust from the public can take many years after significant fraud schemes such as those that occurred about a decade ago. Due to such a high importance of integrity in the public accounting industry, we would have dealt with this situation in a similar manner that both Jackie Vaughn and Don Roberts did. Although the actions of Leigh Ann are not to the scale of dishonesty that large fraud schemes are, we believe that if someone is faithful in little things, he/she will be faithful in larger ones, and in the same way, if someone is dishonest in little things, he/she will not be honest with greater responsibilities. So even though Leigh Ann’s lying about her CPA exam dates had nothing to do with a large financial fraud scheme, she still lied about a small situation, which could easily lead to larger dishonest acts in her future career. In Roberts’ point of view, he likely views each of the staff members in his firm as potential partners and future decision makers for his firm. Leigh Ann’s way of hiding her embarrassment by lying about when she planned to take the CPA examination demonstrates that she lacks personal integrity. If Roberts were to allow such an individual to progress in his firm to a position of significant decision making, he could be jeopardizing the reputation, and even more important, the future existence of his firm. Roberts’ decision to let Leigh Ann go was not solely based on his own reasoning, either, as he consulted with three other partners in the firm as to how he should go about handling the situation. However, this does not go without saying that Roberts has personal integrity, either. At the end of the case, Roberts clearly demonstrates his lack of honesty by telling Leigh Ann that he, and the other partners, would not reveal the reason why she was dismissed if they were contacted by her potential employers in the future. This case is a demonstration that personal integrity is difficult to find just about anywhere. The importance of teaching honesty and integrity to the future leaders of this country is of utmost importance.