Monday, September 30, 2019

Essay on document entitled “Free Printing Being Abused” Essay

As can be gleaned from the article entitled â€Å"Free Printing being Abused† by Mark Burk, he is dismayed on how irresponsible most of the students are in their actions. Students must understand that free printing offered by the library is a privilege and not a right. It is an initiative of the academe to provide convenience to their students. It is a selfless concern of the school to its students. Burk pointed out the waste of resources particularly papers. As everyone knows, raw materials of a paper come from trees. In short it comes from nature. When one wastes a piece of paper, it is tantamount a small percentage of nature destruction. When all of paper waste as a result of irresponsible printing will be collectively accounted for, it might be tantamount to killing one big tree in the forest. Nature is there to provide our needs and let us not allow this purpose to be futile. It is not just a waste of resources as pointed out by Burk. It is also a waste of electricity and a waste of printer toner (ink). This irresponsible action of most students contributes to the overall expenses of the school. It is very painful to pay for services when you know that this is a result of immaturity and intentional unwanted actions. Burk has a point into making students pay for each paper they print. As he said, this is to minimize the abuse students are doing basically because it is heavy on the pocket to pay for something not valuable like paper wastes. Another point for making students pay is for the continuing maintenance of the printer. But on the other hand, making students pay for each page printed is rather a temporary and a weak solution to the problem. The root of the problem must be addressed and that root cause of the problem is moral values system of students. The school must always instill in their students the importance of conservation and the importance of responsibility for their actions. In this manner, the root cause of the problem is extinguished. Always remember not to waste any resources because in this day and age most of our resources are depleted and there will come a time that we will experience scarcity in resources such as papers and electricity and sad to say that they will longer be free by that time and you have to pay huge amount of money just to be able to obtain those resources.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Plan for the Development of Future Situations Requiring Leadership Essay

This assignment is to development a strategic leadership development plan. There includes to report the CEO regarding the review the strategic management and leadership of the organization. In current situation, Myanmar is in the transition period in both political and economic surface. The treaty of ASEAN free trade area which will start impacting Myanmar from 2015 is a challenge for Myanmar SMEs. As usual consequences of change, while some will benefits from it, some will face setbacks. As the current organization is one of the SMEs in Myanmar, change management which is adaptable for the situation of Myanmar has to be made. Moreover the organization has to prepare for the changes and for adapting corporate and up to date management system. Organization Profile KKK is a manufacturer of authentic Myanmar traditional foods including various kinds of pre-packed ready-made ingredients for traditional curry. Their products are positioned at the high end of the market in terms of both quality and price. Head office of KKK is situated in 78th Street, Mandalay. Manufacturing Plant is situated in Chan Aye Tar Zen Industrial zone. The Plant is operating with about 400 employees from top to bottom line operation. KKK has been in business now for five years and has grown in popularity. What was once a business targeting solely the Myanmar traditional Food community has grown into a business that has far broader appeal. KKK has several objectives that they will achieve to maximize share of local market in pre-packed food industry within the next three years. The first is an increase in sales reaching five thousand Lakhs by  Yearly from local market. KKK also would like to achieve gross margins to be above 55%. KKK also hopes to have 20 different outlets that will distribute their product. Yangon outlet is the first step of these objectives lastly the organization is to become known as the premier authentic Myanmar traditional food producer internationally with an ever-expanding geographic distribution area. Task-1 1.1Explaining the link between strategic management and leadership Strategic managementStrategic Management is all about identification and description of the strategies that managers can carry so as to achieve better performance and a competitive advantage for their organization. An organization is said to have competitive advantage if its profitability is higher than the average profitability for all companies in its industry.| | Strategic management is a continuous process that evaluates and controls the business and the industries in which an organization is involved; evaluates  its competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then reevaluates strategies on a regular basis to determine how it has been implemented and whether it was successful or does it needs replacement. (www.managementstudyguide.com, â€Å"Strategic management†) Leadership The ability of a company’s management to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform well. Effective leaders are able to set and achieve challenging goals, to take swift and decisive action even in difficult situations, to outperform their competition, to take calculated risks and to persevere in the face of failure. Strong communication skills, self-confidence, the ability to manage others and a willingness to embrace change also characterize good leadership. ( www.investopedia.com, â€Å"terms leadership†) A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.( www.sbinfocanada.about.com,â€Å"leadership†) The link between strategic management and leadership Strategic decisions are crucial for the growth and development of any organizastion and vary according to different management and different leadership styles. The change is the function of leadership and strategic decisions means decisions leading to substantial changes in management processes. Hence, Strategic Management and Leadership are closely related or in other words, inseparable. In fact, the terms leadership and strategic management are interchangeable because a leader performs key function like initiating, planning, supporting, controlling, evaluating, etc. Their other responsibilities include building, developing maintaining a team and achieving a common goal by keeping the individual member of the team motivated. As strategic leaders, top level managers must guide the firm in a ways that result in formation of strategic intent and strategic mission. This guidance may lead to goals that stretch everyone in the organization to improve their performance.†Griffin,R.W.1 999 Strategic management is a process of coordinating technological, financial, material and human resources of an organization for enabling it and its stakeholders in achieving stipulated target efficiently and effectively. Strategic  management is a wide term in comparison to leadership as far as scopes are concerned because leadership is mainly limited to organizing, directing and supporting individuals or the human resource in order to achieve the stipulated goal whereas strategic management refers to all resources within an organization. Strategic leadership plays key role in responding to the challenges which businesses have to face due to rapid changes in technology, growing competition and globalization. (www.mbadissertations.blogspot.com, â€Å"link between strategic management†) Strategic objectives of KKK is to maximize share of local market in pre-packed food industry within the next three years. The first is an increase in sales reaching five thousand Lakhs by Yearly from local market. KKK also would like to achieve gross margins to be above 55%. KKK also hopes to have 20 different outlets that will distribute their product. Yangon outlet is the first step of these objectives lastly the organization is to become known as the premier authentic Myanmar traditional food producer internationally with an ever-expanding geographic distribution area. To achieve the strategic goal of the organization, there are should be ways for leaders attempt to get the objectives. Leaders must do to be strategic management. First of all, analysis upon current and future situation has to be made. In analysing current situation, SWOT analysis, PEST analysis techniques can be used. Current situation of Myanmar is lots of challenges. But very near in future, due to the AFTA of ASEAN business from all over the world enter Myanmar and SME’s in Myanmar have to deal with business form ASEAN countries. Our business, traditional food manufacturing and distribution industry has already got more competitive advantage than other industries because the business is based upon traditional food. Leaders of â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing company has to analyze the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats for the current and situation of Myanmar and foreign market and have to analyze political, economic, social and technological analysis along with the analysis of the internal and external environment of the organization to meet the strategic objectives. In making analysis the current system and infrastructure of â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing has to be considered. More employees need to be trained and more materials have to be required. To open branch offices, communication and cooperation with authorities has to be made. The leaders has to considered whether the raw materials can supply the  demand of the market and transportation condition can be supply the raw in time or not. The leader has to consider the competitors’ strategy in current market. And then decision is the second important matter. In manufacturing, the advanced machine like packing machine, mixing machine and powering machines must be mounted to be more productive. And strategic shop floor management for human resources must be implemented. In Pricing and branding strategies, differentiate with low-cost strategy is suitable for local market. Focus for only traditional strategy is also adequate. Moreover leaders are required to allocate the necessary resources and to design the organization to intended strategy to reality. The leader of â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing should attempt to get the objectives by the following ways in the diagram. Product plan/development Market analysis Distribution Supply chain Infrastructure Manufacturing Raw materials branding Promotion Lead generation Channel sales Direct sales Customer service Warranty support Pricing Customer retention. 1.2 Analyzing the impact of leadership styles and management on strategic decisions There are five main types of leadership styles like Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Charismatic, Democratic, Laissez- faire, etc. (Richard L.H. and Katherine C. B. 2005) 1. Autocratic leadership style: when the leaders use absolute powers in making decisions. This is more prevalent in military and Adolf Hitler is a good example of it. In corporate world, United Aviation Services (Dubai) is known for autocratic leadership. 2. Bureaucratic leadership: when the leader follows the strict theories of leadership defined in books. This style is followed where safety measures are prominent specially working on machines. 3. Charismatic leadership: When the followers are highly inspired by the leader and believe blindly in their leader. Mahatma Gandhi was a Charismatic leader. 4. Democratic leadership: When team members are included in decision making by the leader. This helps in building team spirit and motivating all by increasing trust, skill and confidence. 5. Laissez-faire leadership: When the leader leaves the team members to take decisions n their own and monitors them. This is applicable with efficient and capable teams. ( D.D.Warrick â€Å"Journal of Experiential learning and simulation 1981† ) The culture of â€Å"KKK† Company is manufacturing and distribution. Currently, most of the functions in the firm exercises bureaucratic leadership style. In day to day manufacturing operation, distribution and office work practices Bureaucratic Leadership Style. This style seem to be effective because employees are performing routine tasks over and over. Employees need to understand certain standards or procedures. They are working with dangerous or delicate equipment that requires a definite set of procedures to operate. In manufacturing area, safety or security training is being conducted. Employees are performing tasks that require handling cash. In all day to day operation of â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing, bureaucratic leadership style is currently exercises. The consequence of the current leadership style of â€Å"KKK† is that the organization suffers from slow development to get to the objectives of the organization. In making strategic decisions in manufacturing team the employees felt frustrated and increase turnover rate and absenteeism. In office work and transaction work, the style effects the occurring of the  loop whole. The employees feel boring in working environment and also is suffering from increasing turnover rate. So excising bureaucratic style purely in the whole organizing occur slow development to reach the goal. 1.3 Evaluating how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations Leadership styles adapted to different situations. It is evident from the various scenario of the given that different leadership styles are required to be adapted in different situation. Autocratic Leadership Style This leadership style has been greatly criticized during the past 30 years. It is the most effective style in the following situations: †¢ New, untrained employees who do not know which tasks to perform or which procedures follow †¢ Effective supervision can be provided only through detailed orders and instructions †¢ There are high-volume production needs on a daily basis †¢ There is limited time in which to make a decision For example, Militaries of the countries, and training sections of the firm follow autocratic leadership styles. For the organization of â€Å"KKK† manufacturing, this style should be followed in training section under the HR department so that the new assigned employees can understand the procedures and can apply in their day to day operation exactly. By applying autocratic in training section, mistakes and risks occurred by newly assigned employees can be reduced in mass manufacturing environment. Bureaucratic Leadership Style This style can be effective when: * Employees are performing routine tasks over and over. * Employees need to understand certain standards or procedures. * Employees are working with dangerous or delicate equipment that requires a definite set of procedures to operate. * Safety or security training is being conducted. * Employees are performing tasks that require handling cash. For example, audit firms, and engineering firms, mass production factories are applied the bureaucratic leadership style. For â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing, the bureaucratic leadership style is adapted in production firms so that the routine jobs can be efficient and effective. Operators must follow the production procedure and standards. Employees in production department must handle dangerous equipments like packing, blending, cutting machines and delicate materials like food which must need to be hygiene. Democratic Leadership Style Democratic leadership is suitable for the situation of high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time. Many employees like the trust they receive and respond with cooperation, team spirit, and high morale. For example, arts entrainment firms like broadcasting TV and radio channels, firms based on advanced technology like â€Å"Apple† and â€Å" Microsoft† apply he democratic leadership style. For â€Å"KKK† food manufacturing, democratic style leadership style is adequate in office work and long term strategy. In top level management strategic decision making, the style is appropriate. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style The leadership style is appropriate under the situation of: * Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated. * Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own. * Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used * Employees are trustworthy and experienced. For example, industries like hotel and hospitality, dealing with experienced vendors, dealing with audit firms and legal consultant firms need to be practiced the leadership style. For our organization, â€Å"KKK†, we must deal with vendors like â€Å"Unilever food solution† for the purpose of training the employees and promoting the manufacturing procedure in line with international food manufacturing procedures. In dealing with outside experts, staff specialists and consultants the laissez-fair leadership style is effective. Task2 2.1reviewing the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategy Leadership Leadership is a process of giving purpose to collective effort, and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve purpose. (Jacobs and Jaques , 1990, pg 281) Leadership is the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization. (House et al, 1999, pg 184) Every leaders attempt to achieve organizational objectives through other people ( their subordinates) on their own ways. Famous examples of charismatic or autocratic leaders are Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton, Mother Teresa and Adolph Hitler. They used their authority in highly manner and by structured set of reward and management. A famous example of bureaucratic leader is Paul Tetu Sr. and Paul Tetu Jr. motor bike production in America. The leaders enforce their subordinates to rule. Carlos Ghosn (born 9 March 1954) President and chief executives officer of Renault, France and CEO of Nissaan, Japan, has the style of democratic leadership. He always empowers his employees to take decision. He provided his employee’s challenges to perform better at the same time made them realized that he trusted them and their capabilities. Another famous leader who applied the Laissez-fair style is Mahatma Gandhi, National leader of India. All authority or power given to the people and they determine goals make the decisions, and resolve problems on their own. So, many leaders apply different leadership strategy through their people on their own way according to the situations. There are several theories of management and leadership on organizational strategy like Great Man theories, Trait theories, Behaviorist theory, Situational leadership, Contingency theory, Transactional Theory, transformational theory, etc. Different organizations are influenced by different theories of management and leadership. John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership (Greatman Theory) Source: www.adventuremas.com, Innovations in Management Development Task Leadership actions to achieve the Task include: * Defining the task and keeping it clear * Clarifying fit of the task to the more global vision and mission * Identifying resources and developing options * Establishing priorities, time frames, and specific plans of action * Establishing systems for communication * Implementing plans and responding positively to change * Assessing progress and considering contingencies on an ongoing basis Team Leadership actions to Build and Maintain the Team include: * Involving team members to generate alignment * Soliciting ideas and building on them * Establishing roles * Optimizing the exchange of information * Monitoring the team’s process and dynamics * Resolving conflict * Recognizing team successes Individual Leadership actions to Empower Individuals include: * Encouraging varying viewpoints * Harvesting ideas * Allocating responsibilities to capitalize on individual strengths and develop individuals * Listening * Facilitating and giving feedback * Delegating when it can be effective * Counseling and encouraging individuals (www.adventuremas.com, Innovations in Management Development) Three – Dimensions Theory There are three dimensions to effective leadership, each of which is within the control of the individual leader, and each of which can be developed through appropriate support and guidance. Effective leadership is about developing your ability in each of the three dimensions and then choosing to apply your skills and abilities in a balanced, three-dimensional way. Source: (www.mapleassociates.com, Simon Batty MBA MCMI â€Å"Three-Dimensional Leadership – the balanced approach†) Each dimension is of equal importance, which means that leaders who have development needs in one or more of the dimensions, will display behaviours that indicate an opportunity for improvement. Simply developing an already strong dimension will not work; a strength overplayed can become a weakness. Values The first dimension of leadership is that of values. These are the internal thoughts that influence the way a leader views the world around them. Some values are deeply embedded in our moral framework. For example, they guide us in the difference between right and wrong, good or bad. Developed as we progress through childhood, are increasingly challenging to change or modify, as we grow older. Effectiveness In order to lead people effectively, the individual leader must first be able to self-manage. This means that they must be ‘personally effective’ in performing key tasks. Time management (or rather, effective use of time), is a prime example. Leaders who fail to identify and manage their own priorities are unlikely to help team members do any better. Worse still, they may feel threatened by a team member who is more accomplished in this basic management skill than they are. Influence It is important to note that truly influential leaders are not necessarily those who are seeking the popular vote. Leaders who use their personal charisma, or popularity, to motivate and influence, whilst neglecting to develop their values or effectiveness dimensions, need to beware of the following, ‘How the mighty fall when the popular vote disappears!’ Charm may work for a while, but real credibility and respect are based upon the ability to deliver results in all areas. (www.mapleassociates.com, Simon Batty MBA MCMI â€Å"Three-Dimensional Leadership – the balanced approach†) Transformational Theory Transformational leadership theory is all about leadership that creates positive change in the followers whereby they take care of each other’s interests and act in the interests of the group as a whole. James MacGregor Burns first brought the concept of transformational leadership to prominence in his extensive research into leadership. The four components of the transformational leadership style are: (1) Charisma or idealized influence – the degree to which the leader behaves in admirable ways and displays convictions and takes stands that cause followers to identify with the leader who has a clear set of values and acts as a role model for the followers. (2) Inspirational motivation – the degree to which the leader articulates a vision that is appeals to and inspires the followers with optimism about future goals, and offers meaning for the current tasks in hand. (3) Intellectual stimulation – the degree to which the leader challenges assumptions, stimulates and encourages creativity in the followers – by providing a framework for followers to see how they connect to the leader, the organization, each other, and the goal] they can creatively overcome any obstacles in the way of the mission. (4) Personal and individual attention – the degree to which the leader attends to each individual follower’s needs and acts as a mentor or coach and gives respect to and appreciation of the individual’s contribution to the team. This fulfills and enhances each individual team members’ need for self-fulfillment, and self-worth – and in so doing inspires followers to further achievement and growth. (www.ezinearticles.com, Stephen Warrilow â€Å"Transformational Leadership Theory – The 4 Key Components in Leading Change & Managing Change†) Source: Model of Transformational Leadership, www.managementstudyguide.com For the selected organization â€Å"KKK† transformational leadership theory, 2.2Creating a leadership strategy that supports organizational direction Transformational theory has much in common. The theory focuses on attempting to explain how leaders can accomplish extraordinary things against the odds, such as turning around a falling company, founding a successful company. The theories also emphasize the importance of leader’s inspiring subordinates’ admiration, dedication, and unquestioned loyalty through articulating a clear and compelling vision. Utilizing the theory can be the positive impact on our organization needs restructuring and reengineering in leadership and management. Transforming to corporate culture must be implemented. If possible mergers, acquisition, joint ventures have to be established. The above three theories, John Adair’s theory, 3D theory and transformational leadership must be adequately mixed and applied in our organization. Through employees, utilizing appropriate leadership style in different sections, individuals engages with each other and is able to create a connection that result in increased motivation and morality in both followers and leaders. Leaders can also initiate, develop, and implement important changes in a confidence, extroversion, and understand the value of the organization. Our changing strategy is to meet the requirement of the time of AFTA (2015) and can get competitive advantage in food manufacturing industry via traditional food. ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) AFTA is a free trade zone in Southeast Asia where member countries include Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Brunei. The AFTA agreement supports the effort to relax trade barriers amongst member countries in order to achieve direct trade benefits. The purpose of a SWOT analysis of the manufacturing industry is to identify the key factors that affect the success of the industry. The four factors considered a part of a SWOT analysis are: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis estimates the risks for a particular industry. 1. Strengths * The strengths of the manufacturing industry are that it is relatively stable. Although the demand for manufacturing tends to fluctuate with the ups and downs of the economy, it is characterized by regular periods of recovery following any downturns. Moreover, manufacturing has become highly efficient over the last century, with the ability to maximize both the productivity of the workers and machines to maximize profits. Weaknesses * A weakness of the manufacturing industry is that much of it is built on the production of non-essential goods. This means that a severe downturn in the economy can have a crippling effect on it. Another weakness is that it is a mature industry. This means that there is heavy competition and little room for growth. As a result, the manufacturing industry can be a cash cow for those who are already in it but may be unattractive to new entrants. * Sponsored Links * Software Metrics Measure your IT for a competitive advantage. Learn more. davidconsultinggroup.com/Metrics Opportunities * Opportunities in the manufacturing industry are in the technology and bio-technology areas. These are growing market segments with higher profit margins. Additionally, they are knowledge-dependent market segments that require highly specialized workers, which makes it difficult for low wage countries to compete in this market segment, thereby providing an edge to more industrialized countries. Foreign markets with a growing middle class are providing opportunities for technology and bio-technology manufacturers to increase their profitability through exports. Threats * The largest threats to the manufacturing industry in developed nations are from low wage countries. The low wages of these countries have made it impossible for many businesses in developed nations to compete, requiring them to either close or move overseas to find cheap labor. Increasingly, India is an even bigger threat to the manufacturing industry, with its ability to supply highly educated workers at low wages to fill roles in the high-tech manufacturing market segment. Read more: SWOT Analysis of Manufacturing Industry | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6767951_swot-analysis-manufacturing-industry.html#ixzz2HdkmsvMX 1. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats STRENGTHS †¢ Some expenditure on food is essential for everyone and is considered an established part of the household budget. †¢ Many food products are deemed necessities and are unlikely to be harshly affected by any economic downturn. It is discretionary spending that is usually badly hit in a recession, which is, therefore, more likely to harm sales of ‘luxury’ foods. †¢ The UK has a well-established supply structure, in terms of both its production base — for meat, dairy products, fresh and processed vegetables, bakery products and fish, in particular — and its network of retail outlets — mainly in the form of major multiples. †¢ Following a period of extensive rationalisation and restructuring, the UK food industry can now benefit from more focused businesses and generally more efficient supply chains. †¢ The food-processing sector has also benefited from consolidation, which has created more vertically integrated companies and more economies of scale. †¢ Consumer demands for convenience have served to increase the opportunities for foodretailing, which are no longer confined to the traditional food outlets or to daylight hours. As well as minimising missed opportunities, it also enables the industry to capitalise on impulse purchasing. †¢ In such a mature industry, the competitive pressure on suppliers ensures a high degree of product innovation. WEAKNESSES †¢ Few brands enjoy high levels of consumer loyalty and in certain sectors, such as cereals, bread and yoghurt, it is particularly limited. As a result, product switching and the growth of own labels are harming sales of some brands. †¢ The buying power of the large supermarket chains, and their demand for lower-priced supplies, has put further pressures on food-industry margins —especially on producers operating in commodity sectors, such as milk. (It is possible that future EU legislation will prevent the sale of goods below cost price and will set a†¦ 2.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Cloze Passage

My First Unforgettable Evening |remember |happened |cheeks |scene | It () many years ago, when I was a little girl. I can neither ( ) the beginning nor the end , but whenever I think of the (), tears flow freely down my (). |young |carried |trudged |imagine | |visiting |overcoat |flooded |held | When I was (), my family led a poor life in the country.One evening we were () some relatives and the weather was very bad. It rained so hard that the roads were () with water. On our way home that evening, my Dad () me on his back. My Mom ()my elder brother’s hand, and held an umbrella for Dad and me. Dad gave his ( ) to my elder brother. As you can (), many country roads are difficult to walk on. This road was especially bad after the rain. However, we ()together through the mud and the rain for more than an hour. |hard |comfortable |decreasing |fell |achieved |Though I was on my Dad's back, I wasn’t ()either. I was fat at that time and it may have been () for Dad to hold me f or such a long time. He almost ( ) down four or five times. In hopes of ()my father's burden, I tried to â€Å"carry† myself, through force of will alone. That may sound funny, but I was just a kid. Of course, I ()nothing. |arrived |caught |covered | |asleep |puddles |placing | When we () home, the inside of our house was ( ) with rain water.The rain had come through our leaky roof and ( ) were everywhere. Mom put bowls and tubs all around the house to try to catch the rain. Then she put me and my elder brother to bed, carefully () us on the remaining dry spots. I fell asleep ( ) soon. When I opened my eyes, I found Dad and Mom were sleeping in chairs, both having () bad colds. |realized |represent |mind | |earliest |forget |passed |This is my very ( )memory, and luckily, it () nothing but my parents’ love. I () the depth of my parents’ great love for the first time. Though the evening has long since( ), and now we live a happy life, I won’t () the rain w e lived through together. The rain, that evening, and especially my parents' love, will stay in my () forever. How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle |maintain |important |gentlemen |lead |absolutely |Good morning, ladies and (), I am here today to talk about how to () a healthy lifestyle. First of all, I am () sure that all of you will agree with me that it is indeed very () to lead a healthy lifestyle during old age. Here are some tips as to how to lead a ( ) lifestyle. |ageing |brisk |regular |exercises |promote |stamina | First of all, () exercise is very important as it slows down the () process. () walking, cycling and swimming are very good ypes of ( ). If done regularly, they can ( ) good health. Taichi and yoga are also very good for you. You may begin doing them for a few minutes a day and then slowly build up your(). |important |refrain |abstain |stroke |diseases |stand | The next most () point for healthy lifestyle is to ( ) from smoking. Smoking is the main cause of lung c ancer and it can also lead to heart(). If you () from smoking, the chances of getting a () is lower.By smoking, you may also lose some of your friends because they may not be able to () the bad smell. |wisely |consume |containing |indigestion |toxin | Eating () is also important. Older people should choose food () fewer calories because they do less physical activity. They should () more fruits and vegetables. It is also important for them to drink plenty of water because it helps to reduce () and helps to flush out ( ) from the body. avoid |interests |Listening |community |active |surfing | Another important factor is to () stress by maintaining good family relationships. It is good to do () service and take up some hobbies to keep you occupied. It is also good idea to learn new skills that () you. To keep your mind (), you can read books, magazines and newspapers and discuss issues with your friends and family. () to the radio, watching television and () the Internet are also ways to be occupied and be aware of the latest news. Thank you all for listening.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Australian Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Australian Company Law - Essay Example In the case of The Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia & Ors v The Attorney General in and for the State of Queensland [2011] QSC 100 , the Bedford Trust was a gift of land made by Mary Josephine Bedford in February 1952 to the Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia for the purpose of building of a hospice for the â€Å"sick and dying who are poor†, to be called Mount Olivet Hospice. It was also to be built to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Lillian Cooper. 2. What terms of the trust were not being fulfilled? - The evidence establishes that the terms of the trust are not presently being fulfilled in two substantial respects. First, the Mount Olivet Hospital now does not only provide palliative care but more general care. Secondly, admission is not restricted to those who are â€Å"poor†. 3. What was the applicant seeking from the Court? - The applicants sought Declarations concerning the purpose and structure of the Bedford Trust, Orders under s 106 of the Trusts Act 1973 and Orders relieving the applicants from liability for breaches of the Bedford Trust. 4. What breaches of the Bedford Trust had occurred? - No funds were transferred when the trust was settled, and the Congregation became responsible for meeting the costs of both building and operating the hospice on the land which had been donated by Miss Bedford. 5. Were the terms of the trust altered? Explain - Section 105 of the Trusts Act provides: â€Å"105 Occasions for applying property cy pres (1) Subject to subsection (2), the circumstances in which the original purposes of a charitable trust can be altered to allow the property given or part of it to be applied cy pres shall be as follows— (a) where the original purposes, in whole or in part— (i) have been as far as may be fulfilled; or (ii) can not be carried out; or (iii) can not be carried out according to the directions given and to the spirit of the trust; (b) where the original purposes provide a use for part only of the property available by virtue of the trust; (c) where the property available by virtue of the trust and other property applicable for si milar purposes can be more effectively used in conjunction, and to that end can suitably, regard being had to the spirit of the trust, be made applicable to common purposes; (d) where the original purposes were laid down by reference to an area which then was but has since ceased to be a unit for some other purpose, or by reference to a class of persons or to an area which has for any reason since ceased to be suitable, regard being had to the spirit of the trust, or to be practical in administering the trust; (e) where the original purposes, in whole or in part, have, since they were laid down— (i) been adequately provided for by other means; or (ii) ceased, as being useless or harmful to the community or for other reasons, to be in law charitable; or (iii) ceased in any other way to provide a suitable and effective method of using the property available by virtue of the trust, regard being had to the spirit of the trust. (2) Subsection (1) shall not affect the conditions wh ich must be satisfied in order that property given for charitable purposes may be applied cy pres, except in so far as those conditions require a failure of the original purposes. (3) References in subsections (1) and (2) to the original purposes of a trust shall be construed, where the application of the property given

Thursday, September 26, 2019

How sustainable is hydroelectricity generation Assignment

How sustainable is hydroelectricity generation - Assignment Example The turbine is connected to an electric system which through its rotation, an electric field is created which in turn creates an electric force that is harnessed and stored in grids to be distributed and sold to customers during peak times when there must be additional sources of energy. From Interview: According to Ron Taylor who is an experienced electrical engineer, hydroelectric power is sustainable. Experts need to establish the climatic shifts of the area where the project is to be built. Proper planning should also be done to ensure sustainability of the project. From Research: Through technological advancement, the industrial sector has achieved equipments which consumes low power so that the generated power would be economically viable to enhance high productivity in the long run. However, through enhancement of power storage systems by the establishment of digital capacitor banks which are responsible for both power correction and stability, adequate power is generated and used economically to reduce resource wastage (Huggins, 2010). It is recommended that cost effective power plants like hydroelectric plants should be constructed to lower the level and rates of ozone layer depletion which negatively impacts on the global climatic change. From Interview: Ron Taylor further states that, contrary to wind energy which is difficult to maintain, hydroelectric power is easier to maintain since it has a longer maintenance window. It is ranked among the worlds’ preferred power source with low effects on the environment; for instance, the global warming influenced by gas emissions (Huggins, 2010). The most expensive part of the project is the initial cost of installation, which is high as compared to the other sources of power, which are less costly to install but difficult to maintain. From Research: The ability to spend much money on maintenance entirely depends on the procedure involved in the maintenance process especially when

Enterprise systems coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enterprise systems coursework - Essay Example Open source enterprise resource planning (ERP) software systems are important for small and medium enterprises in that it allows the business enterprise to an access the code hosted by the system and make it conform by the enterprise’s own information technology instead of making them pay extra costs to vendors for the customization and licensing. In the selection of ERP systems, it is important for the business enterprise to measure its success in terms of the savings made through the streamlining of the operations of a company through the increase in revenues and the increase of the share of the market. Small and medium enterprises have several possibilities in the implementation of electronic planning packages as they wish. They have an option of either selecting an ERP package that it desires and compare its capabilities with others. They can also develop the ERP system individually or integrate the best choices offered by the particular software provider that the business enterprise is dealing with. The selection of a viable ERP system involves several stages in the operation of a company or a business enterprise. This includes the concise analysis in the processes that pertain to the processes of the company and analysis of the concepts contained in the ERP packages. The pre-selection process involves selecting only companies that are in support of the company process, and thereafter the selection of the ERP package that will involve the use of workshops and evaluation of factors that affect the ERP selection process. This is followed by re-engineering and customization of the process that means the avoidance of resistance by staff of any changes in the ERP selection process and adapting the ERP process to the unique nature of a particular business process (Nah 221). The selection of a viable ERP system involves the involvement of employees in the organizational structure of the company. It is important for the company to recognize the knowledge th e employees possess in the running of the company and their input is important in the achievement of this, the company should assign an integral person in the running of its financial system known as the internal champion. This person is allocated the most difficult projects in the company who gets the job done irrespective of the difficulty of the task. This should be done at the beginning of the selection of the system so that the company knows whether the person is fully committed and agreeable to the project. It is important for the business enterprises to evaluate the risks that are likely to be met and if they may reoccur. This can be used by all interested parties to mitigate risks. Persons who are likely to make the company suffer many risks are also included in the risk management process thus avoiding the loss that could be suffered by the company in question. There is need to ensure management buy-in in the selection of an ERP system by communicating the scope of the proj ect and be updated of sign-offs at every step along the way in the financial management. It is also important for companies to select vendors who have sold more ERP systems as such vendors usually have more customers thus easier access to support and have the best practices for a specific industry and its practices. They also have the ability to come up with products according to the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Dividend Tax Cut Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dividend Tax Cut - Essay Example It was believed that in doing this, the overall U.S. economy would profit because investors would be encouraged and more open to invest in companies. "The tax-cut package enacted in 2003 reduced to 15 percent the top tax rate on long-term capital gains and corporate dividends" (Mintz 108). While this is a significant decrease, many citizens were led astray as to who would actually be benefiting from the package because the Bush administration pointed out that almost half of all American households held some form of stock. "What this statistic ignores, however, is that nearly two-fifths of this stock is held in retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs. This distinction is crucial, because capital gains and dividend income accruing inside these retirement accounts is not subject to taxation, and thus would not receive a tax benefit from the reduction in the tax rates on capital gains and dividend income" (Amromin 38). Therefore, the actual amount of citizens benefiting from this plan is significantly lower than what the American public was led to believe. Only the wealthiest of stock holders benefit from dividend income. Accor ding to the Tax Policy Center fifty four percent of all dividend income goes to households who make over one million dollars per year and the remaining goes to households that make over two hundred thousand. When looking at the big picture, these households only make up three percent of the country's population. "In contrast, only 11 percent of capital gains and dividend income goes to the 86 percent of households with incomes of less than $100,000. Only 4 percent of this income flows to the 64 percent of households that have income of less than $50,000" (Amromin 39). While this information proves that the wealthy are benefiting from the dividend tax cuts, the remaining majority if the population continues to pay a tax on their dividends. Another negative side affect to the passing of this tax cut package are the affects it will have on different private bond companies and charity organizations. "The stock dividend exclusion will hurt municipal and state bonds, it will reduce the attractiveness of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit amounting to 40,000 affordable housing units lost, and it will harm the marketability of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the New Markets Tax Credit and mortgage revenue bonds" (Cohen). In financially strapped cities throughout the country, many are turning to philanthropic foundations to substitute for the loss of government funds. "Many charities believe that the plan for the stock dividend exclusion is bad public policy in terms of equity and fairness in our tax system, and bad for charity and philanthropy" (Cohen). As for the corporations themselves, economic studies have shown that a decrease in taxes does not ultimately play any kind of role in whether corporations decide to pay out higher dividends. Many citizens are concerned that instead of issuing dividends to their shareholders, corporations will substitute "dividend payments for share repurchases, an alternative method of payout that boosts the price of the company's stock for shareholders" (Friedman). Like these "share repurchases", many companies who say they have undertaken the dividend policies have morphed them into one time offers, or special dividends

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Product Costing - Traditional Methods and Activity Based Costing Term Paper

Product Costing - Traditional Methods and Activity Based Costing - Term Paper Example The problem here is that the tools used for production are shared by two parties and that the farm is under the control of several parties. Hence, the establishment of profit and cost centers is essential for rightly measuring the level of earnings and costs. In the system of Activity-Based Costing, the activities are mainly taken into consideration. â€Å"Activity Based Costing is a costing system that assigns costs based on activities performed. The activities could be unit level, batch level product level or factory level. All costs related directly to the making of the product is accumulated and then divided by the amount of unit produced or working hours used in to obtain unit level costs† (Activity Based Costing, 2007). The use of managerial accounting method revealed that the management could exercise its own discretion with regard to assigning costs that link different commodities and processes. The Activity-Based Costing process tries to highlight the fact that if inf ormation, such as this, are disintegrated and given to managers then they will know how to create further sound decisions regarding the expenses incurred by the organization. In earlier times, managers have been inconvenienced because of lack of such data. Costing the activity is usually an important step that enables charging of overhead costs to goods, as to get more accurate product cost information. On the other hand, sometimes, the activity itself is the cost purpose of interest. For instance, a manager of a company might want to know how much the company spends to obtain their reserves as input in a sourcing decision. As exemplified in this case study, Mary and John Farmer are going to need to assemble a substantial level of information in order to execute an activity based costing method. Consequently, in conducting a cost profit analysis of executing the managerial accounting method, the cost of assembling the data will need be taken into account. Additional expenses will be incurred by the continuation of the information method, which will need to be supported by expensive software and hardware requirements. These are the drawbacks that agricultural enterprises can run up against while executing a planned solution. 2. In the traditional cost allocation system, farmers plant too many corn and soybeans as per the preceding year’s demand for that particular product. This is not at all a practical thing to do when it comes to the farming business. â€Å"In contrast to traditional cost-accounting systems, ABC systems are not inherently constrained by the tenets of financial reporting requirements. Rather, ABC systems have the inherent flexibility to provide special reports to facilitate management decisions regarding the costs of activities undertaken to design, produce, sell, and deliver a company's products or services† (Activity-Based Costing, 2011, para. 6). According to this case study, I prefer the alternative solution because it outlin es the connection among the centers for an optional managerial accounting plan rather than just a support cost centre for maintenance, tools, shop or even the farm in general. This case study states that the suggested solution is the cost and profit centers. It is supposed from the argument between Mary and john that it is their initial interest. It enables recognizing the changes in cost of production among farms and its effect on the whole profitability among products produced in

Monday, September 23, 2019

Envioronment assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Envioronment assignment - Essay Example The effect of this disease affects the most productive sectors of the society because it deprives the economy of scarce resources of skills, it leaves countless number of orphaned children, and a country lessened with people at their prime. HIV/AIDS have declined life expectancy in Botswana as it joined the ranks of seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia that have life expectancies below 40 years of age. Study showed of the ECA showed that by year 2020, among those aged fifteen to forty-four, there will be more men than women. There is an implication of increased HIV infection among younger women because there is evidence in the study that older men inflict younger women thru marriage (ECA). Impact of HIV/AIDS is hardest on the family, because as people die, they leave a struggling family both emotionally and financially. Poverty is enhanced because savings are spent during the period of illness. Due to death of parents, t he number of orphaned children left to government’s care also increases. The number of orphaned children in Africa is already in the range of thirteen to fifteen million children. In summary, HIV/AIDS destroys human capital, weakens the mechanisms that generate human capital formation and produces a chance for the children to contract the disease, thus making education less attractive to them. 4. Actions undertaken by Canada, the United States and other developed countries to lessen the impact of AIDS in Africa. The control of HIV/AIDS cannot be done alone by the government of Africa. They need concerted effort of the whole population, the government and help from foreign governments and institutions. African government can seek support from Canada, United States and other developed countries who are affluent enough to donate funds and resources for AIDS control. For instance, they could enlist assistance of the World Health Organization in the European Region that has set a program particularly intended for the region. Botswana can take advantage of several programs of WHO that has been designed to prevent transmission of AIDS, among which are: HIV testing and counseling, syringe and needle program, reduction of sexual transmission among men of same sex and thru sex workers; reduction of vertical transmission by mothers to babies, and access for treatment and care. The World Health Organization in Europe has 53 member states that put together their efforts and resources on the control while U.S. has devoted a sizeable amount of donation for the purpose. Part 2. The Precautionary Principle. There is a saying that goes â€Å"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure†. This I believe is the principle that is considered in the precautionary principles of scientists. Precautionary measures are taken when it is believed that a certain activity would be harmful to human health or the environment because the cause and effect relationships are not scientifically proven. Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration firmly states: â€Å"that in order to protect the environment precautionary approach shall be applied by States according to their capabilities. When there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as reason for postponing cost- effective measures to prevent environmental degradation† (Rio Declaration). Precautionary measure is taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Assessing the Dependency of Teamwork Dynamics to Cultural Differences Essay Example for Free

Assessing the Dependency of Teamwork Dynamics to Cultural Differences Essay A debate whether a heterogeneous or a homogeneous team is easier to handle and manage has been going on for years. Companies, firms and even organizations are starting to make teams as the basic unit of their operations. Due to this trend, organizational researchers started to study the correlation between the composition of the team and the teams’ output (Earley Mosakowski, 2000, p. 26). Organizational composition in terms of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the team composition is commonly studied through the comparative advantages that each type of composition can give to a working team (Schippers, Hartog, Koopman, Wienk, 2003, p. 779). This research paper will try to address the issue at hand in the same manner as most organizational researchers do; this research paper will compare homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions through the advantages they can give to their teams. The hiring structure of most organizations, companies and firm includes a set of qualification that seeks to sift through the applicants not in terms of credentials but also in terms of their backgrounds (Prat, 2000, p. 3). These sets of qualifications are commonly structured in their own ways to create a homogenous or a heterogeneous team, depending on the position of the hiring party in terms of its team composition preference. Before moving on to the advantages of the two-team compositions, it should be noted that the basic differences between the two-team compositions are its team members’ culture. Culture embodies the system of shared meanings (Gibson C. B. , 2004). It can even be said, that culture attributes the different reactions of the team members in different managerial approaches and team objectives (Gibson C. B. , 2004). Furthermore, the probability of success and efficiency in team is dependent to the culture of its team members. Identifying the difference between leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can be easily discussed through the extent by which team members share a certain culture. In modern day organizational researches, culture sharing is not the only difference. Factors such as efficiency, efficacy of the leading model, output capabilities and even conflict resolution mechanisms are considered in organization researches that address homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. Describing the actual leadership process in these two team compositions would lead to the discussions on team cohesiveness. Team cohesiveness is the degree by which members of a group (both hetero and homo) are attracted to the team (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). It can be said, that team cohesiveness embodies the reasons for joining a team and expected incentives for joining the team (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). Team cohesiveness is present in both homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. However, the burden of insuring that the team would function is not directly related to the team composition; it is also determined by the leadership style in the team. Leading leadership styles such as directive and supportive styles have two very different effects to the team depending on the team composition. The exclusivity of the shared culture in homogeneous teams can work better with directive leadership such as seen in autocratic countries (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). On the other hand, supportive leadership can work better with heterogeneous team composition since the differences in the shared culture of the team can be compensated for by the support that the leadership style offers (Wendt, Euwemab, Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). Interchanging the two leadership styles in heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions can result to high probability of team inefficiency and failure. Following this logic, it can be said that the leadership style would determine the difference between these two team compositions; a certain â€Å"fit† must be properly addressed. After discussing the needed â€Å"fit† in the leadership style and the team composition, advantages in terms of properly leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can now be established. Having a heterogeneous team implies that a team leader would have members with different recognitions of shared culture. Due to this, the team leader can expect different opinions and a wide range of ideas to be articulated by the team members (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This setup is seen in companies that operate on a high technology level. Technology based companies tend to function in a transnational level; this allows the companies to have an experience in having a heterogeneous team to deal with their operations. The diverse pool that the company can easily access to creates a working environment, which is perfect for the creation of cohorts. According to other related researches, team members tend to speak out their idea or opinion if they have at least one team member that supports their idea (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This finding is the coined as the cohort formation in workplaces. Following this logic, leading a heterogeneous team has an advantage of being able to pool a good number of ideas and opinions due to the different shared cultures among the team members. Practically speaking, a heterogeneous team can come up with more possible solutions needed to address a problem as compared to a team with members that share a uniform culture. Heterogeneous team through its cohorts also has the advantage of creating a workplace, which is more conducive for a more receptive learning behavior (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The cohort formation that arises from a heterogeneous team creates subgroups that are more receptive to learning through experimentation; reflective communication and codification (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The psychological support provided by team members that share culture allows other team members to learn more (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, p. 210). These advantages of heterogeneous teams make many organizations, companies and firms to invest in the creation of a heterogeneous team. This trend is best seen in transnational companies’ attempts to outsource team members from different places around the globe to insure that their team has cohorts to cultivate better brainstorming activities (Earley Gibson, 2002, pp. 230-232). Unfortunately, the advantages of having a heterogeneous team stop at the cohorts. Heterogeneous team, which is too heterogeneous in the sense that it does not allow the formation of cohorts tends to be counterproductive since its team members without some to share his or her culture with, becomes too protective of their ideas (Gibson Vermeulen, 2003, pp. 212-213). In this situation, organizational researches recommend the full dismantling of the team or the inclusion of other team members that may allow that formation of cohorts within the heterogeneous team. Advantages in a homogeneous team are the extreme solutions to the disadvantages of a heterogeneous team. The probability that too much heterogeneity can impede team growth and efficiency can be cancelled out by adapting a homogenized team since the shared culture of the whole team will eradicate the cultural diversity that may have started the problems of a too heterogenic team (Mello Ruckes, 2010, p. 1022). This is the primary advantage of homogeneous team- cohesion. Team cohesion is at its prime state if the subject team is a homogeneous team (WordPress. com, 2009). The strong sense of group cohesion in a homogeneous team allows the whole team to easily accomplish tasks and yield maximum productivity rates (WordPress. com, 2009, p. n. pag. ). The shared culture of a homogeneous team creates a sense of unity among the team members; that translates to achievements that are most probably unattainable for a common heterogeneous group. This is the primary and appears to be the only advantage in a homogeneous group. Unfortunately, it also has its share of disadvantages. The major disadvantage of a homogenous team is that the team is prone to make probable dumb decisions due to the strong sense of groupthink mentality present in this team composition (WordPress. com, 2009). This attributes of homogeneous team composition allows homogeneous teams to be the perfect team composition for productivity and goal oriented organizations, companies and firms. Conclusion: Heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions have been existing ever since basic groups have been formed. The reason for their existence is the fact that each of this team composition provides a perfect fit for different organizational arrangements (Gamage, 2006, p. 57). The interplay between organizational cultures, team composition and the type of leadership determines the needed fit implied in this research paper. Conclusively, this research paper takes the position that homogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that are goal and production oriented, while heterogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that seek to provide solutions. The cohesive team culture cultured and enforced in homogeneous team composition allows a consolidated movement of the whole team towards the attainment of their team’s objectives. On the other hand, the differences of the team members of a heterogeneous team allow the utilization of the multi perspective orientations in the advantage of the whole team. The different ideas and cultural inclinations of a heterogeneous team allow the development of holistic solutions. These points when summed up results to a general idea that the team compositions’ effectiveness are dominantly dependent on the factors such as type of leadership and environment such as context of application. Bibliography Adams, S. K. (2007, July 30). Disciplinarily Hetero- and Homogeneous Design Team Convergence:Communication Patterns and Perceptions of Teamwork. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. scholar. lib. vt. edu: http://scholar. lib. vt. edu/theses/available/etd-08272007-114555/unrestricted/MastersThesis. pdf Adler, N. (1991). International dimensions of organi-zational behavior (2nd ed. ). Boston: PWS-Kent. Burke, S. , Wilson, K. , Salas, E. (2010). Varying Team Composition to Examine the Effect of CulturalDiversity on Team Process and Cultural Adaptability. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. ftp. rta. nato. int: ftp. rta. nato. int/public//PubFullText/ ///MP-HFM-142-18. doc Casmir, R. (1992). Third-culture building: A paradigm shift for international and intercultural communication. Communication Yearbook , 407-428. Cox, T. (1992). Cultural diversity in organizations. San Francisco: Berrett Koehler. Earley, P. C. , Mosakowski, E. (2000). Creating Hybrid Team Cultures: An Empirical Test of Transnational Team Functioning. The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 , 26-49. Earley, P. , Gibson, C. B. (2002). Multinational Work Teams: A New Perspective. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. . Elron, E. (1997). Top management teams within multina-tional corporations: Effects of cultural heterogeneity. Leadership Quarterly , 393-412. Gamage, D. (2006). Professional Development for Leaders and Managers . Dordrecht: Springer Publications. Gibson, C. B. (2004). Building Multicultural Teams:Learning to Manage Homogeneity and Heterogeneity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://web. gsm. uci. edu: http://web. gsm. uci. edu/~cgibson/Publication%20files/Articles/Crossing%20cultures%20chapter. pdf Gibson, C. , Vermeulen, F. (2003). A Healthy Divide: Subgroups as a Stimulus for Team Learning Behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 2 , 202-239. Leadershipreview. org. (2002). Research Synopsis: Creating Hybrid Team Cultures. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. leadershipreview. org: http://www. leadershipreview. org/2002winter/nelson_winter_2002. asp Mayo, M. (2005, September 2). Networks and Effectiveness in Work Teams: The Impact of Diversity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. latienda. ie. edu: http://latienda. ie. edu/working_papers_economia/WP05-10. pdf Maznevski, M. (1994). Understanding our differences: Performance in decision-making groups with diverse members. Human Relations , 531-552. McGrath, J. (1984). Groups: Interaction and performance. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Mello, A. S. , Ruckes, M. E. (2010). Team Composition. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://finance. fbv. uni-karlsruhe. d: http://finance. fbv. uni-karlsruhe. de/download/Ruckes_TeamCompositionJB. pdf Prat, A. (2000, August 16). Shoul a Team Be Homogeneous? Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. econ. lse. ac. uk: http://econ. lse. ac. uk/staff/prat/papers/sharedeer2. pdf Schippers, M. C. , Hartog, D. N. , Koopman, P. L. , Wienk, J. A. (2003). Diversity and Team Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Outcome Interdependence and Group Longevity and the Mediating Effect of Reflexivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 24, No. 6 , 779-802. Wendt, H. , Euwemab, M. C. , Emmerik, I. H. (2009). Leadership and team cohesiveness across cultures. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from http://hettyvanemmerik. com: http://hettyvanemmerik. com/ScientificPublications/+Enl2009=Article_LQ_Wendt_Euwema_Van_Emmerik_Leadership_and_team_cohesiveness. pdf WordPress. com. (2009, March 10). Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Teams and Creativity. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. wordpress. com: http://asifjmir. wordpress. com/2009/03/10/homogeneous-or-heterogeneous-teams-and-creativity/

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Analysing American Sign Language English Language Essay

Analysing American Sign Language English Language Essay Mistakenly, many people think that American Sign Language is a code system like Morse Code or Braille just with different symbols (Alliance, par 6). American Sign Language is actually a series of hand signs and symbols that are used when communicating with the deaf (NMCDHH, par1). It consists of not only hand gestures but facial features such as eyebrow motion and lip-mouth movements (Nakamura 1). Because deaf people hear with their eyes instead of their ears, it is considered to be rude not to make eye contact while communicating with a deaf person (Basic, par 14). American Sign Language is used by the Deaf community not only in the United States but in English speaking parts of Canada (Nakamura 1). Until the eighteenth century not a lot was known about American Sign Language (About, par1). An estimated 2,000 deaf people lived in the United States at that time (About, par1). During this time period deaf people were denied human rights (About, Par 2). There are many interesting facts of the history of communicating with deaf people, how to communicate with the deaf, and much advancement for the deaf community. American Sign Languages exact beginning is unknown (American, par 3). Charles-Michael Abee de Lepee founded the first school, in France, to achieve public support for the deaf (About, par 1). Students came from all over the country for this (About, par 1). He is famous in France for being the founder for deaf organized education throughout the whole world, he has now built twenty one schools (About, par 1). Also, Laurent Clerc was Americas first deaf teacher (About, par 2). Him and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded Americas first school for the deaf people, they also, in Hartford, Connecticut, co-founded American School for the Deaf (About, par 2). Lip reading and oralism was declared the appropriate way to communicate, signing became not acceptable in 1880 (About, par 5). In 1965 William Stoke published the dictionary of American Sign Language (About, par 5). Up until the eighteenth century deaf people were not allowed to buy homes, get an education, or sign marriage contracts. While there are many interesting facts about communicating with the deaf, one of the strangest non-deaf people encounter is that they will tell you where they are going (Basic, par 17). This is considered being polite since deaf people can not hear when a person leaves the room (Basic, par 17). Always make sure to have a deaf persons attention before trying to communicate or speak (Tips, par 5). The acceptable way to get a deaf persons attention is waving a hand or lightly touching their shoulder (Tips, par 5). There should never be physical barriers between people during conversations (Basic, par 15). This is because a persons face and facial expressions are important when communicating with a deaf person (Basic, par 18). Barriers include covering the mouth with a hand or a long mustache or beard (Tips, par 7). Though it is considered polite for non deaf people to say excuse me to walk between people having a conversation rude for deaf people (Basic, par 19). Deaf people consider this as interrupting a conversation (Basic, par 19). It helps to communicate with deaf people by using body language and pantomime (Communication, par 4). Most deaf people appreciate when hearing people make an attempt to communicate with non deaf people (Communicating, par 5). Also, when saying goodbye to a deaf person make sure to use (SK) for signing off and (GA) for go ahead, and dont ever end the conversation without making sure the other person is ready to end the conversation (Tips, par 9). Many times an interpreter can be used when a non deaf person is communicating with a deaf person (Communicating, par 3). When talking to the interpreter or hearing what the deaf person signs always look at the deaf person not the interpreter (Communicating, par 3). Do not shout while communicating with a deaf person because no matter how loud your voice is the words will not be heard by a deaf person (Communicating, par 1). There have been many communication methods developed since the eighteenth century (Basic, par 2). Hearing aides are used for people that have a wide range of hearing loss (Basic, par 16). The TTY is a machine for deaf or hearing people to communicate over the phone with other people who have equipment by typing messages to and from each other, back and forth (Communicating, par 10). This is also known as Relay Services (Communicating, par 10). In the 1980s closed captioning for television was developed (National, par 1). Closed caption brought deaf people into the mainstream (National, par 1). This was considered the most important development for that century (National, par 1). It officially started in March 16 1980 (National, par 1). This allowed deaf people in America to read and understand what they had been missing on television (National, par 11). The caption decoder was an overnight success (National, par 12). The University of Washington engineers developed the first cellular device over the United States to transmit American Sign Language (University, par 1). The engineers have been working to improve video signals for sign language (University, par 2). They have increased the image quality around the hands and the face, they have brought data rate down to thirty kilobits per second and still having delivered sign language (University, par 2). Also, MobleASL uses motion detection to tell whether a person is signing or if the person is not, to save the battery life when using the video (University, par 2). This test began July 18 of 2010 and ended that Wednesday, a larger study will be done during the winter (University, par 5). Parents are their childs acquisition of language, a deaf child born to parents that are deaf who know sign language already will begin to learn it naturally just like a hearing child learns its parents spoken language (American, par 1). Also, hearing parents choose to teach their own deaf children sign language (American, par 1). Todays deaf people can now use cell phones by using the video (University, par 2). They can now watch television and understand what is going on and what they are watching (National, par 1). Also, they can now talk on the phone or use a telephone because of the TeleTYpewriter (Communicating, par 10). Works citied About American Sign Language. 2010. About ASL. 10 Nov. 2010 . Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts. 2008. Listening with an Open Eye Background. 27 October 2010 . American Sign Language. Feb. 2008. American Sign Language. 27 October 2010 . Collins, Bill. Signwriting. 2 Dec. 1997. Signwriting and American Sign Language. 27 October 2010 . Nakamura, Karen. Deaf Resource Library. 28 March 2008. About American Sign Language. 27 October 2010 . National Captioning Institute. A Brief History of Captioned Television. 11 November 2010 . Sign Language. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6 (1 July 2010): 1 of 4. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Brandon Public Library. 27 October 2010 . University of Washington News. 16 Aug. 2010. Deaf, Hard-of-hearing Students do First Test of Sign Language by Cell Phone. 27 October 2010 . Walker, Lou Ann. Losing the Language of Silence. 13 Jan. 2008. New York Magazine. 27 October 2010 . William C. Stoke. Jr. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2010 ed.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Impact of Technology on the Animation Industry Essay -- Cause Effect T

Impact of Technology on the Animation Industry In 1988, the live action and animation hybrid â€Å"Who Framed Roger Rabbit† introduced a whole new way of making animation movies (Elkins, 2003). The three dimensional rendering and the interaction between live actors, animated figures and environment was revolutionary at that time (Elkins, 2003). Three years later, in 1991, â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† was an Oscar nominee for best picture, which showed how popular this genre had become (Elkins, 2003). Since then, rapid technological changes have improved the quality of animation movies. The use of computers sat a new standard for animating, with the first computer animated feature released less than ten years ago (DreamWorks, 2004). This essay will explore the impact new technology has had on animation movies. It will contain examples of web sites that illustrate and explain to what extent the new technology has impacted this genre. First, Pixar studio’s way of working with animations is described, followed by DreamWorks creation of Shrek 2. Then, WarnerBros’ approach to the hybrid movie Scooby-Doo 2 is explained. Following is the impact the new technology has had on Fox and Blue Sky Studios work. The conclusion of the essay is in the last paragraph. Surprisingly, some of the techniques used in the making of â€Å"Who Framed Roger Rabbit† is still used today, like the creation of â€Å"Gollum† in â€Å"The Lord of the Rings† (Elkins, 2003). However, there have been major advances in the level of sophistication due to the new technology. The technological developments in the animation industry has revolutionized the whole business (Wagner, 2004). In accordance with better technology, the demands from the consumers are also increasing. The Pixar studi... ... was focused on, showing how important the new technology is for the creational processes of animation movies. References DreamWorks. (2004). Shrek 2 - Behind The Fairytale. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from http://www.shrek2.com Elkins, E. S. (2003, Mar 12, 2003). Technology leads resurgence in animated films. Denver Post, pp. 1-2. Fox. (2004). Ice Age Movie. Retrieved 17 September, 2004, from http://www.iceagemovie.com/ Pixar. (2004a). How We Do It. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html Pixar. (2004b). RenderMan Products. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from https://renderman.pixar.com/ Wagner, H. J. (2004, June). Producer Don Hahn Grateful For DVD "Dialogue" With Fans. Video Store Magazine, 26, 8. WarnerBros. (2004). Scooby-Doo 2. Retrieved 17 September, 2004, from http://www2.warnerbros.com/scoobydoo2/ Impact of Technology on the Animation Industry Essay -- Cause Effect T Impact of Technology on the Animation Industry In 1988, the live action and animation hybrid â€Å"Who Framed Roger Rabbit† introduced a whole new way of making animation movies (Elkins, 2003). The three dimensional rendering and the interaction between live actors, animated figures and environment was revolutionary at that time (Elkins, 2003). Three years later, in 1991, â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† was an Oscar nominee for best picture, which showed how popular this genre had become (Elkins, 2003). Since then, rapid technological changes have improved the quality of animation movies. The use of computers sat a new standard for animating, with the first computer animated feature released less than ten years ago (DreamWorks, 2004). This essay will explore the impact new technology has had on animation movies. It will contain examples of web sites that illustrate and explain to what extent the new technology has impacted this genre. First, Pixar studio’s way of working with animations is described, followed by DreamWorks creation of Shrek 2. Then, WarnerBros’ approach to the hybrid movie Scooby-Doo 2 is explained. Following is the impact the new technology has had on Fox and Blue Sky Studios work. The conclusion of the essay is in the last paragraph. Surprisingly, some of the techniques used in the making of â€Å"Who Framed Roger Rabbit† is still used today, like the creation of â€Å"Gollum† in â€Å"The Lord of the Rings† (Elkins, 2003). However, there have been major advances in the level of sophistication due to the new technology. The technological developments in the animation industry has revolutionized the whole business (Wagner, 2004). In accordance with better technology, the demands from the consumers are also increasing. The Pixar studi... ... was focused on, showing how important the new technology is for the creational processes of animation movies. References DreamWorks. (2004). Shrek 2 - Behind The Fairytale. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from http://www.shrek2.com Elkins, E. S. (2003, Mar 12, 2003). Technology leads resurgence in animated films. Denver Post, pp. 1-2. Fox. (2004). Ice Age Movie. Retrieved 17 September, 2004, from http://www.iceagemovie.com/ Pixar. (2004a). How We Do It. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html Pixar. (2004b). RenderMan Products. Retrieved 16 September, 2004, from https://renderman.pixar.com/ Wagner, H. J. (2004, June). Producer Don Hahn Grateful For DVD "Dialogue" With Fans. Video Store Magazine, 26, 8. WarnerBros. (2004). Scooby-Doo 2. Retrieved 17 September, 2004, from http://www2.warnerbros.com/scoobydoo2/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Sonnys Blues Essay -- James Baldwin

Discuss place and how James Baldwin uses elements of setting to convey Sonny’s Blues’ larger message or theme. Establishing and maintaining a certain identity mostly depends on the setting. The setting allows us to analyze someone at a deeper level. Considering the time, place and the circumstances around under which they respond allows us to explore them and determine their identity. In the short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, James Baldwin conveys the message of how one goes about establishing and maintaining their identity on different levels by using elements of setting. The author uses elements of setting several times to convey the message but some of the prominent uses are the military service, life in Harlem and especially the use of darkness. The military service plays an important role in the evolving of the narrator’s identity as it helps him gain respect and be recognized by the neighborhood, something that Sonny yearns for. Growing up in Harlem is the most important setting because the brothers endured several hardships in Harlem, which allowed them to establish and maintain a certain identity. The use of darkness is important because darkness signifies drugs and violence therefore if someone were seen in the dark, would be given an apathetic identity. The time spend in the military service helps the narrator establish personal characteristics which enable him to understand the world around him and be more successful in life. Being in the military has given him th...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay --

This paper discusses Adam Smith's and David Ricardo's view on the labor theory of value. It includes a discussion of the validity of the arguments they present in relation to social and Economic contexts. To the pursuance of this objective, the paper has explored five published articles available both in the internet and as hand copies. The labor theory of trade supposes that the value of commodity comprises of the labor used in its production. Goods that consume equal amount of time should have the same cost. Adam smith stipulates that the amount of labor used in production of a commodity determines its exchange value in primitive society; however, this change in an advanced society since the exchange value includes the profit for the owner of capital. Ricardo argued that the value of a commodity is proportional to the amount of manual and mechanized labor used to produce it. Labor theory of value stipulates that the amount of labor needed and used in production of such commodity determines the value of a commodity. Other factors of production do not determine the value of a commodity except those factors that have labor elements. Adam Smith and David Ricardo are associated with the labor theory of trade. The Value in this regards refers to the amount of labor required in production of commodities. The Adam Smith theory of value asserts that a commodity worth is equal to the amount of labor it commands in others. This includes value in trade and value in use. Value in use refers to the utility of a commodity while the value in trade refers to the price in exchange of another commodity. Smith established that labor is the real measure of the price of all commodities. Some opponents of the labor theory of ... ...th little fixed capital, short life capital or with raw materials that have high turnover. Adam smith argues that the amount of labor used in production of a commodity determines its exchange value in a primitive society; however, this changes in an advanced society where the exchange value now includes the profit for the owner of capital. Ricardo’s theory is different from Smith's theory by excluding rent from the costs of production. Ricardo argues against Smith's theory because it only applies when wage is proportional to the amount of production equivalent to the amount of labor commanded and embodied. However, prices of commodities changes over time due to application of new production techniques; this leads to the increase of commodity prices over time. Ricardo points out that the value of a commodity is only equal to its cost of production in the long run.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Khrushchev Genuinely committed to peaceful coexistence Essay

In the years 1955 ­62, Khrushchev was genuinely committed to peaceful coexistence. Peaceful co ­existence is the idea that the two superpowers in the world, the USSR and the USA can accept each other’s ideologies and consequentially their satellite states in the interests of peace, whether Khrushchev was entirely committed to this notion is debatable due to his ‘behind the scenes’ actions between 1955 and 1962. The Austrian state treaty of 1955 seemed to show Khrushchev’s commitment to peaceful coexistence, but his aggression after the U2 spy plane incident of 1960 and the gamble with peace over the Berlin wall in 1961 and Cuba in 1962 suggest his commitment to peaceful coexistence was not genuine, but a delay tactic until opportunities to show the USSR system was superior to capitalism arose. Khrushchev was committed to something more along the lines of ‘peaceful competition’ whereby the soviet union could gain an economic and without the need for a hot war, rather than peaceful co ­existence where both global superpower s really engaged in tolerance for either ones ideologies. When Khrushchev attained power in 1953 he advocated the de ­Stalinization of the Soviet Union during a speech at the 20th congress of the soviet party. This political message of denouncing Stalinism seemed to advocate a new era of Soviet foreign politics based on toleration to the western bloc of capitalist countries. A political example of Khrushchev’s genuine attempts at peaceful coexistence is attending international peace conferences such as The Geneva summit in 1955 which conveys the initial attempts of bridging the gap between the fundamental ideological divisions of Soviet Russia and the United States. This may be an attempt by the Soviet Union to reduce the hostility of the Capitalist world as they were apprehensive of the foundations of Marxist ­Leninist Russia which they perceived plotted a Global Revolution. However this interpretation would have been incorrect as the fundamentals of   Marxism was to encourage internal bureaucratic revolutions through the working class in order to liberate themselves from oppression rather than direct military action. This may be in the military and social interest of preventing or at least reducing the possibility of Mutually assured destruction by means of Nuclear warfare which was a very strong possibility. This can be seen with the signing of the Austrian State treaty of 1955 that allowed Austria to become a neutral zone which expresses a serious attempt at diplomatic and peaceful methods by the SU. Furthermore it was these arguments that Khrushchev would use in the Geneva summit to convey the genuineness of his attempt to move away from intro ­national warfare from one external Socialist state into a Capitalist one, and therefore rejected this Stalinist approach that occurred with the Satellite states of Eastern Europe by invasion of the Red Arm y. However on the contrary, Khrushchev maintained the satellite states as a cohesive political and economic unit that further added to the bipolar international system. This was evident with the establishment of the Warsaw Pact on 14th of May 1955 was a collective defense treaty of Communist nations within the Soviet sphere of influence. This portrays the lack of commitment to true peaceful coexistence as it meant that Khrushchev created an adversary to NATO, whilst also being militarily aggressive in order to dominate in central and eastern Europe and this can be seen with the quelling of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 as soviet soldiers lead to the death of 2500 Hungarians and an overthrow of the government. This shows the imperialistic nature of the Soviet Union and not of truly peaceful cohabitation by clearly dividing the world on   the wider Cold War basis by intrusive political and military intervention. It seems contradictory to the previous peaceful concessions made by the Soviet Union at the Geneva Summit and this shows how the Soviet Union were still trying to maintain an advantage over the Capitalist world rather than accepting a diplomatic change. This can be deduced as an attempt to build on Soviet power whilst also trying to repress American power through far less than peaceful methods. Furthermore tension was at it’s highest following the military actions of the Soviet Union prior to the Cuban Missile in 1962. For example Khrushchev created a physical and metaphorical barrier that divided Eastern and West germany yet also divided the Capitalist and Communist worlds. This was evident with the erection of the Berlin Wall on 13th August 1961. This was done in order to prevent the massive emigration of East German population that reached up to 3.5million before the wall was built. This socially would leave the Soviet Union short in man power of the working class that was an industrial city that provided much revenue and weaponry for the Red Army. Furthermore many educated members of the population left that left on the basis of political reasons rather than the materialistic reasons, such as poverty and poor living conditions. This shows Khrushchev’s attempts at creating a politically divided Europe and represents the Soviets were determined in not allowing one inch of land to be won by their adversaries and may have prompted them, the US, to respond aggressively through military action. Also the deployment of missiles in Cuba also created an atmosphere of hostility and potential for mutually assured destruction through an aggressive geostrategic maneuver to gain an advantage over the USA whilst also trying to arm and strengthen a communist ally that was only miles away from the United States’ coastline. Many Historians have said this is the closest the world has come to nuclear warfare.

Monday, September 16, 2019

My Culture and Background

I was born and raised in Southeast Asia, Philippines. It consists of 7,107 islands and each one of them has each own dialect and tribes that lives in rural part of the area. My mom is a Spanish Filipino and my dad is a Chinese. I embraced two cultures with no problems. Both cultures molded me strongly with values, ethics, religion and economics. It plays a vital role of who I am now. Let me begin by telling you that in my country, the Spanish colony conquered the Philippines in 1621. Magellan named the archipelago in the honor of King Phillip of Portugal at that time. My great –great grandfathers were baptized as a Catholics and was given Spanish names by them. Until now, this still exist. We adapted their dialect and even have Spanish alphabets too. I and my siblings grew up in a very strict Catholic way and Dad would approved of it even though he is not a Catholic but a Buddist. Very conflicting, right? At early age, we were trained through various tasks. I learned how to slaughter a chicken at the age of 9. Then, I and my siblings lived in dormitory where our school has one at that time. From preschool until my high school yrs, that’s where I considered my second home. I studied in Chinese school and all of us were taught in a communist way. Example is we are not allowed to wear jewelries and the only thing that was allowed at that time is a watch. Then the hair shouldn’t be longer than the collar of the white blouse uniform. The allowance was given by the matron . Then our time was being scheduled every day. It was hard because we were trained like soldiers. It was a very rigid training for us. I was trained not to be late on any appointment. I was used to it until now. I and my siblings studied in a Chinese school. From Pre-K to high school. It is to educate us about Chinese language so that when we go to visit our Chinese relatives, we know how to communicate and understand. (If you don’t know the Chinese dialect, you will feel outcast from the family). For the most part, Chinese and Filipino customs are similar to each other. Regarding the family values, it is a very strict custom that we should always take care of our elders. Also, we are not allowed to talk back to them and if you say something when they are talking to you or reprimanding you, this is showing to them that you are disrespecting them. Also, we don’t have divorce in our country. Marriage is sacred there. We still have a courtship, engagement and a dowry. This goes for a bride’s price. I am a cultural diversity. It came a big surprise for me too when I came here in United States. I thought there is only one or two cultures mixed together but I was wrong. The culture here is totally very much different or opposite rather than what I grew up with. It was a culture shock for me. People here don’t hold or guard their tongue when they talk to you, rude by any means or praising you. They don’t care about how you feel. They also have racial discrimination. This is totally a big conflict to what I am. For me, I was taught not to say any bad or disrespectful or even words that will hurt somebody’s feeling. Then, how people handle their relationship here, it’s like nobody cares to save the marriage anymore. Couples fight in terms of money, child custody and infidelity. We worked hard to keep our marriage intact for the sake of our family and kids. The vows for us is sacred. Our families don’t like broken marriage, it is shameful to the family if there is one. And the most important of all, kids or younger generation don’t know how to respect the elders anymore. They would call you with your first name even if you are related to them. It’s like both of you are of the same age. These are all very disturbing for me. But somehow, I adjusted and respect it somehow. Accepting the way things or circumstances and blending with other culture and learning from it is a good way to learn more. But I won’t depart from what I was taught and I am happy and contented the way I am.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Effects of Parents Working Abroad to the Scholastic Performance of Their Children

This study is made to understand the performance, specifically the academic performance, of students without the guidance of their parents or having absentee parents. In studying, parents are important to help guide, teach and lead their children because a child need supports from their loved ones and also discipline to be motivated.It is a parent’s responsibility to take care of their children, it is hard for a student to have no one to guide them especially in their studies because as a student you still need someone to teach you and it is best to learn from you parents. Now-a-days a lot of students live without parents due to certain reasons and in some research it is said that this truly affects the child not only psychologically but also socially and academically. In the University of St.La Salle, there are a number of students with absentee parents (single parent or both absent) and this is why the researcher decided to come up with this study. The focus of this study is not only present inside the campus of the University; it also exists in other schools, other places, other countries or even the whole world. In the world today people cannot avoid this situation maybe because of life difficulties or maybe because of other circumstances.Some reasons why this happen is due to financial problems like parents need to go abroad or leave to look for money to enable to support their family an example are the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), another is separation (Divorce or Annulment) of parents which sometimes results to single-parenting and one more example is the death of a loved one. Because of the interesting topic and common issue, the researcher desires to enable this study for people to be aware of this certain problem that students with absentee parents are going through and how it affects their academic performance. Statement of the Problem

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Bliss †Katherine Mansfield Essay

Bertha Young felt the bliss in her soul, family, and everything that surrounded her. There were sunny days, happy faces, smiles everywhere and it was this purity that let the bliss flow around her, fulfilling her house and her anima day and night. Bertha’s mirror reflected only the image of innocence and blind happiness! Thirty years facing this world, Bertha and reality were two strangers who lived together never realizing it. Sometimes the innocence or purity may only correspond to one aspect of a character’s personality or background, but not in Bertha’s case. She is oblivious to the mysterious reaction of her new â€Å"best† friend, to the reasons why her husband, Harry, did not like her friend, and also to this sudden realization of the bliss in her family! â€Å"Oh Nanny, do let me finish giving her supper while you put the bath things away.† â€Å"Well, M’m, she oughtn’t to be changed hands while she’s eating.-said Nanny† (Mansfield 201). The character is so incredibly happy without knowing why, not asking questions about the nanny’s possessive nature with her child, or why her life seems so simple. It is in the way she looks at the fruit on the table, matching the carpet so well that her heart is filled with absurd joy. â€Å"I’m too happy – too happy!† (Mansfield 203). It is almost sad the way the woman never questioned her fate, just accepted it and rushed headlong into the worst possible scenario of her life- namely her husband in the arms of another woman. Her entire house of cards falls. The woman, mostly alone with her thoughts and deeds eventually comes to the realization that every preconceived notion she had about her life is in direct conflict with the truth and everything she held dear is worthless. This foundation on which she had built her life is now shattered, irretrievable, and it will force the woman to ask why she had never wondered about her life. â€Å"Harry and she were as much in love as ever, and they got on together splendidly and were really good pals† (Mansfield 203). It is obvious that her innocence prevented her from realizing her husband’s true feelings! He committed adultery in a very cruel way, pretending to dislike her new â€Å"best† friend! He knew how naà ¯ve his wife was, and he took advantage of it, fooling her the way he did! Loyalty is such an important virtue among relationships, no matter what kind they are! If there is no honesty, loyalty, trust, and faith then there is no reason for the relationship to keep going! Most of the time, it is quite possible for a woman to be able to tell when her husband is not fully satisfied, or when he is seeing someone else, but poor naà ¯ve Bertha never worried about; it did not even cross her mind! This innocence and lack of experience, later corrupted and manipulated by the evil hands of adultery, shaped her life the way it did, hitting her harder than she would have ever imagined, giving her the experience she lacked! Bliss is not a story about sadness; although that is the first reaction- it is the story about achieving adulthood and independent thought. For this woman will never again go around blindly, accepting the social norms of what has been dictated to her from birth. The point of the story is the imagined next day of this woman, who has been so shaken to her core, and how she will survive the knowledge of hypocrisy in the world. So this poor woman is actually a hero- she has gone through her adolescence a bit later than one would hope of a modern day woman, but nonetheless, she has achieved her own independence. So in reality, it is a story of triumph.