Analyse of “the Darkling Thrush”

Analyse of â€Å"The Darkling Thrush† Thomas Hardy presents a theme of hope in his poem The Darkling Thrush. In the poem winter season has brought about death and despair. A tired old man leans over a coppice gate in a desolate area, to see the ghosts of the past and little hope for the future. Hardy uses imagery to evoke ideas and images in the readers mind. â€Å"The land's sharp features seemed to me. The Century's corpse outleant, His crypt the cloudy canopy, The wind its death-lament. † In describing the landscape he refers to the landscape as an intimate object as if it were human. He compares the landscape to a dead body laying all around him and the clouds becoming the coffins top, and the wind his death lament. The man also describes the landscape to have as much life and spirit as he does. Hardy choose his words carefully using negative words such as gray, desolate, broken and haunted. This negatively leads us to believe that this is how Harper feelings are; alone and frightened out in the cold. While still using a negative tone Harper tries to turn the poem to a somewhat positive tone. He continues to use wording such as frail, aged, gaunt and small but adds in wording like full-hearted and joy illimited. The change of wording suggests a shift in the tone of the poem. A songbird has entered, spreading warmth and hope into the earlier desolate and dead landscape. The theme of hope is introduced with the appearance of a songbird in stanza three. The bird is meant to resemble hope and that things are not quite over yet even though it may seem so. In the winter months death is brought forth yet in the coming of spring restores that life once again. The poem suggests that if one doesn’t give into the negative a positive can and may come forth; whether one is aware of this or not. In the poem’s last stanza the man reveals his thoughts as if his thoughts as if he has see a glimpse of hope as the life songbird colours the air with its song. â€Å"So little cause for carolings Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around, That I could think there trembled through His happy good-night air Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew, And I was unaware. † The stanza suggests that there may be hope after all. Is it the spring coming once more? Or is it just the ghost messing with him? Hardy’s poem as well as its overall theme is a reflection of the time period he lived in. The poem takes place on New Year’s Eve, the last day of the 19th century. The queen is barely breathing her last few breaths and the Victorian Era is coming to an end. Waiting just around the corner is a new era, a new king, and a new Period completely different from the Victorian Era. The theme of hope is presented in a fashion that even though something may seem dark and shadowy that one needs to have a little faith in such matters. Things in the world and life are going to be unclear because nothing is ever sure. Hardy wants readers to have reliance in the world and the transformation of the times. Stanzas . The gate which the speaker is leaning on represent the threshold of the new century. The spectral quality of frost suggests the ageing and the ghostly quality of the landscape. The scene has the mere trace of life, in which natural and human presences are ghostly. The figure of the â€Å"weakening eye† symbolizes the ending of the day along with the ending of the century. The â€Å"tangled bine-stems† represent a harp which all the strings have been broken emphasizing the â€Å"winter’s dregs†. The stanza ends with the speakers awareness that he is alone, the people who usually occupy the land have returned to their home. . This stanza also marks the end of a century. The landscape’s features become like an immense body layed out. The first sentence shows the speaker’s mind enclosing the huge space of land and sky into the frightening display of the Century’s corpse in its coffin. The sky is the lid. The second sentence emphasizes that the ending of the century is not just closing to the speaker, but an end which seems to separate it from any relation to the future. Every spirit of vegetal and human life is under the pall of this death. 3. The darkling thrush, in all its homeliness and diminutiveness, is the corporeal voice of the real world. The bird’s song is spontaneous and unpremeditated. It â€Å"fling[s]† its â€Å"soul† into the â€Å"gloom† in contrary of the speaker’s previous flinging of his spiritless soul upon the landscape. The bird’s joyful act appears to the speaker as a choice, and not for mere survival in the â€Å"growing gloom†, but for the enthusiastic and full-hearted participation. 4. The speaker has not been convinced or transported out of the â€Å"growing gloom†, but his response to the birds song is to think. Although the â€Å"blessed Hope† is a knowledge only the bird has and of which the speaker is yet unaware, the speaker accepts the birds song as a sign that there is hope for the future. Analysis of â€Å"The Darkling Thrush†, by Thomas Hardy As the title has already mentioned, this assignment will be an analysis on a poem by Thomas Hardy. The poem is called â€Å"The Darkling Thrush†, also known by another title, â€Å"By the Century’s deathbed†. My analysis will include elements such as the poems’ setting, structure, imagery, diction, rhyme scheme and theme. I will go into one element at the time, and them give examples from one stanza only in that element. I will not come back to the same elements in the other stanzas, even though they are there. Therefore, this will not be a complete analysis of every element in each of the stanzas. I’d rather prefer to give a thorough description of what the different elements are and then give a few examples of each of them. In then end I will try to come up with a conclusion. The poem takes place on New Years Eve, the last day of the 19th century. It’s also the end of the Victorian Age. Winter is bringing death and desolation with it. A tired old man leans over a coppice gate in a desolate area, seeing ghosts of the past and little hope in the future. This poem has 4 stanzas, each with 8 lines. This is what we call an octave. The lines changes between having 4 and 3 stressed syllables in them, which is called tetrameter (4) and trimeter (3). Since the lines also follow a form of having one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable etc, we also call it iambic. As an example I use the poems 1st stanza. Line number 1, 3, 5 and 7 each have 4 stressed syllables, therefore called iambic tetrameter ( / – / – / – / – ). Line number 2, 4, 6, and 8 each have 3 stressed syllables, therefore called iambic trimeter ( / – / – / – ) The tangled bine-stems scored the sky5 And all mankind that haunted nigh7 Had sought their household fires. 8 Through the use of personification, symbols, metaphors, alliteration (this last element may also refer to the poems structure) and a selected sort of words, he produces images in the readers mind, when all he really does is just speak from his inner state of mind, as modernists are soon to do. To show the use of imagery in this poem, I’ve taken its 2nd stanza as an example. Here he uses personification on the landscape, thereby referring to an inanimate object as if it were human. He compares the landscape to a dead body lying all around him, and the clouds becoming the coffins top, and the wind his death lament. The poet also makes use of alliteration in this poem. An example from this stanza is corpse, crypt, cloudy, canopy etc, where you easily notice the same sounds repeated several times. This has mostly a decorative effect, but it also makes you focus on these words, thereby revealing parts of the poem’s nature and temperament. The land’s sharp features seemed to be1 The Century’s corpse outleant, 2 The ancient pulse of germ and birth5 The choice of words in this poem has been carefully selected, leaving little to coincidence. If you look carefully, you notice him using lots of negatively loaded words such as grey, desolate, broken, haunted etc. He himself is all alone out in the cold with all his negatively loaded words. But this changes further on in the poem. In stanza number 3 you will notice a change in the poets use of diction. In stead of keeping mainly to negatively loaded words, he suddenly makes use of positively loaded words too. Words like frail, aged, gaunt and small still remains, but you also get words like evensong, full-hearted and joy illimited. This change in diction shows the reader that something new has occurred in the poem. A song-bird has entered, spreading warmth and hope into an earlier desolate and dead landscape. Another thing to bear in mind (in a more of a general matter concerning his poems) as you read Hardy’s poems, is that he chooses to avoid following a â€Å"jewelled line†. He doesn’t care for writing just pretty poetry. He breaks with conventions concerning the normal use of language. An aged thrush frail, gaunt and small5 Had chosen thus to fling his soul7 As you read it through, you easily find its rhyme scheme to be regular. There is only one irregularity in it, and this always means that it’s put there on purpose, and that it has a special meaning. He operates with end-rhyme, but both in masculine and feminine endings. The major theme is introduced in the poems 3rd stanza, in the appearance of a song-bird. It is probably supposed to resemble â€Å"hope†, and that things are not quite over yet although it may seem so. Like winter always brings death along with it, the coming of autumn restores some of it to life once more. Although things may look pretty negative right now, don’t give in to it, life will return sometime, even though you are not aware of it yourself. This theme can be seen as a kind of reflection on the time Thomas Hardy lived. It was the end of an era, and end of a Period and almost the end of a Queen. And when a new Period is called for, it’s often a reaction to the old one. Now was the time for a reaction. Things looked dark and not so promising. People didn’t know what hope there lay in the future, but as this poem says, there may be hope coming although you don’t know of its coming. In the poems last stanza, the man revealing his thoughts to us sees a glimpse of hope, as the song-bird colours the air with its singing. There may be hope after all. Is it the spring coming once more? Or are his â€Å"Demi-Gods† just playing with him? So little cause for carolings 1 Was written on terrestial things3 That I could think there trembled through5 Some blessed Hope whereof he knew7 If you’ve followed me through these 5 pages, you will probably not only feel that your understanding of the poem is enhanced, but also your understanding of poems in general. I’ve tried to guide you through some of the main elements of poetry, giving a brief explanation as to what they are and how to find them. Because I’ve chosen to spend so much time on this, I didn’t use them all in each and every stanza. But now that you have it in front of you, why not try to look for signs of the different elements in the other stanzas? If I were to give my own opinion of this poem, then I think I like the other title of the poem better. It is more fitting, considering the context around the writer at the time. You are in the last day of the 19th century, the queen is breathing her last few breaths, and so is the Victorian era. Awaiting just around the corner is a completely new era, a new king, and an entirely new Period entirely different from the Victorian.

“Eve’s Diary” by Mark Twain Essay

â€Å"Eve’s Diary† is a satirical account of the days in the Garden of Eden. Twain recounts the well-known tale of Genesis through a series of journal entries written by Adam and Eve; these personal accounts make for an entertaining and thought-provoking read. Twain’s personifications of gender stereotypes are easily identified but lead the reader into a further exploration of Twain’s deeper purpose. Twain’s writing style explicates the paradoxical relationship between men and women. Furthermore, Adam and Eve’s conflicting perspectives within the journal entries provide an illustration of their magnetic reliance on one another, despite their polar differences. The story begins with Eve on the day after her creation; Twain creates a tone of despair as Eve ponders her situation and existence. â€Å"That is what I AM-an experiment; just an experiment, and nothing more† (Twain 10). As Eve deducts that there must be a counterpart to her existence, her disposition abruptly changes from anguish to optimism. Through this character development, Twain portrays companionship as Eve’s salvation and furthermore, mocks the modern idea of the contingency of a woman’s survival on that of a man’s. Eve’s perception changes as abruptly as her disposition. Once her mind is at ease, she becomes conscious and appreciative of her surroundings. â€Å"This majestic new world is indeed a most noble and beautiful work. And certainly marvelously near to being perfect, notwithstanding the shortness of the time† (Twain 14). Twain uses Eve’s passionate and enthusiastic mentality as a personification of the model of femini nity according to nineteenth century stereotypes. The diction and timing of Adam’s introduction exaggerates Eve’s naivety and sets a precedent for Twain’s exploration of their paradoxical relationship.  Eve’s entry reads, â€Å"All the week I tagged around after him and tried to get acquainted. I had to do the talking, because he was shy, but I didn’t mind it. He seemed pleased to have me around, and I used the sociable ‘we’ a good deal, because it seemed to flatter him to be included† (Twain 35). Though it is told from Eve’s perspective, Twain wants the reader to negate Eve’s idealization when reading of her interactions with Adam. When one does so, Adam’s annoyance with Eve is apparent. In addition, Twain makes a considerable effort to portray Adam as haughty, cynical, and drastically unattached in comparison to Eve; Twain uses Adam as a personification of stereotypical conception of masculinity. â€Å"During the last day or two I have taken all the work of naming things off his hands, and this has been a great relief to him, for he has no gift in that line, and is evidently very grateful† (Twain 178). If interpreted in the manner Twain intended, it is clear that Adam has no concern with naming the creatures and is equally indifferent towards Eve. Twain develops these satirical personifications even further to serve two slightly less superficial purposes. Twain uses these conceptions to delve into the profound relationship between men and women but also to denounce them through his diction. Twain’s defiance begins with his decision to give Eve, a woman, the predominant voice in the narrative. He shows further disregard for popular opinion when he tells of the creation of fire. â€Å"I had created something that didn’t exist before; I had added a new thing to the world’s uncountable properties; I realized this, and was proud of my achievement, and was going to run and find him and tell him about it, thinking to raise myself in his esteem-but I reflected, and did not do it. No-he would not care for it† (Twain 67). Twain’s decision to credit such a pivotal aspect of human survival to a woman exhibits either an immense reverence for women or a severe distain for unoriginal thought. Regardless, Twain’s upheaval of the hierarchy of traditional Western gender roles transcends time and leaves the reader to contemplate the validity of gender roles. Ursula LeGuin, a published and renowned author of short stories herself, discusses the prevalence of personification of stereotypical gender roles  within _Adam and Eve’s Diary_. LeGuin argues that Twain’s personifications of gender stereotypes are the most important aspect of any literally analysis of works by Mark Twain (LeGuin 32). Deviating slightly from the focus of LeGuin’s analysis, the most important purpose of â€Å"Eve’s Diary† to be the paradoxical relationship between men and women. As the journal progresses, so does the connection between Adam and Eve. Although their differences remain vast, Adam and Eve demonstrate a dynamic reliance on one another. They compliment one another in a sense of discord; their stereotypical personas seem to become less obtrusive as they grow together. Through Eve, Adam is humbled and learns to be appreciative and observant of his surroundings. Adam has a similar effect on Eve; her interest in aesthetics diminishes and while she remains optimistic, she is not so dangerously naà ¯ve. The story digresses to forty years later, with Adam at Eve’s grave. Adam’s eulogy for his lifeless wife is ingeniously engineered to resonate with nearly every reader. He says, â€Å"Wheresoever she was, THERE was Eden† (Twain 129). Adam, and therefore the male gender collectively, possessed a magnetic dependence on Eve that was as involuntary as the polar differences between the two. Twain accomplished a feat that the laws of nature could not; through â€Å"Adam and Eve’s Diary,† Twain provides an unprecedented look into why men and women attract in circumstances that should naturally repel them from one another. Works Cited LeGuin, Ursula K. Introduction. The Diaries of Adam and Eve. By Mark Twain. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. XXXI-XLI. Twain, Mark. _Adam and Eve’s Diary_ â€Å"Eve’s Diary, Complete.† Project Gutenburg. 14 June 2004. PDF iBook.

Article # 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article # 4 - Essay Example that patients who received â€Å"sustained care† were â€Å"70% to 71% more likely to be non-smokers after six months than the patients who got the usual care, the researchers found† (Kaplan). The intensive program would cost $4,910 per quitter in the first year and $2,670 per person for the succeeding years (Kaplan). The elements of strategic management that are included in the article are strategic financial and human resources that are part of the strengths of the organization, and they are related to the article because these resources demonstrate how essential they are to successful anti-smoking programs. The financial resources refer to the money needed to buy the medication, pay for health care services, and sustain the toll-free support line for quitters. Human resources pertain to doctors, counselors, and help line operators who provide various health care services and support. These resources are strengths because they provide effective point-of-service and after-service consultation for patients. The article indicates that the entire service delivery process must work together in providing effective and efficient care for patients who want to quit smoking. Point-of-service and after-service are critical because quitters need different approaches that fit their health care needs, and these approaches must be sustained until they are ready to stop smoking without them. For these patients, they need both free sustained medicine and counseling/help line support to help them quit. After-service processes can reinforce the effectiveness of point-of-service processes. The basic meaning of this news is that a health care organization should have successful therapies or programs to maximize their strategic resources. This article will help me succeed in this class and in my employment by showing me the value of different services in providing successful health care. In class, this article made me more aware of analyzing service processes and their

Quantitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quantitative Research - Essay Example A sample will be drawn from a population of breastfeeding mothers. The breastfeeding mothers will form the population group and will be divided into non-overlapping groups and then simple random samples will be picked from each group and the samples will be the experimental groups. One sample will not be allowed to breastfeed their children and will form the control group. Different groups will be required to breastfeed their children for a certain period of time different from the other group while other groups will be allowed to feed their children with formulas of intact cows milk or soy protein for the same periods of time. Different measurements will be undertaken before the onset of the study. Clinical tests will be carried out at different times and the readings of the experimental groups and those of the control group will be compared. During the study, censoring of participants will be allowed in case of death or willingness to terminate participation. Compared results will be the summarized to determine whether the hypothesis is true or not. The dependent variable in this study will be the incidence rate of getting asthma while the independent variables will be, age, duration of breastfeeding, gender, kind of feeding (breastfeeding or formulas of intact cows milk or soy protein). However, the dependent variables may be many depending on the kind of measurement intended. This can be measured depending on the type of variable if it will be continuous (age, duration of breastfeeding etc.), categorical (type of feed), ordinal (incidence rate) or nominal (gender). A sample will be drawn from a population of breastfeeding mothers which will be the sampling frame. The breastfeeding mothers will form the population group and will be divided into non-overlapping groups (strata) and then simple random samples will be picked from each group (stratum) and the samples will be the experimental groups. One sample

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Operation Management - Essay Example The values and functioning methods of Toyota are known as the â€Å"Toyota Way†. Employees of the organization are encouraged to respect each other and strive for continuous improvements. Toyota was selected for conducting the current analysis as the company operates in the U.A.E. Toyota UAE has been successful at implementing a strong customer base in the U.A.E. The company has been successfully holding its core corporate values in the Middle-East while catering to the specific needs of the consumers. Toyota U.A.E plays an important role in the automobile industry of the nation, contributing significantly in terms of revenues and productions. The values and mission of the company is described as follows: Inventory management is one of the most critical decisions which mangers are required to take. The success of an organization depends upon a proper inventory management process. Inventory management involves establishing proper control over the flow of stock of goods into and out of the business. The process involves taking critical decisions regarding the level of stock to be brought to the factory floor, the level of stock required to be dispatched, the time interval for placing orders for raw materials and the duration of storage. Factors such as the duration of storage of inventory and the quantity of materials orders affect the cost of production. Hence firms are required to take inventory related decisions through careful planning and long term analysis. Warehousing, cost, delivery time and turnover time are the most important aspects which mangers consider before taking decisions relating to management of inventory (Stevenson and Hojati 96). Toyota essentially follows the just-in-time inventory management concept. Based upon the just-in-time inventory concept, raw materials are brought to the factory floor only after order for the same have been received from the dealers and customers. The

Assess the importance of Kerensky, Trotsky and Lenin in the outcome of Essay - 1

Assess the importance of Kerensky, Trotsky and Lenin in the outcome of the February and October revolutions of 1917 - Essay Example 12). In 1912, Kerensky was elected to become a member of the Fourth Duma in which he represented the Trudoviks. Kerensky was an active member in both camps of the Petrograd Soviet and the provisional government. It is worth noting that initially he was used as a bridge between the two principal bodies. During his time in the provisional government, he was the minister for justice, war, and became the prime minister later in his career (Acton, Cherniaev, & Rosenberg, 1997, p. 56). On the other hand, Lenin believed that Kerensky was not taking the Russians to the right direction and as a result, he used the Bolshevik party to engage the people in a revolution. The Russians were against the First World War and they thought that the Tsars were not fighting for their rights. When Lenin got the control of the government, he became more tyrannical than any other ruler in the history of Russia. This is despite the fact that the Russians believed that Lenin would fight for the rights of the common citizen (Kennan, 1989, p. 194). Strikes, food riots and the ensuing war made Russia ungovernable. When Lenin arrived by train from Switzerland, he was against the war and could not stomach Kerensky because he thought that he was not for reforms. Lenin mobilized the people and especially the army by promising them economic reforms and ending the war. Leon Trotsky was born by the name of Lev Davidovich Bronshtein and he initially supported Meshevik Internationalists. Prior to October Revolution, which occurred in 1917, he had joined the Bolshevik Party. He went ahead and became a prominent leader of the Bolshevik party. Despite the fact that he supported people and workers, he was later removed from power by the rise of Josef Stalin. By the time the February Revolution erupted during 1917 spring, Kerensky was among the most vocal leaders for the revolution. The fact that he was an

Death as a Symbolic Theme in Modern Literature Essay

Death as a Symbolic Theme in Modern Literature - Essay Example It happens to be the one and only real absolute. Death separates a character from one’s life and loved ones, both of which tend to be experiences fraught with much anxiety. In a way death tends to be the ultimate separation and end of life. In this sense death is an expansive experience in the sense that it is a literary concept that transcends beyond the scope of a work of literary creativity to pervade the fate of entire humanity. Death happens to be a potent theme that is common to Little Bee, Heart of Darkness, The Convergence of the Twain and The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock. Death is pervasive in all these works of literature, though in each specific work death is not merely about the annihilation of human life, but rather carries a much broader symbolic meaning. Death as a pervasive theme lurks almost on every page of Little Bee by Chris Cleave. In both the flashbacks and the confessions rendered by the two central characters Little Bee and Sarah, unraveling their trava ils and tragedies, death turns out to be a pervasive reality that imbues the varied aspects of their lives. Little Bee comes across scenes of abject bloodshed and carnage when her family and neighbors are annihilated and killed by the treasure hunters of black gold, in her village. She vividly remembers how her sister got raped, murdered and butchered like a wild animal. Little Bee tends to be a witness when Sarah’s husband Andrew commits suicide in their study room. Like Little Bee, the life of Sarah is time and again punctuated and jolted by episodes of death. The brutal tale that stands to be the life experience of Sarah gets further highlighted when she and her son Charlie try to come to terms with the shocking and untimely death of Andrew. Though the three characters that are Little Bee, Sarah and Charlie try to deal with the reality of death in their own unique ways, death at a symbolic level carries an almost singular meaning in their lives aptly conveyed in the words of Sarah, â€Å"That Summer-the summer my husband dies-we all had identities we were loath to let go (Cleave 22).† In the novel Little Bee, death in a symbolic context signifies the loss of an identity, an identity that is replete with meaning, acceptance and a sense of belonging. The central characters in the quest for seeking joy and hope irrespective of this loss of identity tend to surpass the constraints imposed by death and mortality. There is no denying the fact that in the Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad, death is not only a concept that comes out as being ubiquitous throughout the setting of the novel, but rather it is a work of fiction that extends a whole new meaning to the concept of death. In the Heart of Darkness, death is portrayed by Conrad as a sly, intimidating and lurking animal that not only hides in the nooks and corners of the African landscape on which the story floats, but death also emerges to be a primordial fear layered in the dark and co mplex recesses of the human consciousness (Bloom 14). In the Heart of Darkness, the plot unfolds in the Belgian Congo, the abjectly notorious African colony, as far as the greed of European colonizers and the brutalization of the Africans is concerned. Death as a symbolic theme operates at two parallels levels in the story. At one level the story deals with the cruelty of the European colonizers towards their African subjects. The African in the story comes out as a black

Audi's Strategic Capabilities Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Audi's Strategic Capabilities - Case Study Example Tangible resources are the physical resources such as land and building, man and money and intangible resources are non-physical assets such as knowledge, intellectual capital and reputation. Audi is known by its abundant resources in physical as well as non-physical form to differentiate it from its rivals. A large amount of skilled people with right aptitude is the most significant capital of Audi. In a market of many giant car manufacturers with diverse products and product strategies, the first and foremost weapon of every automaker is to keep itself ahead in producing quality products at minimum cost. The strategic management basically relies on the philosophy that difference creates business. This difference from rivals firms can be achieved in many ways. Firms differ in competencies and resources. Cost reduction and efficient production has been the basis of strategic capability for many organizations. Audi has also been very strategic in reducing the cost of their production without sacrificing the quality of their products. This has made the company to turn itself as one of the most sought after automaker in the world. Competitive advantage of an organization is the unique quality which its rivals firms do not possess. These competitive advantages can be attained in any area such as production, marketing or customer relationship management. Firms that possess these competencies in more fields as compared to that of its rivals are said to have competitive edge over others and they are likely to succeed more in relation to its competitors. As regards Audi is concerned, it has built overtime a highly effective and efficient multichannel customer care center across the world which helped the firm to be effective in individualized marketing campaigns, customer process costs. This has further reduced the lead-processing by more than 80 percent. Discusses how the concept of organizational knowledge relates to strategic capability and how it might contribute to competitive advantage of organizations. Organizational knowledge is the aggregate acquaintance accumulated through systems, routines, and activities of sharing across an organization. As such it is carefully accompanying to what has so far been discussed as the competences of an organization. Organizational knowledge has become so important because of several reasons. In the modern business environment organizations have become so complex and larger, as a result of people need to share their knowledge over wide sphere of activities and departments. Moreover, the information technology has improved dramatically so as to pave the ways for more accurate and real time knowledge processing and sharing. Consider the ways in which strategic capability might be analyzed. First consider the concept of the value chain and value network as ways of understanding which activities add value and which do not. Conclude with a SWOT from the point of view of understanding strategic capability in relation to competitors Strategic capability

A comparison of two works of art from 1400 to the present on view at a Essay

A comparison of two works of art from 1400 to the present on view at a museum in New York - Essay Example Smith’s Untitled is Color screenprint, 57 x 76.8 cm (22 7/16 x 30 1/4 in) and Marden’s 3 Hydra Rocks is oil on canvas 209.9 x 340.4 x 6.4 cm (82 5/8 x 134 x 2 1/2 in). Defining art can be one of the most difficult yet enjoyable tasks that any person can ever undertake. There are so many factors to consider, and so many different methods of artistic thought. Some say that art is an expression, but not everyone agrees that an expression is art. However, really, is not art really all in the eye of the beholder? Who is to say that one train of thought it more important or correct than another does when regarding what art is. One person may think that a particular object or expression may be artistic, whilst another thinks that it is simply garbage. In this case, these artworks are truly wonderful.1 The painting Untitled by Smith is incomparable for its use of space all over the canvas and the application of dimension in form of space is unique. She made space speak a language and narration that was beyond imagination. With her penetrating look and absorbing concern, she explores the innate charm of an object of art. According to the celebrated Latin poet Ovid, art lies in concealing art. If art is the magic of holding back time then artists are the magicians who captivate time in colors and canvases. As time passes by several take birth and perish, but some people with their achievements and contributions leave their footprints on the sands of time. These people remain immortal forever in the pages of history and along with them last the movements created by them. One such artist is Smith and she manifested the mode of artistic expression in the late 20th century.2 The usage of space, particularly on the right hand side of the canvas is the balance of the shapes and lines present on the left central part of the painting. Here the space is colored in brown and black. This is a less vibrant color

Equipment and Books Essay Example for Free

Equipment and Books Essay Use of persons name Specific dedication for person to know why he being recognized Public display of all awards Follow-ups Timely Manner If motivation is properly handled, employees will always be happy and the organization will retain their staff for longer time periods. Educational workplaces require books and equipment such as computers, laboratory equipments, and agricultural equipments for all staff and students. If equipment is not adequate, the staff may be strained and this may cause unnecessary delays in lectures and work. Some workplaces may lack current books because of proper funding and this may pose a major challenge to the staff. Cultural Differences Educational workplaces often are filled with people from different cultures. Cultural beliefs influence human behaviors to a great extent and as cultures differ it often makes it difficult to design an environment that is conducive to performance and satisfaction. An example would be a colleague who believes that women should not expose their faces. This cultural diversity will often make it difficult for women to associate with individuals who may find difficulty in relating to them. Cultural differences influences the following in educational workplaces Mode of dressing Food served; some people eat snakes and frogs while to others don’t Associations in the institution Language used Team work In any workplace, teamwork poses challenges to many people. This is because of attitudes, values beliefs and behavior. Some individuals may have bad attitude which may affect the goal being sought after by the team, thus affecting other group members. Others may exhibit behaviors that one may not wish to associate with. In order to find compatibility, educational workplaces should have working teamwork members who encourage all individuals to associate with others without consideration of their culture. Team work may result in positive consequences for competing teams and these instances may follow: Team members becoming more close and displaying greater loyalty from its members and some members who are close in rank may bury some of their internal differences. Team climate changes from informal, casual, playful and work and task oriented members as well, while concerns for member’s psychological needs decline while concern for task accomplishment is increased. Leadership patterns tend to change from more democratic toward more autocratic while the team becomes more willing to tolerate autocratic leadership Each team becomes more structured and organized Each team demands more loyalty and conformity from its members in order to be able to present a â€Å"solid front† What happens between competing team? Each team begins to see the other teams as the enemy, rather than merely a neutral object. Each team begins to experience distortions of perception and tends to perceive only the best outcomes while denying weakness and allows competing teams to perceive only negative assumptions of the other team members while denying their strengths, as each team is likely to develop a negative stereotype of the other such as saying, â€Å"They don’t play fair like we do. † Hostility toward the other team increases while interaction and communication with the other team decreases, thus it becomes easier to maintain negative stereotypes and more difficult to correct perceptual distortions. If the teams are forced into interaction, for example, or if they are forced to listen to representatives pleading their own and the other’s causes, in reference to some task that each team, they are likely to listen more closely to their own representative and not to listen to the representative of the another’s team member, except to find fault with his presentation, in other words, team members tend to listen only for that which supports their own position and stereotype. What happens to the winner? Winners retains their confidence and may become even more cohesive Winner tends to release more tension and become more casual and playful. Winner lean towards higher intra-groups and display more cooperation and concern for other member’s needs. Winners can become complacent and feel that winning has confirmed a positive stereotype and as the negative stereotypes of the â€Å"enemy† team, there is little basis for reevaluating perceptions or reexamining team operations, in order to learn how to improve them. What happens to the loser? If the situation permits some ambiguity in the decision (if judges have rendered it as a close game), there is a strong tendency for the loser to deny or distort the reality of losing and instead, the loser will find psychological escapes such as (the judges were biased) or (the judges did not really explain the rules of the game, clearly) or possibly they may think (if luck had not been against us at the one key point, we would have won,† and so on. If loss is accepted, the losing team tends to splinter and as unresolved conflicts come to surface, fights may breaks out. A losing team member is more tense and may be ready to work harder and may be desperate to find someone or something to blame their loss on. They may blame the team leader, the judges who decided against them or even the rules or the game. (The â€Å"lean and hungry† state). A losing member may look for inter-group cooperation, have little concern for other team member’s needs or huge concern for recouping, by working harder. A losing team member often learn a lot about themselves while working as a team, because positive and negative stereotypes of the other team are upset by their own loss, forcing a reevaluation of perceptions as a consequence and a losing member is more likely to reorganize their ideas and accept their loss more realistically. J. FUNDS In a workplace, funding a project that is viewed as personal is not easy. For example, funding research by one lecturer may be very difficult, although the outcome may benefit the institution and again, some projects may be very expensive and even the institution may not have the capacity to fund the project, therefore they may need external funding. Workplace funds may also be misused by staff members.

The idea of carrying capacity

The idea of carrying capacity ‘By the end of the 21st century, human population growth may exceed Earths carrying capacity. Discuss. The idea of carrying capacity is not a new one. Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that the environment can support without deterioration (McGraw-Hill, 2002). The first idea of carrying capacity applied to natural organisms was introduced in the 1980s so the concept that the earth is a ship with only enough food and resources to be able to sustain a finite population is not new (Sayre 2007). The population of Earth currently stands at around 6.8 billion and is expected to reach 7 billion by the year 2011. In just 12 years, the population of earth has risen by nearly 1 billion after a population of 6 billion was reached in 1999 (Unknown 2009). Population has been projected; and estimated to reach 9.4 billion by 2050. (Ehrlich.P, A 2009). The rate at which population is increasing causes a growing concern with the carrying capacity of the planet and whether or not the planet will be able to sustain the population. Humans have already put strain on the environment and an increasing population puts an ever-growing strain on the environment. Human and environmental changes that need to be considered such as climate change and over-consumption, new industrialising countries such as India and China. Countries with rapid population growth are already finding it hard to improve, or even maintain the health of their people and their economies. (MacKenzie 1994). There are many people who believe in Ester Boserups view that human innovation and ingenuity will prevail and overcome any problems that pose a threat to mankind. There have been many technological advances, which has allowed for increased yield of crops, one such advance is the invention by Fritz Haber in 1909, the nitrogen fixing process known as the Haber-Bosch process (Matthews 2005). This process has helped feed many millions and saved them from death and starvation (Bhagwati 1996). Many other technological advances such as one from Norm Borlaug where he devised a system to accelerate the breeding of disease-resistant wheat and beat the stem rust fungus in Mexico (MacKenzie 2009). The gains have not been without cost: soil quality has been damaged, crops like bananas have become less genetically diverse, rare breeds of animal have been pushed close to extinction, and habitats have been destroyed. Increasing demand for meat also puts pressure on agriculture (Marshall 2009). However factors such as climate change that may lead to rising temperatures, which is accelerated by our over consumption causing massive amounts of pollution and use of valuable resources is of great concern to the worlds carrying capacity and even with the advances in technology that humans succeeded in the future still looks grim. The six most widely grown crops in the world are wheat, rice, maize, soybeans, barley and sorghum. Results suggest that yields of maize, cotton and soybean drop by roughly 0.6 per cent for each degree-day spent above 29 Â °C. At present, agricultural regions across the US spend an average of 57 degree-days above 29 Â °C during the growing season. A growing season could rise to 413 degree-days by the end of the century (Barley 2009). As early as 2020 several countries in Africa are likely to experience a reduction in crop yields by up to 50%. Droughts in Kenya have become 4 times more common in the last 25 years. In 2009, Kenya has had its third failed harvest in a row. (Alagiah 2009) Overfishing of the worlds oceans has also led to great damage, causing population crashes in many species although in recent years, fish farms have become more widespread and they reduce the burden on wild fish but have problems of their own with escaping fish, excessive food consumption, infectious viruses and louse infestations (Barley 2009) The problem of increasing population makes the situation much more difficult to manage. It may be possible that human innovation and ingenuity will overcome any difficulties that mankind faces, although it does seem that the limit of the planets carrying capacity is close to reaching its peak; with depleting reserves of minerals, oil, agricultural yields and loss of biodiversity and that along with environmental changes in the world it will be difficult for the entire planet and that carrying capacity is a subject that needs careful consideration today. Alagiah. G (2009). BBC Future of Food [TV] Barley.S (2009). Climate tipping point defined for US crop yields [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17680-climate-tipping-point-defined-for-us-crop-yields.html [Accessed] Bhagwati .K (1994). No Clean Hands [Online] Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14920116.100-no-clean-hands.html [Accessed: 24/01/2010] Ehrlich.P, Ehrlich.A (2009). Population: Enough of us now [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327271.500-population-enough-of-us-now.html [Accessed:23/01/2009] MacKenzie.D (1994). Will tomorrows children starve? The People problem [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14319413.600-will-tomorrows-children-starve-the-people-problem.html [Accessed:24/01/2010] Mackenzie.D (2009). Norm Borlaug: the man who fed the world [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17778-norm-borlaug-the-man-who-fed-the-world.html [Accessed: 25/01/2010] Marshall. M (2009). Instant Expert: Food and Drink [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17140-instant-expert-food-and-drink.html [Accessed: 25/01/2010] Matthews.R (2005). The real Dr Faustus? [Online]. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18725172.600-the-real-dr-faustus.html [Accessed 23/01/2010] McGraw-Hill (2002). Dictionary of Environmental Science. McGraw-Hill. United States. Sayre.N (2007). Carrying Capacity: Genesis, History and Conceptual Flaws [Online]. Available: http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/GreenGovernance/ColloqPapers/Sayre2007.pdf [Accessed 23/01/2010] Unknown (2009). 2009 World Population Data Sheet [Online]. Available: http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2009/2009wpds.aspx [Accessed: 23/01/2010]

Seeking Pleasure And Agression Is Part Of Human Instinct :: essays research papers

Seeking Pleasure and Agression Is Part of Human Instinct Name: Mohamed Fakhry A.Wahab   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness. We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and explodes in certain situations, or it can be on the surface of our behavior and inconstant use. Sources of happiness may differ from one person to another, but the one source of our human gratification that we all agree upon, is the happiness derived from sexual pleasure. Our souls strive for sexual pleasure to be elevated from one degree of human happiness to another. Freud said that â€Å"what we call happiness in the strictest sense comes from the ... satisfaction of needs which have been dammed up to a high degree, and it is from its nature only possible as an episodic phenomenon.† (25). At the sametime, we explore those human instincts in the presence of civilization which set some rules and regulation that are surpassingly acting as guidelines for the survival of humanity. Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of animals, are two different human experiences that discover our two core human instincts, pleasure and aggression. In Hay, we will find that his journey with his own instincts is different from our own human instincts, but it is the same when it comes to the roll of civilization with dealing with them. On the otherhand, The Island of Animals tends to dig in our human aggression, and shows how humanity uses civilization as a curtain to hide behind it. Freud concept of pleasure and happiness is related to Hay in only one way. It is not in the kind of happiness itself , whether if is sexual or spiritual, but it is similar in the procedure and the definitions of happiness or pleasure. In other words, pleasure to Freud is basically in sexual terms, â€Å" Sexual gratification is the prototype of all forms of individual happiness...†. On the otherhand, Hay Ibn Yaqzan's happiness or his pleasure is found in totally different kind of human instinct, which is the substitute gratification for sexual pleasure, because religion and science are included in Freud's lists for intellectual replacements for the lost sexual happiness.

The Study of Myopia and Photorefractive Keratectomy :: Eyes Vision Health Essays

The Study of Myopia and Photorefractive Keratectomy Myopia is defined as nearsightedness, which exists when the refractive elements of the eye (cornea and lens) place the image in front of the retina. The myopic condition is common in infants but generally levels off to normal vision as the infant ages (Vander & Gault, 1998). Myopia occurs in about 25% of the adult U.S. population. Many adults use corrective lenses or contacts to correct their myopic vision to 20/20 vision (Drexler et al., 1998). Many people find contacts or glasses hindering in their personal and/or professional lifestyle. For example, military pilots cannot wear glasses while flying and some firemen may find glasses too dangerous to wear during a rescue attempt. There is refractive surgery available to correct myopic eyes, like Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). Why do people have myopia, what can be done to correct myopia, and what are the results of corrective surgical procedures? These are a few questions that will be addressed and analyzed. For an eye to focus correctly on an object, it must be placed in a certain position in front of the eye. The primary focal point is the point along the optical axis where an object can be placed for parallel rays to come from the lens. The secondary focal point is the point along the optical axis where in coming parallel rays are brought into focus. The primary focal point has the object's image at infinity, where as the secondary focal point has the object at infinity. For people who have myopic eyes, the secondary focal point is anterior to the retina in the vitreous. Thus, the object must be moved forward from infinity, in order to be focused on the retina. The far point is determined by the object's distance where light rays focus on the retina while the eye is not accommodating. The far point in the myopic eye is between the cornea and infinity. The near point is determined by which an object will be in focus on the retina when the eye is accommodating. Thus, moving an object cl oser will cause the perception of the object to blur. The measurement of these refractive errors are in standard units called diopters (D). A diopter is the reciprocal of a distance of the far point in meters (Vander & Gault, 1998). The myopic condition manipulates these variables in order to ultimately make a nearsighted individual.

Leading Edge :: essays research papers fc

The Leading Edge Management in organizations today are trying to capture both quality and productivity (bottom line results) from their employees, and are spending millions of dollars in time, capital, and human resources. However, without the proper paradigm shift in leadership roles, which must include a new appreciation on the importance of principled centered leadership that recognizes that people are the highest value in any organization, the investment no matter how great will not accomplish their goals. Managers today have to become more effective in leading and managing their employees. They have to start with a new mind set, change their frame of reference, change how they see the world, how they think about people, and how they view management and leadership. This will bring about quantum improvements in their organization. (Covey) Today's authoritarian style puts managers at a higher level of importance than that of his employees, he makes the decision, gives the commands, and workers conf orm and cooperate, perform and contribute as requested to receive the rewards of pay and other benefits. When managers accept that the "old way" of doing things is not fundamentally the right way, and they shift to a new style that puts principle-centered leadership first, a unique relationship will develop. They will see that people have more creative energy, resourcefulness, and initiative to contribute when they feel valued and their accomplishments are valued. When managers begin to work with the whole person and embrace principles of fairness and kindness and make better use of their talents, than people have a sense of doing something that matters, something with meaning. (Covey) In my organization we are fast paced and deadline driven, each of us has to train and depend on our employees decision making process. I know which of my employees can handle which tasks and set goals for each according to their abilities. I usually get them together in a group to discuss wh at our immediate objectives are. I encourage input from every level, including our part time employees, so everyone feels included and when we achieve goals, everyone wins. We monitor our progress, and meet frequently if a problem arises, and are very quick to praise each other when we have moved closer to our goals. I feel including everyone in this process gives everyone a sense of ownership in the organization. My employees want to contribute, they take great pride in helping in the decision making process, their sense of meaning and worth are just as great a reward as any paycheck could be.

Meaning of a word Essay

â€Å"Language is the subject. It is the written form with which I’ve managed to keep the wolf from the door, and in diaries, my sanity. In spite of this, I consider the written word inferior to the spoken, and much of the frustration experienced by novelists is the awareness that whatever we manage to capture in even the most transcendent passages falls far short of the richness of life. Dialogue achieves its power in the dynamics of a fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell and touch.† -excerpt taken from Gloria Naylor’s ‘The Meanings of a Word’. Words The first sentence of this excerpt can have several interpretations, depending on which synonym of the word ‘language’ you choose to use. It could be her theme, her topic, her focus, the area that is under discussion. Language, for her, is the subject, the one she has used to support herself, the form she has employed to preserve her sanity. In the first part of her third sentence, Naylor states that she considers the written word inferior to the spoken in spite of her second sentence; it is second rate, of lesser importance than the words actually verbalized. For her, written words do not hold as much power as those that are spoken; she, and novelists like her, are aware that even the most descriptive and moving of passages do not fully capture a ‘fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell and touch’ the way dialogue does. Naylor is of the opinion that one simple gesture, scene, scent or sound achieves what a thousand words describing them cannot, and this is frustrating to her, hence, her statement, ‘†¦I consider the written word inferior to the spoken’. I disagree with this idea and argue that the written word is superior to the spoken. There is a phrase that says that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’. Taken in literal terms, this phrase is a physical impossibility. Obviously, he who wields the bigger, stronger sword would triumph over he who brings a flimsy pen to the fight, unless by some slim chance it was some sort of new,  unbreakable pen. What, then, is the meaning of this saying? The answer lies not in comparing the physical appearances of these two objects, but in considering what they can do. A sword, when used by a master of the blade, can kill maybe a dozen people. A pen can kill millions. It can condemn entire cities to death. In 1945, documents authorizing the use of the atomic bomb on Japan did just that; with the signatures of the cabinet and the President of the United States, Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s fates were sealed. Consider also, that while a sword may be used to threaten a village or two, using a pen can set entire countries free, and decide the future of generations to come. The independence of British colonies, such as Zambia in 1964, was finalized by a stroke of a pen at the bottom of the declaration. Think about it and you realize something: it’s not the pen that’s mightier than the sword. It is merely an instrument that is used to achieve an end. It is the words that are written using the pen which hold the power; it is the words on that document or bill or law or article that are mightier than the sword. â€Å"I was jarred and shocked by the style, the clear, clean, sweeping sentences. Why did he write like that? And how did one write like that? I pictured the man as a raging demon, slashing with his pen, consumed with hate†¦I stood up trying to realize what reality lay behind the meaning of his words†¦this man was fighting, fighting with words†¦using words as a weapon, using them as one would use a club. Could words be weapons? Well, yes, for here they were.† -excerpt taken from Richard Wright’s ‘The Library card’ The above excerpt comes from a point in Wright’s ‘The Library Card’ where the main character reacts strongly to a book he has just read. It is clear that the direct, cutting style of writing has affected him, and he hungers to know why and how someone could write like that. This leads him to pondering the hidden meaning behind the words, and the style of writing is such that he likens the author of the book to a demon, ‘slashing with his pen’. In fact, he comes to the conclusion that words can be used as weapons and this  supports the argument that written word is superior to the spoken. Like Mencken in ‘The Library Card’, we can use written words in the same way. They can be used to challenge set ways of thinking and attack prejudices and injustices without the violence of a war or the pettiness of a verbal argument. Using written words, arguments become free of emotional entanglements and are reduced to their simplest, most direct for ms. The spoken words that Naylor prefers would not be able to attain the same effect that a signed document would. A verbal agreement about an important matter, such as Independence of a country, would never hold up to the scrutiny of a legal proceeding. It would be far too easy for either party to change the wording of their verbal agreement ever so slightly to tip the scales in their favor or change the words all together, and in doing so, change the terms completely. There would be no way to prove that the agreement even took place. The spoken word or word of mouth is an unreliable way to learn about historical events. Stories that are passed down from generation to generation stand a high risk of being distorted over time, and with so many storytellers, the original version will be lost within three or four generations. This is another way that the written word is superior to the spoken; written documentation ensures that the facts and details will always be there when we need them, exact and unchanged. With so many variations and dialects of the English Language, it is almost impossible to find a daily word that was not been abbreviated or corrupted into slang. If it is not one or the other, then the context it is used in gives it a completely different meaning anyway. Take the word ‘nigger’ for example. Naylor shows us that depending on the words it is used with in speech, the word takes on multiple implications, thus increasing the chance of mistaking its meaning. Written words are clear cut, especially if written clearly, correctly and succinctly. Words hold power over us all. While the spoken form does hold sway over every living being, words used in speech are like the beginnings of a thought and  it is the written form that ultimately completes the idea.

Amy Chua Hanna Rosen Essay

Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin: a comparison and contrast of parenting styles In recent years, Yale professor Amy Chua has drawn a great deal of attention due to her focus on a parenting style that is foreign – both figuratively and literally – to most Western parents. This style centers on a Chinese model that Chua espouses, and that has become famous, or infamous, for the stern and rigorous practices that Chua enforced with her own two daughters. Chua has received a large amount of criticism; one of her critics is Hannah Rosin, a prominent writer and editor. In response to Chua, Rosin outlines an alternative method of parenting. It can be argued that while both Chua and Rosin are involved and devoted mothers, they have distinctly contrasting views on how to raise children. There are three areas in which this contrast can be most clearly seen: attitudes to success, attitudes to self-esteem, and attitudes to happiness. Amy Chua’s model of parenting has success at its core. Chua sums up the Chinese approach to activities in this way: â€Å"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it† (Chua, 2011). With this as a mantra, Chua promotes an extremely rigorous approach to such activities as learning a musical instrument; she believes that two or three hours of practicing an instrument daily is appropriate for young children. Furthermore, Chua believes that parents should not give their children any choice over which musical instruments to learn; the violin and piano are the only acceptable choices, regardless of the child’s natural talent or predilection. This approach is also evident in academics. Chua says, â€Å"†¦the vast majority of Chinese mothers†¦believe their children can be ‘the best’ students, that ‘academic achievement reflects successful parenting’ and that if children did not excel at school there was ‘a problem’ and parents ‘were not doing their job’† (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin takes a distinctly different approach to success, one that is arguably more reflective of Western attitudes in general. Rosin says, â€Å"Ms. Chua has the diagnosis of American childhood exactly backward. What privileged American children need is not more skills and rules and math drills. They need to lighten up and roam free, to express themselves in ways  not dictated by their uptight, over-invested parents† (Rosin, 2011). In Rosin’s view, Chua’s version of success is ultimately very limiting. Rosin doesn’t argue that success is a negative thing in and of itself; however, her looser, freer approach suggests that it can be achieved differently. Another area where Rosin and Chua differ from each other is in their approach to self-esteem and the way in which parents should treat their children. Chua openly admits that it is common for Chinese parents to make comments to their children that Western parents find reprehensible, such as â€Å"Hey fatty, lose some weight†, or referring to a child as â€Å"garbage† (Chua, 2011). However, Chua defends these comments by arguing that in fact, Chinese parents speak in this way because ultimately, they believe that their children are capable of being the â€Å"best†. She contends that Chinese children know that their parents think highly of them, and criticize them only because they have high expectations and know that their children can meet them. Hannah Rosin disagrees. She says, â€Å"†¦there is no reason to believe that calling your child ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’ or ‘worthless’ is a better way to motivate her to be good than some other more gentle but persistent mode’† (Rosin, 2011). She believes that a parent’s role is not to act as a harsh critic and task master, but rather to guide them through the inevitable difficulties of life that arise. Unlike Chua, Rosin is not concerned with forcing her children to be â€Å"the best†. Rather, she says that â€Å"It is better to have a happy, moderately successful child than a miserable high-achiever† (Rosin, 2011). It is in this area, pertaining to notions of happiness that Chua and Rosin depart most distinctly from each other. It can be argued that the idea of happiness is almost completely absent from Amy Chua’s template. Chua says, â€Å"Chinese parents believe that they know that is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences† (Chua, 2011). In other words, the feelings or preference of the child as an individual are lacking completely from the Chinese framework of parenting. The child’s happiness, or misery, is completely irrelevant, because the  parent is the supreme authority, acting in the child’s best interest. Chua claims, â€Å"It’s not that Chinese parents don’t care about their children , just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children† (Chua, 2011). However, the one thing that Chua and other parents will not give up is complete authoritarian control. Rosin takes an entirely different approach to the value of individual happiness. She observes that happiness does not come through being successful; furthermore, â€Å"happiness is the great human quest† (Rosin, 2011). Parents cannot possibly always be in a position to know what will make a child happy or not; children must work out their own path to happiness (Rosin, 2011). Rosin believes that an over-emphasis on perfection will not lead to greater happiness and may even create less happiness in the end. In conclusion, it is undeniable that both Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin love their children and believe that their approach to parenting is based on a desire to do what is best for those children. However, the two approaches present a sharp contrast to each other. Amy Chua believes that success, perfection and being â€Å"the best† are of paramount importance, and will ultimately build a child’s self-esteem (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin is critical of the harshness of the Chinese template and argues for a gentler approach, one that takes the natural interests and talent of the child into account (Rosin, 2011). Rosin notes that the idea of enjoyment or happiness is strikingly absent from Chua’s parenting style; in turn, Chua observes that many Western parents are disappointed with the choices that their children make in their lives (Rosin, 2011; Chua, 2011). It can be argued that both the Eastern approach and Western approach have a great deal to offer each other; a wise parent knows how to walk a middle ground.

National Health Care Expenditures Essay

Health care costs are much higher in the United States than anywhere else. It does not matter if it is measured in total dollars spent, a percentage of the economy, or per capita basis. The United States has the world’s largest health care market. Health care accounts for 40% of all health expenditures and the United States obligates to just 5% of the world’s population. Considerably higher health care costs do not seem to make U. S. citizen’s appreciably healthier (Getzen & Allen, 2007). U. S. health care costs continue to rise notably faster than any other segment of the economy or the population’s incomes for more than the last 40 years. Americans cannot endure this forever. The condition of health care economics is the United States’ gravest crisis, and this gridlock commands a solution. Finding one will not be simple or pleasant (The High Cost of Health Care, 2007). This means the government has to come up with plans that help contain costs while preparing for the future, and the population will likely continue to endure rising costs that place hardships on their household finances. In 2011 US health care spending grew 3. 9% to reach $2. trillion, marking the third consecutive year of relatively slow growth. Health care expenditures grew 3. 9% consecutively 2009 through 2011, indicating three years of slow growth. Health care spending reaching $2. 7 trillion in 2011, also shows in a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remaining stable at 17. 9 % for the same period. Last year, 2012, finishes out with a little higher annual rate of 4. 3%. For 2012, national health expenditures grew at an estimated annual rate of 4. 3% in 2012, a bit higher than the 3. 9% experienced for each of the years 2009-2011. While this assessment is subject to adjustments, it foreshadows a fourth consecutive year of record-low growth encompassing the previous 50 years of statistics. The showing of slow spending at the national level does not denote the same regarding spending in the personal level. Personal health care in fact accelerated in 2011. This spending level went from 3. 7% to 4. 1% because of more growth in spending for prescription drugs, physician fees, and medical provisions. Personal spending grew because of slowing Medicare and Medicaid spending and the increasing rates of private insurance. With slow growth also reporting in the population’s incomes, new jobs, and the GDP, some are questioning if US health care will rally after this three-year decline (Hartman, Martin, Benson, & Catlin, 2013). Director of the Altarum Center for Sustainable Health Spending, Charles Roehrig, believes that the slower growth in health care spending incites by slower health care price growth, which follows the slower economy-wide inflation. Altarum’s research proposes that the recession continues to press on health care expenditures, reducing growth by a percentage point or further. And while the figures are clamorous, health care providers ultimately may be cutting back employment in light of reimbursement coerces (Altarum Institute, 2013). An average family in the United States with typical full coverage health insurance through their employer currently spends more on yearly health care than on a year of groceries. The specialists at Milliman Inc. , examined the costs of health care for a U. S. family of four and found that the yearly cost of employer sponsored benefits through an employer-sponsored insurance organization increased 6. 2% to $22,030, compared to $20,728 the previous year (Glynn, 2013). Government is running into a number of major difficulties in attempting to provide health care. One of these difficulties is how to efficiently earmark resources amid hospital-based services and preventative, community-based services. Government also considers what particular preventative measures to promote (Bedkober, 2012). In the long haul, government’s decision to promote healthy lifestyles may be the best choice. For example, if the population navigates toward healthier lifestyles and preventative measures, hospitals would not have the need to continuously fund for more beds. The question is can the citizens of the United States endure the price it will cost to get to a better place that is economically sounder and healthier? Healthier people would drive health care costs down, but it definitely will take some time. During the decades it would take to get people healthier, national spending would need restructuring. It is a known fact that poor people are generally not healthy people. Currently, the high cost of health care is making more people poorer. Costs must come down in order for people having difficulties gain better access to health care. In some instances, too much money is spent in some areas and not enough in others. One of the most profitable industries, according to Fortune magazine is the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry’s profitability in 2005 stands at 15. 7% of sales and stands as the fifth in most profitable U. S. industry. The costs in relation to high-technology treatment, for example in-patient treatment, leads government to believe that preventing the advent of diseases rather than simply treating it when it appear is the best financial strategy for the future. Rather than funding to increase hospital bed numbers, government should fund preventative health measures that will lead to a healthier and more cheaply serviced population (Bedkober, 2012). With this funding, many want to know who actually pays for health care. The U. S. Government drew in more than over 2. 16 trillion dollars in revenue in 2010. The American public supplies this revenue. The same year, 2010, signifies the Federal Government becoming the largest financer of health care with 29% of spending. One actually could say that the American public is the financer of health care. One could also say that the public uses various federal programs to distribute health care fundings. These programs are Managed Care Organization (MCO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) or point-of-service plans (POS), Medicare, and Medicaid, takes a 24% share; National Defense, including Foreign Policy, Veteran’s Administration, and Foreign Aid, is 23% of spending; pensions and disability through Social Security, take a 24% share; and Welfare takes 12% of spending. All other spending, including interest on the national debt, takes 18% of federal spending. The chart below shows the Federal Government (29%) exceeding public households (28%) for the first time. Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of the Actuary, National Health Expenditure Data, 2012 release. Contributors finance the nation’s health care bill by paying insurance premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, and payroll taxes, or by directing general tax revenues to health care. The federal government and households contributed nearly equally. The following chart breaks down how each contributor directs their spending. Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of the Actuary, National Health Expenditure Data, 2012 release. Another perspective in answering the question of who genuinely pays for health care is to look at the bottom line to see where all funding actually comes from. All funding comes from taxes. Taxes comes from the citizens of the United States. The whole U. S. population pays for funding. When a patient does not pay cash out of his or her pocket for his or her medical care, every dollar spent on medical care is paid through taxes and insurance premiums everyone. The government and insurance companies do not â€Å"pay† for anything, the population does. The government distributes the money they receive form people’s taxes to other agency payors. This is why individual taxes rise and net wages are lower. Even when many individuals choose to opt out employee benefit deductions, called a tax advantage, individuals still pay. This tax is allocated from other places. Nothing is â€Å"free† when the bottom line starts with the population. When receiving less money from wage taxes, more money is necessary from other taxes such as fuel taxes, property taxes, income taxes, and Social Security taxes to make up from the shortcomings. One thing is certain, there is a future. The U. S. government agencies may be on the right track, time will only tell. Health care reform is on everyone’s mind as it will affect every part of the individual’s life. Other than costly, there are other population needs that require addressing now before it is too late. The United States is in the midst of an aged population explosion. These are people who have or will be leaving the workforce soon. Take into account that the government receives their money from individual taxes on wages. The revenue from these taxes will increase shortcomings that fund the agencies that take care of U. S. health care. This dilemma is a â€Å"catch 22. † Any reform plan must be an attempt to fix both. This may cause strategically proposed cuts in many areas. The U. S. government must decide on what is highest in priority. Some industries that receive government funding may need to decrease their profits to help the nation. Pharmaceutical companies are among the highest in profitability. It is this author’s opinion that dropping the company’s price of a bottle of medicine would not hurt them near as much as the current high cost of medicine hurts the population. Another area that could help reduce costs would be unnecessary grants to some research organizations. Again using the pharmaceutical industry as an example, this industry conducts much research only for its primary need – to fulfill its dominating obligation to shareholders to make a profit. The obligation to patients comes second. There are many researches that would not hurt progress if they were dissolved. However the United States plans to reform health care will not take overnight to accomplish. Reform should have been placed into action years ago, but it is hoped that it is not too late. The government’s spending of the population’s money must go through restructuring with the constant reminder of keeping the people first priority. The people must have protection and good access to health care or nothing else will matter if the United States is to remain the greatest nation.

Global Warming: Causes, Consequences, Solutions Essay

Since the early days of the greenhouse debate, scientists have been interested in the impacts of global warming. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has initiated a comprehensive on the impacts of climate change for the country. The public’s increased attention to such problem is not anymore surprising as it threatens every creature with potentially devastating consequences, which has put global warming in the lime light (Silverstein et. al. , 2003p. 5; Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16). Nevertheless, attempts at a monetary quantification of these impacts – despite being classic application of environmental economics – have started to emerge just recently (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16). Many scientists believe that our planet has been experiencing a warming trend over the last 200 years- and that our activities are responsible for this global warming. It started with the industrial revolution, around 1750 (Silverstein et. al. , 2003p. 5; Kursunoglu et. al. , 2001 p. 151). People began to use machines in more and more areas of life and daily functioning, from heating, to building, and manufacturing, to transportation. The machines were powered by burning fuels, such as wood, coal, oil, and natural gas (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16; Silverstein et. al. , 2003p. 5). If these fuels burn, they emit carbon dioxide and other waste products into the atmosphere, which is the layer of air that covers our planet (Silverstein et. al. , 2003p. 5). Fossil fuels provide about 85% of the world’s energy, sustaining the world’s standard-of-living and providing the power for transportation. These fuels are inexpensive, transportable, safe, and relatively abundant. At the same time, their use contributes to problems such as air quality and acid rain that are being addressed through various control efforts and to the problem of global warming, which is now being considered by governments of the world (Kursunoglu et. al. , 2001 p. 151). Scope and Limitation The study involves mainly the issues of global warming in terms of its cause, consequences and solutions implicated. The study shall incorporate various theoretical explanations in order to address the subject criteria of the problem imposed. The scope of the study shall coincide mainly on the environmental issue of global warming. Mainly, the study shall scrutinize the details of the review of related literature patterned to the primary components imposed in the latter of the studies. Analysis and interpretation of data present shall involve clear and accurate depiction of the study utilizing the present and gathered data of the review of literatures. The following shall be the objectives of the study in this research paper: a. To be able to critically analyze the primary components imposed in the study, particularly the presenting phenomenon and the cause-effect relationships of global warming b. To be able to provide necessary data analysis and implication utilizing mainly the references, data gathered in review of literature and the analysis of latter studies proposed in order to provide primary depiction of the actual status of the environment in terms of global warming. Review of Related Literature Global Warming: Overview The basic principle of global warming can be understood by considering the radiation energy from the Sun that warms the Earth’s surface and the thermal radiation from the Earth and the atmosphere that is radiated out to space. On average, these two radiation streams must be balance. If the balance is disturbed, it can be restored by an increase in the Earth’s surface temperature (Houghton, 2004 p. 14). The gases nitrogen and oxygen that make up0 the bulk of the atmosphere neither absorb nor emit thermal radiation. It is the water vapor, carbon dioxide, and some other minor gases present in the atmosphere in much smaller quantities that absorb some of the thermal radiation and causing the difference of 21 degrees Celsius or so between the actual average surface temperatures on the Earth of about 15 degrees Celsius. Such blanketing condition is known as the natural greenhouse effects and the gases are known as greenhouse gases (Houghton, 2004 p. 16). The greenhouse gases are those gases in the atmosphere which, by absorbing thermal radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, have blanketing effect upon it. The most important of the greenhouse gases is water vapor, but its amount in the atmosphere is not changing directly because of human activities. The important greenhouse gases that are directly influenced by human activities are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and ozone (Houghton, 2004 p. 28). Normally, carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere in small amounts-just enough to keep temperatures on Earth at a comfortable range for our planet’s living things. The burning fuels, however, has been increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Houghton, 2004 p. 28; Silverstein et. al. , 2003p. 5). So far, global warming has not been substantial, increasing the average temperature of Earth by only about 0. 6 degrees Celsius in the last century. This change is so small that some scientists argue that it is just a natural fluctuation and not a trend. Other scientists state that there is a great deal of evidence to support global warming: Summers are getting hotter and winters are getting milder, glaciers are melting, and sea levels are rising, but these signs are only the initial phase of global warming phenomena. The warming trend is expected to speed up and produce even greater effects (Silverstein et. al. , 2003 p. 6). Warming did not occur evenly around the world, and some scientists wondered whether the changes in observed temperature might simply be a result of the growth of cities near weather stations. Urban areas form heat islands; pavement and rooftops absorb more heat than soils and plant leaves, so cities have warmer climates than rural areas. Climatologists admit they do not fully understand Earth’s climate system. For decades, however, they have agreed that signs of global warming would be most noticeable in cold regions (Pringle, 2001 p. 17; Silverstein et. al. , 2003 p. 6) – particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, because it holds less heat-absorbing ocean water than the Southern Hemisphere. Scientists have predicted that areas such as Alaska, Canada, and Northern Russia would harm more than Earth as a whole (Pringle, 2001 p. 17). Historical Overview: Development of Agencies and Organizations It has been known for about 175 years that the presence in the atmosphere of â€Å"greenhouse gases† such as carbon dioxide that absorb in the infrared part of the spectrum leads to a warming of the Earth’s surface through the greenhouse effects. The first quantitative calculations were made by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius in 1896. In the 1960s, Charles Keeling and his colleagues began a regular series of accurate observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Such studies showed increasing values as a result of human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels (Hester and Harrison, 2002 p. 1; (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16). By the 1980s, as the rate of increase of carbon dioxide concentration became larger, the possible impact on the global climate became a matter of concern to politicians as well as scientists. The report of a scientific meeting held at Villach, Austria in 1985 under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) began to alert governments and the public at large to the potential seriousness of the issue. Estimates were made that the carbon dioxide concentration could double before the end of the 21st century. In 1896, three multinational agencies, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the ICSU, who had co-sponsored the Villach conference, formed the Advisory Group of Greenhouse Gases (AGGG), a small international committee with responsibility for asserting the available scientific information about the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the likely impact (Hester and Harrison, 2002 p. 1). After the assembly of these well-known organizations, and formations of small groups, such as the AGGG, discoveries and widely assessments have been made regarding the issues of global warming. Private and public sectors in the United States and Europe have gathered (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 27), including those from other nations such as Japan, South Korea, etc. , in order assess possible etiologies, evaluate impending causes and provide critical support-based solutions (Hester and Harrison, 2002 p. 1). Measurements of Global Warming Even a few years ago, the acceptance of global warming was not as widespread as it is today. Global warming is difficult to prove as temperature records do no go back very far. Furthermore, the old records are primarily land based, are not representative of large areas of the world, are mostly from urban areas, and are not always collected with precision. Existing records, however, were collated, processed and standardized by P. D Jones and T. M. L Wrigley (1990), and their formulation of standardized data indicates a slow warming trend since the last century with occasional periods of cooling (Hester and Harrison, 2002 p. 1; Gupta, 1998 p. 86). The deviations from the general trend may occur due to three reasons: sunspot cycles; volcanic eruptions producing large quantities of fine ash in the air; the occurrence of El Nino Southern Oscillation. Correcting for all such factors, Jones and Wrigley estimated that the earth has become 0. 5 degrees Kelvin warmer since the 1880s (Gupta, 1998 p. 86). Evidence of global warming also come from other sources. In recent years, glaciers on mountains, particularly tropical mountains, have melted faster than before. The temperature of the top hundred metres of sea water off the coast of California shows an increase of 0. 8 degrees Kelvin over the last forty years. The data from the ice cores of Antarctica also indicate a warming trend (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16; Gupta, 1998 p. 86). These cores through the ice indicate snowfalls of number of years in sequence, which later has turned into ice. As this happens, tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice, and these bubbles can be investigated to determine the composition of the air at the time of the snowfall and also the temperature. The latter is determined by examining the ration of the two oxygen isotopes, 16O and 18O 9 (Fankhauser, 1995 p. 16; Gupta, 1998 p. 86; Houghton, 2004 p. 28). The ratios reflect the ambient global temperature. A number of very hot years, in fact eight of the hottest on record, happened between 1980 and 1992. Apart from indicating the trend, this put global warming in public’s attention. Etiologies of Global Warming Currently, there are three theories about the cause of global warming; however, most of the scientists believe that the cause is an increase of greenhouse gases. Svante Arrhenius of Sweden in 1895 demonstrated the linkage between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and temperature (Gupta,1998 p. 86). Carbon dioxide is the prime etiology involved in global warming causation. In fact, without any carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the earth would be much colder place to live. The global mean temperature would be below 0 degrees Celsius instead of being close to a comfortable 14 degrees Celsius. Most carbon dioxide comes from the decomposition of dead plants and animals, and the respiration of living animals, including humans, and plants. For thousands of years, there has been no problem with this because the oceans absorbed much of this carbon dioxide; hence, taking it out of the atmosphere. In addition, plants carrying on photosynthesis also absorbed a great deal of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (Tomera, 2001 p. 113; Gupta,1998 p. 86). However, with the advent of modernization, auto engines, power plants, industrial mills, and home and business heating systems burn coal, oil, or natural gas (Gupta, 1998 p. 86; Houghton, 2004 p. 28; Tomera, 2001 p. 113). Such accounts for 98% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, while the other 2% id due to the increased deforestation and mining (Tomera, 2001 p. 113). Another theoretical issue imposed is in the use of fossil fuels and burning materials that release CFCs. The first relatively successful calculation of how much the human use of fossil fuel could warm the planet published in a paper 1896 by Arrhenius. With the conceptual framework of carbon dioxide as the primary source of global warming, various theoretical concepts have formed. In the late 1930s, G. S. Callendar, an English chemist, argued that human activities were causing an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and that this might have already started global warming. Despite Callendar’s concern, and although the scientific community has known about the pot4ential of human-induced warming to raise the earth’s temperature since the early 19th century (Tomera, 2001 p. 113; Brown, 2002 p. 14), global warming received little attention from the scientific community during the first half of the twentieth century, which centered mainly on human causations of carbon dioxide increase (Brown, 2002 p. 14). In 1957, two scientists with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Roger Revelle and Hans Suess, found that much of the carbon dioxide emitted to the earth’s atmosphere is not absorbed by the oceans, as some had assumed, leaving significant amounts in the atmosphere that could eventually warm the earth (Brown, 2002 p. 14). With the current advent of environmental discovery and climatic technological advancements, there are now environmental impacts of the chemical substitutes that are now being developed by industry. These factors all into two main groups: hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which have limited ozone depleting potential, and HCFCs, which have no ozone depleting potential. Unfortunately, both groups of chemicals are greenhouse gases, both groups of chemicals are greenhouse gases, not as powerful as the fully halogenated CFCs but nonetheless significant (Marks and Plewig, p. 13). Such causation has been linked to the issue of ozone depletion wherein HCFCs are the prime depletors, and the end outcome contributes to the global warming. Since the stratospheric ozone or ozone layer is almost depleted by stratospheric chlorine, which depends on, for example, CFC emissions. CFCs are greenhouse gases, which account for approximately 25% of the global warming effect. Freon 11 is given a global warming potential of 1, which indicates the characteristics of a major contributor. Because of the dangers proposed by CFC use, there is great commercial interest in replacing such materials with substances, which have less ozone depletion potential (Whelan, 1994p. 73).

Vehicles modification workshop (VMW) Jasim Essay

Vehicles modification workshop (VMW) Jasim - Essay Example This modification included; increasing the sound of their exhaust pipes. The initiative targeted motorists who illegally modified their cars and motorcycles in order to increase their speed (gulfnews.com, 2012). The police fear that if these modifications are done incorrectly, there may be an increase in the rate of accidents (gulfnews.com, 2012). This means that the UAE needs to have Vehicle Modification Workshop s that would comply with the traffic rules and safety. The scope of this study will be on developing a business plan that considers the best way of starting a Vehicle Modification Workshop (VMW) and on strategies that would make sure that the VMW will comply with the traffic rules and safety. very good. In the year 2012, motorists who had modified their vehicles in Sharjah faced the risk of losing their cars. This modification included; increasing the sound of their exhaust pipes. The initiative targeted drivers who illegally modified their cars and motorcycles in order to increase their speed (gulfnews.com, 2012). The police fear that if these modifications are done incorrectly, there may be an increase in the rate of accidents (gulfnews.com, 2012). There has been a 20% increase in death rate as a result of over speeding (emirates247, 2014). Does gulf news have a number of accidents increased due to this problem? please comment This means that the UAE needs to have Vehicle Modification Workshop s that would comply with the traffic rules and safety. very good The scope of this study will be on developing a business plan that considers the best way of starting a Vehicle Modification Workshop and on strategies that would make sure that the VMW will comply with the traffic rules and safety. In this chapter, the name of the business is Vehicle Modification Workshop. The business will be located in Dubai. Form of ownership will be a single proprietorship business and name of the sponsor is Jasim Al Ali. The

Evaluate how far Jinnikins Jeans would benefit from extending employee Essay

Evaluate how far Jinnikins Jeans would benefit from extending employee 'voice' - Essay Example 2. Overview of the impact of employee voice on Jinnikins Jeans The underlying theory behind employee voice is that employees have sufficient interests, skills and knowledge to engage in business decisions. Unlike what management experts previously assumed, it is becoming increasingly clear that even non-investors ought to make decisions (Gollan, 2006). Since workers dedicate a significant part of their lives within certain organisations, then it only comes naturally that their work would define them. At Jinnikins, some of the employees have been working for the company since they left university. Therefore, it makes sense to include them in decision-making processes. Employee voice has four distinct functions in any given organisation. It may allow the employee to express dissatisfaction with the organisation or management. Currently, such a platform seems to be lacking at Jinnikings. Most of the individuals in the organisation do not have an avenue for expressing their misgivings. T he case study states that several employees in the headquarters are worried that they might lose their jobs just like their counterparts in the UK factory. Furthermore, some feel marginalised by senior level executives concerning operations of the business. This was especially true for Lionel, the production director. If the company does not provide avenues for expression of dissent, then employees could look elsewhere. Businesses need employee voice in order to enjoy collective organisation. Unionisation and membership in other employee interest groups allows members to express collective concerns to which their employers can respond. Jinnikings feels it is a reasonable employer, which pays above average salaries and fosters communality. Therefore, it sees no need for collective bargaining. However, employees are already planning to join a Works Council, and this could throw the company off track if it does not prepare in advance. Senior executives, Trevor and George are quite appr ehensive about unions. In fact, they outsourced their operations because of this aspect (Mathews, 2012). The company needs to address this matter before it overwhelms them. Firms need employee voice because it facilitates the contribution of employees in management decision making. This implies that they can handle aspects like productivity, quality and organisation better using such a voice. Problem solving will spread across the organisation if firms foster participation (Van Dyne et al., 2003). Jinnikins appears to need this form of participation in decision-making. Currently, the two senior executives make all the decisions, which leads to a backlog in introduction of new ideas. Furthermore, it wastes a lot of time and frustrates the creative energy of the enterprise by creating all this bureaucracy around decisions. Clearly, the firm needs to rethink this approach in the future. Even critical elements of planning, like recruitment and selection or redundancy planning, are often in the hands of senior executives. They often select individuals based on the person they know rather than their work. As a result, the company has a backlog of redundant staff that they cannot get rid of. This reliance on the executive for most decisions has even led to difficulties in eliminating these staff. Instead of relying on guidelines for getting work done, managers have to second-guess. The highhanded approach of the two executive brothers has caused