Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Life of the American Born

This paper examines the life of the American born, Tim O'Brien and affirms the way his life influenced his writing techniques. William Timothy, the first of three children, well known as Tim O'Brien is an American Veteran writer, born on October 1, 1946, in Austin, Minnesota, United States of America (Herzog 14). He grew up in Worthington, a small shielded community near the borders of Iowa and South Dakota. He described himself as a vivid reader when he was young and had a thrilling interest in books and magic trick were evident realities on his storytelling power. This can also be linked to his parents who were enthusiastic readers. In other words, O'Brien must have learned some reading secrets from his parents when he was young. Some of his short and electrifying stories include, â€Å"The things they carried† as well as other classic novels like the war novel, going after Cacciato produced in1978, which indeed made him known best for his writing experience about Vietnam War (Raymond 102). Worthington town similarly played a significant role in nurturing his thoughts while developing the artistic sensibility of his life as an author. He attended Macalester College in 1968 and awarded bachelor's degree in Political Science. During his time in the institution, he was elected and served as the president of the student's union in college. Contrary to his criticisms against war, Tim O'Brien was recruited into United States Army and then sent to Vietnam where he served for two years. Following his return from the military service, he resumed his studies and graduated from Harvard University. He then worked shortly as an intern, national affairs reporter at Washington Post up to May 1974. The war experience he gained from his two-year combat inspired his chief publication, titled If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me up and Ship Me Home. O'Brien's history clearly reveals the depression and misery wrecked on soldiers by the Vietnam War. His mythical work, the things they curried of 1990, (O'Brien 816) is a combination of memoirs and fictitious stories in which he used the philosophical concepts of truth to climax the distinctions between two realms of the facts and the fictions in a unique way (Conan 2010). He incorporated the metaphysical approach attribute in his writing that flavored the quality of his stories. In his story, he exposes the readers to the understanding about the distinction between the truth of a story, the truth of fiction and the happening truth, which is associated with the truth of facts. In confirming the same, he appreciates that a story truth is more associated with emotion, which are also connected with the feelings of the story of fiction. On that pedestal, he adds that the feelings would be more significant, and thus making the story more relevant. Additionally, O'Brien wrote numerous novels based on the war experience he obtained in the army of the United States. He was awarded the 1979 National Book Award for his works on Northern Lights published in1975 and Going after Cacciato of 1978. The novel discusses two brothers against one and another as foils where a brother joined the Vietnam war andanother failed (Raymond 99). Through this, the brothers learned to struggle and comprehend each one's values and motives. Following his extraordinary influence of Joseph Conrad's works, he modified Conrad's concepts of human aptitude for good and evil in his literary works. In his works, O'Brien propounded timeless matter of the subject and its thematic range. He believed in his introversive idea, that literary works not only focus on the current affairs but also anticipates what the future holds for humankind, (Smith 34). Nuclear Age, which was published in 1985 was the third O'Brien's novel of his literary works and describes much from his personal experience. His expertise in creating an amusing look at the thoughtful character, a young man who was raised under an atomic umbrella, and suffered severely from paranoia as a result of nuclear war. As the story continues, he finds solace in a hole he dug in his backyard attempting to overcome every thought and imagination, which made him uncomfortable. His creativity in writing approach of war blending fact and fiction is comparable to other technical war writers like Michael Herr and inspired eminent figures such as Truman Capote, Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe. However, key elements of his works encompass the categorization and fascination of emotional subject matters. Owing to this traits, his fictional works are therefore considered to have made an immense impact on the readers of his novels. Other O'Brien's electrifying works are The Nuclear Age, published in 1985, In the Lakes of The Woods of 1994, Tomcat in Love of 1998 and July, July that was published in 2000, which took the world of literature with a storm. In a span of two years, O'Brien's short stories The things they curried, received the 1987 National Magazine Award Fiction. The novel was then nominated for 1987, best American Short story. The lake of Woods forms another interesting novel written by O'Brien and published in 1994. It took O'Brien's works into greater heights by agitating much on guilt, culpability, complicity and the moral courage, (Bates 265). He invents his character John Wade, who is also a Vietnam veteran, aspiring to run for senate position. He later lost slightly as charges on his involvement in the Lai massacre became popular during his campaign trail. O'Brien raises larger inquiries about the fallouts of war and its effects, which was realized after the end of the war, more so when the veterans returned home. He wore James Fenimire Cooper Prize from the Society of American Historians and was selected as the best novel of 1994 by Times Magazine.His most recent Novel, Tomcat in Love, O'Brien generated a Veteran Vietnam protagonist, Tom chippering through a love subject contrary to war. O'Brien describes this as a comic novel about a politically incorrect hero, who was sexy. He strongly believed that his lovers will love the book, and his fans, the so-called junkies, the people who appreciate his writings liked it. He alludes that this was his best book ever and it stole the hearts of many who could not do without reading the novel.In conclusion, O'Brien has won several prestigious awards in his many fictional works and worth being called a veteran in the writing field. His experience in writing the short story novels are highly acknowledged. He is a master of creative storytelling, a manipulator of literary form and one of the most challenging authors in his time with an ample content. His major contributions include the Nuclear Age, In the Lake of Woods, Tomcat in Love and July, July of 20000 More recently, he received $100,000 with the Pritxker Military Library Literature Award. Currently, he teaches at the Texas State University-San Marcos.

What Makes an Act Sexually Perverse

UWI Maurice Layne 620008086LecturerSimeon Mohansingh. CoursePhilosophy of sex and Love. | What makes an act sexually perverse? | | In a recent discussion, the subject of perversion was raised; the question was asked what makes an individual a pervert, or what kinds of acts could be considered perverted? The answers received were numerous to say the least. My first response was paedophilia which I still hold firm to; what follows are a few of the other answers; Bestiality; Homosexuality; Necrophilia; Oral sex (which was hotly debated); and Sexual sado-masochism.The list could continue but let us use this list and ask the question in another way; what makes these acts sexually perverse? What do we mean when we say something is sexually perverse? Is it divergence from what is sexually natural or a departing from what is considered standard morality? If so, what is natural? Who defines morality? The question of sexual perversion is of no little importance, for a start the question raises a number of interesting philosophical issues. Moreover, the issue is not solely of academic interest.Many have been, and many still are, stigmatised by the label ‘sexual pervert'. For them the issue of whether their actions justify this epithet may have a profound effect on their lives. Our purposes here are to simply attempt an answer to the question. We should note, at the start, that the notion of sexual perversion is not a simple descriptive concept. To call someone a pervert is not like calling them a Doctor or a Teacher. It is to denigrate their moral status in some way. Sexual perversion, therefore, is a concept, part of whose content is to carry a negative moral evaluation.The Oxford Dictionaries defines the verb pervert as to alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended; or to lead (someone) away from what is considered right, natural, or acceptable; and it defines the noun pervert as a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable. (â€Å"pervert†. Oxford Dictionaries. 2010) Since sexual perversion is a morally negative concept, it might be thought that one could define it simply as a ‘morally wrong sexual act'.In a similar way, one might attempt a definition of ‘murder’ as a morally wrong human killing. This, however, will not do. The simple reason is that there are many morally wrong sexual acts of a very ‘straight’ kind which, all can agree, are not perversions. For example, an ordinary sexual act may be done by one of the partners in a way that is unkind, deceitful, inconsiderate or cruel, and so morally wrong. Rape and adultery may be examples of this. One would not, on this account, want to call such acts perversions. Though there are some persons who do view rape as a perversion. ) One of the things that makes it hard to get a grip on the concept of perversion (its intension) is that there is strong d isagreement even over its extension. People disagree, for example, over whether homosexuality and masturbation are perversions. Still, let us start with a look at the extension of the concept. Genital sexual activity is of many kinds. The following is a list of categories; these are not necessarily exclusive; no doubt they are not exhaustive either.I give the acts in what seems (to me) to be roughly decreasing in order of ‘naturalness’ (in traditional terms). Heterosexual intercourse in the missionary position (straight sex). Heterosexual intercourse in other positions. Oral sex (cunnilingus, fellatio). Masturbation. Homosexuality. Group sex. Anal sex (buggery, sodomy), heterosexual or homosexual. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. Frotteurism. Sexual sadism and/or masochism. Paedophilia. Fetishism. Transvestism. Zoophilia (bestiality). Urophilia Necrophilia. Coprophilia.We can be safe in saying that it is highly unlikely that any two people would produce exactly the same orderi ng, my assumption is that there would be general agreement on the rough ordering, at least as to whether something was near the top, middle or end. Where perversion begins on the list is much more contentious, however. Sexual conservatives often draw the line after the first instance. More ‘open minded’ people might draw the line after say group sex. The items listed after group sex may get in on nearly everyone’s list.So what should count as a perversion, and why? Let us start with what is perhaps the best known account of perversion in the contemporary philosophical literature, that of Nagel. I start with it, not because it is close to the truth (I think that it is a long way from this), but because it illustrates clearly a central shortcoming that will keep recurring. â€Å"Nagel proposes that sexual interactions in which each person responds with sexual arousal to noticing the sexual arousal of the other person exhibit the psychology that is natural to human sexuality.In such an encounter, each person becomes aware of himself or herself and the other person as both the subject and the object of their joint sexual experiences. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this mutual recognition of arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object. Perversion, then, is a departure from or a truncation of a psychologically â€Å"complete† pattern of arousal and consciousness. † (Soble and Power 2008, 13) It is difficult to do full justice to Nagel’s account in a few words.But for present purposes, let’s hope the following will suffice. According to Nagel, a sexual act is not perverted when it involves two (or maybe more) people; each is sexually aroused by [the other]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused by the other's being sexually aroused]; a nd maybe so on ad infinitum. Any other sexual act is perverted. Now, one problem with Nagel's account is that it draws the line in a very strange place.Homosexuality, sadomasochism and paedophilia may all be non-perverted if done in the right way; whilst masturbation, rape and even straight sex of a very bored kind – e. g. , by a prostitute, or an uptown wife who during the act of coitus is thinking of travelling to Manhattan for ‘black Friday’ as perverted. Granted, any division is going to be contentious, but this classification is just too counter-intuitive: no one (unless in the grip of Nagel’s account) would divide things up in this way?The more important failing of Nagel's account is that if this is what sexual perversion is, there is absolutely no reason why perversion should be a morally loaded concept. There is nothing in itself immoral about being aroused by someone who is not them self aroused. Maybe it is more exciting, more complete, or fulfil ling, if they are; but it is hardly wrong if they are not. A more plausible and, in fact, more common account of perversion is that perverted acts are those that are unnatural. This is not a bad start, but it does not get us very far until we have said what ‘natural’ is to be taken to mean here.For the notion of naturalness is a very slippery one indeed. What, then, is the natural in this context? â€Å"Natural sexual acts, to provide merely a broad definition, are those acts that either flow naturally from human sexual nature, or at least do not frustrate or counteract sexual tendencies that flow naturally from human sexual desire. † (Soble and Power 2008, 11) An obvious suggestion is that what is natural is what happens in nature. But such a suggestion would rob the notion of perversion of all content. People are, after all, part of nature. Hence, nothing they do is unnatural in this sense.A fortiori there would be no perversions. It makes a bit more sense to s uppose that the natural is what happens in non human nature. This would draw the line in a very odd place, however. It makes paedophilia, masturbation, homosexuality, and bestiality (or at least intercourse with a different species) natural, while at the same time making straight sex unnatural. Given that then one might want to redefine what straight sex equates to in non human animals. Another suggestion as to what ‘unnatural’ means here is simply unusual (abnormal) in the statistical sense. Goldman 1977) It should be noted that the frequencies of various sexual practices like, homosexuality and paedophilia vary from society to society. Hence, perversion, on this account, becomes a socially relative concept. With ‘natural’ interpreted in this way, the definition of perversion has two major problems. Perversion does not seem to be linked to statistics in the way it requires. If bestiality became very common, for example, it would not cease to be a perversio n. There would just be more perverts around.More importantly, there is no reason why something that is unusual statistically should be morally bad; merely consider heroism, having an IQ of 200 or higher or being able to make love for 3. 5 hours without a break. In the context of the definition of perversion, Donald Levy takes an unnatural act to be one that denies someone a basic human good, such as life, health, control of mind or body, or the capacity to know or love (without providing some other basic human good in compensation). (Velasquez 2010, 454) This account at least has the advantage that it becomes clear why perversion is morally wrong.Its failings are rather different. According to this, virtually nothing that is traditionally counted as perversion is a perversion. None of homosexuality, buggery, sadomasochism would seem to fall into this category. Moreover, those sexual acts that involve the individual alone (masturbation, fetishism, transvestism, bestiality and necroph ilia) would not seem to require the actor to deny anyone including him or herself anything. We noted a certain amount of flexibility as to what one might classify as a perversion, but this flexibility hardly extends to ruling out paradigm cases wholesale.It would seem that for Levy Paedophilia and Rape would be the only activities that could or would count as sexual perversion. Another suggestion, as to what ‘natural' means in the context of perversion is this. It is often said that biological processes have some well-defined goal or function. What is natural is using the process for that function; what is unnatural is using it for something else. That this suggestion is on the right lines is supported by the following considerations. We speak of things other than sexual acts as being perverted.For example, we speak of someone perverting the course of justice. In such a case, it is clear that what this amounts to is the person using the judicial process for something other tha n its proper end. Thus, perversion in general is using something for other than its proper end as a matter of fact, as stated earlier this is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb ‘to pervert' and sexual perversion, in particular, is using sex for something other than its proper end. Were doing well so far right? But what exactly is the proper end of sex?A common view, most strongly represented in traditional Catholic pronouncements, has it that the function of sex is reproduction. â€Å"Based upon a comparison of the sexuality of humans and the sexuality of lower animals (mammals, in particular), Aquinas concludes that what is natural in human sexuality is the impulse to engage in heterosexual coitus. Heterosexual coitus is the mechanism designed by the Christian God to insure the preservation of animal species, including humans, and hence engaging in this activity is the primary natural expression of human sexual nature.Further, this God designed each of the pa rts of the human body to carry out specific functions, and on Aquinas’s view God designed the male penis to implant sperm into the female’s vagina for the purpose of effecting procreation. It follows, for Aquinas that depositing the sperm elsewhere than inside a human female’s vagina is unnatural: it is a violation of God’s design, contrary to the nature of things as established by God. For this reason alone, on Aquinas’s view, such activities are immoral, a grave offense to the sagacious plan of the Almighty. (Soble and Power 2008, 12) Reproduction here is interpreted as conception. Therefore, any sexual act that cannot result in conception is a perversion which clearly draws the line very high up on the list. † If this view is right, the orthodox Catholic Church has drawn the correct conclusions concerning masturbation and homosexuality; contraception, too, makes sex perverted. But the definition also makes many sorts of straight sex perver ted: sex for an infertile male known to be infertile; sex for a woman after menopause or a hysterectomy; sex during the so called ‘safe period' of a woman’s menstrual cycle.It would appear that orthodox Catholic thinking has not been consistent in these areas, since it does not condemn such acts; though some of the church fathers such as Augustine did in a roundabout way. â€Å"Sexual intercourse with lower animals (bestiality), sexual activity with members of one’s own sex (homosexuality), and masturbation, for Aquinas, are unnatural sexual acts and are immoral exactly for that reason. If they are committed intentionally, according to one’s will, they deliberately disrupt the natural order of the world as created by God and which God commanded to be respected†¦In none of these activities is there any possibility of procreation, and the sexual and other organs are used, or misused, for purposes other than that for which they were designed. Although A quinas does not say so explicitly, but only hints in this direction, it follows from his philosophy of sexuality that fellatio, even when engaged in by heterosexuals, is also perverted and morally wrong. At least in those cases in which orgasm occurs by means of this act, the sperm is not being placed where it should be placed and procreation is therefore not possible.If the penis entering the vagina is the paradigmatic natural act, then any other combination of anatomical connections will be unnatural and hence immoral; for example, the penis, mouth, or fingers entering the anus. Note that Aquinas’s criterion of the natural that the sexual act must be procreative in form, and hence must involve a penis inserted into a vagina, makes no mention of human psychology. Aquinas’s line of thought yields an anatomical criterion of natural and perverted sex that refers only to bodily organs and what they might accomplish physiologically and to where they are, or are not, put in relation to each other. (Soble and Power 2008, 12-13) If this is the case what is the rationale for the clitoris being positioned the way it is? At any rate, any account of perversion according to which straight sex between a loving couple at the tender age of 60 years, who have been happily married for over 40 years, is a perversion, in my humble opinion must be wrong. It is plausible to suppose that what makes this account of perversion wrong is its identification of reproduction with conception. There is, after all, a lot more to reproduction than conception. In particular, there is gestation, birth, the rearing and education of children, and so on.And sex may have important biological functions in these areas too. To begin with, a secure family is usually reckoned to be important in the upbringing of children. And one factor making for a secure family is a happy and fulfilling sexual life between the adult partners. Hence, a function of sex could be for two people each to give the other pleasure. In this case, only those forms of sexual activity that involve just one person could be perverted. More generally, a stable and functioning society is necessary for the reproduction of people. An important role of sex might be to help people to live together and cooperate.And who knows what sexual practices might serve that end? Without a lot more socio-biological research, it is highly unlikely near an impossibility to say what constitutes a perversion on this account probably very little.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Alternative Treatment Educational Course for Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Targeted Audience: The course will serve as a learning process for the parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This will help parents deal with their child and will teach the parents methods that will assist in the treatment of their child.Goal: This will provide significant information that will highlight factors and appropriate treatment methods related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It will also discuss the effects of different treatment method and treatment method appropriate to an individual’s age.Objectives: At the end of this course, parents must be able to: 1. understand causes and symptoms of ADHD 2. know how ADHD is diagnosed 3. determine behavioral elements that may indicate mental health conditions among children 4. learn treatment methods and programs 5. apply the different treatment methods INTRODUCTION Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also known as hyperkinesis, is a mental disorder that is common to child ren. It affects three to five percent of the children’s world population having a boy to girl ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 (NMHI, 1999).The disorder is characterized by persistent inattentiveness which results in significant functional impairment. It hinders the individual’s capability to do task and exercise age-appropriate behavior. Healthcare professional diagnosed 4. 4 million youth ages 4-17 years old have ADHD. As of 2003, it was found out that 2. 5 million youth ages 4-14 years old are under medication for the disorder. Also, 7. 8% of parents of school-aged have reported to have an ADHD (CDC, 2005). ADHD is a disorder that has an effect to an individual throughout life.The symptoms are pervasive which means that it occurs in various setting. Researches found out that the distinct characteristics of ADHD are inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity. This paper aims to provide alternative treatment for parents of children with ADHD. In order to achieve this, one must first understand the causes, symptoms, and effects of the disorder. The educational treatment educational course will aid parents of children with ADHD on treating the disorder of their on child and on taking care of their children acquiring such disorder.Specifically, this paper aims to determine if the gender and educational background of parents influence the consideration of alternative treatment procedure for ADHD. CAUSES OF ADHD The causes of ADHD are still undetermined but medical professionals have come up with assumptions that might have caused the disorder. The causes may be neuroanatomic, genetic, environmental, social, and prenatal factors (The Healing Center On-line, 2008). The Neuroanatomic Factor The neuroanatomic sources are the fontal lobe lesions, anterior and medical to the pre-central motor cortex.Studies on cerebral blood flows have found central hypoperfusion in the frontal lobe and decreased blood flow to the caudate nucleus. The Healing Center On-line further wrote that: The positron emission topography of parents of children with ADHD who have symptoms with the disorder have shown that there were decreased metabolism in left frontal and parietal regions which suggest that the prefrontal cortex, which governs auditory attention, is less active among those with ADHD.Also, persons with ADHD have an abnormal low rate of activity in brain areas responsible for motor control and attentiveness. Genetic Factor It is found out by studies that children with ADHD also have close relatives with ADHD. It shows that ADHD can be acquired genetically. Researches also showed that one-third of the fathers with ADHD during their youth will bear a child with ADHD. Also, identical twins share the same trait (NMHI, 1999). Environmental and Prenatal Factors Researches have shown a potential relationship between smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol during pregnancy.Behavior problems are also affected by high carbohydrate and high sugar diet during pregnanc y. Lowering of blood oxygen caused by smoking, high carbohydrate and high sugar diet is critical in fetal development, specifically in the development of fetal brain cells (Healing Center On-line, 2008). Some factors that may lead to ADHD are exposure to toxins such as lead, traumatic experiences, imbalance of neurotransmitters and abnormal glucose metabolism in the central nervous system. Psychosocial FactorsADHD can be caused by social conditions, family stability and marital conflict, psychiatric disorder, parental approach, and family interactions. SYMPTOMS OF ADHD The symptoms of ADHD are seen at an early age. The main symptoms of the disorder are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD are usually impulsive, forgetful, restless to the point of disruption, prone to fall, unable to follow instructions, unpredictable, and moody (Healing Center On-line, 2008). But some of these are normal to children at young age.According to the American Psychiatric Associ ation (2005), ADHD can be identified by the following behavior: (a) playing with hands or feet or wriggling in their seats, (b) difficulty to stay in their seats when needed, (c) difficulty to maintain attention and waiting for a chance in games or group activities, (d) Answering before questions are completed, (e) difficulty to follow instruction and to do task properly, (f) changing one unfinished task to another, (g) failure to prevent careless mistakes, and (h) difficulty to listen. DIAGNOSIS OF THE ADHDParents observe indications of inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity at young age before entering school. But because maturity of children comes different rates, it is important to ask for the opinion of medical experts if the behavior of a child is appropriate at a certain age (NMHI, 2008). According to the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual in 1997, as written by The Healing Center On-line, there is no existing test to detect ADHD but recommended steps in diagnosing the disorder. The first step is a to interview parents. The interview must include family background, presenting problem, and developmental history.Second is asking the child about home, school, and social functioning. Third is completion of the behavior-rating scales illustrating the role of home and school. The fourth step is to gather data from school like grades, achievement test scores, current placement and, relevant information. Fifth is psychological IQ test and Learning Disability screening. The final step is to give physical and neurological examinations. Parent Interview The parent interview is important in establishing relationship between the parents, the child, and the examiner.This will prove invaluable parental support with the assessment and treatment. The interview will also be a source of descriptive information about the family especially parent’s specific observation on child’s obvious problem. It will also expose the degree of distress the childâ€⠄¢s problems affecting the family, particularly the parent and the overall psychological integrity of parent. The interview will also help in formulating a diagnosis and to recommend possible treatments (Barkley, 2007). Child Interview Barkley (2007) also emphasizes the importance of child interview.The length of time required for the interview depends on the age, intellectual level, and language abilities of the children. For preschools, the interview will be a time to be familiar with the child’s appearance, behavior, and development characteristic. For older children and adults, they can be questioned regarding family relationship and status, problem encountered, performance in school, and social and peer acceptance. Teacher Interview The interview with teacher will determine the behavior and performance of the child in school. This will help in evaluating the child’s over all behavior and assessing the development of the child.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

How Does Gender Affect Overall Job Satisfaction Essay

How Does Gender Affect Overall Job Satisfaction - Essay Example Is there a difference in the overall job satisfaction (OJS) among men and women who are members of the American Intellectual Union? This is the main question that this paper hopes to answer. The sample for this study is composed mostly by males (74%). Standard deviation cannot be computed for gender since this data is nominal. Respondents were asked to rate their overall job satisfaction through the scale of 1 (least satisfied) to 7 (most satisfied). Table 1 below shows the OJS score provided by males and females. Average OJS for the entire sample was computed at 5.172 which is relatively high in the scale. Overall standard deviation is at 0.979582 which means that the variation in the scores for overall job satisfaction is small. However, it is important to note that females registered a higher average overall job satisfaction at 5.27 compared to males (5.14). Standard deviation of OJS scores among males is at 0.97 while variation in the OJS scores in females was computed at 1.20. While both standard deviation scores are low, females registered higher variation possibly due to less sample size. The results of this study is not conclusive because data was limited. Moreover, to determine the connection between gender and overall job satisfaction scores, it is important to run other statistical procedures such as the chi square test or other test for correlation. By using charts, it was easy to see that most female respondents provided higher OJS scores, but that there were too few of them.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Community Organizing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Community Organizing - Assignment Example Next, with the help of local leaders, the organizer mobilizes the public and creates awareness on the issue at hand. Once society members are full participants, social planning and social action follow (McKenzie, Neiger & Thackeray, 2012). This involves coming up with the means to carry out a project and the actual process of implementing the project. Evaluation follows to study the success of the action and make adjustments if necessary. In this step, accomplishments get acknowledgement and lessons on how to improve future mobilizations noted. The community organizations get formalization after engaging in social action. Once this happens, the last step occurs. It involves the organizer leaving and the people taking over entirely. Community organization is an empowering process and, therefore, an organizer needs to leave once to let the empowered people carry on from there. In building community support for a health intervention, the social action step is the most crucial. This is because it involves the actual implementation of the project meant to improve health systems in a society. Social action is an act of power that proves indeed social organization and empowerment

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Assigment - Essay Example sion for an industry that has spent millions to attract customers in the countrys growing Latino community and among the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. As a business owner, you sell to whoever comes into your store. You sell to whoever buys from you online. Its easy, normally, said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. Just in some cases where specific identification is needed, like in financial services, its more complicated. But getting less so Last month, Bank of America said it had started a pilot program in the Los Angeles area late last year that didnt require a Social Security number to sign up for a credit card. The Charlotte-based bank insists the card isnt specifically designed to attract illegal immigrants, and says that so far, it has not. The bank hasnt decided if it will offer the card elsewhere, but it would likely be popular with a population that generally lacks access to something as common in most American wallets as the dollar bill and a drivers license. Its a no brainer. Its a very large market, said Jim Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The bank is just the latest example of a major corporation recognizing the impact of doing business with Hispanics. ‘In 2005, the nations 6.6 million illegal immigrant families had an average annual income of $29,500 and accounted for nearly $200 billion in purchasing power, a figure thats only expected to grow,’ said Pew Hispanic Center demographer Jeff Passel. They are impacting the economy, Passel said. The unauthorized are explicitly coming for an economic basis. While credit card use among the nations 42 million Hispanics is on the rise, a substantial number of Latino households dont have access to credit, according a survey conducted by the National Council of La Raza, which found that 80 percent of American households use credit

Monday, August 26, 2019

Virgin Galactic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Virgin Galactic - Research Paper Example In pursuit of their mission, Virgin Galactic has acted as a proving ground for new technologies like using carbon composites in big sized aircrafts, which has applications across a many industrial sectors. This is why Virgin Galactic has been described as a significant industrial project in the twenty first century (virgin galactic.com, 2012). Branson was 19 years old when Apollo 11 took the first humans to the moon on July 16, 1969. On that day a young Richard Branson decided that he would experience the wonder of space. â€Å"Virgin Galactic's goal is to end the exclusivity attached to manned space travel, which means designing a vehicle that can fly almost anyone to space and back safely without the need for special expertise or exhaustive, time consuming training† (Virgin Galactic. com, 2012, par. 3). Virgin Galactic reviewed many spacecraft concepts before networking with Scaled Composites. Scaled Composites was founded by famed designer and builder of experimental aircra ft Burt Rutan (Leonard, 2005). Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft and launch vehicles were designed with simplicity and redundancy in mind. A complex system has an increased chance of failure; therefore simplification and risk reduction pay a pivotal role in their design. Scaled Composites has an exceptional safety record and is responsible for some of the most innovative experimental aircraft in the world. September 27, 2004, Branson announced that Virgin Galactic would finance the design and construction of a fleet of commercial spacecraft that would take thousands of passengers to space and back safely (virgingalactic.com, 2012). In addition to commercial sub-orbital space flight, Virgin Galactic offers sub-orbital scientific missions as well as orbital satellite launches. According to Virgin Galactic’s Web site, the company and the New Mexico State revealed that they had made a historic agreement in 2005 that would see the building of a state-funded $200 million spacepor t on a 27-square mile area of land. Virgin Galactic agreed to establish its headquarters and operate space flights from what would be known as Spaceport America in South Mexico (virgingalactic.com, 2012). New Mexico’s steady climate, high altitude, free airspace, and low population density make it an ideal location for the first commercial spaceport. Richard Branson and New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez recently dedicated the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space at Spaceport America, New Mexico. Seven hundred guests gathered to celebrate the occasion and view a demonstration flight. There has been a steady increase in the interest in space tourism among engineers, scientist, entrepreneurs, and the general public. According to Virgin Galactic’s Web site, more than 500 tickets have been sold at US$200,000 per seat. The sky is no longer the limit and the market potential for this emerging industry is enormous. As the space tourism industry grows, they will need to cut their costs to remain competitive. Branson expects as many as five competing spaceship companies by 2020. He believes this competition will drive the price of a ticket down to a level that hundreds of thousands of passengers can afford to go to space (Allen, 2009). Several companies entering the market have already announced that their costs will be approximately half that of Virgin Galactic. The

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Key Business Concepts that Alter Results of Business Entities Essay

Key Business Concepts that Alter Results of Business Entities - Essay Example Business planning Significant issues in business planning include resource allocation, which is a process that involves finding ways of getting the resources needed. This aspect of planning ensures that resources such as human labor are available in good time and the right quantity. Planning is important because it enables management to identify any problem that could occur when implementing new ideas in the organization. Further, planning prepares an organization for forthcoming changes in the organization. During the process of planning, there is a revelation of activities of the selected quota to all employees using the company calendar. Such events as team building and staff appraisals are known earlier, which makes necessary preparations. Employees team up with management in order to set organizational goals and prioritize issues. Additionally, planning enables business enterprises to lay benchmarks of their achievements. It is at the planning stage that business enterprises dec ide on marketing strategies that would increase their sales. Organizations are able to launch new products and adequately prepare them for competition within the market because there is an allocation of time to lay necessary plans. Planning in business also encourages the development of desirable character traits in employees because they tend to adapt to what management has proposed. They are transformed into organized individuals who many employers would wish to recruit. The dynamic business environment Business environments keep changing from time to time because of many reasons; therefore, there should be proper networking for business enterprises to overcome emerging challenges. Issues in the dynamic business environment involve constantly determining opportunities that could make the organization register good growth. The need for business enterprises to identify their strengths and weak points is also important in the dynamic business environment. Possible threats from extern al sources and ways of maintaining transparency at the workplace are more issues concerned with the dynamic business environment.  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Effect of music during worship sevice Term Paper

Effect of music during worship sevice - Term Paper Example This "Effect of music during worship sevice" essay outlines the role of music during praying. From the findings, music during worship is necessary since worship starts with a vocal praise and helps the worshippers enter presence with God through exalting him (Stringer, 2005). Music during worship will establish the mood thus enabling the congregation to value both faith and feelings towards the creator (White, 2010). Musical rhythms have deep personal associations for worshippers thus act as a reference point during worship (Leonard, 1990). Music during worship facilitates revelation since Christians believe that revelation that is both natural through human experience and also supernatural through praise and worship (Smith, 2004). However, majority of the Catholic respondents see music as not essential during worship and they do not necessary express their freedom through bodily movements, but through prayer (Hauerwas & Wells, 2011). From the above findings, it is clear that a major ity of the Churches incorporate music during their worship regardless of whether in an urban or rural setting. Since contemporary music is the most preferred type of music, some Christian denominations like Methodist, Baptism and Non-denominational will have to enhance the quality of the music in order to attract more congregation (Macquarrie, 2003). Music provides the worshippers with a freedom to express their deep feelings about their God through dancing, joy and lifting of hands (White, 2006). Music is a means of exhortation since some anthems and solos are purely geared at exhortation thus worshippers will be able to express their personal testimony with their God thus acting as both worshippers and the preacher (Foley & Bangert, 2000). Praise through music humbles the worshippers since it is a sign of adoration from the creator thus something dynamic usually happens in the souls of the singers (Kurtz, 2008). Music

Friday, August 23, 2019

Rdms, phase2 db1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rdms, phase2 db1 - Essay Example Two types of integrity constraints entity integrity and referential integrity are taken in account for the design and development of database system. â€Å"An Entity is commonly thought of as a noun – a person, place or thing. In a real sense, Entities reflect Tables in the database† (Mickler, 2008). Entity integrity guarantees that there are no duplicate records within the table and that the field that identifies each record within the table is unique and never null. In general, Entity Integrity is the mechanism the system provides to maintain primary keys so that there is a unique identifier for rows in the table (database.dev.co.uk, 2008). It is good practice to have primary key in every table so that each row can be identified uniquely. â€Å"A primary key is typically only one field and that field is set to a special domain, or type† (Mickler, 2008). A primary key, composed of one or more columns, uniquely identifies each row of a table and eliminates the possibility of duplicate rows in a table (CTU Online, 2008). According to Hoffer, Prescott & McFadden (2007), â€Å"A foreign key is an attribute in a relation of a database that serves as the primary key of another relation in the same database†. Referential integrity maintains the consistency among the rows of two relations. The referential integrity rule states that for every foreign key value in a table, there must be a corresponding primary key value in another table in the database (CTU Online, 2008). Problems arise when we fail to relate the tables properly and inadvertently delete data in a particular table that would result in broken links or floating records (Mickler, 2008). For the new Student Class Registration System we have to make sure that entity and referential integrity constraints are applied. Entity integrity can be achieved by having a primary key not null field in each table of the database system that uniquely identifies each row. In case of our new Student Class Registration

Economics Incentivizing Thrift Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics Incentivizing Thrift - Article Example Employed individuals in small business should also be encouraged to save by implementing low cost savings retirement plans. The article highlights that the government has a role to play in the economy, according to the article the government taxation and policy measures should be changed in order to encourage savings, Wilcox states that the government should replace income tax with a consumption tax, this means that individuals will consume less and save more for future. The only problem with this proposition is that individuals may be taxed twice whereby they are taxed currently as they earn and after the taxation system is changed they will be taxed as they consume. The article also states that another solution to the problem of saving in the economy is education. One of the reasons why people save less is lack of knowledge regarding economic concepts. This should be undertaken by introduction of finance literacy into the school curriculum. From the above discussion of the article it is evident that the government has a role to play in encouraging saving in the economy, the government can replace income taxes with consumption taxes, introduction of financial literacy

Thursday, August 22, 2019

A comparison between the 1920s and the 1980s Essay Example for Free

A comparison between the 1920s and the 1980s Essay The 1920s and 1980s are similar in many ways. Their similarities are social, economical, and political. Some of the similarities between the decades are Prohibition and the War on Drugs, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and 1987, and the influence of music on society. Prohibition was passed as the 18th amendment, that importing, exporting, transporting, and manufacturing of alcohol was to be put to an end. Prohibition did not achieve its goals. Instead, it added to the problems that it intended to solve. It was expected that the decrease in alcohol consumption would in turn reduce crime, poverty, death rates, improve the economy, and the quality of life. As a result of the lack of enforcement of the Prohibition Act and the creation of an illegal industry of bootlegging an increase in crime transpired. The Prohibitionists hoped that the Volstead Act would decrease drunkenness in America and thereby decrease the crime rate, especially in large cities. Although towards the beginning of Prohibition this purpose seemed to be fulfilled, the crime rate soon skyrocketed to nearly twice that of the pre-prohibition period. In large cities the homicide went from 5.6 (per 100,000 population) in the pre-prohibition period, to nearly 10 (per 100,000 population) during prohibition, nearly a 78 percent increase. Serious crimes, such as homicides, assault, and battery, increased nearly 13 percent, while other crimes involving victims increased 9 percent. Many supporters of prohibition argued that the crime rate decreased. This is true if one is examining only minor crimes, such as swearing, mischief, and vagrancy, which did in fact decrease due to prohibition. The major crimes, however, such as homicides, and burglaries, increased 24 percent between 1920 and 1921. In addition, the number of federal convicts over the course of the prohibition period increased 561 percent (Hanson 31-34). After Prohibition was deemed a failure, the National Prohibition Act, or Volstead Act, was passed. The Volstead Act was put into place to determine specific laws and methods of enforcement; the Federal Prohibition Bureau was formulated in order to see that the Volstead Act was enforced. Nevertheless, bootleggers and commoners alike flagrantly violated these laws. Bootleggers  smuggled liquor from oversees and Canada, stole it from government warehouses, and produced their own. Many people hid their liquor in hip flasks, false books, hollow canes, and anything else they could find (Hanson 29). Although one would think that prohibition would enhance the difficulty of obtaining alcohol, liquor was actually very easy to acquire. The bootlegging business was so immense that customers could easily obtain alcohol by simply walking down almost any street. Replacing saloons, which were all shut down at the start of prohibition, were illegal speak-easies. These businesses, hidden in basements, office buildings, and anywhere that could be found, admitted only those with membership cards, and had the most modern alarm systems to avoid being shut down (Hanson 28). In the beginning of the 1980s drugs begin to spread rapidly through inner cities because of the easy accessibility. In 1982 the National Survey on Drug Abuse found 22 million Americans had used cocaine one time in their life. It became the choice of drug for the famous and successful; professional athletes, celebrities in entertainment, lawyers, university professors, and Wall Street brokers. It became labeled as the champagne of drugs. Many people took to the popular form of cocaine known as crack, which could be disguised as smoking a cigarette even though it was incredibly addicting. People could also acquire crack cocaine easily and inexpensively. Dealers would disguise regular homes and apartments as crack houses where a user could easily obtain their fix. In the 1980s Reagan had a similar problem with the war on drugs. Inner city violence increased due to gangs fighting for territory. It was also an underlying cause in the rise of domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, violence in school, and dropout rates. In 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act was passed in effort to stop the drug crisis. The Act was aimed towards accountability and zero-tolerance towards addicts.. Critics accused the government of spending too much on enforcing rather than educating and treatment. Its effects were similar to those of Prohibition so in 1988 the act was redone (Bondi 395). It was almost impossible for government agencies to stop the smuggling of drugs into the U.S. It was done most commonly by boat but dealers would often find new ways to get their contraband past drug sniffing dogs and the border patrol at the Mexico border. When Reagans term ended and George W. Bush took office he gave his inaugural speech in which he said, When the first cocaine was smuggled in on a ship, it may as well have been a deadly bacteria, so much has it hurt the body, the soul of our country. There is much to be done and much to be said, but take my word for it: This scourge will stop. (Bondi 396). By the end of the 1920s the Stock Market was flourishing. In 1928 the New York Stock Exchange was trading at about six to seven million shares a day. Many economists warned about the dangers of rising prices. People disregarded this information and speculation increased about the Stock Market being the easy way to make money. People invested their lifes savings. Banks too invested large sums of money into the Stock Market. On Thursday, October 24, 1929, the bottom began to fall out. Prices dropped precipitously as more and more investors tried to sell their holdings. By the end of the day, the New York Stock Exchange had lost four billion dollars, and it took exchange clerks until five oclock AM the next day to clear all the transactions. By the following Monday, the realization of what had happened began to sink in, and a full-blown panic ensued. Thousands of investors, many of them ordinary working people, not serious players were financially ruined. By the end of the year, stock values had dropped by fifteen billion dollars (Hanson 67). Although the crash of 1929 was devastating on the economy, the crash on October 19, 1987,Black Monday, was more devastating be cause the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508.32 points, losing 22.6% of its total value. The fall far surpassed the one-day loss of 12.9% that began the great stock market crash of 1929. The Dows 1987 fall also triggered panic selling and similar drops in stock markets worldwide. What made this market break extraordinary was the speed with which prices fell, the unprecedented volume  of trading and the consequent threat to the financial system. Both crashes were significant because they took a devastating toll on the economy. This led to the loss of jobs and shutting down of companies. Although much had been done after the crash of 1929, such as making Paper Companies illegal, it could not prevent the devastating losses of 1987 (Bondi 301). In the early 1920s times were prosperous and people begin to look for a new form of entertainment. It was the commercial dawn of radio, and the continued popularity of the phonograph. Neither invention was new. Radio had been experimented with as early as 1896, and Marconi stations lined the coasts before the Great War. The 20s saw the demise of the wax cylinder recorder (Edison manufactured them into the 20s), and the rise of the disk that was to stay with us in some form until the CD. Music became widely available for the average person because of the availability of phonographs and the accessibility to the radio. Things like the Charleston and dance marathons became popular do to the music that could be played at any given time. Jazz and blues also became big because of musicians like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Sam Morgan, and Oscar Popa Celestin (Hanson 25).. On October 1, 1982 Sony introduced the CDP-101, the first Compact Disc audio CD player. This new technological advance sparked the development of a new type of music known as New Wave. Like Jazz, it began to gain popularity in New York City. The music became increasingly popular and began the attraction of people to nightclubs, such as CGBGs (Bondi 135). Despite the differences in technology and standards, the 1920s and 1980s were very similar. When it comes down to it, history really does repeat itself in many ways. Historians can only inform us as to what we can expect of the future and what we can do to prevent such devastating events. Works Cited Bondi, Victor. American Decades 1980 1989. Washington D.C. : Amanly, Inc. Book 1996 Hanson, Erica. Through the Decades The 1920s. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc. 1999

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Transformational Leadership in Teaching

Transformational Leadership in Teaching This paper is a discussion of possible data collection and analysis methods that could be used to address an inquiry into the effectiveness of novice teachers who use transformational leadership style to manage their classrooms. It is arranged in the following order. Possible abstract, introductory statement, research aims methodology and techniques, researcher position, theoretical framework, research questions, research design data collection, data analysis and states the significance of the study before finally concluding. Abstract The proposed study is an investigation of the effectiveness of beginner teachers in the area of classroom management using transformational leadership style in Zambia. It will adopt a qualitative method and a narrative inquiry approach premised on the fact that the researchers intention is to gain is to gain understanding, give a description and analysis of the stories/narratives of novice teachers (participants).Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction, data display and drawing conclusions (Miles and Huberman,1994). The proposed study intends to use a sample of ten(10) novice teachers in three (3) in three (5) public high schools in Lusaka province during a two (2) months period. It is expected that variability in participants will be maximized by this sample in terms of work area and backgrounds thereby bringing out rich in-depth understanding of beginner teachers experiences in classroom management. The proposed study will contribute to knowledge in the area of effective ways of managing classrooms not only among novice teachers but in the entire education fraternity by illuminating best practices. Introduction That classroom management is a fundamental concern among pre-service, beginner and practicing teachers, and is a topical issue in professional practice literature, school staff rooms including in the media is undisputed (Mc Cormick, 1997).It is an essential ingredient in the attainment of maximum instructional time which has potential to positively impact the outcomes of learning. The effectiveness of instruction is contingent upon teachers abilities to manage and organize the behavior of students. Substantial research suggest that one of the key challenges encountered by novice teachers in achieving the teaching objectives in the classroom is managing order (Cothrane et al.,..) Novice teachers experience struggles with classroom management that negatively impacts student learning (Buckman, 2009, p.5) owing to the detachment between what they learn during training and what they actually experience in practice in line with maintaining order in the classroom. Koki (2000) states that be ginning teachers particularly face difficulties in managing their classrooms and often struggle to apportion adequate instructional time as most of their attention is channeled at handling disruptive tendencies and behavior. It becomes necessary for teachers to work towards consciously organizing and maintaining an enabling learning atmosphere for all learners. Buckman (2009) argues that the process of managing the classroom should be altered and evaluated depending on the need. As such, the importance of teachers having forceful classroom management skills to enhance nurturing and successfully excel in their professions cannot be over emphasized, a minimal number of teachers are proficient in this domain. The persistence of beginner teachers in the teaching career is influenced and determined by their ability to effectively manage their classrooms (Ingersoll and Smith,2003).Unfortunately, many novice teachers struggle to control and maintain discipline among their learners (Koki,2000) which often culminates into developing stress and decreased energy or burn out in the early years of teaching. Hafock (2006) claims that many new teachers quit teaching during the first five years owing to frustrations with classroom and behavior management challenges. Accordingly, Kariuki (2009) observed that teachers require sustainable effective and efficient procedures, regulations and routines carefully planned and managed if instruction time is to be maximized and a reduction on time spent on behavior management. The proposed study will explore the practices, experiences and beliefs of 18 beginner teachers meeting the criteria (defined by the researcher) for being effective and successful classroom managers. Research Aims The proposed study aims to develop theory about the effectiveness of novice high school teachers. The questions that will guide the research are transformational leadership style. Methodology and data collection techniques Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction (text analysis and coding), data display (identification and coding of emerging themes) and verification and drawing (Interpretation). In order to truly gauge the success of an inquiry based on human experience, it is appropriate for me to utilize the traits listed as qualitative research working directly with teachers to unearth their beliefs, practices and experiences .According to Hatch (2002)good qualitative researchers understand the world from the perspectives of those living in it (P.2).Qualitative research going by Merriam et al.,(2000) is premised on the idea that meaning is constructed socially by individuals through interactions in their social world and the meaning it has for them is considered an interpretive qualitative approach(pp.3-4) which is applicable for this proposed study. A qualitative inductive framework will enable explore the participants world in their naturalistic setting.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Marks and Spencer: Human Resource Management

Marks and Spencer: Human Resource Management In 1998 it became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over  £1  billion, though a few years later it plunged into a crisis which lasted for several years. In November 2009, it was announced that Marc Bolland, formerly of Morrisons, will take over as chief executive from Stuart Rose in early 2010; Rose will continue as chairman until mid-2011. MSs Present situation of Recruitment, selection and training: As MS persist to grow the business and invest for the future, it is more essential than ever to keep amplification the team of employees at every level, from the shop-floor through to management. To attract and retain the best talent in the industry, HRM has to exhibit each day that MS is a good employer, dedicated to creating all the people feel respected and providing them with career opportunities and quality training. Recruitment and retention: The company employs around 71,000 people in the UK, 75,000 worldwide. MS has one of the lowest employee turnover rates in UK retail, at 27% for customer assistants and 12% for management. Around 40% of the people have been with it for over 5 years and 22% for more than ten years. MS can offer graduates a fast track into management and last year HRM received a record 8,500 applications in just over two months. Each year the company employ between 150 and 200 graduates and business placement programmed undergraduates for positions in retail, food technology, design, HR, buying, IT and other specialist roles. MS won four major graduate recruitment awards, including the 2008 Times Graduate Employer of Choice for retail. Training and development: The company needs to train people comprehensively to do their jobs, but also want to keep their skills and experience by giving them real opportunities to plan and build a career with Marks Spencer. MS has defined career paths in place for many of its people, including Customer Assistants and store management. During the year it introduced new career paths for store Section Managers and HR and marketing teams. Everyone joining in the stores completes a thorough induction and up to 26 weeks ongoing training the longest on the high street. MS has over 7,500 people in stores who act as coaches to train and support their less experienced colleagues. This year the company has also run specialist training for people moving into senior management roles or taking up international assignments. Additionally, more than 4,000 people completed Buying Academy and Food Academy courses. MS now testing similar types of academies for womenswear and merchandisers. MSs Ethics and Code is communicated across the company and senior management is asked to confirm acceptance annually with breaches reported to the Audit Committee. The recruitment and selection process of human resource in the company go through in two parts, Store and Head Office. Store Retail Sales MS has two schemes available in the stores: Selling and HR. Selling is where most of the graduates join, and offers the chance to be fast-tracked into senior level retail management. HR is where personnel train to be an HR manager, gaining experience into everything from managing recruitment to carrying out disciplinary procedures. Figure 4 Store Roles Store management Managing HR in store Store stock management Head office In a head office role, the personnel get the opportunity to develop professional skills and capabilities, and then use that acquaintance to influence strategies and confine growth across the rest of the business. MS provides opportunities in  IT, design, merchandising, garment, buying and food technology and product development. Figure 5 Designing Store development Accounts and finance Head office Roles Procurement Product development Information technology UK and International marketing Information technology Human resource management Recruitment and Selection Procedure of MS Job centre Recruitment Agencies Recruitment Sources Advertisements On-line application Schools, colleges, universities Friends and relatives of existing employees Executive search agencies Interviews Work-based tests Selection Procedures Bio-data analysis Psychological analysis References Analytical ability test Training and development process: MS wants its people to enjoy their work and feel they have all the skills they need to do their job to the best of their ability. Therefore, the company offers in-depth training and performance coaching, and regularly assess the peoples development needs to ensure everyone has the support to achieve their potential. For once in my life I can truly say that I enjoy going to work every day and I really like the buzz you feel all around the store. Brian MS Staff It does not a matter in which area of the business someone joins, he/she will receive an induction that will help to settle into the team, giving a feel for what role will involve and leave to feel passionate, inspired and excited about the career with Marks Spencer. The following provides the nature of training one can expect in MSs stores and at head office, and how the company looks at developing future leaders of the business. Marks Spencer offers the majority of the training for store teams is on-the-job. It helps them learn in  real life situations. The section managers also receive specific training on stock management, driving sales and motivating their teams, while the store managers are regularly assessed to address any senior level development needs they may have. Finally, the retail business transforms fast and making sure each of the employees has a flexible and diverse range of skills is as significant to the future of MSs business as it is to the people who work in it. That is true whether an employee joins the company for a short period of time or to pursue a long-term career. The training MS offer is designed to help individuals build up their talents and capabilities, develop their experience and fulfill their career ambitions. MS aim is to ensure that the employees have the skills they need to deliver the kind of service that customers expect from MS. Evaluation of the Human Relations School of management in relation to Motivation of staff: In 1920 an experiment conducted by the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric (in Cicero, IL) known as the Hawthorne Experiments from which the human relations management evolved. This human relations management approach includes different models, ways and ideas. Through this experiment an important observation was noted. As the employees were divided in to two groups for the purpose of experiment groups got varied attention from the management. And it was found that the group which got majority of attention got highly motivated and seemed their work as significant one and turn out to be more productive. Because of this particular work people understood that workers also need special attention as they were treated as some force which will do the job otherwise would be terminated at that era. And this observation helped to introduce a new horizon in the outlook of managers and help come into view human relations management. This school of management is now there for quite a long time and withstands the test of time. This view is sometimes regarded as theory of motivation and the treat people working in the organization quite differently than other theories such as autocratic. Among different theories McGregors X and Y Theories presume workers can act in both ways that is some workers may be unmotivated and reluctant about the work imposed on them (Theory-X) and some may seem motivated and treat the work as trust vested upon them (Theory-Y). So management needs to be pretty much careful in handling workers. Management should design its different program by keeping human relations management. In this modern world workers are not only used like machines to make the job done rather they will have to nourish which will in turn provide nourishment to the organization. To motivate employees to the work this approach recommends some steps that management can follow: To treat employees as if work is as common as doing daily activities in normal mode. The target of the employees work is aimed share those objectives to make the work more acquainted with the employees. Make sure employees can take major decision on their own and can prove their own potential. Provide proper training and increase work load as they become more capable. Appreciate and motivate employees on doing successful projects and set standards which are achievable. This approach tells us that employees are not motivated only by monetary benefit but also by different fringe benefits such as appreciation, sense of togetherness etc. Program of Motivational Factors for a Small to Medium Sized Business:. Motivational program is set to achieve the following objectives: To Perform jobs as efficiently and timely as possible and Be ready to take latest challenges as they are presented to them and stood confident to cope with those challenges. So to design a program for a small to medium business the following factors or observations need to be addressed: Ability and motivation: The program designed must be able to locate the areas which will motivate employees and the purpose of the program will be to motivate employees. The program should include something that increases employees eagerness to do the job willingly. Reinforce employees positively and train them as it becomes necessary. Always maintain and ensure fairness, respect, and honesty in treating employees. It is one of essentials of the program. Identify, understand and talk to employees about their miseries, provide assistance if needed. Job rotation, job redesign, restructuring or reorganizing job descriptions when necessary will make the employees more capable of doing different jobs and will reduce dependency on some key employees. Based on the performance establish reward system which may range from providing monetary to non monetary benefits. After the inclusion of all these factors or observations there will be a turnaround in the way of doing things in a small or medium sized business. Classical and Scientific School of Management: To manage work and train the workers to reduce dissatisfaction of the workers Classical management theory evolved during the Industrial Revolution. It mainly find the best way to perform the job assigned. There are two branches of Classical School of Management: classical scientific and classical administrative. Classical scientific school: The  classical scientific branch  deals with the process of work and the skills of the workers and to increase productivity. Taylor, Henry Gantt, and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were the main contributors of this school. Taylor believed that organizations should study tasks and develop precise procedures. Henry Gantt is the creator of the Gantt chart, a bar graph that measures planned and completed work along each stage of production. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth,  studied job motions. Frank was an apprentice bricklayer, he was interested in standardization and method study. He studied about the workers slowness and inefficiency. The scientific management was developed to divide work between employees, methods of doing jobs, the teamwork building and training and developing workers. Classical administrative school: The classical administrative School deals on the total organization such as the development of managerial principles rather than work methods. Max Weber, Henri Fayol, Mary Parker Follett, and Chester I. Barnard were the main contributors.   Max Weber  believed that the organization should be run by structured rules and it should not be run as family-like basis. He didnt think that authority should be based on a persons personality. He thought authority should be something that was part of a persons job and passed from individual to individual as one person left and another took over. This nonpersonal, objective form of organization was called a  bureaucracy. All bureaucracies have the characteristics as Division of work, A good hierarchy and Rule and regulations, competence and the relationships between managers and employees. Henri Fayols 14 principles of management gives clear idea how a manager manage his department and staff. The 14 principles are: Division of work, Authority and responsibility, Discipline, Unity of command, Unity of direction, Subordination of individual interest to general interest, Remuneration of personnel, Centralization, Scalar chain, Order, Equity, Stability of tenure of personnel, Initiative, Esprit de corps. Mary Parker Follett   encouraged managers to share their power with the employees. She began to talk about such things as ethics, power, and leadership. She stressed the importance of people rather than techniques a concept very much before her time. As a result, she was a pioneer and often not taken seriously by management scholars of her time. But times change, and innovative ideas from the past suddenly take on new meanings. Much of what managers do today is based on the fundamentals that Follett established more than 80 years ago. Relevance of Maslows Theory in Todays Workforce: The dynamic world of business needs to motivate employees which contradict the past dictatorship by the top management. Through this process of development different perspectives arise and made their mark in motivating employees. Maslows hierarchy of needs alternatively known as the theory Z is one such remarkable innovation that never lost its eminent prospect in motivating employees and still followed all around the world. The Maslows hierarchy calls for the meet up of employees physiological needs on the first hand. In todays world firms focus on issues such as food, housing etc which falls in the physiological category to motivate employees. In USA Toyota has a village for its employees that provide housing facilities for its employees. The second parameter is safety. Employees need job security, health support for them and for their families so if this can be ensured employees will surely be motivated. The example of Toyota village can be mentioned once again here. People are by nature hungry for love and as human beings employees also need love and affection. So the insurance of appreciation, sense of belongingness will motivate them and theory Z is very much appropriate in identifying it. In self esteem case employees act as confident contenders in performing a job. They will want achieve something for them and to obtain respect from others. Maslow rightly identified this need as low and mid level managers always try to be achievers. And they want top management to believe in them to take some decisions for which they will be responsible. Employees at certain time become more creative in what they usually do. In this process of self actualization employees will need to be handled carefully as they can take the business to a whole new level. So Maslows theory is very much in line with the todays workforce. Evaluation of the autocratic and democratic ways of implementing changes within the organization: Every company always tries to manage the changes by using democratic or participatory managerial style. Change management is a personal journey along with the organization changes. So each stakeholders views, complaints and concerns needed to be heard and this input needs to be incorporated into the change management process. If the organizational changes are imposed on the individuals without showing much respect towards the individual employees the firm should at the same time be prepared for a lot resistance. Change management is difficult as there are negative reaction from the employees. The managers should be very much intelligent and competent to change and they must manage employees that they will not be affected badly. People should be given information be open and honest about the facts, but dont give overoptimistic speculation. The information should be given everyone in the organization. People should be given time, to express their views, and support their decision making, providing coaching, counseling or information as appropriate. Where the change involves a loss, identifies what will or might replace that loss loss is easier to cope with if there is something to replace it. This will help assuage potential fears. Where it is possible to do so, give individuals opportunity to express their concerns and provide reassurances also to help assuage potential fears. Linkage between management style and motivational programs: Generally with the democratic style of management, employees are highly motivated and inverse is the case with the autocratic style of leadership. But this simple statement needs better modification. While answering this question I will try to focus on the different motivational practice backed by the motivational theory and its linkage with the management style. According to the Maslows hierarchy of need theory people at a specific point of time has a specific level of need. After the fulfillment of that need a second stage need occurs. Employee who currently has safety and psychological needs will not care about the style of management for getting motivated. But in case of employees, who have love, esteem or self- actualization needs cares about the motivational level at the workforce and they will be much motivated with the scientific style of management. According to Douglas McGregor of MIT Sloan School of Management Employees can be narrowly divided into two generic classes- one set of people who are innovative and love to work as to them working is equivalent to play. For motivating them he proposed democratic leadership, flatten hierarchy and team work (components of modem management technique). According to McGregor, another set of employee do not work hard since they find no real interest in the job and like to follow the command instead of thinking creatively. For motivating those types of employees he proposed autocratic leadership, strong chain of command (components of classical management technique). Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, has segregated different factors at the workplace that affect the productivity motivators and hygiene factors. If there are no motivators like challenging work, responsibility, good management although he doesnt leave the job but still he is not motivated. Firms which are more concerned about the efficiency not retention should incorporate scientific management to motivate the people. Should Higher Education be free to students? Should Higher Education be free to students? Introduction By the end of this essay I will be explain how the system work I will be talking about how education can effect people i will also carry out a research on the background history of how the higher education system and its funding in UK over past years and I will analyse some off the point which I have researched over the internet and analysed .I will show the advantages and disadvantages if higher education should be free Higher Education University is an important right of passage an opportunity to establish independence, to study on areas of interest and hopefully to do so in, stimulating environment meeting new people, and considering new ideas and .I think it is important that everyone should attend this stage Higher education is provided for free in by most off the countries, or maybe at a a considerate price , but not in the UK, The UK has presumably more money at the institutions disposal. However, it also means that higher education may be not that unaffordable to many people at a lower circumstances. Scholarships and loans As we how that there is scholarships and loans available now but scholarships are obviously not going to be available to everyone and the loans are the loan is a big debt after graduating so as you can see the student dont have a chance in either however to soclize the higher education in the U.K we will need a big overhaul system that will handled with care. The Government has said half of young people are getting into higher education is failing. Far from rising by around 4 per cent a year. maybe this is why higher education is not free the government cant afford to invest money on student education and student are failing . Well we should consider education to be an investment. Statistics suggest that, on average, these with a higher education earn higher incomes. THE Background When the New Labour took power in 1997, students had means-tested maintenance grants and no fees. After a year they took off the grant was gone and a means-tested fee regime of up to  £1,000 a year after 2004 the higher education pushed it up to  £3,000 and this will increase very academic year. As you see that huge increase from 1997 to 2009 the normal fees was 1,000 than was increased to  £3250 The means testing will allow poor people and people with low income to go university .Those how are from low income families should still be able to attend university however the middle classes benefits the most from university education At the moment there has been a very high drop out rate from university and the reason is because students have to drop out because they cant afford the fee Funding Must universities in Britain are state financed, with only one private university à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“University of Buckinghamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  where the government does not support the tuition fees. Undergraduate and posgradute Undergraduate students and the students from EU countries have to pay university fees up to a maximum of  £3,225 09/10. Loans are available to students depending on there income assist. This may only be used for tuition fee costs. However in Scotland it different they have their fees paid by the students awards agency for Scotland rather than student Finance.. However postgraduate students are responsible for all there fees but however postgraduate have a variety of scholarship and assistantship schemes they might chooses from that may provide support e.g Economic and social research council and many more .The main sources of funding for postgraduate students are through research councils Advantages of making Higher Education Free Here are some off the advantages points * Higher Education leads to situations this is when students graduating end up having extremely high debt on them this was lead to the student loan . Also if higher education was free student will take extra courses which is more effectively * It will decrease the students from drop out ,and push up the passing rate This will than boost the economy with the amount off student graduating from there universities with a degree * There will be equal opportunity to everyone to attend higher education this means the poor people and the low-income families will have the right to apply .As you can see that the middle class people are using this opportunity using the money and leaving the poor and low incomes missing the opportunity Disadvantages of making Higher Education Free * There will be less jobs available for everyone the reason because the people who didnt attend university was a high number and by making the higher education free it will increases the graduates and will than decreases the amount of jobs available * The disadvantage about free higher education is that the government will be paying it but however the stistics shows that half off the higher education student fail there course every year this will than show an down decrease in the economic structure Supply and demand The Supply and demand is an economic of price in a market. It explains that in a market, price will function to equal the quantity demanded by consumers, and the quantity supplied by producers, resulting in economic equilibrium of price and quantity. The demand schedule, shows a graphically as the demand curves , represents the amount of goods that buyers who wants to purchase at different prices. The price of goods remain the same however Following the law demand the demand curve is almost always represented as downward line this means that if the price decreases the consumers will buy more of the good. This means that if higher education was to be free the demand on the education will increase .The reason because the people who didnt mange to go for reasons like the fees for the courses they will have an opportunity to apply however there will be a very high demand as because the students use to pay for it now it free. As you can see on the graph Excess Supply If the price is set too high, excess supply will be created within the economy and there will be allocative inefficiency. , but those consuming the goods will find the product less attractive andpurchase less because the price is too high This is how it looks like when higher education is not free ,the fees are too high and student will not be able to attend just how it shown on the graph Shifts A shift in a demand or supply curve occurs when a goods quantity demanded or supplied changes even though price remains the same. For example if the fees for the university was FREE and the quantity of off student applying shows the demanded However this shows that if higher education was free there will be an increase in demand Conclusion In conclusion I have identified how higher education should be free to students managed to find out what the student thought about free education I also showed what the advantages was for the free education and the disadvantages I managed to get some ideas however I also used the supply and demand and excess supply I managed to compare them and analysed them .I researched the background of the higher education and got some important information which I also analysed . http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26storycode=403698c=2 http://ingrimayne.com/econ/Introduction/ScarcityNChoice.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/mar/04/highereducation.tuitionfees http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universities_in_the_United_Kingdom http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2337183.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universities_in_the_United_Kingdom http://www.economicshelp.org/2007/10/why-top-up-fees-are-good-idea.html

Monday, August 19, 2019

A Nuclear Waste Race: Perspectives on Reprocessing Spent Fuel Essay

â€Å"It isn’t easy being green† — Kermit the Frog. Even though Kermit was referring to the color of his skin, this is also vindictive of today’s mindset in thinking green trying to merge the environment into our everyday lives. Nuclear power first hit the scene as an alternative to burning fossil fuels and emissions of toxic carbons released into the atmosphere as waste products. But, the general public’s first glimpse of the awesomeness of nuclear energy was in the form of a highly effective and destructive weapon, therefore giving a distinct aura around the possibilities of nuclear development. Nuclear power had been operational and seemingly unscathed for almost fifty years, prior to the events that occurred in the late 1970’s. The vast political and social debates surrounding the alternative energy source arose from three major events in history. First was the release of the movie, â€Å"The China Syndrome.† This film is rendered as one of the most politically correct movies published about nuclear power. Movie critic Damien Cannon proposes, â€Å"How many films are so accurate that, even though they're fictional, they could easily be documentaries? Schindler's List is one. The China Syndrome is another. In this case we see the greatest fears of the Nimby culture unearthed when a nuclear power station almost goes out of control and the men-in-suits cover it up.† Secondly, only three weeks after the premier of â€Å"The China Syndrome†, the meltdown of the number two plant on Three Mile Island occurred. This spiked interest in the recently rele ased movie, and encouraged hysterical reactions to the progression of nuclear power. The American public had witnessed a recent unimaginable fear essentially come to life. Finally, the most notable and ... ...reat Illusion of Nuclear Energy.† Greenpeace.org. Greenpeace International Association. Nov 2008. Web. 26 July 2010. Lochbaum, David. A Nuclear Waste Disposal Crisis. Tulsa, Ok: Penwell Publishing. 1996. Print. â€Å"Nuclear Power: A Dangerous Waste of Time.† Greenpeace.org. Greenpeace International Association. 2009. Web. 25 July 2010. Pope, Carl. â€Å"The Empire Strikes Back.† Taking the Initiative. Sierra Club. 27 April 2007. Web. 27 July 2010. â€Å"The Wrong Nuclear Debate.† Taking the Initiative. Sierra Club. 26 February 2007. Web. 27 July 2010. â€Å"Radioactive Waste Management.† World-Nuclear.com. World Nuclear Association. June 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. Risoluti, Piero. Nuclear Waste: A Technological and Political Challenge. Eds. R. Allan, U. FÅ‘rstner and W. Salomons. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Paris, Tokyo: Springer. 2004. Print.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Charles Darwin :: Biography Biographies

Charles Robert Darwin was a British scientist who laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with his views on life development through natural selection. He was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on February 12, 1809. After graduating from the elite school at Shrewsbury in 1825, Darwin attended the University of Edinburgh where he studied medicine. In 1827 he dropped out and entered the University of Cambridge in preparation for becoming a clergyman of the Church of England. While there, Darwin met two important people in his life: Adam Sedgwick, a geologist, and John Stevens Henslow, a naturalist. After graduating from Cambridge in 1831, the 22-year-old Darwin was taken aboard the English survey ship HMS Beagle, mainly because of Henslow's recommendation, as an unpaid naturalist on an expedition around the world. When the voyage began, Darwin didn't believe that species change through time, but he did believe in two prevailing ideas of the time. The first theory was that the earth was 6,000 years old and had remained unchanged except for the effects of floods and other catastropes. The second was that organisms were designed especially for certain habitats and appeared on the earth in their present form. After reading the works of a noted geologist, Darwin began to change his ideas. He saw evidence that the earth was much older than 6,000 years. In South America, he was witness to an earthquake that lifted the land several feet. He realized that mountains could be built by the action of an earthquake over millions of years. He found fossils of marine mammals high up on mountains, and realized that rocks must have been lifted from the ocean. Darwin also studied plants and animals. On the Galapagos Islands, he found animals that resembled animals on the South American continent, but not exactly the same. He understood that they must have come to the islands from the mainland, and then adapted into new species. He also observed the plant and animal life of South America, oceanic islands, and the Far East. He noted many examples that proved that animals in similar environments didn't always look the same. For example, the emus of Australia and the rheas of South America are two very distinct species, but they live in the same basic kind of habitat. Darwin thought about this, and asked himself the question, if animals were formed for a specific habitat, why would different species be found in habitats that are so similar? After leaving the HMS Beagle and returning to England in 1836, Darwin began recording his ideas about changeability of species in his Notebooks on the

Saturday, August 17, 2019

An Unforgettable Person Essay

Parents are–or should be–the teachers of their children in many areas, a natural relationship of handing down what they have learned to their offspring. But there is something special about the profession of teaching where an individual chooses to make an impact on students ,they hardly know on Day 1 of class and yet they have a goal of sending those young faces on their way to a well-rounded education in the 180 or so days they will have them in his or her care. At Vikas junior college, more teachers continued their influence on my life, and many of them have enjoyed long teaching careers. Several have retired, but several are still hard at it with the current crop of students The bell rings, and all the students waits for him to come. He is nothing but our math lecturer Mr.P.Ramesh. He is about 6 feet tall, thin man. He dresses himself in formals. He has a good hair style like wave’s .he is handsome too. His classes are so interesting. All the students get involved to listen to his classes. We never miss his classes. He is very friendly, polite, and casual. He is hailed by many students here and there. â€Å"Hello!† â€Å"Hi!† â€Å"Nice to see you!† Whenever he comes across anyone he knows, he always says hello to them first, wearing a big smile, whether or not they are older or younger than him. In this society where many people often pass by without greeting each other, seeing him might be like seeing an oasis in a desert. He loves children in ear..

Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay

You make decision everyday; whether it is choosing what you make for breakfast or choosing what you want to be when you grow up. It is natural in humans to make decisions and act on what they believe is to be true. This not only applies to humans, but authors use them in their books or plays to create different types of characters. In one of the greatest works by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are characters that make many different kinds of decisions that determine their role in the book. In the play, the protagonist Hamlet, after his father’s death, is angry about his mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius. He sees a ghost of his father one night and tells him that Claudius had murdered him. Hamlet plans to kill Claudius but he has trouble making decisions and throughout the play, his poor decision making skills bring downfall to himself and many others. Every tragic hero has a tragic flaw and Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to make decisions. Hamlet’s inability to kill Claudius after hearing from the ghost, that he had killed Hamlet Senior, contributes to his stubborn indecisiveness, which brings about his own downfall. His indecisiveness leads to many character’s deaths; such as Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Laertes, Polonius and his own mother. He had many chances of killing Claudius but he constantly over thinks the situation thus delaying his major task of killing Claudius: To take him in the purging of his soul When he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No. Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent. When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in ’t—. Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven (III. III. 85) This is an example of Hamlet being indecisive on whether or not to kill Claudius in the Church after the Mouse Trap play. He decides not to kill him there because he is praying and therefore will be forgiven for his sin. This results in delaying of his main task and also made more room for error; such as killing Polonius and also getting sent to England, which leads to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s deaths. If Hamlet would have decided to kill him then, he would not have created the mess he ends up making at the end. Hamlet’s inability to talk and discuss to Ophelia about what is happening, after she starts rejecting his messages, leads to losing his love and ultimately ends up to her demise. Even though they were in love, when Ophelia begins rejecting Hamlet’s messages because Polonius told her to, Hamlet tells Ophelia that she was not worth anything to him. This leads her to believing that Hamlet does not love her anymore. As a conclusion, she goes crazy and out of control; for example: By Gis and by Saint Charity,  Alack, and fie, for shame! Young men will do ’t, if they come to ’t. By Cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, â€Å"Before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed. So would I ha’ done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed. (IV. V. 40) This is the scene where she has become insane. She sings about how a man promised her to marry her before they went into bed together but he left her. On top of Hamlet’s rejection, Hamlet has killed her father, Polonius, so she has completely lost control of herself. She sings a very sorrow song in front of many people and also gives out fake flowers to people. After this scene, she ends up committing suicide at the lake. If Hamlet had talked with Ophelia about what was going on and why she was ignoring her messages, she would have not become insane and Hamlet and Ophelia would still be in love. Hamlet’s final flaw is his inability to decide whether life is worth living or not, which contributes to his stubborn indecisiveness, which ultimately leads to his own downfall. Hamlet is very confused about his own life and is out of his mind. He is very depressed from his father’s death and the feeling of betrayal he has from Gertrude, his mother, who remarried right after his father’s death. He does not know if life is worth living or not and this is obvious when he says: To be, or not to be–that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep– No more–and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep– To sleep–perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. (III. I. 56) This is his famous soliloquy on the topic of life. He compares life and death and he cannot decide whether or not to stay alive or to be dead. He believes that death is the way to escape all his troubles and his depression but then on the other side, he knows he needs to complete the task of killing Claudius. His indecisiveness about his own life delays his action from doing what he really wants to accomplish. Even though Hamlet kills Claudius at the very end, as a result of his indecisive behavior, he has taken way too much time to accomplish one single task. Also, it killed many innocent people he could have prevented from killing them. If Hamlet would have not been so depressed and actually decide whether or not he should stay alive or die, he might have had a better chance accomplishing his tasks much faster and efficient. Clearly, Hamlet is very indecisive all over and his indecisiveness brought about his own downfall. His mother’s death, his love’s death and his friend’s deaths are all caused by Hamlet. If he were to be decisive and straightforward, he could have killed Claudius much faster and he also could have prevented all of the deaths that happened. Many theories attempt to explain why Hamlet takes so long to kill Claudius but out of many theories, Hamlet’s indecisiveness is the only one with full satisfactory answers. Every book or play has a tragic hero and every tragic hero has a tragic flaw and in the play Hamlet, there is no exception. These themes present in many of William Shakespeare’s plays are relevant even today. There are times when we are indecisive when it comes to difficult situations. To be able to decide and to act on what you decided to do is what we try to aim for, however, since Hamlet did not complete this, he led himself to his own downfall and also many other’s to their downfall as well.