Environmental Scan & SWOT Analysis Research Paper

Environmental Scan & SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example The approach by the company in the last five years has been the milestone in the establishment of a global brand. Through focusing on brand pyramid and dynamics encompassing silky design, pleasurable experience, and the interplay between driving pleasure and serenity, the corporation established consistency and high level alignment in the sector (Anushree, 2012). Additionally, the global financial position has been useful in the strength creation which is vital in the wadding off competition. One major financial indicator is the overall growth of the corporation. From the financial year of 2002 t0 2006, Nissan experienced an average growth in revenue of 13.8%, net income growth of 11.33%, and a net asset growth of 15. 62%. The values indicate the financial strength of the organization (Cleland & Ireland, 2006, p. 22). Weakness Despite the positives, the company has several key weaknesses that could lead to serious problem in case of the increase global financial crisis. The company r elies heavily on overseas markets which may be affected by the increasing financial crisis and recess. The second major weakness is the product innovation time lag. For instance the company launched two new or redesigned vehicles. This is low compared to 14 in the three previous years. The result of the misjudgment may affect the brand visibility due to the increasing competition. Thirdly, the Japanese market does not use diesel as such diesel vehicles accounts for only 0.4% but the usage of diesel engines in the euro zone is high. The major problem is that the company has not invested in the development of the diesel engine leading to the technological drawback (Boone & Kurtz, 2011). Opportunity The major opportunity existing in the Asian market is low penetration and improved income levels leading to continuous jumps in the demand for vehicles. This is an opportunity that can be grasped to increase profitability. Secondly, the relocation of the manufacturing units to regions with lower production costs leads to the better and improved profits for the corporation. Additionally, manufacturing units in America and Europe have huge capacities in line with their vast domestic automobile output (Chilton & Bloodgood, 2010). The creation of the Renault-Nissan purchasing organization in 2001 helped in the combination of resources to create an efficient organization. Threats Cross-cultural disharmony is created through the integration of Renault and Nissan. The occurrence of disharmony creates a challenge for the corporation and may result in serious problems if not properly solved (Cleland & Ireland, 2006). Additionally, the rising commodity price is a major threat for the company because it increases the production cost. The rise of cost of raw material such as steel will create a vital threat to the corporation. Finally, market saturation can affect the corporation in line with the changes in the market demands. The rise of the SUV market is a testament of the chan ge in the product and market innovation, which in turn affect the market composition (Anushree, 2012). Environmental Scan Environmental scan addresses the issues of political, economic, social, legislative and environmental concern for the company. After the global financial crisis experienced in 2007 to 2009, changes have been instituted in the financial and banking sectors.

Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women - Essay Example Equality refers to the state where individuals living in a society are free from the discrimination at all the levels. However, the discrimination and its various components are subject to continuous change with respect to time, knowledge, experience and understanding of people. This indicates that things which were acceptable for a particular society few years back might not be appreciable in the current circumstances. Let’s talk about women and their social status which was limited to the domestic work few decades before. Due to this they were substantially facing equality issues. But today the modern human society does not have any place for such differences and women are no longer bounded to the domestic restrictions. Though women have entered into the work force, the employment opportunities are limited for them and consequently they are often subject to employment based discrimination. According to Abella, equality in employment signifies that every individual is given a n equal working opportunity irrespective of all the innate abilities (Abella; Chapter 1: Defining Equality in Employment, 1984). In the contemporary world equality in employment has yet another perspective i.e. employees must be treated as per their differences, because if we are ignoring the individual differences for the sake of equality then as per the arguments of Abella, it is also a form of discrimination. There are basically two types of differences, one which arises due to personal actions and policies such as education, financial status, etc. and other is solely based upon the innate characteristics such as gender, ethnic background or disabilities. The latter one can be accommodated through equality in employment. One of the most significant methods to apply employment equality in a workplace is to remove the individual differences based on gender, disability, ethnicity or race because they do not have any acceptable justification (Abella; Chapter 1: Defining Equality in E mployment, 1984). In this regard Agocs, Burr and Somerset have given several remedies which require the employers to first eradicate the current employment obstacles faced by the disadvantaged groups of the society such as aboriginal people, women and other minorities, who need to have an equal employment opportunity without any difference of treatment. Their innate disabilities and skill deficiencies must be accommodated. The second most crucial remedy is the surety of prevention from future discrimination. Third remedy focuses on the equal distribution of resources among the workforce regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or disability (Agocs, Burr and Somerset; Chapter 1: The State of Art, 1992). The Report of the Royal Commission 1984 has a legislation regarding the equality in employment which considered compulsory employment regulations so as to ensure equal employment opportunity for the disadvantaged groups of the society. In the later part of the second chapter, authors hav e discussed further solutions that can play an important role in the elimination of discrimination and projection of equal employment opportunities. In this regard we first of all require developing a sound understanding of what does inequity means and where does it exist in a workplace. Subsequently we need to remove all the barriers for the disadvantaged groups through employment equity programs. Afterwards we necessitate developing smooth access to the jobs with an additional accommodation program which satisfies the needs and requirements of an intensely diverse workforce. Equal Employment opportunity also requires the employers to maintain an ethical and hospitable internal working environment

Geographical Scales in Human Geography

Geographical Scales in Human Geography Identifying and analyzing varying geographical scales is paramount to the study of human geography. At the heart of the matter lies the assumption that human processes do not occur in isolation from one another but in fact directly impact on the whole. Therefore, issues and events that occur on one scale, for example at the rural level, impact and are impacted upon by events taking place at the urban, national and even global levels. It is essential therefore that the entire process be viewed as one unified developmental progression and not as single phenomena with independent repercussions. Such is the ultimate concern of this work. What follows below is analyses how of different scales of geographical study impact upon one another and therefore shape the manner in which we conceptualize human processes as a whole. The scales in question will be confined to four areas of geographical analysis: rural; social; political and consumption. It is by using such defined criteria that we abl e to better comprehend how human society functions. This above all is the primary benefit in employing such analytical techniques because in doing so we are able to encapsulate the whole; as apposed to merely assessing individual factors without understanding their wider context and implications. Let us begin by looking at rural aspects in Britain. In terms of numbers, the rural population accounts for far less than their urban counterparts. The general movement of people from the countryside to the towns that was indicative of the period following the industrial revolution continued well into the latter twentieth century, and although in recent years there have been suggestions that it is reversing; urban dwellers still make up the vast bulk of the national population. Given this, it would be natural to assume that rural Britain would be of lesser interest to the study of human geography. Indeed, there was a time when urban studies enjoyed a relative preponderance in this regard, however in recent years the countryside has again returned as an exiting point of analysis. This is mainly due to the fact that rural areas have become the focus of broader geographical study and cultural developments. Cloke offers us three reasons to explain this progression. Firstly, the study of countryside landscapes provides us with a demonstration of power relations in addition to being â€Å"subjects of desire† and conservation.[1] Secondly, the countryside is perfect for the study of how nature and space interact. Also, the manner in which human and non human forces exist and co exist can be examined in rural settings. Finally, the countryside can conceal the presence of â€Å"hidden others†. As Cloke explains; â€Å"issues of gender, sexuality, poverty and alternative lifestyles are important in this context†.[2] Furthermore, rural matters and concerns impact upon other geographical scales. A pertinent example of this was seen during the Countryside Alliance Liberty and Livelihood March in London when 400,000 protesters descended on the capital to voice their frustration at the â€Å"encroachment of urban bureaucracy† into their lives.[3] The march was primarily concerned with government plans to ban fox hunting, however its wider connotations show the extent to which scales of analysis directly impact upon one another and as such, broaden our understanding. The arena of politics, due to its very nature never acts in isolation. Political processes affect every form of human organization and therefore they are vital to our present discussion. There is little need to spend time assessing the impact of traditional politics; as this is largely obvious. Therefore, I will look at the issue of nationalism as a reference point for assessing one political impact in detail. Nationalism is essentially the feeling of association and identification that a particular group of people feel to a particular nation. However, what is a nation? If we look at it one way we can say that a nation or country is nothing more than a geographical portion of land that a collection of people have taken a liking to. Now it is at this point that the issue of nationalism becomes pertinent to the human geographer. As Pyrs Gruffudd has asserted, it is territorial ideology that drives nationalism and therefore, this â€Å"leads on to a whole raft of cultural relationships through which a people make a land their land.[4] Nation building is a process that usually takes centuries to complete however it is nonetheless always formed on a geographical identify. Nationalists of course conclude that they have a whole plethora of things in common that make them distinct from other nationalities. However, it is their geography that sets them apart more than anything else. Furthermore, h istorical undertones are invariably used to bolster nationalist sentiment; Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill are classic examples. However, it is geographical underpinnings that form the foundation of this historical conception. A nation’s history is inextricably linked to its geographical space, which remains constant throughout the ages and therefore forms the basis upon which everything else ultimately rests.[5] Social geographers play a vital role in our process of conceptualizing human behavior. Above all, human behavior and the societal forces that dictate it form a large part of our identity and therefore go a long way to explaining human outcomes and events. It has been the case for many years now that the study of social geography has overlapped with; some argue even supplanted traditional sociology. Little time will be invested on such discussions here, but many social aspects of geographical study are strikingly similar to the issues pertinent to the sociologist. Social geography focuses its attention primarily on â€Å"social relations, groups and inequalities†.[6] The link with traditional geography is made by assessing social events and developments with reference to geographical phenomena. For example, one may examine how the social forces of a particular area have impacted upon its geographical nature. Also, the social geographer is concerned with examining how social constructs operate through geographical contours. Social geography does not offer the kind of in-depth societal analysis that we would find emanating from the sociologist or the anthropologist. However, this branch of geographical discipline is pivotal because instead offering detailed explanations of current social forces it suggests how these forces initially came about. As a paradoxical consequence of this it is then possible to trace social development and evolution, and account for modern phenomena and characteristics. As with all geographical disciplines, socia l geography is reliant on space for its analysis, however, it is also the study of place that determines much of the understanding here. The environment in which we live often dictates the outlook we will adopt and also has huge ramifications on our life options and choices. Furthermore, in addition to the impact on the individual there are also consequences for social formation and progression in general. Geography can have an enormous impact on local communities, particularly with the manner in which they develop cohesion and communal outlook. Who we are is therefore determined in many ways by where we are. Thus, the connotations that social geography has for other geographical areas and wider academic disciplines is considerable. In fact, as social foundations form the basis on which human existence essentially rests, we can conclude that the study of social geography, with its emphasis on the social implications of geographical factors is of paramount importance. The final area to which I will offer explanation is geographical consumption. At first sight consumption may appear a boring and relatively unimportant topic of discussion. However, this is most certainly not the case as issues pertaining to consumption have many times impacted on a massive scale. For example, it is not uncommon to find references to consumption and desire in analyses focused on the Cold War. In fact, some commentators have suggested that increased desire to consume on the part of many in the Eastern block played a considerable role in communisms demise. Consumption is therefore one of the ways that human geography crosses the boundaries of academia by infiltrating not only (in the above example) politics; but also economics. Nonetheless, the concentration on consumption is a relatively new addition to geographical study as previously; it was left to other academic areas to assess the impact of this most pertinent of issues. However, it is largely due to the importance of consumption in our every day lives that the subject has become a valid object of analysis for the human geographer. Furthermore, the extent to which consumption has impacted upon geography is also considerable and again has increased in recent years. A useful example that can amplify this development is to be found in the countryside. Traditionally, rural areas were considered to be bastions of production and not consumption. In the years before industrialization and large scale shipping altered food production and dispersal beyond all recognition, the countryside was a vital part of every nation’s survival. However, with the onset of global markets and multiple exports, the British countryside no longer acts as the nation’ s primary larder. As such, it is consumption that has filled the economic gap. The same of course can be said of Britain’s urban areas; once the home of the world most powerful productive machine. Since the onset of manufacturing demise in the mid to late twentieth century the factory and the mill have been replaced with the shopping centre and retail park. In addition, consumption contains a social facet. The cloths we wear and the car we drive all play a part in fostering our identity and as such, our social being. Therefore, the study of consumption provides the geographer with valued insight into human processes and also links together with other aspects of human study. In conclusion, it is clear how the above issues not only direct the study of human processes and events; but also impact upon one another. In doing so they form a whole that when conceptualized as such; can offer us a detailed and wide ranging assessment of how human beings order and organize their lives. Bibliography Cloke, Paul et al (Ed). Introducing Human Geographies. London: Arnold, 1999, Daniels, Peter. Human Geograhpy: Issues in the Twentieth Century. London: Pearson, 2001. Duncun, John and Agnew, John. The Power of Place: Bringing together geograhical and sociological imaginations. London: Unwin Hyman, 1989. Footnotes [1] P. Cloke, The country, in Cloke et al (Ed), Introducing Human Geographies, London: Arnold, 1999, 257. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid, 256. [4] P. Gruffudd, Nationalism, in Cloke et al (Ed), Introducing Human Geographies, London: Arnold, 1999, 201. [5] Ibid. [6] P. Cloke et al, Introducing Human Geographies, London: Arnold, 1999, 207.

Reassemblage: Challenging the Relationship between Women and Visual Ple

Reassemblage: Challenging the Relationship between Women and Visual Pleasure Visual pleasure, derived from images on film, is dominated by sexual imbalance. The pleasure in looking is split between active/male and passive/female. In her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" Laura Mulvey asserts the fact that in mainstream films, women are simultaneously looked at and displayed. That is to say, the woman is both an object of desire and a spectacle for the male voyeuristic gaze. The male's function is active; he advances the story and controls the gaze onto the women. Interestingly, the spectator identifies with the male through camera technique and style. In an effort to reproduce the so-called natural conditions of human perception, male point-of-view shots are often used along with deep focus. In addition, camera movements are usually determined by the actions of the male protagonist. Consequently, the gaze is dominated by the active male while the passive female exists to support desire within the film. In an attempt to change this structure, Mulvey stresses the importance of challenging the "look." One way this is accomplished, is in the film Reassemblage, where the look of the camera is free from male perspecti ve and dominated more by passionate detachment. In doing this, the filmmaker, Trinh Minh-Ha attempts to destroy the satisfaction and pleasure derived from images of women in film, by highlighting the ways Hollywood depends on voyeuristic and fetishi...

Kinesthetic Learning Essay

There are four types of learning styles which is visual, auditory, kinesthetic and reading and writing learners. Kinesthetic learning is also referred to as tactile learning, this learning style consists of the person carrying out actual physical activity in order to learn, instead of listening to a verbal lecture or watching a demonstration. The best learning style, according to the questionnaire and personal experience is the one that suits me the best. This style of learning requires more hands-on training so I am able to grasp the information faster than if I was to watch a demonstration. My preferred learning strategies are things such as physically participating in different things, such as whenever a doctor teaches his nurses about a new procedure, I always have to do the procedure on my own otherwise I probably won’t end up learning. I enjoy doing hands-on work and experimenting and learn well when things are varied and don’t always stay the same. It’s very difficult for me to focus on one thing, I tend to multi-task so I prioritize based on what is the most important and what is the least important, then complete the task. If I have a lot of work to do, I take short breaks and walk around so that I don’t become fidgety and can refocus when I sit back down. To compare my preferred learning styles versus the identified learning styles, there are a lot of similarities such as using all the senses to learning such as sight, touch, taste smell, hearing, also getting lecturers who give real-life examples, hands on approaches and such. I see my learning style as, learning from reality itself. You take real life approaches to everything especially learning, you try to think of a certain situation from different angles. There are a few changes, that I can possibly make to my learning abilities and things that can help me study a little better to keep me more focused. Something I can try would be making my notes on colored paper so that it is more appealing and will make me interested toward learning the material. Another idea would maybe even type out my notes on a computer. I remember, during my years in college in the chemistry lab, I would be so excited to go to the chemistry lab because I loved doing experiements and seeing all the chemicals and taking the test tubes and putting different chemicals and seeing the end result such as different fumes and changing colors and the  result of combining chemicals.

Harrison Products Essay

Harrison Products Inc. (HPI) is a global manufacturer of molded plastic products and metal products that are used in the auto industry, food and beverage industry (containers), and in a variety of other products and packaging materials. HPI has several manufacturing plant located world-wide, generally in locations convenient to the company’s most significant customers. The present case considers one of HPI’s products, a one gallon metal can container used for paint and other chemical products. The product is produced in two U.S. locations, Los Angeles, CA, and Youngstown, OH. These plants produce several million of these cans each year. The competitive environment for HPI is challenging. Competitors in all parts of the world challenge HPI on cost, which is the primary order-winning factor in the business. All HPI customers expect very high quality and prompt service, so competition on price and reliability in meeting delivery dates are critical to its competitive success. Operating Data and Strategy HPI has focused its production of the one gallon metal cans in the two plants, in Los Angeles and Youngstown, Ohio. The summary information in Exhibit 1 shows the plant capacity, normal production, price and cost information. Currently, management believes that production costs are driven by volume; management’s goal is to meet competitive cost pressures by increasing volume and improving efficiency to bring costs down. For this reason, product costs are based on volume, as illustrated in Exhibit 1. The unit cost for the Los Angeles plant is $1.10, while the unit cost in the Youngstown plant is $1.00. The cost difference reflects the higher facilities cost at the Los Angeles plant, which is the newer of the two plants. The Los Angeles plant has similar equipment and manufacturing flow design to that of the Youngstown plant, but a key difference is that the Los Angeles plant was designed to be more efficient for smaller job (batch) sizes; the equipment and plant lay-out are con sistent with greater speed in  processing smaller jobs. The decision to design the Los Angeles plant in this way reflected the smaller orders that were generally received by the Los Angeles plant. See Exhibit 2 for a sample of the some of the jobs at the two plants; the exhibit shows a representative sample of 28 jobs for Los Angles and 41 jobs at the Youngstown plant, showing the quantity in each job (job size) and the estimated minutes per 1,000 units for that job. The number of minutes per 1,000 units is a commonly-used measure of job performance at HPI and is called â€Å"runtime.† Product Costs HPI includes manufacturing costs into three main categories. First, there is materials cost that includes the metal and other materials necessary in the production of the cans. These materials are considered direct materials and are $0.40 per unit at each of HFI’s plants. The second category is operating costs which include labor, supervision, some materials used in machine maintenance and repair, materials receiving and stocking, and related costs. Labor costs include runtime labor, setup labor and downtime labor. Operations costs are considered indirect costs and the costing method used is to apply these costs to product based on units of output, as noted above. The two plants have the same per unit operating cost of $0.50. The third category, facilities costs, includes equipment and the plant facility. Because Los Angeles is the newer plant, these costs are higher for Los Angeles, at $0.20 per unit relative to the Youngstown plant, where the facilities cost is $0.10 per uni t. Required: 1.Using the company’s current costing system, calculate the manufacturing cost and operating margin (price less manufacturing cost) for each of the jobs in Exhibit 2, for both the Los Angeles and Youngstown plants. 2.Assume that 20% of operating costs are due to setup costs and that the remainder are runtime costs. HFI is considering an activity-based approach which would apply setup costs to each job; each job would be applied the same amount of setup cost. Calculate the manufacturing cost and operating margin for each of the jobs in Exhibit 2, for both the Los Angeles and Youngstown plants. 3.Assume as above that 20% of operating costs are due to setup  costs and that the remainder are runtime costs. Now, assume that HFI is considering an activity-based approach which would recognize that each setup requires time and material that is partly proportional to the size of the prior job. That is, the part of setup that involves clean-up and preparation of the machine for a new job is longer after a relatively long job than it is for setups that follow a relatively short job. HFI now plans to apply setup costs so that one-half of the setup costs would be applied equally to each job and the remainder of setup costs would be applied based on the number of units in the job. Calculate the manufacturing cost and operating margin for each of the jobs in Exhibit 2, for both the Los Angeles and Youngstown plants. 4.Interpret briefly your findings in parts 1,2 and 3 above. Do you support the setup cost application approach in (3) above? Why or why not? What approach do you think would be preferable? 5.Using analysis based on charts, correlation or regression analysis or other means, study (a) the relationship between runtime and job size at both plants, and (b) examine how this relationship differs between the two plants. What are the implications of these relationships, and how they differ between plants, on (a) product costing, and (b) manufacturing strategy?

3 Essential Steps to Landing a Seasonal Job

3 Essential Steps to Landing a Seasonal Job 1.  Target the Right EmployersYou can start by targeting large, nationwide retailers- Macy’s, Kohls, Walmart, and shipping companies like UPS or FedEx are expected to hire on thousands of extra hands this year.  But  don’t confine your search to the major retailers. Play to your strengths and apply to specialty groceries, caterers, household shops or nearby stores whose products you know well. Enjoying what you’re selling can partially make up for even the longest double shift! There’s some promising news this year: temp job hourly rates at e-commerce companies (anything that delivers, from Best Buy to Amazon) will likely leap from the $9-$11 2014 average up to $15 or more, which is good news for the underemployed.2. Develop Your Technical SkillsAs you start filling out applications and creating a perfect retail resume, brush up on your technical skills- bracing for massive holiday crowds, many companies equip retail employees with iPads or other rem ote tech support devices to meet the needs of customers who mix their in-person and online shopping habits. You don’t want to seem confused if they put a tablet in your hand instead of the usual POS software. Emphasize any customer service experience, as well as organizational or administrative background you’ve had.3. Practice for Your InterviewIf you make it through the initial application process, be ready to wow in your interview. Read articles on different blogs about various interviewing techniques. Remember, employers prioritize reliability (including punctuality- so be early and be prepared), enthusiasm, and a great working attitude. Be flexible about scheduling, willing to take off-hours and pick up extra shifts, and be the best team player you know how to be. Even if they can’t retain you through the regular season, they’ll remember you next fall and you may luck into a recurring seasonal position.Good luck and happy holiday hiring season!

Biography of Eratosthenes, Greek Geographer

Biography of Eratosthenes, Greek Geographer Eratosthenes of Cyrene (c. 276 BCE–192 or 194 BCE) was an ancient Greek mathematician, poet, and astronomer who is known as the father of geography. Eratosthenes was the first person to use the word geography and other geographical terms that are still in use today, and his efforts to calculate the circumference of the Earth and the distance from the Earth to the Sun paved the way for our modern understanding of the cosmos. Among his other many accomplishments were the creation of the first map of the world and the invention of an algorithm known as the sieve of Eratosthenes, which is used to identify prime numbers. Fast Facts: Eratosthenes Known For: Eratosthenes was a Greek polymath who became known as the father of geography.Born: c. 276 BCE in Cyrene (present-day Libya)Died: 192 or 196 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt Early Life Eratosthenes was born around 276 BCE in a Greek colony in Cyrene, a territory located in present-day Libya. He was educated at the academies of Athens and in 245 BCE, after earning attention for his skills, he was invited by Pharaoh Ptolemy III to run the Great Library at Alexandria in Egypt. This was a major opportunity, and Eratosthenes was excited to accept the position. In addition to being a mathematician and geographer, Eratosthenes was also a very gifted philosopher, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. He made several significant contributions to science, including the discovery that a year is slightly longer than 365 days, requiring an extra day- or leap day- be added to the calendar every four years to keep it consistent. Geography While serving as the head librarian and scholar at the Library of Alexandria, Eratosthenes wrote a comprehensive treatise about the world, which he called Geography. This was the first use of the word, which in Greek means writing about the world. Eratosthenes work introduced the concepts of torrid, temperate, and frigid climate zones. His map of the world, though highly inaccurate, was the first of its kind, featuring a grid of parallels and meridians used to estimate distances between different locations. Though Eratosthenes original Geography did not survive, modern scholars know what it contained thanks to reports by Greek and Roman historians. The first book of Geography contained a summary of existing geographical work and Eratosthenes speculations about the nature of the planet Earth. He believed it was a fixed globe whose changes only took place on the surface. The second book of Geography described the mathematical calculations he had used to determine the circumference of the Earth. The third contained a map of the world in which the land was divided into different countries; it is one of the earliest examples of political geography. Calculating the Circumference of the Earth Eratosthenes most famous contribution to science was his calculation of the circumference of the Earth, which he completed while working on the second volume of his Geography. After hearing about a deep well at Syene (near the Tropic of Cancer and modern-day Aswan) where sunlight only struck the bottom of the well on the summer solstice, Eratosthenes worked out a method by which he could calculate the circumference of the Earth using basic geometry. Knowing that the Earth was a sphere, he needed only two critical measurements to calculate the circumference. Eratosthenes already knew the approximate distance between Syene and Alexandria, as measured by camel-powered trade caravans. He then measured the angle of the shadow in Alexandria on the solstice. By taking the angle of the shadow (7.2 degrees) and dividing it into the 360 degrees of a circle (360 divided by 7.2 yields 50), Eratosthenes could then multiply the distance between Alexandria and Syene by the result to determine the circumference of the Earth. Remarkably, Eratosthenes determined the circumference to be 25,000 miles, just 99 miles over the actual circumference at the equator (24,901 miles). Although Eratosthenes made a few mathematical errors in his calculations, the, canceled each other out and yielded an amazingly accurate answer that still causes scientists to marvel. A few decades later, the Greek geographer Posidonius insisted that Eratosthenes circumference was too large. He calculated the circumference on his own and obtained a figure of 18,000 miles- about 7,000 miles too short. During the Middle Ages, most scholars accepted Eratosthenes circumference, though Christopher Columbus used Posidonius measurement to convince his supporters that he could quickly reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. As we now know, this was a critical error on Columbus part. Had he used Eratosthenes figure instead, Columbus would have known he was not yet in Asia when he landed in the New World. Prime Numbers A noted polymath, Eratosthenes also made notable contributions to the field of mathematics, including the invention of an algorithm used to identify prime numbers. His method involved taking a table of whole numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) and striking off the multiples of each prime, beginning with multiples of the number two, then multiples of the number three, etc. until only the prime numbers remained. This method became known as the sieve of Eratosthenes, as it works by filtering out the non-prime numbers in the same way that a sieve filters solids out of liquids. Death In his old age, Eratosthenes became blind and he died of self-induced starvation in either 192 or 196 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt. He lived to be about 80 to 84 years old. Legacy Eratosthenes was one of the greatest Greek polymaths, and his work influenced later innovators in fields ranging from mathematics to geography. Admirers of the Greek thinker called him Pentathlos, after the Greek athletes known for their prowess in a number of different events. A crater on the Moon was named in his honor. Sources Klein, Jacob, and Franciscus Vieta.  Greek Mathematical Thought and the Origin of Algebra. Courier Corporation, 1968.Roller, Duane W.  Ancient Geography: the Discovery of the World in Classical Greece and Rome. I.B. Tauris, 2017.Warmington, Eric Herbert.  Greek Geography. AMS Press, 1973.

Understanding the French Expression Nimporte

Understanding the French Expression N'importe The French indefinite expression nimporte, which literally means no matter, can be followed by an interrogative adjective, adverb, or pronoun in order to designate an unspecified person, thing, or characteristic. If you dont know what interrogative adjectives, adverbs, and/or pronouns are, be sure to study those lessons before continuing with this one (just click the link in each heading). Use With Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative pronouns can function as subjects, direct objects, or indirect objects. nimporte quianyoneNimporte qui peut le faire.Anyone can do it.Tu peux inviter nimporte qui.You can invite anyone.Ne viens pas avec nimporte qui.Dont come with just anyone.nimporte quoianythingNimporte quoi maiderait.Anything would help me.Il lira nimporte quoi.Hell read anything.Jà ©cris sur nimporte quoi.I write on anything.nimporte lequelany (one)- Quel livre veux-tu  ? - Nimporte lequel.- Which book do you want? - Any one / Any of them.- Aimes-tu les films  ? - Oui, jaime nimporte lesquels.- Do you like movies? - Yes, I like any at all. Use With Interrogative Adjectives Use nimporte  with interrogative adjectives in front of a noun to indicate a non-specific choice. nimporte quelanyJaimerais nimporte quel livre.Id like any book.Nimporte quelle dà ©cision sera...Any decision will be... Use With Interrogative Adverbs When used with interrogative adverbs, these indicate that the how, when, or where of something is unspecified. nimporte comment(in) any wayFais-le nimporte comment.Do it any way. (Just do it!)nimporte quandanytimeEcrivez-nous nimporte quand.Write to us anytime.nimporte oà ¹anywhereNous irons nimporte oà ¹.Well go wherever / anywhere.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Medicare Teen Dental Essay

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Medicare Teen Dental Plan and if you consider this to be good public health policy - Essay Example This paper shall now discuss the different advantages and disadvantages of the Medical Dental Teen Plan. It shall also discuss whether or not the policy is a good public health program. This paper is being conducted in the hope of establishing a more analytical understanding of the Medical Dental Teen Plan of Australia. The Medical Dental Teen Plan of Australia is advantageous for the teenagers because their dental health services are now more affordable – no matter their station in life. Dental benefits for teenagers in Australia are supported by the government for up to $157 per calendar year for each teenager (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). This includes a preventative dental assessment from a dentist who is accredited by Medicare Australia. Services from dental therapists and dental hygienists can also be availed by the teenagers with the supervision of the dentist (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). Every year, there are about 1.3 million teenage Australians who are benefitted by the Medicare Teen Dental Plan. Moreover, even if the teenagers would opt for the services of their private dentist, they can still claim the benefit from the Medicare. In another option, the dentist can also claim the benefit directly from Medicare Australia for the services he would render to the teenager (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). The Medicare Dental Teen Plan also gives an opportunity for those who are chronically ill to be managed by their general practitioner under the Enhanced Primary Care Plan (EPC) (Medicare Australia, 2010). This helps ensure that those who are chronically ill can still avail of medical and dental services despite the futility of the care which may be rendered to them. The Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people can also benefit much from the Medical Dental Teen Plan. Many of those suffering from dental diseases belong to the aboriginal

The compositions of Jelly Roll Morton 1923- 1941 Essay

The compositions of Jelly Roll Morton 1923- 1941 - Essay Example The compositions were original and contained many thematic structures. Examples of his popular compositions included â€Å"Wolverine Blues† and â€Å"Alabama Bound†. The characteristics of the musician’s individualistic styles also included an ensemble of melody, harmonic support, and rhythmic punctuations which all gave a sense collectively operating multiple elements. The collective style was the characteristic of most of the traditional jazz pieces in New Orleans. His composition was also influenced by â€Å"traditional usage of break†. This is a pause made before returning to the melodic part of a piece. His style was similar to barrelhouse. His style was unique, unlike other jazz pianists he used his right thumb to play the melody part of musical piece. He created harmony with other right hand fingers. This style produced an â€Å"out-of-tune† sound unlike other traditional pieces in New Orleans. His other unique individual stylistic characteri stics included the use of major and minor sixths in bass. With his unique characteristics, he claimed to be the innovator of jazz music. Morton was among the most talented composers in New Orleans. He improved the New Orleans Jazz by combining parts of his invented solos. He was an outstanding piano soloist. He had the ability to use the keyboard to create all the sounds in a band. He was also capable of moving rhythms regardless of the rigidity of ragtime to make them more flexible and exciting. His creative musical ideas were portrayed in his compositions.

Why St Vincent Hospital in NEW YORK closed due to budgetting issues Essay - 1

Why St Vincent Hospital in NEW YORK closed due to budgetting issues - Essay Example In 2010, St Vincent Medical Center closed its doors. St. Vincents Hospital was a nonprofit charity-funded hospital in New York which provides, according to hospital mission, complete general acute health care services inclusive of medical, surgical, psychiatric inpatient, emergency care and other outpatient services. St Vincent’s represented an iconic place for being one of the third oldest hospitals in New York and for sharing so much historical events. It has treated victims of calamities: the cholera epidemic of 1849, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the 9/11 attack and, just few years , the Hudson River landing of US Airways Flight 1549. Creating a budget is often one of the most challenging tasks when creating a nonprofit organization. A budget is the expression, in financial terms, of the plan of operation designed to achieve the objectives of an organization. It lays out where the money is coming from and where it is intended to be expensed. There are many reasons why St Vincent’s Hospital should have had a stringent budget in place - including its obligation to spend conscientiously as it was somebody else’s money - and very few for it to have inefficiency in this practice. Why it chose the latter is anybody’s guess. Or maybe there is more to the story. St. Vincent’s has a long history of financial troubles dating back far before the problems of the last few months came to light. It filed for Chapter 11 in 2005 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2007. One would have thought the troubles were over: Far from it actually. By the time 2010 rolled in, it was $700 million in debt and losing $10 million a month. The lucrative location of the hospital – on the West Side of Manhattan on 59th Street – could not save it. After closings its doors in 2010, St Vincent is survived by 3,500 jobless employees and more than 200,000 New Yorkers who do not have

The Bird Flu in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Bird Flu in the United Kingdom - Essay Example Sturcke and Batty (2006) report stated that as many as 46 countries have recorded bird flu cases in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Aside from being a health risk, the bird flu is also a massive economic threat. Freeman (2005) stated that "the UK has about 120 million poultry, including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese, worth 1.3 billion a year. About 25 per cent of the egg-laying flock are kept outdoors and about 10 per cent of chickens raised for meat are free-range." (Sturcke, J. & Batty, D., 2006. Q&A: Bird flu [online], The Guardian, 27 April, viewed 14 May, 2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,1591620,00.html) Boseley and Watt (2005) reported that after a meeting of EU veterinarians on the problem of bird flu, the British Veterinary Association's President stated that bird flu is inevitably going to arrive in the UK[and] there is a small but real danger that migrating wild birds could bring us a highly dangerous strain of the virus. (Boseley, S. & Watt, N., 2005. Vets say arrival of bird flu in UK is inevitable [online], The Guardian, 26 August, viewed 14 May, 2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1556846,00.html) In a 2006 report, Sturcke and Batty stated incidents of the bird flu virus in the United Kingdom. A dead swan was found in Cellardyke and a parrot died in an Essex quarantine zone. Both incidents occurred in 2005, and both birds were found to have died from the H5N1 virus. In a farm west of Norwich, a number of chickens were found to have tested positive of the less deadly H7 strain of bird flu, which also infects humans. (Sturcke, J. & Batty, D., 2006. Q&A: Bird flu [online], The Guardian, 27 April, viewed 14 May, 2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,1591620,00.html ) Needless to say, the alarm and threat of a widespread bird flu infection has prompted the UK government to take various measures in an attempt to prevent such a pandemic. BBC News (2006) reported that one such step was the UK's ban on imports of live chickens from Croatia, Turkey, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Africa, and North Korea, where bird flu outbreaks have occurred. (BBC News, 2006. Britain's bird flu preparations [online]. viewed 14 May, 2006, .) The finding of dead swans in Fife and in Scotland prompted government to create a huge exclusion zone to prevent any further spread of the bird flu virus. Henderson, Macleod and English (2006) reported that a 1,000 square mile exclusion zone was set up, stretching from the Forth Road Bridge, north of Edinburgh, to Stonehaven in the north east and Perth in the north west. It greatly expands the 3km (1.8 mile) radius protection zone and 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone established around Cellardyke. (Henderson, M., Macleod, A., & English, S., 2006. 1,000 sq mile exclusion zone set up to combat risk of virus spreading [online], The Times, 07 April, viewed 14 May, 2006, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25149-2122749,00.html) Within that exclusion zone, there are found around 3.1 million domestic birds kept on about 175 poultry farms and would require that owners of 48 free-range farms will have to bring their

U. S. Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

U. S. Constitution - Essay Example itution; â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people† (Tenth Amendment, 2012). In other words, state governments can make laws related to any issues which is not delegated to the federal government and prohibited to the state government. For example issues such as drink age, same sex marriages etc are issues which come under state’s jurisdiction. State governments have the authority to fix the drink age or legalize same sex marriage. On the other hand voting age is a federal matter and only the federal government will be able to raise or lower the voting age in America. Dual system in America has lot of merits as well as demerits. It is not necessary that the people in all the states may have same opinion on certain issue. The authority to make laws state-wise may help the states to formulate laws and policies based on the interests of the people. At the same time, state laws may create problems also. For example, underage drinking is prohibited in some American states whereas it is allowed in other states. In Alaska, minimum licensing age for driving is 14 whereas in Kentucky, it is 16. In other words, a teenager who is able to drive in Alaska cannot drive his car in Kentucky. In short, dual systems have its merits and

English lit, fiction short story Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English lit, fiction short story - Assignment Example That is why short stories are appealing to the audience and people appreciate reading it. The text under consideration is â€Å"A Sound of Thunder†, written by Ray Bradbury. Story depicts a strange adventure of wealthy businessmen who intend to accomplish a time travel to the past for hunting dinosaurs. The theme of the story states the idea that everything is interconnected in this world, and even the smallest changes in the past may lead to unpredictable implications in the future. The author succeeds in elucidating the central message curiously and figuratively. The plot of the story reveals events chronologically, as the heroes’ adventure shown logically from its beginning to the end in the story. The story occurs in 2055 year, but it contains time travel to the past. Ray Bradbury provides a play with the time continuum in this fiction work. He writes â€Å"First a day and then a night and then a day and then a night, then it was day-night-day-night. A week, a month, a year, a decade! A.D. 2055. A.D. 2019. 1999! 1957! Gone...The Machine howled. Time was a film run backward. Suns fled and ten million moons fled after them† (Bradbury, n.p.). Such game with the temporal dimensions makes a story interesting and catches the reader’s attention. What is more, the plot of the story is rather unpredictable as we start to read and cannot predict what is going to happen next. As for the characters we may view them as a usual people in an unusual environment. The protagonist of the story, Eckels, considers himself a stubborn hunter and wants to shoot a dinosaur. He is confident, successful man with significant perspectives and skeptically relates to the directing rules of the maintainers and hardly believes that one small move can fundamentally transform the future. And the time when Travis tells him about the accidental killing of one mouse he replies: â€Å"So theyre dead†¦So what?† (Bradbury, n.p.). Still, his opinion

U. S. Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

U. S. Constitution - Essay Example itution; â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people† (Tenth Amendment, 2012). In other words, state governments can make laws related to any issues which is not delegated to the federal government and prohibited to the state government. For example issues such as drink age, same sex marriages etc are issues which come under state’s jurisdiction. State governments have the authority to fix the drink age or legalize same sex marriage. On the other hand voting age is a federal matter and only the federal government will be able to raise or lower the voting age in America. Dual system in America has lot of merits as well as demerits. It is not necessary that the people in all the states may have same opinion on certain issue. The authority to make laws state-wise may help the states to formulate laws and policies based on the interests of the people. At the same time, state laws may create problems also. For example, underage drinking is prohibited in some American states whereas it is allowed in other states. In Alaska, minimum licensing age for driving is 14 whereas in Kentucky, it is 16. In other words, a teenager who is able to drive in Alaska cannot drive his car in Kentucky. In short, dual systems have its merits and

Why I Love Art Essay Example for Free

Why I Love Art Essay For a work of art to be considered a portrait, the artist must have intent to portray a specific, actual person. This can be communicated through such techniques as naming a specific person in the title of the work or creating an image in which the physical likeness leads to an emotional individuality unique to a specific person. While these criteria are not the only ways of connoting a portrait, they are just two examples of how Sherman carefully communicates to the viewer that these works are not meant to depict Cindy Sherman the person. By titling each of the photographs Untitled, as well as numbering them, Sherman depersonalizes the images. There are also very few clues as to Shermans personality in the photographs each one is so unique and ambiguous that the viewer is left with more confusion than clarity over Shermans true nature. Sherman completed the project three years later, in 1980, when she ran out of cliches with which to work. This series gave Sherman much publicity and critical acclaim; she had her first solo show at the nonprofit space, the Kitchen, in New York City. In 1980 Sherman also created a series of what she called Rear-Screen Projections in which, similarly to the Film Stills, Sherman dressed up and paraded against a projected slide background. Shermans life began in 1954, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. Her family having moved shortly after her birth, Sherman grew up as the youngest of five children in the town of Huntington, Long Island. Unlike some budding artists, Sherman was not particularly involved in the arts as a young person. Shermans parents were not involved in the arts; her father made a living as an engineer and her mother worked as a reading teacher. Born relatively late in her parents lives, Shermans father was retired by the time she was in fifth grade. Sherman has said that, It wasnt until college that I had any concept of what was going on in the art world. My idea of being an artist as a kid was a courtroom artist or one of those boardwalk artists who do caricatures. My parents had a book of, like, the one hundred one beautiful paintings, which included Dali and Picasso among the most recent artists. Despite her parents lack of artistic interest, they were supportive of her choice to enter art school after finishing high school, though, according to Sherman, her mother did caution her to take a few teaching courses just in case. Thus, Shermans exploration of art began at the State University College at Buffalo. This photograph is part of a group of images made between 2000 and 2002 which depict character-types from suburban American life. Moving away from her earlier references to cinema and art history, the images are influenced by more traditional ideas of portraiture. Sherman has described the photographs as showing ‘very ordinary, older women the type you’d spot in a supermarket. ’ They suggest the pretensions and delusions of the characters depicted and lead the viewer to consider the narrative behind the character this woman could be an ageing socialite or a once-glamorous film star. Her face has been defined and exaggerated with heavy make-up, making her into a caricature based on stereotypes rather than a specific person. In the early 1970s, a new kind of music, attitude, and style was introduced in England. The Sex Pistols and The Clash were the first in England, and the Ramones were one of the first in the US. With edgy guitar sounds, angry lyrics, and occasional screaming, punk rock began to play ahuge part in millions of teenagers lives. this was the next step for letting teens have a voice in the next generation. Some say that punk is dead, and punk was already dead when it started, but thankfully, punk will never die. Over generations, people have proved that punk will never die. Punk now is just as main stream as any other type of music. Over the years, there have been some pretty sad fads. Some of them were good, and some of them were bad. The biggest thing right now, whether or not anyone will admit it, is punk. Some people call themselves punk and everyone knows what it is. Some dress punk, some act punk, and some listen to punk. Some do all three. Every person probably has their own definition of punk. Punk can mean running over garbage cans and causing trouble, or it could mean dressing or acting a certain way, and listening to a certain type of music. Almost every day there is an argument over the definition. The first successful punk band originated in the mid seventies. They were called the Sex Pistols. The first American punk started in a New York club called CBGB’s. They held punk rock shows for the hardcore kids.

Motivation in Human Resource Management

Motivation in Human Resource Management In the fierce era of competition, organizations nowadays are more emphasizing on the management of Human Resources (Robert. L, 2008). Motivation; a key strategy in Human Resource Management has helped practitioners largely enough to subject the term Motivation for a discussion. Steers, Mowday and Shapiro (2004), asserted that employee motivation plays a vital role in the management field; both theoretically and practically. It is said that one of the important functions of human resource manager is to ensure job commitment at the workplace, which can only be achieved through motivation (Petcharak, 2002). According to Mishra and Gupta (2009) the world of work has changed significantly due to globalization over the past few years and organizations are being assessed against international standards and best practices. Consequently the emphasis upon people has increased. Conferring to the authors, since organization has to produce its outcomes through its employees, there is emphasis on motivation and concern for people through assessment, regular feedback, ongoing support and experience based initiatives. Motivation is important because of its significance as a determinant of performance and its intangible nature (Mishra and Gupta 2009). Generally if workers are demotivated, organizations are unlikely to operate affectively in achieving their goals and success; supported by Khan (2010), who points out that workplace dissatisfaction, usually leads to poor performance of employees and hence affect the performance of the organization as well. Therefore the concept of motivation is very important as motivated employees can help make an organization competitively more value added, hence profitable and highly motivated employees serve as the competitive advantage for any company because their performance allow an organization to well accomplish its goals (Danish and Usman, 2010). Based on these reasoning, this paper shall include analytical and empirical studies to reveal the discrepancies and feasibility aspect of the domain, as Rai (2004) put forward; motivation is crucial for good performance and therefore it is increasingly important to study what motivates employees for better performance. This section offers a review of literature, which explores the concepts, types and theories of motivation. Motivation Motivation is defined as a human psychological characteristic that add to a persons degree of commitment. It is the management process of in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing employees behavior. (Badu, 2005, p.38) Conversely, Bartol and Martin (1998) relate motivation to the force that stimulates behavior, provide direction to behavior, and underlies the tendency to prevail. In other words individuals must be sufficiently stimulated and energetic, must have a clear focus on what is to be achieved, and must be willing to commit their energy for a long period of time to realize their aim in order to achieve goals. However, other than motivation being a force that stimulates behavior, Vroom (1964) emphasized on the voluntary actions. Supported by Steers et al. (2004), Vroom (1964) defined motivation as a process governing choice made by personsamong alternative forms of voluntary activity. Similarly Kreitner and Kinicki (2004) assumed that motivation incorporate those psychological processes that create the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented. Quite differently from the other definitions, Locke and Latham (2004) identified that motivation influence peoples acquisition of skills and the extent to which they use their ability. According to the authors the concept of motivation refers to internal factors that impel action and to external factors that can act as inducements to action. The three aspects of action that motivation can affect are direction (choice), intensity (effort), and duration (persistence). Motivation can affect both the acquisition of peoples skills and abilities; and also the extent to which they utilize their skills and abilities (Locke and Latham 2004, p.388). In a nut shell, different authors have put forward the concept of motivation differently. Nonetheless, these definitions have three common aspects, that is, they are all principally related with factors or events that stimulate, channel, and prolong human behavior over time (Steers, Mowday and Shapiro, 2004). Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation Following Lakhani and Wolf (2005), Lakhani and Von Hippel (2003) and Lemer and Tirole (2004), the current scholarly thinking favors a framework that considers two components of motivation given by intrinsic and extrinsic components. Accordingly, Lawler (1969) has defined intrinsic motivation as the degree to which feelings of esteem, growth, and competence are expected to result from successful task performance. This view bounds intrinsic motivation to an expectancy approach and expectancy theory which clearly indicates that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations summate (Porter Lawler, 1968). Moreover, according to Amabile et al. (1993) Individuals are said to be intrinsically motivated when they seek, interest, satisfaction of curiosity, self expression, or personal challenge in the work. On the other hand individuals are said to be extrinsically motivated when they engaged in the work to gain some goal that is part of the work itself. As per to the author this definition of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is based on the individual perception of the individual perception of task and his or her reasons for engaging in it. Moreover, Amabile et al. further argued that intrinsic motivators arise from an individuals feelings with regards to the activity and they are necessary to adhere to the work itself. Conversely, extrinsic motivators although they may be dependent on the work, they are not logically an inherent part of the work. Extrinsic motivators refer to anything, coming from an outside source that designate to control work performance and include examples such as promised reward, critical feedback, deadlines, surveillance or specifications on how to do the work. Furthermore, in line with the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, De Charms (1968) suggest that external rewards might undermine intrinsic motivation. He further proposed that mans primary motivation is to be effective in developing changes in his environment and individuals seek for personal causation. According to the author because of the desire to be the origin of his behavior, man keeps struggling against the constraint of external forces. Thus, De Charms hypothesized that when a man perceives his behavior as originating from his own choice, he will value that behavior and its results but when he perceives his behavior as originating from external forces, that behavior and its results, even though identical in other respects to behavior of his own choosing, will be devalued. De Charms (1968) further argued that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may interact, rather than summate that is the introduction of extrinsic rewards for the behaviors that was intrinsically rew arding may decrease rather than enhance the overall motivation. The introduction of an extrinsic reward put the individual in a dependent position relative to the source of the reward. The locus of causality for his behavior changes from self to the external reward and thus the individuals perception of self-control, free choice, and commitment deteriorate and hence do his motivation. De Charms (1968) also anticipated an interaction between the intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions given if rewards are withheld. The motivation to perform a task undertaken originally in order to obtain an extrinsic reward may increase if the reward is subsequently withdrawn. This inexplicable effect develops because of the liberation of the individuals intrinsic motivation following the reduction of extrinsic controls over his behavior. In addition Frey (1997) note that high intrinsic work motivation evolving from work which is interesting involves the trust and loyalty of personal relationships and is participatory. However, under certain circumstances, intrinsic motivation can be diminished, or crowded-out by external interventions like monitoring or pay-for-performance incentive schemes. This was also supported by Frey and Jegen (2001) who reviewed the literature on intrinsic motivations and found that the evidence does suggest that incentives sometimes do crowd-out intrinsic motivations. Besides, Frey (1997) suggests that the important matter is whether the external intervention is in the form of a command or a reward. Commands are most controlling in the sense that they seize self-determination from the agent, while rewards might still allow autonomy of action. The maximization of employees motivation to attain the organizations goals can only be obtained through a complete understanding of motivation theories (Reid 2002). There is a wide variety of theoretical frameworks that have been developed in the attempts to explain the issues related to motivation. Stoner, Edward and Daniel (1995) has described two different views on motivation theory, given by the earliest views and the contemporary approach which can further be subdivided into content and process theories. Theories of Motivation The earliest views of motivation One of the earliest views of motivation is Frederick W Taylor et al. (1911) scientific management theory. Taylor (1911) with regards to employee motivation proposed a paternalistic approach to managing employees which is based on a combination of job training, performance related pay system, improved employee selection techniques, and job redesign, including the introduction of ergonomics. According to Taylor (1911), workers are economic men and in order to motivate them, workers should be paid higher wages. The author also argued that the higher is the wage rate, the higher will be the level motivation and productivity. Furthermore, Taylor points out that many payment methods were ineffective, as they did not reward efficiency and he believed that a differential piece-work incentive system should be replaced with a piece rate incentive system (Wren, 2005). In other words workers should be paid according to the number of units produced in order to motivate them to work. On the other hand in line with building on the concept of motivation Elton Mayo (1953) came up with the Human Relations approach whereby the emphasis is laid on non-economic motivators. According to Elton Mayo (1953), if objectives of organizations are to be met, it must attempt to understand, respect and consider the emotions, sense of recognition and satisfaction that is the non-monetary needs of workers. He believed that employees are not just concern with money but also they need to have their social needs to be met in order to be motivated to work. He is of view that workers enjoy interactions and managers should treat them as people who have worthwhile opinions. Furthermore, McGregor (1960) postulates Theory X and Theory Y which is based on assumptions about people and work. According to this theory, there are two types of assumption made with regards to employees whereby theory X assumes that employees are lazy and therefore theory X suggests that in order to motivate employees a more autocratic style of management is required. On the other hand theory Y assumes that workers enjoy work, committed to objectives of the organization and will apply self control and self directed in the pursuit of organizational objectives and therefore does not require external control. Content theories of motivation Content theories tend to focus on individual needs and attempt to explain the factors within a person that stimulate and stop behavior, in other words they focus on identifying factors that motivate people (Reid, 2002). According to Bassett-Jones and Lloyd (2005), content theory assume a more complex interaction between both internal and external factors, and explored the circumstances in which individuals react to different types of internal and external stimuli. The most well known content theory of motivation is the hierarchy of needs which has been put forward by Abraham Maslow (1943). According to Maslow, people are motivated by five types of needs and in order to motivate people to work more productively there is a need to offer them opportunity to satisfy those needs. He proposed that basic needs are organized in a hierarchy of prepotency and probability of appearance (Wahba and Bridwell, 1973). These needs include physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem and self-actualization. Maslow argued that once a lower order need is fulfilled, the next level of needs in the hierarchy comes into play that is once employees satisfy the lower order needs they will next consider the next level of needs. The author further argued that unfulfilled lower needs dominate ones thinking and behavior until they are satisfied (Berl et al. 1984). However this theory has also been criticized to a large extent, for example Wahba and Bridwell (1973) argued that based on the ten factor analytic studies that have attempted to test Malows theory; there is no clear evidence that human needs are classified into five different categories, or that these categories are organized in a special hierarchy. The authors contradict Malows proposition and points out that, none of the studies has shown all of Maslows five need categories as independent factors (p. 516), for example some studies have showed that the self-actualization needs may emerge as an independent category. They also argued that studies have also proved the issue of need deprivation and the domination of behavior to be different from that suggested by Maslow. Moreover results have also proved that either self-actualization or security are the least satisfied needs and social needs are the most satisfied. Therefore the degree of satisfaction of other needs varies greatly that is it is difficult to determine their general pattern and these trends are not the same as proposed by Maslow (Wahba and Bridwell, 1973). Conversely, Alderfer (1972) in the attempt to address the short comings of Malows theory proposed an alternative to Maslows theory which he termed as the ERG theory and postulate a three level hierarchy. Alderfer grouped Maslows five categories of needs into three categories given by Existence, Relatedness and Growth. According to the author, people are motivated by these three groups of core needs and he asserted that as one level of need is satisfied another takes over but if a need is not satisfied on a continuous basis, the individual may decide to give such a need a low priority. Nonetheless, while Maslow and Alderfer presented the concept of motivation in a hierarchy, McClelland (1961, 1971), ignored the concept of hierarchy and put forward a theory known as the acquired need theory that emphasize on three types of needs namely, need for affiliation, need for achievement and need for power. McClelland is of view that individuals experiences are acquired through life experiences that is they are learned. According to this theory individuals possess several needs, and when these needs are activated they serve to motivate behavior and this is to the contrary of Maslows proposition of a continuous progression throughout the hierarchy of needs (Steers et al. 2004). Moreover, also put differently Herzberg et al. (1959) sought to understand how work activities and the nature of an employees job influence motivation and performance. They proposed a theory that involves what they termed as motivators and hygiene factors and argued that motivation factors tend to increase job satisfaction while hygiene factors tend to decrease job satisfaction. According to Herzberg the most crucial difference between the motivators and the hygiene factors is that the motivator factors involve psychological growth while the hygiene factors involve physical and psychological pain avoidance. The authors examined motivators and hygiene factors in the workplace and proposed that where job satisfaction was high there would be corresponding high motivation. Herzberg (1959) further argued that work motivation is influenced to a large extent by the degree to which a job is intrinsically challenging and provides opportunities for recognition and reinforcement. However despite that Herbergs theory has been widely accepted by managers (e.g Latham 2007, Miner 2005, Steers and Porter 1983), this theory has been criticized by many authors. For example Reid (2002) argued that the work of Herzberg is an examination of job satisfaction rather than motivation of employees. Reid also argued that no matter how much emphasis is laid on factors that are intrinsically rewarding, if hygiene factors such as low pay is not addressed, their full effect cannot be felt. Moreover, also Brenner et al. (1971) contradict Herzberg proposition that motivation factors increase job satisfaction and hygiene factors leads to job dissatisfaction and points out that his study and others indicated that the employees received job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction from both the motivating and the hygiene factors. Similarly Locke (1976) assessed Herzberg two factor theory and argued that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction result from different causes. Locke also argued that the two-factor theory is inconsistent in classifying factors of satisfaction. Process theories of motivation Along with the content theories, there are also different process theories. According to Viorel et al. (2009) the content theories emphasize on specific factors that motivate workers with regards to certain necessities and aspirations, while the process theories emphasize on the processes and the psychological forces that have an impact on motivation. They start from the premise that motivation starts with the desire to do something. The process or cognitive theories are more useful to the managers compared to the content theories because they provide more realistic principles with regards to the motivation techniques (Viorel et al. 2009). Vroom (1964), in the interest to study motivation developed an alternative to the content theories which is known as the expectancy theory. Vroom suggest that there are three mental components that are considered as instigating and directing behavior and these are referred to as Valence, Instrumentality, and Expectancy. He argued that employees rationally analyze different on-the-job work behaviors and then choose those behaviors which they believe will lead to their most valued work-related rewards and outcomes for example promotion. Moreover, Porter and Lawler (1968) expanded Vrooms work to identify the role of individual differences for example employee abilities and skills and the role clarity in relating job effort to actual job performance. Porter and Lawler also explained the relationship between performance and satisfaction. They argued that this relationship is mediated by the extent and quality of the rewards that employees receive in return for their job performance. In addition to expectancy theory Adams (1963), developed the equity theory to clarify how employees respond cognitively and behaviorally with regards to unfairness in the workplace. Adams suggested that employees develop beliefs about what constitutes a fair and equitable return for their job performance and contributions therefore employees always compare their efforts and the associated rewards with that of other employees and in case there is a situation whereby there is an element of injustice or unfairness there is an imbalance that is a perception of inequity will result. The author is therefore of view that when perception of inequity occurs the employee will get engaged in activities in order to reduce the inequity that is the negative feelings of dissatisfaction will motivate the individual to do effort to redress the inequity. On the other hand, quite differently Latham and Locke (1979) came up with the goal setting theory. According to Latham (2004), the underlying premise of the goal setting theory is that ones conscious goals affect what one achieves (p. 126). The author argued that this is because a goal is said to be the objective or aim of an action and having a specific goal result to improved performance. Employees with specific hard goals tend to perform better compared to those with vague goals and that a goal is a standard for assessing an individuals performance. Moreover, Latham also suggested that to the extent that the goal is met or exceeded, satisfaction increases; and conversely, to the extent that performance falls short of the goal, ones satisfaction decreases (p. 126). While content theories have tended to focus on needs of people and process theories have focused on factors motivating people, Adair (2006) have brought some new issues in the field of employee motivation and developed a new theory of motivation known as the Fifty-Fifty rule. Unlike the authors of content and process theories, Adair is of view that motivation lies both within an individual as well as external to the individual. According to the author, 50 percent of motivation lies within a person and fifty percent lies outside the person however Adair points out that this theory does not assert for the exactly fifty-fifty proportion in the equation but it only emphasized on the idea that a considerable part of motivation lies within a person while a considerable part lies outside and beyond its control. Through these theories, it can be said that work motivation has been characterized by dimensions such as interesting job, ability to perform, recognition, adequate pay, and feedback on performance (Dwivedula and Bredillet, 2010). However according to Meyer et al. (2004) it is also very important to consider differences in the psychological states, or mindsets that can accompany motivation. Therefore, Meyer et al. (2004) argued that motivation theories developed in other areas of psychology render a convincing case that motivation is multidimensional. Opponent-Process Theory and Adaptation-Level Theory The opponent process theory, proposed by Solomon and Corbit (1973, 1974), explain that there are pairs of emotions that play in opposing pairs and when one of these emotions is experienced, the other is temporarily suppressed, however when one emotion is activated the opposite one is also activated. The author argued that the theory accounts for the existence of psychological mechanisms for the automatic or autonomic control of affect, such that repeated pleasures lose a lot of their pleasantness and make one potentially capable of new sources of suffering; in the same vein, repeated aversive events lose a lot of their unpleasantness and make one potentially capable of new sources of pleasure (Solomon 1980, p.709). According to Bowling et al. (2005) proponents for this theory provide for a specific way in which job satisfaction is influenced by both the person and the environment. This theory is said to be a complementary explanation for job satisfaction stability that can be integra ted with the argument of dispositional and with adaptation-level theory (Bowling et al. 2005). Bowling et al. (2005) argued that the adaptation-level theory (Helson, 1948, 1964a, 1964b), offers one potential explanation for the temporal stability of job satisfaction (p. 1046). Bowling explained that the theory postulates that someones evaluation of an outcome is said to be a function of previous experiences outcomes. For example, an employee who has worked for years without a pay raise would be expected to respond positively to even a small pay increase because this change in pay would be different from that individuals adaptation level, however the positive response would be temporary as the persons adaptation level would eventually change as the experience of the pay increase is integrated into the employees adaptation level (Bowling et al. 2005). Self-Regulatory Theory Moreover quite differently, Higgins (1997, 1998) proposed the regulatory focus theory that draw important differences in the processes through which individuals approach pleasure and avoid pain. Huggins proposed that individuals have two types of motivational systems given by a system that regulates rewards (promotion focus) and one that regulates punishments (prevention focus). According to the author people who operate primarily within the promotion focus are concerned with accomplishments, are sensible towards the existence or absence of rewards, adopt a goal attainment strategy, are more creative and are more willing to take risks. However, people who operate within the prevention focus tend to be more concerned with duties and responsibilities and are more sensitive to the existence or absence of punishments. Moreover the regulatory focus is ascertained both by situational and chronic factors (Higgins, 1997, 1998). Job Characteristic Model (JCM) On the other hand Hackman and Oldhams (1976) proposed the Job Characteristic Model (JCM) and identified five core job characteristics namely: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. According to the authors the core job characteristics are three determinants of the critical psychological states namely skill variety, task identity and task significance which contribute to experienced meaningfulness; autonomy to experienced responsibility; and feedback to knowledge of results. The critical psychological states in turn are projected collectively as promoting job satisfaction, internal work motivation, performance and reduced absence and labor turnover. The model assumes that autonomy and feedback are more important than the other work characteristics and people with higher growth need strength will respond more positively to enriched jobs than others (Parker et al. 2001). Activation theory Besides, quite similar to the JCM, Anderson (1976, 1983) came up with the activation theory whereby he argued that the strongest motivating factor is the work itself however over time as the worker get used with the environment and learns the responses required in the repetitive task there may be a fall in the activation level or job stimulation. It is important to highlight that over time all work tends to become repetitive after the job has been practiced and therefore a wide range of dysfunctional and non-task activities must be pursued to offset the fall in the job stimulation level (Milbourn 1984). Moreover according to Milbourn (1984), if dysfunctional activities are addressed, managers can consider enriching jobs through job redesign to reduce monotony at work in order to maintain job stimulation. Motivational practices in Organizational environment According to Islam and Ismail (2008) the theories mentioned continue to offer the foundation for organization and managerial development practices to a large extent. Along with the above theories, during the last decade, based on employees motivation many empirical studies have been carried out (Islam and Ismail, 2008). For example, Milliken (1996) has accounted for way the Eastman Chemical Company motivate and retain its employees and according to the author the ways or incentives adopted were job security, performance-based appraisal system, extrinsic recognition through employee suggestion system, providing performance feedback and the provision of training in problem solving, etc. In addition Kovach (1995) has described the ranking of ten motivational factors made by the employees and their immediate supervisors and Kovach has found that to a large extent the rankings made by the supervisors differed to those made by the employees. He pointed out that managers make mistakes by th inking that what will motivate them will also be the same for the employees. On the other hand Bent et al. (1999) carried out research in small food manufacturing businesses whereby respondents were asked to complete, using a five-point Likert scale about how they felt motivated and then how satisfied they were with their jobs and the authors found that the degree of positive motivation was high. According to Bent et al. (1999) the employees were either very or moderately motivated with their jobs, however it was important to note that no respondents stated that they were either very motivated or very dissatisfied with their job. The authors also argued that issues which are associated with individual management style include lack of appreciation from management to feel for the work of employees and that there was also poor communication contributing to low job satisfaction and this contrasts with the identification by employees, of the motivating or satisfying qualities of a good management style. Moreover, another issue raised by the employees was that of t raining and this was both in terms of effective training contributing positively to job motivation and in terms of poor or lack of training which caused demotivation (Bent et al. 1999). Furthermore VAITKUVIENÄ- (2010) conducted research in two Swedish manufacturing companies given by, the company Frilight AB which manufactures yachts, boats and lightning equipment for camps, and the company Enitor Plast AB which manufactures different types of plastic parts. The author reported that the workers were found satisfied with the working conditions, training of staffs and career opportunities. The author argued that the Swedish employees were motivated and that the employees do not avoid responsibilities and follow directions. VAITKUVIENÄ- (2010) also found that almost all employees are stimulated with the organizing of recreational tours, holidays and events. According to the author more than half of employees in the Sweden manufacturing companies are stimulated through gifts on various occasions (birthdays, holidays), free meals at work, health insurance coverage, work, clothes, equipment, travels for the company employees, days off, recognition and good working conditions and therefore the author pointed out that the employees of the manufacturing companies consider non-financial motivation tools to be more important. Eventually, Dwivedula and Bredillet (2010), in line with the authors Cummings and Blumberg (1987) pointed out that studies from the manufacturing sector emphasize on the importance of providing autonomy, and skill variety to the employees which are otherwise absent. On the other hand Adler (1991) observed and concluded that manufacturing firms rely on job rotation, and voluntary job switching to motivate the employees. Moreover, Galia (2008) supported by Dwivedula and Bredillet (2010) reported that more recently it has been observed that, in a survey of 5000 manufacturing  ¬Ã‚ rms by SESSI (Industrial Statistics Department of the French Ministry of Economics, Finance, and Industry), practices such as autonomy at work, incentives to promote creativity have been widely adopted in order to motivate the workers.

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roa

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. I would first like to thank you all for coming today and helping to make Marcus and Adrian's wedding such a memorable and special occasion. Personally, I wish you'd all stayed at home and made my job less nerve wracking. When I was asked to be in the wedding party I decided that I needed to know what the role entailed. I have now read several books, and all of them include a last minute checklist to guarantee a smooth wedding. So, to give you a feel for the pressure I’ve been under, here are some of the things I’ve had to remember from my checklist: 1) See that all ex-girlfriends are kept at bay. Now then, Marcus discovered girls a lot earlier than I did, because while I was worrying about English exams, he was copying my work, leaving him free to pursue girls to his heart's content. Put it this way - he'd discovered bike sheds before I even knew what bikes were. But, there is no chance of seeing any of his ex’s tonight because I understand that they are all out celebrating, which has denied us some quality entertainment as a result. 2) Bring a credit card for the payments that the groom may have forgotten. So far, Marcus owes me  £650 ($400) - which reminds me, this wedding nearly didn’t go ahead! The hotel manager was getting concerned as he hadn’t received the deposit. Thankfully, Marcus assured him that he... ...reach the bride and groom's home. So, if you would like to place all of the gifts that you have brought with you, (particularly the valuable ones), in the back of the green rental van, registration S653 GFR, I will personally ensure that they receive them. I promise. So that’s what my role entailed. Of course, I also have the honour of proposing a toast to the bride and groom. But, before I do that, let me first say, Marcus, you’ve been an excellent friend to be since I met you twelve years ago and Adrian, you look stunning today and getting to know you has been a real pleasure. Ladies and gentlemen, please could you now raise your glasses in a toast to the bride and groom. To Adrian and Marcus.

The two characters of Ruby and Ada are brought to the reader of Cold :: English Literature

The two characters of Ruby and Ada are brought to the reader of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier as an example of the strange and illogical way Examine how Frazier portrays Ruby and Ada in the chapters you have read so far. Focus on the way he presents the contrast between these two women. The two characters of Ruby and Ada are brought to the reader of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier as an example of the strange and illogical way in which people were thrown together in times of desperation and uncertainty such as the American Civil War. The reader is enthralled as these two women find in each other the qualities to soothe their needs and for Ada, gain the appropriate education which is crucial in order for her even to survive. Frazier uses the relationship built between these two characters to impel the reader into feeling and understanding the desperation and hardships faced by the characters at the time of the novel and the utter importance of knowing nature and the workings of the natural world. The contrast between the two women is evident from the beginning of the novel from their individual appearances through to their motivations, priorities, life experiences and status economically and socially. It is however, the common drive, the need to survive, that brings Ruby and Ada together and Frazier uses this strange union to explore many intriguing themes and ideas. We are first introduced to Ada in chapter two of the novel as she ‘sat on the porch of the house’ writing a letter to her beloved Inman. An image of the woman is immediately conjured in the reader’s mind as being a lady of leisure and intelligence with time for worldly contemplation and art on her hands. Frazier allows the reader to view a passage from the letter she is writing to add a personal feel to the novel and to allow the reader to be not just a bystander, but included in this journey. This also gives Frazier an opportunity to reinforce the idea that Ada is a woman in control, using poetic language to express her innermost feelings. This sense of control and leisure initially created by Frazier is snatched away only a few paragraphs later in a technique which is used throughout the novel to lull the reader into believing the characters or the situation is a certain way when the reality is very different. The reality of this particular situation is that Ada is not a woman in control. She is, in fact a woman of desperation and need as outlined clearly by Frazier, ‘cookery had become a pressing issue for Ada†¦ she

Simple Reasons Why Some People Can’t Write Essays

There are some students, perhaps those that you may know, that can’t seem to write essays. There are some people that will seem to have it all down to a science, while some people will not know how to complete a full blown essay of any type. You’re going to find that there are a lot of reasons why this is prevalent. If you’re looking at writing, and are having a hard time overall, you may want to look into a few reasons why some have a hard time. The following solutions will help you focus on how to get moving forward with the process of gaining the upper hand in writing essays. It’s going to focus on why some people can’t write, which will then help you correct mistakes that you may be facing off against. These are the simple reasons why some people can’t write essays, which should help you gain the upper hand. Once you know what to work on, you will be able to address those things and correct them moving forward.Ideas Don’t Come Quic kly Some people have a hard time brainstorming ideas and topics. Some don’t really know what to write about or where to even start. Even with a simple prompt, many people aren’t sure how to develop the ideas that an essay requires. In academia, there’s a lot of focused solutions that come through, and finding a way to organize the right ideas into a narrative that works is tough, to say the least. Narrowing down the options is difficult enough, but getting to a point where you’re working on one thesis statement and then creating proper annotated essay elements can become a struggle, which causes many writers to give up before they even get too far in the writing process.Many Students Don’t OutlineThe process of writing an essay should not be done by sitting down at a word processor and going forward. That’s the mistake a lot of students make, and it’s not a good thing. To master essay writing, you have to focus on outlining, and creat ing ideas that are easy to work with after the fact. Sitting down and trying to write is not going to help forward progress, it’s just too difficult to do that. Many students try to do that, but end up losing focus because they don’t have a path towards the finish line, which is why outlines matter so much.Students Don’t Like EditingA lot of students fail at working well with writing essays because there’s an editing process that many don’t like. Editing means changing things, and facing off against writing options that aren’t very good to run through. Students often assume that the writing process takes one major push, and that’s it. But that’s not true. In order to sustain the path of good academic writing, a student has to write a rough draft, then edit it down and consolidation ideas to fit the format of the prompt. In some cases, over extending the writing is not a good thing, which is why editing is so important. Students often don’t like to edit, because it feels like they are erasing the hard work that they’ve been working through.Reading Comprehension Is RoughFor some individuals, the process of reading and comprehending different view points can be difficult to manage. To the point where writing an essay can become somewhat difficult. Writing an essay is made even more difficult when you have to cite sources, and comprehend what others have done within certain academic criteria. Reading comprehension is one thing, but taking the information that one has read and then rewriting, citing it, and creating a greater push forward regarding the writing process can be a bit difficult.Length and Word Counts Are IntimidatingThere are some students that look at the prompts and word counts associated with essays and become intimidated by them. There are some essays that aren’t that long, only around 500 to 1000 words. However, there are some options that require a lot longer of a push. For instance, graduate study work could need upwards of 10,000 words, and they all need to be cited in certain style. Citations and references alone could be several pages, and that’s not including the actual essay formatting. Length and word counts can easily be intimidating when a writer finds that they have been working for hours, and may only have around 700 or 800 words. Crafting long form essays can be daunting for the novice, and for others, it could be a major hurdle that they cannot seem to overcome with relative ease.Waiting Too Long To StartThe moment that an essay is assigned, the student should chase the option to start working on it. Many students wait too long to start, and end up trying to cram all of the writing into one night. This is a mistake that many people make, and it becomes an impossible task to work out. Waiting too long to start is a bad idea because the editing process becomes difficult to manage, and it becomes even harder to work through ideas, thesis statements and more. Procrastination is the enemy of students, especially when it comes to writing essays of an academic format.Rushing Through The ProcessSome people can write a lot in a short time, but when it comes to proper formatting, and essay writing, they seem to find themselves lacking the appropriate time frame to work on the essay prompts. Rushing through the process, forgetting drafts, outlines, and editing is a part of the bigger problem as to why people can’t write proper essays and seem to have a difficult time progressing through a variety of different arenas. Writing essays is tough, but when you rush through any of the writing process, it becomes a lot more difficult to put together the appropriate structure. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of reasons why people can’t seem to write essays. The above are just some of the most common issues that people have.

“Marginalization” by Chandrakant Mallya

In a scale, both arms are equally important. If one of them tilts, the result is imbalance. Compare the scale to the society. A perfect society viewed from any angle, is impossibility. Turn the pages of human history—perfection was never there. It is reasonable to assume that it will never be there!   It can not be completely avoided either. Society at any given time has not existed and functioned without marginalization! Some of the definitions of marginalization are: â€Å"To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing.† â€Å"Marginalization (USA) refers to the overt or covert trends within societies whereby those perceived as lacking desirable traits or deviating from the group norms tend to be excluded by wider society and ostracized as undesirables.† Wing Leung describes A marginal person as â€Å"†¦one who does not belong†¦the marginal man†¦ [dwells] at the margin of two cultures and two societies†¦ [and possesses] a marginal mentality†¦ [with its] unresolved identity crises.† Louis Wirth speaking of minority groups thus: â€Å"A group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.† This means, the more numerically dominant members, or the more prosperous section of the society gives unequal treatment leading to acts of social ostracism, acts of discrimination, leading to marginalization. In â€Å"Sula† Tony Morrison traces the lives of two black heroines. They grow together in a small Ohio town—well, that’s the only common point about them. Otherwise, they are poles apart. Their paths are totally divergent, obviously their thinking as well! Nel Wright chooses the normal life of a black woman marries and settles in the place of her birth. She is part of the tightly-knit black community. Sula Peace rejects this option outright. She escapes to a city, joins a college, and when she returns to her roots, she is a rebel. She decides to teach a lesson to the society that humiliated her in childhood. She mocks at the social norms, and she is a wanton sexual seductress. Her vicarious pleasure is depicted in her triumphant return to her village and she is extremely happy about the victory she scored by crossing the hurdles that she faced in her life due to the color of her skin. These two characters ably depict, with utmost sincerity to their own emotions, their suffering and enjoyment   in the light of various trials and tribulations that was part of their life and living. The Civil War in USA led to the physical liberation. The War for economic liberation began thereafter. In Sula Toni Morrison provides us with the real history lesson with the depiction of the black way of life, a society which still continues to be marginalized both from social and economic standpoints. â€Å"Through their girlhood years they share everything — perceptions, judgments, yearnings, secrets, even crime — until Sula gets out, out of the Bottom, the hilltop neighborhood where beneath the sporting life of the men hanging around the place in head rags and soft felt hares there hides a fierce resentment at failed crops, lost jobs, thieving insurance men, bug-ridden flour . . . at the invisible line that cannot be overstepped.†Ã‚   (Morison, 1973) Fences is the story of four generations of black Americans.   The torch of legacy of morals, attitudes, mores and patterns passes through stories. Troy Maxon is the principle character of the play. Being a black, the part of the marginalized society of America, how and why he had to scale down his dreams to adjust inside his run-down yard. The opening scene   Ã‚  begins with Troy Maxon and his trusted friend Jim Bono engaged in drinking and talking. The anguish of marginalization related victimization is evident, when he makes a formal compliant to his bosses, why only white men are permitted to drive garbage trucks for the waste disposal company. The deep impact of marginalization in Troy Maxon’s psyche is shown as he counsels his teenage son Cory Maxon when he is being actively recruited for a college football scholarship. His father discourages him, and tells him not to ignore other important responsibilities. Troy wants that his son should never haul garbage like him. Cory represents all the possibilities his father never had and the unmet dreams. Yet the father is unwilling to let the son go on the path chosen by him to improve his lot in life.   His apprehension is that the white-dominated sports will not let Cory progress, and break his heart. Troy had spent fifteen years in jail for robbery and murder, but he became an accomplished baseball player in the jail. After the release, when he could not get proper opportunities to display his skill, he is bitter and resentful at the chances lost because of the color of his skin. He wants to protect his son from facing such disappointments and turn cynical. It was due to marginalization that Troy’s life was full of difficulties, oppression coupled with bad luck. As a boy, due the abject poverty, he was denied education, he cannot even read. Marginalization is practiced all over the world, and it embraces humanity. In the Developed World, racial and ethnic minority groups stand out as the most marginalized. Then there are other classes like, the poor, the sick, the disabled, the obese, teenage unwed mothers, the elderly, the homosexuals and lesbians. These groups suffer from one form of marginalization or the other-unemployment, poverty, poor health facilities and lack of education and the like. How can we strive to end it? The question should be rather how we can mend it? The ending to marginalization can only be through mending the ways of the society. First of all, the affluent and the socially well placed members of the majority community should realize the grave injustice rendered to the affected society for centuries. Genuine repentance and willing acceptance to reform can only change the social structure. The change with-out can be achieved only through the change with-in. Society must have a will to change, and that is possible by the combined efforts of the government, social and spiritual organizations. It is high time that marginalization is given a ‘decent’ burial. References: Morrison, Toni, Sula: Excerpted from the book jacket: †¦ â€Å"In clear, dark, resonant language   †¦ .members.tripod.com/~bibliomania/archive3/morrison5.html – 9k –Retrieved on May 21, 2007.