Plot Summary of Play Boy of the Western World

Play boy Of the Western World Plot summary The play is set in County Mayo in a country shebeen or pub. Pegeen Mike is engaged to Shawn Keogh a rich farmer, but she is not in love with him. Pegeen’s father Michael James owns the pub, and spends his time going to wakes and getting drunk. A young man arrives one evening as Michael James and his two pals Jimmy Farrell and Philly Cullen are about to go off to a wake. This young man calls himself Christy Mahon and claims that he has killed his da.Everyone including Pegeen are fascinated and admire Christy for this heroic deed. The men set off for the wake leaving Pegeen with Christy. The widow Quinn a local woman who is supposed to have murdered her husband arrives and tries to get Christy to stay the night in her hut. Pegeen has taken control of Christy at this stage and refuses to let him go. The following morning some local girls arrive to visit Christy and bring him presents. Christy is a hero in the eyes of the villagers and th ey beg him to participate in their local games.In the meantime Old Mahon who is Christy’s father arrives and meets the widow Quinn. Old Mahon has suffered a blow on his head from being hit by Christy and wishes to punish him. He tells the widow about Christy and describes him as a weak character, ‘a dirty stuttering lout who would get drunk on the smell of a pint. ‘ When Christy meets his father towards the conclusion of the play he gives him another blow on the head and it truly looks as if he is dead.The villagers including Pegeen decide to capture him and bring him to prison. Pegeen disowns him for being a liar. Old Mahon recovers however and he and Christy leave the shebeen mocking the villagers who are unable to accept reality when it lands on their own door. The play concludes with Pegeen lamenting the loss of the ‘only playboy of the western world. ’ She is left with her loveless alliance to Shawn Keogh.

1993 Ap Us History Dbq

During the 17th century there were many colonies settled in the New World. One thing most of these colonies had in common is the fact that almost all of them were settled by the English. If one were to focus mostly on the New England and Chesapeake colonies, one would find that although they were settled by similar people, they ended up splitting for very different reasons. The New England colonies were searching for religious freedom from the Church of England, whereas the Chesapeake colonies were striving for economic growth.The New England colonies consisted of the settlements of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut Colony, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Province of New Hampshire. Most, if not all, of these colonies were mainly settled by religious motivation. They did not want to be told by what means they could or could not worship, that was the reason they left England in the first place. Now in this new world they were being given the same rules. They w anted to control their cities by the rules of God that they believed.They wanted to elect their own faithful minister to make the laws and divide up their real estate (Doc D). They also wanted to follow John Winthrop’s idea of a model puritan city, the â€Å"City on a Hill† (Doc A). The first name on a list of emigrants coming to the New England was Joseph Hull of Somerset, he was a Minister. His name was the very first name on the list, therefore his name was the most prominent name on the list, and he was a minister (Doc B). This shows that the New England colonist truly respected members of the clergy.The Chesapeake colonies were settled for very different reasons. They were mainly settled for economic development and prosperity. In many of the Chesapeake colonies, such as Connecticut, the prices and wages were set and agreed upon by the court. They did not have any religious figures decided laws or actions to carry them out. Many of the tradesmen, as well as the la borers, in Connecticut were told to â€Å"consider the religious ends of their calling† and to â€Å"[not] live in the practice of that crying sin of oppression, but avoid it† (Doc E).This means that they were told to end their religious practices but to also avoid the life of sin. By doing this, they made room for more work which would in turn help the settlement prosper economically. There were also many plantations in the Chesapeake colonies. These plantations grew tobacco which inclined many workers to uphold the demand. This helped to draw in many English workers, as well as African Slaves, which ended up helping the economic growth of the colony overall. Lastly, both settlements were colonized by two different types of people, with extremely different motives.The Chesapeake colonies, such as Virginia and Maryland, were colonized by single men looking for the potential development of economic growth, and the ability to make a profit. Whereas the New England Coloni es, such as Rhode Island, were colonized by family men looking for a place where their family could be free from religious oppression. Virginia was colonized by John Smith, a single man who saw the opportunity to make some money and did everything in his power to keep the colony alive in order to do so.Maryland was colonized by Lord Baltimore, another single man who granted real estate to his friends which paved the way for economic growth. Although the New England colonies and the Chesapeake colonies were both settled by Englishmen, they split for very different, but equally legitimate reasons. The New England colonies were searching for religious freedom from the Church of England, whereas the Chesapeake colonies were striving for economic growth.

Describe labor market trends and globalization as they relate to the Essay - 1

Describe labor market trends and globalization as they relate to the job market. Explain the importance of networking in reaching your career goals - Essay Example There are several pros and cons of informational interviewing. A major advantage of conducting an informational interview is one gets first hand information about working in a particular job or industry (UC Berkeley Career Center, n.d.). It will give an idea of the career paths available for individuals in a particular field. Furthermore, one can get tips from professionals on how to prepare for a certain career. An informational interview enhances one’s communication skills and warms up one for a real job interview. It will be the beginning of establishing professional relationships with people who are in the same industry as one’s career (UC Berkeley Career Center, n.d.). Building of networks like these may later on create job leads in the future. Informational interviewing also has its drawbacks. One must be careful about choosing the professional to interview. If the interviewee is a person who is not happy with his job, then the views that he might share may be biased and will affect the interviewer negatively. Another disadvantage is that some interviewees might misconstrue the informational interview as a request for a job. Some professionals may think that the interviewer is there to gather confidential data about him and his company. The obstacles that will prevent one from conducting an informational interview include not knowing someone whom one can interview. Lack of contacts may make it difficult to get a professional to interview. In addition, there are some professionals who may not be open to the idea of being interviewed about their jobs. Not having the confidence to talk with a professional is another impediment for conducting the interview. Preparing for an informational interview means having to do some research about the person one is going to interview and about his organization (Crosby, 2002). Visiting the company’s website will help a lot in the

Disaster Recovery & Humanitarian Assistance Essay

Disaster Recovery & Humanitarian Assistance - Essay Example Out of all the classes I took this semester, I really enjoyed taking this one. While I originally thought it would be extremely easy, I soon found it was much more challenging, and that was good because it helps me to challenge myself and learn more. I was able to develop better habits, simply because I knew I wanted to do my best in this class and I was going to do everything I could to do that. That being said, I still think there were some things I could have done better on. There were several assignments I did not put one hundred percent into, and some tests I most certainly could have prepared more for. But that in itself is also a learning experience, and it shows me that if I want to achieve my goals, I need to put everything I have into the classes I am taking. And there were several topics that gave me a tough time. The first one to come to mind is the chapters on direct preparedness for disaster relief. I never know the plans had to be so thought out and complicated, and at first I hade a difficult time grasping those ideas. However, I soon found that by looking at them carefully and really going over them, they soon became almost a second nature for me. Looking forward, I really feel that this class help prepared me for a future in helping people.

Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Faith - Essay Example I have approaches few people that have products, discussed my plans with them, and I would be an agent and offer strategy and agreement between the product owners and the people that I direct to the websites. Commercial transactions would then follow and commission would be my income. Identifying and convincing product owners into the idea have been a challenge but I believe the idea will be successful because God has assured us of success. God’s words to Israelites that the Lord â€Å"gives you the ability to produce wealth† (Deuteronomy 8:18, p. 1) and that â€Å"thou mayest prosper and be in health† (3 John 1:12, p. 1) are the scriptures on which I stand. Failure to find product owners who liked my ideas and wanted to work with it and the fact that I have not yet implemented the ideas challenges my faith in God’s words and power but the scriptures strengthens me. I therefore believe that I shall overcome and attain my financial

An analysis of the current and future use of internet technologies of Essay

An analysis of the current and future use of internet technologies of ''Hallmark Cards'' - Essay Example However, the suitability of such company driven technological initiatives will depend on how the effectiveness of the internet applications in meeting the set goals and objectives (Smith and Kidd 2000, p 45-50). The internet has basically changed commerce (Smith and Kidd 2000, p 45-50). The most basic forms of communication such as written and verbal communication between a business and its consumers and suppliers have been changing. Electronic communication, in the form of the internet, keeps on changing the commercial activity for consumers and businesses. E-commerce can therefore be defined as the sharing of product and service information, developing and improving human business relationships, while transacting business over the internet (Canzer 2006 p. 97-99). Hallmark was founded in 1910 and is currently the world’s most well-known producer of greeting cards. Hallmark creative artists produce several designs for greeting cards and other products each year. The greening cards and other products are produced in 38 dissimilar languages and are sold to more than 100 countries in the world (Regan 2009 p. 150-159). At hallmark, an advertising e-business model is based on earning revenues in exchange for the placement of advertisements on the firm’s website. Just like traditional media such as television, newspaper and radio, advertising in the internet involves advertisers’ support of distributed online entertainment or information likely to be accepted by consumers, who see advertising as the cost they have to incur to receive free content online. The internet provides Hallmark with the opportunity to create unique design and interaction with the targeted audience (Pierce 2005 p 18-23). The advertising model in the internet has necessitated the entry of small production studios and small entertainment artists who seek to get advertising revenues as well as to put up for sale their products online. There are no

Child care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child care - Essay Example Mother has a very important role in the nurturing of a child particularly in the pre-school age. A child starts to learn from the very first day of his/her life. In fact, much of the psychological development of a child happens in the very first year. Therefore, mothers should be very careful in their attitude with the child in the pre-school age. In the contemporary age, there is a growing trend among mothers to feed their babies with supplements. Many mothers prefer not to give their babies their own milk. Although there is considerable evidence and scientific research to show that artificial supplements are never nutritious enough to replace mother’s milk, yet there are several more factors that speak against such attitude of mothers. For example, when mothers feed their babies their own milk, it also lays basis for the development of a unique psychological relationship between the mother and the child in addition to the child’s health. This psychological relationshi p lasts throughout the life of both, and gains strength from the initial two years of mother-child feed relationship. Therefore, mothers should feed their children their own milk. Mothers commonly have trouble when the child becomes 2 years old because this is the age when mother’s milk has to be removed from the child’s diet plan. Mothers have a tough time saying â€Å"no† to their children when they ask for milk at that age. This requires display of extreme patience and determination on the part of mother along with the child. Mothers can say â€Å"no† to the demanding child and mean it by reading literature about child’s diet schedule. There is comprehensive information available regarding what type of diet should a child be given at a particular age. Frequently reading such digests helps a mother make up her mind and be practical on her plans. The attention mothers pay towards their children’s education in the kindergarten age lays foundations upon which the children build their academic career. The stronger the foundations, the stronger the career becomes. Children are introduced to the world of academics by their mothers. That is an age when they are least receptive towards academic load. In those days, mothers convince them to accept the load by singing nursery rhymes with them so that they feel at home doing school work. In order to facilitate the transition from pre-school age to kindergarten age, mothers should make use of moving image. Nursery rhymes on youtube are one of the best means to inculcate a liking for poems in children. Child care covers a wide range of subjects that include but are not limited to child’s education, sports, mannerism and behavior with adults and other children the age of child. Mothers lay the foundations for child’s psychological development in the pre-school age and academic career in the kindergarten age. Breastfeeding offers far more benefits that bottle-feeding the child (Lee). Therefore, mothers should resolve to breastfeed their child up to 2 years from birth. After the first 2 years when the child asks for breastmilk, mothers have to be determined and consistent in saying â€Å"no† to the child. In that phase, mothers can seek help from mothers’ digests that are frequently published. These digests offer

Kinds of movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Kinds of movies - Essay Example Action movies are two-dimensional, a protagonist on a quest to conquer an antagonist who afflicts the people. The category has intense local motion, low-key lighting resulting in visual disturbance, spectacular rhythm and pacing (Rasheed and Shah 2). Examples include American Sniper 2014 and Fast and Furious 7 2015. The second genre is comedy that has a low local motion with high-key lighting usually less dramatic and happy (Rasheed and Shah 2). Comedies are cheerfully and consistently designed to provoke laughter and amusement to the audience through exaggerating language, action, situations. Examples of comedies include Big Mommas and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. The last genre is drama, which is a plot-driven play, portraying real characters, life situations, stories and settings. Drama involves character interaction and development not relying on any special effect such as in action or comedy. Examples include Day One and Girls. The movies may serve to educate and guide especially the younger members of the society if the casting theme is a representation of a prevailing challenge. In summary movies play a great role in the entertainment industry besides being educative especially to the younger members of the society. Action, drama and comedy make the major classes of movies with each serving a unique purpose and theme to the

Comprehensive Plan to Improve Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive Plan to Improve Human Resources Essay Whole Foods Market- a company that doesn’t think of itself as a company, but as a community of people working to make a difference in the world. At Whole Foods, the mission matters as much as the bottom line. But who is Whole Foods Market, and how does their Human Resource Management (HRM) play a role in the development of their culture or work environment? This comprehensive plan will describe Whole Foods Market’s history and the challenges and/or opportunities of the company. It will explore the effectiveness of the organizations current human resource practices with regard to the employees and describe strategies to improve the quality of those practices. Additionally, the impact of implementing the strategic improvements and how the organization would measure success upon implementation will be discussed. Whole Foods Market: The Organization Whole Foods Market is the world’s leader in natural and organic foods. With more than 270 stores in North America and the United Kingdom, the organization seeks out the best natural and organic foods obtainable; while preserving better-quality standards in the industry. According to Porter and Kramer (2009), the intention of the organization is to sell organic, natural, and healthy food products to its consumers who are passionate about food and the environment. Whole Foods Market focuses on unrefined foods, health and nutrition. They are definitely not like any other grocery store. Their ultimate goal is to become an international brand identical with not just natural and organic goods, but also with being the greatest food retailer in every community in which they are located. Therefore, Whole Foods Market must purposefully plan and assess the marketing of its goods according to the demand of the customers (Whole Foods Market, n. d). For the last thirteen years, team members at Whole Foods Market, named their company as one of Fortune magazine’s â€Å"100 Best Companies to work for. † In 2010, they were ranked number eighteen. Whole Foods is acknowledged for its team-based operations and employee-oriented work culture, which are considered to be the foundations of its development and success within the industry (Whole Foods Market, n. d. ). Whole Foods Market takes pride in setting themselves apart from their competitors within the industry. No matter how much the company excels in size or makes changes to the organization, the organization supports change by establishing and maintaining seven core values. According to Whole Foods Market (n. ), the core values are â€Å"selling the highest quality of natural and organic products available, satisfying and delighting customers, supporting team member happiness and excellence, creating wealth through profit and growth, caring about the community and environment, creating an ongoing win-win partnership with suppliers, and promoting the health of stakeholders through healthy eating education. † Included in these core values are open communication and transparency, education and training, and staff empowerment. No matter how large a company Whole Foods Market becomes, they preserve what makes them unique through these core values. Whole Foods Market: Challenges and Opportunities As with many organizations, the past economic down turn has caused many organizations to face a lot of challenges and to make difficult business decisions. Whole Foods Market created a permanent modification in how they operate many vital areas of the business. This year, 2010, the company’s business model includes continued focus on vital areas of the company by focusing in on purchasing with regards to the business while creating more worth for the consumer regarding pricing (Whole Foods Market, n. d). In the letter to the stakeholders (2009), Mackey, CEO desires to stay focused on dropping operating cost without harming the customer experience. Additionally, he states that as an organization they are committed to being better custodians of capital and producing free cash flow on a yearly basis. In the future, Mackey foresees new smaller stores that are less expensive, and an increase return on invested capital. A recent 2009 SWOT Analysis of the organization from Datamonitor (2009) listed some additional opportunities such as the recent strategic acquisitions that helped in strengthening their market position. These acquisitions also help the organization to expand its operations in the natural and organic foods markets as well as increase its client base and the number of product categories. One acquisition in particular is the merge with Wild Oats Market in 2007. Other opportunities recorded by Datamonitor (2009) include the growing demand for private label products. Recent economic conditions have warranted companies to offer less expensive private label products as an alternative to the customers’ needs. Whole Foods Market: Human Resource Management Strategies What makes Whole Foods stand out from others in the industry is not a single management process but a distinctive managing structure which includes Human Resource Management support. According to Rose and Kumar (2006) it is important that organizations utilize HRM practices that make best use of its employees, and that is just what Whole Foods Market has done. For example, at Whole Foods, the basic organizational unit isn’t the store but small teams that manage departments such as fresh produce, prepared foods, and seafood. Teams are consulted on all store-level decisions and they have been given a degree of independence that is very unique in the industry (Whole Foods Market, n. d). According to Hamel (2006), each team makes decisions concerning stock, and new hires. Bonuses are paid to the teams, not to individuals. Members have access to comprehensive fiscal information, including the details of every coworker’s wage. Whole Foods Market has been very successful with their ability to recruit and retain good employees. The recruiting process is exceptionally unique. According to Whole Foods Market (n. d), applicants are generally screened by store management or by a human resources person through a preliminary interview. Once the individual is screened for overall job skills and qualifications, the application is referred to the appropriate department managers for a final interview. The final interview process may be conducted by a team or panel depending on the position. Team member’s partaking in group interviews is one way the company puts its culture of empowerment into action. Hamel and Breen (2007), state that this recruiting process is used for all new employees; including those hoping to join teams at Whole Foods’ center of operations, such as the national IT or finance groups. Additional HRM practices include the organizations focus on compensation and incentive based rewards. According to Erickson and Gratton (2007), this is one of the main components of their rewards system within the organization. Each team’s compensation is directly linked to how well that team functions. Team performance is considered in terms of overall productivity; profit-sharing based on those numbers are added directly to each team member’s compensation. Teams are responsible for a different product category or aspect of store operations such as customer service, prepared foods, or grocery, among others. Whole Foods believes in a company-wide awareness of sharing the fate of the business by combining the wellbeing of team members as directly as possible with the interests of the shareholders. The organization uses a gain sharing program to reinforce concept. This program rewards things that members of the team can control such as work efficiency which gives members a direct stake in the victories of the company (Whole Foods Market, n. d). Whole Foods also encourages stock ownership options in plans such as the Team Member Stock Option Plan. Within this plan, all members are entitled to receive a grant of stock options each year. According to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (2007), the grant has two components: the Annual Leadership Grants identify and motivate team member performance; and the Service Hour Grants identify team member service within the Company. Another plan is the Team Member Stock Purchase Plan. Through payroll deductions, all non-seasonal team members with at least 400 service hours may choose to buy unlimited shares of stock at 95% of market worth on the purchase date. Whole Foods Human Resource practices are effective because the culture allows for an atmosphere of transparency, with open books and open people. These processes include the organizations team process which allows for autonomy and a high level of responsibility of line staff. Through such a practice, members use their decision-making authority to take part in driving the business forward. Additionally, the team process promotes healthy competition, trust between members. Whole Foods Market: Recommended Strategies for Improvement Although Whole Foods HRM practices seem successful, there is room for improvement. The following strategies are recommended in the area of team implementation and practices: * If the organization maintains the team concept it is important that management ensures that members do not to obstruct the team authority over the individual. Members should merely feel responsible to each other, but still free to be themselves. Members should also be recognized as individuals. Individuals have a need to be recognized for hard work and individual achievement. Providing a reward system for individual milestones and achievements might also allow for successful company performance. * The organization should provide opportunities for personal growth and promotion through training and education. * The organization should ensure that there are no cliques within the teams. Cliques could make it difficult to maintain cohesion and cooperation within the team. Management should also ensure or encourage subtle unsanctioned norms that steer the actions of team members, saying what’s suitable and what’s not suitable behavior especially within the recruitment process in which members choose their team members. * The organization should periodically evaluate the alignment of team compensation and incentives for the work that is likely to be performed. * HR should monitor changes in team compensation systems to ensure the organization’s compensation is clearly understood by staff and that any changes, including team incentive pay, is also communicated. HR should ensure that employees within the team are able to see and understand the goals of the team, and gain an understanding of his or her importance as a member. These improvement strategies can only make Whole Foods Market more successful than they are already. These improvements will drive the business success, by assisting in promoting productivity, by increasing job satisfaction and retention, and by increasing profits within the organization. Whole Foods Market: Plan Evaluation and Measurements Before implementation of new strategies, employees will be informed of the proposed implementation and changes. Managers will ensure that staffs understand what is being implemented and the impact to employees if any. The success of this plan will be evaluated by reviewing the success of the implemented strategies periodically to ensure continuous improvement. The evaluation of the strategies will include internal assessments and/or employee surveys/questionnaires. The internal assessments and/or employee surveys/questionnaires will be aimed to ascertain the employees’ satisfaction of those methods and strategies. Results of the evaluation and measurements will be compiled and reviewed by the organizations HR team. The team will seek to: (1) determine if implemented strategies are predictive of organizations mission and business plan, (2) understand how implemented strategies improved or did not improve current HR practices and finally, (3) determine if there is a relationship between the implemented strategies and overall retention and job satisfaction. If the results are satisfactory, strategies will continue to be implemented monitored and reviewed. Results that are unsatisfactory will be discussed with employees to determine why the implemented strategy was not a success and to determine necessary changes if applicable. Whole Foods Market: Conclusion In conclusion both management and HR play an important role in the strategy and betterment of Whole Foods Market. This organization has already established a culture that reduces fear and increases trust. The company prides itself in the transparency between management level staff and line staff. Implementation of these strategies will only assist to increase employee satisfaction and retention.

Appraising and Rewarding Performance of Manulife China Bank Life Essay Example for Free

Appraising and Rewarding Performance of Manulife China Bank Life Essay Assurance Corporation Manulife Philippines marks its 100th year of existence in our country. It is one of the oldest insurance firms in the country. The firm received its license to operate in Manila in 1907, twenty years after the company was first established in Toronto, Canada in 1887 by Sir John A. Macdonald, who at the same time was Prime Minister of Canada. Manulife Philippines was the first foreign company to list in the Philippine Stock Exchange, and is among the top five life insurance companies in our country today. The firm’s dedication to client service enabled it to grow and increase financial strength. In 2007, the Philippine Insurance Commission (IC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank) approved the operation of a bank assurance joint venture company, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCB Life). MCB Life is a strategic bank assurance alliance of China Banking Corporation (China Bank), the Philippines’ first privately owned commercial bank, and The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife), a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian-based Manulife Financial Corporation. In Asia, Manulifes goal for each market is to develop a company that will best meet the needs of customers, achieve employee satisfaction, and provide leadership in the life insurance industry. Manulife works hard to build companies that cultivate wealth creation, wealth protection, and an improved quality of life for local customers. Manulifes corporate vision is to be the most professional life insurance company in the world: providing the very best financial protection and wealth management services tailored to customers in every market where the company does business. MCB Life’s mission is committed to develop long term relationships with families and businesses which make us the company of choice in providing economic security through a broad range of financial services, customized and delivered by competent and ethical professionals. C. Company Profile and Background of Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial is an international leader in protection and wealth management with key operations in Canada, US, UK, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Bermuda, and the Philippines. Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) pioneered life insurance in the Philippines in 1895. Today, Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. , is one of the largest and most trusted insurers in the country with almost a half a million policies in force and is boosted by the strength and stability of Sun Life Financial shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange. Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. SLAMCI) is the fund manager and principal distributor of the biggest family of mutual funds in the Philippines, the Sun Life Prosperity Funds. It also boasts of being the first in its field to put in place the accounting system needed to adequately comply with the standards set by the International Accounting Standards (IAS). Serving as the company’s wealth management arm, SLAMCI benefits from the expertise of its mother company’s close association with MFS Investment Management (the inventor of mutual funds in the US). Sun Life Financial Plans, Inc. SLFPI) is the second wholly-owned subsidiary of SLOCPI and the sole distributor of its pension and education plans. SLFPI holds the distinction of being the fastest growing pre-need company in the country today. For 113 years now, SLF-Philippines continues to be a proud and trusted partner of the Filipino in his journey to financial freedom. D. Company Mission and Vision of Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial’s vision is To be the preeminent provider of financial security to individuals over their lifetime. With regards to this mission of the company, Sun Life Financial aims to provide financial freedom for Filipinos. The objective of this study is to present the methods of rewarding and appraising performance of our two chosen companies, particularly in the insurance industry. For this research, we chose to do a study on Manulife Philippines, more specifically Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCB Life); and also Sun Life Financial. This paper aims to present the different rewards given to employees and performance appraisals done to evaluate their employees’ performance, while comparing both companies. In order to obtain a clearer picture on how employees are being appraised and rewarded in two companies in the same industry, a comparison between Manulife Philippines and Sun Life Financial should be done. F. Statement of Problem The researchers would conduct a study on the rewarding and appraising of performance of insurance companies, and what the companies want to achieve. The researchers would like to find out how the companies reward their employers in this industry, and the process of performance appraisal; and the effects of these human resource activities in the daily operation of the companies.

Role Of Fathers In Lives Of Children

Role Of Fathers In Lives Of Children Parents serve an important role in the socialization of children by modeling important values, principles, ideals, attitudes, actions and behaviors that influence the physical, emotional and social development of the child. Fathers and mothers have unique differences that cause them to have different parenting roles, that when combined, provide the most comprehensive model to help the child develop successfully. For this reason, children need both parents to help them develop the skills to help them build successful social relations, engage in responsible behavior, develop the confidence and skills to be successful in school and to become well-rounded emotionally, physically and psychologically. Over the last two decades, researchers have begun to pay more attention to the idea that fathers make important contributions to child development (Parke, 2004; Davis Perkins, 1996). Evan (1995) indicates, however, that while fathers have now become the subject of studies and review, this is a relatively new area of study. Given the potential role involved fathers have on the development of their children, it is important to understand how fathers perceive their fathering role and its impact on children. The goal of this paper is to examine the role of fathers in the lives of their children in the literature and to identify a gap in the literature in order to come up with a research question for a future study. Review of the Literature Schock and Gavazzi (2005) observe that despite the expansion of fatherhood literature over the last several decades, not much is understood about the role of fathers in their relationship with problematic adolescents. This has prompted researchers to examine fathers parental skills. For example, Nicholson, Howard and Borkowski (2008) investigated whether fathers were able to display metaparenting skills during the first two years of their childrens lives. Metaparenting refers to a mental plan that parents use when caring for their children across five domains: responding, preventing, monitoring, mentoring, and modeling. To determine how fathers think about and conceive of their parenting strategies, the researchers looked at the two main factors contributing to paternal identity: father absence and the availability of positive parenting role models. The participants included 87 fathers. Fathers were also evaluated for their metaparenting beliefs and behaviors, and assessed for parent ing stress, parenting style, knowledge of child development and child abuse potential. The study revealed that positive parenting role models and intelligence were associated with working models of parenting based on the five components of metaparenting. Furthermore, authoritative parenting and a decrease in abuse potential were related to higher levels of metaparenting. In a previous study, Schock and Gavazzi (2005) used a modified grounded theory approach (i.e., one based on the participants meaningful experiences) to examine the intra-psychic and interpersonal difficulties that fathers had with adolescent daughters who are involved in the court system. Fourteen fathers (mean age=46.6 yrs.) and their daughters (mean age=15.6 yrs) who participated in a family-based diversion program for their at-risk adolescent daughters took part in the study. The goal of the program was to help each family identify and support the developmental needs of their adolescents so that they can successfully move into adulthood. The fathers completed face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the questions addressing topics such as the fathers perception of their relationship with their adolescents, fathers unique skills to cope with the adolescents problematic behavior, and barriers/facilitators for participating in the program. The results indicate that fathers of fem ale adolescents had feelings of uncertainty about their role as parents in four areas: poor understanding of their daughters female issues (e.g., dating, menstruation, etc.), communication barriers related to conversation topics and style of communication, limited involvement due to the absence of shared interests, and indecision about how to address their daughters problematic behavior. Based on the findings by Schock and Gavazzi (2005), it is possible that fathers have communication problems with their teenage daughters because they did not form secure attachments with their daughters during the first two years of their lives. Later studies found similar connection between childrens attachment with their fathers and father involvement. McDonald and Almeida (2004) used an ecological perspective to examine the differential impact of work experiences on fathering experiences at home in 290 fathers (mean age=40). The participants first completed a 30 to 40 minute telephone interview about their daily experiences after which they were mailed a written survey, which asked them questions about how their time was spent in the past 24 hours (e.g., cutbacks at work, and their daily work/family stressors. The authors found that fathers tend to report a greater likelihood of providing emotional support to their children on those days when they experience overloads on the job as well as on days when they cut back their workload. The amount of time that fathers spent with their children was found to be moderated by how much control or latitude they have at work. The authors conclude, however, quantity of time alone may not impact the quality of the fathering experience. This conclusion is supported by Newland, Coyl and Freeman (2008), who investigated the relationships between preschoolers attachment security, fathers involvement and fathering context in 102 culturally diverse U.S. fathers of preschoolers age 2-5. The results indicate that fathers secure attachments with other adults and their use of social support were related to parenting and co-parenting behaviors. These in turn, predict child attachment security. The use of rough housing play was considered the most important predicator of child attachment security, more important than fathers sensitivity and consistency. According to the authors, the findings suggest that fathers play an important role in their childrens attachment security, and that shared father-child activities, parenting consistency and co-parenting behaviors should be emphasized among fathers. An important finding in the literature is that fathering strategies are related to paternal role identity. Maurer (2007) assessed caregiving identities, perceptions of partners expectations and the perceived caregiving behavior in 73 fathers (mean age 33.7 yrs). The researcher found that the perceived behaviors of other fathers were significant predictors of fathers behaviors toward their own children. Bronte-Tinkew, Carrano and Guzman (2006) argue that it is important to determine how fathers identify themselves as parents by examining their perceptions of themselves as fathers. As a result, they investigated the perceptions of resident fathers (i.e., fathers who live with their children) regarding their roles in the lives of their children and how this affect their involvement with infants in five areas: caregiving activities, paternal warmth, nurturing activities, physical care, and providing their child with cognitively stimulating activities. Most of the resident fathers believe d that their role as fathers play an important part in their childrens development. The results further indicate that while most fathers were highly involved in providing physical care to their babies, they were not highly involved in cognitively stimulating activities such as reading with their children. The fathers sociodemographic characteristics (race, marital status, education, and socioeconomic status) impact their perceptions of fathering (e.g., Hispanics and other race fathers had significantly lower positive perceptions of their roles compared to other participants). Married fathers and fathers living above the poverty line had higher scores that unmarried fathers and fathers living below the poverty line. Fathers with infant sons had stronger belief in the importance of their roles and more paternal involvement than those with daughters. The latter finding is supported by Schock and Gavazzi (2005) who found that fathers of adolescent daughters face challenges when communic ating with their adolescent daughters, which is a factor in their indecision about how to deal with the problematic behavior of their daughters. A later study by Wilson, Dalberth and Koo (2010) support and expand the findings of Schock and Gavazzi (2005) and Bronte-Tinkew, Carrano and Guzman (2006) in terms of fathers involvement in their lives. The perspectives of 131 fathers on their role in protecting their pre-teenage children from sexual risk was investigated. The results indicated that while fathers take a strong role in keeping their children safe and successful, some did not talk openly and frequently with their children about sex. Though almost all the fathers agreed that fathers perspectives on the issue of sex are important for children to hear, the gender of their child determined how comfortable they were discussing sexual matters. Fathers felt that they were better suited to discuss topics such as male puberty than female topics such as menstruation. Race also played a factor, with Hispanic fathers reporting that they were more protective of their daughters than their sons. According to Gonzalez-Lopez (2004), Hi spanic fathers believe that delaying sex and using protection are important for protecting their daughters from becoming pregnant and for increasing their opportunities to attend and graduate from college. Gaps in the Literature One area that is has not been fully explored in the literature is the relationship between paternal role identity and fathering outcomes. In other words, none of the studies identified looked at the relationship between how fathers perceive their roles (i.e. how they identify themselves as fathers) and how children actually percieve their relationship with their fathers (i.e., outcome of fathers involvement). Maurer (2007) suggests that fathers perception of societal fathering roles is a good predictor of fathers behaviors. Newland, Coyle and Freeman (2008) found that parenting and co-parenting behaviors in fathers were predictors of child attachment security. Schock and Gavazzi (2005) suggest that a lack of secure attachment between fathers and their daughters lead to communication barriers and indecision about how to address problematic behaviors in their teenage daughters. Bronte-Tinkew, Carrano and Guzman (2006) found that higher positive perception of fathering roles were associ ated with high father involvement in mentally stimulating activities with their children such as reading. These findings suggest that fathers who believe that they have an important place in their children development are more likely to achieve better fathering outcomes such as providing their children with caregiving activities, paternal warmth, nurturing activities and cognitively stimulating activities. Research Question The following research question can be used to address the gap in the literature regarding father role perception and fathering outcomes: What is the relationship between paternal role identity and fathering outcomes? The independent variables related to father involvement were cognitively stimulating activities, physical care, paternal warmth, nurturing activities, caregiving activities.

Ozone :: Ozone Layer Oxygen Environmental Essays

Ozone Ozone (O3) is a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms, similar to the oxygen we breathe (O2), however oxygen consists of only two oxygen atoms. In the stratosphere, a region high up in the upper atmosphere, light rays are responsible for the breaking down of oxygen (O2), breathable oxygen into its two separate oxygen atoms. Lone oxygen atoms are markedly reactive. When a lone oxygen atom comes into contact with a breathable oxygen molecule (O2) it combines to form ozone (O3). The ozone layer is a small residual amount of ozone concentrated in a band in the upper atmosphere. This band of concentrated ozone resides approximately between twenty and forty kilometers high in the stratosphere. The ozone layer reactions that both create and destroy ozone has come into a dynamic equilibrium. This dynamic equilibrium is very delicate and resulted during atmospheric formation (Environment Canada, 1996). Ozone, however, is very rare even in the ozone layer. Oxygen makes up approximately twenty percent of air and ozone makes up only 3 x 10-5 percent of air. Furthermore, this minuscule amount of ozone is enough to protect the earth from most ultraviolet light. Ozone prevents most UV-B radiation from reaching the surface of the earth (Environment Canada, 1996). Ozone is very important to life on earth because the harmfulness of high-energy UV-B radiation stems from the high energy of these light rays, enabling them to penetrate deeply into water, plant tissue and epidermal tissue of animals. Increased UV-B radiation results in harming the metabolic system of cells and ultimately damage to genetic material present in effected cells. Living organisms on the surface of the earth have always been exposed to some, and only slightly differing levels of UV-B radiation depending of geographic location and season. Through evolution, cellular repair mechanisms have evolved to safeguard cells against damage done by UV-B radiation. With the increase in the UV-B radiation, more damage is done to cellular functions then the natural protection system can deal with (Environment Canada, 1996). Life on earth would more or less be void if not for the formation of the ozone layer during atmospheric formation (Porter, 1996). With out the ozone layer the harmful UV-B radiation would not allow the growth of autotrophic plants, resulting in reduction in oxygen production; ultimately the destruction of most living organisms on the earth surface would result. Increased UV-B radiation has been linked to many incidence of increased health problems among humans. UV-B radiation leads to increase skin cancer, eye damage, and possible inhibition of the immune system (Health Canada). These incidence have been noticed in humans, and it is presumed that these problems will occur

Free Essays - Development of Theme in Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Development of Theme in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he uses several different themes. His themes help to portray the meaning and message of the novel. Twain's major theme in the novel is man's inhumanity to man. He develops this theme through the inhumane actions of Pap toward Huck, the dishonesty of the King and the Duke toward the Wilkes girls, and the betrayal of Jim for money by the King and the Duke. Twain uses the inhumane actions of Pap toward Huck to help develop the major theme of his novel. "' I'll take you down a peg before I get done with you'" (20). This quote shows how man is inhuman to other men, even if they are related and supposed to love each other. Pap talks and acts mean towards Huck, even though Huck is his own son. Not only is Pap mentally abusive toward Huck, but he is also physically abusive toward him. "But by and by pap got too handy with his hick'ry, and I couldn't stand it. I was all over welts"(24). The way that Pap treats Huck shows the inhumanity of man toward other men and helps to develop the major theme of the novel. The dishonesty of the King and the Duke toward the Wilkes girls also help to develop the major theme of the novel. The Duke and the King take their cruelty to another level because they steal and lie to the Wilkes girls, who are left all alone with no parents. And not sell the rest o' the property? March off like a passel of fools and leave eight or nine thous'n' dollars' worth o' property layin' around jest sufferin' to be scooped in?-and all good, salable stuff, too. (170-171) The Duke and the King are so inhumane that they will go as far as stealing from three innocent girls. "And he said of course him and William would take the girls home with them"(176). Not only do the Duke and the King steal money from the girls, but they also lie to them about bringing them to England just so they can have more money. Free Essays - Development of Theme in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays Development of Theme in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he uses several different themes. His themes help to portray the meaning and message of the novel. Twain's major theme in the novel is man's inhumanity to man. He develops this theme through the inhumane actions of Pap toward Huck, the dishonesty of the King and the Duke toward the Wilkes girls, and the betrayal of Jim for money by the King and the Duke. Twain uses the inhumane actions of Pap toward Huck to help develop the major theme of his novel. "' I'll take you down a peg before I get done with you'" (20). This quote shows how man is inhuman to other men, even if they are related and supposed to love each other. Pap talks and acts mean towards Huck, even though Huck is his own son. Not only is Pap mentally abusive toward Huck, but he is also physically abusive toward him. "But by and by pap got too handy with his hick'ry, and I couldn't stand it. I was all over welts"(24). The way that Pap treats Huck shows the inhumanity of man toward other men and helps to develop the major theme of the novel. The dishonesty of the King and the Duke toward the Wilkes girls also help to develop the major theme of the novel. The Duke and the King take their cruelty to another level because they steal and lie to the Wilkes girls, who are left all alone with no parents. And not sell the rest o' the property? March off like a passel of fools and leave eight or nine thous'n' dollars' worth o' property layin' around jest sufferin' to be scooped in?-and all good, salable stuff, too. (170-171) The Duke and the King are so inhumane that they will go as far as stealing from three innocent girls. "And he said of course him and William would take the girls home with them"(176). Not only do the Duke and the King steal money from the girls, but they also lie to them about bringing them to England just so they can have more money.

Pliny the Younger

This letter was written by Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan while he was serving as the Governor of the Roman Province of Asia Minor during the time frame 111 through 113. This letter was written after Pliny had his first interactions with the Chirsitans. This letter seems to have been written as a letter of concern, asking the Emperor for guidance on how to handle legalities of his interactions with Christians. This concern was seen in his opening statement to the Emperor, It is my invariable rule, Sir, to refer to you in all matters where I feel doubtful; for who is more capable of removing my scruples, or informing my ignorance. †1 In my opinion, I believe that Pliny is clear in his communication to the Emperor. â€Å"I am unacquainted not only with the nature of their crimes, or the measures of their punishment, but how far it is proper to enter into an examination concerning them. †2 This statement to me, clarifies his concern of the religion, in whether or n ot the practice of Christianity is unishable. This letter signifies the importance of the changing world and the concern of how to handle those changes. I think that Pliny voiced that concern throughout this letter. He seemed to have been disturbed and unaware of how to handle these changes, and, if in fact these changes could be punishable; as this was not the way of the Roman beliefs. This was put clearly toward the end of Pliny’s letter, â€Å"This contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread its infection mong the neighboring villages. †3 In summary, I feel that this letter is of significant concern and is an interesting account into the history of how Christianity was observed and dealt with in the Roman Empire. Bibliography Pliny the Younger. The Letters of Pliny (Caius Plinius Caecilius Secundus): Book 10, Letters 97 and 98, Translated by Melmoth, Revised by the Rev. F. C. T. Bosanquet, 1905. http://wadsworth. com/history_d/special_ features/ilrn_legacy /wawc 1c01c/content/wciv1/readings/pliny. html

Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful? Essay

Termination of a pregnancy before its due date, by use of medical methods is referred to as abortion. The aim of abortion is to prevent the baby from being born. There are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. First, the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. Secondly, the mother may not be in a position to take care of the unborn child due to various reasons such as economic situation, security or other person reasons. Over the years, abortion has been tagged illegal and immoral especially by contemporary religions. Abortion is not wrong provided the person doing it has enough reasons to warrant that course of action. First, the liberation of women from gender bondage allows them to enjoy autonomous capability to make decisions concerning their lives. In the past male dominated era, women were not allowed to make vital decisions such as end pregnancies. However, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs (Berlatsky 45). A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Furthermore, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices reproductive wise. The notion of determining the outcome of a woman’s fate in regard to either having a baby or not, is mandatory to gender discrimination (Berlatsky 30). Women now have the right to choose the course of their lives and consequently, have the right to choose whether to have children or not. Secondly, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. In addition, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. Since these problems are determined early, abortions can be the safest solution to avoid either risking the lives of the child and mother, or delivering a baby with visible abnormalities. According to Pritchard, some disorders are fatal enough to end the life of the baby shortly after birth (43). Once determined, it is imperative to end the pregnancy in order to avoid further suffering of both the child and the mother. Also, ending the pregnancy of such a child helps the family to save of medical expenses and avoid emotions trauma that could have affected them if the child would have been born. Some of the disorders that can be determined early are Down syndrome and anencephaly. Third, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. Oakley noted that preventing abortion from taking place does not actually work (473). Illegalizing abortion encourages illegal and unsafe abortion practices that may cause unimaginable damage both physically and emotionally. According to Pritchard (43), desperate women induce abortions remotely without the help of professional practitioners. According to the study by Oakley, illegal abortions cause more than 70000 deaths globally annually. In another study, Oakley found out that use of modern equipment to carry out abortions reduces the risk of mortality (475). In addition, he found out that women are more at risk while giving birth than while carrying out an abortion. Moreover, Berlatsky (49) noted that pregnant related complications are higher during child birth than they are during abortion. In this, it is evident that abortion deaths occur only when the people in question do not perform the procedure using modern equipments. So, allowing abortion to be practiced legally will enable women to avoid side effects of abortion related complications such as cancer, mental health issues and infertility. In conclusion, it is imperative to note that there are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. A person can terminate their pregnancy due to personal reasons, or the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. First, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs. A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Moreover, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices. Secondly, technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. Additionally, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. However, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Finally, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. References Berlatsky, Noah. Abortion. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Oakley, Maureen Rand. â€Å"Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful?† Politics & Policy: 472-87. Pritchard, A., and S. K. Parsons. â€Å"The Effects of State Abortion Policies on States’ Abortion Rates.† State and Local Government Review: 43-52. Source document

Articles of Confederation and Articles of Constitution Essay

After the Declaration of Independence, there was a sense among Congressman that they wanted a written document creating a government justifying the existence of the United States. The delegates of the Second Continental Congress were attempting to codify arrangements that had never before put into legal terminology. As a result, in late 1777, the Articles of Confederation, creating a loose â€Å"league of friendship† between the thirteen sovereign or independent colonies, were passed by the Congress and presented to the states for ratification. The Articles created a type of government where the national government derives its powers directly from the states. The Articles was finally ratified by all the thirteen states in March 1781. Although it had its flaws, the government under the Articles of confederation saw the nation through the Revolutionary War. However, once the British surrendered in 1781, and the new nation found itself no longer united by the war effort, the government quickly fell into chaos. The Articles of Confederation was written during the War for Independence and at a time when a strong national government was regarded with suspicion. The Articles created a confederacy where most of the power was vested in the states. The confederation’s most important accomplishment was its resolution of some of the controversies involving the western lands. The Articles provided a national government with a Congress empowered to declare war, make peace, coin money, appoint officers for an army, control the post office, and negotiate treaties with Indian tribes. States were independent and sovereign to govern within its territories. The Congress was unicameral and each state had one vote in the Continental congress, regardless of its size. The vote of nine states out of thirteen was considered a unanimous vote for any amendment. Tariffs were regarded as amendments and therefore almost impossible to pass depriving the national government of needed revenue. Congress functioned as a legislative body to pass laws and executive body to enforce them if needed. Americans had great loyalties to their states and often did not even think of themselves as Americans. This lack of national identity or loyalty in the absence of a war to unite the citizenry fostered a reluctance to give any power to the national government. Congress had no specific power to tax. Articles of Confederation did not allow Congress to regulate commerce among the states or with foreign nations. The Articles of Confederation had no provision for judicial system to handle the growing number of economic conflicts and boundary disputes among the individual states. The failure of the Congress to muster an army to put down the Shays’s Rebellion provided a dramatic example of the weakness inherent in the Articles of Confederation and shocked the nation’s leaders into recognizing the new national government’s inadequacies. And, it finally prompted several state delegates to meet in Annapolis, Maryland in 1786 to call for a convention in Philadelphia in may of 1787 for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. On the first day of convention , Edmund Randolph and James Madison of Virginia proposed the Virginia Plan. Many delegates, including William Patterson of New Jersey, considered these resolution’s to be in violation of the convention’s charter, and proposed the New Jersey Plan, which took greater steps to preserve the Articles. These proposals met the heated debate on the convention’s floor. Eventually the Virginia Plan triumphed following a declaration from Randolph that, â€Å"When the salvation of the Republic is at stake, it would be treason not to propose what we found necessary.† Though the basic structure of the new government was established, the work was not complete. These differences were resolved through a series of compromises. The Great Compromise, proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut made a way for the Bicameral legislature in the constitution. Lower House or the House of Representatives consisted representation based on population, which would have the power to originate all bills for raising and spending money. Whereas the Upper House or Senate had equal representation, two senators from each state. The national government would have the supreme power. The Three-fifths Compromise determined that slaves would be counted as 3/5s on 1 for the purposes of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise decided that the slave trade would be abolished in 20 years.(i.e. January 1808). It also gave Congress, the power to regulate commerce including interstate commerce or trade between states and also to enact tariffs by a simple majority. The first three articles established three branches of government. The legislative branch; Article I vests all legislative powers in the congress and establishes a bicameral legislature, consisting of Senate and the House of Representatives. The Executive Branch; Article II vests the authority to execute the laws of the nation, in a president of the United States. The Judicial Branch; Article III establishes a Supreme Court and defines its jurisdiction. The four remaining articles define the relationship among the states, declare national law to be supreme and set out methods of amending constitution. Three-fourths of the state vote would be required for any amendment. Only the national government would have power to coin money. Taxes were laid and collected by congress instead of the states in Confederation. Once the Constitution was approved by the convention, the next step was ratification by the states. The framers required the states to call special ratifying conventions for the purpose of ratifying or rejecting the proposed constitution. Those who favored new strong government chose to call themselves Federalists. On the other hand, Anti-Federalists argued that they simply wanted to protect state governments from the tyranny of a too powerful national government. Between October 1787 and May 1788, a series of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay appeared in newspapers in New York, a state where ratification was in doubt. These essays written in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution became known as â€Å"The Federalist Papers†. Aside from diminishing the power of the states, the main objection from the Anti-Federalists appeared to be the lack of written protection of individual rights and liberties. Once, the constitution was ratified, the elected congress immediately sent a set of ten amendments, known as â€Å"Bill of Rights† to states for their ratification. They offered a numerous specific limitations on the national government’s ability to interfere with a wide variety of personal liberties, some of which were already guaranteed by many state constitutions. These include freedom of expression, speech, press, religion, and assembly guaranteed by the first amendment. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Globalisation of GAP Essay

An investigation into how Gap inc. has expanded into global markets and to what extent has this been successful? Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher. The name came from the growing differences between children and adults, called â€Å"the generation gap. The Fishers had been frustrated with the lack of decent customer service and fashionable styles at other retailers. One of the original mottos of the company was â€Å"Levi’s for Guys and Gals.† Around 1982, Gap began focusing on its own private label clothing and by 1991-1992, the company had stopped carrying Levi’s. As of April 2, 2005, Gap Inc. had approximately 150,000 employees and operated 3,005 stores worldwide. Donald Fisher retired as Chairman of the Board in 2004 and was replaced by his son, Robert Fisher. The Fisher family collectively owns about 25% of the company. Since its founding in 1969, Gap has provided its customers with clothing and accessories that enhance their personal style. What began as one brand has grown to include Gap, examples of Gap brands are GapKids, babyGap, GapBody and GapMaternity. By providing great style, value and service, Gap has become one of the world’s most recognized brands with more than 1,450 stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and France. Today, Gap Inc. is one of the world’s largest specialty retailers, with more than 3,100 stores and 2006 revenues of $15.9 billion. Gap operate five of the most recognized clothing brands in the world including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Forth & Towne and Piperlime. The culture and ethics of Gap can be seen from the missions statement provided by Gap. Guided by a shared Purpose, we’re able to work together more effectively and contribute to Gap Inc.’s success in a more meaningful way. Inspired by the same Values, we reflect the character, spirit and beliefs of Gap in everything we do. Driven to exceed with the right Behaviors, we work purposefully as individuals, as teams, as a company, to be the best we can be and achieve our vision for growth. Our Purpose Every day, Gap Inc. honors the original reason for founding this company: We’re passionate that you be you. We make it easy for you to express your personal style throughout your life. Our Values To achieve our purpose, we create an environment that encourages our teams to act with integrity and live by the highest standard of ethics. We listen, we respect each other’s time, we value the contributions each of us makes. In a spirit of open-mindedness and trust, we are open to a diversity of ideas, approaches and points of view-across teams and across divisions. We believe in quality and delivering the best result possible, reflecting the realities of price, time and what customers truly value. We find ways to put into balance things that seem to be at odds-work and life, commerce and social responsibility, rapid response and a planful approach. One of the main aims for a business is to grow, once a business has achieved this in it’s own market expanding into foreign markets can be very expensive but profitable. Businesses which operate in more than one country are multi nationals examples of multi nationals are Coca Cola, Sony, Mcdonalds and Gap inc. these businesses have successfully expanded into foreign markets and are now a global brand which is enviable to any business. There are various reasons why companies want to expand into foreign markets. Firstly the world consists of over 6 billion people this is a huge customer base for companies to try to exploit. More potential customers could result in increased sales and revenue because of the larger target market. This could therefore increase profit and even further growth for the business. As a business grows economies of scale can be an essential tool for businesses to take advantage of. Economies of scale allow businesses to buy in bulk and so pay less for each unit, lowering costs for the business. On a global scale the economies of scale the business could benefit would be far greater than that if they just operate in their own domestic market. Also if a business operates in more than one domestic market the risk is spread over several markets. Therefore if one market is not doing well for the business other foreign markets could make up for this. Spreading the risk would be very beneficial as the business would not be reliant on one market. Finally, investing in emerging markets businesses would gain the opportunity to sell to people who’s income are growing strongest and fastest, creating a brand and customer loyalty which would benefit the company greatly when the country further develops. There are however drawbacks and disadvantages to entering into foreign markets. Firstly language can be a major problem in foreign markets. If the business is not familiar with the language of the new market it can cause problems in communicating with employee’s directors and employees. This could then lead to problems in making decisions and implementing any changes. Also setting up in a new market can have very high start up costs. This could include a variety of things ranging from buying land to building factories for production. These high capital costs could inhibit the company from expanding as they may be reluctant to borrow finance. Advertising in the new market can be very expensive, as the company tries to create a brand and gain a competitive advantage TV commercials or adverts in newspapers or the radio could cost the company millions as the advertising campaign may need to be a long term investment. In new markets research and development can also be very expensive as learning about the new market and customers is essential to do well in the market. The company must invest heavily in the research and development as it would be crucial to supply the market with what they need, not just relying on what has been provided in their own domestic market. The government in the new country can also pose a problem. Different laws tax and interest rates can cause a problem for the company. The business could have to pay higher amounts of tax or change some regulations in the company to comply with laws in the country. Decision making can be very difficult. If the head quarters of the business was in America and they had just expanded into China implementing decisions and making decisions would be made so much harder. Overall operating in another market can cost the company millions in a variety of areas. When making the decision the company must take into consideration the opportunity costs of the expansion and not neglect the domestic market. Entering into new markets involves a great deal of risk there are many problems associated with selling in an unknown markets. Businesses attempt to overcome some of these problems in a number of ways, Firstly the company could decide to use joint ventures. This involves the business working together with another company in the country they wish to expand into. Both businesses will expect to gain from the venture. The partnership includes the original company who then teams up with a local company in the foreign market who has the knowledge of the market and already has established distribution links etc. An example of joint ventures could be Coca Cola who have entered joint ventures with bottling companies. They trade brand power for local knowledge of the distribution system. Joint ventures can be very good for companies, they can gain local knowledge without having to spend millions of pounds on research and development. Also initial capital costs would be reduced because you wouldn’t have to build factories or buy land because of your partner company. There is a greater chance of success in the foreign market and the risk is reduced for the company. From the research I have done I have not found any evidence of Gap entering into joint ventures, this could be due to the following negatives of the concept, firstly having to work with another business could be problematic. You may not be familiar with new company and so trust would have to be built between the two businesses in order for the partnership to be effective. The cultures of the two businesses could also be different causing difficulties in situations such as ethics. Decisions would also have to be made together; coming to a collective decision could be difficult. Finally any profits would have to be shared between the two companies, whereas if the original business had set up alone it would receive 100% of the profits. Obviously Gap would have taken into consideration the positives and the negatives about joint ventures but found that the disadvantages were outweighing the advantages. The second idea the business could use would be franchising. For many businesses this is the best way into international markets. Franchises are legal agreements by which local businesses are allowed to set up using the name, logo and trading method of a well known company. They gain all the benefits of a strongly branded product in return they pay a lump sum, percentage of the annual turnover and provide local knowledge. Examples of franchising would be Mcdonalds who have allowed some of their stores to be franchised. I have found evidence relating to various franchised Gap stores around the world. Gap has entered the franchise industry in order to develop its growth in Asia. Gap has signed a franchise agreement with Singaporean group FJ Benjamin Holdings which will see stores opened in Singapore and Malaysia under the Gap and Banana Republic brands. Under the agreements, F J Benjamin will hold exclusive rights to operate Gap and Banana Republic branded clothing and accessories stores in Singapore and will hold exclusive rights to distribute Gap and Banana Republic products in Malaysia. This franchise agreement between Gap and F J Benjamin demonstrates the company’s first step toward expanding the Gap and Banana Republic brands via international franchises. F J Benjamin plans to open about 30 stores in Singapore and Malaysia by 2010, opening the first Gap store in 2006 and the first Banana Republic store in 2007. â€Å"We are bringing Gap and Banana Republic to more customers throughout the world,† Quote from Andrew Rolfe president of Gap inc international. Gap Inc. will gain F J Benjamin’s retail expertise but will provide access to Gap and Banana Republic’s world-renowned clothing and accessories. F J Benjamin will purchase merchandise from Gap Inc. or suppliers designated by Gap Inc. and must keep to Gap Inc.’s quality standards to protect the reputation of the Gap and Banana Republic brands. This year Gap has also brought more franchise partners on board in United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, and plans to have 90 Gap and Banana Republic stores in Southeast Asia and the Middle East by 2010. The second franchising deal that Gap inc have signed is with the Al Tayer group-a leading business in the Middle East. Al Tayer will introduce Gap and Banana Republic brands into five key markets in the Middle East. The Group plans to open about 25 Gap and about 10 Banana Republic stores by 2010. The first Gap stores will open in the later part of 2006 and the Banana Republic stores are scheduled to open in 2007. Under its agreement with Gap Inc, Al Tayer Group will hold exclusive rights to operate Gap and Banana Republic branded clothing and accessories stores in United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and exclusive rights for Gap in Oman. Gap Inc. will again provide access to Gap and Banana Republic’s world-renowned clothing and accessories in return Al Tayer Group’s expertise in building retail outlets in the Middle East. Gap have entered two franchising deals already, if these were to succeed I would not predict against them entering them in the future. The advantages to gap for using franchise deals are as follows; any risk for the business is taken away as someone else will be running the business. The company will be provided with a lump sum and a percentage share of the annual turnover. This lump sum can be invested into other areas of the business such as advertising or research and development. The percentage of the annual turnover could also be retained profit. The business grows quickly and easily a global brand can be created effectively as long as people are willing to buy franchises in your business. Although there are various advantages the company could benefit from there are also disadvantages which could harm the business, actions by the franchised stores could harm the reputation of the company, because they have no control in the market they give full responsibility to the franchisee that could let you down. Also only some of profits are given to the company they have to share with the franchisee. This annual turnover they do receive would probably be significantly lower than the stores gross profit annually. The final growth strategy which could be used by Gap would be licensing, A license allows a business to make, produce and market a product or use the production method, which is protected by copyright or patent. This means that an innovative company can expand into international markets without actually having to invest in locally based production facilities. An example of licensing would be Heineken lager which is brewed under license by Whitbread’s in the United Kingdom. From research I have found that as well as franchising Gap have also entered licensing agreements. In 2006 Gap announced a licensing agreement between themselves and Safilo group. Safilo group are the leader in high-end and luxury eyewear. The agreement includes Banana Republic-branded prescription frames and sunglasses. The agreement includes the design, development, production and distribution of a collection to be launched by the end of 2007 in the United States and Canada. Terms of the agreement include a five-year commitment. The agreement represents the first time Banana Republic will sell its products outside its own distribution channels. â€Å"Their ability to transform eyewear concepts into luxury products is a great complement to our own expertise in extending the Banana Republic brand.† Quote from Marka Hansen president of banana republic, highlighting that both the companies entering into the licensing agreement will benefit from the others expertise in that relevant field. Banana Republic are not familiar with the design or production of sunglasses and so have taken the opportunity to find a leader in the sunglasses market to do this for them. Safilo will benefit from the well know brand identity of Gap inc and therefore the agreement should benefit both companies dramatically. These are not the only benefits that both companies could gain; capital costs of setting up in a foreign market are reduced because the licensee will have to produce the product. Also no local knowledge will be needed because the business will not have to sell in the area. This can save millions in research and development for the company. Finally the risk of setting up in a foreign market is reduced and the business grows quickly and easily, a global brand is created. Having these benefits would be great for both the companies involved in the licensing agreement, but as with all the strategies there are downsides to entering these agreements, somebody else will be running your business you have to trust others will the reputation and brand of your company. If the licensee does something to harm your reputation it could reduce sales. Finally the profits from the new market go directly to the licensee. The business only receives a lump sum for selling the license. This could prove disastrous if the market does very well and profits are alot higher than expected. Assessing which strategy will be best in order to be profitable and best for the business can be very difficult. Making the correct decision on which strategy to use when entering a foreign market could be the difference between success and profits in that market or complete failure. Gap inc. is a global brand, and owns stores around the world, as the table shows below. The company has entered into these markets using different strategies, and so therefore some have been successful and others have not. I will know analyze the strategies used by the company in order to create a global brand and then evaluate whether this has been successful. Country Total number of stores United Kingdom 240 Canada 236 France 54 Japan 153 Germany 20 Source, http://biz.yahoo.com/e/070402 Gap has entered various markets using company owned stores and deciding not to use any of the strategies above. This strategy was used in several European market such as Germany the UK and France. These markets however have not proved as profitable as had hoped, this lead to Gap exiting the German market. Gap has operated in the UK since 1987 and in France since 1993. Overall, Gap’s total revenue in the year ended in January, 2006, was $16.02 billion, down 1.5%. Last year, Gap’s sales in Britain and France combined fell 6.1%, to $825 million. Together, those two countries account for about 7% of Gap’s total revenue. Source- Gap inc Annual report 2006 Source – http://finance.google.com/finance?q=GPS The above diagram shows the share price for Gap inc. since 1987. The graph shows that the share price was relatively low until 1997 when there was a dramatic increase ranging until 1999. We can see that in 1987 when the Gap invested in stores in the UK the share price was $2.87. Even after entering such a mass market and increased possible customers which should inevitably lead to increased sales and therefore profit, in the following years the share price did not reflect this. After four years in the UK market the share price had only increased minimally to $3.37. A larger increase in the share price would have been expected if the sales had gone as predicted. The same can be said about the share price when the company expanded into the French market in 1993, the share price was $4.38 after three years in the market the share price had only increased minimally again to only $6.37. These figures show that there has been an increase in the share price of Gap after the introduction into new markets, but not the kind of increase that was expected. Because Gap was introduced into the new markets by company owned outlets, the start up costs would have been very high and so therefore the company would have expected to have high sales to try and regain some of these costs. The inevitable ending to the Gap stores in these markets would be similar to that of Gap stores in Germany were after years of poor sales the company withdrew from that market Gap was forced into selling shops in Germany to one of their main competitors, Swedish company H&M. The lack of profits and growth in the European markets is highlighted in the quote below. â€Å"Gap International store sales were negatively impacted by weak product acceptance in Europe. Our total store sales increase was due to the 130 new store openings, a majority of which occurred during the second half of the year.† Source – Quote from Gap’s annual report of 2006 This quote highlights the problems faced in the European markets. Gap may have used their experiences and lack of success in the European market to improve their chances in other emerging markets such as Asia. This may have played a part in swaying the decision to choose licensing and franchising as a source of international growth rather than try to go it alone as they did in Europe. Gap’s problems in this market could be down to a number of reasons, for example poor research and development not understanding what the consumer needs or poor pricing strategies. The two franchising agreements between Gap and F J Benjamin Holdings and Al Tayer group are relatively new. The franchises are not trading and so the extent to which this has been successful can not be evaluated. A leading competitor and one of Gaps main rivals in the clothing industry is Spanish company Zara a well branded company known all around the world, has successfully franchised it’s company and is now reaping the rewards. For example a franchised Zara in Helsinki was opened in April 2002 and sales got off to a flying start and were better than predicted. Spanish group Inditex owners of Zara have reported a rise in profits of 14.6 percent, thanks to â€Å"outstanding† sales at its Zara chain. Sales for the three months ended 31 July rose net income at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½144.7 million, up from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½123.6 million last year. These figures from Zara show the type of sales and net income Gap must achieve for there franchise to be a success. Gap can look at Zara’s success at franchising and take on board how they have achieved there success. Sources, http://www.stockmann.fi/portal/english/news_releases/?year=2002&id=880709 http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/news/inditex.htm Again as with the franchising agreements the licensing agreements Gap have entered are relatively new and in the start up phase with the Safilo group. The products are set to be launched towards the end of 2007 and so figures on how successful they have been obviously cannot be researched. Evaluation. Gap inc. have or are soon going to be using various growth strategies in order to try and increase sales and profits around the world. From my research I have found that the first main strategy used by Gap was to open company owned stores in Europe. I found that this was a partly bad decision. I found that Gap found entering into the European market very difficult finding it hard to please the customer and increase sales. As I said earlier Gap’s intention’s when opening stores in both France and the UK were positive however the share price does not suggest this. Both these markets can be potentially lucrative however in the following years the share price did not reflect this-it only increased minimally. Gap found both of these markets hard to enter, but there hardest task was the German market. Here poor product acceptance and poor sales lead to Gap closing operations in Germany and selling their stores to clothing rival H&M. This highlighted the problem for Gap in the European market and if sales continue the way they are at the moment drastic changes need to be put in place or operations in the UK and French market may also have to be closed down. Entering into foreign markets using company owned shops as Gap did, has positives and negatives, setting up can costs millions of pounds in start up costs buying land or having to buy retail shops in city centers can be very expensive. Research and development is also a major factor, because the company can not rely on treating every market as there own domestic market every country will have different tastes and fashions and will have a different view on how much they are willing to pay. Finding this out is crucial for the business to succeed. Even though there are negatives there are some positives all profits made in the new market go directly to the company it doesn’t have to be shared, and also the company’s risk is more spread out so that the company does not have to rely on only one market others can make up for one market doing poorly. From my research I can evaluate that the decision to go into the European market using company owned shops was a bad idea. All of the markets entered are struggling and Gap has already had to exit one of them. Using company owned shops has its advantages but I think that Gap has not benefited from these; this could be for a number of reasons. Even though two of the markets entered are still operating I would predict that if sales do not increase then Gap would be forced into exiting these also. I believe that the franchising agreements set up with both groups in the Middle East is a positive move for Gap. I think the area knowledge that the groups will bring will help Gap succeed in this market were it failed in the European market. Using the Zara case study I found that there previous franchises have been extremely successful and increased profits massively for the parent company Inditex. Gap needs to seriously consider how and why Zara’s franchise agreements have worked and why they have been successful and then implement this into there own agreements. Gap and the franchisee groups could benefit from the agreements massively for a number of reasons, any risk for the business is taken away as someone else will be running the business. A lump sum is received for the franchise and more importantly high capital costs will not be needed because someone else would have to invest the money. This makes this a positive because there are less opportunity costs as less money would have to invested into selling abroad. This money could be used to strengthen the foothold in the company’s domestic market as they cannot afford to neglect this whilst trying to expand. However there are also negatives of this strategy which Gap would have to consider mainly that Gap would not have any control over the franchised stores, the owner could tarnish the reputation of the company on a global scale through one action which would drastically affect the company. Gap would have to ensure the franchisee was the right person for the culture and ethics in the company and a partnership built on trust must be formed. Overall I think that franchising would be an excellent way of growing for Gap. I believe looking at the success of Zara using this strategy that Gap will succeed in the Middle East with the franchised agreements. Gap must be careful however that the Al Tayer Group and F J Benjamin are the right groups to push the Gap brand globally.

An Analysis Of Postmodern Blackness By Bell Hooks

An Analysis Of Postmodern Blackness By Bell Hooks When the essay was first written during the 1990’s, the main point was that postmodernism was probably the most well-known trend with scholars and different academic people for its thoughts of heterogeneity, the decentered subjectrecognition of Otherness which was just a number of different ways for saying, culture was attempting to help empower the underestimated and overlooked voices in society. Nonetheless, those main scholars of postmodernism were basically following a do as I say, not as I do display. They would attempt to challenge for better approaches for considering, or challenging against old mindsets, while in the meantime falling prey to their own particular old thoughts regarding there being no significant association between the black experience and critical thinking about aesthetics or culture. Hooks utilizes essentialism as the primary method for uncovering the postmodernist falseness overrunning culture. Essentialism challenges the idea that one truth or standard exists to which every one of us ought to work towards or to submit to. Postmodernism works against essentialism since essentialism takes away the potential outcomes for boundless perspectives or points of view in which we can see the world and live by. Bell trusts that postmodern culture hopes to rid of the idea of essentialism yet still supports its practicality, on the grounds that the discussion being had in postmodernism is fundamentally to a particular gathering of people that offers a common language established in the very master narratives it claims to challenge. In spite of the falseness postmodernism portrays within its perspective of essentialism, in any case, Bell discovers some support in postmodernism. By uncovering essentialism as a false, Bell contends that postmodernism has made a longing that joins everybody who has ever felt devalued or misunderstood. Bell at last considers postmodernism to be doing great, and she sees that the task of removing essentialism can possibly free those who are truly oppressed. They just should see the bounds of their present postmodernist society first. Compared to most theories on postmodernism, Bell sees next to no portrayal of the voices of black individuals especially those voices of black females. Some portion of this is a result of the fundamental racism in the school of thought, which as per Bell Hooks is both a reason and an impact of the conviction of African American researchers that there is little in postmodernism that is applicable to the black experience. The irony of this all is that postmodernism depends on the possibility of specificity and assorted variety of experience, and Hooks challenges that black postmodernist writers have engrossed, acknowledged, and confirmed through their works, the racial oppression that they have tried to challenge. Be that as it may, Bell guarantees that ongoing advancements, particularly deindustrialization, have made the likelihood for compassion across a number of identities. There are white working-class individuals who are encountering the same oppression as the ones which black individuals have to face. However, the focal worry of this paper is that black researchers should utilize the critique of essentialism that is vital to postmodernism without dismissing the possibility of a black experience. Most crucial, African-American researchers, such as Bell Hooks, ought to draw in with individuals in the society, particularly artists, whose work is likewise a type of analysis.

Effect of lowering temperature in tissue and organ preservation Research Paper

Effect of lowering temperature in tissue and organ preservation - Research Paper Example Enzymes in tissues and organs dissociate through inactivation because of cold-related propensities. Some enzymes are intrinsically affected by cooling. Reducing the temperature increases trans-membrane diffusion of solutes from minute ions to expanded molecules (Fuller et al., 2014). Hypothermic Machine Perfusion Preservation This preservation method was developed to enhance the quality and time of preservation of kidneys. The method allows the movement of oxygen to the tissues to enable ATP synthesis. The perfusion of the fluids aids in the transportation of oxygen through the fluids to essential areas of the organ (In Kirk, 2014). The perfusion process is positively impacted when the temperatures are regulated to certain limits. Even though the reduction of temperatures can have certain side effects, the preservation viability is immensely enhanced. Oxygen Persufflation The method employs gaseous oxygen in improving the viability of an organ for transplant. For instance, oxygen is bubbled through a vasculature that is then released through minute proliferations at the organ's surface. The method is effective in liver preservation because of its homogenous distribution of oxygen. The method has incredible capabilities of recovering the DCD organs (In Kirk, 2014). The two methods are critical in reducing the metabolic and chemical reactions that can otherwise affect the normal establishment of an organ. The flow of oxygen within the organ is the principal foundation of employed by the methods of preserving organs and tissues.