Journal of my close friend

My Close Friend Who is that? Is that your best friend? I am sure everyone had been asked by those questions in their life. So do l. So, what it is close friend? Close friend is someone who always cheers you up in no matter what happened either in happiness or sadness. Hangout, gossiping, playing, studying, shopping, laughing, crying, and so on, all you do is together with them, your best friends. In my life, I do have a close friend. She is my sunshine. She also is my rainbow after heavy rain had passed. I laughed with her. I cried with her.She never left me, so do l. We are a best friend. Forever, I will cherish our friendship. I still remember how I met her in our first meeting. On the first day of my high school, I went to school early. When I stepped in my class, I saw someone was sleeping in the corner of my class. I got a little shocked when looking at her. For sure because I do think she might be a ghost or someone who are homeless. But somehow, I told myself to be brave, so I came near to her then I realize, she also a student, same as me. I woke her up and she is awake.She looked at me innocently with her puffy eyes. Suddenly she cried hard in front of me. I was so anxious with that unexpected scene. Did I hurt her when I woke her up? When I asked her, she told me everything. Nothing less but it was about her heartbreaking. I Just listen to her and comfort her. Although it was a little awkward since that was the first time I met her, still, I feel comfortable with her. The feeling want to be her friend were strongly linger in myself. After that, we always keep in touch and end up as a best friend. Sharing all story together.When I was in trouble, she is ready for me and I had never leave by her side when she needs me. Where is she, there is always me by her side. That is why everyone called us a twin. She is a thin girl with a sweet smile. She is so cool most of time but when something had troubled her, I easily recognized it. All of her feeling is sho wn at her beautiful face without barriers. That is why I as her only best friend will always cheer her up. I love to see her smile and her sorrow are my first thing I must vanish away. I love her, my only best friend, Siti Najihah†¦

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation Essay

In the past the Special Education has overcome some challenges and length. The laws and rules made it potential for all special needs to have an education and to be treated fairly like everyone else. The special needs are human beings just like any other person and they need to have the same opportunities and equality in today’s society. Attitude Over the years the attitude towards the intellectual disabilities has been poorly repulsive and prejudice. Connecticut 1650 code was a law where the special needs get sterilization and can no longer reproduce. Hitler also eradicated the special needs, because he saw them as being weak to his supreme race. The people were afraid of the special needs because they did not fit into the normal society. In the coming years the attitudes slowly change and special needs are becoming more accepted into society. The laws and rules will soon open up people minds and eyes to change their attitude towards the special needs. â€Å"Furthermore, the stigma and discrimination commonly experienced by individuals with intellectual disability are not only a barrier to effective integration but also result in reduced self-esteem and feelings of isolation† (Ouellette-Kuntz, Burge, Brown, Arsenault, 2010, pg. 132). Legislation and Litigation Litigation has made a huge impact on the Special Education. The IDEA and the NCLB has changed the education for the special needs to allow the students into the school to learn and have the same education values as other students. The special needs students were not permitted to go to school and people were afraid of them or they might get the same disabilities of what they had. The Legislation brought up laws to protect the special needs and  to have them to go to school along with the general education. The Legislation also ensures the NCLB that all the students and teachers meet their requirement goals and given assessments for students for their grade levels. The IEP (Individualized Education Plan) benefit the teachers to keep track or their students’ progress and contains information on how well they are learning. â€Å"It is critical that IEP teams carefully consider the implications of choosing an alternative assessment as it may lead to an alternative diploma or certificate and may influence the kinds of jobs and postsecondary options available to the student† (Bowen, Rude, 2005, pg.27). Legislation made a wave for the Special Education and continues to put new laws in to the school systems to provide resources and materials for the students who have disabilities. Challenges There are some challenges that the educators are facing, where they have to make sure their students are passing and they have to follow the NCLB act. The resources and funds are being cut in the education departments and it is making it uneasy for the special needs those essential materials in order to learn. In some school district it is affecting their students to progress and the teacher’s accountability to provide the materials to the lesson plans. The teachers are facing hard times if their students are not passing because of budget cuts and spending. Predictions Student with disabilities are still being encourage to believe that there is still expectation for them to succeed. Students with mild disabilities are in the regular education classroom and learning the same materials other students are learning. In the future Special Education will thrive for the best, because there will be more voices and concern for the privileges of educations. The students will also be allow to have more choices for their education and hopefully the budget and spending will be prosperous for more resources and supplies to give out to the Special needs. Personal Encounter My first encounter with a person with disabilities, I was thinking â€Å"What happen to them, or why do they behave like that?† I would think will that ever happen to me? I also spectacle why do they attend the same school I go to. I started to run out of questions and answer and that’s when I asked my  mother who is a Special Education teacher and she told me â€Å"People with disabilities have the same equal rights and opportunities as other people do and they are human beings just like us.† That day on I change my who perspective view on people with disabilities. Conclusion The Special Education teachers are willing to take on challenges and roles to support their students to achieve. The laws and regulation are pushing it ways through the doors and allowing benefits, and educational plans for the special needs. The parents, teachers, and communities are the voices that will provide better treatment and exceptional tools to better the educational needs for the students. References Ouellette-Kuntz, H., Burge, P., Brown, H. K., & Arsenault, E. (2010). Public Attitudes Towards Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities as Measured by the Concept of Social Distance. Journal Of Applied Research In Intellectual Disabilities, 23(2), 132-142. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3148.2009.00514.x Bowen, S. K., & Rude, H. A. (2006). Assessment and Students with Disabilities: Issues and Challenges with Educational Reform. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 25(3), 24-30.

Computer Security Information Risk Assessment & Security Management Essay

Computer Security Information Risk Assessment & Security Management - Essay Example Before computers became ubiquitous, confidential information was stored in documents, photographs, audio or video tapes, etc. The confidentiality was ensured by keeping these items in locked safes, bank vaults, dual control safes, etc. This is prevalent to some extent even today. With Computers becoming ubiquitous, documents are now largely electronic. To preserve their integrity and confidentiality, recourse is made to password protection, data encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection software, etc. (Parker. B, Donn. Microsoft Encarta, n. d.) This is the age of the World Wide Web. Nowadays, almost every person having a vehicle loan, a housing loan, a credit or debit card, and automated teller machine card, a social security number, a passport, a driving license, a telephone connection, etc, has to provide detailed personal information to the agency or authority, which provides that particular facility or service. Most if not all such information is in electronic form and stored in some centralized Computer's Database. The crux of the problem is this electronic form of personal data. If a hacker succeeds in his hacking attempt then all such confidential data can be viewed, changed or destroyed by the hacker. There exist a vast number of such co... software such as automatic computer virus generators, internet eavesdropping sniffers, password guessers, vulnerability testers and computer service saturators to further their criminal ends. Adoption of such methods makes identity theft, fraudulent withdrawals from a bank account, fraudulent electronic funds transfer, etc, possible. A vast amount of confidential data is regularly exchanged between governmental agencies and financial institutions like banks and other corporations. This transfer of information usually takes place between computers located in different and far off places. In the 1970's Horst Fiestel of IBM, developed an encryption system known as Lucifer. In 1977, the U.S National Bureau of Standards developed an encryption standard known as the Data Encryption Standard. In 1997, the NIST developed the Advanced Encryption Standard. The use of these methods makes the encrypted message almost impossible to decipher. Unfortunately, this is used by terrorists and international criminals to plan and execute their nefarious activities. (Sutton. G, William, Rubin .D, Aviel, Microsoft Encarta, n. d.) The world is becoming increasingly networked. In this scenario, data encryption algorithms of increasing complexity are ensuring the secure transmission of information across Computer Networks. Password protected logins, firewalls, anti - spy ware like intrusion detection systems, anti - virus, application safeguards like generation of checksums, use of maker checker concept in financial transactions, authentication message source, use of roles and privileges, limit on transaction amount, redundancy of backups, parallel databases and the physical security of hardware. In addition to this, a mock disaster recovery drill should be conducted on a regular

American beauty and Existentialism Movie Review

American beauty and Existentialism - Movie Review Example The continual struggle of Lester Burnham regarding the meaning of life eventually endows him with the freedom to assume total responsibility for his life, thereby taking the onus to give a meaning to his life, which though did not affiliate to any organized and systematic philosophical discipline is of immense importance and concern, so far as the life of Lester Burnham is concerned. Hence, eventually in the climax, Lester Burnham arrives at a meaningful conclusion that corroborates the essential existential theme that any valid philosophical quest ought to stand on a foundation comprising of the actual experiences of an individual. The eventual demise of Lester Burnham is not only satisfactory and well deserved in the context of his individual struggle, but is also indicative of the possibility of soliciting happiness by proactively engaging in an existential crisis. The existential themes inherent in the movie American Beauty could only be grasped by having a relevant insight into the actual plot and contexts. The central character in the movie that is Lester Burnham is shown to be up against a midlife existential crisis. In the movie Lester Burnham is shown to be a middle aged American male who is both a husband and a father. Lester is shown to be trapped in a marriage that is of no relevant meaning or interest to him. He happens to be the father of a daughter who actually seems to hate him. Lester is also shown to be trapped in a job that not only devoid of any motivation or interest, but also happens to be morally and ethically debasing and from which Lester Burnham intends to escape for the sake of personal peace and well being. It is only after Lester Burnham gets attracted to her daughter’s young and beautiful friend that he begins to assume responsibility for his life, thereby getting actively engaged in asking questions and making decisions that lead to his eventual sad but personally edifying death. In that context, the movie American Beauty f acilitates a deep insight into the actual motivations behind the so called modern life and the commensurate human struggle to seek meaning and personal contentment. The movie presents to the viewers the varied existential themes marking the contemporary life through the existential struggle of the central character Lester Burnham, at the same time shedding light on the vacuity and inanity of the individuals and organizations surrounding Lester Burnham. The plot of the movie thereby serves two purposes, one to unravel the absurdity and ludicrousness hidden behind the conformist notions of life, and second the possibility of seeking happiness and fulfillment in the small things marking the human existence. One existential theme that continually pops up while being engaged in the unraveling of the seemingly banal and mundane life of Lester Burnham is that of authenticity. In a quest for personal meaning and goal, the existential struggle engaged into by the central character that is Le ster Burnham, the character is shown to be living Sartre’s notion of authenticity, thereby practically symbolizing the fact that â€Å"authenticity implies the assumption of one’s moral responsibility, the recognition that one has to decide what is good (Schilpp 96).†Through his existential struggle, Lester Burnham actually establishes that authenticity is possible that even while being numbly engaged in an existential struggle, there does is a personal unity of consciousness, a personal capacity to be a proactive

Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Information System - Essay Example Recent studies indicate that creation of new software systems requires the inclusion of the varied customer needs and demands. It is a complex task to include all the customer needs and requirements in to one software system. Development of new software systems faces the challenge of not being able to meet the customers requirements. Generalization of software systems is the only way to go while creating new software systems and yet there are records of several unused software licenses (Carlsen, Roger, &Willis, pg 17). This is because most software customers find the generalized versions, not up to date, and would prefer using customized software. On the other hand, it is more complex and expensive to create personalized and customized software systems, as it will require time and customer consultations. The success of creation of new software systems that most people will use will depend on how well the technical community that develops software systems understands the needs of the users. New software systems developers work in teams of people in order to increase productivity and innovation. In most cases and most of them are not fit for high-performance teams. Software creation requires people who are willing to think and work beyond the normal, and this can only be present in a highly motivated and effective team. Regarding the information science field, creation of a new software system will be lengthy, and is costly to complete fruitfully the development process (Sahu, pg 25). The world of information technology keeps on changing rapidly and by the time given software comes to the market; it may be already out dated. The ever-increasing competition in the software industry makes it even hard for developers to come up with new software systems that will match the ever-changing market (Carlsen, Roger, &Willis, pg 7). Another notable challenge facing development of new software systems is the overly rigid processes

How Ivan Illyich viewed his own death Assignment

How Ivan Illyich viewed his own death - Assignment Example People not only ignore family and friends at the climax of their career life, but also they appear to be ignorant of the bitter truth that they would have to leave this world one day at any cost. Hence, they seldom discuss the topic in their everyday life, and take it as a matter of least concern for their life. It is therefore Byock (2002) is justified in stating that discussing the meaning of death looks disrespectful and distasteful. The same is applied to Ivan Ilych, the protagonist of the novel under-examination, who first time felt the absence of the family and distances from his wife and children after slipping from stairs, and falling ill, gradually proceeding to his ultimate end eventually. The novel begins with the death news of Ilych, few hours before, and his friends and colleagues appear to be discussing the event with astonishment. Somehow, they take it serious just for the next few moments, and start discussing other matters taking his exit from the world as a routine incident of least interest. The novel proceeds and takes the readers to the early years of Ilych’s life, demonstrating him as a brilliant student and an adventurous youth as well (Tolstoy, 13). The young man embarks upon his career in the law profession, and rises to the position of judge during his latter years. He turns such absorbed and dedicated in his career life that he does not estimate his relationship with his family members. Now, after undergoing an injury in the wake of an accident, he appears to be lying in bed, and making struggle to survive between life and death. At first, Ilych takes it as a trivial injury, though it gradually damages his left side, and confines him to bed. Leading a life of loneliness as a retired and recluse person turns out to be very irritating for him in the beginning. The indifference demonstrated by his wife and children towards him is also painful and humiliating for him. Somehow, gradually he realizes that it is not a matter of ailmen t and convalescence; rather, it is a struggle between life and death, where death is sure to overcome life one day or the other. Ilych experiences severe physical pains at the verge of death, and starts cursing the situation turning his state unbearable (169). He is being attended by the peasant boy, though family members also arrive at there by that time. As a result, out of sheer pains, he starts inviting death to relieve him from such suffering immediately (171). Hence, death, to Ilych is the phenomenon that not only unveils the mysteries of universe before the dying person, but also it brings the message of comfort and relief from the worries of life, and physical and mental agonies and pains, which Ilych experiences during last few hours of undergoing severe pain before breathing his last (171). The novel concentrates upon death phenomenon, and man’s certain departure from this world one day after spending some specific time period on the face of the earth. Consequently, man’s relation with death is eternal and perpetual, while his association with worldly life is just temporary

1-page Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

1-page Marketing - Research Paper Example For example, annual percentage growth rates of GDP at market prices based on the U.S dollars, in 2010-2014, was 2.2%. Various factors and trends affect a company and this tend to bring some of the implications to the business such as state of the economy, technology, basic characteristics customers have in common like age and shifts in popular opinion which are strongly influenced by the media. Environmental issues also affect an industry in a great way. There has been a difference though in U.S in those three years as technology has progressed, there is access to distribution of channels, and also access of essential unique services. While different companies have different products, they have to make them saleable in the face of current and potential competition, thus they need to evaluate ways to be attractive to the industry. For example, they should have unique products compared to other companies, so as to gain the buyer power also for the customers with the knowledge of new trends and emerging channels, which offers an opportunity to develop a competitive advantage of major purchasers in future years. For example, the U.S. percentage of the export of goods and services as from 2010-2014 was 13.5, which shows an improvement in its estimated share, thus the growth of the industry. Feenstra, Robert C, Joseph E. Gagnon, and Michael Knetter. Market Share and Exchange Rate Pass-Through in World Automobile Trade. Cambridge (1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass. 02138: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1993. Internet

Grocery, Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grocery, Inc - Case Study Example Thus Masterpiece argued that it had done so in the best interests of both the parties involved. John W. Ralls in "Subcontractor May Pursue Claim for Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing in Contract but May Not Pursue a Cardinal Change Theory." June 11, 2001 explains a similar case in Wyoming. Grocery argued that it was not mentioned that the contract would not be handed over to a sub-contractor without the consent of both the parties because the agreement was signed by a trainee, who was not even a major and had no idea or experience about the subject. Thus, the validity of the agreement itself was in question. Also, the quality of construction of the building was very poor, thus putting Grocery's reputation at stake. Grocery is a renowned brand all over the US and is known for its stores and products. The major argument, however was that Masterpiece failed to inform Grocery about the subcontracting of the work to Build To Fall, which was a breach of trust. The Hon'ble court gave the judgment that Masterpiece had indeed resorted to a breach of trust and ordered Masterpiece to redo the whole job, without any extra compensation and within a time-period of four months; or else pay a damage claim of $ xyz. "The parties agree that this is a case of first impression in Missouri as Missouri courts have not specifically addressed whether a creditor is obligated to apply proceeds from a foreclosure sale to all loans in default secured by the same collateral pursuant to a master or umbrella loan agreement. Both parties claim the resolution of the matter is governed by section 400.9-601(a), which provides in pertinent part, (a) After default, a secured party has the rights provided in this part and, except as otherwise provided in section 400.9-602, those provided by agreements of the parties. A secured party: (1) May reduce a claim to judgment, foreclose, or otherwise enforce the claim, security interest, or agricultural lien by any available judicial procedure; and section 400.9-615(a), which provides in pertinent part, (a) A secured party shall apply or pay over for application the cash

Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Pride and Prejudice Essay When prejudice occurs, stereotyping and discrimination may also result. In many cases, prejudices are based upon stereotypes. A stereotype is a simplified assumption about a group based on prior assumptions. Stereotypes can be both positive (women are warm and nurturing) or negative (teenagers are lazy). Stereotypes can lead to faulty beliefs, but they can also result in both prejudice and discrimination. According to psychologist Gordon Allport, prejudice and stereo types emerge in part as a result of normal human thinking. In order to make sense of the world around us, it is important to sort information into mental categories. The human mind must think with the aid of categories, Allport explained. Once formed, categories are the basis for normal prejudgment. We cannot possibly avoid this process. Orderly living depends upon it. This process of categorization applies to the social world as well, as we sort people into mental groups based on factors such as age, sex and race. However, researchers have found that while when it comes to categorizing information about people, we tend to minimize the differences between people within groups and exaggerate the differences between groups. In one classic experiment, participants were asked to judge the height of people shown in photographs. People in the experiment were also told that: In this booklet, the men and women are actually of equal height. We have taken care to match the heights of the men and women pictured. That is, for every woman of a particular height, somewhere in the booklet there is also a man of that same height. Therefore, in order to make as accurate a height judgment as possible, try to judge each photograph as an individual case; do not rely on the persons sex. In addition to these instructions, a $50 cash prize was offered to whoever made the most accurate judgments of height. Despite this, participants consistently rated the men as being a few inches taller than the women. Because of their prejudgment that men are taller than women, the participants were unable to dismiss their existing categorical beliefs about men and women in order to judge the heights accurately. Researchers have also found that people tend to view members of outside groups as being more homogenous than members of their own group, a phenomenon referred to as the out-group homogeneity bias. This perception that all member of an out-group are alike holds true of all groups, whether based on race, nationality, religion, age or other naturally occurring group affiliation.

Zeigarnik Effect Essay Example for Free

Zeigarnik Effect Essay The Zeigarnik Effect is named after the Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik (1926), who noticed an odd thing while sitting in a restaurant in Vienna. The waiters seemed only to remember orders which were in the process of being served, but little recollection of the completed orders. Zeigarnik went back to her lab to test out a theory about what was going on with the waiter. More than fifty years after the Bluma Zeigarnik study, Kenneth McGraw and his team returned to conduct the same study. The conclusion in both studies was that once people start something, they are more inclined to finish it. There is, however, one exception to the Zeigarnik Effect; it won’t work unless you are actually motivated to complete the task or achieve the goal. The Zeigarnik Effect says our brains hold-on to unfinished tasks; in other words, we like to finish what we start. The Zeigarnik Effect is about the human tendency to remember uncompleted tasks more than the tasks already completed. When people manage to start something they’re more inclined to finish it. What the Zeigarnik Effect teaches is that one weapon for beating procrastination is starting– something, sometime, somewhere†¦ anything. Don’t start with the hard task, try something easy first. Once you’ve made a start, however trivial, there’s something drawing you on to complete the task. Zeigarnik ascribed their results to a ‘state of tension’, akin to a cliffhanger ending: Your mind wants to know what comes next. It wants to finish. In conclusion, memory is a good indicator as to whether people continue to be interrupted by thoughts of incomplete tasks. Constant thoughts of incomplete task components cause it to be retained in memory better. Interruptions that cause a person to fall behind in their objective also cause anxiety that brings about constant thoughts of unfinished business.

Structural Consensus and Structural Conflict Theories

Structural Consensus and Structural Conflict Theories Compare and contrast structural consensus and structural conflict theories of social action with interpretivist perspectives that emphasize human agency In Sociology, one of the main concepts that have influenced social theory is structure and social action. Functionalism and Marxism fit into the structure view that emphasises the macro perspective; examining society as a whole and how it shapes human behaviour and ideas, therefore, in order to understand human behaviour, the social structures are in need of investigation (Brym Lie, 2009) . On the other hand, social action theories are voluntaristic. They focus on human interactions upon a micro level. It argues that individuals have free will and are not ‘puppets’; therefore, the actions and meanings of individuals create and shape the society. This suggests actions are not determined by structure. In this essay, these theories will be addressed in order to gain a better understanding of how they are relevant in today’s society. It is important to compare and contrast these theories through use of evidence and critical thinking as they often contradict each othe r but nonetheless create a wider understanding of human agency. In the first half of this essay, structural conflict is illustrated as an assumption that society is becoming more individualistic, though as a counter argument functionalism uses the idea of social solidarity, which leads to their further analysis showing their agreements and disagreements. A contrary debate is provided in the second section of the essay that focuses further on the humanist individualistic approach. However, Weber believes both structural and social action should be taken in to consideration in order to understand human’s actions efficiently. Functionalism falls into structural consensus theory that came into sociology in the middle of twentieth century, although, some of its ideas were present in the founders of sociology in the ninetieth century. It has been argued that the model that functionalism has created of society has led to other perspectives re-emerging in response to those ideas (O’Byrne, 2010). Thus the theory has made such impact on sociological thinking to this day. Functionalists such as Emile Durkheim (1858- 1917) whom is arguably one of the founding fathers of sociology firstly stressed consensus notion in social structure; stating that any human thinking is inherited rather than invented. This takes place in socialisation process that teaches humans to conform to norms and values or in other words- cultural behaviour considerably accepted in certain settings (Jones, 2003). He deemed this term ‘collective consciousness’; Durkheim described this as beliefs and ideas of a common human b eing in the same society (Punch et al, 2013). Furthermore, Durkheim explored society as a system and its function within the society. In order to explain this, use of organic analogy takes place as a way of describing how each social factor or institutions are interdependent for the society’s needs. For instance, if one body organ stops functioning, then the rest of the body cannot survive, this can be explained within social institutions too, without the nuclear family the society wouldn’t be able to form social cohesion and solidarity (Jones, 2001). On the other hand, other functionalists such as Talcott Parsons had similar ideas, though ‘for Talcott Parsons one of the central tasks of sociology is to analyse society as a system of functionally interrelated variables’ (Cohen, 1968, p.45). Although Parsons does links his ideas to Durkheim, that is, in the society the personal beings and their views need to be treated as variables as stated by Cohen (1968). In contrast to structural consensus theories mentioned above, Marxism is known as a structural conflict theory that has been influenced and introduced by Karl Marx (1818- 1883). Economics was highly influential for him as well how the working class sell labour power, which determines how we relate to one another (Duffy, 2009). The theory examines the conflict between bourgeoisies and proletarians, unlike functionalism, he focused on class conflict and how it can be settled. Though since his death, there have been many interpretations of his thesis, some that stick to structural explanations of capitalism, and others that emphasize human agency as a humanist approach (Fawbert, 2014). Louis Althusser (1918-1990) interpreted Marx’s work on a structural capitalist sense; however instead of solely focusing on economic determinism, he alternatively concentrated on politics and ideologies. He claims that these levels are objective. This is because he believes humans are not active ag ents in social change, as we do not shape our society. For Althusser, to understand why the capitalism hasn’t collapsed, the states and its exercise of power need to be examined. He has discovered the repressive state apparatus, which consists of institutions such as the legal system or the police. In addition to the political apparatus that is- ideological state apparatus that includes media, family, education etc. that shape human’s process of thinking. As a result, our structure can be interconnected, just like how certain structures of dominance changed in history (Jones et al., 2011). To summarise, in his view, human agency plays no part in social change but the structures, and the only way of capitalism being taken over is through its internal contradictions. Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), on the other hand was more of a humanist Marxist whom was famous for originating the notion of hegemony idea that there are constant ideologies to alter a person’s perspectives on the world. (Salamini, 1974) ‘For Gramsci, like Althusser, culture is relatively autonomous. However, unlike Althusser, social change is caused by cultural struggles as much as changes in economic forces.’ (Fawbert, 2011, pp.3). As this theory focuses on human agency and social action, it can be argued that it shifts towards the micro perspective due to the ideas moving away from the structural capitalism. This may suggest that the theory is more applicable to contemporary society as human beings have become more complex to understand as a result of constant social change. According to Punch (2013) Marxism and Functionalism have a few things in common, they both investigated the society from a macro perspective view instead of how individuals affect structure, and they were also both concerned about the society moving towards modernity and the ninetieth century industrialization as well as its effects on quality of life. This also included the introduction of theories of how modernity came about and its components. However, Marxists did focus more on the capitalism rather than the industrial society. Marx highly believed in political revolution of the working class that would involve rebellion, although his predictions have been criticised due to Eastern Europe Soviet Union destruction and rise of nationalism. However, it has been argued that in Marx’s eyes, these communists’ movements weren’t what he was hoping for. Durkheim, however, rejected the politics of revolution but did construct ideas about socialism. He focused greatly o n norms and values and social solidarity; therefore, a revolution would disturb these socially. Moreover, although Marxism is stated as highly deterministic, it can be argued that he does look at solidarity within social class. For instance, he believes that the proletarian does have to collectively rise up to the Bourgeoisie’s, sensing the idea of togetherness within the lower class. Though they had different motives, they both however, used analogy to explain the social structure. In this case Durkheim used organic analogy as explained above, whereas Marx used a building analogy – the base and the superstructure. The superstructure involves social institutions such as family and education, which supports class interests along with maintaining and legitimating the base through ideologies and culture. Economic base alternatively shapes the superstructure as it consists of means and relations of production that is owned by the bourgeoisie’s. This suggests that Marxists believed there are only two classes in which it is very difficult to move from one to another. Whereas functionalists disagreed with this and instead believed in meritocracy, the idea that if you work hard enough you can achieve through merit, essentially, gain success of what you deserve. This implies that if you put in enough effort, you can move from lower to upper class (Collins, 20 00). Moreover, both theories have been criticised for ignoring individual differences and their motives. This is because they strongly believe that the society shapes the individual instead of individual’s meanings and actions influencing the society, therefore the theories aren’t as applicable in contemporary society as it needs to examine human’s meanings to the world. Now we turn away from looking at macro perspectives to micro and their differences and similarities within. The ideas of interpritvist view of action and structure are displayed as contrary. Unlike structural theories, social action discusses the interactions between individuals in small groups and their motives; in result of this it is called social pragmatist theory. Human beings aren’t seen a puppets whereas the structure debate talks about individuals as predictable human beings. This then raises question on how the structure influence person’s actions and, in opposition, how does one’s actions alter the social structure (Morselli, 2014). There is a disagreement amongst the theories within social action when the discussion of the connection between society and action comes in. This is because theories such as ethnomethodology disagree with the concepts of wider structures but sees us as rational human beings and how we make sense of our everyday world (Bilton et al., 2002). While others such as G.H. Mead (1863-1931) who is symbolic interactionist stresses the socialisation as much as structural theories, in spite of this, he underlines the idea of reacting self and the behaviour expected. Mead has a base of three premises that tries to explain human agency. The first is that depending on what the thing is, humans will act certainly towards it, such as institutions, for instance, an individual would act differently in a school environment compared to a governmental institution. The second premise enhances the meaning of these things that it derived from- in most cases social interaction. Interpretive process then takes places in order to administer and modify such things (Blumer, 1986). Hence, Bilton (2002) suggests that although they are all micro theorist they interpret the terms of action and meaning inversely. Following on Meads work, these 3 premises challenged other sociological thinking, especially functionalism, to the view that solely the society determined human action and thinking. Evidence to back his theory was shown in Erving Goffman’s (1992-1982) work of whom was vastly influenced by Mead’s ideas of symbolic interactionism. His study tried to examine how social identity was defined by adaptation of certain roles, in this case, the mental asylum tried to reduce each inmate’s individuality through uniforms, haircuts, use of number instead of names, leading to each one of them changing his or her identity and self-image for the institutions interests (Calvert, 1992). Finally, Max Weber (1864-1920) took on an approach that combines social structure as well as agency theory emphasising motivational action. This differed to previous theories as functionalism greatly focused on institutions maintaining cohesion of wider structures, whereas Marx’s ideas were concerned on social class conflict as well as the origins of industrial capitalism. Though Weber rejected Marx’s view of economic determinism, he didn’t come across as falsifying them; he argued that Marx provided an unpolished portrayal of human motivation, therefore, lack of causal analysis of historical circumstances (Hughes et al., 1995). He also rejected the idea of universalism- that all societies go through same stages, due to meaningless infinity of complexity affecting each society differently (Chernilo, 2013). He therefore, tries to look at motivated social action as well as discuss large structures, such as cultural ideas. Weber’s vision was that we have move d away from traditional action to rational or in other words, goal-orientated. Individuals in our contemporary society start to think in a way to gain the benefits of the final goal and outweigh its consequences. Social structure becomes the outcome of this as our lifestyle is the product of our motives. As a consequence, Weber argued that modern capitalist societies are in a triumph of rationality. To explain this he used religion, specifically puritan protestant movement, which criticised the ‘catholic’ way of thinking. An example of this is his book The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism (1997). He found that Calvinism created the work ethic and asceticism that contributed to the rise of industrial capitalism; this maintained capitalism due to this religion accumulating constant wealth as a result of belief of predestination. The book moreover, states that the human actions can create consequences of rational thinking on a structural basis. Due to such disenchanted world, all superstition and values become pushed out cultural thinking. This is a crisis for Weber as then this leads to no meaning to the world in the way that religion has created previously (Jones et al., 2011) To summarise, the human agency has been evaluated variably depending on the theories. Durkheim mainly focuses on social solidarity influencing the decision making, although Marx agrees that society is responsible for shaping one’s opinion he’s more economical determinant. To balance this out, Weber brings in human’s motives and how these drives decision making upon an individual, as well as taking structural causes into consideration. Therefore, it can be argued that these sociology fathers have defined human agency but due their differences it is difficult to fully comprehend the affect the society has on human agency. References Bilton, T., Bonnet, K., Jones, P., Lawson, T., Skinner, D., Stanworth, M., Webster, A. (2002) Introductory Sociology, 4th edn., Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillian. Blumer, H. (1992) Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, California: University of California Press. Brym, R. Lie, J. (2009) Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brief Edition: Enhanced Edition 2edn., Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc Calvert, SP. (1992) Sociology Today, Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatsheaf. Chernilo, D. (2013) The Natural Law Foundations of Modern Social Theory: A Quest for Universalism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cohen, P. (1968) Modern Social Theory, London: Heinemann Education Books Ltd. Collins (2000) Internet-linked dictionary of Sociology, Glasgow: HarperCollins. Duffy, F. (2009) Marx, Social Change and Revolution’, Research Starters Sociology [Online] Research Starters, EBSCOhost (Accessed: 17 November 2014). Fawbert, J. (2014) Lecture 6: Structural and cultural Marxism: Althusser, Gramsci and the Frankfurt School, Understanding society, [Online] Available at: https://breo.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 22 November 2014). Hughes, A.J., Martin, J.P., Sharrock, W.W. Understanding Classical Sociology: Marx, Weber, Durkheim, London: SAGE. Jones, P. (2003) Introducing Social theory, Cambridge: Polity Press. Jones, P., Bradbury, L., Boutillier, S., (2011) Introducing Social Theory 2edn., Cambridge: Polity Press. Jones, S. (2001) Durkheim Reconsidered, Cambridge: Polity Press. Morselli, A. (2014) Contemporary Capitalism between Human Action and Social Structure, Economics Sociology, 7 (2) pp. 11-19 EBSCOhost [Online] Available at: http://0-eds.b.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 17 November 2014). O’Byrne, D. (2010) Introducing Sociological Theory , Dawsonera [Online] Available at: https://www.dawsonera.com (Accessed: 15 November 2014). Punch, S., Marsh, I., Keating, M., Harden, J. (2013) Sociology, Making sense of Society, 5th edn., Edinburgh: Pearson. Salamini, L (1974) Gramsci and Marxist Sociology of Knowledge: an Analysis of Hegemony—Ideology—Knowledge, Sociological Quarterly, 15 (3) pp. 359-380 Wiley Online Library [Online] Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com (Accessed: 05 December 2014). Weber, M (1905)The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism,London: Routledge. 1

Mohandas Gandhi`s life and Accomplishments :: essays research papers

Mohandas Gandhi Leo Peters Section 567-01 Mid-Term Paper This Essay will be about the life and accomplishments of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. And will also discuss Civil Disobedience. Throughout history most national heroes have been warriors, but Gandhi ended British rule over his native India without striking a single blow. A frail man, he devoted his life to peace and brotherhood in order to achieve social and political progress. Yet less than six months after his nonviolent resistance to British rule won independence for India, he was assassinated by a religious fanatic. Gandhi was one of the gentlest of men, a devout and almost mystical Hindu, but he had an iron core of determination. Nothing could change his convictions. This combination of traits made him the leader of India's nationalist movement. Some observers called him a master politician. Others believed him a saint. To millions of Hindus he was their beloved Mahatma, meaning "great soul." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on Oct. 2, 1869, in Porbandar, near Bombay. His family belonged to the Hindu merchant caste Vaisya. His father had been prime minister of several small native states. Gandhi was married when he was only 13 years old. When he was 19 he defied custom by going abroad to study. He studied law at University College in London. Fellow students snubbed him because he was an Indian. In his lonely hours he studied philosophy. In his reading he discovered the principle of nonviolence as enunciated in Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," and he was persuaded by John Ruskin's plea to give up industrialism for farm life and traditional handicrafts--ideals similar to many Hindu religious ideas. In 1891 Gandhi returned to India. Unsuccessful in Bombay, he went to South Africa in 1893. At Natal he was the first so-called "colored" lawyer admitted to the supreme court. He then built a large practice. His interest soon turned to the problem of fellow Indians who had come to South Africa as laborers. He had seen how they were treated as inferiors in India, in England, and then in South Africa. In 1894 he founded the Natal Indian Congress to agitate for Indian rights. Yet he remained loyal to the British Empire. In 1899, during the Boer War, he raised an ambulance corps and served the South African government. In 1906 he gave aid against the Zulu revolt. Later in 1906, however, Gandhi began his peaceful revolution. He declared he would go to jail or even die before obeying an anti-Asian law. Thousands of Indians joined him in this civil disobedience campaign. He was imprisoned twice. Yet in World War I he again organized an ambulance corps for

The 1920s Essay -- essays research papers fc

The 1920’s The 1920’s where a time of conservatism, it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world to politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The eighteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, which made alcohol illegal. It was called the Prohibition Amendment. This was known as the â€Å"Noble Experiment†. All importing, exporting, selling, manufacturing and transporting of alcohol were illegal. The older people favored this amendment. They felt that alcohol was bad because of the way people behaved after drinking. People thought that crime, death rates and poverty would decrease now because alcohol was illegal. The younger generation did not like this amendment. Many people did not really listen to the law. The law actually increased the amount of people drinking alcohol. Some people would try and make alcohol in their own homes. This was called â€Å"bathtub gin†. Alcohol would be smuggled from Canada during the twenties (Microsoft Encarta, 1999). Saloons that used to serve liquor were now called speak-easies. Instead of reducing the crimes rates, crime was actually greater. Organized crime w as developed because of Prohibition. Sometimes police were bribed and went along with what was going on and would not do anything. The death rates were much higher than before. â€Å"Prohibition destroyed legal jobs, created black-market violence, diverted resources from enforcement of other laws and increased prices people had to pay for prohibited goods† (Thorton, Mark 1991). Al Capone was one of the most powerful bootleggers in Chicago, there were many gangs rivales due to prohibition the people who were bootlegging became wealthy because many people wanted alcohol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 1920’s, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, which gave women the right to vote. During this decade women became strong and more independent. Women were accomplishing a lot more than they had before. Women started going to college so she could earn her own living. More women started leaving the home and working at a factory or as a secretary. Women were discriminated at the work place. They received lower wages then man did. In the 1920’s, the term flapper was introduced. It was first used in Britain after World War 1. Young women were labeled as flappers who wore makeup shorter skirts. Fl... ...hat followed, forty billion dollars were lost. The Great Depression had started. The 1920’s was a decade that changes American life. Frederick Lewis Allen describes the twenties as a â€Å"revolution in manners and morals.† The twenties has been named all types of nicknames, such as: â€Å"The Roaring Twenties†, â€Å"The Era of Wonderful Nonsense†, â€Å"The Decade of the Dollar†, â€Å"The Period of the Psyche†, â€Å" Dry Decade† and the age of â€Å"Alcohol and Al Capone† (Gales Research, 1998). During the twenties, the way Americans lived had changed. The 1920’s was a time in history that has been remembered for its great prosperity but also for its great loss. The Great Depression is what ended the Roaring Twenties. Works Cited Gales Research. 1998. Microsoft Encarta. CD-ROM. Microsoft, 1999. Movies, Music, and Sports of the 1920’s. 9 March. 2003 http://www.albany.edu/ The Roaring Twenties Hitchhikers Guide- lectures with links and Photos H102   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lecture 09. 9 March. 2003 http://evip.fresno.com/ Thorton, Mark. â€Å"Policy Analysis: Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure.† July 17,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1991. Online. Netscape. 23 April 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Four Problems Bahamian Farmers Face

Farming in The Bahamas has many problems. List and explain FOUR problems the farmers face in The Bahamas. Give suggestions to help the farmers solve these problems Four problems farmers in The Bahamas face First: The problem that most farmers face today is the lack of Farming in knowledge the general public has about modern procedures. Modern farming procedures have less impact on the environment than methods widely used early in the 20th century.Soil erosion inhibitors, soil carbon monitoring, and water conservation and collection have all improved over time. Second: They looked down upon by locals  costs of product (seeds fertilizer etc. ) weather, availability of water, cost of equipment-purchase repair maintain, cost of labor, labor laws, length of time between commitment and maturity of any crop, organic vs. norganic fertilization, bugs As a result of the sheer number of people working the land, the country is under  severe agricultural stress, suffering from a loss of soil fertility and a high degree of erosion. Third: Farmers have trouble growing crops and commonly experience reduced yields – as a result, malnutrition. Abrupt seasonal weather changes, including floods, early frosts and winter blizzards, cause various problems for farmers, including loss of crops and stock. Farming is carried out on small plots throughout most of the islands.Only about 1% of the land area is cultivated. The nature of the terrain limits the scope of farming, which is mainly a household industry. The main crops are vegetable onions  okra and  tomatoes, the last two raised mainly for export. Fourth: They are  lack of fertile soil  so that’s a problem for them to plant good and healthy crops and it’s hard for them to make money and that’s going to be a HUGE problem for them and their country as well. My suggestion to farmers in the Bahamas

Bowling Alone

This essay deals with the correlation between a healthy, progressive society and one that is engaged civilly with sociological matters and ties. The statistics expressed in Putnam's essay show a rather rapid decline in our societies' civil engagement in the last quarter century. Putnam emphasizes the valiant importance of a strong and active society for growth and development in a democracy. Without further social development Americans could deteriorate their once strong, socially engaged society down to a individualistic democracy that would shatter our national image.Putnam's essay is titled, â€Å"Bowling Alone†, he gives emphasis, and depth to this title in several different ways throughout his article. Perhaps, the most interesting and whimsical piece of information that he shares though is a bowling statistic. More contemporary Americans are bowling than ever before in history, although, bowling in organized leagues has plummeted in the last decade. Between 1980 and 1993 the total number of bowlers in America increased by 10 percent, while league bowling decreased by 40 percent.This statistic, that shows the rise of solo bowling threatens the very, livelihood of bowling business proprietors because many of those people who bowl as members of leagues consume three times as much beer and pizza. Common knowledge then comes into play, the profit money in bowling does not derive from the balls and shoes but rather the other expenditures such as, beer and pizza. The broader social significance, in this matter though, however lies in the social communication and conversations that can derive from beer and pizza, as compared to solo bowlers.Putnam offers other information that supports his claim, besides bowling statistics. In some parts of the essay, he shares that organizational groups, as a whole have experienced a massive decline in new membership, over the last quarter century. Church-related groups are the most common type of organization joined by A mericans, women especially. Other examples of popular organizations frequently joined by Americans are, school service groups, sports groups, professional societies, literary groups, labor unions, fraternal groups, and veterans' groups. All of these organizational groups share one common trait, a decline in new membership.There are consequences that ensue after a society begins, to lose it civilly engaged citizens, for private, less trusting ones. In a survey done, over 35 countries, it shows that social trust and civic engagement are strongly correlated. The greater the amount of associational membership in a society, the more trusting its citizens, are likely to be. Trust and engagement are two components of the same underlying factor, social capital. America is still ranked relatively high by cross-national standards in both areas of social capital; and its citizens are more trusting and more engaged than people in most other parts of the world, still.What, these trends show in t he past quarter- century, however, have placed United States significantly lower in the international rankings of social capital. An alarming possibility that this information provides is in another quarter-century at this rate of change, America could be roughly equivalent to South Korea, Belgium, or Estonia today. Two generations' decline at the same rate would leave the United States at the level of today's Chile, Portugal, and Slovenia. Putnam does not offer any concrete solutions to these current trends, but he shares his advice and wisdom on such a complex problem.Giving more responsibility to the institutions that raise our children could be the answer. Perhaps finding new ways to reach younger generations at a more significant point in childhood could curve this trend. For example, instituting more programs and organizations rather than the typical sports or academic activities, offered. Reshaping the classroom and offering more social progressive classes could play a signif icant role in instilling a strong social reinforcing importance to a young person. Another possibility for a helpful change in this current trend could be given in a representative media source, for the people, by the people.There is no doubt that our current media today seems to be a giant circus that focuses only on irrelevant issues and seeks only high ratings. Perhaps, a media source that actually is not focused on getting ratings or pushing certain agendas on Americans could be the answer. Most news sources today seem to disinterest many Americans with blown up stories, and each stations political ideologies. Creating a station with no bias, giving direct information to the people about real issues in this country could generate more interest in our country's politics.Television has the ability to reach more people than any other source in the world, why not use it to reach the social outcry in America? and be a solution rather than the problem. In conclusion, Putnam's essay of fers a non-bias factual account of a growing problem that future generations may face. There is no clear solution to this debate, what is clear though, however, is the significance of this issue. To solve this, it will take many solutions and variables. Counter trends have shown what lies ahead, new social groups must take the supremacy and give it power.

Newton Electronics Limited

After three years of development, the company has finally been able to complete research on and development of the new hearing aid and the product, having successfully passed through all statutory and voluntary tests and procedures, is now ready for commercial production. In this regard, the company has three viable options in front of it. These are: 1. Commence commercial production on its own accord. 2. Outsourcing manufacturing and marketing to a third party under a license arrangement. 3. Selling Patent rights to a third party.This reports aims to undertake a holistic financial analysis of these three options and, from a financial management perspective, conclude which option is in the best interests of the company’s shareholders. Results The results of the NPV analysis reveal the following results: Analysis, Additional Considerations & Verdict: The NPV analysis (see appendix) clearly reveals that Option 2 (allowing a third party to manufacture the product and market it un der a license arrangement) is financially the best option as it allows for a greater inflow of cash.This is also in line with the company’s core competencies. The company has been generally geared at research and development and may lack the entrepreneurial skill and expertise when it comes to manufacture and market the product. Moreover, another plus point is that the company would not have to pump in any capital immediately if it chose option 2. Thus, as rational investors, the company would prefer less risk per unit of return. When comparing option 2 with option 1, the company finds itself taking less risks and hence generating more returns.The decision between option 2 and option 3 is a tricky one, although seemingly straightforward. With option 3, the company effectively shifts the whole element of operating risk on the third party, against a guaranteed payment in two equal installments. BPP states that â€Å"this reduces the return but also the risk, as financial manag ement theory contends the return and risk relationship† (2007, pp. 95-98). From a financial risk management point of view, the only risk that the company is then exposed to is the default risk of the third party failing to make a timely payment of the second installment.Here is where the interesting aspect comes in. Although default risk also exists with Option 2, that is, the third party would fail to make timely royalty payments, Rasheed states that â€Å"a licensing arrangement and an outright sale of the patent rights would differ legally as to what recourse the company would have in the case of default. † (2009, pp. -54). From the surface of it, if the third party defaults under a license arrangement to pass on royalty payments, the company could always cancel the license or initiate penalizations on the third party by way of the licensing agreement.Thus, the company can compel the third party, on its own accord, to resume payments or to offer something else in ret urn, maybe an equity stake at attractive levels. However, a default on a sale would be a long drawn out legal battle that would increase the time frame of the proceeds being received altogether, incurring legal costs and making NPV fall. Thus, for the high return and low risk profile and the legal recourse that it offers, option 2 is the best option that the company should undertake.

Bartleby the Scrivener

Bartleby is employed in the narrative not merely or not really as a character but more of a representation or symbol. Bartleby’s character can be compared with another character made by Melville, Moby Dick. The reason for such comparison and at some point similarities between them is that both characters are interpreted by the readers and some literary critics in many different ways. In effect, these characters cannot be construed in a single way. In the story Bartleby the Scrivener, Melville discovers comparable philosophical concerns in a special sort of setting. In an impressive comparison with Ahab (in Moby Dick), Bartleby is also fascinated by walls – a persistent emblem in the story. Bartleby’s character can be seen as a sort of wall in a sense that no one really knows what he thinks, what he likes, what interests him, and whatsoever. Almost all things about him and about his actions are unknown and hard to explain. This description is unveiled by the character played by the lawyer, who eventually becomes Bartleby’s boss. The lawyer all throughout the story attempts to discover the absurdity of Bartleby’s character which is depicted in several scenes of the story. All throughout the story, Bartleby constantly refuses to follow what his boss asks of him. Consistently, he also refuses to state why he refuses to do so. Such attitude becomes the fundamental frustration of the lawyer in the story. He does not know how he could make Bartleby follow his orders as how his other employees do. The first impression that would justify why the lawyer does not fire Bartleby is the idea that he is probably so surprised of Bartleby’s attitude of being nonconformist such that it becomes a big challenge for him to be able to make Bartleby follow him. He does everything to do this but he always fails. To his surprise, he could not find in his heart the motivation to dismiss his eccentric employee. Lots of scenes suggest how the lawyer pays so much sympathy for Bartleby though the latter never gives him the chance of knowing the reasons why he keeps on refusing to obey his orders and why he keeps on refusing telling him the reasons. The first scene where the lawyer shows care and concern for Bartleby is when the former finds out that the latter is staying at the office even after office hours. When he learns that Bartleby does not have a home to go after work, he just lets him stay in the office. The next scene is when the lawyer refuses to agree to get Bartleby out of the office by a stranger. Probably, the lawyer feels that the stranger would not do good for Bartleby that is why he does not agree to the stranger’s proposal. Another scene is when the lawyer finally decided to relocate his office to another place and find out Bartleby standing in an empty room. He is touched by the scene and in the end gives Bartleby money but leaves him as well. The last scene is when the lawyer pays sympathy for Bartleby when he learns that he is sent to prison and he is dying because of his refusal to eat. He visits him and even pays the warden to make sure that Bartleby would eat his meals. Until the end of the story, Bartleby does not reveal his reason for behaving like what he does. No one succeeds to unveil this information not even the lawyer who becomes so frustrated of making Bartleby disclose his feelings about what is happening in his life. Towards the end of the story, the scenes between the lawyer and Bartleby suggest the tolerance and at the same time the aggravation that the lawyer feels towards Bartleby. Some critics say that it could be the case that the lawyer somehow understands Bartleby’s behavior for the reason that he too also wants to go against what the trend during that time asks them to do. But just like Bartleby, the lawyer could not find the exact words to explain the feeling that he has in his heart and the thoughts that envelops his mind.   So he tolerates what Bartleby is doing. To give a conclusion, Bartleby serves as the direct representation of the wall which is the main theme of the story. He never reveals anything just like the wall – as how the wall does not make any response whatever one does against it. Bartleby refuses to reason out for he believes that no one would understand him as he himself could not his own way of thinking. When he dies, he gives the lawyer, his boss, the lesson not to become a puppet of anyone else. Bartleby is able to show how nonconformist he is to the point of embracing death for the sake of upholding what he believes in. It is implicit in the story that somehow the lawyer is starting to realize how disgusting the trend that he is currently following (the trend of Capitalism). But he refuses to express it for the reason that he knows that when he do such, his life would be in peril. But as he sees the dying Bartleby, he understands that it is much better to die keeping one’s own principles than continue living trying to fit in with somebody else’s standards. Reference: Melville, H. (2006). Bartleby, the Scrivener, a Story of a Wall-street. Lightning Source Inc.      

A Christmas Carol Essay Example for Free (#13)

A Christmas Carol Essay Christ (509) , Charles Dickens (378) , Christmas (159) , A Christmas Carol (87) , Christmas Carol (60) , Bob Cratchit (35) , good extended (7) , Powerful (1) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? The Ghost of Christmas Past is the epitome of the contradictions of youth and age as well as winter and spring. The ghost has a beam of light jetting from his head and Scrooge extinguishes the light when he feels that he is unable to bear any of the other memories that the ghost is showing him. By showing Scrooge his past, the ghost has makes him realize that he has changed drastically from who he was when he was young and that his interests have turned from people to money. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a friendly, generous giant who shows Scrooge the homes of Bob Cratchit as well as Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. In both homes, good will is extended toward Scrooge although he has never shown the same good will to either his clerk, or his nephew. As the time passes the ghost, who was young when he first appeared to Scrooge, seems to age in the way that the present changes to the past with the passing of time. Then, just as he is approaching his last moments, the ghost shows Scrooge that want and ignorance are two products of society that will destroy it if not combated against by those who can prevent both social ills. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a dark phantom, and the only part of this ghost that Scrooge sees, beyond his black robe, is a hand with which he points at the things Scrooge is to take notice of. This ghost shows Scrooge how he will die, and it is a sad scene. Scrooge begs the ghost to tell him that this fate can be changed if he changes his ways, but the ghost doesn’t answer him. Scrooge is left only with the knowledge that he must change and become a more charitable person if he is to alter the fate that the ghost revealed to him. Last of the major characters is Tiny Tim who is Bob Cratchit’s youngest son. He is a lame boy with a cheerful nature despite his ailments and symbolises hope. At the Christmas church service, Tim hopes that people will look at his ailment and be reminded of how Christ healed the lame and blind. Tiny Tim’s guileless nature impresses Scrooge, and when he learns from the Ghost of Christmas Present that Tiny Tim will die soon, Scrooge is saddened. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come also shows the Cratchit house without Tiny Tim, and the vision is a sad one. Scrooge is touched by the gentleness of the little boy and wishes to prevent this fate from occurring. There are also some minor characters in ‘A Christmas Carol’ but who also play an important part of the story. Firstly there is Fred, Scrooge’s nephew (his deceased sister’s son), is a pauper, but a cheerful man nonetheless. He comes to the counting house to wish Scrooge a merry Christmas and invite his uncle to dine with himself and his wife on Christmas Day. Scrooge, however, refuses to associate with his nephew. Fred actually pities his miserly uncle because although he has all that money, he is still alone and unhappy. Fred insists that he will visit Scrooge at Christmas every year no matter whether or not Scrooge ever agrees to dine with Fred and his wife. After his visitation by the three ghosts of Christmas, Scrooge attends the Christmas dinner at Fred’s home and enjoys himself immensely. Secondly there is Mr. Fezziwig who was Scrooge’s kind and generous employer. He revisits the memory of his employment with Fezziwig when the Ghost of Christmas Past shows him Fezziwig’s great Christmas party. The memory of this kind employer makes Scrooge feel a twinge of regret at how poorly he treats Bob Cratchit, his own employee. Last of the minor but nonetheless important characters is Belle, the young woman who once loved and was loved by Scrooge. Unfortunately, his love for her was replaced by his love for money, and she did not want to be second in favour to gold. She left him and went her own way after that and married. Scrooge remained alone. The Ghost of Christmas Past reminds him of why Belle left him and shows him where his life began going the wrong direction While reciting ‘A Christmas Carol’ I noticed some themes that were entwined within the story, the most important themes of the story are stated more or less clearly by characters in it. The first of these might be Marley’s saying, â€Å"Business†¦ Mankind was my business†. Where Scrooge sees business in the familiar sense of trade and finance, Marley now sees that one’s â€Å"business† is what one should do in life, duty or obligation. Mankind is or was not just Marley’s business of course, but Scrooge’s business, your business and mine, in fact, everyone’s. Secondly, Scrooge’s unkind remark that poor people should die and â€Å"reduce the surplus population† brings us to another theme of the story. When Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will die he is reminded of these words. Why? Because the â€Å"surplus population† is not an abstraction but real individuals. Scrooge is told by the Ghost of Christmas Present to find out â€Å"What the surplus is, and where it is† before making such statements. Another theme is that change is possible however set we are in our ways. Dickens imagines the most miserable and hard-hearted man he can, and shows how he can be reformed if he sees his responsibilities. The message that Dickens is trying to get across is one of happiness. If you live your life in seclusion, only speaking to those who you must and always being nasty, you can never be truly happy. Dickens uses Scrooge as the epitome of selfishness and we are supposed to realise this and contrast it with Tiny Tim’s attitude of caring and sharing. Tiny Tim is the epitome of joy and hope; he is the person in the book with who we are supposed to learn from. The ghosts are the conduit from which we are to understand the past, present, and future of an unhappy man. A Christmas Carol. (2017, Sep 23).

Catastrophism or Uniformitarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Catastrophism or Uniformitarism - Essay Example From this perspective, the general amount of resources that has been incorporated into geographical studies is quite huge. Researchers develop initial findings where developments continue to explain on a certain sequence. i) The two scientists, who came up with a new geographical phenomenon might as well not only cause unending controversy, but a consequent period of regret for all the involved professionals. Apparently, such kind of possible ideas that might have been neglected at the very start of the development of evolution theories would result into a whole new understanding of the earth. ii) Just as resources were allocated for the Georgian theory, so should necessary authorities address this upcoming idea; its strength, proof and influence might give a realistic approach to catastrophes. The possibility of craters that made an impact over 250 million years ago would result into a new definition on the aftermath that the then species experienced. It might be a sad situation for a majority of the geologists, consequent blame among themselves, for basing their ideas on one orientation without consideration for the contrary. iii) According to Rampino, the effects discussed could be due to a huge catastrophe as asteroids could have caused dust expulsion that would have resulted in loss sunlight and could have caused a drop of temperature and chilliness, which, in turn, could have led to extinction of life on Earth for a considerable period of time. However, numerous scientists argue that these mysterious changes could explain the gravitational pull in all circular geological structures and the entire underground. It is a difficult situation, not only for the two scientists fighting for their theory, but also to the geographical institutions globally. Earthquakes, volcanoes, batholiths, loppoliths, dykes, craters, plateaus, mountains among other geographical structures, might have a very

Recognition of a Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment Essay

Recognition of a Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment - Essay Example Conversely, Article 11 of the San Salvador Protocol asserts that everyone has a right to live in a healthy environment and to have ready access to basic public services, and that in this effect; states are to promote preservation, protection and improvement of the environment. The relegating of the human right to a clean and healthy environment to states’ prerogatives means that environmental law is neither serious nor powerful in international law, and thereby sparking the need for international recognition as shall be seen in the essay, forthwith. According to Cassuto, the notion that the recognition of human right to clean and healthy environment as the only means by which environmental law are to become serious and powerful in international law is validated by the assigning of this right, a less important status. The historical underpinning of this development is that in the 1960s and 1970s, rights were assigned different categories . In light of the above, civil and political rights were considered first category rights while the second category rights comprised socio-economic rights. Solidarity rights in this case made up the third category. This development has made the inclusion of healthy and safe environment as rarity in the human rights framework since such efforts are seen as being relatable to the third category right. This failure to assign the right to a clean and healthy environment its own category of rights has always made concerns for environmental safety be taken as subservient. Again, the rationale that the consideration of human right to clean and healthy environment as the only way by which environmental law are to become binding and powerful in international law is underpinned by its ability to integrate and galvanize different concerns and methodologies within the human rights frameworks. According to Kurup2, the recognition and legislation of the human right to clean and healthy environment i n turn will help in the codification of a separate rights chapter, section or article. It is also at this juncture that the new right can be made either procedural or substantive. By the right to clean and healthy environment being made substantive, emphasis will have been placed on concerns of definitions, in light of the human right to a clean environment. Conversely, making the matter of human rights more procedural in nature means that more emphasis will centre on the human right to procedural information. It is only through the legislation of this right that the approach (whether procedural or substantive) to tackling environmental crises can be determined, at both international and domestic levels. Currently, there are no international standards and norms that can be used to brook a consensus on the two options. Conversely, Hannan3 advances the idea that the need to legislate the human right to environmental protection is necessitated by the fact that environmental protection is derived from existing rights and freedoms- with these rights being expendable towards environmental ends. This does not necessitate the need to create new substantive human right to a clean environment but implies that environmental safety is derived from existing human freedoms and liberties. In a different wavelength, the need to legally recognize human right to cl

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Research Paper Example There is no fast forward way of attaining innovation in any process or technology. Rather the journey is strewn with intermittent success and failures and long periods of stagnation. Innovation has occurred in all spheres of activity starting from the development of products to the development of services. In the last 70 or 80 years the Information Technology industry witnessed the highest degree of innovation. The innovation of the Information Technology industry and the electronics hardware industry were followed with equivalent degree of innovation in the telecommunication industry (Achrol, 2011). The process of innovation of Omantel is discussed in this research study. For a better comprehension of the research methodology, the whole research is divided into 4 parts. In the first part of the discussion the process and technique of innovation is assessed and analysed. The strategy followed for managing the innovation of Omantel is discussed. The latter parts of the discussion are about the company establishes an innovative environment within its organisation and the strategic implications for Omantel based in Oman. Assessment and reflection on the process and techniques of innovation Schumpeter’s Theories of Innovation is discussed in this section along with other related theories. ... In order to bring innovation the entrepreneurs need to access capital and resources. Innovation and price competition are sides of two different coins, where one negates the other. If firms compete on the basis of price then only price classification occurs with no or little innovation. In order to make sure that the correct path is taken which will lead to innovation, it is absolute necessary to control the process applied. Whereas, if only inputs are considered as the most important entity rather than the process of innovation itself, then more time is wasted before innovation is finally achieved. Innovations as well as developments are non exogenous in nature. This means that innovation can occur, by simply using the internal factors present in the economic system. Fig 1: Cycle of innovation Source: (Andrews and Smith, 1996) Some of the most important factors that lead to the excellent growth of innovation are entrepreneurship and in-house capability to conduct the research and de velopments. Entrepreneurship still remains to be the most important factor among all the other factors. Instead of going for a competitive pricing strategy, a simple method of pricing is followed (Bajaj, 2001). The base price is fixed by taking into consideration the high quality of the integrated components. For example, the organisations which decided to simply add features to their previous models of products or services were outsold by those organisations that considered innovation rather than mere up gradations. Organisations like Nokia focused on innovation, while Sony and Motorola focused on up gradation only. As a result Nokia outperformed and outsmarted the other two organisations significantly which focused more on pricing strategy (Benner and Sandstrom, 2012). Those products

Marketing of services (service bundling) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing of services (service bundling) - Essay Example I also identified that the research methodology of the article involved a wide range of services associated with prices for equipments or parts, labour along with full services relating to the manufacturing operations of the firms. When ascertaining the ultimate findings of the research, I observed that the article explored the service needs of the Chinese manufacturing organisations dividing their operations into five major clusters, viz. â€Å"highly price-sensitive on basic service needs†, â€Å"highly sensitive on logistic performance of basic service needs†, â€Å"preventing product breakdowns for very reasonable prices†, â€Å"knowledge seeking† and â€Å"seeking for cost-efficient outsourcing partners.† In this context, I also identified that the findings ascertained by the research article had major management implications, associating the service needs of the Chinese manufacturing firms with the service-based organisations of the nation. My experience in this assignment have been quite helpful, not only in developing my understanding of organisational operational processes, but also related to the various ways of conducting a research along with its rationality. My experience through this assignment further helped me understand that developing a framework of research prior to implementing it is very crucial that provides a structure to the entire process along with defining its base in an objective-oriented manner. Reviewing the research findings, I observed that ‘price sensitivity of Chinese manufacturing companies’, I have recognised that the low priced service items including spare parts, wear parts, repair along with inspection and basic services to maintain contracts achieved the highest mean. In this context, I understood that the services associated with low price are highly required by the Chinese manufacturing companies. Correspondingly, I observed that factors including the availability of

Movement and Protest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Movement and Protest - Essay Example Instead, the activists champion and maximize the safety and security of all participants, together with their families and property. Their specific form of public complaint by the group is a protest, disobedience, or direct action. The resistance movement was organized around a popular #hashtag known as #occupywallstreet. The resistance movement was founded on the mentality that rebellion is indeed a good thing. During the President’s Day in 1787, one President Thomas Jefferson said, â€Å"God forbid we should be twenty years without a rebellion. What country can preserve its liberties if the rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?† Later in 1861, at the Presidential Inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln â€Å"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember, or overthrow it.† During the President’s Day in 1885, President Ulysses S. Grant said, â€Å"The right of Revolution is an inherent one. When people are oppressed by their government, it is a natural right they enjoy relieving themselves of the oppression if they are strong enou gh, either by withdrawing from it or by overthrowing it and substituting a government more acceptable.† In 1962, President John F. Kennedy said, â€Å"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." Today, this day has been given the hashtag, #thepresidentsday. Speaking early this year (2015), President Barrack Obama commented, â€Å"We cannot ignore the fact that our government originated in a revolution and were legitimate only if overthrow by force can sometimes be justified. That circumstances sometimes justify it is not.†

LEED Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LEED - Essay Example LEED for new constructions addresses design and construction activities for new buildings and renovations; it helps lay a sustainable foundation for operation and maintenance practises after the completion of the building. In the existing buildings, LEED requires that they implement sustainable practises that will minimise negative impact on the environment. Such practises include water and power utilization, use of environment friendly materials for maintenance and adjustments, sustainable policies on buying and waste stream administration among others. LEED program for core and shell can be used where the developers have the control of the design and erection of the whole core and shell base structure but has no control of the internal tenant fittings. In commercial interiors, it mainly focuses on tenants who have leased some specific parts of the building to create working environment that is healthy, productive to work in and that does disturb the balance of environmental conditi ons thriving within the building. LEED for retail is concerned with the unique nature of the conditions needed for retail businesses; it uses the different needs for various retail businesses such as opening hours, parking needs, water and energy requirements among others. In view of this, LEED program provides two options for projects seeking certification; they include new construction and major renovation that addresses the details of construction or substantial renovations in retail buildings and commercial interior, which is concerned, with details about tenant space where the tenant is changing already existing fittings. In home construction, the LEED program is concerned with ensuring habitable conditions that provide maximum health benefits to the people living in the homes and at the same time making substantial savings on crucial resources such as fuel and water. LEED for Neighbourhood enlargement ensures that neighbourhoods, partial neighbourhoods or multiple neighbourhoo ds are constructed in a way that integrates ideologies of responsible expansion, urbanism and environment friendly construction into the initial nationalized scheme for neighbourhood plan. LEED for school was developed to address design and construction of K-12 schools; it is concerned with class acoustics, mould preclusion, major preparation and ecological site appraisal. Due to the specific needs of the health care environment, the LEED program for new construction would not be able to address all these needs therefore the need to have a program that was specifically designed for health care. This program is concerned with creating healthful, durable and affordable practises that are friendly to the environment and conducive for medical activities. The rating system consists of several credit categories that include the following: sustainable sites credit that encourage building strategies to minimise negative impact on the environment, water efficiency credits to encourage effici ency in water consumption, energy and atmosphere credits that encourage efficient energy performance (Cottrell, 2011). The credits also include material and resources credits that encourage use of sustainable building materials and indoor environmental air quality credits that promote better indoor air quality and access to light. The various credits have

Song Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Song - Essay Example nnot incorporate imaginative lyrics into their songs that seek to engage the listener with innovative and interesting ways to tackle a very limited subject matter; a subject matter that is almost invariably dealing with love and/or loss. As a means of understanding one current highly successful song that is currently experiencing a great deal of radio airtime, this particular analysis will consider Rihanna’s single â€Å"Diamonds† within the context of its use of simile, metaphor, and symbolism. As a function of understanding the ways in which these literary devices are utilized within the given song, it is the hope of this author that a new level of appreciation for the means by which songwriters seek to engage the listener with new and exciting means of describing something that has been relayed an infinite number of times before will be realized. With regards to simile within the given song in question, the very first lines of the song state: â€Å"Shine bright like a diamond† (Rihanna 1). In this way, the immediate use of simile is utilized as a way to engage the listener with the powerful imagery of a glistening diamond as reflective of the way that new love glistens and seems as something wholly and entirely unique within the realm of human experience (Gabrielsson 15). Of course the simile in this particular instance acts as more than just as simile, it provides a degree of symbolism in helping to represent the embodiment of love within the song as something akin to a rare and precious stone that radiantly proclaims itself wherever it exists. Further examples of simile in the song exist within the repeated lines â€Å"We’re like diamonds in the sky† (Rihanna 1). Such a use of simile reinforces the idea of comparison to the richness of the love that the songwriter attempts to convey to the listener (Pa lmer 39). In much the same manner metaphor is used as well within the line â€Å"You’re a shooting star I see† (Rihanna 1). Naturally, such an

Taxation Tasks Essay Example for Free

Taxation Tasks Essay 1) Patty owned Patty’s Cakes in Jacksonville, Florida. She sold her business to Fruity’s, Inc. a national pastry company. There was a non-compete agreement in the contract for the sale of her business. In the non-compete, Patty agreed not to work in any capacity in the food industry for 10 years on the entire east coast. A court would likely determine that the non-compete agreement a) violates federal law b) is unenforceable c) is enforceable d) both A and B 2) A liability that may extend from an employee to the employer if the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time the liability arose is called: a) vicarious liability b) employee liability c) employer liability d) adverse liability 3) A person who contracts with a principal to perform a task according to her or his own methods, and who is not under the principal’s control regarding the physical details of the work is called a/an: a) Contingent worker b) Temporary worker c) Independent contractor d) All of the above 4) Benita works as a nursing assistant in a retirement home run by Cottonwood Care Centers, a national operator of facilities providing care for the elderly. Benita works 53 hours a week. After looking at her payroll stubs for the past 6 months, she concludes that she has not received sufficient overtime pay. She complains to her supervisor but the company takes no action. a) Benita can bring a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) b) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) c) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). d) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under Executive Order 11246 5) Ling frequently stocks shelves for Ace’s Market on an as needed basis. Ace pays Ling $5 per shelf. One day Ling falls off a broken ladder while stocking a shelf. Line is seriously injured: a) If Ling is determined to be an independent contractor, he is eligible for workers’ compensation b) If Ling is determined to be an employee, he is eligible for workers’ compensation c) Ling is eligible for workers’ compensation whether he is an employee or an independent contractor d) None of the above 6) ABC, Inc. solicited bids from various independent contractors to landscape the grounds of its new office complex. Drew, head of facilities management told Patty, his secretary, that he would not accept any bids from Hispanic contractors. Drew explained that he would authorize hiring only American contractors to work on the grounds. A Hispanic contractor brings a lawsuit against ABC for discriminations. a) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Independent Contractors Act of 2006. b) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act c) The Hispanic contractor cannot prevail in a discrimination case because John’s conversation with his secretary is confidential and cannot be used as evidence. d) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is not a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because that law does not cover discrimination against independent contractors. 7) BRC Partners is a consulting firm. Sam and Arnie are analysts for BRC. Sam was hired as an employee and Arnie was hired as an independent contractor. They both work in the same BRC office under the same supervisor. They both must work Monday through Friday during the standard business hours. Both are required to report to weekly staff meetings. Sam is paid a salary and the proper federal and state tax withholdings are made. Arnie does not receive benefits like retirement and health insurance and his is paid by the project with no federal and state withholdings. Arnie signed a contract that clearly stated he was an independent contractor and not an employee. a) BRC has properly classified Arnie as an independent contractor b) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor c) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal or state law for the misclassification. d) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as a independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal and state law for the misclassification, but Arnie will have liability under federal and state law. 8) Pilar is hired by Axel, Inc. as an independent contractor. To avoid a determination by the IRS that Pilar has been misclassified as an independent contractor, Axel should: a) provide training to Pilar b) pay her by the hour c) pay FICA d) none of the above 9) Clarence works as an independent contractor for the law firm of Kafka, Rivera and Grisham. a) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments and Medicare. b) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his FICA and Medicare and the law firm will be responsible for withholding payroll deductions for his federal and state income taxes. c) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA) and Medicare, but the law firm will be responsible for making estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments for him. d) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), withholding deductions for his federal and state income taxes and Medicare. 10) Which of the following is not covered by the EEOC’s definition of contingent worker? a) an employee hired through a staffing firm b) a temporary, seasonal, or part-time worker c) an applicant d) an independent contractor

Misunderstanding Within The Group Social Work Essay

Misunderstanding Within The Group Social Work Essay Abstract: Free riders are those who take the same credit of you without exerting efforts. They are present in many groups, but it depends whether they are known early or not. Also many guys tolerate with free riders if they were their friends, but work and friendship are separated things. Every group should have a communication way, where all the group members agree on. And no one says that I did not know or I did not get the message. And this is something we suffered from. And because there are many members in the group and everyone has his own business, everyone should be on time for the meeting. When any group want to choose their topic, they should choose it wisely because wrong choosing will cost them time and effort. Working like a team is better than working like a group, but team work requires discipline, which we lacked. The abilities within the group differ, but you should try to get the maximum from everyone. Interpersonal relationship is the social connection between the group memb ers which grow with time. Positive interpersonal relationship between group members leads the organization forward and to employees satisfaction. Organizations know interpersonal relationship effects, so they try to provide the appropriate working climate for it. The managers have influence on employees interpersonal relationship and he tries to make it positive of the benefits he can get from it. Group members working together at all times and seeking a common goal is working like a team. To have an effective team you need to work hard and combine the right people together. Team effectiveness is measured by the final outcome and employees satisfaction. Introduction: Group assignments provide postgraduate students with opportunities to improve their capabilities and demonstrate a professional behaviour. Personally, the group assignment is considered to be a valuable experiment that led me to write this reflective essay. The group assignment had a great impact on my skills as it had lot of benefits. I learned lot required behaviours from working with a diverse group. Group work differs from working individually as it involves an interaction with others that might result in conflict occurrence, misunderstanding and so on. There may be difficult times during group work, but a group member should be wise and help the group to pass those difficult times. I have relied on my diary notes captured after group meetings to write this essay to reflect reality. Although there is a distinction between friendship and work, I prefer to work with friends rather than people that I do not know. Effective cooperation among group members would be required at all tim es, so they can complete assigned work and deliver it in the best way with highest level of satisfaction. Free Riding: Free Riding is the absence of contribution and getting the benefit of that good. This view has been supported in the work of Marwell, Ames (1981). Before the module starts we knew that we had a group assignment and it must contain 4-6 individuals, so we were four friends knowing that we can make a group of friends only, but we have been thinking that if we entered two more participants it will be easier for us as everyone will write less and concentrate more on his points, and that will help us to concentrate on our other assignments also, but what we have been afraid of is that we may have two free riders who will make the work harder. From the first day that we have decided to meet at, we found that 3 of the group members were not there, so we were thinking about free riders and will we accept those free riders in our group because of the friendship we have. I and the present group members decided that this is work and we do not like to work hard and the free riders get the same cr edit. A personal experiment of being in a group with free riders made us insist of our situation that we do not want free riders in our group, as before the submission date they came with no work in their hand saying that we did not know what to do, so we have decided to work together all the time and to divide the work and everyone do his part, but we have a weekly meeting to ensure that there will be no one free riders. Discovering free riding before the grading is important, but detecting the free riding early is much better for the group to take the corrective action and to work all together and get those free riders involve in the work again (Free riding in group work Mechanisms and countermeasures, n.d.). Therefore, we decided to meet often so we can ensure that we are all walking on the right side. And we have asked the professor about the grading system and she said if you were the manager and you have free riders in your group, what you would do? And I was thinking of leav ing them behind as they will delay our work and make it harder, but if I must have them in my group I will give them specified tasks and ask them often about their progress with an evidence to ensure that they are really working and contributing with the group. Misunderstanding within the group: There was a misunderstanding regarding the time at the first meeting, as we have decided to meet at 11 am and then some of the group members changed the meeting time till 3 pm and they have said that we have sent a message on Facebook, but not all of the group members actually got the message, so we ended up blaming each other. I think that happened because we did not have that person who could take the responsibility to tell everyone about the exact time and if the time changed or there was any kind of change in plan, he would tell all the group members. Also, I think the existence of that kind of person in every group is important and will lead to a better performance and satisfaction from all the group members. Because of the misunderstanding, we have delayed our work for one more day as the members who came early had other plans to do at the time of the new group meeting appointment. Consequently, we have decided to have one communication channel for the group and it is doing a g roup chat on Facebook and everyone contributing in deciding the meeting time, so no one can have any kind of excuse of not attending the meeting. Meeting time: When we wanted to choose our meetings time, we were asking all the group members if that time was appropriate for them, because we wanted our meetings to be on time. The thing that happened was that I am there on time, but I had to wait at least an hour and half for the group meeting to start, because the members were always late. I waited and we did our meeting, but I was frustrated because of the late start. I have told them many times to choose the right time that they will be there and they have apologized for their lateness and promised to be on time for the next time. The same lateness behaviour had reoccurred as usual in which late members were acting normal, but the other group members were frustrated and complaining. The other group members had cool nerves and sometimes they have just waited others for an hour and a half to let us complete the work. I think this has affected our group performance, as if we were committed to the meeting time we would have done better in the g roup assignment. Improper Subject Selection: At the first we have choose Bloomberg as our subject because there was a Bloomberg guy who came and talked well about Bloomberg and we all found that the subject is very interesting, so we have decided to write about it. Therefore, we have decided on the points that we are going to talk about and that everyone would come back after 3 days with the information about Bloomberg. Apparently, no one has written a thing when the meeting day came and we were all complaining that there was not much available information. Therefore, our improper selection of the subject has led us to a waste some time. Team or Group?: I knew the difference between the team and the group from prof. Sally Sambrook, as she told us that working as group is discussing the points together, distributing the tasks and then everyone do the work individually. In the other hand, working as a team is doing everything together from discussing the points till the end of work. We tried to work as a team because it is more effective and creative than working individually, but the continuous absenteeism and lack of commitment of members in the meetings made it difficult, so we decided to work as a group. In addition, we decided to distribute the tasks in a way that please and satisfy everyone, so we wrote down the tasks and every one chose his favourite task that he would be interested to write about. Individual differences: There were individual differences in the abilities of the group members, as when we met to see and assess everyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work we found that some members of the group have covered their tasks perfectly while other group members made it difficult because we had to modify their work. My point of view is that I do not consider them free riders because they have tried and I could feel that they made an effort on their tasks, but the abilities within the group are different. Moreover, I suppose that their aim is just to pass while other group members who wanted to have a good grade in the assignment. We found the module is interesting and easy, so there is nothing to prevent us from having A* while others saw it impossible, so there were different aims within the group. Members with high ambitions did not get disappointed from others and have worked very hard. These members with all honesty have gained my respect and gave me a lesson for life that I can do everything even if t he group members are reflecting discouragement and laziness. If you want anything and you work for it very hard, you will achieve it. Interpersonal relationship and team effectiveness: What is an interpersonal relationship? Interpersonal relationship is a strong social connection between two or more people. There are many types of interpersonal relationships, but what we care about is the organizational interpersonal relationship which is the relationship between individuals working together in the work place. They spend a lot of time in the work and for sure they want to talk and discuss their issues with others rather than working alone all the time and that is a natural part of the working environment. Also, there may be a previous relationship between the individuals before working together and this helps the relationship to expand. We as students knew each other before the group assignment, but within the group work we came closer and worked together for longer hours. I think that I have a stronger relationship with them now, after the group work. I would prefer working with them again rather than working with a new group members that I do not have any kind of relationship with them (Management stu dy guide, [online], n.d.). Do interpersonal relationships affect the performance of the individuals? There are many beneficial outcomes for individuals and organizations because of the positive interpersonal relationship at work. Employees can feel job satisfaction and commit to their work because of their positive interpersonal relationship within their workplace. In the other hand, a negative interpersonal relationship could affect the employees and make them upset, and that will lead to lack of commitment towards their work. Obviously, it depends on the individual himself whether he was a social person and like to communicate and interact with the others or he likes to work individually and isolated from the others. A positive interpersonal relationship within the organization will build a supportive and innovative working climate for the employees, which will lead to an increase in the organizational productivity and institutional participation, and that will lead to employees satisfaction (Dachner, 2011, Abstract). In our group work there was a positive interpersonal relationsh ip which have made the work easier and more interesting. Furthermore, we were friends and knew each other before the group work, so it helped us a lot. It is interesting to have friends working together and it would form a comfortable working climate which can help to improve the performance and encourage the members to work hard. In the other hand, friendship in the group can make the members lazy; as they know that if they do not do their work; their friends will not leave them behind and will do their work. Our group had agreed from the beginning to isolate friendship from group work because we did not want the group members to keep depending on the others to do their own work. In my opinion, working with group members that I have a positive interpersonal relationship with them is much easier than working with new groups. Also, from my previous experiment of working with members that I do not know, I can say that there is a risk of being in a group with members who do not care ab out the grades they get, so you find yourself obligated to do their work. How could the organization build a positive interpersonal relationship? The variety of the advantages of the positive interpersonal relationship within the organization has encouraged organizations to build, support, and try to form a strong positive interpersonal relationship. The organization attempts to make the coworkers to become friends, because coworkers with friendship help each other more than normal coworkers. Besides, the organization helps the workers to communicate and work together in groups or teams to build a positive interpersonal relationship in order to provide the appropriate working climate for the workers to communicate and interact with each other. Moreover, the theories propose that demographic characteristics affect social relationship between individuals (Dachner, 2011, Antecedents of Interpersonal Relationships at Work). Consequently, organization could form group works with individuals who share the same demographic characteristics. Our assignment group consists of people from India, China, and I am from Kuwait, but it was eas y to work with them because we all shared the same goal and were working for the same purpose. I think that it depends on the person himself if he wants to make friends with his group and try to help them with their work or he just want to do his part and leave. How the management could affect the interpersonal relationship? Managers want the employees to be friends, help each other, and work together so they can get the most of their performance. Managers could give them the opportunity to socialize and encourage them to be friendly with each other and become friends. There are two influences that managers could have on employees interpersonal relationship. The first is direct and it is forming groups and giving them the chance to work together and compete with other groups which can provide a healthy competition for the organization. The second is indirect and it is giving them appropriate working condition, and not to give them a lot of work that they do not have the time to interact with others (Department of Public Health Sciences, 2010) 2.1 interpersonal relationship at work. A Team in an organizational point of view: A team in an organizational setting is a group of individuals whose tasks are done by working together, who share outcomes responsibility, who consider themselves and are considered by others as a unit inside the organization, who work together at all the times, help each other, and correct each others mistakes to increase the efficiency and improve the quality of the teams outcome, because they are all sharing the responsibility of the final outcome (Cohen, Bailey, 1997). As individuals who worked together for the assignment, although we shared the responsibility for the final outcome, we were not working together at all the time. If we worked as a team, it would have been better than working as a group but the conditions hindered us from working together as a team. Team effectiveness: Teams with high performance need to be developed and nurtured, as they do not just appear without working hard on them. The development of these teams cannot be guaranteed even with visionary leaders. Because if you want to have a high performance team, you should combine visionary leaders and motivated team members. There are many characteristics that help to build a high performance team such as, having a clear plan and a common goal, utilizing teams resources, valuing the differences in the team and trying to get the best from each member, the willingness of the members to give their best for their teams, managing the meetings in the perfect way, and exerting the efforts to achieve the goals. Also there are other things that affect the high performance teams and it is the teams size, the abilities and the skills within the team, the way of communication, and the conflict resolution (Cliffs Notes, n.d.). I agree that high performance teams needs co-operative and hardworking members . Also it requires the commitment from the team members, especially in the meetings time, because we suffered a lot from the members who were always late on our meetings. Measuring the teams effectiveness: As the team members work together all the time with shared responsibility of the final outcome, it is hard to evaluate each members contribution to the work. The manager wants and sees the final outcome only regardless whoever contributed more to the work. The effectiveness of the team is measured by performance and personal outcomes. Measuring the final product, customer satisfaction, items sold, etc. are all kind of performance outcome measurement. While measuring team members commitment and satisfaction and their desire to work with the same team members again is kind of personal outcome measurement. Hence, the grade that we will get in the group essay is the performance outcome, while if I wish to work with the guys that I have worked with again is the personal outcome. In my opinion, our group works both the performance outcome and the personal outcome was excellent. Conclusion: In conclusion working in a group assignment has many advantages and make you learn a lot of things, but everyone should try to get the maximum benefits that he could get. I can say that the group work made me better prepared for the real practical world. Although I had many hard times during the group work, it was interesting and earned me some good friends for lifetime. It was exciting to work with my friends in a group assignment and to help each other trying to get the maximum grade. After reading a lot about the interpersonal relationship and team effectiveness, I realized its importance in the work place and it really affects any organisation, and that is why every organisation is keen on it. Working in a group is totally different from working individually, as working in a group imposes you to respect the group members and their opinions even if these opinions conflict your own opinions, but if you are working alone you are the decision maker. That is the difference that I knew from working in the group assignment and the individual assignment. Finally, working in a group has many benefits that contribute in refining the personality of the participants and often better than the individual work and this is what I had concluded from my personal experiment in the group work.