Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Geopolitical Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Geopolitical Paper - Essay Example China has been the third largest trading partner of ASEAN and it accounted for 11.3% of the total trade of ASEAN in the year 2008 (ASEAN Secretariat, 2010). As observed by Dr. Surin, â€Å"China’s economic growth and strong investment expansion is energizing the region and is providing ASEAN with an expanding diversified market in an environment of slowing growth in its traditional partners† (ASEAN Secretariat, 2010). There were many rationales behind ASEAN - China FTA (Free Trade Area). ASEAN countries wanted free trade with China for many reasons and the motivation involved both political as well as economical factors. The first reason has been that China is huge economy and the increasing demand for goods and services from ASEAN would lead to growth of all the ASEAN countries. Closer integration with China would facilitate ASEAN to reduce the reliance on other countries like United States, Japan and European Union. Moreover it was found that China has been quite supple with the new ASEAN countries and has been providing developmental assistance. By extending WTO nations’ benefit to the non WTO member would make it viable for the new ASEAN countries to gain from trade liberalization with China. Besides this, the other reason for choosing China was the temperate agriculture of China and tropical agriculture of ASEAN which was complementary and thus they could have liberalized the agricult ural trade. Again according to ASEAN, the ASEAN-China FTA (ACFTA) is the way through which the post crisis can be recovered. China’s enthusiasm for forming the ASEAN-China FTA was also politico-economic. When viewed politically China wanted to maintain friendly relations with its neighboring countries in the south. It has also been noted that ASEAN-China FTA was a confidence building process in order to put to rest the ASEAN distress over China’s economic condition that was a threat. Therefore close

Monday, October 28, 2019

Bos vs Porter 5 Foreces Essay Example for Free

Bos vs Porter 5 Foreces Essay A philosophy which has been debated for the last three years, Blue Ocean Strategy.2 The authors W. Chan Kim and Renà ©e Mauborgne challenges the classic battle market position by producing a mindset and approach based on creating a new market without competitors. What the book Blue Ocean Strategy is called the blue Ocean. According to W. Chan Kim and Renà ©e Mauborgne achieved this by including creating and capturing new customer needs (blue ocean), as opposed to supporting the existing demand, which dominates the classical teorier3 (red ocean). Strategic Developments in Blue Ocean Strategy is focused on making it cheaper and better. Normally is firm theoretical and practical need to make a choice between these two factors. Michael E. Porter describes particular in his book Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analyzing Industries and competitor, its about the company is either highly differentiated or have a low pris.4 Blue Ocean Strategys thinking is to remove cost value barrier, and thereby offer something that is cheaper, better and different. There are both supporters and critics of the book, Blue Ocean Strategy The new winning strategies. Critics argue, among other things, that strategy is hindsight, since it is based on companies already created successful. In addition, they believe that many companies go bankrupt because they trying to find the blue oceans that critics do not believe findes.5 According to the strategies credibility and usefulness within the subject marketing, are all theories mainly built on experience from industry. Some companies have pioneered new thinking, and their experience in industry is described as theory. Blue Ocean Strategy can be a new approach for their future strategy schedules. Views are scattered in the strategy innovation. Some consider the strategy as being random for business success, and that no found a blue ocean. Others characterize the book as a new strategy classic, and call book for banebrydende.6 When the debate about Blue Ocean Strategy has been dominant for business in the last two to three years, it would be interesting to elucidate why the Blue Ocean Strategy theory has gotten so much attention. Blue Ocean Strategy can be changed the thinking of many managers in relation to classic theories from among Secondly, Michael E. Porter, and thereby created a new response pattern in business. Competition for some businesses it will be difficult to understand and modify, if they have no insight into Blue Ocean Strategys issues and thinking. W. Chan Kim and Renà ©e Mauborgnes mindset and production of Blue Ocean Strategy will be interesting to gain deeper insight into and analyze the theoretical recharge strategy for corporate strategy planning. Prerequisites Prerequisites for being able to answer the problem formulation include looking at questions below: 1. What is the theoretical thinking behind Blue Ocean Strategy? 2. Are the blue ocean in the real markets or just in theory? 3. Blue Ocean Strategy: a development of classical theory? Before there can be a qualified answer to the problem formulation, it will be necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of the theory behind Blue Ocean Strategy. To understand Blue Ocean Strategy will be the beginning of the analysis be prepared core definitions of particular it red and blue ocean. Before the actual analysis will be made, issues like value innovation and various analytical tools and frameworks will be described. This to reader gets the best possible understanding of the key linchpins in Blue Ocean Strategy. The depth review of Blue Ocean Strategy is modeled from six principles: 1. The first principle deals with six roads to the redefinition of market boundaries, where is important for the company to look beyond market boundaries. 2. Another principle delves into the overall picture of the company. Here you will be made a description of the preparation of a strategy canvas, from four stages of visualization of a strategy. 3. The third principle is the demand. Here the analysis will focus on how the company can see beyond existing demand for the creation of value innovation. 4. The fourth principle deals with the strategic order. The section has its pivoting around the layout of a business model for creating economic benefits of the new idea. 5. The fifth principle is the implementation of the strategy for the blue ocean. 6. Sixth Principle deals with integrating the implementation of the strategy through fair process.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Mourning and Grief Essay -- Psychology

Sigmund Freud, born on May 8th, 1856, was the founder of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysts believed that human behavior, experience, and cognition were largely determined by irrational drives which were mostly unconscious. Freud further developed the mechanisms of repression and established a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and their respective psychoanalyst. Though psychoanalysts are not very common in our current day, other forms of psychotherapy have developed that employs diverging ideas, originating from Freud’s original thoughts and approach to studying the mind (Boeree). Freud went on to later synthesize a theory of what he believed happened during grief. According to his theory, we become emotionally attached to our loved ones by investing libido, or physical energy, in them. When these loved ones pass, we have a sense that we lost this energy, which he believes accounts for changes in our sensitivity. Under Freud’s theory, grieving consists of severing these emotional attachments by withdrawing our energetic investments (Watson). Though Freud’s view on death was fashioned centuries ago, it can still be clearly seen in various aspects/locations in modern time. Freud’s ideas which have become the backbone to the ‘six reconciliation needs for mourning’ are currently used as the basis for ritualistic tendencies of funerals, self-help books that are utilized within Hospice units in Hospitals, and self-help groups. The initial need to help the family acknowledge the reality of the death of a loved one is commonly carried out by funeral homes. Typically, death is acknowledged in two phases, the first dealing with acceptance in our mind and then within our hearts. Sigmund Freud b... ...e are supposed to do. Self-help groups attempt to fill bereaved ones lives with activities that may interest them in the hopes that these activates will either get their mind off the recent death or aid in helping the individual reinvent themselves. Works Cited Boeree, C. George. "Sigmund Freud." My Webspace Files. 2009. Web. . Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Supporting a Grieving Person." : Helping Others Through Grief and Loss. Jan. 2012. Web. . Watson, Donald E. "Apperception Theory of Grieving." Don Watson's Home Page. 12 Feb. 2005. Web. . Wolfelt, Alan D. "Why Is the Funeral Ritual Important?" 2007. Web.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Comparison of Ballad of the Bread Man and Innocents Song Essay

Comparison of Ballad of the Bread Man and Innocent's Song by Charles Causley and Journey of the Magi by T. S. Eliot The subject matter of "Ballad of the Bread Man" is the religious story of the birth, life and death of Jesus. It has all the main events of the traditional story but it is done in a modern style. The meaning of the story remains but most of the particulars have changed. For instance in the poem a "bishop", "five start general", and a "head of an African country" represent the kings. Charles Causley has bought the story up to date so it appeals to people living today, especially younger people. Children might not understand the Bible version of the story so Charles Causley has made it more accessible and understandable for them. The poem is divided into twenty stanzas with four lines in each. There is a strict rhyming scheme that applies to the entire poem with no exceptions. In every stanza the last word on the second and fourth lines rhyme, for instance "bread" and "said" in the first stanza. There is a simple rhythm present, and it is very repetitive and familiar. The reason why the poem is so regimented with its structure, rhyme and rhythm is because it is a "Ballad" as it says in the title. The title "Ballad of the Bread Man" is very important. Ballads are very ancient poems that tell a story. Most ballads have a simple and recognisable form, structure and features. This is because originally ballads were passed on by word of mouth. They needed to be simple so they would be remembered. The "Bread Man" part of the title is a metaphor for the goodness of Jesus. Bread is mentioned in the Bible many times. It reminds you of "The Last Supper", "Loaves and Fishes", the bread used in ... ...ed me. "Journey of the Magi" is noticeably different to the two Causley poems even in its layout. Although some of the techniques of language are similar it is clear different poets wrote them. "Journey of the Magi" is more complicated and harder to comprehend. I liked the final stanza where Eliot asks if the birth of Jesus was a "birth or death?" The message in this poem is more diverse and unusual and that's what I liked about it. The three poems all deal with different stories about Christmas and from different perspectives. They are each trying to teach the reader something different and they are also aimed at different audiences. They use some similar methods in their language to convey their messages but at the same time they are distinguishable. The two Causley poems are the most alike while the Eliot poem really stands out and is very unique. Comparison of Ballad of the Bread Man and Innocent's Song Essay Comparison of Ballad of the Bread Man and Innocent's Song by Charles Causley and Journey of the Magi by T. S. Eliot The subject matter of "Ballad of the Bread Man" is the religious story of the birth, life and death of Jesus. It has all the main events of the traditional story but it is done in a modern style. The meaning of the story remains but most of the particulars have changed. For instance in the poem a "bishop", "five start general", and a "head of an African country" represent the kings. Charles Causley has bought the story up to date so it appeals to people living today, especially younger people. Children might not understand the Bible version of the story so Charles Causley has made it more accessible and understandable for them. The poem is divided into twenty stanzas with four lines in each. There is a strict rhyming scheme that applies to the entire poem with no exceptions. In every stanza the last word on the second and fourth lines rhyme, for instance "bread" and "said" in the first stanza. There is a simple rhythm present, and it is very repetitive and familiar. The reason why the poem is so regimented with its structure, rhyme and rhythm is because it is a "Ballad" as it says in the title. The title "Ballad of the Bread Man" is very important. Ballads are very ancient poems that tell a story. Most ballads have a simple and recognisable form, structure and features. This is because originally ballads were passed on by word of mouth. They needed to be simple so they would be remembered. The "Bread Man" part of the title is a metaphor for the goodness of Jesus. Bread is mentioned in the Bible many times. It reminds you of "The Last Supper", "Loaves and Fishes", the bread used in ... ...ed me. "Journey of the Magi" is noticeably different to the two Causley poems even in its layout. Although some of the techniques of language are similar it is clear different poets wrote them. "Journey of the Magi" is more complicated and harder to comprehend. I liked the final stanza where Eliot asks if the birth of Jesus was a "birth or death?" The message in this poem is more diverse and unusual and that's what I liked about it. The three poems all deal with different stories about Christmas and from different perspectives. They are each trying to teach the reader something different and they are also aimed at different audiences. They use some similar methods in their language to convey their messages but at the same time they are distinguishable. The two Causley poems are the most alike while the Eliot poem really stands out and is very unique.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Crime patterns Essay

Short Answer Questions: 1) What do sociologists mean when they describe deviance as being relative? Provide an example of a deviant behavior and identify how it is relative. Deviance is relative because of a number of factors. These factors include: location, age, social status, and individual societies that do not conform to social norms. Deviance deals with situations in everyday life and that is what makes deviance relative to sociologists. An example of this type of behavior is â€Å"A person speaking loudly during a church service would probably be considered deviant, whereas a person speaking loudly at a party would not. Society generally regards taking the life of another person to be a deviant act, but during wartime, killing another person is not considered deviant† (Sparknotes.com, 2014). This is relative because it is relating to the persons involved in the situation and their surroundings. 2) What are deviant places, and how are they associated with deviant acts? Deviant places are places that sustain deviant acts. These could be old buildings, poverty-stricken neighborhoods, or largely-populated areas. These places create certain stresses and could cause these behaviors. For example areas with a lot of poverty are usually areas with the highest crime rate. This stress leads to stealing, drugs, etc. , 3) Sociologists detail the importance of contextual and social patterns for deviant acts such as abuse, murder, and rape. Choose from abuse, murder, and rape, and then detail an important social pattern or variation. 4) Compare and contrast two different types of suicide, providing an example of each. Essay: What are the fundamental differences between the biological, psychological, and sociological theories of deviance? Choose a sociological theory from your readings and provide a summary of its important ideas and concepts. Then choose a deviant act and utilize the theory to explain why people engage in such behaviors.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Martin Luther King Junior Essays - Anglican Saints, Free Essays

Martin Luther King Junior Essays - Anglican Saints, Free Essays Martin Luther King Junior On a typical day in 1929 a man was born. A man that would follow in his fathers footsteps to become a great American leader. Not only a leader, but also someone that would inspire people of all generations. A man that cared about his fellow people and would not give up for anything. He would try to fight. Try to win. Try to claim peace for our world. This man is the one and only Martin Luther King Junior. This man is one of history?s best-loved and honored inspirations. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Junior was brought into our world with what seemed as though a candle burning in his heart. Flickering to achieve goals, and giving light and love to our fellow people. As a child he would live a life that to him wasn?t fit for him. His friends seemed to be only people that looked the same as him. The same skin color. During the early days of his life, he couldn?t understand why. Although he only talked to people of his own race he was satisfied, but not for long. As he grew older he began to understand. He was finally realizing why he was trapped behind the wall of prejudice. The thoughts in his mind began to expand into a world that was impossible to live with. He began to struggle in school and daily life at home. His thoughts were locked on only one target. Martin Luther King Junior graduated from Morehouse College in Georgia in 1948 and he was ready to take responsibilities like an adult. 3 years later in 1955 he graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary. His parents loved his great learning abilities but often expected more from him. They were proud yet commanding. He studied hard to make his parents proud, but he felt that it was also a huge benefit for him as well. He took a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955 and was on the highway to success. He had a good education, a steady family, and that was not all. While going to school at Boston University Martin Luther King Junior met his future wife. He didn?t know the true meaning of love until he found her. His life changed, and would never again be the same. Along with a new wife new responsibilities. Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Junior wed. Shortly after their marriage they had four kids together. In Martin?s opinion, he was the luckiest man in the world. To him nothing could be better than a healthy happy marriage, and healthy happy kids. He had his life laid out like a sleeping bag. If you think back on the life that Martin Luther King lived, he gave his heart and soul into what he believed, and he wouldn?t give up until he achieved his goal that was on the top of his list. I?m sure that his list was very long list, and I know that in his lifetime he achieved every single one of them. I truly see how Martin Luther King Junior is a remarkable piece of history, and that he is an inspiration for freedom. In 1953 Martin became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery. He decided that fighting for what he believed in was the right thing to do. In 1957 Martin Luther King Junior was chosen to be president of the newly formed Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Formally known as SCLC. He began to

Monday, October 21, 2019

Right-Skewed Distribution What Does It Mean

Right-Skewed Distribution What Does It Mean SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Studying statistics? Then you've likely heard the phrase "normal distribution" when describing data. But what about the phrase "skewed right"? What does a right-skewed histogram look like? And what causes it? In this article, we give you examples of histograms skewed to the right and explain how these differ from normal distribution graphs. Feature image: Monika Wahi/Wikimedia Commons What Is Normal Distribution? Before we explain what it means when data is skewed right, let's review the definition of normal distribution. With normal distribution, two or more variables share a direct relationship to make a symmetrical data set, on which the left half mirrors the right half. These graphs are called bell curves due to their clearly defined, bell-like shape: On a normal distribution graph, the mean (average), median, and mode are all equal. These points all represent the center of the data, or the peak of the graph. What Does Skewed Right Mean? While normal distribution is one of the most common forms of distribution, not all data sets follow this basic curve. In other words, some histograms are skewed to the right or left. With right-skewed distribution (also known as "positively skewed" distribution), most data falls to the right, or positive side, of the graph's peak. Thus, the histogram skews in such a way that its right side (or "tail") is longer than its left side. Example of a right-skewed histogram. On a right-skewed histogram, the mean, median, and mode are all different. In this case, the mode is the highest point of the histogram, whereas the median and mean fall to the right of it (or, visually, the right of the peak). Note that the mean will always be to the right of the median. Graph A is skewed right, while Graph B is skewed left. With right-skewed graphs, the mean always comes to the right of the mode (i.e., the peak). (Asitgoes/Wikimedia Commons)[ These features ultimately make it difficult to assign a typical value as there is no clear center point on a right-skewed graph. By contrast, with normal distribution, because the mean, median, and mode are all equal and come at the center of the data set, you can easily use this value to more accurately generalize the data. What Causes a Right-Skewed Histogram? Data skewed to the right is usually a result of a lower boundary in a data set (whereas data skewed to the left is a result of a higher boundary). So if the data set's lower bounds are extremely low relative to the rest of the data, this will cause the data to skew right. Another cause of skewness is start-up effects. For example, if a procedure initially has a lot of successes during a long start-up period, this could create a positive skew on the data. (On the opposite hand, a start-up period with several initial failures can negatively skew data.)

Sunday, October 20, 2019

buy custom World War II essay

buy custom World War II essay The Second World War is no doubt a war of its own kind in history of human conflict. It involved many people and killed many people. The war involved participants from various parts of the world but concentrated most of its activities in the Europe, Far East and North Africa. The Second World War was an action-dominated conflict between two opposing sides. Each side rallied supporters behind them as much as they could. One side was the group of countries called Allies which comprised of Britain, France, USSR and their supporters. The Allies were later joined by USA. On the other side of the conflict was the Axis group of countries which comprised of Germany, Italy, Japan and their supporters. The war began on September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.Germany did not heed the warning issued by Allies and instead went ahead to attack other countries such as Norway, Denmark, Belgium among others. Therefore, Britain and Francedeclared war on Germany. Meanwhile, Japan was also making various invasions in China. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor which belonged to the USA in December, 1941. This action drew USA into the war on the side of the Allies. Almost all the powerful countries of the world were in the war by 1942. The war ended in 1945 by a terrible defeat and surrender of the Axis side. The atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima cities of Japan by USA marked the end. USA emerged the strongest power. The causes of the war were majorly ideological. For instance, USSR was against NAZI ideology of politics in Germany and therefore joined the Allies group to fight against Germany. Other causes include the failures of the League of Nations and the Versailles treaty to resolve the issues in the First World War. In addition, most countries wanted to expand their territories and colonies in order to acquire raw materials for economic expansion. They were therefore ready to go to war in order to fulfill quest for economic expansion. Buy custom World War II essay

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Defining plagiarism in the digital age Annotated Bibliography

Defining plagiarism in the digital age - Annotated Bibliography Example The author strives to make it clear through several studies done before.Samples of what different students say in explanation of plagiarism issue give ground to think of the problem in a more global scope. The author states it clearly by asking himself as follows: â€Å"In this age of file-sharing, mashups, Wikipedia, and music sampling, has the practice of borrowing without asking become more pervasive†? In the course of time, plagiarism is said to change every now and then. The author brings it to a reader’s mind that plagiarism has been taken for granted, as students don’t think it is bad. In my opinion, the article fully supports my opinion that â€Å"plagiarism causes a lack of formation of intelligence.† It is a hazardous phenomenon in the age of high technologies and Web 2:0, in particular. Hence, the message by the author urges to break down any idea of counter attitude toward plagiarism as something needful for students. Digital innovations throug h the Internet prevent students from writing their papers alone, without any help of custom-writing services. This is why the article describes the core of the problem in detail. Thus, the formation of intelligence among students tends to get delayed, since Internet technologies grow quicker than ever before. This is why a gap in growing wiser is inevitable for students full of digital experience worldwide. This trend seems never ending for academic sustainability of universities today. Hence, it is about time to keep a strict eye on this issue.

Friday, October 18, 2019

SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY - Essay Example Sport diving is commonly used to refer to both skin and scuba diving activities. Political environmental of a nation can heavily affect the diving industry. The diving industry is interrelated with tourism. It is mainly concerned with dive operators, tour organizers, restaurateurs, hoteliers and professionals. If the political environment of the nation is not stable or there is some kind of disturbance, then the people willing to dive will be few. 1 There is also the issue of territorial waters whereby divers are restricted to diving only in some parts of the water. Otherwise, they are required to get licensed or follow some procedures in order to get registered for the sport if they intend to venture in some parts of the waters. If proper authorization is not given, divers can face legal penalties for trespass. There are also various recognized national diving agencies e.g. NASDS, NAUI, SSI, PADI and YMCA. These agencies are the ones are the ones which certify dicers and they are engaged in competition just like in any other business. They also politicize the diving industry to some extent and influence the direction the diving industry takes. Economical factors aff... Diving is mostly considered as a leisure sport although recently there are many professional taking up the sport. When the nation is on an economic rise, more people tend to find time to utilize their surplus income in sports like diving. Diving also requires training. Potential divers should look for an instructor who has been certified. It also requires equipment such as masks, snorkel, fins, wet suits, weight belts or scriber equipment. All these equipments require some economic input and although most of them can be hired, it still weighs on the pocket and not all people may be able to afford it. Diving may also result in some disorders e.g. oxygen poisoning or nitrogen narcosis which may require medical attention hence adding to the expense. 2 Socio-cultural factors affecting diving industry are very dynamic. Originally, diving was considered a very risky sport and it was initially attempted by men only. However, with time, women warmed up to the idea and have taken up the sport and a number of instructors in the diving industry today are women. In most places where water sports re developed, diving is becoming a culture. Many people are venturing into diving for fun, to explore then uncountable varieties of animal and plant life in the underwater world. Diving competitions can be a lot of fun and they also bring people together. It is out of such competitions and more training that diving professionals re born. Technological factors influencing the diving industry have continued to improve the sport and make it easier. Over the years, equipment for diving has been improved to increase safety and reduce health risks. Initially, only equipment for skin diving i.e. snorkel, fins and masks were available and although these too have developed and

Edgar Allen Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Edgar Allen Poe - Essay Example This relationship between the brother and sister is further examined in terms of the dominant sibling holding sway over the weaker brother. The night of the storm, Roderick is seen in the narrator’s room. â€Å"His head had dropped upon his breast †¦ he rocked from side to side with a gentle yet constant and uniform sway† while he seems aware that Madeline, buried alive in the crypt below, has been struggling for many days to escape her tomb. â€Å"Long – long – long – many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it – yet I dared not – oh, pity me, miserable wretch, that I am! – I dared not – I dared not speak! We have put her living in the tomb!†. While Roderick is incapable of facing his ghastly mistake in order to rectify it, Madeline appears in the doorway with â€Å"blood upon her white robes and the evidence of some bitter struggle upon every portion of her emaciated frame†. The terror of her appearance is made all the more ghastly as one considers how the two men struggled over the casements that had enclosed her body, the heavy iron door that had blocked her tomb and the completely sealed quality of the dungeon in which she was placed. More than requiring superhuman strength to overcome the several days’ worth of airlessness that she had endured since being buried, Madeline required additional superhuman strength to throw off the heavy, bolted lid of her coffin and tear open the locked door of her cell in order to appear in the narrator’s room that evening. â€Å"Mistakenly we ask these creatures, ‘What do you want?’

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Death and fate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Death and fate - Essay Example This story thus tries to show how death is inevitable and despite efforts put in place, it will always find ways of capturing its victims. The story revolves around death and its inevitability. It portrays many traditions of the Gothic fiction thus presenting an allegory of death and fate. It is therefore important to study and know how different societies deal with death and the meanings behind their actions. Death in Different Societies Over the years, the mystery of death have stunned many individuals and because no one knows what happens when after death, different societies have come up with tales on the origin of death, causes of death and implications of death. Different people have different believes on death, but the vast majority view death as a form of punishment from a supreme being usually referred to as ‘god’ or ‘the ancestors’. Very few people have embraced the reality about death and view it as natural, many still believe that death occurs as a result of fate or punishment (Lynn 327). To broadly understand death in different societies, we will attempt to look at what the societies believe are the causes of death, what are the remedies to the stated cause and whether death is avoidable by any chance. Death According to the Muslim Societies According to the Muslim community, death is normally regarded as the ultimate completion or end of the physical life of an individual. The dead person is normally referred to as resting because, this society believes that, in the end, the dead will be resurrected by God normally referred to as Allah. Since the dead are only resting, they believe that those who were righteous are capable of seeing visions of Allah even in immortal state. The wicked on the other hand, usually see hell in their visions. According to the Muslim society, there is heaven where the dead will go after judgment (Ivone 174). This place however is restricted to the pure Muslims; non Muslims can only get to heaven after they have been purified in fire, commonly known as the purgatory. In Muslim society, religious legends are worshiped and specific shrines are built for their remembrance. To date, Prophet Mohammed is worshiped and every Muslim knows that he was the most righteous person who ever lived. As a way of recognizing this, special shrine is built in Mecca where Muslims Faithful usually visit to pay their tribute to this hero. This process is done annually. When a Muslim dies, he is supposed to be washed, wrapped in a white clean cloth and buried the same day. This is done to honor the dead and give him last respect. People know very little in what happens after one is buried and they just believes that he or she will be resurrected when time comes. Muslims also believe in a holy war called Jihad. In this war, if someone dies in an attempt to do the will or Allah, he is guaranteed heaven. This is why, some fighters like Osama, having been convinced that they were doing service to God, would do anything without being human enough to reconsider his actions. When he died, the best thing was to bury him under water to avoid shrines and a repeat of the same cycle. Death in Traditional African Society Many traditional practices according to many traditional practices are coiled around death and resurrection. Many individuals believe in the existence of semi-divine powers and the intercession of spirits (Aloysius and Joanne 68). It is therefore important to appease the spirits if one is to avoid the painful consequences of death. There are also

Comparative Essay about two short story Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative about two short story - Essay Example The first story, Prisoner on the hell plant, is based on the character Artie who has a lot to suffer in his life. Artie is a loner in this cruel and harsh world, a person who just lost his mother and considers himself to be a reason for the loss. He has a history of mental illness and when he came out of the asylum, Artie had a clear view of life in his mind. He wanted his life to improve and to be successful. Artie had been trying to improve his living standards, to get a good job and to worsk and support his mother. But, one day he receives the news of his mother committing suicide and the life he had been dreaming of shattered and the sky fell upon him as he realized what he had lost. Since the receiving of this new, Artie had been trying to figure out a way to find why his mother committed suicide. He had been making out reasons to make himself feel a little less guilty but, all he was left behind was the guilt that he made his mother commit suicide. Even though he was not, people around him were telling him that and consoling him. They were there for him and telling him that he was not at all guilty but Artie felt like he was going insane again and now that he has lost his only hope in the world, there is no chance for him to be a successful man he had dreamt of. Similar scenario is face by Marjane in ‘The Veil’. Marjane is a young girl with big dreams. Dreams of a world where all would be equal and no person would see the other with a sense of superiority. Marjane studies in the school at a time when revolutionists had called for different schools for the two sexes and wearing the veil was made necessary for the girls in school. This new law was not accepted by many and protests were going around in the country by groups both favoring and against this. Her class fellows did not like wearing the veil that much and most of them would remove it whenever they get a

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Death and fate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Death and fate - Essay Example This story thus tries to show how death is inevitable and despite efforts put in place, it will always find ways of capturing its victims. The story revolves around death and its inevitability. It portrays many traditions of the Gothic fiction thus presenting an allegory of death and fate. It is therefore important to study and know how different societies deal with death and the meanings behind their actions. Death in Different Societies Over the years, the mystery of death have stunned many individuals and because no one knows what happens when after death, different societies have come up with tales on the origin of death, causes of death and implications of death. Different people have different believes on death, but the vast majority view death as a form of punishment from a supreme being usually referred to as ‘god’ or ‘the ancestors’. Very few people have embraced the reality about death and view it as natural, many still believe that death occurs as a result of fate or punishment (Lynn 327). To broadly understand death in different societies, we will attempt to look at what the societies believe are the causes of death, what are the remedies to the stated cause and whether death is avoidable by any chance. Death According to the Muslim Societies According to the Muslim community, death is normally regarded as the ultimate completion or end of the physical life of an individual. The dead person is normally referred to as resting because, this society believes that, in the end, the dead will be resurrected by God normally referred to as Allah. Since the dead are only resting, they believe that those who were righteous are capable of seeing visions of Allah even in immortal state. The wicked on the other hand, usually see hell in their visions. According to the Muslim society, there is heaven where the dead will go after judgment (Ivone 174). This place however is restricted to the pure Muslims; non Muslims can only get to heaven after they have been purified in fire, commonly known as the purgatory. In Muslim society, religious legends are worshiped and specific shrines are built for their remembrance. To date, Prophet Mohammed is worshiped and every Muslim knows that he was the most righteous person who ever lived. As a way of recognizing this, special shrine is built in Mecca where Muslims Faithful usually visit to pay their tribute to this hero. This process is done annually. When a Muslim dies, he is supposed to be washed, wrapped in a white clean cloth and buried the same day. This is done to honor the dead and give him last respect. People know very little in what happens after one is buried and they just believes that he or she will be resurrected when time comes. Muslims also believe in a holy war called Jihad. In this war, if someone dies in an attempt to do the will or Allah, he is guaranteed heaven. This is why, some fighters like Osama, having been convinced that they were doing service to God, would do anything without being human enough to reconsider his actions. When he died, the best thing was to bury him under water to avoid shrines and a repeat of the same cycle. Death in Traditional African Society Many traditional practices according to many traditional practices are coiled around death and resurrection. Many individuals believe in the existence of semi-divine powers and the intercession of spirits (Aloysius and Joanne 68). It is therefore important to appease the spirits if one is to avoid the painful consequences of death. There are also

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Federal Reserve Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Federal Reserve Policy - Essay Example The weakness in the real estate markets has spread to become a system wide problem as sub-prime loans turn into toxic assets leaving financial institutions under-collateralized. The US Federal Reserve Board has been criticized for enacting policies that exacerbated the problem, or at least for failing to curtail the spread of the problem by its lack of action. The purpose of this paper is to examine the policies of the Federal Reserve Board during the period of 2006-2009 in light of the current financial crisis. The paper will find that the Federal Reserve Board policies during this period were prudent and appropriate, but failed to exert the political will necessary to address the problems that have arisen in the financial system that were due to factors that are beyond the Board's authority. By many accounts, the current financial crisis began in the housing industry and was fuelled by the twin problems on over-evaluation and high-risk mortgage loans. As the problem grew, financial institutions continued to make high interest, high-risk loans on property that had reached values that were unrealistically high. When the real estate bubble burst, many of these institutions and borrowers were left with assets worth far less than the amount due on the loan. According Bernanke (2008), "housing and housing finance played a central role in precipitating the current crisis. As the crisis has persisted, however, the relationships between housing and other parts of the economy have become more complex.Declining house prices, delinquencies and foreclosures, and strains in mortgage markets are now symptoms as well as causes of our general financial and economic difficulties". Yet, could the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) have taken steps beginning several years ago to address theses ca uses of system wide failure Bernanke (2008) is very clear that the problem was "declining house prices, delinquencies and foreclosures, and strains in mortgage markets". In fact, the FRB was aware of these problems, but failed to enact policies to address these complex issues. Bernanke lists the first cause of the current crisis as the falling prices of housing as the real estate bubble burst. In a free market, asset prices will work to reach equilibrium. A bubble in any industry will eventually deflate in an effort to reach its true valuation. This was seen in the collapse of technology stocks in 1999-2000, and now has hit the real estate market. However, the FRB may have not been able to deal with this problem effectively. In retrospect, Stern (2008) states, "it is challenging at best to identify when asset prices have reached excessive levels, to build support for action once identification has occurred and to implement corrective policy successfully". There is a general philosophy in the FRB that the best strategy for asset inflation is a policy of containment and clean-up, rather than prevention (Stern 2008). In fact, the FRB's policy was "monetary policy easing and last-resort lending", which only deepened and prolonged the crisis (Blanchard 2009, p. 2). Asset revaluation is a political challenge, but is within the FRB's capacity. None of these actions took place, and the FRB continued dropping interest rates. While the falling interest rates were enacted to stimulate a lagging economy, other factors continued to prop up housing prices at unrealistic levels. When mortgage money is cheap, it creates more customers interested in borrowing and the demand for housing remains high. During the

Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” Essay Example for Free

Zora Neale Hurston’s â€Å"Sweat† Essay Zora Neale Hurston’s story â€Å"Sweat† is filled with symbolism that includes depictions that are easily explained and some which require more thought. Hurston’s most recognizable symbol throughout the short story is the title, â€Å"Sweat.† She depicts Delia as having a strong work ethic and the hardship she experienced with making her relationship work. Another recognizable symbol would be the consistency of the rattlesnake. The rattlesnake is the focal point of the story since it ties the story together. Throughout â€Å"Sweat,† Hurston depicts Delia as a hardworking woman who is the provider for Sykes and herself. â€Å"Hot or col’, rain or shine, jes’ez reg’lar ez de weeks roll roun’ Delia carries ‘em an’ fetches ‘em on Sat’day.† (Hurston 532) Sweat is the result of Delia’s hard work and dedication in her life. Regardless of the situation, Delia showed pride in her work as a washwoman as her work ethic demonstrated. Delia’s laundry work also incorporates a symbol. â€Å"He stepped roughly upon the whitest pile of things, kick them helter-skelter as he crossed the room.† (Hurston 531) She looks after and protects the laundry like it is her own. Since the laundry is the white folks and not hers, it shows Delia as an African American in a difficult time in history. It also refers â€Å"whitest pile of things† as Delia’s innocence and righteousness whereas Syke is malicious on making it dirty. The rattlesnake is considered the most recognized symbol in the story. â€Å"looks just like a snake, an’ you knows how skeered Ah is of snakes.† (Hurston 530) From the beginning of the story to the end of the story the rattlesnake is considered to be evil like Syke. Syke had no remorse for the fear it caused for Delia and threatened her with violence. The snake symbolizes the evil that is associated with Syke’s behavior and demeanor. Throughout the story â€Å"Sweat,† Hurston used examples of symbolism as her main focal point. The climax is when Syke falls victim to his own wrongdoing. The rattlesnake that was intended for Delia, killed Syke instead. She would not be a victim Syke’s violent behavior anymore. It symbolizes a woman’s strengths and experiences due to her gender and color. Work Cited Hurston, Zora Neale. â€Å"Sweat.† Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. XJ. Kennedey and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. Longman, 01 January 2012. Print. Scott, Cynthia C. Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat: Character and Metaphor in the Short Story. Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo Contributor Network, 10 July 2007. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. Print. Burke, Marion C. Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat and the Black Female Voice: The Perspective of the African-American Woman. Student Pulse. Student Pulse, LLC, 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. Print.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Role of the Line Manager and Devolved Responsibility

Role of the Line Manager and Devolved Responsibility Understanding how HR function equips line manager to deal with devolved responsibility Literature review: Government deregulation, strong competition and big pressure in domestic and overseas market have led many organisations to concentrate on the management of employees in order to meet increasing demands for quality goods and services. It was posited that HRM represented an opportunity for the function to improve its status by making innovative and positive contributions to corporate goals and business success (Tyson, 1987) There is however general agreement over one structural change that has taken place, many organisations have devolved manpower responsibility from a function personnel office to line manager ( Hutchinson and wood,1995) In order to maintain competitive advantage, companies have been forced to come up with a new strategic innovation and devolved some HR responsibility to line managers to keep the business on track and to achieve the overall HRM strategy and thus the business strategy. This new vision of bringing HR task to the line has been dictated by the fast changing business environment, keenoy (1990) tend to see HRM as an instrumental approach to people management, driven by market oriented activities that affect the business as a whole. Cunningham and Hymans (1999) noticed that personnel function was being removed from departments and devolved to line managers because it has consistently failed to achieve results in the past, but other causes that helped to build up a new way in how hr function and line managers work together, many changes in the corporate environment like competition, decentralisation, and privatisation has reformed HR function. Another problem is that HR profession does not control access to personnel job, a non HR manager can become an HR manager when the employers decide so. The rational of why line involvement has become more frequent following the idea of (Brewster, Larsen.2000.p196) is mainly because of five factors: To reduce cost To provide a more comprehensive approach of HRM. To place responsibility for HRM with managers most responsible for it. To speed-up decision making. As an alternative to outsourcing the HR function. Defining line managers role : The literature make a distinction between line and staff function, line function are those who have direct responsibility for achieving the objectives of the organisation (Stewart ,1963). Dalton (1959) said that line officers are lacking skills when translating staff advice into effective working practice. We can notice different layers of line activity within organisations but for the purpose of our research the term line managers refers to section or area heads that exists above supervisory level but doesnt include senior position within the hierarchy (Noreen, Michael, 1995) Drucker (1974) views that the management job consist of five basic  operations: Setting objectives Organising Motivating and communicating Measurement People development March and Gilies (1983) said that industrial relation and day to day personnel activities lie with line and staff manager and subordinate supervisors. A useful typology of senior/middle line manager was proposed by storey (1992), this typology give us better view about different roles that a manager can do in the organisation, he used two key dimension of the line manager described in the matrix figure 1. Source : Storey 1992 , Typology of middle line managers . The first dimension is when a manager is commercially oriented or technically oriented and the second dimension is measuring whether a manager is taking a proactive or reactive attitude. storeys typology is useful because it let us know different role that a manager can do in the area of HRD which is part of the devolved task to line managers. The HR role : We understood from the previous that line manager have the responsibility of HR task in their area, in the other side HR department is responsible for HRM across all the organisation (Henrick , Brewster .2003). Tyson and fell 1992 proposed a conceptualised classification of three models of personnel management as follow: From 1960s clerk of works doing routine works. From 1970s as a contract manager From 1980s as an architect business manager who is responsible of planning , Tyson and fell concluded that personnel managers facilitate other management task to occur, and their most important skills depend in their timing of applying techniques and their ability to sell their services to client line managers. Storey (1992) came up with the intervention /non intervention dimension and a strategic/tactical axis and he presented four main types of personnel practitioner : advisers , handmaiden(reactive, client/contractors of line manager), regulators (intervene to monitor the observance of employment rules) , and last the highest position which is strategic and interventionary change makers, storey findings explain that personnel in the majority of companies wasnt the main drivers of the change wanted , because the regulator still outnumbered the change makers in most of the companies. Source : Storey J 1992, four roles of personnel managers. The HR function is responsible of giving guidance and taking initiative, in order to support and solve all the problems associated to the organisations employee. HR function is a very important part in an organisation providing the advice and services that facilitate organisation to get the job done through people. The HR function is in place to make sure HR strategies, policies and practices are known by everybody in the organisation and maintained, but also providing the support for everything concerning the employment, well being of people and their development and the existent relationship between management and employee. It plays a major role in creating an environment that encourage employee to realize their potential to the benefit of the company and themselves (Armstrong, 2010) HR function, line management set up : Many researchS have been done to prove the consensual relation between hr function and line managers , (Guest 1987) presented a framework which resulted in an HRM approach, according to him the adoption of an HRM should result in an organisational pay-off designed to produce a strategic integration, high commitment , high quality , and flexibility among employees . guest said that integration as a concept is composed of four aspects, firstly the integration of HR policy making and corporate strategic planning process, second HRM policy should be integrated with one another and with other business strategy in the organisation like finance and marketing, the third one is that it should be an integration between attitude and practices of line managers within the organisations HR policies, the fourth aspect is the integration of the employees with the interest of the organisation by showing a high commitment to the organisation. The leadership behaviour and HR practice of line managers will affect the employees commitment, the commitment could be to the organisation or more likely to the line manager as proved by the team at bath university and supported by CIPD, the research showed where people feel positive about their relationship with their front line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which result in better performance. Sisson (1994) emphasise that the first two aspect of integration are difficult to achieve unless they are seriously managed by top and middle managers in the organisation. Storey (1992) as well refers to three key elements and suggested to associate them with a distinctive approach of HRM, the first element is that the HRM of an organisation is the one that makes the difference. The second element is that in order to make the difference , HRM needs to be managed in a strategic way . The third element is the one that requires line managers to know the link between HRM and the strategic direction of the organisation designed by its top managers. This third element matches the third aspects of integration , and (guest 1987.p514) add that in order to achieve the third outcome of flexibility , managers need to have change agent skills. Hutchinson examined the involvement of line manager in HR and found that HR manager do consult line managers, and some other managers are working in partnership. The empirical evidence from Hutchinson and wood study (1995) shows a joint working between personal and line managers and also an increasing role for line manager in the HR function. Another study from Cunningham and Hymans noted that more line manager are getting involved in HR work, an evidence from Saragota study suggested that the extent that line management were involved in HR task was wide with the line doing around third of core HR department roles.(IRS,1995). Torington and Hall (1996) found HR specialist work in partnership with line manager when they design the HR strategy, the study showed that personnel function was involved in strategy at some point and was developed in cooperation with line managers, the conclusion was that the approach was small rather than holistic and personnel was reactive rather than proactive . the impact of this devolved responsibility to the line was that some line managers supported the move, but others taught that it starts people problem which is the responsibility of HR to deal with , because line managers didnt have the skills to take on these new tasks , some other problem was lack of consistency and inadequacy of train ing and support provided for line management. Pool and Jekins (1997) analysed the extent of line management responsibility for HR practices concluding that line managers were far more responsible than might have been supposed with a central pattern of line dominance in operational responsibility on most personnel HR matters. Mc Govern et al (1997) study of line management practice discovered the reluctance of some managers to take on personnel responsibilities, believing that its not their job but personnels job, as a result many HR department were afraid or reluctant to devolve responsibilities to the line as there was lack of knowledge and ability to take it on. They identified a model of line managers getting involved directly in HR activities with the support of the HR function and personal motivation was the factor motivating the line , but some obstacles were facing them like the quality of practice by line managers, short term managerial approaches another big problem was that the line couldnt devote much time to HR activ ities as their return on effort was not directly quantifiable and they concluded : The prospect for full-blown devolvement to the line are not promising given the current priorities of these business , attempts to devolve HRM to the line may be possible but only by providing support from HR specialist (McGovern et al ,1997 , p 26) Other researcher report a joint working arrangement at two different level, the first one is at director level between HR and other directors, and the second at a subsidiary company level between line managers and personnel managers (Genard, Kelly , 1997) and this resulted in business driven partnership to improve performance and a big importance was given to the influential role that HR director has to play . Tornhill and Saunders (1998) came up with the worst scenario for the HR specialist known as The absentee specialist which suggest the complete devolution of HR task to line managers and could result in negative implication for successful HR outputs. Other researcher argued that overall the personnel function is still vulnerable even though line manager work in managing subordinates could help the presence of personnel to assist the line in less than a strategic function. Some researchers even suspect devolution of HR responsibilities to the line came from the desire to cut cost and the companies wish to free themselves from some responsibilities. Thus the claim (Guest, 1987,P.51) could mislead the reader because to achieve a successful HRM practices within an organisation a qualified HRM specialist is needed and line managers need the appropriate designed HR practices to use in their management activities. (Purcell , Hutchinson , 2007, p .57) However there is an alternative that a close participation between line management and hr function can have a mutual benefit and could help to solve business problems. (Gennard, Kelly , 1997) Partnership between HR and the line : Its argued that people responsible for HR are those directly responsible for supervising staff that there primary purpose is to manufacture products , sell goods or equipments or deliver a public or customer service , but the problem could be that these line managers have a lack of knowledge and skills to supervise staff effectively (Sisson , storey , 2000) and this is why it would be more rewarding if HR specialist and line managers work together in partnership (Witacker , Mick, 2003) Tyson and Fell (1992) noticed that there is no clear communication between management and employee of their personnel function, this gives the opportunity to act as partners with senior line managers to create orderly change storey 1992 called that as full team member where the running of the business is shared between line manager and personnel . Tomlinson (1993) describe partnership as being where HR needs to get involved in more supportive, collaborative relationship with managers. Other researcher described the partnership approach between HR executives and line managers to be an ideal situation, but recognise that we dont find this partnership happening in all companies. The idea of HR professional acting in partnership with senior line managers was raised by (Ulrich , 1997) to identify HR practices that achieve business strategy (figure 2). http://www.stw.de/typo3temp/pics/c98097d6bc.jpg The HR Business Partner (based on an idea by Dave Ulrich, 1997) he says that line managers and HR professionals working separately cannot be HR champions, this is why they have to form a partnership and in this partnerships line managers will have authority , power and sponsorship , and have the overall responsibility for the HR community, and HR professional will bring technical expertise which show a competence credibility, Ulrich (1997,2005) pointed four new HR roles which are as follow ( business partners, change agent, administrative expert and employee champion ) those new roles lead to three important HR function : Centres of excellence. Shared services. Business partners. But this redefinition of roles and reorganisation of HR function was seen by (CIPD 2007) as having some difficulties to define the new roles, to make change, to deal with skills gap and resources deficiency. Maxwell and Watson (2006) argued that the dominant model for HR operation within organisation is the partnership between HR specialist and line managers. We can understand that the concept of partnership is a good one if everybody is making the effort in the same direction for the benefit of the organisation , we can describe this relation as a reciprocal one , where line manager has to do some HR task but in order to do it properly the right support and training is needed from the HR specialist , but for this partnership to be successful a lot of work need to be done and specially a lot of communication is needed to act fast and solve problems quickly, finally getting the line more involved in HR tasks is not a threat for the HR specialist , because the need of specialist is real and their presence is very important to supervise , help and support the line but also their job will be more strategic. Line manager role for devolved responsibility and the obstacles facing them: First of all let see how line manager are involved in making the policy , ( Hutchinson , wood,1995. P. 17) found that HR specialist are the one responsible for making the policy across all area, they noticed that line managers are not leaders in making the policy either on their own or in consultation with personnel colleagues, but in HR practice they found that line managers are more involved in resourcing and employee relation , however in employee development and employee reward the HR specialist had a major role to play . Hall and Torrington (1998) found that a bigger role is played by HR manager in issues relates to pay and benefit , and the least in appraisal , health and safety , quality initiative and communication . It appears that HR specialist have higher involvement when its a matter of consistency and specialist expertise and lower when line managers are dealing with every day responsibilities. Storey (1992) concluded after doing a survey of fifteen companies that the responsibility of line managers are becoming more important in human resources and their task can include : pay award , training and development , motivating teams , appraisal , on the job coaching , reducing cost , improve the quality , respond to customer service needs , continuous improvement and deploying labour. Another research from Renwick (2002, p. 262) has studied three big organisation which has an HR director on the top team management or board of director and has noticed that the most devolved HR task to the line include : Grievance management, performance appraisal, redundancy selection , pay award , communication with employee , recruitment , employee development and handling sickness absence . CIPD (2010) supported a research made by team of researcher from bath university and describe area where line managers make the biggest difference in people management are as follow : Performing appraisal Training , coaching and guidance Employee engagement ( communication between line management and employee ) Openness ( how easy is it for employees to talk about problems ) The devolution of some HR task to the line is a fact but many research has identified some difficulties facing line managers while handling performance management system , and Gratton et al (1999) said that managers dislike the bureaucracy involved in this process , in the other side there was a reluctance to accept responsibility for decision and adjustment taken by line manager from HR managers, and Redman (2001) found that where line managers are doing performance appraisal they are doing it poorly . another research has shown managers attitude to employee involvement and describe it as no more negative than those of senior managers , and in case of failure of the employee involvement , line manager will be the one to blame (Fenton , Ocreavy , 2001) another research concentrate on line management handling of grievance and discipline, the outcomes shows that line managers are more involved than before but not as much as HR managers and this is because of the complexity of the task , and this task being time consuming and the fear of failing in this task which can have a huge impact in the finance of the company (IRS,2001) Cunningham and James (2001) found that line managers handling of sickness and disability was limited and that was because line managers didnt want to attend training session. Many constraints face line managers in achieving the goal of this devolution because of many reasons , even though there are a positive aspects of devolving HR task to line managers as described in Renwick (2003) as a career enhancer for them in doing HR work but also line managers are the one who apply the HR strategy in practice and bring the HR policy to life (Hutchinson .Purcell 2003) One of the major problem is the workload that the line have to perform especially if they know that they are not expert in doing HR tasks, and this workload leads them to be reluctant on doing HR tasks (Brewster, soderstrom.1994). Another big issue is a lack of training because if line managers have a lack of understanding of HR practices it will prevent the organisation from developing a strong learning culture. This lack of support and training show a bit of confusion because if an organisation devolved HR task to the line , it is to be more efficient and more profitable , but if the line lacks the necessary skills as McGovern et al (1997) describes it that a lack of training can lead to a failure in implementing HR policies, and exposing the organisation to tribunals and this is why the line should be equipped with the right tools to enable them to perform the devolved HR tasks properly which means that continuous and well designed training is needed to be able to achieve the goal set by the organisation. And to be able to achieve the goal , the organisation need to put a special budget for training and development of manager and not leaving them to develop themselves on their own. (McGuire et al 2008) Another big problem is the lack of specialist expert to support managers when dealing with HR tasks, this is happening because of the downsizing of the HR departments in most organisations ignoring the precious need of the line to the specialist and just focusing on reducing cost , but as Renwick and Brewster (2003. P. 231) noticed that reducing the size of HR department could reduce the cost but could also increase it, if managers make inappropriate and wrong decision. (Henrick, Brewster , 2003 . p30) noted that when an organisation has an HR department with a high number of specialist it is more likely to be able to influence line management practice directly , there is a case study evidence that shows how important and influent are HR specialist and they were given the name of strategic change makers (Gennard , Kelly 1997.p35) Many of the criticism concerning the lack of contribution from HR specialist to organisational performance were from line managers, firstly personal practitioner are far away from the commercial realities, and its difficult for them to understand the business , the customer and the corporate target. Secondly HR stops line manager to make decision that they feel are in best interest for the company. Third HR manager act slowly and always want to check how many options do they have rather than making a series of appropriate actions (Marchington ,Wilkinson , 2003.p248) The role of line managers in implementing HR policies was not taken seriously by senior managers, or taken for granted by many companies and there is a small evidence of companies that provide a formal training to equip their line manager to undertake the role of facilitating HRM outcomes. (Cunningham , Hyman. 1995) , Brewster and Larsen has identified three main reason for this : Senior managers presume that line managers already knows the technical aspects of HRM to base their decision. Senior managers do not offer appropriate training before delegating tasks. Senior managers believe that line managers will learn HRM by practising it. Lack of training is a negative factor that make line mangers weak when dealing with devolved HR tasks, but also they are very important for delivering a good HR practice because they are working on the shop floor and they are the one that can make change, which means that an HRM strategy without the line playing a major role would never succeed, in the other side HR specialist will have to equip them with the right training to develop their capacity to deal with people management and excessive stress because of the workload. Another negative aspect is reducing the number of HR expert that can provide the line with precious advise and help and equip them with the right training, this partnership will give HR specialist to concentrate more on making positive change in the organisation, another important question which is worth to research in the future is whether reducing the number of HR experts really reduce the cost in organisation or is it just wrong and cost more money to the organisation? Hutchinson and Purcell (2003) proposed the following suggestion on how line manager can better deal with people management: Provide them with time to carry out their people management duties . Pay more attention to the behavioural competencies required while recruiting manager. Support line managers with strong organisational value in relation to leadership and people management. Develop a good working relationship with different level of management. Make sure the line receive sufficient skills training to enable them to perform their people management activities appropriately.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Internet :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Introduction Welcome to a world beyond reality; a world full of problems, promise, and possibilities. You are now in hyperreality, virtual reality, or cyberspace. It is whatever you want it to be. "[T]he Internet is like a highway, feeding small communities and large cities, and connecting their loops, backroads and alleyways" (Estrada XU). In other words, the Internet is a network of networks-a web that connects a vast number of computers. Wait! Don't give up yet, it's easier than you think. Using the Internet isn't "rocket science". An area that was once only for researchers is now used by a wide range of people from elementary students to farmers. The internet is an interactive environment. In her book, The Internet Companion Plus, Tracy Laqey gives the difference between television and the Internet by saying that when it comes to television, "we are only the watchers, but with the Internet we are "the reporters, the viewers, and the production team" (3). The Internet has very few restrictions these days, so for the most part you are free to do and say whatever you choose. It is the value of what you say, not who you are, that gets people to listen. The Internet is an "open and sharing environment" (3), as well as a complicated environment. With every involved endeavor a certain amount of information is required to fully enjoy and benefit from the experience. As for the Internet, this information is at first overwhelming. Let's put aside the details of connecting the systems and the technicalities and concentrate on the actual usage of the web. The internet has made our lives easier through ingenious inventions like computeriz ed card catalogs and e-mail. But, in order to fully understand this huge system, we must first know where it came from. The Internet had a modest start as ARPANET, a U.S. Defense Department network, and was designed to withstand a nuclear bomb attack. Information could be put in many different places to avoid a centralized storage of information. It was later split into two networks, and from one of these networks the Internet was born. Today the Internet has evolved into a monster. In their book, The Mosaic Handbook, Dale Dougherty, Richard Koman, and Paula Ferguson describe the Internet as "a cultural icon . . . [it] has come to represent what the future looks like today" (2). The possibilities are endless, and although we won't list them all here, we will introduce a few.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

An Analysis of Andrew Sullivans Let Gays Marry :: Let Gays Marry Andrew Sullivan

"Let Gays Marry" is an article written by Andrew Sullivan arguing that homosexuals should be given the right to be legally married in the United States. In this essay, Sullivan argues that homosexuals have just as much right to marry as heterosexual couples. Sullivan argues that throughout US history that the definition of marriage has been altered several times to accommodate changing times, and that it is time to recognize gay's right to marry. Throughout the article, Sullivan uses several sources to back up his argument, but also makes several comments to weaken his argument. To add to Sullivan?s credibility, he is an editor of The New Republic, which was established in 1914 with a mission to provide its readers with an intelligent, stimulating and rigorous examination of American politics, foreign policy and culture, the author of several books, including Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality, as well as having been published in several news magazines including Newsweek. Sullivan?s article is an inductive argument directed at persuading and perhaps even educating all people on why gay marriage should be allowed in the United States. Throughout the essay, Sullivan uses multiple techniques, including Pathos, Ethos, Logos, and even Mythos to squarely support his argument, all of which help to aid in the credibility of the topic. Sullivan?s argument, while generally successful, has some weak points. The argument is generally written in a very relaxed manner, which may or may not discredit the argument. People looking to argue against Sullivan?s article may view the relaxed format as a sign of lack of knowledge or support of the argument. On the other hand, being composed in accessible language readily understood by the general population, and not perceived as accessibly intellectual may help this argument appeal to a broader population. Having been published in Newsweek Magazine on June 3, 1996, Sullivan?s article seems to be credible. Newsweek is a credible news source, and generally publishes credible materials. Despite having been published in Newsweek, this argument is biased when in the first sentence Sullivan identifies himself as a homosexual. ?For the first time in Supreme Court history, gay men and women were seen not as some powerful lobby trying to subvert America, but as the people we truly are?? When Sullivan uses the term we, he is identifying that he himself is a homosexual, and therefore I must assume that he is arguing from a homosexual point of view, and not an unbiased point of view.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Thinking Outside the Idiot Box

Dana Stevens’ essay, â€Å"Thinking outside the Idiot Box†, was first published in Slate on March 25, 2005, is a counter argument to â€Å"Watching TV Makes You Smarter† an article written my Steven Johnson that says watching complicated TV shows make you smarter when in reality you’re just watching complicated TV shows. She mainly disagrees with Johnson’s opinion that figuring out the complicated plots of the TV shows sharpens one’s cognitive skills. In her view, those entangled plots not only compel one to watch even more TV, they also weaken one’s skills to think because many shows overload one’s mind with quick-paced facts. Stevens 295-6) She also states that Johnson overlooks the Muslim terrorist and tortures in the show â€Å"24†. She points out that many people think watching TV is ok especially if it’s a nature show. Stevens also discusses a trip to the airport where she saw quite a few people surrounding a nature showing. The author contemplated whether or not the nature show was acceptable because travelers were still â€Å"spacing out† while watching it, so what is the difference between violent shows like â€Å"Animal Face Off† which contains bloods guts and gore and a â€Å"regular† nature show is peaceful and entertaining. Stevens 297) She is wondering why â€Å"spacing out† is ever positive: â€Å"A football game in a bar is zapworthy, but spacing out to leopards in the Qantas terminal is A-OK? † (Stevens 297). Next she says that children are fresh meat for the marketing industries by making shows that catch their eye. She is basically claiming that there are many people who are offended by many things, and each person needs to be sensitive to what they play on their TVs. In conclusion, Stevens believes that TV is neither beneficial nor it is harmful for our minds; it is only there to entertain us. (298)

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Capstone Case Study †Arthur Andersen LLP Essay

1. Discuss the environmental, strategic and organizational changes that occurred over the life of Andersen in the context of figure 11.1. While Andersen started off as a stable environment, once changes started being made to the main focus of the company many changes were expedited. While still successful in it’s auditing business, other opportunities arose that allowed for quicker and more dynamic revenue growth. This strategic shift from auditing only to offering a number of other services (automated bookkeeping, information technologies, consulting, corporate staffing) eventually led to a rift within the company, the separation of operations into two companies under one umbrella, and the eventually severance of those two companies into two wholly separate corporate entities. Once the two companies (Andersen Consulting and Arthur Anderson) split, Arthur Andersen, which was originally the auditing only arm, but had dipped back into the consulting business even though it should not have per it’s agreement with AC, went full force into offering the full range of services. In the quest for the biggest sale and to drive non-audit revenue, managers were compensated based on sales targets instead of performance or quality of work. This lack of quality control and change in the focus of the business was the beginning of the downward projection of AA. The fact that there were changes in all three areas, environmental, strategic and organizational, made it difficult for there to be tight control at AA and almost made it acceptable to make questionable decisions as long as the clients got what they wanted and revenues continued to come in. 2. Evaluate Andersen’s claim that their problems on the Enron audit were due to a few â€Å"bad partners† in the organization. If you agree with this claim, discuss what you think were the root causes of the problem. It was AA’s decision to hire 40 auditors from Enron, then augmented by 150 of  their own staff, and place them within Enron as it’s in house accounting staff. Since the staff was on site at Enron, attended Enron meetings, and made decisions in the best interest of Enron and not with the idea of doing quality work, it is hard to put stock in AA’s claim that it was only a few â€Å"bad partners†. Also, AA made the decision to break up it’s own Professional Standards Group and re-locate members of that group to local offices. Once that happen though, their power was usurped and held no water. If they questioned decisions, they were removed. It is up to the company to make decisions that not only help generate business, but protect the company and it’s employees from any questionable situations or circumstances where unethical scenarios might play out. 3. Suppose you were Andersen’s managing partner in the early 1990’s. Would you have done anything differently than the actual management (assuming you knew only what they did at the time)? There are a couple of things that I could have done had I been the managing partner for Andersen in the 1990’s. I think the separation of the consulting business and the accounting business into two companies was actually a good move. The fact that AA eventually started to offer and go after non-auditing services business with clients was where a mistake was made in my opinion. If I were a partner at AA I would have strictly enforced the agreement that we would be sticking with auditing business only. While offering a lower margin than the consulting business, it was a solid foundation and allowed more oversight, tight controls and decreased the likelihood that questionable decisions would be made. I also would have kept the Professional Standards Group in tact to oversee and review all aspects of the operation. Splitting up the group and assigning individual members to local offices basically neutered their power and allowed for those looking to manipulate the system to do so. 4. Discuss the relation between what happened at Andersen and multitask principal agent theory. With the Multi-Task Agent Theory, certain tasks are rewarded and other tasks  are not, and because of this the non-rewarded tasks suffer from neglect of a decrease in quality. The first time this was an issue is was before the split into two companies, where those driving the consulting and IT business were unhappy with the fact that the auditing side had so much power over the company even though it was not the segment driving the revenue. After the eventual split into AC and AA under one umbrella, and then the total split into two separate corporations, with Andersen bringing in business other than auditing was rewarded more than auditing business, to the point that it was expect that managing partners brought in twice as much consulting and other business as it did auditing business, otherwise face penalties or even termination. In all three stages of the company’s history the inequality between the consulting business and the auditing business led to there being a de-emphasis on the auditing segment of the business (both in quality and as a driver of revenue). 5. Discuss the relation between the â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† elements of a firm’s corporate culture in the context of this case. In the case of Andersen, it almost seems as if the changes in the â€Å"soft† elements of corporate culture were either directly related to or a side effect of change in the â€Å"hard† aspects of the corporate culture. As stated in the case study, during the majority of the company’s existence, â€Å"tradition was everywhere†. From â€Å"soft† elements like the physical design of offices and the way partners dressed and looked to hard elements like the quality control exerted over all aspects of the business, there were standard all across the board. As changes started to happen in the â€Å"hard† culture, like the focus being on driving revenue as opposed to putting out quality work, changes were also seen in the soft aspects of the culture. Managing partners did not dress as sharp, the giants wooden doors of the offices (that seemed to be a metaphor for the strong, sturdy operation of the company) were removed, and a new corporate logo was introduced. 6. Do you think that the problems at Andersen were unique to them or did they exist at the other big accounting firms? Suppose you were the top partner at one of the other major accounting firms at that time of Andersen’s demise. What action, if any, would you take in response? Explain. As shown when Andersen themselves called into question the practices of one of it’s competitors (calling for an investigation), these issues at Andersen are not unique to their company (though it may not happen on as grand of a scale). If I was the top partner at one of the other major accounting firms at the time of Andersen’s demise, I would have immediately either called for an internal investigation of my firm’s practices or volunteered to have my company’s practices reviewed by the SEC or another appropriate authority. I would be open with what was found, make any necessary changes to organizational structure or practices, and move forward. I think this would be important because at the time of Andersen’s demise, it is likely the credibility of ALL accounting firms was hurt, and I would want there is to be proof that our company was doing things the right way. 7. In 2000, the SEC proposed new regulations that would limit consulting work by accounting firms. This proposal was not passed by congress. Do you think the legislators were trying to act in the public interest when they failed to pass this proposal? Explain. Legislators were not acting in the public’s best interests; they were bowing to pressure from the auditing industry lobbyists. Steve Samek, who spearheaded operations that already lead lawsuits, payouts, bankruptcies and fines, led the charge to oppose the proposal. At that point it should have been obvious that the right call was passing the proposal. The fact that different legislation related to the oversight of accounting firms was eventually passed later on in 2002 (the SOA) shows that oversight was necessary, but just needed a spectacular failure like Andersen/Enron to allow legislators to feel comfortable in taking a stand. 8. The American Institute of CPAs is the primary professional association for CPAs. It has developed a Code of Professional Conduct that sets the  standards of conduct for CPAs. People can file complaints about the ethical conduct of a CPA with the AICPA, which can levy sanctions and other penalties against its members. Do you think that the unethical conduct at Andersen (and possibly other accounting firms) was the fault of the AICPA for not setting and enforcing higher ethical standard among its members? Explain. While I think the AICPA has a place in setting standards and ethics in the industry, and has the right to levy sanctions and penalties against it’s members (based on complaints that are filed), they are not a regulatory agency and their reach only extends so far. In reality, being a member organization, if a corporation does not want to deal with or answer to the AICPA, they and choose not to be a member. It may hurt their reputation, but in the long run the work they do and the clients they have will have a much greater effect of their business than whether or not they are a member of the AICPA. While it is nice to have organizations like the AICPA and the SEC overlooking the practices of corporations in the industry, it is hard to transfer fault for the unethical behavior of a company away from the company that behaved that was to some member organization or regulatory agency. It is the organization or agency’s place to set guidelines and respond when corporations do not follow them. 9. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established a new five-person board to oversee financial accounting in publicly traded corporations. The board is appointed by the SEC. Prior to the creation of this board the industry relied primarily on self-regulation through the AICPA. Do you think the establishment of the new oversight board was a good idea or should he profession have continued to be self-regulated? I think in practice, a combination of both works. The industry need to show that it is interested itself in keeping it’s practices on the level and being transparent. But at the end of the day, you will always find someone who likes to work outside the system. In these cases having the SEC oversight board is a critical tool to keep companies in line that may think they can work the system. Also, having SEC oversight can result in much  stiffer penalties for the organization, so it carries and extra layer of deterrent for companies who may think about making questionable decisions. Andersen themselves, in the form of managing partner Leonard Spacek, saw the power of SEC intervention early on (1947).

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Analysis of Saudi Arabian Water Resources Research Paper

Analysis of Saudi Arabian Water Resources - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that quality of water services in the country continues to be a real course of concern. To be a bit more specific discontinuation of services is a major problem. Very few cities actually enjoy continued services. According a survey conducted by FAO in Riyadh, in the last year water was available only once in every two and a half days. In Jeddah the water availability figure is once in every nine days. However, there has been slight improvement as in 2008n the concerned figure in Jeddah was and Riyadh was respectively 23 and 5 days. This paper makes a conclusion that that it is quite likely that demand and supply of water in various sector would be a major issue for a country like Saudi Arabia considering fact that it is desert country. The course of concern would be leading to a whole new level due to the changes in climate leading to rise in temperature, low amount of precipitation, increase in population and industrialization. Also consistency in the level of water supply is something that needs to be taken care of. Although there are a lot of room for improvement, but still the government initiatives in the domain of water demand management has to be appreciated. The plan undertaken by the government for the development of the industrial city would go a long way in the overall control of water demand and supply. Based on the above analysis some recommendations have been provided.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

There Are No Children Here Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

There Are No Children Here - Assignment Example trating great unwillingness to leave the place at the high point in the city significantly related to my personal life and also affected me personally. Pharaoh is a young boy of only nine at that time when he goes with his brother and other boys to that high point in the city from where they could watch the downtown skyline. The children go there looking for snakes, but Pharaoh gets distracted by nature as they are about to leave when the night begins to fall. This small moment in Pharaoh’s life moved me on a personal level and made me feel nostalgic of my own childhood. When I was about nine or ten myself, I suffered the loss of my grandfather with whom I was really close emotionally and psychologically. He was the most influential figure in my life because he was there for me always when my parents due to their hectic working schedules could not make it. When I lost him to a case of heart disease, I became very gloomy and used to feel tired all the time. However, one day my parents took me for hiking at a hilly area which is known for boasting some very natural and beautiful views. I remember how being at that place made me feel exactly like Pharaoh felt in that scene from the story. That moment breaks my heart and reminisces of my own past when the little boy cannot bring himself to leave the place because he is so engrossed in the view of diving sparrows returning to their nests and the smell of wildflowers that the harsh realities of real life totally release him from their shackles for a while. Adolescents have raw minds which explains why they are so impressionable. They are highly receptive to what their surroundings have to offer which can be good or bad. For Pharaoh, the environment of the bad neighborhood in which destiny forced him to live offered him bad memories to escape which he longed to stay forever at the place which offered overwhelmingly beautiful views of birds and nature. Similarly, the death of my grandfather m ade me hung up on the time I

Monday, October 7, 2019

How Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) affects consumer behaviour - Literature review

How Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) affects consumer behaviour - The case of Mercedes Benz - Literature review Example The study by Fahlquist (2008) points out that those in industrialized countries are sufficiently knowledgeable about roles in related issues. These citizens chose to function in ways which contribute to issues or their corresponding solutions. In effect, individuals have now become more morally responsible in managing their environmental issues (Fahlquist, 2008). Since such obligation mostly relates to citizenship, it has assisted in accomplishing obligations supporting elements of citizenship. Consumer citizens often functions beyond their interests as consumers and are responsible for the long-term issues beyond themselves (Varney, 2002). The highlight of consumer responsibility is for citizens considering the impact of their purchasing choices, for themselves, but also the outside world. As corporations have been prompted to apply practices relating to CSR, consumers are also responsible for applying purchase votes to ensure favourable social results (Dickinson and Carsky, 2005). Consumers have specific stages of responsibility which they also express in terms of preferences in relation to socially favourable features or more extensive CSR qualities, thereby including new products and supporting new socially effective factors for production and consumption (Vogel, 2005). Corporate actions which assess company and their social and environmental actions which exceed legal and regulatory standards are usually based on a business case where consumer views and demands impact on corporate social responsibility and sustainability resources (Barnett, 2007). Still, findings from different studies are not consistent (Margolis, et.al., 2008). Moreover, reviews of such research relating to consumer impact imply how CSR influences consumer behaviour (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2004). Although CSR has significant implications on marketing functions including advertising and branding, not much is known about the impact on consumer

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Term project part III Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Term part III - Statistics Project Example Similarly, businesses will come to a standstill if the crime rate is high in the city. This study will therefore inform the police department and other relevant bodies involved in combating crime on the measures that are needed to be undertaken in order to mitigate crime rate in the cities. Since the study seeks to relationship between city crime rate and the number of uniformed forces in those cities or any other variable, the city dwellers will form a desired representative sample population for the study. This means that the city dwellers will form the target population for this particular study. So as to obtain a representative sample, the population will comprise all the adults over 18 years old regardless of gender, race or place origin of the respondents. Since it is not possible to interview all the city dwellers, a random sample of 400 participants will be selected. A systematic random sampling will be used to select the participants into the study. That is, the study will identify 8 cities of interest from which 50 respondents will be drawn. The data set will be obtained from the FBI and local city websites. Questionnaire will be the main tool to be used in collecting the views of the people. The variables of interest in this case will be crime rate (dependent variable) and explanatory variables (number of uniformed forces, mean income per year, education level and population size). Each data set for every variable was sourced from websites of local city and FBI. The data set for education level variable was obtained from this website: www.census.gov/ Descriptive statistics, particularly histogram, was used to analyse each variable. The histograms presented below, by visualization, show that all the data set followed a normal distribution (the data set is normal). From the all the histograms below, most of the observations were around the mean at least for each variable. This concentration of

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Why should get a good grade A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why should get a good grade A - Essay Example So it is an important decision when a teacher gives a grade to a student. How can you as a teacher know when a student deserves an A Fortunately, you can look to my personal performance over the past semester to see what must be done to earn an A. I deserve the top mark because of my strong work ethic, my steady improvement, and my knowledge of the writing forms featured through our class. My strong work ethic has served me well in this class and supports that I should get an A. Even though English is my second language, I have shown my best effort in my performances. I realize that hearing the teacher in class and working with my peers are excellent ways to improve, so I have been to every class. Sometimes it is easy for students to convince themselves they need to miss a class to work on a project or paper, but I am careful to plan my time so that I can complete my assignments and attend all classes, too. I know that I need to put in time and quality practice to improve my writing, and I am willing to do it because it will give me big benefits in the future. In addition to my strong work ethic, another reason to award me an A is my steady improvement throughout the semester. By making such a steady effort, I have learned much more about writing as a process. Now I know that even good writers practice, make mistakes, and even look back at old pieces and find things they would now like to change.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Manifestation Music Essay Example for Free

Manifestation Music Essay Robert Allen Zimmerman, or Bob Dylan, was born to become a star. As a child he had dreamed of becoming a musical icon which he tried to achieve during his younger years. As part of his ambition to become a famous musician and icon, at age ten, Bob Dylan started to write poems and even taught himself to play the guitar and piano (Millar n. p). His musical style was primarily influenced by Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis which became apparent in the progression of his career. The drive and passion of Bob Dylan in pursuing his musical career escalated when he went to the University of Minnesota where he began to consider the folk and rock songs of artists such as Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson (Millar n. p). During his college years, he had a hard time attending schools because of his preoccupation in music. He finally dropped out of college to pursue his dreams. When Bob finally had his break in 1961, he first played folk songs instead of his own desired genre. His first album was not how he expected it to be because he really wanted to do his own songs. However, Bob Dylan turned his situation around in the next albums that he made. His succeeding songs were basically inspired by the profound â€Å"political activism† of the young people during the 1960s (Lemieux 1). The people were very empowered to make a stand and respond to the pressing problems of the society like gender, class, and race. This escalating emotion ultimately paved the way for mass protests and movements for social change. These situations during the 60s also influenced the music of Bob Dylan which is distinctively political in nature. Although Bob would assert that he is more of a social commentator, the people listening to his music are actually receiving a different vibe or perspective (Lemieux 1). Bob Dylans Music One of Bob Dylans most famous songs, â€Å"Blowin in the Wind,† became an anthem in Americas 1960 counterculture. He wrote it during the Vietnam War era as a response to the eventualities and casualties of that period in American history (Mason n. p). The song greatly depicts Bob Dylans observation of the political and social status of the society and how the people tends to shrug-off the escalating problem in the Vietnam crisis which eventually worsened. This is perceived in the second stanza of the song stating: Yes, n how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, n how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind, The answer is blowin in the wind. (Dylan n. p) Aside from the song â€Å"Blowin in the Wind,† Bob Dylan also created another politically inclined song entitled â€Å"The Times They Are A-Changin† (Mason n. p). The song, which was actually written after John F. Kennedy was assassinated also became significant as it expresses the confidence and the hope perceived in the political and social movements during the 60s. As observed in the song, the singer is inviting the people from different walks of life to come together and pursue the future with a glimmer of hope and unity. Moreover, in the latter part of the song, Bob Dylan gave a great amount of effort in creating a beautiful lyrical stanza which encourages the people never to give up and continue looking for the silver lining in their current social instability. Bob Dylan is indeed a great singer during his time. His passion for music and empowering lyrics really enabled the people to make a difference and stand firm for what they believe is right. It is also because of the socio-political awareness imparted by Bob Dylans songs that he was seen by the society as a great protest singer and an inspirational person as well. Works Cited Dylan, Bob. â€Å"Blowin in the Wind. † 1962. 16 May 2008 http://bobdylan. com/songs/blowin. html. Lemieux, Nicole. Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism. Diss. Pace University, 2006. Mason, Catharine. â€Å"Bob Dylan: A Biography. † March 2005. Bob Dylans Performance Artistry. 16 May 2008 http://www. unicaen. fr/musa/bob_dylan/bio. htm. Millar, BJ. â€Å"The Life of Bob Dylan. † n. d. 16 May 2008 http://www. angelfire. com/on/dylan/bio. html.