Thursday, October 31, 2019
Informal interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Informal interview - Research Paper Example As human resource personnel, Mayjelyn had already encountered different people, personalities, characters, attitudes and more. Moreover, she already faced various challenges and opportunities as human resource development officer in the different companies she worked with. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She took up this degree program because of the belief that it is important to study human behavior. She always enjoys studying and observing people because it is here in this aspect of her life she learns more things. Human behavior for her is essential to be studied in every walk of life. She did not end up as psychologist in practice but ended up in the corporate world where hiring and understanding manpower has become more than just a lifestyle and passion of her life. Rationale The underlying principle of the proponent to interview a Human Resource and Development Specialist is the idea that there is substantial information that can be generated out from h er regarding hiring, managing and motivating people prior to the success of an organization. The proponent has in mind that in an organization it is important to understand the basic principle about hiring or recruiting manpower because every company requires different resources and the human resource is one of the most important resources that a company needs. Managing people is another important perspective that is taken into consideration by the proponent. In the corporate world, successful organizations have understood that there must be substantial knowledge to be given on how to manage the human resource. Another important goal of the proponent is to know exactly different strategies and factors that could motivate people. A successful organization is believed to have applied the best ways on motivating the human resource because employees are influenced to do things they are motivated at through taking care of their best interest (Bruce and Pepitone 2). Questions addressed to the interviewee Prior to the actual personal interviewee with the respondent, the proponent developed rapport and this created an impact why the interview had just flowed smoothly, allowing the proponent to generate important information for the following questions. 1. What is your own way of defining Human Resource Development? 2. So far, as HRD Specialist, what are the common problems you encountered? 3. What are the opportunities for Human Resource Development Specialists like you? 4. What do you think are factors that pulling away people to be motivated? 5. What do you think are the best strategies or options to motivate people? 6. How to enhance peopleââ¬â¢s learning and skills? Comments and Learning The proponent learned from the respondent that a Human Resource Department is a companyââ¬â¢s portal to hiring, recruitment and taking care of the organizationââ¬â¢s well being (Pasaol). The respondent encountered different problems within her four-year experience as huma n resource personnel. According to her, most of the difficulties she encountered are in line with hiring personnel and motivating them. According to her, it is difficult to hire excellent employees because excellent job applicants prioritize top calibrated organizations. On the other hand, organization is always faced with difficulty when it comes to motivating manpower. According to her this puts the Human Resource and Development Department in a substantially high pressure to think of different possibilities. Even though
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Essay
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Essay Example Arthur dent, the main character of this book has one lucky instance happening to him on a bad day. As he wakes up in the morning with a drunken hangover, Arthur finds a bulldozer outside preparing to demolish his house for making a new by-pass. While he thinks this day to be his worst, his alien friend Ford Prefect comes with the news that earth is being demolished by a Vogon construction fleet that is orbiting the earth to construct a new galactic bypass in the space. Arthur is lucky, as he along with Ford hitchhikes a lift aboard a Vogon spaceship. However, the good luck ends there as they find themselves in torturous condition, while they are finally thrown out into the open space debris. They are not perishing, as a spaceship piloted by the galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox along with his co-pilot Trillion spots them and picks them up into their ship. All the four along with a mentally unstable robot Marvin are now on a long search to find the lost planet, Magrathea. The meaningful chapter of the book stats next, when Arthur comes to know, in Magrathea, that the planet Earth had a purpose, to solve the riddle of life and universe. Accordingly, Earth served as a gigantic super computer, meant to find answers to these questions. As per the set calculations, the life of Earth was ten million years. However, the vogon construction fleet destroyed it 5 minutes before this. Since Arthur has survived as the only earthling, he gets a proposal to being a part of project to be named as ââ¬Å"Earth Mark-IIâ⬠. Arthur is not keen to join this research, as it requires the extraction of his brain. The question remains, as the novel has posed, about the existence of life and universe. Looking at the different adaptations of Hitchhikerââ¬â¢s Guide to the Galaxy, the question does not get the serious attention that it deserves. Instead, the audience seems to laugh it away, taking the sudden destruction of Earth as a dream only. However, Authorââ¬â¢s
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Japans Policy on Nuclear Weapons
Japans Policy on Nuclear Weapons In 1945, the United States launched two nuclear attacks on both Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two attacks not only destroyed two cities, but also killed thousands of people. Although Japan was the only country that suffered from the devastating effects of nuclear attack in World War II, Japan did not give up using and developing this technology for other uses. Japan kept using the nuclear power and technology to provide a great amount of electricity and other resources to the country. This is because Japan is a country with only a small amount of natural resources, Japan needs to depend heavily on imports for their needs. However, relying heavily on imports brings a lot of stress because the costs of imported products are very high. Therefore, Japan has changed to rely heavily on the nuclear energy. The government believed that the peaceful use of nuclear power can help Japan to become a more powerful country and reduce its stress from imports. The use of nuclear energy provides many benefits to Japans society, but it also creates problems. Japan is a country that experiences frequent earthquakes and tsunamis that are caused by the high magnitude earthquake. In this case, it is very important for the Japanese government to consider the location of where to build nuclear power plants. But the Japanese government did not consider all factors carefully, which created huge disaster later. On March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake and tsunami caused extensive damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, which resulted in nuclear meltdowns, releases of radioactive materials into the atmosphere and oceans. Because of the release of radioactive materials into the air and ocean, the radioactive level in the atmosphere and ocean could cause huge pollution that would cause danger to people and marine life. To be specific, since it polluted the ocean, it raises the possibility that marine life and freshwater could be affected. In t his case, it causes concerns about the food safety because fish is the major ingredient of Japanese food and agriculture needs water for irrigation. If people keep eating these affected fishes and agricultural products, they might have greater possibilities of having cancers. In the end, people who lives in Japan, especially who lives near to this region, the radiation exposures could affect their health, both physically and psychologically. Therefore, it is clear that Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster brought great negative effects on society, which affects Japans environment, food safety and health. The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster has caused environmental problems to Japan. Due to the accident, a large amount of radioactive materials were discharged into the environment, which polluted air, ocean, and freshwater system in enormous volume. In fact, according to Yasuo Onishi, the radionuclides with 31017 Becquerel (Bq is the SI derived unit of radioactivity) emitted into the air, and polluted land and marine life later. Some directly contaminated the Pacific Ocean[1]. Clearly, the accident caused high level of radioactive materials directly polluted the environment. And if this problem continues to be exacerbating, sooner or later it might cause greater problems like natural environment deterioration. Moreover, after this accident, radioactive materials were not only emitted into the air and ocean, but also affected the whole ecosystem later. Ecosystem divided the world into several different regions, but every region is also closely connected in certain ways. For examp le, lake aquatic ecosystem could connect with the terrestrial ecosystem, and all parts of terrestrial ecosystems like soil, forests, are connected in a very effective way through the atmosphere. In this case, if the marine, freshwater system and air were contaminated, the ecosystem would also be affected. In fact, Christopher Eddy and Eriko Sase point out in 2015, Fukushima nuclear disaster caused a catastrophic release of radiological hazards into the ecosystem. Extremely high levels of strontium, a bone-seeking radionuclide with a half-lefe of 28 years, are currently increasing in soil, groundwater, and ocean samples near the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.[2] Clearly, this shows that this disaster brings terrible impacts to the environment, and the situation is getting worse and worse. Therefore, Japan should put more efforts on protecting environment and finding an effective solution of reducing the level of radioactive material in the ecosystem. The negative effect of the Fukushima nuclear disaster for the environment is clear, but more importantly, it raises concern about food safety. Firstly, the food safety concerns caused by the pollution to agriculture. To explain that, this disaster caused high level of radioactive materials to directly contaminate environment, which caused great pollution to agriculture. In order to test the radioactive material contamination in agriculture, experts took some biological samples from different region to test the level of contamination. In fact, they found that in a small town in Fukushima prefecture, by testing samples from 10 rice fields, the contamination level are from 400 Bq per kilogram to 4,000 Bq per kilogram. Moreover, the result of some samples from the area named Iitatemura (20 to 30 km distant from the power plant) was very high, up to 15,031 Bq per kilogram[3]. Clearly, it demonstrates that this disaster has great negative effects on agriculture, which cause high level of c ontamination to agricultural products. In addition to the high level of contamination to agriculture, it also affected marine life. Japan is known as one of the biggest seafood consumers in the world. Seafood is often referred to as the main ingredient of Japanese food. Thus, if the marine life was contaminated by radioactive materials that have been directly discharged into the ocean, it would cause great concern about safety of fishery products. According to a report done by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on August 1, 2012, in some fat greenlings samples from Ota Rive which is located in the north 20 km away from the nuclear power plant, the level of radioactive materials was 25,800 Bq per kilogram, which is significantly high[4]. This result proved that the Fukushima accident has greatly affected fishery products. Therefore, the Fukushima nuclear accident creates the food safety problems to Japans society. In addition to the negative effects of Fukushima nuclear accident to environment and food safety, it also affects peoples health. After the Fukushima accident, the local governments had evacuated all people who lived in or close to the Fukushima prefecture. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and some of them might never come back. Many people who experienced this disaster have developed psychological problems later on because the increased fear of death from radioactive diseases and social disruption. In fact, according to Claire Leppold and her colleagues, for those people whose lives were suddenly changed, they would have greater risks of having poor health conditions, which lead them to social isolation, psychosocial stress and have higher possibility of having diseases that is not infectious, such as high blood glucose levels and diseases related to high level of lipid in the blood. As may be expected, in Fukushima, they found the number of noncmmunicable diseas es increased[5]. Clearly, it demonstrates that peoples health is greatly affected by the accident, both mentally and physically. Although it seems that this disaster has greater effects on peoples physical health rather than mental health because they have greater chances of having serious diseases, people actually have more severe mental problems later. According to a research done by Kotaro Imamura and his colleagues in 2016, mothers with small children who lived near to the power plant have higher levels of depression. Moreover, due to the extremely fear of radiation exposure, some people were very likely to experience chronic depression and anxiety, which have great chance of affecting their normal life activities[6]. It clearly shows that the disaster affected peoples mental health, and their illness was being aggravated due to the extreme fear of radiation exposure. Therefore, it is clear that the nuclear accident affects public health. Sources [1] Yasuo Onishi, Fukushima and Chernobyl Nuclear Accidents Environmental Assessments and U.S. Hanford Sites Waste Management, Procedia IUTAM 10, no. Mechanics for the World: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (January 1, 2014): 375. ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, accessed March 12, 2017. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3[emailprotected]hid=119bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#db=edselpAN=S2210983814000339. [2] Christopher Eddy and Eriko Sase, Implications of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster:Man-made Hazards, Vulnerability Factors, and Risk to Environmental Health, Journalof Environmental Health 78, no.1 (July 2015):29. General Science Full Text (H.W.Wilson), EBSCOhost, accessed March 12, 2017. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/[emailprotected]vid=1hid=119bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#db=gftAN=103698161. [3] Hrabrin Bachev and Ito Fusao, Impacts of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster on Agri-Food Chains in Japan, IUP Journal of Supply Chain Management 10, no. 4 (December 2013): 10. EBSCOhost. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]8vid=4hid=4205. [4] Kaoru Nakata and Hiroya Sugisaki, The Impacts of Fukushima NuclearAccident onFish andFishingGround, (SpringerOpen, 2015), (accessed February 13, 2017), 178. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-4-431-55537-7. [5] Claire Leppold, Tetsuya Tanimoto, Masaharu Tsubokura, Public Health after a Nuclear Disaster: Beyond Radiation Risks, Bulletin of the World HealthOrganization 94, no. 11 (November 2016): 859. General Science Full Text(H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost, accessed February 13, 2017. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=44563dba-77c9-4cd7-8765-ab644726f01d%40sessionmgr104vid=3hid=119. [6] Imamura Kotaro et al., The Effect of a Behavioral Activation Program on Improving Mental and Physical Health Complaints Associated with Radiation Stress among Mothers in Fukushima: A Randomized Controlled Trial, BMCPublic Health 16 (November 8, 2016): 2. Academic Search Complete,EBSCOhost, accessed February 13, 2017. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/[emailprotected]vid=1hid=4205bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#db=a9hAN=119467986.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Power of the Unconscious Essay -- Term Papers Research Essays
The Power of the Unconscious Have you ever experienced a time when you were wracking your brain trying to come up with a thesis statement for a paper, an answer to a math problem, or the title of your new poem? You spend countless hours only to end up where you began ââ¬â at ground zero. You find that your brain is starting to ache from the excessive thinking and you decide to get your mind off of the problem. You focus your attention on something else, perhaps on getting some R&R and all of a sudden...AHA! The solution to your problem just pops into your head out of nowhere, almost as if it sneaked its way into your thoughts! You then find yourself wondering how this happened and what was responsible for such a reaction. The culprit of such "sneaky" reactions is a force known as the "unconscious." Rollo May, author of Courage to Create, defines the unconscious as "the potentialities for awareness or action which the individual cannot or will not actualize." What role do you think the "unconscious" plays in your life or is it really a major contributor to the birth of creative thought? Thinkers in fields ranging from psychoanalysis to business management all seem to agree that the mystical force of the unconscious plays a central role in the creative process and the emergence of new ideas. WHAT IS UNCONSCIOUS THOUGHT? Saying thank you in response to a good deed, looking both ways before crossing the street, smiling back at someone when they smile at you--actions such as these are said to be done subconsciously, meaning that they are performed without the realization that they are being done. The same idea applies when referring to unconscious thought. Unconscious thought is that in which we are not aware of what we are thi... ...le of conscious factors in one's creative thought process. Everyone has experienced the evolution of unconscious thoughts into consciousness. I'm sure you can recall a time when "the light bulb flickered on in your mind," your ideas just seemed to "click," or you had an epiphany. Had it not been for the unconscious being hard at work, Sir Isaac Newton may have never formulated his laws of physics, there would be no such thing as Calculus, or even math for that matter. The Unconscious brings about the emergence of creative thought. It can not only be thought of as a major contributor to new ideas but also to a greater causeââ¬âmankind. The role of the "unconscious" is essential to our being as it allows us to expand upon things with which we are already familiar, leading to innovative ideas. The "unconscious" is one of the most significant aspects of our daily lives.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
New Media Marketing Campaign Success Story Essay
Dove was one of the biggest global brands introduced and owned by Unilever since 1957. Dove started its life as a beauty soap bar that was clinically proven to be milder for dry, sensitive skin than other leading soaps: half of women have dry skin. Dove provides a wide range of cleansing and personal care products that make a genuine difference to the condition and feel of consumerââ¬â¢s skin and hair. Some products of Dove include; antiperspirants, deodorants, body washes, beauty bars, lotions and moisturizers, hair care and facial care products. During the 1990s, the group began to extend the brand across the complete personal care spectrum, and Dove now encompasses a wide range of products from bar soap to shower gel, and from deodorants to shampoo-conditioners. Dove has attracted widespread media attention since 2004 for its marketing. A new line of Dove for Men products was launched in 2010. Over the last few years, Dove has focused on delivering products that inspire women to enjoy their own beauty and individuality. As part of our Campaign for Real Beauty, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) demonstrates our commitment to the brandââ¬â¢s mission ââ¬Ëto make more women feel beautiful every day, by widening todayââ¬â¢s view of beauty and by inspiring women to take great care of themselves.ââ¬â¢ The DSEF aims to educate and inspire young girls through a series of tools and workshops which ultimately protects and nurtures their body-related self-esteem and enables them to become fully realized adults. Campaign Introduction Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is campaign that focused not on the product, but on a way to make women feel beautiful regardless of their age and size. The point behind the campaign is to celebrate the natural physical variation embodied by all women and inspire them to have confidence to be comfortable with themselves. The launched campaign featured normal women of different shapes and sizes viewed in a number of waysââ¬â¢ one was approaches in the street another answered an ad which was placed in a local newspaper. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is a global effort that is intended to serve as a starting point for societal change and act as a catalyst for widening the definition and discussion of beauty. The campaign supports the Dove mission: to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging todayââ¬â¢s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves.â⬠In addition to changing womenââ¬â¢s view of their bodies, Dove also aimed to change the beauty market. In an industry where the standard of beauty is often a size two blonde supermodel, Dove distinguished itself by using models that ranged from size six to fourteen. CRFB abandoned the conventional cynical method of portraying ââ¬Å"perfectâ⬠women as beauty role models. Main goals of the online campaign were to bring awareness to the new product line, generate debate about the definition of beauty, receive media attention, gain market coverage allow consumer interaction with the brand, and call to join the self-esteem program partnership. . Type of New Media Used Website Through Doveââ¬â¢s website, the public is able to gain more insights about the campaigns. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund was developed as part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. We have already helped over 5 million girls and we invite you to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty. Dove Self-Esteem Fund ââ¬â Girls Only Interactive Self-Esteem Zone (Appendix 1.3) allows the public to do everything from take interactive quizzes, creating their own online magazine to get a reality check in art of image manipulation. Furthermore, they created a viral video (Appendix 1.4) ââ¬â Evolution, showing the transformation of a normal looking girl into a stunning model and posted it on the website. Visitors can access new self-esteem building tools, take part in interactive self-esteem activities and join self-esteem discussion boards. Facebook As consumers nowadays are getting more IT savvy, the Dove Facebook page (Appendix 1.1) generally attracted 3,688,330 people liking it. From the page, Dove not only educates the campaign to the public, it also engages the public and users of Facebook to communicate with them. Dove has done so through the interactive panels (Appendix 1.1), where they asked ââ¬Å"What does real beauty mean to you?â⬠From there, the public will post their response or view up the wall of the page. The Dove Facebook page is able to reach mass audience of different languages and culture as they allow visitors to pick their current country and language choices. Thus, even if the visitor is not English speaking, they will still be able to understand the information stated on the page. YouTube YouTube is a social media platform that allows feedback from its viewers. By using YouTube, Dove has stimulated its customers to get involved by telling their own opinions about beauty concept. That helps the campaign more and more successful and well-known. With YouTube, Dove can also measure the effect of their campaign via the number of viewers. They created viral video and placed it on the CFRB website, the video ââ¬â Evolution, shows the transformation of a normal=looking girl into a stunning model and it became a hot throughout YouTube by the name; Dove Evolution Video, 2006. Doveââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Evolutionâ⬠video (Appendix 1.2), which won both a Film Grand Prix and Cyber Lion (A Grand Prix for cyber-marketing) at the 2007 Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival, takes a different approach. By highlighting the extent to which pictures of models are often modified and retouched in advertisements, this video point out the unrealistic nature of many modelsââ¬â¢ appearances. Showing how much a modelââ¬â¢s appearance can change from its natural state at the beginning of a photo shoot, thanks to make-up, stylists and computers, ââ¬Å"Evolutionâ⬠is intended to challenge women not to accept a type of beauty that is unrealistic and attainable only through the use of editing and retouching Conclusion Result of the Campaign Through the campaign, results stated that the campaign has been shown on over 25 major TV channels and in more than 800 articles in opinion leading newspapers as well as in popular womenââ¬â¢s magazines. In the first six months of the campaign, sales of Doveââ¬â¢s firming products increased 700% in Europe and in the United States, sales for the products in the advertisements increased 600 percent in the first two months of the campaign. In 2004, the first year of the campaign, global sales surpassed $1 billion, exceeding company expectations. Doveââ¬â¢s public relations company built in news coverage for Asia with the Dove ââ¬Å"modelsâ⬠appearing in 618 different newspaper clippings with a circulation of 139 million. By the end of 2005, sales in the Asian-Pacific market increased from 19 percent to 26 percent. In the United States, the campaign got free advertising space from media coverage on national television shows reaching 30 million daytime television viewers. These shows included The Oprah Winfrey Show, which included the campaign everyday for a week, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, The View and CNN. ââ¬Å"Evolutionâ⬠the viral video and the most famous execution of the campaign to date had global impact. The viral has been viewed more than 15 million times online and seen by more than 300 million people globally in various channels of distribution, including news coverage, by the estimation of Ogilvy Chairman-CEO Shelly Lazarus. Dove and Ogilvy have won awards for this campaign. These include the two Grand Prix Cannes Advertising Awards in 2007. This is an unprecedented number of awards to win. ââ¬Å"Evolutionâ⬠the viral won Film Grand Prix and a Cyber Grand Prix. Dove won a silver IPA for effectiveness with the campaign. In 2006 it was awarded a Grand EFFIE, which honors the most significant achievement in marketing communications effectiveness. Individual Opinion The success of the Dove campaign has been its agility in bypassing traditional mainstream media and entering popular culture through new media. Dove used YouTube to ask their consumers to help create the Self-Esteem Campaign. To get things started, Dove posted a fast-motion, one-minute film entitled, ââ¬Å"Dove Evolution,â⬠which races through the cosmetic artistry and Photoshop ââ¬Å"plastic surgeryâ⬠that ultimately transforms a modelââ¬â¢s features into an ethereal face that then appears on a billboard. The film ends with the tag line: ââ¬Å"No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.â⬠The YouTube Dove film has been viewed over three million times and has brought more attention to the Campaign for Real Beauty. Doveââ¬â¢s message and story then migrated to the entertainment media. The spot played on TV shows such as ââ¬Å"Ellen,â⬠ââ¬Å"Entertainment Tonightâ⬠and ââ¬Å"The View.â⬠Dove, the brand with a point of view, now had customers with a point of view. The Dove Campaign opened marketerââ¬â¢s eyes to the importance of global consistency. The internet makes it easier for people to connect the dots and to share information. With the internet giving the consumer a voice and allowing user-generated media to have a real impact on our culture, marketers should be able to recognize this and realize how much power the consumer now holds.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 4
Micha ââ¬Å"She's already got you all hot and bothered.â⬠Ethan sips on his soda. ââ¬Å"Look at you. Drunk after eight months of sobriety and I don't believe it's a coincidence it happened on the same night she showed up.â⬠I slam another shot back and wipe my lips with the back of my hand. ââ¬Å"I'm fine man. And I can't blame what I do on anyone else but myself. This isn't Ella's fault. ââ¬Å" Ethan laughs, tipping his head back, bumping it on the edge of the cupboard. ââ¬Å"Who the hell are you trying to convince? You know just as well as every single person in the room knows that you two are each other's problem and it's never going to be fixed until you fuck and get it over with.â⬠I punch him in the arm, harder than I planned. ââ¬Å"Watch it. You're walking on thin ice tonight.â⬠He holds up his hands, surrendering. ââ¬Å"Sorry, I forgot how you get when you're like this.â⬠I grab a fist full of his shirt and jerk him toward me. ââ¬Å"Like what?â⬠Again, he forfeits up his hands. ââ¬Å"Micha man, calm down and go drink some coffee or something. You're trashed out of your mind.â⬠I release him and rake my fingers through my hair, frustrated with something I can't grasp. ââ¬Å"Coffee's a mythâ⬠¦ And I need something else.â⬠My eyes travel to the back door window, and suddenly I understand what I need. I pat Ethan's shoulder. ââ¬Å"Clear everyone out before my mom gets home, okay?â⬠ââ¬Å"Alright, man will do,â⬠he replies confoundedly. ââ¬Å"But where are you going?â⬠ââ¬Å"On a walk.â⬠I knock people out of my way, and stumble out the back door. Regaining my balance, I trip across the grass and climb over the fence. Ella's dad's Firebird is parked in the driveway, so he must be home from the bar. Doesn't matter, though. He won't notice or care if I sneak in. I've been doing it since we were kids. Although, my intentions did get a bit dirtier the older we got. I stare up at her bedroom window until I reach the tree. After a drunken struggle, I make it to the top and I inch along the branch to the window. Cupping me hands around my eyes, I peek inside. The lights are off, but the glow of the moon lights a trail to her bed. She's fast asleep. I inch open the window, slicing my finger on a rusty nail. ââ¬Å"Motherâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ I suck on my finger tip, the taste of blood and vodka bitter against my tongue as I head dive through the window and hit the floor with a soft thud. Her friend shoots upright from the bed on the floor, her eyes wide. ââ¬Å"Oh my God.â⬠I put my finger to my lips as I get to my feet. ââ¬Å"Shhâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ She still looks worried so I dazzle her with my most charming smile. That seems to win her over and she settles back in her bed. As carefully as I can, I step over her bed and crawl in with Ella. She's always been a heavy sleeper and doesn't stir. I press my chest against her back, drape my arm over her waist, and feel the rhythm of her breathing. God, I've missed this way too much. It's not healthy. I burrow my face in her neck, smelling the scent of her hair, vanilla mixed with something that's only her. I shut my eyes and for the first time in eight months, I fall into a peaceful sleep. Ella I sleep horribly for half the night, tossing and turning, like the princess sleeping on a pea. Only I am far from a princess and the pea is my guilty conscience. I don't know why I feel guilty about blowing off Micha. I've done it breezily for the past eight months. Although, he wasn't living right next door with his sad puppy dog eyes and charming sexiness. My sleep deprivation only got worse when my dad stumbled into the house in the middle of the night, bumping over cups and bottles, drunk off his ass. Later, I heard him crying in the bathroom my mom died in. It still hurts to hear because his tears are my fault. Once I fall asleep, I am out and it ends up being the best night's rest I've had in ages. When I wake up in the late afternoon, I feel refreshed and calm. Until I realize why. Micha is in my bed and has me in his long, lean arms. His body is curved into mine, so every single part of him is touching me. I know it's him by the smell of his cologne mixed with mint and something else that only belongs to Micha. I pretend to be asleep, engulfed in a wonderful dream, refusing to wake up until he leaves. ââ¬Å"I know you're awake,â⬠he whispers in my ear. His voice is hoarse and his breath is stale with booze. ââ¬Å"So open your eyes and quit avoiding me.â⬠ââ¬Å"You know it's illegal to walk into someone's house without permission,â⬠I say with my eyes shut. ââ¬Å"And sneaking into someone's bed ââ¬â that's the move of a pervert.â⬠ââ¬Å"I didn't walk in. I fell in,â⬠he says, amused. I pinch his firm chest and he laughs. ââ¬Å"Now there's my feisty girl.â⬠He brushes his soft lips across my forehead. ââ¬Å"I've missed you, Ella May.â⬠Opening my eyes, I wiggle in his arms. ââ¬Å"Please don't start. It's too early.â⬠His eyes are guarded and his hair is a mess. He chuckles lowly, a sound that ripples deep inside my core. ââ¬Å"Pretend all you want, pretty girl. You and I know that deep down you're secretly glad to be pressed up to my body.â⬠He urges our chests together as he snakes his legs around mine. My eyelids flutter against his warmth. God, I've missed this so much. Way too much and so has my body, evidently. ââ¬Å"So where did you go?â⬠he asks, crushing my moment of bliss. ââ¬Å"To school in Vegas? Because it kind of surprises me. You never really liked school.â⬠My mind snaps back to reality. ââ¬Å"I don't want to get into this right now. I just want to have a relaxing summer and then I'm headed back to campus.â⬠He blinks, his eyelashes fluttering against my forehead. The feel of him sends a warm tingle up my thighs and I seal my lips to keep from moaning. His eyebrows knit. ââ¬Å"It's like you've been kidnapped by a bunch of nuns or something.â⬠ââ¬Å"Maybe I was,â⬠I say submissively. ââ¬Å"It wouldn't hurt anyone if I was.â⬠He considers this and an artful smirk curves at his lip. ââ¬Å"That's not true. Nuns can't have sex and I still haven't fulfilled my lifelong dream of having sex with you.â⬠I open my mouth, my tongue locked and loaded with an equally perverted comeback, but I bite down, remembering I'm not that kind of a girl anymore. ââ¬Å"I need to wake Lila up. She's got a long drive ahead of her.â⬠With one swift roll, he has me pinned down beneath his body and my arms trapped above my head. His aqua eyes search mine and it's like staring at the endless ocean. He sucks on his lip ring, lost in thought. ââ¬Å"You're going to tell me, pretty girl,â⬠he asserts, tilting his head so his lips are next to my cheek. ââ¬Å"You always tell me everything.â⬠ââ¬Å"Micha, pleaseâ⬠¦.â⬠I despise how breathless I sound. ââ¬Å"You know why I left. You were there that nightâ⬠¦ you saw meâ⬠¦ I can't do it again.â⬠Anxiety claws up my throat and my muscles tense beneath the weight of his body. ââ¬Å"Please let me up. I can't breathe.â⬠He props up on his arms. ââ¬Å"You could have talked to me, instead of running away. You know that.â⬠I shake my head. ââ¬Å"No, I couldn't. Not that time. That time it was different. You were part of the reason I had to leave.â⬠ââ¬Å"Because you kissed me?â⬠he asks, dipping his voice to a husky growl. ââ¬Å"Or because I found you that wayâ⬠¦ that night.â⬠I swallow the giant lump in my throat. The kiss was part of it. It was an earthshattering kiss, one that stole breaths, stopped hearts, and scared the shit out of me because it surfaced feelings I'd never felt before, ones that rendered me helpless. ââ¬Å"I don't want to talk about it. Now get off of me.â⬠I wiggle my arms between us and push on his chest. He sighs and rolls off me. ââ¬Å"Fine, don't talk about it, but it doesn't mean you can run away from me again. I'll chase you down this time,â⬠he threatens with a wink as he climbs off the bed, and the chain hooked to his studded belt jingles. ââ¬Å"Get dressed and meet me out in the driveway. You have to go visit Grady today.â⬠ââ¬Å"No, thanks,â⬠I decline and tug the blanket over my head. ââ¬Å"And I told you last night I have stuff to do today. Besides aren't you hung over from last night? You were pretty wasted.â⬠ââ¬Å"Don't do that,â⬠he says, aggravated. ââ¬Å"Don't pretend like you have some deep insight into me anymore. You've been gone for eight months and a lot has changed.â⬠I'm speechless. ââ¬Å"Micha, Iâ⬠¦ ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Come on, get out of bed. You're going to see Grady, whether you like it or not.â⬠He yanks the blanket off me and tosses it on the floor, so I'm lying there in my plaid shorts and skin-tight tank top with no bra on underneath. He gives me a prolonged once over, with a dark, lustful glint in his eyes and goosebumps sprout all over my skin. I cover myself with my arms. ââ¬Å"I'm not going to Grady's. I just got home and I have things to do.â⬠ââ¬Å"He's got cancer, Ella.â⬠He backs for the door, tucking his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans. ââ¬Å"So get your bratty, split-personality ass out of bed and go see him before you can't.â⬠My arms fall to my sides as I sit up. ââ¬Å"Why didn't anyone tell me?â⬠ââ¬Å"If you would have told someone where you were, we would have,â⬠he says. ââ¬Å"Although, I'm pretty sure your father knew where you were, he just wouldn't tell anyone.â⬠I don't deny it. ââ¬Å"Besides, I told you in the voicemail I left yesterday,â⬠he says, glancing at my phone on the desk. ââ¬Å"But I'm guessing you haven't listened to that?â⬠I shake my head. ââ¬Å"No, I was too surprised to see your number on the screen.â⬠He bites on his lip ring, something he does when he's nervous. ââ¬Å"Yeah, you should probably just delete that. I don't think you're ready for it yet.â⬠My gaze moves to my phone. What the hell is on it? I climb out of bed, arching my back and stretching like a cat. ââ¬Å"How bad is Grady?â⬠He swallows hard. ââ¬Å"He's dying, so you need to get dressed and let me take you to see him.â⬠I begin to object, but rethink my initial stupidity. Grady is the one part of my past that I could never run from. At one point, he was like a father to Micha and me. I even called him from Vegas once, although I didn't tell him where I was. I nod. ââ¬Å"Let me get dressed and I'll be out in a second.â⬠ââ¬Å"See you in a few.â⬠He winks at me and vanishes into the hall, leaving the door wide open behind him. Lila quickly springs up from the trundle bed, clutching the sheet. ââ¬Å"Oh. My. Hell. What was that about? I mean, he crawled in here through the window in the middle of the night, and just climbed into bed with you.â⬠ââ¬Å"That's what he does.â⬠I open the window letting in the gentle breeze. Loose pieces of my hair dance around the frame of my face. ââ¬Å"Oh, no.â⬠Lila stretches her arms above her head. ââ¬Å"What's wrong?â⬠I reluctantly look at her. ââ¬Å"I think someone might have confused your car for a canvas.â⬠She jumps out of bed and elbows me out of the way to get a look at the damage done to her beautiful, nearly brand new Mercedes. ââ¬Å"My poor baby!â⬠I pull a skirt and a pink tank top out of my duffel bag. ââ¬Å"Get dressed and we'll go check out the damage.â⬠She pouts, looking like she might cry. ââ¬Å"I can't drive it home like that. My parents will kill me.â⬠ââ¬Å"I know plenty of people who can fix it for you,â⬠I say, opening the door. ââ¬Å"Or I use to, but I'm sure it's all the same.â⬠She nods and I go to the downstairs bathroom to change, avoiding the upstairs one. I turn on the shower so the mirror will fog up and hide my reflection. I comb my hair until it flips up at the ends naturally. Then I apply a light shade of lip gloss and head out the door, but run into my dad on the stairway. ââ¬Å"When did you get here?â⬠His breath smells like gin and his eyes are red. His cheeks have sunken in over the last eight months and his skin is wrinkled like leather with sores. He's in his late forties, but looks like he's pushing sixty. ââ¬Å"Last night,â⬠I tell him, taking his arm and helping him up the stairs. ââ¬Å"I was in bed before you got home.â⬠He offers me a pat on the back. ââ¬Å"Well, I'm glad to have you home.â⬠ââ¬Å"I'm glad to be home,â⬠I lie with a smile as we reach the top of the stairs. He moves his arm away from my hand and rubs the back of his neck. ââ¬Å"Do you need anything? Like help carrying in your boxes?â⬠ââ¬Å"I think I can handle it on my own, but thanks.â⬠I decline, sticking my arm out as he teeters toward the stairs. He nods and his eyes drift to the bathroom down the hall. He's probably thinking about how much I look like her. It hurts his eyes, at least that's what he told me the night I went to the bridge. ââ¬Å"I guess I'll talk to you later then. Maybe we could go to dinner or something?â⬠He doesn't leave me time to answer as he zigzags down the hall to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. My dad started drinking when I was about six, a few months after my mom got diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. His drinking habit wasn't that bad back then. He would spend a few nights at the bar and sometimes on the weekends, but after my mom died, beer and vodka took over both our lives. When I return to my room, Lila is dressed in a yellow sundress, with her blonde hair curled up and there is a pair of overly large sunglasses concealing her eyes. ââ¬Å"I feel like crap,â⬠she declares, putting her hands on her hips. ââ¬Å"This place has that effect on most people.â⬠I grab my phone, noting the flashing voicemail as I slip on my flip flops. We go outside, leaving the smoky air behind and step into the bright sunlight, surrounded by the scenery of rundown homes and apartments. The neighborhood is filled with motorcycle engines revving and far in the distance are the sounds of a lovers' quarrel and Micha is nowhere to be seen. A long time ago, it felt like home, back when street racing and running wild felt natural, but now I just feel lost. Lila starts biting at her fingernails as she gapes confoundedly at her car. ââ¬Å"It looks worse up close.â⬠I circle her car with my arms folded, assessing the damage. It looks like a fruit basket, only instead of being filled with fruit it's crammed with innuendos and colorful words. I'm on the verge of laughing for some reason. ââ¬Å"They got you good.â⬠She shakes her head. ââ¬Å"This isn't funny. Do you know how much it's going to cost to fix this?â⬠Lila's dad is a big shot lawyer over in California. Her parents are always sending her things like clothes, money, cars. She has never worked a day in her life and gave me a hard time for my waitressing job at Applebee's, begging me to take time off to go to parties. ââ¬Å"So what do we do?â⬠She chips at some green paint on the headlight with her fingernail. I point up the street. ââ¬Å"There's an auto body shop not too far from here.â⬠She glances down the road, which is covered in potholes and lined with filthy gutters. ââ¬Å"But this is a Mercedes.â⬠ââ¬Å"I'm sure painting a car, no matter who the maker is, is all the same.â⬠ââ¬Å"But what if they do something to it?â⬠ââ¬Å"Like spray paint it again after they paint it?â⬠I say sarcastically and she scowls. ââ¬Å"Sorry. We'll find someone, okay? We can take it to someplace in Alpine. It's a little nicer over there.â⬠ââ¬Å"I can't drive it when it looks like this,â⬠she complains, motioning at the car. ââ¬Å"It's hideous.â⬠ââ¬Å"I'll drive it, then,â⬠I offer my hand out for her to give me the keys. ââ¬Å"Are you joking?â⬠She pats the hood of her car. ââ¬Å"This is my baby. No one drives it but me. You know that.â⬠ââ¬Å"I think your baby is in serious need of some plastic surgery.â⬠Micha strides off the porch of his house and onto the driveway. He's changed into black jeans, a fitted grey t-shirt, and his blonde hair hangs in his eyes. Using his long legs, he jumps over the chain-linked fence between our yards. ââ¬Å"I know the perfect place to get it fixed and it's here in town, so you won't have to drive it so far.â⬠He gives Lila a wink. ââ¬Å"I'm Micha, by the way.â⬠ââ¬Å"Hi, I'm Ella's roommate or old roommate anyway,â⬠she says with a warm smile and slides her sunglasses down the brim of her nose. ââ¬Å"We're not sure if we're sharing a dorm room next semester.â⬠He presents her with his player grin. ââ¬Å"Sharing a room with Ella? That had to be tough.â⬠He shoots me a mischievous look, trying to get a rise out of me. She laughs and returns her glasses over her eyes. ââ¬Å"No, she's a pretty great roommate, actually. She cleans and cooks and everything. It's like having my own house maid.â⬠ââ¬Å"Ella was always good at that stuff,â⬠he agrees, knowing the real reason why. Even before my mom died, she was never good at taking care of the house. I had to learn how to take care of myself at a very young age, otherwise I'd have starved and rotted away in a rat-infested house. ââ¬Å"So do you want me to take your car to that shop I was talking about? Like I said, it's really close.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yeah, that sounds great.â⬠She shuffles her sandals against the concrete. ââ¬Å"I'd rather go someplace close.â⬠I mentally roll my eyes. Leave it to Micha. He can get any woman to contradict herself if he wants to. He swings his arm around my shoulder and kisses me on the forehead. ââ¬Å"But I have to take pretty girl over here to see an old friend first.â⬠ââ¬Å"Please stop calling me that,â⬠I beg. ââ¬Å"I've never liked the nickname and you know that. I never even got why you called me it.â⬠ââ¬Å"And that's the appeal of it, pretty girl.â⬠He tempts me closer to him and caresses my cheek with his lips, giving me a kiss that brings warmth to my skin. ââ¬Å"Now are you ready to go see Grady? You can come, too, if you wantâ⬠¦ is it Lila?â⬠ââ¬Å"Yeah, it's Lila. Lila Summers.â⬠She offers her hand and Micha shakes it. ââ¬Å"And sure I'll go. This place makes me a little nervous.â⬠ââ¬Å"Isn't your family expecting you to be home tonight?â⬠I escape from underneath Micha's arm. ââ¬Å"I'll text them and tell them I'm not leaving until tomorrow.â⬠She retrieves her cell phone and scrolls through her contacts. ââ¬Å"The car will be done by tomorrow, right?â⬠ââ¬Å"It's hard to say,â⬠Micha says. ââ¬Å"Ethan is the best, but a little slow.â⬠Her head snaps up and there's delight in her eyes. ââ¬Å"Ethan as in Ethan from the party last night? The one with the sexy hair and the really big hands?â⬠Micha bites down on his lip, stifling a laugh, and flicks me a sideways glance. I can't help but smile. ââ¬Å"Yep, that's the one,â⬠he says. ââ¬Å"Do you feel better about taking your car to him now?â⬠ââ¬Å"Well, yeah, if you think it's okay?â⬠she checks. ââ¬Å"I'm very picky about who works on my car or at least my dad is very picky about who works on it.â⬠ââ¬Å"It'll be fine,â⬠he assures her with a wink. ââ¬Å"I've never disappointed a girl yet.â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh yeah?â⬠Lila laughs, glancing at me uneasily, like she's worried she's stepping on my territory. ââ¬Å"So are we going to go or what?â⬠A ping of jealousy pinches inside my chest. ââ¬Å"Yep, let's go, beautiful.â⬠Micha leads the way around the fence and up his driveway to the garage. When I step inside, my mouth falls open. Parked in the middle, between the walls lined with shelves and tools, is a shiny 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS. It's painted in a smoky black with a cherry red racing stripe down the center. ââ¬Å"You finally fixed it up?â⬠He pats the shiny flawless hood, his eyes sparkling with excitement. ââ¬Å"I finally got around to it, after talking about it for four years.â⬠His eyes find mine, seeking my approval. ââ¬Å"So what do you think?â⬠ââ¬Å"It's kind of old.â⬠Lila pulls a face at the car. ââ¬Å"And really big.â⬠ââ¬Å"I thought you liked things big?â⬠Micha teases. I punch him in the arm and he laughs. ââ¬Å"Ow, I meant hands. Jeez get your mind out of the gutter.â⬠I roll my eyes. ââ¬Å"You did not, you pervert.â⬠He shrugs, his eyes lustrous in the sunlight filtering through the gritty windows. ââ¬Å"So what. It got you to lighten up, didn't it?â⬠ââ¬Å"Are we driving it to Grady's?â⬠I opt for a neutral voice. He slips his keys out of his pocket and tosses them to me. ââ¬Å"Yeah, go ahead. It's all yours.â⬠I swiftly shake my head and throw the keys back at him, like they're scorching hot. ââ¬Å"No thanks. I don't want to.â⬠He cocks an eyebrow, looking sexy. ââ¬Å"What do you mean you don't want to?â⬠ââ¬Å"I mean I don't want to drive it.â⬠It nearly kills me to say it. I walk around the front of the car, open the door, and gesture for Lila to get in. ââ¬Å"But it has a blown 572 Big Block in it,â⬠he says astounded with the keys hanging loosely from his fingers. ââ¬Å"How can you not want to drive it?â⬠My insides twitch to drive it, but I won't buckle. ââ¬Å"It's fine, Micha. I'd rather be the passenger.â⬠ââ¬Å"What does that mean? A blown big block or whatever you said?â⬠Lila wonders as she walks to the side of the car. ââ¬Å"Wait, are you guys talking cars? El doesn't like cars. In fact, she made us take the bus most of the time when we left campus.â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh really?â⬠His tone implies otherwise. ââ¬Å"That's news to me.â⬠ââ¬Å"It's a waste of gas,â⬠I lie, attempting to mask the truth; that I miss it. The rush, the speed, the adrenaline high. Lila ducks inside the car and into the backseat. I climb into the passenger side and Micha opens the garage door. He revs up the engine, letting it rumble, teasing me, before backing down the driveway. ââ¬Å"I'm starting to think that the Ella you knew isn't the same one as I know.â⬠Lila buckles her seatbelt up. He spins the tires down the road. ââ¬Å"I think you might be on to something Lila, because the one I knew loved cars. In fact she used to hang out in the garage all day with the guys while the other girls played with their hair and makeup.â⬠He flashes me a dangerous grin. ââ¬Å"She used to get all excited when we'd go racing.â⬠No matter how hard I try to hinder myself from getting energized, I can't. Those hot summer nights, flying down the highway, neck and neck with another car, the rush soaring through my body. Micha trails his finger along my neck and rests it on my pulse. ââ¬Å"You're getting excited just thinking about it.â⬠His touch spreads a longing through my body. I swat his hand away, cross my arms, and focus on the window, watching the neighborhood blur by as he cruises over the speed limit. Micha shifts the gears and the engine thunders louder, begging to burn rubber. ââ¬Å"Is it legal to be driving this fast?â⬠Lila asks nervously. We glance back at her and she grips the edge of the leather seat. ââ¬Å"It just seems like we're going really fast, especially in a neighborhood.â⬠Micha holds my gaze resolutely as he downshifts and pumps up the rpms. ââ¬Å"What do you think? Speed up? Or slow down?â⬠I want to tell him to slow down, pull on my seatbelt, and look away, but a passion that was dead raves. He throttles the gas pedal, keeping his eyes on mine, venturing me to look away first. ââ¬Å"Umâ⬠¦ I don't think this is a good idea.â⬠Lila's voice is far away. The car surges faster down the narrow road and his eyes dare me to tell him to slow down and part of me wants to. Desperately. But as he shoves the shifter into the next gear, going faster and faster, my body pleads to let go. Suddenly, Lila screams, ââ¬Å"Stop sign!â⬠Micha's eyes sparkle like sunlight reflecting into the ocean. He slams on the brakes, squealing the car to a halt, and throwing us all forward. My hand shoots out and I brace myself from hitting the dashboard. ââ¬Å"Are you crazy?â⬠Lila's voice cracks as she situates back into the seat and realigns her dress over her legs. ââ¬Å"What is wrong with you two?â⬠Micha and I look at each other and my body is burning with a hidden desire that I won't admit exists. My heart beats in my chest, rock steady and alive again. For a second, I'm back in the place I lost. Then Micha ruins it. ââ¬Å"See, the same old Ella still lives.â⬠He grins arrogantly as he drives through the intersection. ââ¬Å"She just needed a little push out.â⬠I click the seatbelt locked, proving a point. ââ¬Å"No, she doesn't. She's gone forever.â⬠ââ¬Å"Try all you want, but I'm bringing her back.â⬠He bites his lip, refocusing on the street as he mutters, ââ¬Å"I won't let that night ruin you forever.â⬠But it did. It broke me into a million pieces and blew them away in the wind, like crumbled leaves. That night was one of the most incredible nights I've ever had. Then I quickly plummeted toward rock bottom.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Concept of Humanity Essay Example
Concept of Humanity Essay Example Concept of Humanity Paper Concept of Humanity Paper The theories proposed by various psychologists are seen in the light of their concept of humanity. If I were to propose a theory, it would be characterized by my concept of humanity as one with free choice, optimism, driven by expectations of the future (Teleology), conscious thought, social relationships environment and the uniqueness of each human being. 1. Determinism vs Free Choice My view on the nature of human nature would fall on free choice. There are Indeed forces beyond our control but we how we behave, react or respond to these forces are purely out of our own choice. We have total control over ourselves to choose to do what we think is the right action at any given situation. This is why we were given the faculty of reasoning and free will that we may not feel as if we are mere victims of fate but are actually proactive beings capable of choosing what they think is right for them. 2. Pessimism vs Optimism People can change and grow into psychologically healthy, happy, fully functional human beings (Feisty, 2006). This comes with the fact that I believe in free choice. We are not mere victims of fate. We are human beings who are capable of changing to e able to adapt to any given situation which then gives way for us to become psychologically healthy and fully functional at any given situation or environment. Again, we are beings who take action. 3. Causality vs Teleology Our past experiences do hold a lot of lessons but I think that people behave the way they do because of what their present actions consequences may bring In the future They get something from the past, yes. But their behaviors are mainly driven by certain expectations of what may happen In the future. 4. Conscious vs Unconscious People are generally driven by their conscious thoughts. We are fully aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. I believe that this is a characteristic of a human being: we are capable of rational thought. This is what separates us from animals because we do not act based solely on satisfying drives. We also put into perspective what is right and wrong when it comes to satisfying drives. Personalities are shaped by social relationships and environment than Just being mere creatures of biology. As how I would always answer the nature vs Nurture this way, Nature could only do so much. Nurture, however, may improve on what limits nature has set. We have seen this through a lot of experiments done through the years, where one may have thought that a child has limited brain power but given a rich and stimulating environment, changes may be seen with this child. . Uniqueness vs Similarities The study of personality should concentrate on traits that make people different. We often try hard to categorize one personality as this and that and forget to account for the individual differences of each human being. Though it might help that we sort them out through their similarities first and then work our way to understanding or accounting for the differences in these said traits.
Monday, October 21, 2019
s Republic - Gender Equality
Platoââ¬â¢s Republic was perhaps one of the more controversial pieces of writing from its time. In this book, Plato attempted to immortalize the ideals put forward by his teacher and mentor, Socrates the Sophist. Most of Socratesââ¬â¢ beliefs went against Athenian tradition and convention, and as such was subject to great disapproval from influential Athenian superiors. Essentially, Socrates disagreed with virtually every aspect of the way Athens was run. He had his own ideas about the way in which an ideal city should be run, and voiced his opinion on diverse topics of discussion including the role of Athenian women in society. On examination of Socratesââ¬â¢ discourse, as he put forward his viewpoint on a womanââ¬â¢s place in the ideal city in Platoââ¬â¢s Republic, it was glaringly obvious that his opinion would not be embraced open-heartedly by Athenian readers of that time. It was customary in ancient Greece that womenââ¬â¢s activities were held completely separate from those of the men. In the time of Homer, women were seen as possessions, as was demonstrated throughout the Iliad, where they were awarded to men as prizes. Their status in society did not improve by very much in later years. In Thucydidesââ¬â¢ account, one of the few mentions of women was made by Pericles, in his funeral oration, where he advocated that they should be ââ¬Å"least talked of among the men, whether for good or for badâ⬠(Thuc. 2.45). In essence, women lived in the shadows, unseen, and unheard, with their primary purpose being to bear heirs for their husbands. The proposition put forward in Platoââ¬â¢s Republic was in complete disagreement with this long-standing view of societyââ¬â¢s females. The concept that women and men should be treated equally was totally foreign, and the presentation of this idea to any ancient Athenian male would have been immediately scorned. It would have been viewed as totally unacceptable, because this was simply not the way things were do... 's Republic - Gender Equality Free Essays on Plato\'s Republic - Gender Equality Platoââ¬â¢s Republic was perhaps one of the more controversial pieces of writing from its time. In this book, Plato attempted to immortalize the ideals put forward by his teacher and mentor, Socrates the Sophist. Most of Socratesââ¬â¢ beliefs went against Athenian tradition and convention, and as such was subject to great disapproval from influential Athenian superiors. Essentially, Socrates disagreed with virtually every aspect of the way Athens was run. He had his own ideas about the way in which an ideal city should be run, and voiced his opinion on diverse topics of discussion including the role of Athenian women in society. On examination of Socratesââ¬â¢ discourse, as he put forward his viewpoint on a womanââ¬â¢s place in the ideal city in Platoââ¬â¢s Republic, it was glaringly obvious that his opinion would not be embraced open-heartedly by Athenian readers of that time. It was customary in ancient Greece that womenââ¬â¢s activities were held completely separate from those of the men. In the time of Homer, women were seen as possessions, as was demonstrated throughout the Iliad, where they were awarded to men as prizes. Their status in society did not improve by very much in later years. In Thucydidesââ¬â¢ account, one of the few mentions of women was made by Pericles, in his funeral oration, where he advocated that they should be ââ¬Å"least talked of among the men, whether for good or for badâ⬠(Thuc. 2.45). In essence, women lived in the shadows, unseen, and unheard, with their primary purpose being to bear heirs for their husbands. The proposition put forward in Platoââ¬â¢s Republic was in complete disagreement with this long-standing view of societyââ¬â¢s females. The concept that women and men should be treated equally was totally foreign, and the presentation of this idea to any ancient Athenian male would have been immediately scorned. It would have been viewed as totally unacceptable, because this was simply not the way things were do...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Types of Rhyme
Types of Rhyme Types of Rhyme Types of Rhyme By Simon Kewin The poet who wishes to write a rhyming poem has several different sorts of rhyme from which to choose. Some are strong, some more subtle, and all can be employed as the poet sees fit. The following are some of the main types :à â⬠¨Ã End Rhymes Rhyming of the final words of lines in a poem. The following, for example, is from Seamus Heaneyââ¬â¢s Digging :à à à à à à à Under my window, a clean rasping sound à à à à à à When the spade sinks into gravelly groundà â⬠¨Ã Internal Rhymes Rhyming of two words within the same line of poetry. The following, for example, is from Edgar Allan Poeââ¬â¢s The Raven :à à à à à à à Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, à à à à à à Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,à â⬠¨Ã Slant Rhymes (sometimes called imperfect, partial, near, oblique, off etc.) Rhyme in which two words share just a vowel sound (assonance ââ¬â e.g. ââ¬Å"heartâ⬠and ââ¬Å"starâ⬠) or in which they share just a consonant sound (consonance ââ¬â e.g. ââ¬Å"milkâ⬠and ââ¬Å"walkâ⬠). Slant rhyme is a technique perhaps more in tune with the uncertainties of the modern age than strong rhyme. The following example is also from Seamus Heaneyââ¬â¢s Digging :à à à à à à à Between my finger and my thumb à à à à à à The squat pen rests; snug as a gunà â⬠¨Ã Rich Rhymes Rhyme using two different words that happen to sound the same (i.e. homonyms) ââ¬â for example ââ¬Å"raiseâ⬠and ââ¬Å"razeâ⬠. The following example ââ¬â a triple rich rhyme ââ¬â is from Thomas Hoodââ¬â¢s A First Attempt in Rhyme :à à à à à à à Partake the fire divine that burns, à à à à à à In Milton, Pope, and Scottish Burns, à à à à à à Who sang his native braes and burns.à â⬠¨Ã Eye Rhymes Rhyme on words that look the same but which are actually pronounced differently ââ¬â for example ââ¬Å"boughâ⬠and ââ¬Å"roughâ⬠. The opening four lines of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Sonnet 18, for example, go :à à à à à à à Shall I compare thee to a summers day? à à à à à à Thou art more lovely and more temperate: à à à à à à Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, à à à à à à And summers lease hath all too short a date:à Here, ââ¬Å"temperateâ⬠and ââ¬Å"dateâ⬠look as though they rhyme, but few readers would pronounce ââ¬Å"temperateâ⬠so that they did. Beware that pronunciations can drift over time and that rhymes can end up as eye rhymes when they were originally full (and vice versa).à â⬠¨Ã Identical Rhymes Simply using the same word twice. An example is in (some versions of) Emily Dickinsons Because I Could not Stop for Death :à à à à à à à We paused before a House that seemed à à à à à à A Swelling of the Ground- à à à à à à The Roof was scarcely visible- à à à à à à The Cornice- in the Ground- à â⬠¨Ã Itââ¬â¢s clear there is often a certain amount of overlap between rhyme and other poetical devices such as assonance ââ¬â subjects to be covered in future poetry writing tips. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for ââ¬Å"Helpâ⬠Peace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mindââ¬Å"Least,â⬠ââ¬Å"Less,â⬠ââ¬Å"More,â⬠and ââ¬Å"Mostââ¬
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Journalism and Mass media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Journalism and Mass media - Essay Example Therefore, from the point of view of the Associate Professor, Carmen uses methodological reductionism that the sites assist only those who require them urgently while in others it is not the case. Alternatively, Piskorski found that the online dating industry has worth of $2billion made of more than 14, 000 businesses that use various methods and techniques of matching up potential partners. For instance, OKCupid, an online dating site with a membership of about 3 million permits its users to surf each otherââ¬â¢s profiles (Nobel, 2012). Furthermore, there are algorithms and comprehensive quizzes that allow partners to have compatible matches. Similarly, in a study of about 500,000 members of OKCupid, Piskorski discovered that older, shorter and at times overweight people viewed more profiles compared to their younger counterparts. On that account, there are several methods, data and evidence used to support the claims made in the article. For instance, Carmen uses secondary methods of data collection such as reading books, similar journals and internet sites to prove the validity of the article. Similarly, there is the interview on the Associate Professor of Harvard Business School on his studies and findings concerning various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). Therefore, the available data to prove the claims made by Carmen include several online sites such as Match.com, eHarmony, OKCupid and Facebook among others that aim at matching up potential partners. ... For instance, Carmen uses secondary methods of data collection such as reading books, similar journals and internet sites to prove the validity of the article. Similarly, there is the interview on the Associate Professor of Harvard Business School on his studies and findings concerning various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). Therefore, the available data to prove the claims made by Carmen include several online sites such as Match.com, eHarmony, OKCupid and Facebook among others that aim at matching up potential partners. On the other hand, the available evidence is the study of 500, 000 members of OKCupid who view the profiles of each other without any problem. Therefore, these claims hold because the members interviewed participate actively and report their results. There is also the presentation made by Piskorski on his findings in a HBS seminar concerning the various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). On the same context, there is also the presence of the online dating sites t hat participated in the survey to determine the benefits of online dating. However, there are also biases and other missing information in the article by Carmen Nobel. For example, there is no alternative research on offline dating for comparison purposes with online dating. In other words, there is ecological fallacy in terms of the available statistics to support the benefits of online dating for its members (Nobel, 2012). Additionally, the research by the Professor does not conduct a follow up if the potential partners meet and the superseding consequences. This constitutes to individual fallacy whereby the other groups are not part of the research. Furthermore, Piskorski fails to mention the names of his variables during the findings hence
Friday, October 18, 2019
Max Weber on Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Max Weber on Democracy - Essay Example This is likely one of the reasons why Weber's outlook was so negative upon democracy. Weber felt that since sociologists are human beings possessed with the capability of having empathy and understanding for others, that social actions should be analyzed accordingly. Weber, unlike Marx and Durkheim really focused on the individual and not society as a whole. He focused on status, individual ideas, social class and religion in evaluating their impact on democracy. Weber felt that each of these facets had an individual and equally compelling effect upon the individual and therefore their perceived place in a democratic society. Weber did not believe in the notion of elections or of positional changing. He instead advocated that all elected officials should instead be lifetime appointments. There is a bit of a disparity here because it ultimately results in a single election for a lifetime appointment and the gravamen of American democracy is term limits. It is the term limits which stop the country from becoming a hierarchy and which allows for the continued growth of the country. Weber advocated the type of hierarchy that one would see in a college, university or Fortune 500 company. Any person who receives the lifetime appointment must have the proper credentials which of course required a certificate program of some sort. Thus, under his proposed, democracy would be a well oiled lifetime administrative machine. The problem with his thinking is that it completely flies in the face of the American definition of democracy especially as applied to term limits. Weber did not approve of democracy mainly because he found the democracy of Germany to be petty. He did not feel that a democracy could be successful in a country with a tremendous bureaucracy. The notions flew in each other's faces, however if the country was one that was run like an administrative university, perhaps he would have more open to the idea of democracy. Parson was fascinated by the notion of Citizenship. (Kivisto 68) By way of example, he wrote about the idea of African Americans enjoying the rights of full citizenship. Parson was particularly influenced by Marshall's three dimension application towards democracy. Marshall regarded the three dimensions as the civil, political and social. The process was regarded by Marshall as an evolutionary one, which for the most part Parson adopted, however as to the social dimension, unlike Marshall, Parson applied that dimension to Roosevelt's "New Deal". (Kivisto 68) In a complete break from his mentor Weber, Parsons felt that the future of democracy was bleak if not unattainable, Parsons' predictions for the future of African Americans was sunny. (Kivisto 69) Weber, however, felt that the prospects for democracy in Germany were dim. Parsons felt that America was the last word in modern society and opined that complete citizenship would occur when African Americans (and other similarly situated minorities) were granted the same rights as whites. At such time, Parsons predicted that democratic citizenship would be complete. (Kivisto 69). Sources Cuff, E. C., W. W. Sharrock and D. W. Francis, Perspectives in Sociology, third edition, London, Routledge, 1992. HM66 P36 1984. Gerth, Hans and C. Wright
Strategic management of SMEs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Strategic management of SMEs - Essay Example The choice of a competitive strategy helps a firm navigate the competitive environment that defines oneââ¬â¢s business. This paper concerns with unraveling the sources of comparative advantage among firms. Comparative advantage regards having the ability to satisfy a market in the best way than any other firm. In addition, the paper shall unravel how strategic management influences SMEââ¬â¢s. Segmentation differentiation is a useful competitive strategy for an SME. Segmentation differentiation differs with differentiation in terms of product making. This is because segmentation differentiation concerns with dealing a specific market segment (Julien 2003, pp. 230). In this case, a business studies a market segment and determines different factors that define its existence. For instance, the business studies the general preferences and needs of a given market. In addition, a SME studies the aggregate income levels of a market segment towards determining the price and quality level demanded by a particular market segment. This strategy differs from the idea of approaching a market in its whole form because a firm makes the risk of targeting a single market. There are, however, several benefits of choosing a given market segment. To begin with, an SME has the high chances of exhausting the market. Once consumers are satisfied from particular services, they are highly likely to manifest customer loyalty even in cases whereby new competitors enter the market. Innovation occurs in tests of produced uniqueness that a firm has in a poll of competitors. It is crucial to highlight that innovation is a traversing concept that may occur in every level of the supply chain. To begin with, it is essential to examine uniqueness in production. Innovation in production regards using the available resources to produce that does not exist in a market. It also concerns with designing a production process that carets efficiency in terms of time and costs.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Literature Review on Group Creativity Theory Essay
Literature Review on Group Creativity Theory - Essay Example rt in their field and have strong knowledge to properly guide the design team and create an environment that is conducive to creativity, innovation and stimulation of new ideas (Paulus & Nijstad, 2003). In other words, the art director serves as a project manager, designer and coordinator of all design activities in order to achieve the best possible end-product for the customer. Without a strong art director, a design team may not have clear direction or have the tools necessary to instill creativity and innovation for all projects. Perhaps the most difficult challenge for the art director is to implement a creative environment while balancing the challenges of group creativity theory and all of the variables associated with group dynamics. There are many external, social and psychological factors that can impact a design teamââ¬â¢s ability to think creatively. Furthermore, the politics of a creative team can impact the group creativity because individuals begin to compete over whose ideas are more creative. One issue that can arise is an over-abundance of ideas that can actually reduce the positive creativity that is desired within a group collectivity situation (Goncalo & Staw, 2006). In this situation, it is highly important for the art director to utilize the control and organizational power awarded by the position to continue to harbor good ideas while reducing the opportunity for too many ideas to have a negative impact on group creativity. In the end, a choice must be made and the group must push forw ard to produce a strong website that is both creative and to the customerââ¬â¢s approval. Due to socio-psychological issues stemming from criticism in the workplace, there is often a serious issue that confronts group creativity. Many employees shut down their creativity when their own work has been criticized, in which case, directors often avoid criticizing work which negatively impacts the quality and abundance of creativity (De Dren et al., n.d.).
Film Analysis Paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Film Analysis Paper - Movie Review Example The old man who tells the story deserves a kind of special attention and it is James Garner. Gene Rowlands is the other key actress of the film who is the mother of Cassevetes. The film gives an impression of intimacy in romance and how it lasts until the final breath; and apart from this, how the partner is trying to convince his lover of his presence who lost her memory and fails to recognize him. And the viewer gets a kind of impression that the love is so intense that connects them together even after long years of gap in interaction. Hence, one can definitely say that life is a written notebook and its pages denote the life events. Furthermore, the notebook is the influencing factor for reuniting and strengthening the love and romance among the partners. The film ââ¬Å"The Notebookâ⬠is an ever remarkable attempt of romantic story telling. The story is narrated so beautifully that one would definitely amaze watching it. The story begins in 1940, an occasion of carnival whe n the little boy Noah Calhoun and sweet Allie Hamilton meet each other for the first time. The interaction between them springs up with a blooming concept of love and intimacy in both. Noah takes Allie to an abandoned house which he intends to buy in future. But things go beyond their expectation that very next morning she shifts to her home town in Charlseston. Later in World War II both Noah and his companion involve and latter loses his life. Meanwhile, Allie serves as a volunteer in a hospital for the injured soldiers in the war where she meets Lon Hammond with whom she gets engaged. The return from the war makes him aware of the fact that he is left with no house to lay down his head. And Noah decides to possess the abandoned house which has a nostalgic feeling with his loving girl friend Allie. One of his visits to Charleston he finds that Allie is in love with Los, seeing them in an embarrassing view of kissing each other at a restaurant. After realizing and trusting upon Noa h she follows him to his native, specifically to the abandoned house. The twist of the film begins here as the woman who listens to the story is none other than Allie and the story teller is her husband. Meanwhile the incidents of Allies motherââ¬â¢s and Losââ¬â¢ entry to Noahââ¬â¢s land is also demonstrated as destruction of peace in their life. At that moment itself Allie makes a confession that she has been living with him for the past many days. It is also evident that two times Noah suffers from heart attack and recovers. Ultimately, Allie recognizes Noah and requests not to leave her thus they go to bed. In the climax both seem dead on the dead, an emotional, tearful ending of the movie. The movie received much attention due to an admirable role played by the respective actors. Every character portrays own role so magnificently that the film looked so realistically. The role played by Ryan Gosling as Noah is excellent and appreciating so is the Allie Hamilton portraye d by Rachel McAdams. Precisely, these are the two characters that play a significant role in the film, attracting the attention of the viewers. The role of Lon by James Marsden Gena Rowlands seems so wonderful in relation with the story and the way of acting. The film holds lot of similarities and resemblance to the original novel or story. From a personal point of view, the film could express the real sense of romance which was present in the original story. And no doubt the credit can be shared among the casting
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Strengthening Desirable Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Strengthening Desirable Behavior - Essay Example First of all, it calls positive attention to students for meeting behavior expectations. This shows that the teacher is noticing when students do and do not conform to the expectation, and that a reinforcement will be offered to those who meet it. Also, verbal praise is immediate in nature. Students do not have to wait days to learn what the teacher appreciated about their contribution. Next, verbal praise is highly adaptive and specific. It can be used in a variety of academic and behavioral situations, and tailored to a precise individual student (Marzano, Pickering, Arredondo, Blackburn, Brand, and Moffett, 1992, p. 8). 2. Students who arrive to class on time may receive an activity reinforcer to strengthen their positive behavior. For example, all students in the 5th grade who are complete a whole term with no tardies can get a simple reward, such as a 20-minute mixer in a common area, inside the school or outside, where they can have a cookie, some juice, and some relaxing conversation for a short time as a reward for the diligence in getting to class on time. 3. Encouraging students to turn in assignments on time can be accomplished by using public display of good work. Teachers can group students within a class, or track the progress of one class against others, using a graphic display that shows how successful each class is in getting its assignments in on time. 4.
Film Analysis Paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Film Analysis Paper - Movie Review Example The old man who tells the story deserves a kind of special attention and it is James Garner. Gene Rowlands is the other key actress of the film who is the mother of Cassevetes. The film gives an impression of intimacy in romance and how it lasts until the final breath; and apart from this, how the partner is trying to convince his lover of his presence who lost her memory and fails to recognize him. And the viewer gets a kind of impression that the love is so intense that connects them together even after long years of gap in interaction. Hence, one can definitely say that life is a written notebook and its pages denote the life events. Furthermore, the notebook is the influencing factor for reuniting and strengthening the love and romance among the partners. The film ââ¬Å"The Notebookâ⬠is an ever remarkable attempt of romantic story telling. The story is narrated so beautifully that one would definitely amaze watching it. The story begins in 1940, an occasion of carnival whe n the little boy Noah Calhoun and sweet Allie Hamilton meet each other for the first time. The interaction between them springs up with a blooming concept of love and intimacy in both. Noah takes Allie to an abandoned house which he intends to buy in future. But things go beyond their expectation that very next morning she shifts to her home town in Charlseston. Later in World War II both Noah and his companion involve and latter loses his life. Meanwhile, Allie serves as a volunteer in a hospital for the injured soldiers in the war where she meets Lon Hammond with whom she gets engaged. The return from the war makes him aware of the fact that he is left with no house to lay down his head. And Noah decides to possess the abandoned house which has a nostalgic feeling with his loving girl friend Allie. One of his visits to Charleston he finds that Allie is in love with Los, seeing them in an embarrassing view of kissing each other at a restaurant. After realizing and trusting upon Noa h she follows him to his native, specifically to the abandoned house. The twist of the film begins here as the woman who listens to the story is none other than Allie and the story teller is her husband. Meanwhile the incidents of Allies motherââ¬â¢s and Losââ¬â¢ entry to Noahââ¬â¢s land is also demonstrated as destruction of peace in their life. At that moment itself Allie makes a confession that she has been living with him for the past many days. It is also evident that two times Noah suffers from heart attack and recovers. Ultimately, Allie recognizes Noah and requests not to leave her thus they go to bed. In the climax both seem dead on the dead, an emotional, tearful ending of the movie. The movie received much attention due to an admirable role played by the respective actors. Every character portrays own role so magnificently that the film looked so realistically. The role played by Ryan Gosling as Noah is excellent and appreciating so is the Allie Hamilton portraye d by Rachel McAdams. Precisely, these are the two characters that play a significant role in the film, attracting the attention of the viewers. The role of Lon by James Marsden Gena Rowlands seems so wonderful in relation with the story and the way of acting. The film holds lot of similarities and resemblance to the original novel or story. From a personal point of view, the film could express the real sense of romance which was present in the original story. And no doubt the credit can be shared among the casting
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Status of Women in India Essay Example for Free
Status of Women in India Essay in indiaââ¬Å"When one boy is educated, one person will be wise. When one girl is educated entire family will be wise.â⬠This is famous quote by girl education pioneer Mahatma Phule. This underlines the importance women in society. From the time of independence our constitution concentrated to give enough right for women. But the problem is that women are facing many problems in this modern age of gender equality. The structure of Indian society is different and unique than any other. Indian society believes in epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata more than anything else. Society wants that a woman should be like Sita the ideal Indian woman, who surrendered all her desires and followed Rama to the forest. Girls are brought up to follow the footsteps of Sita. In todayââ¬â¢s modern world this expectation continues. A woman should go for work, earn money and must do house hold works also. Society expects that a woman should be like superwoman who can do everything. This is totally injustice for women. From the time of independence we as nation tried to create a society where women have equal rights as men. Our constitution, Government worked sincerely in that way. The Laws like The Hindu Marriage act (1955), The Hindu Succession Act (1956), The Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), The Maternity Benefit Act (1961), The Equal Remuneration Act (1976), The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) act (1986) have paved the way for bringing about major positive changes in the lives of women. Despite of such constitutional weapons women are facing lot of problems like 1) Feticide: Feticide is the largest problem for todayââ¬â¢s society. As technology developed, people are using it to kill girl fetus. Feticide is todayââ¬â¢s biggest problem Indian society. Till 2001, there are only 933 female births per 1000 male birth. This is dangerous situation for the balance of society. In spite of act against girl child abortion people are finding escape for abortion. As of March 2001, the female population stands at 495.4 million out of total 1,028 million Indian populations. Thus, in the present population of 1.03 billion, there ought to be 528 million women. Instead, estimates show only 496 million women in the population today. This implies that there are some 32 million missing women in India. Some are never born, and the rest die because they do not have the opportunity to survive. Sex-ratio (number of female per 1,000 male) is an important indicator of womens status in the society. In 1901 there were 972 females per 1,000 males, while by 1971; the ratio has come down to 930 females per 1,000 males. In 1981 there has been only a nominal increase in the female sex ratio within 934 females to 1,000 males. There were only 926 females per 1000 males in India according to 1991 census. The 2001 census indicate that the trend has been slightly arrested with the sex ratio at 933 females per 1000 males, with Kerala at 1058 females. The sex ratio of the 0-6 age group has declined sharply from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001. According to UNFPA State of world population 2005, Punjab (793), Haryana (820), Delhi (865), Gujarat (878) and Himachal Pradesh (897) have worst child sex ratio. Facing this problem is not easy at all. We have to make families aware about the importance of girl child for the balance of society. 2) Harassment: Harassment is the common in country like India. Probably it is for the reason of Dowry. Police records for the country as a whole show that a woman is molested every 26 minutes. A rape occurs every 34 minutes. Every 42 minutes, an incident of sexual harassment takes place. A woman is kidnapped every 43 minutes. And every 93 minutes, a woman is killed. When a woman is harassed she doesnââ¬â¢t come for the complaint against it due to fear. She fears the disgrace in society and shuts her mouth. We have to provide fear free environment, so that a woman come for complaint and demand justice. 3) Lack of Health Awareness: As mother, family care taker a woman always ignores her own health and concentrates on the family health. This is age long habit of traditional Indian woman. As individual she must break this. Government as well as social wale fare communities must arrange proper health education and cheap health facilities for woman. 4)Woman Literacy: In 2001 the total literacy rate in India is 65.8. The woman literacy rate is 54.16 while male literacy rate is 75% this shows that woman literacy rate is low, In spite of many schemes for girl education. We have to make minds of girl child parent to send them school.These are the random problems and many are under curtains. The one perfect remedy is the proper implementation of laws and schemes for woman. Though significant improvements are have taken in the position of woman in the 50 years following independence, women continue to suffer from the problems like violence, illiteracy and ill health Together we have to work in the way of gender equality, woman wale fare so that a woman can live proudly as human being and not as servant nor as goddess.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Foxmeyer Case Study Analysis Information Technology Essay
Foxmeyer Case Study Analysis Information Technology Essay FoxMeyer worked on idea of installing an ERP system to process the million order requests company received each day. ERP system will manage the packaging and routing of pharmaceuticals from various vendors to thousands of hospitals, clinics, drug stores, and other stakeholders. To pursue with the installation, Company hired Andersen Consulting and other consultants to help with the installation. Together with ERP, FoxMeyer decided to install a new warehouse-automation system, increasing the complexity of its plan. FoxMeyer bought the software from well experienced vendor. These systems were designed to automatically pick more than 80% of outgoing orders from shelves in warehouses. Ans1a. FoxMeyer pharmaceuticals had certain critical issues in the change management because of poor planning and not putting on extra efforts in implementation of ERP system. There were certain issues involved with employees with implementation for two systems in a huge scale which resulted them threatened over there job assurance. At FoxMeyer, reports revealed senior management was highly committed in the starting phase but also some users were not as committed. There was some morale problem among the warehouse employees as the projects Pinnacle warehouse automation integration threatened their jobs. The closing of three warehouses and the transition to the first automated warehouse as disaster. Sabotage done by the employees was huge loss to company. Disgruntled workers damaged inventories, orders were not filed and also there were huge mistakes occurred since a new system struggled with the high level of volumes. A total, amount of around $34million worth of inventory were lost as sabotage. Ans1b. Change Management is one of the critical steps an organization has to take while implementing an ERP system. Since one the major problem arises in the FoxMeyer was the loss of confidence among employees in their job security. One of the main contributing factors to this loss in the FoxMeyer case is the automation of processes and main contributor being the computerization of tasks. Implementing change without prior planning or proper strategy in FoxMeyer not only created disaster but also chaos and unrest among workers. Being the Boss of FoxMeyer, I would suggest following strategies in ERP implementation: Communication Strategy: Management in FoxMeyer should be assigned to discuss future strategies- to ensure a thorough approach. This Strategy will include preparing project plan, project progress report and trainings for employees. FoxMeyer presented the case of one-end communication where Management were seen forcing their decision to workers which created chaos and workers were not committed to change. Having proper communications from both side had resulted in better cooperation and motivation for employees. Impact analysis: This is a method thoroughly determined the current system and analysis how the ERP system will affect the Human Resource and business environment. FoxMeyer workers were not provided information with the reason for change and nor was consulted for the willingness of ERP system implementation. Business processes needs to be systematically documented especially for the area which may be affected by new system. Information will be documented is job description and job history which will construct organises comparison on how the real business processes may vary from what has been documented. This analysis will help FoxMeyer to analyse how significantly the ERP system may affect the system, which will be the most affected by the implementation and what raining might be required to ensure the smoothness for the implementation of new system. Skills analysis: Major issues during ERP implementation is training. AS the FoxMeyer workers were not trained properly for the new system, which resulted in poor order processing, inventory lost and greater chaos. This also killed the interests of workers towards change and made them less committed. This strategy will help FoxMeyer to analyse, who needs training to pursue jobs purposes, to find out that needs to be trained and what skills company need to developed. FoxMeyer will pick up and train staff from internal departments accordingly and train them to work with new system. Ans2a. FoxMeyer Project of implementing ERP system hoped to save $40 million annually and project cost estimated to be $65 million and also with complete installation ERP system and Automation system was another $18 million. Ans 2b. The Project lead to Bankruptcy for FoxMeyer. FoxMeyer had a budget of $65 million for implementation of SAP but the final implementation bill was more that $100million. Extra cost also includes à £34million loss of uncollectable shipping an inventory costs. Other costs that FoxMeyer paid was loss of customers, market reputation, Loss of employees, structure and Loss in Share values. Ans2c. An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system covers the techniques and concepts employed for the integrated management of businesses as a whole from the viewpoint of effective use of management resources, to improve the efficiency of an enterprise. They have many advantages both direct and indirect. The direct advantages include improved efficiency, information integration for better decision making, faster response time to customer queries etc. The indirect benefits include better corporate image, improved customer goodwill, customer satisfaction, and so on. (Sourced from: http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/a-recipe-and-ingredients-for-erp-failure-124383.html) FoxMeyer advocate ERP solutions as a part of their strategic development plan which would help to re-engineer their business processes in order to accomplish long-term goals. Actual cost for organisations does not only include installation cost, human cost and licensing cost. There are other costs with the implementation of ERP which as following. These costs are hard to measure but are way higher than actual costs. Project Costs: FoxMeyer had perception that continued perception will produces large payoffs i.e. the company expected a saving of $40 million annually. Psychological Costs: the consultants had prior records and history of success which encourages organisations to continue the project and generate high expectation with project, resulting uneven investments. FoxMeyer had more like this with what it could chew but embarking on a fast track project with unskilled staff. Social Costs: The consulting company did not externally justify projected. De-escalating the project through abandonment would have meant bad publicity. Organisation Costs: Organizations pay huge losses over delay in projects or lack of usage techniques which results undue investments without any outputs. Lack of change management might also result in order to control the increasing costs of operations and staff issues. Managers must realize other opportunity cost involve in the ERS system implication for example cash outflows which might result in better outputs in investing in other areas. Ans3. FoxMeyer had researched and analysed ageing population of America which presented grounds to expand their business and opportunity to grow bigger. Ans3a. FoxMeyer signed the contract to supply University Health System Consortium (UHC) Ans3b. FoxMeyer expected a growth in business due to an aging population and anticipated a growth in the pharmaceutical Industry. FoxMeyers long-term goals were to lower their operating expenses, manage the inventory more efficiently, gain greater share by expanding market and sales. FoxMeyer after developing and implementing new ERS system wanted to enhance more operations and efficiency and generate more order processing systems. Ans4. Risks involved in the project Implementation in Fox Mayer: Technical Risk: High technology always requires extensive capital for development. In Addition high technology needs research and development. It needs extensive testing which takes more time and funding. FoxMeyer tried implementing software with a big bang theory without extensive research or trials. Organisational Size: FoxMeyer being $5 billion Company working as wholesale distributor and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals product. Company extensively implemented EPR system thought-out its organization as whole instead trying and monitoring success in particular department or area. This resulted in sudden change in business operations and giving employees more tough time with their job without extensive training and skill assessment. Technical Novelty: SAP system employed by FoxMeyer was presented with high performance and saving company with a $40million per year on its operational costs. Though the technologies were new and have not been implied or tested anywhere in pharmaceuticals. FoxMeyer made a quick decision without reviewing or proper analysis of SAP which later on created havocs and problems for FoxMeyer after implementation. Even the SAP software was not compatible with current hardware and systems used by FoxMeyer. Company even forget to analyse the efficiency of usage in future of large orders since it has plans of expansion. Technical Expertise: SAP was new technology for FoxMeyer workers and they lack necessary skills to operate the businesses using new technology. SAP was introduced with big bang theory to the workers without proper training and skills assessment. Ans5a. FoxMeyer used a theory called big Bang Adoptions theory. This theory describes the adoption type of the instant changeover, when everybody with new systems moves to the fully functioning new systems on given date. Ans5b. FoxMeyer project Risks of customer mandate which relies on commitment from both top management and users. Although senior management commitment was high, reports reveal that some users were not as committed. There was a morale problem among workers especially in warehouse employees as they got threatened with three warehouse closures because of automation of warehouse. With the Big bang adoption theory, FoxMeyer changed all the EPR systems with SAP and also introduced new software for warehouse automation without any prior information to the workers. Workers were threatened by this approach and also felt lack of commitment from FoxMeyer as the company did not informed, revealed its future plans considering its workforce. Ans6. It can be arguable and quite out of understanding, when a FoxMeyer give allegation to SAP that the bankruptcy is because of the failure of their ERP system. After all how can a software package alone bring a large company down, which already had around 15000 satisfied users around the world? Thus, I believe the companys management are the reasons for their demise. On Contrary their can be various point that can be established over the demise of FoxMeyer. I would briefly discuss certain points which I Believe is relevant and to conclude who is responsible for the project failure leading to bankruptcy: Drawbacks of ERP system used by FoxMeyer: Implementation complexity Problems with business Strategy and Competitive advantage Over Budgets and Late projects Integration Problem Organisational Change and resistance to change Having analysed case I felt the demise was firstly architect by FoxMeyer management. Though even highly committed to this approach but they lack understanding of the consequences of implementation. Company had planned and had well established long term goals. But the vision is not effective unless it is strategically planned and implied. FoxMeyer management relied heavily on the outer sources of consultancies and software without researching any other alternatives or even checking any compatibility with its operations and system hardware. Project implementation was introduced with a big bang approach without even conducting certain trials or effective planning. There were so many risks involved with the project implication. However, I would not like to blame FoxMeyer for their poor planning; SAP and Anderson Consulting are too responsible for the failure. It can be argued that SAP had made false promises to the FoxMeyer highlighting that SAP is capable of high level order processing for FoxMeyer current system and is compatible with current Business operations and hardware. SAP being very complex software with complex functioning and with certain disability of integration of operation among different departments. Also, With Anderson Consultancy, Company was promised to provide all services, skills and training by consultancy. Which made the FoxMeyer relied heavily on the Consulting services and resisted to developed their skills or implement any change by them selves. Failure of services lead to chaos in FoxMeyer, resulting extensive loses in terms of customers, workers and productivity. Ans 7. Critical points among SAP and FoxMeyer: FoxMeyer had expectation with SAP, so much that it started building contracts with other companies like UHC considering high and efficient operations in future. Which resulted a heavy workload in computing of order processings when SAP was still being implemented and servers or hardware were not much compatible with such a work load. SAP too presented that hardware are compatible and SAP can be installed and will provide better techniques of order processing. However system failed to process 10000 audits per night where as previous ERP system could process up to 4000o orders each nights. SAP was much inexperienced into foray of high distribution technology and the system was not able to handle large volume of orders. The automation control too had constant bugs and FoxMeyer had to deploy hundreds of workers to work around the issues. The whole operations between the combined issues snowballed. Thus giving errors in order processing, inventory losses, resentment among workers etc. Which resulted in heavy loses of money, production, market reputation and brand. According to my Opinion, SAP wasnt efficient to such a high distribution and order processing ERP which resulted in failure of all operations and leading FoxMeyer to bankruptcy and even to there demise.
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