Project Time Management Essay

As project manager, you are actively leading the Green Computing Research Project team in developing a schedule. You and Ben found three internal people and one new hire to fill the positions on the project team as follows: Matt was a senior technical specialist in the corporate IT department located in the building next to yours and Ben’s. He is an expert in collaboration technologies and volunteers in his community helping to organize ways for residents to dispose of computers, printers, and cell phones. Teresa was a senior systems analyst in the IT department in a city 500 miles away from your office. She just finished an analysis of virtualization of server resources for her office, which has responsibility for the company’s data center. James was a senior consultant in the strategic research department in a city 1,000 miles away from your office. He has a great reputation as being a font of knowledge and excellent presenter. Although he is over 60, he has a lot of energy. Le was a new hire and former colleague of Ben’s. She was working in Malaysia, but she planned to move to your location, starting work about four weeks after the project started. Le has a lot of theoretical knowledge in green computing, and her doctoral thesis was on that topic. While waiting for everyone to start working on your project, you talked to several people working on other projects under the Environmental Technologies Program and did some research on green computing. You can use a fair amount of the work already done on telecommuting, and you have the name of a consulting firm to help with that part of your project, if needed. Ito and Ben both suggested that you get up to speed on available collaboration tools since much of your project work will be done virtually. They knew that Matt would be a tremendous asset for your team in that area. You have also contacted other IT staff to get detailed information on your company’s needs and plans in other areas of green computing. You also found out that there is a big program meeting in England next month that you and one or two of your team members should attend. It is a three-day meeting, plus travel. Recall that the Green Computing Research Project is expected to be completed in six months, and you and your four team members are assigned full-time to this project. Your project sponsor, Ben, has made it clear that delivering a good product is most important, but he also thinks you should have no problem meeting  your schedule goal. He can authorize additional funds, if needed. You have decided to hire a part-time editor/consultant, Deb, whom you know from a past job to help your team produce the final reports and project proposals. Your team has agreed to add a one-week buffer at the end of the project to ensure that you finish on time or early. Tasks 1. Review the WBS and Gantt chart you created for Tasks 5 and 6 in Part 2. Propose three to five additional activities you think should be added to help you estimate resources and durations. Write a one-page paper describing these new activities. 2. Identify at least four milestones for this project. Write a one-page paper describing each milestone using the SMART criteria. 3. Using the Gantt chart created for Task 6 in Part 2, and the new activities and milestones you proposed in Tasks 1 and 2 above, estimate the task durations and enter dependencies as appropriate. Remember that your schedule goal for the project is six months. Print the Gantt chart and network diagram. 4. Write a one-page paper summarizing how you would assign people to each activity. Include a table or matrix listing how many hours each person would work on each task. These resource assignments should make sense given the duration estimates made in Task 3 above. 5. Assume that your project team starts falling behind schedule. In several cases, it is difficult to find detailed information on some of the green computing technologies, especially financial data. You know that it is important to meet or beat the six-month schedule goal, but quality is most important. Describe contingency strategies for making up lost time and avoiding schedule slips in the future. After reviewing the work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart, three additional activities are being proposed. The addition of these activities will assist with estimating resources and durations. This project will benefit from the identification of four milestones throughout the project. Using these milestones as markers for time, budget, and personnel resources, the project will be kept on track. These milestones will be developed using the SMART criteria outlined in the text (Schwalbe, 2014). The identification of these milestones is the first added activity. The second activity to be  added is the contingency plan. The contingency plan will outline strategies for making up lost time and remaining on schedule for the remainder of the project.

German Expressionism

German Expressionism: â€Å"Nonstarter† vs.. â€Å"The Cabinet of Dry. Calamari† German expressionism is a movement that started post World War 1, and before the Second World War. It used a unique technique of shadowing and distinctive camera angles. The films during the movement told stories that mimicked the forbidding reality of the German's life. For example, in â€Å"The Cabinet of Dry. Calamari,† the set design was painted to get the specific diagonals and claustrophobic atmosphere.Throughout the film, the viewer almost experiences the madness that is happening on the set. The music pushes down on your brain, creating a feeling of uneasiness. The monotone music combined with the asymmetrical diagonals represent the mindset of Francis, who is in the insane asylum. The overall film presents a horror-like impression. The film â€Å"Nonstarter† also falls into the category of German Expressionism.However, it is more sped-up and includes several montages, especially during the scene with Count Oarlock. â€Å"Nonstarter† like, â€Å"The Cabinet of Dry. Calamari† takes on similar traits of darkness and delusion. The directors partaking in such a movement often used it as a cry for help, considering the after math of WWW for Germany. â€Å"Nonstarter† uses any shadowing techniques; personally, I think they symbolize the issues the society was going through with humiliation and disease.Count Oarlock, throughout the beginning of the film was only seen in shadows, and the first time the viewer sees Oarlock is the first time Hotter encounters him at gate of the mansion. Oarlock plays the part as the cursed vampire well; it adds the finishing detail to the film of German Expressionism. â€Å"The Cabinet of Dry. Calamari† and â€Å"Nonstarter† take on a deeper meaning than what is shown on the screen. They include a lot if inner thoughts and emotions that can allude to the general public of Germany at the t ime.

Best War Ever America And World War Ii History Essay

Best War Ever America And World War Ii History Essay The objective of this book is to subject the chief features of the Good War myth to bright analysis in the hope of present an additional realistic picture, one that does not demean the achievement of the United States and of liberal democracy but that at the same time does not diminish the stress, suffering, problems, and failures inevitably faced by a society at war. The war was good for the economy. It was liberating for women. It was a war of tanks and airplanes — a cleaner war than World War I. Americans were united. Soldiers were proud. It was a time of prosperity, sound morality, and power. But according to historian Michael Adams, our memory is distorted, and it has left us with a misleading — even dangerous — legacy. Challenging many of our common assumptions about the period, Adams argues that our experience of World War II was positive but also disturbing, creating problems that continue to plague us today. Michael C Adams has contributed to The Best W ar Ever: America and World War II as an author. Michael C. C. Adams, a professor of history at Northern Kentucky University, is the author of â€Å"The Great Adventure: Male Desire and the Coming of World War I† (1990).   Much of the events of WWII has been mythologized not only by Hollywood and government propaganda, and over the years this mythology has been perpetuated by those who lived through the war themselves. Michael C. C. Adams has sought to expose these stories for what they are, fabrication and oversimplifications, and provide the basic facts that facilitate a truer understanding of WWII and the world wide cultural changes surrounding it, both before and after the war itself. In chapter one, â€Å"Mythmaking and the War†, Adams sets out the myth itself, as defined by Hollywood dramatization, government propaganda, advertisement agencies, and the revised memories of those who stayed home, as well as those who fought in the war itself. The war became  "America’s golden age, a peak in the life of society when everything worked out and the good guys definitely got a happy ending.† (Adams, 2) The WWII era came to serve a purpose; to be the bygone age which America once was, and if worked hard enough for, could be again. It was, in a sense, America’s Garden of Eden, the time and place where all things were right. Of course, this was a manufactured ideal, what Adams calls a â€Å"usable past.† â€Å"In creating a usable past, we seek formulas to apply in solving today’s problems. Americans believe that WWII proved one rule above all others†¦it is usually better to fight than to talk.† (Adams, 4) â€Å"To make WWII into the best war ever, we must leave out the area bombings and other questionable aspects while exaggerating the good things. The war myth is distorted not so much in what it says as in what it doesn’t say.† (Adams, 7) This applies not only to the war itself, but a lso to the home front.

About an American History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About an American History - Assignment Example (Zinn) During 19th century, the role of women were also being redefined under the religious code wherein women were required to be pious and has a separate and defined role in the family. Sexual purity of women was considered as important and it was believed that men by virtue of their biological nature can sin however; women were not considered as prone to sin and were dealt very strictly under the new religious interpretation regarding the role of women. The prevailing vision was that the women should be limited to the home, marriage and mother hood and women were mostly limited to the nursing and teaching as their chosen profession. (Tindall and Shi) Women were able to cope with the new realities in different manner and by developing close family bondage with other family members. Women were also involved in relatively higher disorderly acts as compared to men especially in slavery conditions. Harriet Tubman was one woman who was able to not only gain freedom but was also successful in helping other women to get free and was active in the Underground Railroad. (Johnson) The westward movement of whites during 19th century witnessed a series of clashes as well as reconciliation efforts with the Indians. This expansion was achieved through extensive support from the government and the role of Jefferson remained important as he continued to force the expansion of whites in areas such as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other parts of the country. (Zinn) The Westward expansion was also the result of the devastation caused by the war as well as the advancements in the agriculture. The civil war reconstruction coupled with greed and passion for profits further resulted into the westward expansion and systematic extinction of Indians in the West of the country. (Johnson). Due to the geographic nature of the area around the Mississippi river, the area presented a more profitable opportunity for merchants to engage into the

How should the USA deal with China should they contain or not contain Research Paper

How should the USA deal with China should they contain or not contain China - Research Paper Example This year featured spats between China versus Philippines; China versus Vietnam; and China versus Japan. The disagreements are loudly triggering diplomatic tensions as Chinese government send forth their marine vessels in shores that are within the territorial jurisdictions of other Southeast Asian countries. The situation alarmed the international community, especially United States of America, because this Chinese territorial aggression also strategically affects its geographic control in the Pacific regions and with allied countries. This brought us the core issue, must US contain China or not? What is Containment? Before variegated positions are explicated, let us define first what containment all about is. Containment is a foreign policy strategy of the United States at the height of cold war which was prominently used by George F. Kennan in 1947 against communist nation to isolate and marginalize it to lessen it influence or remove its political clout from allied countries.1 Ex perts posit, by experience, that the containment theory of US resulted to the intervention of United States in Vietnam, Central America and in Grenada.2 This was also adopted by US President Truman as part of the Truman doctrine and is also widely discussed in US and Iraq conflict.3 Containment is historically started in a long telegraph sent by George Kennan from Moscow to Washington in 1946 about the Soviet’s refusal to join the International Monetary Bank and World Bank which detailed the practices of the country and anent recommendation to use the policy of containment—which ultimately led to that historic Cold War.4 From a psychological vantage, containment is a control theory aiming at establishing internal and external factors to develop a law-abiding behaviour which could be considered as a defence or a protective insulation against potential conflict or delinquency.5 Shouldn’t Contain Some political analysts argued that US shouldn’t contain China albeit the reactions of other countries who presumed that US intervention will help balance the power amid incessant aggression of Chinese soldiers to Hanoi, Philippines and Japan. Chinese however demanded from US, which was sought for intervention by aggrieved parties to refrain from getting involved asserting that the conflicting parties can resolve maritime and territorial disputes through bilateral consultations.6 This call generated political mass actions by peoples who rallied in the streets and in Chinese embassies or even conducted live-fire drills (e.g. Vietnam) to demonstrate their disagreement with China’s two-face diplomatic strategy in relating with them: offering a hand for bilateral consultations but at the same time, aggressively sending marine soldiers within sovereign states’ shores to claim ownership or prior rights thereof.7 Affected countries wanted to internationalize the issue while Chinese opposed this effort to bring the international communit y to multilateral discourse on this problem arguing

Company analysis on Dollar General Stores expanding into Britian Research Paper

Company analysis on Dollar General Stores expanding into Britian - Research Paper Example The first Dollar General store opened in 1955 at Scottsville in Kentucky was based on the central concept that all items in the store would cost less than one dollar (â€Å"The founding family†). Within two years of it business commencement, the organization earned an annual sales of $5 million from its 29 stores. Four years after the death of the co-founder J.L. Turner, the company went public as Dollar General Corporation with more than $40 million annual sales and net income in excess of $1.5 million. In 1983, the company acquired the 280 stores of the P.N. Hirsh Division of Interco, Inc and subsequently in 1985, the company added 206 stores and warehouse of Eagle Family Discount Stores by another acquisition process. The recent practices show that the company is constructing more stand-alone stores in remote areas where another general merchandise services are not reached. The most attractive feature of the Dollar General is that it offers both name brand and generic merchandise within the same store or even sometimes on the same shelf. The company mainly competes with national chains Family Dollar and Dollar Tree in the dollar store format whereas its regional competitors include number of independently owned stores. By the beginning of 21st century, the company launched â€Å"Dollar General Market† which is a store that carries a wider selection of grocery items. The developing home cooking trends helped the company in selling its grocery items. The Dollar General stores has grown notably within the short time period of 55 years. One of the major strengths of the company is that it has different potential customer groups that assist the organization to experiment with new business concep ts. Newly emerging market segments also effectively contribute to company’s global competence. Similarly, the Dollar General maintains an efficient liquidity position which aids the organization to effectively and timely respond to unexpected contingencies. In addition, the firm performs well in all areas wherever it has business interests. Dollar General performs outstandingly in the ‘backyard’ of large SuperCenters and hence time and saturation pressures are reduced to a large extent. Business efficiency and operational regulations are found to be some of the competitive advantages of the Dollar General as these features significantly add to the organization’s market attractiveness. The company employs most recent developments of e-commerce in order to provide improved services to its customers. Recently, the Dollar General stores announced that it has selected Aldata Solution, a global leader in retail and distribution improvement software to meet the n eeds of the company’s next generation integrated supply chain solution (â€Å"Dollar general selects Aldata â€Å"). In addition, the firm makes use of satellite facilities to transmit selling information to the headquarters each evening. The e-trade techniques and the resulted global interconnectedness would greatly aid the organization

Change in Family Arrangements in Tanzania and UK Assignment

Change in Family Arrangements in Tanzania and UK - Assignment Example â€Å"Christianity is a relatively new religion in Tanzania having introduced into the country during the 18th Century by professional missionaries. About two-thirds of East Africa’s Muslims reside in Tanzania which is the most populous of the East African countries† (Saeed, n. d) Because of these huge differences between these countries, the family arrangements, life principles, attitudes customs etc in these two countries are entirely different. This paper briefly analyses the Continuity and change in family arrangements in Tanzania and UK in three disciplines; economics, psychology and politics â€Å"The agro sector contributes more than two-thirds of the GDP. It accounts for almost 85% of the total exports and employs nearly 80% of the population. However, agriculture is restricted to the coastal plains, since nearly 90% of the land is not arable† (Economy watch Tanzania, n. d). At the same time one of the pathetic aspect of Tanzanian agriculture is the fact that only 4% of the total land area is used for agricultural purpose because of the geographical peculiarities and bitter climatic conditions. Even though, most of the agricultural products like coffee, tea, cashews, cotton etc are exporting from Tanzania, the farmers are getting very less price for their products because of the mediators in between production and exporting. Industrial sector is contributing very little to the Tanzanian economy. In fact industry in Tanzania is one among the smallest in Africa. Tanzanian government has recently taken some significant measures to liberalize the Tanzanian economy i n order to capitalize on the opportunities provided by globalization, liberalization and privatization. Tayari (2010) has pointed out that small-scale industries should be encouraged in Tanzania for the proper economic developments as did by many other countries (Tayari, 2010).

Using of Windows 2000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Using of Windows 2000 - Essay Example There is a dire need to protect such information from prying eyes. (Scambray et al., 2003) The reputation of a company might be at stake if such information would be divulged. Moreover, people’s privacy would be compromised on a grandiose scale too if such information went public. There is also the risk of exploitation of such information. In order to protect these computing systems, numerous systems have been developed but loopholes still remain. This text is centred on an exploit for port 443 for a Windows 2000 based domain controller. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 3 Vulnerabilities in Networks 3 Delineating HTTPS and Port 443 4 Case Study 4 Assumptions 4 Way Forward 5 Analysis of Assumptions 5 Gathering Intel for Attack 5 Accessing the Server 6 Reason for Buffer Overflow 8 Securing a Foothold 8 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction Windows 2000 was developed by Microsoft as a business solution to host data and other services. A total of four different editio ns of Windows 2000 were released which were Professional, Server, Advanced Server and Datacentre Server. Other limited editions were also released by Microsoft in 2001 but the baseline of Windows 2000 being a business machine persisted. (Pastore, 2003) On its release, Windows 2000 was marketed as the most secure Windows ever built. (Microsoft, 2000) However security flaws within the Windows 2000 framework continued to plague the system right till the lifecycle end in July 2010 when Microsoft stopped issuing new security updates. (Microsoft, 2011) Vulnerabilities in Networks Windows 2000 has been likened to the eggshell concept. Similar to the egg’s shell, the exterior security layer is robust yet vulnerable. However, as soon as the exterior security layer is breached, the inside of the network is â€Å"mushy† and easier to manipulate. This general principle is not limited to Windows 2000 based network servers but to networks in general too. (Ethical Hacker Network, 201 1) In general various vulnerabilities exist on network machines especially in respect to ports that can be scanned and accessed for intrusion. The possible exposed ports all have the potential to be converted into vectors for an attack on the concerned machine. The most common ports utilised by various applications on a typical Windows based machine are listed below to delineate vulnerability. (Ethical Hacker Network, 2011) TCP Port Applications 20 FTP data channel 21 FTP control channel 23 Telnet 25 SMTP 53 Connection oriented DNS (resolution on UDP 53) 80 HTTP 88 Internet Key Exchange (IKE) 110 POP3 (mail) 135 Windows RPC Endpoint Mapper 137 NETBIOS Name Service 139 NETBIOS Session 389 LDAP 443 HTTP/S 445 Common Internet File System / native SMB on Windows 2000 and higher 636 LDAP over SSL 1433 SQL Server (1434 if the port scanner can perform UDP too) 1723 PPTP 3268 LDAP to a Windows Global Catalogue Server 3389 Remote Desktop Protocol (Windows Terminal Service) It must be kept in mind that these ports are available for Windows based machines. If other OS are being utilised, the machine’s vulnerability may lie at other ports which would be open. (McInerney, 2000) This investigation is concerned with port 443 used for HTTP/S services and so it will be looked into in more detail. Delineating HTTPS and Port 443 HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is a combination of the simple HTTP with an additional SST/TLS security layer. This helps to encrypt data being moved through web pages. Generally this protocol is used for online payments and transactions.

How does her book challenge medieval ideas about women Essay

How does her book challenge medieval ideas about women - Essay Example The city in her book symbolizes the women whom she had to build its reputation and prove how men have falsely thought them to be. Furthermore, in order to make women to be well-represented, Christine utilized symbolisms in her book to in order to present her thoughts accordingly. In her book, where she is the main character herself, three women told her and guided her through the building of a City. This City basically represents the state of liberation for women, who were thought to be misjudged and looked down to during the medieval period. It is in this City she was to build where women will find refuge against the men who attacks their womanhood through various writings and literature, and who sees themselves to be the ones with accomplishments and greatness alone. The three allegorical women whom the author talks to in the book – Reason, Justice and Rectitude, she was able to establish the greatness of women. Through the help of these ladies, Christine was able to identify her role as a woman in the society. According to the wisest of the ladies, it is only when a person has full knowledge of the self would one be able to understand oneself and the nobility of that individual. Thus, it is the Ladies’ role to help her see and understand a woman’s worth in the society. By understanding women’s roles in the society, Christine therefore builds the City’s foundation. It is only when woman clearly realized how special their tasks are in the community, then they would eventually be able to build a strong wall that would guard their city against any forms of attack. Women who assumed a great role in the military as well as in politics have proven their strength, not just in the physical aspect, but their psychological competence in order to defend their areas of responsibility. From the women who have found the Amazon to the queens who used their power and wisdom to rule over their kingdoms, it cannot be denied

How Thomas Hardy portrays women in his stories Essay Example for Free

How Thomas Hardy portrays women in his stories Essay The three stories all have very social, historical and cultural impacts on the women of the time. The Withered Arm, is about a womans, struggle to cure her withered arm and the jealousy felt by Rhoda who had been used by the farmer in the past and had born his child. Gertrudes fear of loosing her husband and her superstition make her carry out actions that result in her death. The next story, The Distracted Preacher, is about an independent woman called Lizzy and the choice she has to make. She is involved in smuggling and the head of the gang but is offered a different life by Minister Stockdale, who asks her to marry him and leave. She decides to stay but gets caught and suffers for some years till he returns and offers again to marry him, this time she accepts but only because of circumstances. The third story, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, is about a shy, naive middle class woman called Phyllis and her fight between her conscience, her fathers desire and her true love. She chooses her conscience and in the end loses everything. The Withered Arm has two main female roles: Rhoda Brooks and Gertrude Lodge. They both have very different backgrounds; Rhoda is the poor working class woman while Gertrude is the pretty upper middle class women. Rhoda has to work for her son and herself just to eat; she has no husband and so is an outcast from society and has to keep herself to herself. Because of this she has no male role model for her son. Rhoda is a thin, fading women of thirty, which emphasises how hard she works and how tiring her life is. In comparison Gertrude is the typical married middle class woman, with lots of time on her hands. She is youthful and pretty, soft and evanescent, which is why Farmer Lodge married her. Rhoda has a very wicked side, which shows itself when Gertrude arrives in town. She becomes jealous and wants to know all about the well-awaited new wife. She becomes obsessed with her and makes her son find out about Gertrude and follow her, Then do you go to Holmstoke church to-morrow: shes sure to be there. This jealousy links in with the superstition of that time when Rhodas dream about Gertrude having a withered arm comes true. At that time everyone believed each village had its own witch. The witch could curse victims and make limbs wither or in extreme cases fall off. From this we can see how worried Rhoda would have been, believing she was a witch, that I exercise malignant power against my own will? This illustrates that Rhoda feel sympathetic for Gertrude and responsible for her arm. She fears what she might do to her and what may happen if she is a witch. Even though she has this evil side, you see that she does contain some sympathetic qualities. For example Rhoda recognises the gruesome fascination which leads her to find Gertrude but she is unwilling to tell her where to find Conjuror Trendle for fear that she will lose Gertrudes friendship. Hardy shows Rhodas point of view throughout the story so you feel sympathetic especially when we find the dead boy is her son. She is very independent and strong so in the end wants nothing to do with Farmer Lodge and the fling therefore refuses his sympathy vote and doesnt accept his money. Gertrude starts by being very kind and loving, she gives Rhodas son some shoes and befriends Rhoda and creates a close relationship with her. Rhoda appears concerned; particularly about Gertrudes imagined rejection by her husband. Her personality changes for the worst when her arm becomes withered. Gertrude relies on Rhoda for a concerned understanding of the growing separation between herself and her husband, who knows the disfigurement is there. The choice of the word disfigurement reveals his attitude to appearances. Social attitudes demanded that middle class women were beautiful and attractive. She turns vain and selfish, obsessed by her arm and the need to find a cure, Her determination received a fillip. She finds a treatable cure for the arm after trying so many. Shes now determined to try this one even though it involves such indignity. This is all too much for Gertrude when she finds out who the boy is in reality Rhodas son. She isnt so vain and determined, she is actually very shocked and started to feel sympathy for the victim and in end the superstition and shock kills her. In the Distracted Preacher the main female role is Lizzy Newbury a middle class, strong-minded, character who, was none the less independent. This emphasises how Lizzy is able to lead her village in successful smuggling. Shes an attractive, local girl who can take on an immense job for a women in those times but Lizzy does it as well as any man could. Lizzy is a widower and looks after her mother, as well as the customers of her Lodge, where Mr Stockdale goes to stay. She values her job and sees nothing wrong with smuggling, If a king who is nothing to us sends his people to steal out property, we have the right to steal it back. This illustrates how Lizzy doesnt care whether people think her smuggling is wrong she has reason to do it and she lives off the money and the adventure. The smuggling is tradition: My father did it, and so did my grandfather, and almost everybody in Nether-Moynton lives by it, and life would be so dull if it wasnt for that, that I should not care to live at all. This shows that Lizzy is no ordinary woman she sticks with what she wants and doesnt look up to men as a higher being besides shes a decisive woman and gets her way. She needs to carry on even though her romance with Stockdale gets in the way because he doesnt agree with it, so Lizzy uses vigorous but absurd arguments to justify her actions. To begin with Lizzy doesnt want to go away with Stockdale and marrying him, It is too much to ask. My whole life ha been passed in this way. She needs to stay in Nether-Moynton where the adventure is and not do what normal females do. Later we see Lizzys resolve deteriorates; she needs Stockdale because the money earnt from smuggling runs out. After all her talk about needing smuggling and it being fine to do it, she says it wrong, I own that we were wrong, said she. But I have suffered for it: I am very poor now, Lizzy wants Stockdale now she is poor and worthless and Stockdale offers to take her away from her poverty. Lizzy gives in and takes this offer, then settles down to the married life she once hated the thought of living because of its lack of adventure and predictability. This ending is problematic as Lizzy changed her attitudes totally. This ending was also added for the readers. The story was published each week in a magazine. Hardy wrote the ending to please the audience and give them an ending most women would of taken. There is an alternative ending to this story that isnt so problematic. This is that Lizzy would have married Owlett a member of the smuggling gang and immigrated to America. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion has one main female role, that of Phyllis Grove an attractive middle class young lady. She is very quiet, keeps herself to herself and just likes to blend into society. She was a woman who lived her whole life without going further than the nearest market. The only family she has is her father so she has no female role model to guide her through life, this has made her very inexperienced in relationships, though it is probable that she lost her heart to Matthaus before she is herself aware. She never realised she was in love with Matthaus; she had never felt love before so never knew what this feeling was. She values her fathers opinion greatly and her father doesnt like whats going on between Matthaus and herself. He considers the soldiers merely foreign fellows who flatter young girls with unmeaning attentions. Phyllis finds Matthaus refined and well-educated. He is loving towards her, concerned about her loneliness, he does not put too much pressure on her to escape and marry him. She becomes very conscience stricken between the two men; will she go with her fathers choice (Humphrey) or her romance Matthaus? She decided the best thing to do was to conform to society and her father and marry Humphrey, She would stay at home, and marry him, and suffer. This shows that she is doing this for her father it wouldnt be love but she could live with it for her families and the moneys sake. Later we see that Phyllis has a problem as Humphrey wants to marry another woman, Belle, and Matthaus and a friend gets shot for desertion. Poor Phyllis has now been torn from fighting between two men to being alone again. We see Phylliss life if effected by this, while she lived she used to keep their mounds neat, meaning Matthaus grave. This shows Phylliss love for Matthaus still carried on when he died and this tragedy deeply affected her. In the three stories I have read the four female characters all have similarities and differences. Gertrude is similar to all three characters. She is similar to Rhoda because they both believe in superstition and worry about what is happening to them due to it. Through the story we feel sympathy for them: for Gertrude with her withered arm and death and Rhoda for being a single parent and so an outcast and for when she sees Gertrude with her arm on her dead sons neck. The sympathy vote changes throughout the story between Rhoda and Gertrude. Gertrude is like Lizzy because they are both attractive, strong-minded women. Gertrude is different to Lizzy aswell as like her because Gertrude conforms to mens expectations but Lizzy is independent and only relies on Stockdale at the end. Phyllis is probably most like Gertrude as they are both very traditional women characters for their times. They are weak women who become victims of men and the social influences of their time. Phyllis becomes a heart broken girl due to her fianci messing her around and her actual love being shot. Gertrude becomes obsessed and vain because her husband is disgusted by the fault with her arm and starts to love her less for it. Phyllis has a rich fianci and Gertrude has a rich husband. Lizzy is similar to Rhoda too because they are both strong-willed, independent women that can cope by themselves without men by their sides. This means Lizzy and Rhoda are both very different to Phyllis because she is timid and shy, she can be manipulated easily unlike Lizzy and Rhoda who manipulate other people. Phylliss character is very dependent as she does as she is told, conforming to societys expectations. If things had gone to plan then her life would be totally taken care of without her lifting a finger, when we know Lizzy chose to be independent and Rhoda had to be independent to look after her family. In my view, I admire Lizzy because she is very outgoing and a leader, which shows women to be able to lead men in this world and she can still be attractive and feminine. She seems to put men in their places by refusing Stockdales offer of marriage instead of being a stereotypical woman of that time married, at home cooking, cleaning and looking after the children. She speaks her mind when she wants to stay because smuggling gives her adventure and when she tells Stockdale there nothing wrong with smuggling. This is why I like the alternative ending that Hardy mentions in his footnote when she goes to America because she doesnt need the sympathy for being poor she stays strong and independent. Even though at the end I felt sorry for Rhoda because of her son, I was never fond of her character. She seemed evil throughout the story as if she had other secrets not yet revealed. Her character was very sneaky, holding things back from Gertrude when she was untruthful. I think Rhoda is to blame for all Gertrudes problems: she placed the curse and took Gertrude to Conjuror Trendle and she paid the price of that horrendous sight. This all made me very sympathetic towards Gertrude and I know how if feels to be superficially stereotyped. She never did anything to Rhoda and died as a consequence to Rhodas jealousy. I also sympathise with Phyllis because men ruined her life, her life was ruined by the societys strict rules at that time to do the right thing and marry for position and money, and the shooting for desertion of her true love. Men have a great impact on women and can make our lives fun, yet some men make our lives more misery than fun. In my opinion Hardy portrays women with respect, he makes them strong and independent, manly in a sense. In the early 1800s women all had their places in the world, which was in the home. Hardy brought these women out of their world and into the beginning of our not so sexist England today. Men and Society had the main impact on women of this era; I believe this is why Hardys stories were loved in this age. Women could read them and think that they had a greater role in this era and they were more intelligent than men thought. I also believe men should have read these books to see how independent and important women are to this world. It was very important for women of this era to get their thoughts and strengths across to the world, so they could begin to live as equals to men.

Social Cohesion And Quality Life

Social Cohesion And Quality Life In the last few decades, quality of life has replaced the idea of wealth as the dominant goal of societal development. In opposition to the individual-centered perspective of societal development, several other welfare concepts emerged which put the focus on the aspects concerning societal qualities such as the extent of equality, security or freedom, or the quality and structure of the social relations within a society. Among those welfare concepts referring to characteristics of societies are, for example, „sustainabilityâ€Å", „social cohesionâ€Å", „social inclusionâ€Å" etc. Idea of the social cohesion of a society received great political attention at the national and supranational level. In regard to these developments, this paper attempts: first, to clarify the meaning of the concept of social cohesion and to determine its inherent dimensions by reviewing the existing theoretical approaches to this issue; second, to explore relationship between social cohesion and the quality of life. Quality of life is a concept related to the individual welfare. Although social cohesion represents a societal quality, it affects the individual quality of life because the elements of social cohesion are perceived and experienced by the members of the society. Thus, the social cohesion of a society can be conceived as an aspect relevant to the individual life situation, and in this sence, it represents a part of the individual quality of life. Under this perspective a broad conceptualization of quality of life seems appropriate. Quality of life can be considered as the complex policy goal which includes social cohesion as one component. The very broad and multidimensional notion of quality of life enlarged the perspective of societal development by considering not only economic aspects but also social and ecological concerns. Several welfare concepts emerged which put the focus on aspects concerning societal qualities such as the extent of equality, security or freedom, or the qual ity and structure of the social relations within a society. One of these welfare concept is social cohesion. The goal of this paper is: first, to clarify the meaning of the concept of social cohesion and to determine its inherent dimensions by reviewing the existing theoretical approaches to this issue; second, to explore relationship between social cohesion and the quality of life. 1. The concept of social cohesion The idea of social cohesion is difficult to express in a single definition. Émile Durkheim first coined the concept of social cohesion at the end of the nineteenth century. He considered social cohesion as an ordering feature of a society and defined it as the interdependence between the members of the society, shared loyalties and solidarity [14]. Aspects often mentioned in describing social cohesion are the strenght of social relations, shared values and communities of interpretation, feelings of a common identity and a sense of belonging to the same community, trust among societal members as well as the extent of inequality and disparities [26; 14). The simpler the division of labor in a society is, the stronger the bond between individuals and the social group will be. This bond is a result of mechanical solidarity, which arises from segmented similarities based on territory, traditions and group customs. The social division of labour that modernity brings with it erodes and weakens such bonds, as does the increased autonomy of individuals in modern society. In such a context, cohesion is part of the social solidarity that is required in order for the members of a society to remain bound to it with a force comparable to that of pre-modern, mechanical solidarity. This requires stronger, more numerous ties, and must even include bonds based on common ideas and feelings, leading to what Durkheim calls â€Å"organic solidarity†. As of today there is no single definition of social cohesion and it is still debated whether social cohesion is a cause or a consequence of other aspects of social, economic and political life. There is no clear definition of the concept probably because the very tradition of social citizenship that characterizes European societies assumes that social rights entail an intrinsic relationship between social inclusion and the provision of mechanisms to integrate individuals and give them a sense of full membership in society. According to this view, social cohesion implies a causal link between the mechanisms that provide integration and well-being, on the one hand, and a full individual sense of belonging to society, on the other. Inclusion and belonging, or equality and belonging, are the cornerstones of the idea of social cohesion in societies organized around the principles of the welfare state. The concept of social cohesion is often confused with other concepts, like social capital, social integration, or social inclusion. Social capital is closely related to social cohesion, and the two are very important concepts in policy and policy research circles. Social capital understood as a symbolic societal asset consisting of the ability to manage rules, networks and bonds of social trust which strengthen collective action, pave the way for reciprocity and progressively spread throughout society resembles cohesion, and can largely be described as a stock upon which social agents can draw to make society more cohesive. However, social capital is both a consequence and a producer of social cohesion. Whereas social cohesion emphasizes processes and outcomes, social capital emphasizes the notion of investments and assets that bring benefits, benefits that are not fully appropriated by the individuals making the investments. Social cohesion is often confused with social inclusion. Inclusion mechanisms include employment, educational systems, rights and policies designed to encourage equity, well-being and social protection. In that context, social cohesion may be understood in terms of both the effectiveness of instituted social inclusion mechanisms and the behaviours and value judgments of the members of society. Behaviours and value judgments include issues as diverse as trust in institutions, social capital, belonging and solidarity, acceptance of social rules and the willingness to participate in deliberative processes and collective endeavours. Another proximate notion is that of social integration, defined as the dynamic, multifactoral process whereby individuals share in a minimum standard of well-being consistent with the level of development achieved by a country. This restrictive definition views integration as the opposite of exclusion. In a broader sense, integration into society has also been defined as a common system of efforts and rewards, which levels the playing field in terms of opportunities and delivers rewards based on merit. The idea of social inclusion may be viewed as an expanded form of integration. Rather than emphasize a structure to which individuals must adapt in order to fit into the systemic equation, it also focuses on the need to adapt the system in such a way as to accommodate a diversity of actors and individuals. Inclusion requires not only an improvement in conditions of access to integration mechanisms, but also an effort to increase the self-determination of the actors involved. The idea of a social ethic also includes an essential aspect of social cohesion, emphasizing common values, agreement on a minimum set of rules and social norms, solidarity as an ethical and practical principle, and the assumption of reciprocity. These concepts are part of the â€Å"semantic universe† of social cohesion. Viewed in this light, the specific difference that sets social cohesion apart is the dialectical relationship between integration and inclusion, on the one hand, and social capital and social ethics, on the other. Consequently, there is a distinction between social inclusion and social cohesion, inasmuch as the latter includes the attitudes and behaviours of actors, without being limited to those factors. Social cohesion may thus be defined as the dialectic between instituted social inclusion and exclusion mechanisms and the responses, perceptions and attitudes of citizens towards the way these mechanisms operate. A definition of social cohesion by relating it to the concepts of social exclusion/exclusion and social capital has also been present. For example Dahrendorf et al. described a social cohesive society as a society preventing social exclusion: „Social cohesion comes in to describe a society which offers opportunities to all its members of a framework of accepted values and institutions. Such a society is, therefore, one of inclusion. People belong; they are not allowed to be excludedâ€Å" [4, str.vii]. Other scientist have emphasised that the social capital of a society is an essential foundation of its social cohesion [18; 17]. On the basis of review of the various approaches we could conclude that the concept of social cohesion incorporates mainly two societal goal dimensions which can be analytically distinguished: 1) The first dimension concerns the reduction of disparities, inequalities, and social exclusion. 2) The second dimension concerns the strengthening of social relations, interactions and ties. This dimension embraces all aspects which are generally also considered as the social capital of a society [6]. These two dimensions must be viewed as independent from each other to a certain degree. In principle, strong ties within a community can be accompanied by the tendency to discriminate and exclude those people who do not belong to that community [19]. This problem highlights the importance of considering both dimensions disparities/inequalities/social exclusion and social relations/ties/social capital in order to get a comprehensive picture of the social cohesion of a society. 3. Social exclusion Social exclusion represents concept with increasing popularity among scholars during last decade. The popularity of the concept was especially promoted through the growing interest in matters of social exclusion at the level of the European Union. The European Commission launched a series of research programmes in the framework of the European Observatory on National Policies to Combat Social Exclusion and of the European Poverty Programmes. Research on social exclusion replaced, to some extent, older terms of poor living conditions, such as poverty or deprivation. Originally, the term was used in the context of debates on a new poverty and defined as a rupture of the relationship between individual and the society due to the failure of societal institutions to integrate individuals. Today, it is suggested that social exclusion should be conceptualised as the insufficiency of one or more of the following four systems [1, str. 258-259]: This approach focuses on relational issues, i.e. on the disruption of social ties between individual and the society. Unlike social cohesion, poverty is concerned with distributional issues, i.e. on the lack of resources at the disposal of individuals or househods [23; 12]. Thus poverty may be regarded as characteristic of indiviudals and households, whereas social exclusion may be conceived as a feature of societies and of the individuals relations to society. In contrast to this position are considerations that social exclusion can be regarded both as a property of societies and as an attribute of individuals. As an individual attribute it is defined as a low level of welfare (economic disadvantage) and the inability to participate in social life (sociopolitical disadvantage). This perspective equals social exclusion to a multidimensional notion of poverty which describes a state or an outcome of a process. As a societal characteristc the term social exclusion refers to the impairment of social cohesion caused by the way in which institutions regulate and thereby constrain access to goods, services, acitivities and resources which are generally associated with citizenship rights. This view focuses attention to the processes of social exclusion and its causes which are attributed to the failure of institutions [5]. The conclusion arising out of these considerations is the requirement to differentiate between the causes of disadvantageous living circumstances and the processes leading to them on the one side and the outcomes of those processes themselves, that is peoples living situation. The causes may be attributed to societal institutions and can then be described by the concept of social exclusion as a property of societies. The impact of social exclusion on people is observable in the form of poor living conditions. In this sense, social exclusion represents a characteristic of individual and corresponds to the concept of poverty in a multidimensional notion. 4. Social capital The counceptualization of social cohesion as it is proposed here considers social capital as representing a second main dimension which may be used to describe the social cohesion of a society. Social capital represents one of the most powerful and popular metaphors in current social science research. Broadly understood as referring to the community relations that affect personal interactions, social capital has been used to explain an immense range of phenomena, ranging from voting patterns to health to the economic success of countries [7]. Literally hundreds of papers have appeared throughout the social science literature arguing that social capital matters in understanding individual and group differences and further that successful public policy design needs to account for the effects of policy on social capital formation. In this paper we will give the primary focus to the role of social capital in stenghtening the social cohesion and further link with the quality of life. We often observe countries with similar endowments of natural, hysical, and human capital achieving very different levels of economic success. This paradox has led scholars to search for deeper and more meaningful explanations about what holds people and societies together in order to foster economic development. Over time, scholars have constructed various frameworks for understanding the social aspects of this phenomenon and what we currently refer to as â€Å"social capital†. Fueled by continuous empirical investigations, these frameworks have evolved quite rapidly in recent decades. Since Loury [16] introduced it into modern social science research and Colemans [3] seminal study placed it at the forefront of research in sociology, the term social capital has spread throughout the social sciences and has spawned a huge literature that runs across disciplines. James Coleman popularized the term as he sought to conceptualize the aspects of social structure that facilitate eco nomic transactions. His work is widely recognized as one of the most significant, as is Robert Putnams study of voluntary associations in Italy. Putnam [21] concluded that the high density of voluntary associations in the north was responsible for the regions economic success. Many others have also made significant strides in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the subject. However, despite the immense amount of research on it, however, the definition of social capital has remained elusive. There are various theoretical approaches and perspectives of social captial which use more or less narrow concept. But they all have in common that they regard social capital as a property of a social entity and not of an individual [10]. It is a relational concept, it presupposes a social relation and exists only as far as it is shared by other individuals. Therefore, it cannot be the private property of a single person, but heas a character of a public good [11; 19]. The social capital of a society includes the institutions, the relationships, the attitudes and values that govern interactions among people and contribute to economic and social development. Social capital, however, is not simply the sum of the institutions which underpin society, it is also the glue that holds them together. It includes the shared values and rules for social conduct expressed in personal relationships, trust and a common sense of civic responsibility, that makes society more than a collection of indi viduals. Without a degree of common identification with forms of governance, cultural norms and social rules, it is difficult to imagine a functioning society [25, str.1]. Social capital is not only considered to be an essential basis for the social cohesion of a society, but at the same time as a main component of the wealth of a nation and as an important determinant of economic growth, besides physical, human and environmental capital [13]. The view is empirically supported by results showing a relation between the social capital of a society and its economic well-being [21; 15; 24]. Furthermore, there are also investigations pointing to the improvement of other dimensions of welfare such as education, health, rates of crime, and the environment [3; 20]. 5. The interdependence of social cohesion and the quality of life The concepts of social cohesion and quality of life are interrelated [8; 9]. Althought social cohesion represents an attribute of a society, it ultimately rests on the behaviour, attitudes and evaluations of its members, too. Social cohesion is based on social capital which is also created by social relations and ties established, maintained and experienced by individuals. Thus, looking at the social cohesion of a society involves aspects which are part of the individual life situation and in this sense components of the individual quality of life. Secondly, elements of the social cohesion of a society may have direct impact on individual quality of life. Empirical examples are the above cited results on the influence of social capital on economic and other dimensions of welfare. At a conceptual level, the perspective of social exclusion as a process rooting in the malfunction of social institutitons and resulting in a deprived living situation of the individual is another example. Social cohesion can be conceived as a societal quality which is experienced by individuals in their daily lives, for example in the form of the perceived inequality or the social climate at the working place, at school or in the neighbourhood, and thus also refers to the individual quality of life. This perspective conciders elements of the social cohesion of a society to form an integral part of the quality of life of the individuals belonging to that society. Such a position, which is supported here, advocates a broad conceptualisation of quality of life encompassing not only individual characteristics of the life situation but also societal qualities. In this sense, quality of life represents the common policy goal with social cohesion as an important component to be addressed. 6. The measurement of social cohesion On the basis of the conclusion about two dimensions of social cohesion, measurement of social cohesion should include measures concerning: Concerning the first dimension measurement dimensions for the various aspects can be derived for nearly all domains. Regional disparities are taken into account for example with respect to access to transport, leisure and cultural facilitites, educational and health care institutions, employment opportunities or the state of the environment. Issues of equal opportunities/inequalities could be considered therough political participation and employment opportunities, generation of inequalities in social relations or unemployment risks; inequalities between disabled and non-disabled people in access to public transport or educational institutions; etc. The aspect of social exclusion can be operationalised in many domains, too. Manifestatios of social exclusion are ususally measured such as homelessness, social isolation, long-term unemployment, poverty or a lack of social protection. Concerning second goal dimension of social cohesion and that is strenghtening the social capital of a society, most of the aspects of this dimension refer to the life domain of „social and political participation and integrationâ€Å". This domain covers all general issues of social relations and engagement outside the own household community such as the availability of relatives and friends, frequency of contacts and support within those personal networks, membership in organisations, engagement in the public realm such as volunteering and political activities. The quality of societal institutions is a component of social capital which applies to several life domains since, for example, institutions of education, health care, social security or the legal system. 7. Possible contemporary threats to social cohesion There are numerous possible demographic, socio-economic and political trends and processes which have been associated with a general deterioration of social cohesion throughout the world. Over the past three decades, globalization in the form of processes of structural transformation has impacted severely, in many ways, on people throughout the world. The intensified linkage of local social conditions with activities and decisions within world financial, commodity and labor markets is increasingly apparent and in many places its consequences are devastating. Perhaps the most fundamental feature of structural transformation in industrial countries has been reducing the share of industry in the formation of GDP and consequently the massive decline in manufacturing employment. We have been witnesses to the massive relocation of capital, jobs and manufacturing to areas of the globe where labor is cheaper. Instead of a relatively stable work conditions, characterized by institutionalized wage agreements and strong trade unions, internal labor markets within large firms, and secure, tenured and full-time employment; new socio-economic patterns emerge: More and more, opportunities for work and flows of income became variable and unpredictable and stable conditions characterizing employment are replaced by growing insecurity. These kinds of changes add to a growing polarization not only between employed and unemployed, but between secure, highly skilled, well paid workers and the larger proportion of insecure, unskilled, low paid workers. In addition to that, the gender dimension is critical to this shift, since women are greatly over represented in the new flexible yet precarious sectors of casual, part-time and short-contract employment [2, str. 142]. The rise of neo-liberal political philosophy has driven many of the processes of political restructuring over the past two decades. A key aspect of the neo-liberal vision of society is bringing the market principle, along with notions of self-responsibility and individualism, to almost every sphere of politics, economics and society. Aspects of political change which have subsequently emerged, and impacted dramatically on social cohesion, include: Such policies and processes which have brought about â€Å"the new inequality† can be seen as fuelling a process of â€Å"inequalisation†. The consequences for social cohesion, however defined, are devastating. â€Å"Such a divergence of the life chances of large social groups†, Dahrendorf observes, â€Å"is incompatible with civil society† [4, str. 38]. The most socially stigmatised, spatially segregated and economically disadvantaged also become the most politically excluded. The combined forces of economic and political restructuring, along with the new social fissions created in their wake, have also threatened a key socio-psychological source of social cohesion, the idea of â€Å"the nation†. The changes associated with globalization (here considered as processes involving the intensified linkage and increased scope, scale and speed of world-wide economic activity) are now so pervasive that national governments arguably no longer hold the keys to their own national larders. The flow and control of a variety of forms of investment, currency trading, commodity markets, and labor pools are increasingly determined by agents and forces above and beyond the reins of nation-state policy. For the nation-state, prerogatives and margins for maneuvers in economic policy are greatly reduced. Conclusions Social cohesion represents a concept which focuses on societal qualities such as the extent of inequality or the strength of social relations and ties within a society. In the terms described above, it is both a means and an end. As an end, it is an object of public policy, to the extent that policies attempt to ensure that all members of society feel themselves to be an active part of it, as both contributors to and beneficiaries of progress. In an age of profound, rapid changes resulting from globalization and the new paradigm of the information society, recreating and ensuring a sense of belonging and inclusion is an end in itself. Social cohesion is also a means, however, in more ways than one. Societies that boast higher levels of social cohesion provide a better institutional framework for economic growth and attract investment by offering an environment of trust and clearly defined rules. Moreover, long-term policies that seek to level the playing field require a social contra ct to lend them force and staying power, and such a contract must have the support of a wide range of actors willing to negotiate and reach broad agreements. In order to do so, they must feel themselves to be a part of the whole, and they must be willing to sacrifice personal interests for the good of the community. The formation of the social covenants needed to support pro-equity and pro-inclusion policies is facilitated by a greater willingness to support democracy, become involved in issues of public interest, participate in deliberative processes and trust institutions, as well as a stronger sense of belonging to a community and solidarity with excluded and vulnerable groups. In this paper we have established two goal dimensios inherent in the concept of social cohesion: 1) the reduction of disprarities, inequalities and social exclusion and 2) the strenthtening of social relations, interacions and ties. Concerning the first dimension of social cohesion, examples of measurement dimensions within various life domains are regional disparities of the state of environment, equal opportunities of women and men in employment, inequalitites between social strate in the state of health, social exclusion from material goods measured by income poverty. As far as second dimension is concerned, it comprises all aspects which together constitute the social capital of a society. This includes the social relations available at the informal level of private networks and the more formal level of organisations, the activities and engagement within private networks as well as within public realms, the quality of social relations and the quality of societal instiutitons. The quality of societal institutions represents a component of social capital which applies to several life domains. Institutions of education, health care, working life, social security, social services, the political system and legal system. The perceived quality of these institutitons are measured by the level of trust, satisfaction with or approval of institutions. The combined forces of economic and political restructuring, along with the new social fissions created in their wake, threaten to deteriorate a key sources of social cohesion in contemporary societies. It is therefore not surprising that idea of social cohesion receives great attention by social scientists as well as by politicians and gradually establish itself as one of the central societal goals at the national and the supranational level.

The Issues of Abortion and Gay Marriage Essay -- Abortion Political Ga

The Issues of Abortion and Gay Marriage The issues of abortion and gay marriage rights were issues that were fought over constantly by Liberals and Conservatives in the last elections. Both parties had different ways of looking at these problems, hence they both had different ideas as to how we could solve these problems. The Conservatives tended to take a more traditional stance, whereas the Liberals were set on pursuing the problem with new age solutions. The issue of gay marriage is a rather new controversy that has only become disputed in the last decade. In a changing world gay marriage is now a huge issue that must be dealt with. The gay community believes that the 14th amendment permits gay marriage, but the law heeds to reflect this. Whereas the anti-same-sex marriage advocates are working to amend the constitution to make same sex marriage illegal. Because of the rising numbers in people who believe strongly on either side of this conflict, this has now become a national issue. Before the recent elections gay marriage was a states issue. Now that Bush is elected, he plans to make gay marriage illegal nationwide, and ban all gay unions. The other huge issue, which was brought up frequently during the race for the presidential election, was that of abortion. Abortion has always been a very controversial issue between people of different moral and religious beliefs. Because some religions consider abortion as the same thing as murdering a person, and some believe that it is ok because the fetus is not yet born, this issue has been very tough to come to a compromise. Before the most recent election occurred, abortion was a states issue. But now that Bush has been elected abortion will now become ... ...y as Burke shows when he states, â€Å"As the ends of such a partnership (social contract) cannot be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born†(Reflections on the Revolution in France 150). This quote actually literally points out that the right of life that is included in the social contract apply to everybody including the unborn. We have now seen the different ideologies towards current issues here in America, broken down by both past and present liberalists and conservatives. Though both sometimes tend to overlap on certain political principles, both philosophies derive from very different backgrounds and ideals. As time progresses, both ideologies will continue to evolve, at different paces mind you, and on different tangents.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay -- African American Black Racism Essays

Martin Luther King, Jr. I HAVE A DREAM! In an era when racial discrimination and public bigotry towards African Americans in the United States was becoming more evident, this simple, but powerful statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a beacon of hope for all African Americans in the country. In his speech, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King expresses his frustration that after a hundred years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans are still treated like second-class citizens. However, Dr. King also expresses his hope that the status quo will change and African Americans around the country will be â€Å"free at last.† Dr. King uses eloquent statements to appeal to his audience’s emotions and to see the difficulties and hardships that African Americans across the country suffer on a regular basis. Dr. King makes use of sound rhetorical devices to convey his message that â€Å"all men are created equal† and that racism should not, cannot co ntinue if the nation is to prosper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon opening his speech, Dr. King makes reference to past events: the Gettysburg Address and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, works both by Abraham Lincoln that ensured that freedom in the United States will endure. â€Å"Five score years ago, a great American†¦ signed the Emancipation Proclamation, [which] came as a great beacon of hope to millions of Negro slaves.† Dr. King does this in order to grasp his audience’s attention and to outline that after a century since the freeing of African American slaves, the Negro race is still treated no differently. He goes on to state that African Americans are â€Å"exiled in their own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.† This powerful message implies that no longer will African Americans sit idly by while their civil liberties and human rights are trampled on by racists and bigots or ignored by the government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. King uses connotations, words such as slaves, injustice, freedom, and hope, to appeal to his audience’s emotions and to stress the importance that public treatment of African Americans must be changed to accommodate the prosperity of our growing nation. â€Å"[Negro slaves] have been seared in the flames of withering injustice.† â€Å"This is our hope†¦ That [whites and blacks] will be able to stand up for freedom together.† He also makes use of connotat... ... skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day†¦ little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls. I have a dream today.† King also uses parallelism to emphasize that the nation must come together to â€Å"let freedom ring† for every American from every corner of the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech is one of the greatest and most influential speeches written in the modern day. His use of connotations, hyperbole, and metaphor appealed to his audience’s sense of logic, morality, and just plain old common sense â€Å"that all men are created equal† and to deny this is to deny the intention of the creator. Further, Dr. King’s use of parallelism allowed him to drive his point across â€Å"that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† and that the country must be transformed into a nation of tolerance, acceptance, and peace. His use of sound rhetorical devices allowed him to sway his audience to change the â€Å"status quo† and enable all Americans to be truly â€Å"free at last.†

Antidepressants :: Drugs Depression Essays

Antidepressants Antidepressants should be taken off the market. Depression is simply a condition of the mind. Events that take place in ones life can bring upon a depressive episode. With the variety of people in the world, there comes a variety of ways in which people cope with things. Some people can cope with depression, when in turn, people that are emotionally unstable, cannot. With all of the antidepressants on the market today, people are becoming dependent on these drugs that virtually ?mess with their heads? rather than ?clear their minds?. In the past, people dealt with depression without these ?happy pills? and did just fine coping and recuperating. Everyone gets depressed at some point in his or her lives; it?s part of our human nature. These so-called ?wonder drugs? may help in some aspects of the depressed person, but overall Prozac and its chemical cousins are nothing but problem pills. Antidepressants should be taken off of the market. Doctors overly prescribe antidepressants to patients that don?t even need these drugs. That is one of the main problems with antidepressants. A person could walk into a doctor?s office, announce that he or she has been feeling down, and could walk out with a prescription for Zoloft. All doctors should more strictly enforce the distribution of antidepressants. The diagnosis of depression is the quick way to solve medical problems for doctors to their patients. Now days, regular family doctors can prescribe antidepressants when in the past, psychiatrists were the only types of doctors to prescribe such drugs. Some antidepressants like Prozac for instance, can cause certain side effects to where many users are unable to stay on them long enough to derive any real benefit. In fact, Prozac?s manufacturer admits that 35% of all patients receiving Prozac in pre-release trials stopped taking it due to adverse reactions. A vast personality change is another effect. Some users reported that after being on Zoloft for two months (which is the time it takes for their bodies to become chemically dependent) one day without their pill would make them more on edge, more reluctant to ?snap? at people and more sensitive to others remarks. The depressed patients also reported feeling dependent on the drug and without it, they felt they would not be able to function how the normally would. Once a person starts taking any type of antidepressant, that person cannot just stop taking the pills cold turkey.

It’s about me Essay

On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King gave an unforgettable speech. This speech helped establish civil rights for people of color. The speech I am referring to is â€Å"I Have a Dream†. In â€Å"I Have a Dream† by Dr. Martin luther King eloquently discusses segregation and injustices against African Americans. Kings speech uses rhetoric to captivate the audience’s attention on that August day. The first example of King’s rhetoric is in the form of ethos. Dr. Martin Luther King analogizes president Lincoln in his speech, â€Å"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation.† This line uses Lincoln’s power and position on civil rights to develop a sense credibility with the audience. Another archetype of rhetoric in the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech is a pathos. On page four of his speech King says â€Å"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tom orrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.† King is using the American dream to address not just colored people, but all Americans. By saying this, King letting his audience know that American dream is freedom and that is all he asking for, freedom.  One of the other rhetorical strategies Dr. Martin Luther King uses is a logo. On page two King proclaims â€Å"America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’ This statement is using deductive reasoning to aid his audience in understanding that African Americans have been allowed to certain rights, but robbed of others. Dr. Martin Luther King used rhetoric to the best of his ability. By doing so he aided the civil rights movement and helped improve the lives of many colored people. Even though American society is steal dealing with racism and discrimination without Dr. Martin Luther King’s rhetorical strategies, we might have still been a segregated nation.

Job Satisfaction Essay

INTRODUCTION Job satisfaction is one of the most important areas of research for many researchers, and as such it is one of the most frequently studies work attitude. We observe closely that in most organizations the job satisfaction is highly depend upon employee’s performance, employee’s attitudes, organizational support & job commitment. (Muhammad Masroor Alam).We are studying about that factors which the employee is satisfied with his/her job. Some more important factors are HR management policies & relationship with co-workers. Primarily pay has been considered as the major factor for job satisfaction however other related Factors like promotion, work efforts and the importance/challenge of the job are also taken into Account. Through HR management policies increase effectiveness in employees relationship, personal communication & strong decision making. (Effects  of job satisfaction). The main objective of our research is known how different factors affect an employee during his /her job. Job satisfaction and its related factors like style of management style, leadership behavior & coworker relationship played important role to increase satisfaction level of employee. Job satisfaction is influenced by many organizational contextual factors, ranging from salaries, job autonomy, job security, workplace flexibility, to leadership. In particular, leaders within organizations can adopt appropriate leadership styles to affect employee job satisfaction, commitment and productivity.it is true to said that A satisfy employee is an important resource of employee for achieving organizational goals. High job satisfaction enhances employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing (Ilardi, Leone, Kansser, & Ryan, 1983)Primarily pay has been considered as the major factor for job satisfaction however other related factors like promotion, work efforts and the importance/chal lenge of the job are also taken into account. The banking sector in Pakistan after changing rapidly into a services sector has a lot of emphasis on its customers both internal and external. A common phrase implied in the corporate world is that satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Customer retention is highly dependent on how employees deal with customers. Satisfied employees are more likely to be friendly, upbeat, and responsive which the customers appreciate. (Kamal) Morale of employee is also played a role as an important factor that influences the employee satisfaction. Employee morale is the spirit, or tone, of an organization. According to a January 2005 article in Entrepreneur, morale is an effect, or end result, of workplace conditions, relationships, changes or other elements. Job Satisfaction is the most common way of measurement is the use of rating scales where employees report their reactions to their jobs. Questions relate to rate of pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional opportunities, the work itself and co-workers. Some questioners ask yes or no questions while others ask to rate satisfaction on 1-5 scale (where 1 represents â€Å"not at all satisfied† and 5 represents â€Å"extremely satisfied†). To sum up each element of the organization environment and system can contribute. To or detract from job satisfaction (William B. Werthe, 2000) Every organization tries to achieve their objectives. In this connection they must concentrate in many aspects. As human resource of an  organization is considered as an importance resource,organizations wish to keep well trai ned and effective work force. LITRATURE REVIEW Employee satisfaction is the terminology used to describe whether employees are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work. Many measures purport that employee satisfaction is a factor in employee motivation, employee goal achievement, and positive employee morale in the workplace. Employee satisfaction, while generally a positive in your organization, can also be a downer if mediocre employees stay because they are satisfied with your work environment (Airborne) In this review we discuss that that a number of researcher have emphasized the importance of factors affecting job satisfaction. Job satisfaction involves several different spheres such as satisfaction with pay, promotion opportunities, fringe benefits, job security and the importance/challenge of the job. (Nguyen, 2000). In today’s turbulent, often chaotic, environment, commercial success depends on employees using their full talents. Yet in spite of the myriad of available theories and practices, managers often view motivation as something of a mystery. In part this is because individuals are motivated by different things and in different ways. In addition, these are times when delayering and the flattening of hierarchies can create insecurity and lower staff morale. Moreover, more staff than ever before are working part time or on limited-term contracts, and these employees are often especially hard to motivate. Twyla Dell writes of motivating employees, â€Å"The heart of motivation is to give people what they really want most from work. The more you are able to provide what they want, the more you should expect what you really want, namely: productivity, quality, and service.† (An Honest Day’s Work (1988)). Career development involves managing your career either within or between organizations. It also includes learning new skills, and making improvements to help you in your career. Career development is an ongoing, lifelong process to help you learn and achieve more in your career. By creating a personal career development plan, you can set goals and objectives for your own personal career growth. (Career Development) Colleague morale of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character: moral scrutiny; a moral quandary.  (Weekly Electronics). The focus of literature on promotion systems is their validity in predicting performance, another factor to consider is the length of time that a system will continue to be used. Over time, one would expect promotion and selection systems to be modified or replaced entirely. The cost of administering performance testing is considerable, and management periodically evaluates a system’s validity and its ability to assess employee attitudes, qualifications and perception of business need (Smith, 2007). It is worth considering why firms might use promotions for incentives. Individualistic schemes, especially ones that do not depend on job assignments, allow more flexibility in providing incentives. In other words, promotions are often used to achieve two goals simultaneously that in principle might be separated: putting employees in the right jobs, and generating motivation. Thus, it is not immediately obvious why promotions should be used as incentives. (Gibbs). An important reason that promotions are sources of incentives is worker reputation, or â€Å"career concerns† (Fama, 1980). Where does reputation come from? Often it is the worker’s history of positions or promotions which provides the greatest evidence on productivity and potential. (Waldman, 1984).Social interaction with colleagues is a highly valued job aspect for many workers. Research in psychology, sociology, and management shows that receiving affective support from colleagues and having good interpersonal relationships at work are positively associated with job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment. (Sol, August 3, 2009). Social interaction with colleagues is also one of the most missed job aspects under retired workers in Australia. (Shacklock, 2005). Lastly, using time-use data for France and the US, Krueger and Schkade (2007) show that worker who are in jobs that entail more frequent interactions with co-workers are more satisfied with their jobs and in a better mood during work time. (Sol, August 3, 2009). These findings have a clear managerial implication: In their struggle to attract and retain workers, managers should strive to create and maintain high-quality co-worker relationships. Employees, who satisfy with their job, may exert high effort to organization wish to satisfy their employees for getting effective more work done. To make the best use of people as a valuable resource of the organization attention must be given to the relationship between staff and the nature and content of their jobs. The organization and the design of jobs can have a significant effect on staff. Attention needs to be given to the quality of working life. According to organizational commitment can be defined as an employee’s level of identification and involvement in the organization. Mowday et al.defined organizational commitment as a strong belief in an organization’s goals, and values, a willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of an organization and a strong desire to remain a member of the organization . Age and job tenure are significant predictors of organizational commitment. Job satisfaction as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience. It is a result of employee’s perception of how well their job provides those things that are viewed as important. Several researchers have reported mixed findings on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. For instance, Curry, Wakefield, Price and Mueller found no significant relationship between the two. However, other researchers. Many studies use different facets of job satisfaction to predict organizational commitment. Job satisfaction is a key instrument to gauge the organizational health as service quality largely depends upon the human resources. (Crossman & Abou-Zaki, 2003). Since the transformation of personnel into HR, and its inception in the industry new concepts related to human capital has been emerging day by day. Apart from the bread and butter the organization used to act as their sanctuary and no one was much concerned about the job itself or job satisfaction. Locke (1976) defined job satisfaction as â€Å"a pleasurable or positive emotional state, resulting from the appraisal of one’s job experiences.† In general, therefore, job satisfaction refers to an individual’s positive emotional reactions to a particular job. In Pakistan the concept of HR is also flourishing day by day and employers as well as the employees are getting awareness of their rights and demands. Job satisfaction involves several different spheres such as satisfaction with pay, promotion opportunities, fringe benefits, job security and the importance/challenge of the job (Nguyen, 2000).Job satisfaction can lead to cost reduction by reducing absences, task errors, and turnover. Since work is an important aspect of people’s lives and most people spend a large part of their working lives at work, understanding the factors involved in job satisfaction is crucial to improving employees’  performance and productivity. Job satisfaction has often been linked to organizational commitment, turnover intentions, and absenteeism. These variables are costly to an organization, as they could lead to low morale, poor performance, lower productivity, and higher costs of hiring, retention, and training. (Opkara, 2002).Recent studies emphasize that job satisfaction may be an important determinant of the choice between self- and wage-employment (Blanch-flower 2000, 2004; Georgellis et al. 2007; Taylor 1996, 1999). THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK JOB SATISFACTION JOB SATISFACTION Relationship with Co-workers Relationship with Co-workers FAIR PROMOTIONS FAIR PROMOTIONS Organizational research indicates that employees develop attitudes toward such job facets as work variety, pay, promotion, co-workers, company policies, and supervisors (Johnson & Johnson, 2000;Taber & Alleger, 1995). Job design affect the job satisfaction, as jobs that are rich in behavioral Elements such as variety autonomy, task unimportance and feedback contribute to employees satisfaction. (Kamal) .Locke (1976) defined job satisfaction as â€Å"a pleasurable or positive emotional state, resulting from the appraisal of one’s job experiences.† Job satisfaction has significance towards human health both physical and mental and is positively or negatively correlated. . Satisfied employees are more likely to be friendly, upbeat, and responsive which the customers appreciate. (R. T. Mowday, 1982 New York) The purpose of study is to investigate about the relationship of job satisfaction with fair promotion & relation with coworkers of the organization. HYPOTHESIS Based on the literature discussed this study attempted to answer the following questions: 1) Increase in promotion increases job satisfaction. 2) Increase in relation with coworkers increases job satisfaction. So there is a positive relationship between fair promotion, Relationship with coworkers & job satisfaction. METHODOLOGY A sample of 60 employees was randomly selected from different education institutes & different public offices in Rawalpindi & Islamabad. Purpose of study is descriptive because we know something but exactly we want to prove this about the characteristic of employees. Convert it in exactitude i.e. Mean, Median, Mode. Sampling used in this research is convenience sampling. Different educational institutes in Pakistan were targeted in the vicinity of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. . The target audience was officer level & Teachers. . A tested questionnaire has been used with a number of variables related to job satisfaction, Promotion & Relationship with Coworkers. Questionnaires were circulated among the employers and their responses were collected. A total of one hundred questionnaires were distributed out of which sixty questionnaires were filled by the respondents, which is successful ratio in social research. The major problems faced during the data collection procedure were mostly peoples’ unwillingness to fill and not taking this as a serious research. Another problem was that employees were reluctant to write the truth as their supervisors might know and would create problems for them in future. However, once they were realized that this effort is done purely for research purposes and their responses should not bear their identity as well as will be kept confidential then they filled the questionnaires with ease. Data analysis in a quantitative research is essential as the interpretation and coding of responses can be very critical. The analysis part has been dealt with using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The questions and responses were coded and entered in SPSS for analysis followed by the interpretation of the results. The variables were coded in SPSS and certain statistical methods were applied on the data to get the results which were analyzed. In the first instance the reliability of the tool used was measured to find out whether the instrument used is reliable or not. Their satisfaction with promotional opportunities, co-workers was also compared. Linear regression analysis was employed to examine the  relationship between different overall job satisfaction, promotion and co-workers. ANOVA along with its extensions has been used for comparing means and the results. Simple correlation has also been applied to the data to find out relationships among different variables and a comprehensive regression model with its extensions is applied. Reliability Analysis In the first instant the reliability analysis using the SPSS was done to find out the reliability of the instrument used for data collection. Cronbach’s alpha is the most common form of internal consistency reliability coefficient. The value of alpha should lie between 0 and 1. * Reliability of job satisfaction is 0.645 & the no. of items is 8 * Reliability of promotion is 0.667 & the no. of items is 2 * Reliability of relation with coworkers is 0.537 & the no. of items is 4 Correlation Analysis Correlation is a statistical tool which can determine the strength and direction of relationship between two variables. The value of correlation ranges from +1 to -1 and both these values show strong positive and negative relationships. While the value 0 show no relationship. Results shows that the correlation between relation with coworkers, Promotion, Job Satisfaction. The value of correlation coefficient for coworkers & promotion with job satisfaction is 0.209 and 0.420 simultaneously, which shows a positive relationship of both variables with job satisfaction. This relationship is significant at ÃŽ ± 0.01.for coworkers & 0.110 for promotion. Promotion & coworkers are equally correlate with each other at 0.232 & level of significance is 0.074 of both. Regression Analysis The value of is 0.436, and R Square is 0.190. The value of R shows a moderate to strong positive relationship between two variables and job satisfaction. The value of R Square shows that model explains 19% variance in job satisfaction. The rest of variance is explained by other variables not included in the model. This results support our alternate hypothesis which assumed a causal relationship between our model (independent and dependent variables). CONCLUSION This research accepted that the employee’s promotion and relation with  coworkers has positive impact on job satisfaction. That is high level of fair promotion, good working condition leads to high level job satisfaction. So we accept our H1 that shows positive relationship b/w job satisfaction, promotion and relation with coworkers. There are several factors affecting employees’ satisfaction, but as a researcher we consider only two independent variables: promotion, relationship with coworkers. We take minimum sample of 60 and it take less time through less financing. The entire formulated hypothesis have been accepted, it is necessary to improve job satisfaction through promotion and relation with coworkers. Following are some suggestions given to improve job satisfaction. * Organization should develop good working condition. This facilitates employees to do their work effectively. * Organization should develop good relationship among employees. Through which, promotion of employees is enhanced. As a research, employee’s job satisfaction will be at high level. * Organization should provide unbiased promotion. That is promotion should be provided based on the qualification of employees and or experience. References [1]. G. Beukhof, M. J. de Jong and W. J. Nijhof, â€Å"Employee Commitment in Changing Organization: An Exploration,† Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 22,No. 6, 1998, pp. 243-248. [2]. Thornhill, P. Lewis and M. N. K. Saunders, â€Å"The Role of Employee Communication in Achieving Commitment and Quality in Higher Education,† Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1996, pp. 12-20. [3]. R. W. Rowden, â€Å"The Relationship between Charismatic Leadership Behaviors and Organizational Commitment,† Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol.21, 2000, pp. 30-35. [4]. R. T. Mowday, L. W. Porter and R. M. Steers, â€Å"Employee-Organization Linkages: The Psychology of Commitment, Absenteeism and Turnover,† Academic Press,Inc., New York, 1982. [5]. L. T. Mullins, â€Å"Management and Organizational Behavior,† 5th Edition, Financial Times Management, London,1999. [6]. S. O. Salami, â€Å"Demographic and Psychological Factors Predicting Organizational Commitment among Industrial Workers,† Anthropologist, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2008, pp. 31-38. [7]. E. Luthans, â€Å"Organizational Behavior,† Irwin/McGraw Hill, New York, 1998. [8]. J. Curry, D. Wakefield, J. Price and C. Mueller, â€Å"On the Causal Ordering of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment,† Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 29,No. 4, 1986, pp. 847-858. [9]. B. Mannheim, Y. Baruch and J. Tal, â€Å"Alternative Models for Antecedents and Outcomes of Work Centrality and Job Satisfaction of High-Tech Personnel,† Human Relations, Vol. 50, No. 12, 1997, pp. 1537-1562. [10]. T. Busch, L. Fallan and A. Pettersen, â€Å"Disciplinary Differences in Job Satisfaction Self-Efficacy, Goal Commitment and Organizational Commitment among Faculty Employees in Norwegian Colleges: An Empirical Assessment of Indicators of Performance,† Quality in Higher Education, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1998, pp. 137-157.

Economy and Society of Historical Brazil Essay

This essay investigates how the political distribution of land and the employment of coerced labor on sugar plantations and mining affected the development of economies and societies in colonial Brazil. Distribution of land in colonial Brail was politically-motivated and strikingly unequal. Landlords owned huge territories and exerted considerable influence upon both people residing in that territories and local governance institutions. People who didn’t own land were completely powerless against the tyranny of landlords. Furthermore, unequal distribution of land had negative economic consequences: landlords owned more land than they could manage, so great areas were used in a wasteful way (Wright & Wolford, 2003). As concerns coerced labor, slavery also had a profound impact on Brazilian economy and society. Coerced labor was used in sugar-cane mills, gold mines, and sugar plantation. Slavery contributed significantly to the economic development of the country, especially of its North-Eastern parts. Coerced labor can be regarded as a major factor in turning Brazil into export-oriented agricultural economy. As for the influence on the society, resistance among slaves used to be a source of constant social tension. However, in cultural terms, certain elements of African culture eventually fitted well in the mainstream culture of the country, Capoeira being the most telling example. Also, slave trade become a source of quick accumulation of wealth by certain categories of population, like traders and slave market owners. Thus, the political distribution of land and use of coerced labor can be regarded as two major factor shaping the economy and social structure of colonial Brazil.