The Jungle Essays (1334 words) - Meat Packing Industry, The Jungle

The Jungle The book I read was The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. This story is both fact, and fiction. The true part about it is the meat packing part. The fiction part, I dont know, I dont know if Jurgis was real or not. The story opens with the feast at Jurgis and Onas wedding in America, but soon flashes back to the time before they left Lithuania. Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair, and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, they were too poor to have a wedding, since Onas father just died. In the hopes of finding freedom and fortune, they left for America, bringing many members of Onas family with them. After arriving in America, they are taken to Packingtown to find work. Packingtown is a section of Chicago where the meat packing industry is centralized. They take a tour of the plant, and see the unbelievable efficiency and speed at which hogs and cattle are butchered, cooked, packed, and shipped. In Packingtown, no part of the animal is wasted. The tour guide specifically says They use everything about the hog except the squeal, (The Jungle, page 38). Jurgiss brawny build quickly gets him a job on the cattle killing beds. The other members of the family soon find jobs, except for the children. They are put into school. At first, Jurgis is happy with his job and America, but he soon learns that America is plagued by corruption, dishonesty, and bribery. He is forced to work at high speeds for long hours with low pay, and so is the rest of the family. He is cheated out of his money several times. The children must leave school and go to work to help the family survive. This means they will never receive the education they need to rise above this. Ona is not permitted to take a holiday, even for her own wedding. After the birth of her first son, Antanas, Ona soon becomes pregnant again. She becomes very upset, but will not tell Jurgis why. After she fails to come home one night, Jurgis confronts her. She breaks into tears and tells Jurgis that a foreman named Connor has forced a sexual relationship on her. Jurgis curses her and runs off to find Connor. After beating Connor to a pulp, Jurgis is sent to jail for thirty days. The judge refuses to listen to Jurgiss story seriously. When Jurgis is released, he finds that his family has moved to an even poorer neighborhood, and Ona is in labor at that very moment. Neither the baby, nor Ona, who went into labor two months early, survive. Jurgis pulls himself together for the sake of Antanas and gets a job. When Antanas drowns in the mud-filled street, Jurgis gives up on Packingtown and his family. He hops aboard a passing train, and leaves Chicago. Jurgis enjoys a hobo life, wandering across the country. When winter comes, he is forced to return to Chicago. He gets into a fight in a bar and is sent to jail. In jail, he meets Jack Duane, an experienced criminal. After being freed from jail, Jurgis and Duane team up in a luxurious, but risky life of crime. Jurgis learns about the connections between criminals, police, politics, and big business. He becomes a member of this complex network and moves into politics. He runs into Connor again, and beats him to a pulp a second time. Connors political connections cause Jurgis to lose all his acquired profit. Jurgis is back to wandering the streets. To keep warm, Jurgis walks into a Socialist meeting. After the meeting, he is introduced to a man named Ostrinski, who teaches Jurgis about Socialism. Jurgis agrees completely with the political partys ideals, and becomes an active member. As the story ends, the results of an election are being received. The novel concludes on a positive note, showing that the Socialist party made significant progress all across the country. This book describes the horrors of the meat packing industry in great detail. People were forced to work from before sunrise to after sunset. In the meat preserving plants, the floors were never dry. The workers would catch horrible foot diseases, causing them to loose toes and eventually entire legs.

Free Essays on The Cello

The Cello The violoncello, also known by it’s shortened name â€Å"cello† is a low-pitched stringed musical instrument of the violin family, that is held between the performers knees. It is really a bass violin played in an upright position. It has four strings tuned C G d a (C=two C’s below middle C; a-the A below middle C). The tuning pegs at the Peg box are used for tuning the Cello, but for real accuracy, the fine tuners are used. The f hole is used to increase the resonance of the Cellos body, thus making the sound produced louder. The four cello strings are thicker than those of the violin, and are better suited that way to give the cello its unique sound. Rubbing the bowstrings over the cello strings, both in left and right directions, plays the cello. Its range extends over more than four octaves. It is mostly used in string quartets and orchestras. The cello measures about 4 feet long and about 1  ½ feet across its widest part. It is supported by an endpi n. The endpin is a stick that is usually made of metal. It holds up the cello so one can play more comfortably. The cello is thought to have originated in northern Italy in the 1530’s. It was first used as a supporting bass instrument. The interest in the cello grew and in the late 1600’s, composers began writing music for the cello. The cello became prominent in chamber music groups and symphony orchestras in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The cello has come a long way from its starting point. It was made because composers were yearning for a lower toned instrument in their music. The love for the cello sound was immediate and appreciation for the instrument grew quickly. Especially the royal families from the 16th century, they loved the cello and many players started to evolve Weston 2 because of this. Composers also loved the cello. Composers such as Bach and Beethoven gave cello players a challenge in the music they composed for the instr... Free Essays on The Cello Free Essays on The Cello The Cello The violoncello, also known by it’s shortened name â€Å"cello† is a low-pitched stringed musical instrument of the violin family, that is held between the performers knees. It is really a bass violin played in an upright position. It has four strings tuned C G d a (C=two C’s below middle C; a-the A below middle C). The tuning pegs at the Peg box are used for tuning the Cello, but for real accuracy, the fine tuners are used. The f hole is used to increase the resonance of the Cellos body, thus making the sound produced louder. The four cello strings are thicker than those of the violin, and are better suited that way to give the cello its unique sound. Rubbing the bowstrings over the cello strings, both in left and right directions, plays the cello. Its range extends over more than four octaves. It is mostly used in string quartets and orchestras. The cello measures about 4 feet long and about 1  ½ feet across its widest part. It is supported by an endpi n. The endpin is a stick that is usually made of metal. It holds up the cello so one can play more comfortably. The cello is thought to have originated in northern Italy in the 1530’s. It was first used as a supporting bass instrument. The interest in the cello grew and in the late 1600’s, composers began writing music for the cello. The cello became prominent in chamber music groups and symphony orchestras in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The cello has come a long way from its starting point. It was made because composers were yearning for a lower toned instrument in their music. The love for the cello sound was immediate and appreciation for the instrument grew quickly. Especially the royal families from the 16th century, they loved the cello and many players started to evolve Weston 2 because of this. Composers also loved the cello. Composers such as Bach and Beethoven gave cello players a challenge in the music they composed for the instr...

MICROECONOMIC THEORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MICROECONOMIC THEORY - Essay Example 1-12). On the other hand, consumers will purchase expensive products whenever their income goes up and less expensive products when the income reduces. It is apparent that consumers normally make various choices with an aim of maximizing benefits they receive in return for the money they spend and the theory posits that consumers spend only the money they have without accounting for saved money as this writing explains. Dean (2009, p. 25-42) explains that the level of satisfaction that a consumer obtains from purchasing various products is based on utility function whose arguments affect consumer’s overall satisfaction level. There are trade-offs faced by the consumers while making consumption decisions and these can be explained with utility function. Diminishing marginal utility describes consumer’s preferences in a very significant way making some economic analysis to take it as a basic starting point. According to Levin & Milgrom (2004, pp. 5-15), consumer theory il lustrates that a consumer prefers a group of products packaged together called bundle and that a consumer would prefer a bundle and disregard the brand. The theory explains that consumers would rather base their purchase decision on the number of products in the bundle or the size of the bundle but not the product’s brand. Sassatelli (2007, pp. ... n bundle, if consumers decide to give up on one good, they would add more of another substitute as a way of maintaining their level of utility (Sassatelli 2007, pp. 57-60). Consumers normally substitute products for others even if the two goods are not the same and this describes most people’s preferences. Slope of an indifference curve shows the maximum number of units of a particular good a consumer is willing to substitute to acquire one unit of the other thus providing an economic way of understanding what the indifference curve really show. It is also worth noting that the slope of an indifference curve depends on the consumption bundle considered. The slope of an indifference curve represents the marginal rate of substitution between two products (Sirgy 1982, pp. 287-300). Summary of Simon Herbert Article Simon attempts to explain the link between psychology and economics by resting on a notion of economics as a science and a discipline (Simon 1959, pp. 253-260). He expl ains that economics as a science can be used in describing and predicting the behavior of various kinds of consumers and entrepreneurs. His research endeavor intended to understand the processes that participate in human decision making although despite his effort to investigate the issue he did not have a huge impact in the decision making (Zalega 2012, pp. 77-99). He rejected the assumption of perfect rationality made in the mainstream economics and he further emphasized the limitations of the cognitive processes. Simon (1959, pp. 255-265) points out that economics is widely preoccupied by normative economics while descriptive macroeconomics offers the scientific base for policy prescription. He explains how the theory of consumer demand was derived from indifference curve and considering of

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields Research Paper

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields - Research Paper Example As per a study, about 80% of the aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of jets, and, thus, such accidents occur at close proximaty to an airport. Pilots may resort to unsafe acts, which may culminate into aircraft accidents due to human errors and violations of standard norms. This research essay will focus on the human factors witnessed by the aircrew in unfamiliar airfields and suggest ways and means to avoid and overcome fallacies that may lead to aircraft accidents. Introduction Some of the deadliest aircraft accidents happened not in the air but on the runways of airports. About 583 air passengers were killed in 1977 in the Canary Islands, when two jumbo jets crashed on a runway. A runway incursion accident in Chicago’s Midway airport in 1991 killed 34 air passengers. Unfamiliar braking system resulted in an accident in Chicago’s midway airport in December 2005. When a pilot took a wrong runway for takeoff in Lexington airstrip, about 49 air p assengers were killed in August 2006. When the captain was not able to manage for a gusty and strong cross wind during takeoff, the aircraft departed to the side of the runway in December 2008 at Denver International Airport. (NTSB 2012). Airport plays a pivotal role as it is the place where the aircraft is landing, taking off, parking, and taxing. According to ICAO (International Civil Aeronautics Organization), an aviation accident is one, which is happening of a fatal event during the operation of an aircraft. An accident in an airport may involve the following impacts namely as the accident in an airport during landing may involve severe damage to the atmosphere which includes the loss of property or life, and it may also create an acute social affliction. Further, airport accident while landing in a new location may emanate from various environmental factors like failure of equipment, human error and other associated risk elements. (Czerny, 2010, p.4-3). This research essay wil l conduct analysis about the issues faced by the pilots while landing at unfamiliar airfields and will make suggestion how to overcome the same. Issues Faced by the Pilots in Unfamiliar Airfields while Landing or Takeoff The ultimate safety of the aircraft and passengers are entrusted to the captain of the flight. There is a need on the part of the captain to understand strengths and Achilles' heel of each of the crew members and should be able to assign actions whenever it is needed. Under the Crew Resource Management (CRM), flight crew security is covered. In resolution of any probable security incident, captain is needed to treat and respect all crew members equally and properly. Proper training should be given to crew members to develop a strong state of mental ability for handling any critical situation. Each and every crew member should build up the buoyancy to be aware what is to be done in an emergency scenario and to react suitably when an incident occurs. (Williams & Wallt rip, 2004, p354). As per a study, about 80% of the jet aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of flights, and thus such accidents are occurring at the proximate of an airport. Hence, there is a heightened peril of serious injury or death both to passengers and to the nearby communities residing close to the airport. If we analyze the happening of an accident during landing or take –off, one can find many reasons like the type of aircraft involved, the airport infrastructures, human factors and metrological conditions. Wong et

Netscape IPO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Netscape IPO - Essay Example That Netscape would now be in the dustbin of history, having been demolished by Microsoft during the browser war when it buckled under the killer strategy of Bill Gates’ bundled Windows operating system with the its browser, Internet Explorer and having bought by AOL in March 1999 – many questions still abound on what went wrong, and what could have been avoided. The company was led by both the talented (Marc Andreessen and the experienced manager (Jim Clark) and had the backing of the well-known venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. No less than Morgan Stanley would be the lead underwriters for its IPO. In the end, the dilemma faced by the board of directors of whether to give in its Wall Street underwriters’ proposal of raising the initial stock price form $14 to $28 and increasing the number of shares to 5 million due to favorable response to the investment roadshow or risk a public verdict of opportunism for doing so (Backstrand 7)– was rendered moot and academic. Netscape opened to an overwhelming response from investors who took the stock price to as much as $75 after a delayed opening of $71 per share. On the other hand, the question of whether the investors made a good decision in paying so much for the stock an untested company had to place it in the context of the condition of the industry, Netscape’s company strategy and how IPOs in general fare as investments. ... Condition of the industry: In the mid-nineties, the Internet industry was at the start of its boom period. There were no clear indicators where it would be headed - a condition that had been comparably described when the PC was thought of in the early 1980s when the IPO of Apple Computers mirrored the wildly exuberant public reception of Netscape's IPO (Blodget n.p.). There were various theories of what the Internet would be - some thought that it would be like glamorized surfing of TV shows and those who would be winners in the era would those sites that would offer great design and content (Blodget n.p.). Fast forward to a decade later - the winners would be a search engine called Google, a book seller now an around retailer, Amazon.com and an on-line community of buyers and sellers called ebay.com. Netscape was proclaimed a winner too soon in the game, like Apple was. Though Apple Computers remains as a company today, the big winners of the IPO era of the PC industry were those who entered it later in the phase - as could be seen in Microsoft IPO in 1986 and Dell in 1988 (Blodget n.p.). The Internet community more than ten years ago was miniscule (57 million users according to the International Data Corporation) compared to what it is today, but even by then, it was growing by leaps and bounds. The web browser market in 1994 was dominated by the Mosaic web browser program that was created by Netscape co-founder, the 23-year old Marc Andreessen (Backstrand 3). When Andreesen teamed up with middle-aged Jim Clark, the founder of Silicon Graphics, Netscape successfully set a new industry standard through its Netscape Navigator program and wrestled market leadership from Mosaic. Netscape's share of the market by 2005 was at 75% while Mosaic,

Business Organizations In A Global Context Commerce Essay

Business Organizations In A Global Context Commerce Essay What is a business organization? A business organization can be defined as one or more business, which has in common the person or group of people controlling it. An organization may have more than one business but a business is limited to one organization. Business organization uses a systematic approach to achieve goals. Its people, the process in place and the policies are used to ensure that the organizations mission is realised. Within the structure of the organization is its culture which is essential to the success of the organization as it hinges on the workforce working together towards a shared goal Section 1 The Key Difference Between Global Business Operations Businesses are started for any number of reasons. And there are endless types of business due to the very fact that they are all started up by different people with different personalities and goals. There are three main sectors in the business world: private, public and voluntary. The private sector is made up of organizations that are privately or independently owned and not part of the government. This sector includes corporations (profit and non-profit), partnerships and charities. Retail stores, credit unions and local business operate in the private sector. The main objectives of businesses in this sector revolve around maximum sales and market growth. Examples of Private Sector Organizations are McDonalds, Tesco and Apple. The public sector is usually composed of organizations that are owned and operated by the government. They are established to achieve different objectives of society. The public sector operates on the taxes collected. Within the public sector lie public corporations. These have been set up by Acts of Parliament to run an industry or service. Examples of such corporations are Bank of England, BBC and the Royal Mint. Voluntary groups are set up by ordinary people and they aim to help others in the local community. Although they are not owned by any one individual, someone is elected to take responsibility of setting targets, budgets and day to day running of the group. In the recent past, businesses have seen a change in the economic setting. The domestic market is no longer able to meet the demands of the globalised people. Businesses have developed to ensure it thrives in the age of globalization. This development has made many domestic businesses become a household name worldwide. Besides globalization, an improved communication technology has also been a key factor in the success of these globally operating organizations. This allows efficient communication and swift access to global markets. One other strategy employed by global organizations is market research. This will help organizations pin point profitable areas for marketing. The internet and world-wide web has made available databases which enable organizations to access relevant information at a reasonable cost Section 2 The Impact of External Factors on Organization A number of factors are taken into consideration when measuring how the performance of a national economy impacts the activities of business organizations. Output effect: this is a measure profits generated by businesses in the UK Income effect: this is a measure of total income generated by businesses in the UK Employment effect: this is a measure of the number of jobs created by a businesses in the UK Further to this the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the categories above are generated using the IMPLAN methodology where the effects of the aforementioned are combined to reflect the total economic impact on the activities of business organizations. Direct impact: represents the purchase of goods and services by business owners from other businesses in the UK Indirect impact: represents business- business transactions, where the suppliers of the business owners purchase goods and services from other suppliers in the country Induced impact: The employees of the business owners and the employees of the indirectly affected businesses purchase goods and services in the UK. The second wave of economic impacts known more commonly as the induced effect is created b these purchases. The government has taken numerous steps to influence businesses. In some regions their influence is great but in most parts of the world they are kept at bay by capitalist leanings. Among the measures taken by governments is positive discrimination, also known as affirmative action. The term affirmative action was first used in the United States in  Executive Order 10925  and was signed by President  John F. Kennedy  on 6 March 1961; it was used to promote actions that achieve non-discrimination. Itrequires government employers to take affirmative action to hire without regard to race, religion and national origin. This law forces businesses to hire staff they might not have considered to hire in the past. Section 3 The Impact of Global Factors on Business Organizations How businesses are run differ country to country. A combination of a number of factors such as marketing, sales and technical skills are required to increase the productivity of a business. What makes a business successful relies a lot on the staff and the world experience they bring to the business. This varied background is what brings fresh insights to solving old problems as issues are seen from different viewpoints. Global integration is a challenge faced by all organizations. The environment in which the business is in prescribes changes in the structure of the organization. In addition to this there is also language, culture and regulations to deal with. In this instance it is essential that the organization does its best to foresee complications that may arise and put in place actions to overcome them. International trade has both good and bad effects on domestic products and services. International trade pumps money into local economies, which helps produce more goods for the local markets. It helps expand the local markets because the money derived from it goes into other business ventures. On the negative side, international trade shrinks local markets because some imports are far much cheaper than local manufactured goods. This results in people shunning local goods for the cheaper imports. The global economy has had an amazing impact on the way companies do business. In addition to the tremendous opportunities for growth and expansion into new markets that it brings, it also leads to interesting and unique challenges, as have been mentioned in the earlier paragraph. When contemplating expanding internationally organizations should consider a number of factors in order for it to be successful. Being strategic about the countries chosen to expand in Having a local presence in the country Taking into careful consideration the people, the culture and business environment Ensure all employees who are not local be given cultural awareness training Financial stability Developments in technology have made communications swifter and more efficient. Information Communication Technology has had a very positive impact on global economy. It can be said that ICT is one of the precursors to the success of global economy. Emails and internet ready mobile phones has allowed globalization to take place. The internet is also key to the achievements in banking, production of capitalism and globalization. ICT has made the banking industry the economic mover of the world. The adoption of ICT in banks has improved customer services, facilitated accurate records, provides forHome and Office Banking services, ensures convenient business hour, prompt and fair attention, and enhances fasterservices.ICT directlyaffects how managers decide and plan and what products and services are offered in thebanking industry. It has continued to change the way banks and their corporate relationships areorganized worldwide and the variety of innovative devices available to enhance the speed and qualityof service delivery. Not only has ICT impacted the globalization of banking, it had also impacted productivity. Productivity is one of the driving forces of economic progress. ICT has impacted economic progress in two ways. Firstly it has made it possible for an organization to spread itself around the globe, i.e. headquarters in London, design facilities in California and manufacture in China. The second way in which ICT has affected productivity lie in the ways in which companies are producing. Lines in the manufacturing industry which used to rely heavily on manpower have been replaced by computerised robotic production lines leading to faster, more efficient and better quality products. Section 4 A Review of the Current Issues Impacting On Business Activities After the recession of 2010, the global financial system remained fragile but this did not last for very long as economies started moving toward recovery and growth. Some economies, especially those from the emerging markets, continued to grow rapidly. There are six broad, long-term developments that shape the business world: Emerging markets increase their global power Clean-tech becomes a competitive advantage Global banking seeks recovery through transformation Governments enhance ties with the private sector Rapid technology innovation creates a smart, mobile world Demographic shifts transform the global workforce Global economies are strongly unified that companies, governments and industries will find that they are forced to cooperate in ways they did not imagine a few years ago. Ernst  Ã‚  Young believe the six trends are themselves connected by three underlying drivers that have helped establish each trend and perpetuate it. Demographic shifts that see population growth, increased urbanization, a widening divide between countries with youthful and quickly aging populations and a rapidly growing middle class are reshaping not only the business world, but also society as a whole. Reshaped global power structure. The balance of global power between the public and private sector has shifted quickly as the world recovers from the worst recession in decades. Disruptive innovation.  Improvements in technology continue to have massive effects on business and society. Emerging markets have become sourcesof innovation, especially in its efforts to reach the growing middle class and low-income consumers around the globe. As these trends change the ways in which businesses operate, grow and compete, winners and losers inevitably will emerge. The winners will be easy to identify. These are the organizations that will monitor trends in the environment, look for talent everywhere and embrace technology. They look outwards in their attempt to adapt to local environments and create global workforces. They are looking in to ways in which Clean-tech can fit into their growth plans and making it part of their global strategy. It is essential for organizations to develop strategies that will help expand the business in the environment it is set in. These strategies should address the issues that affect the business. A deep knowledge of the culture of the environment is key to success. Understanding the values and beliefs will promote the business as this makes the locals feel that the organization respects its interests and needs. Many times language can be a barrier. If effective communication does not take place business activities will slow down and in some instances come to a halt. Employees will need to be able to communicate verbally at a basic level, with on-going training to develop their language skills. It may be necessary in this instance to hire an interpreter or hire locals to do the job. The regulations of the country may also form another inhibitor. Each country comes with its own laws and regulations that apply to all businesses. A highly skilled and experienced specialist with experience in global integration would be the ideal choice. Such a person would help the company not only resolve and regulatory problems but also iron out problems where language and culture are concerned. Conclusion As businesses and governments move forward they will need to think deeply about the opportunities and risks that are presented by changing trends and the forces behind them. The mindset of organizations needs to undergo a transformation so that it can re-imagine what is possible, discover what they can do that is new and how to do it. With a different mindset, they can re-imagine what is possible, discovering what they can do that is new, and how best to do it. The dynamics of the global market is changing. Emerging markets are coming out strong and as they rise so do their companies. Many companies that had previously posed no competitive threat to multinational corporations now do so.These emerging market leaders represent a major shift in the global competitive landscape a trend that will only strengthen as they grow in size, establish dominance and seek new opportunities beyond their traditional domestic and near-shore markets.Those that succeed may find themselves not just navi gating tomorrows global trends, but actually shaping them.

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essay

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales While the majority of literary classics today do well at engaging the reader and allowing them a vicarious understanding of a fictitious character’s life, Chaucer found a way to engage more than just the reader and the character. In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer masterfully links together himself as the author, himself as a character in the story, the other characters, and then finally the readers. Chaucer’s â€Å"narrative flow† forms a type of giant sphere, where connections can be made from both characters and real people to characters connecting with other characters. Starting with Chaucer-the man, it is apparent that he is looking at his characters, the pilgrims on their journey. As he is writing their stories and descriptions, Chaucer is creating them to emulate people he has found in real life. Chaucer watches his own created characters to see how they react and therefore expresses his personal views of certain classes of people. Chaucer-the man also sees Chaucer-the pilgrim. Like his created pilgrims in the story, Chaucer has found a way to put ...

Modern english literature Essay

The purpose of this course is to encourage students to gain an awareness of, and insight into, the evolution of modern English literature. Students will become acquainted with writers, poets and playwrights such as Thomas Hardy, William Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Henry Williamson, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes, Charles Causley, Samuel Beckett, Laurie Lee, Agatha Christie and John Le Carrà ©. Connexions with socio-political factors will also be explored. The course takes the form of lectures, to which students may contribute their research. Evaluation is by written unseen examination, in the form of short essays. The lectures form but the tip of the iceberg, providing you with a door to your own research and study. You are encouraged to share the results of your studies, helping not only your fellow students, but me. We are, after all, in the same boat, even if I am at the helm. I do not so much teach, as try to help you to learn. I shall provide some examples of examination questions at the end of this hopefully helpful guide. English literature is a huge field, and I can obviously only try to open a few windows for you, or at least loosen the locks, with apologies to the many superb writers who have been omitted. You will hopefully have had a grounding, by attending my other course. If you have not, talk to other students. So here we go! We kick off with two superb dramatists and writers, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). Wilde was quintessentially Irish in wit, humour, verbal prowess, blood, and origin, yet, having studied at Trinity College Dublin and then Oxford, was very ‘English’ in a pleasantly louche, supercilious and upperclassish way. In contrast, Shaw was an Anglo-Irish Protestant, morally, socially and politically conscious, even being a founder member of the Fabian Society. He was also self-taught, having left school at the age of fourteen. Their differences are reflected  in their work, although their pithiness unites them. Wilde is perhaps best known for ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’. Grey leads a life of debauchery, while remaining handsome and in good shape. But his portrait becomes increasingly corrupt and horrid: it represents his soul. The ending is pretty horrific. There is of course more to the book than just that, and although it is a superb work, I wouldn’t recommend it to adolescents! In the preface Wilde writes; ‘There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written.’ In other words, he seems to be saying that art is for art’s sake. Another of his well-known works is the play, ‘The Importance of being Earnest’, from which we have the gem: ‘Really, if the low orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?’ Shaw found the work hateful and sinister, exhibiting ’real degeneracy’. In this connexion, on the other hand, Wilde said of Shaw: ‘He hasn’t an enemy in the world, and none of his friends like him.’ Other witty Wilde sayings are: ‘Modern journalism justifies its own existence by the greatest Darwinian principle of the survival of the vulgarest.â€⠄¢; ‘A cynic: a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.’; ‘I can resist anything except temptation.’; and ‘When good Americans die, they go to Paris.’. Wilde’s wild life seems to have led to a tragically early demise, not as early as Mozart, but still premature: he sued the father of a poet friend of his, Lord Alfred Douglas, for libel, for accusing him of performing sodomy with his son (the poet). Wilde lost the case, was arrested, and sent to Reading Gaol for two years, for sodomy. He then left for Paris, changing his name to Sebastian Melmoth, dying two years later. Was he Dorian Gray? Was he a homosexual? Having read ‘De Profundis’ (which he wrote in prison) I can find no forensic evidence of his admitting to having actually practiced pillow-biting and shirt-lifting, but then perhaps he was a teaser. Well, perhaps he had certain tendencies towards young men, but the question is whether it was right to send him to gaol. I leave this to your judgment. It is not an easy question, since one needs to look at the morality of the Victorian Age, which some say had an element of hypocrisy: sometimes, those who persecute people manically and morally for something, are trying to hide their own tendencies, even from themselves†¦. At any event, having run out of cash, and written ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’, this former witty wordsmith par excellence said not long before he died: ‘I  shall have to die beyond my means.’ He left a wife and two children, for whom he had written a lovely, but slightly frightening book of tales. How great would he be today, had he lived to Shaw’s age? He is great enough, as it is. Shaw, perhaps somewhat more mature emotionally than Wilde, and surely a decent enough chap, was, like Wilde, healthily critical of people, but more as members of what we term ‘society’. Thus, in his plays, he criticized, inter alia, slum landlords and private doctors. In the preface to ‘The Doctor’s Dilemma’, he writes: ‘Thus everything is on the side of the doctor. When men die of disease, they are said to die from natural causes. When they recover (and they usually do), the doctor gets the credit of curing them.’ His play applies very much to today. Shaw was also an expert on class. If you wish to gain some insight into class and accent in England, you should red ‘Pygmalion’. If you wish to understand something about the England-Ireland problem, you can read ‘John Bull’s other Island.’ Some memorable sayings from Shaw are: ‘We have no right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without possessing it’; ‘He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That clearly points to a political career.’; and ‘ He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.’ I escape this definition, since I do not teach, but try to help students to learn. He comments on the English were cutting; for example: ‘A person who thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable.’ Our course then rushes through John Galsworthy, Joseph Conrad (not even British-born) and T.S. Eliot. This highly educated chap is known, inter alia, for ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’. He wrote the play ‘Murder in the Cathedral’, a very good theatrical adaptation of the dastardly murder of Archbishop Thomas à   Becket. One of my favourite quotes of his, from ‘The Rock’, is: ‘Where is the wisdom lost to knowledge, where is the knowledge lost to information and where is the word we lost in words?’ After a brief glimpse of the amazing American Ezra Pound, who found Europe and Italy in particular, more to his liking intellectually than the USA, we come to William Yeats (1865-1939). He is the quintessential Celtic Irishman,  a friend of Shaw and Wilde, and a good dramatist and poet. ‘The Celtic Twilight’, a collection of traditional Irish stories, is a good pointer to Yeats’ thinking. Jumping now to Henry James (1843-1916), an American who, unlike many, preferred to settle in London rather than Paris, we see a man who could pick up the apposite word with the point of his pen, in a meticulous fashion. I find his style too precise for my liking, the very antithesis of ‘stream of consciousness’ writing. Nevertheless, he was a competent writer. ‘The Turn of the Screw’ is a good ghost story. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), a giant in English literature, is worth chubby paragraph. A poet who wrote novels, he was born to a modest family (his father was a stonemason), trained as an architect, but returned to his beloved Wessex to write. Beautifully written, his novels can be quite pessimistic: ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ ends with the heroine’s execution for stabbing her husband to death, a husband whom she was emotionally pressurised into marrying, although she loved another. ‘Jude the Obscure’ ends with three children hanging dead behind a door, on clothes hooks. His stories often bring out what he saw as the injustice of the divorce laws, especially for women who had married the wrong man, and were then trapped in their marriage, and how they and their lovers were then ostracized by society. His writing was sensitive, and some of his descriptions of nature in his beloved Wessex are touching. We now look at three childrens’ writers, Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an Oxford mathematician, non-practising Anglican deacon, and photographer, 1832-1898), Kenneth Graham (1859-1932), and Beatrix Potter (1866-1943). Few have not heard of Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking-Glass and what Alice found there’, both of which are intriguing fantasies, almost making imagination real. From the latter, we have the memorable quote: ‘The question is’, said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean different things.’ The question is, said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master, that’s all.’ It was rumoured that he had a not wholly healthy interest in young girls, although there is not a jot of evidence that he ever did anything untoward. From Alice’s fantasy world, the Scotsman Kenneth Graham takes us to the fantasy world of little animals,  with ‘The Wind in the Willows’, written to his son. We see the daily lives of the toad, the badger, rat and mole in a typical English country setting. Beatrix Potter also wrote short books about animals, illustrating them herself. Of note are ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ and the ‘Tale of Mrs.Tittlemouse. She spent most of her later life in the Lake District, the most beautiful part of England. This had a kind effect on her writing. Moving now to more social and even sexual themes, we come to D.H. (David Herbert Richard) Lawrence (1885-1930). This man got through the bone to the marrow of passion, love and sex. His quintessential book is ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’, a story of illicit love, passion and unadulterated sex between the upper-class wife of an impotent aristocrat and the gamekeeper. Lawrence left England, and the book was published in Florence, not appearing in England until 1961, following a sensational obscenity trial. Lawrence wrote other books, such as ‘Women in Love’ and ‘Sons and Lovers’. He is very perceptive, revealing the real, rather than the politically correct and sanitised nonsense of hypocrisy. We can connect this to the English people’s dislike of being obvious, particularly when it comes to sex, and their embarrassment of sexual matters, often expressed in crude jokes. Now back to the Irish: James Joyce (1882-1942) was another of those linguists who chose Paris. His most well-known work is ‘Ulyses’, an example of his so-called ‘stream of consciousness’ writing, which tries to catch one’s deepest thoughts and imagination on paper, a kind of interior monologue. As such, it is naturally unstructured. ‘Ulyses’ deals with a day in Dublin, and a whole gaggle of characters. ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ is another example, and has been linked to Giambattista Vico’s ‘New Science’, which contains a good deal about the origins of language. Joyce certainly pushes written language to its limits. In contrast, his ‘Dubliners’, a series of short stories about life in Dublin, is surprisingly prosaic in style. He influenced another Irishman, the playwright Samuel Becket (1906-1989), another linguist residing in Paris, best known for ‘ En attendant Godot’, written ori ginally in French. The gripping play ends without Godot arriving. Let us now spare some thought for the wonderful and tragic Virginia Woolf,  known in particular for ‘To the Lighthouse’, ‘The Waves’, ‘Orlando’ and ‘Mrs. Dalloway’. As with Joyce, we see a certain amount of internal dialogue. Woolf was a leading light of the ‘Bloomsbury Group’, named after the area of London in which it met. She has also been seen as a feminist, having written : ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. But does this not also apply to men? It is up to you to decide, by reading some of her work, whether or not she was a feminist. She is said to have had mental problems. At any rate, she drowned herself in the Thames. Back now to the men. Aldous Huxley (1894) is best known for ‘Brave New World’ (1934), a particularly negative critique of the future, where Britain is a wasteland of human ‘robots’ and scientific breeding (he virtually predicted test-tube babies), with subordination the ideal of happiness. He developed the theme in 1959, with ‘Brave New World Revisited’. At any rate, he is relevant today, as is the inimitable literary giant George Orwell (1903-50), whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair. His ‘1984’, published in 1948, predicts a future where the world is divided into huge power blocks, and where people are run on government propaganda. Wherever you live, ‘Big Brother’ watches you from a television screen, and so help you if you say anything against the government, or even try to have a loving relationship with someone. As for the Ministry of Truth, it is based on lying. ‘Animal Farm’ is an attack on communist totalitarianism. After Eton, Blair became a colonial policeman in Burma (he was born in Bengal), an experience which made him critical of the British Empire. ‘Burmese Days’ is a novel which brings out the hypocrisy of empire, and how social class mattered, in a story of unrequited love. Orwell was also a good short story writer. ‘Shooting an Elephant’ brings out the relationship between rulers and ruled, while ‘A Hanging’ is horrific in its detail. Orwell fought in the Spanish civil war, and wrote a very perceptive – if occasionally pedantic – book about the details of the conflict. He also spent several months living as a casual worker in London and Paris, working mainly as a dishwasher. He then produced a highly entertaining book, ‘Down and out in London and Paris’. Here is an example of his writing, from ‘E ngland, your England’: ‘As I write, highly civilised human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only â€Å"doing their duty†, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life.’ Like several writers, Orwell was also a journalist. We cannot end without mentioning his essay ‘Politics and the English Language’, a highly entertaining but effective lambasting of the influence of political ideology on the English language, and very relevant today, with the erosion of clear English through computer language, sloppy education and political correctness. From Orwell, we turn now to two children’s writers, although their books are also appropriate for adults. The South African J.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, is most well known for ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’, ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, adventure stories laden with fantasy and drawing on Tolkien’s knowledge of the Celts. If I compare Tolkien to Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’, the latter catapults itself out of existence. Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is also a wonderful writer, primarily but not exclusively for children. Born in Wales of Norwegian parents, his daughter was once one of the girlfriends of a cousin of mine. He wrote a series of short stories, ‘Tales of the Unexpected’, so gripping that they were serialised on television. Each story ends with a twist. Although they are for adults and older children, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is defi nitely for young people. ‘My Uncle Oswald’ is also an amusing book. So we come to a mammoth of English literature, William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). Born in Paris, where his father was a legal adviser, hiss mother died when he was eight years of age, and his father two years later. He was sent to live with an uncle, the Vicar of Whitstable, apparently a cold character, and then attended King’s School, Canterbury, left early, and studied literature, philosophy and German at Heidelberg, ending up studying medicine at St.Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth, London, where he qualified as a doctor. His second book, ‘Lisa of Lambeth’ (1897), a story about working-class adultery, sold so well that Maugham became a full-time writer, moving to the south of France in 1928, around the time of his divorce (it is said that he had rather special relationships with various  males). We cannot of course mention all his books (he even wrote some popular plays), but of note are: ‘Of Human Bondage’, autobiographical in nature, †˜Ashenden’, about a secret agent, and four volumes of very entertaining short stories, of which my favourite is ‘Salvatore’. Maugham was certainly a pretty rum character, and was good at irritating people, in particularly those whom he almost libeled in some of his books. For even if he did not mention real names, it was sometimes fairly obvious whom he meant. The following quote reveals some of Maugham’s sometimes bitter-sweet powers of describing people: ‘When she reddened, her pasty skin acquired a curiously mottled look, like strawberries and cream gone bad.’ Wending our way towards the writers of thrillers, I shall touch on only four, although there is a whole bevy of them. Graham Greene (1904-91), who converted to Rome in 1926, was educated at Oxford, and worked for British Intelligence for a while. His thrillers are gripping, and delve deep into morality. One of his best thrillers, the ‘Human Factor’, is based on espionage, as is ‘Our Man In Havanna’. Other superb books are books are ‘The End of the Affair’, ‘The Honorary Consul’ and ‘Ministry of Fear’. John Le Carrà © (1931- ), whose real name is David Cornwell, is still going strong. After Oxford, he taught at Eton for two years, and then worked for MI5 (which handles, along with the Police’s Special Branch, internal security, but often has rows with MI6 about responsibility for Northern Ireland, because of the connexions with the Republic of Ireland). His espionage thriller ‘The Spy who came in from the Cold’, won him worldwide fame, and was made into a very good film. It brought out the reality of intelligence work, the drudgery and the mutual suspicions that abound in the incestuous world of institutionalised spying. Some of his other books are ‘Smiley’s Circus’, ‘A Small town in Germany’, ‘A Perfect Spy’ and ‘The Constant Gardener’ which, despite the alleged end of the Cold War, is as thrilling as ever, questioning the morality of big business. To get a sense of his style, here is the beginning of ‘A Small Town in Germany’: ‘Ten minutes to midnight: a pious Friday in May and a fine river mist lying in the market square. Bonn was a Balkan city, stained and secret [†¦].’ In juxtaposition, Ian Fleming (1908-1964), author of the extremely well-known Bond novels, emphasises, perhaps a mite too much, the more glamorous aspects of the job,  but nevertheless remains plausible. He was in British Naval Intelligence for a while. Then we should mention Len Deighton (1929- ), who may have caught the writing bug when doing his National Service as a photographer attached to the Special Investigation Branch. ‘The Ipcress File’ made him an instant success, and was made into a good film, with Michael Caine as the hero. Some of his other books are ‘Horse under Water’, ‘Bomber’ and ‘Berlin Game’ (part of a series). We cannot leave these chaps without mention of a lady writer, who, although not an espionage expert, is one of the best crime novelists: Agatha Christie (1890-1978), wrote sixty six detective novels, using her experience as a hospital dispenser in the Great War to learn a good deal about poisons. Although her writing style is surprisingly simple, she manages to keep the reader hooked by misdirecting him. Who has not heard of Mrs. Marples and Hercule Poirot? ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘Ten Little Niggers’ and ‘The Mousetrap’ are just a few of her works. P.D.James was also an extremely good crime writer. Before now moving to a small selection of British poets and their poetry, we shall look at Henry Williamson, since he connects well to our first poet, Ted Hughes, who knew him, and spoke at his funeral. Williamson was a writer, journalist and farmer, who was in love with nature. He fought in the Great War, becoming disgusted with the greed and bigotry that had caused it, and determined that Britain and Germany should never go to war again. Because he had supported Oswald Mosley and his Fascists, and had admired Hitler before the next world war, a few small-minded individuals tried to damage his reputation. It is silly that the ‘Norton Anthology of English Literature’ does not include him, while including many lesser writers. After all, Oscar Wilde believed that art is for art’s sake, and should not be polluted by politics. Writers should be able to express their views without being sent to Coventry. The greatness of his books, however, saw him through. His masterpiece is ‘Tarka the Otter’, essentially about an otter being hunted to death. The reader actually becomes an otter. Williamson spent many months studying and watching otters before and while he wrote the book. So good was it, that Walt Disney twice approached him for the film rights, and was  roundly rejected. It was eventually made into a proper film, and Williamson died on the same day that the filming of a dying Tarka was taking place. Uncanny or merely coincidental? ‘Salar the Salmon’ is another masterpiece, as is his series of books on the life of Willie Maddison. The ‘Beautiful Years’ and ‘Dandelion Days’, partly autobiographical, describe beautifully a boy growing into adolescence and adulthood. And so to our poetic interlude: Laurie Lee was the quintessential Englishman: ‘Far-fetched with tales of other worlds and ways, My skin well-oiled with wines of the Levant, I set my face into a filial smile To greet the pale, domestic kiss of Kent. [†¦] The hedges choke with roses fat as cream.’ (from ‘Home from Abroad’). John Betjeman (a poet laureate), and lover of old England, loved Victoriana, the smell of old churches and musty books. But he is also perceptive about people: the following are extracts about an English lady at a service in Westminster Abbey, during the world war: ‘Gracious Lord, oh bomb the Germans. Spare their women for Thy Sake, And if that is not too easy We will pardon Thy mistake. But gracious Lord, what’er shall be, Don’t let anyone bomb me. Keep our Empire undismembered Guide our forces by Thy hand, Gallant blacks from far Jamaica, Honduras and Togoland; Protect them Lord in all their fights, And, even more, protect the whites. [†¦] Now I feel a little better, What a treat to hear thy word, Where the bones of leading statesmen, Have so often been interr’d. And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait Because I have a luncheon date.’ (from ‘In Westminster Abbey’). Unlike Betjeman, Charles Causley tends to look more at individual people and events, and is not as nostalgic. As regards his views on poetry, he writes in his introduction to a selection of his poems: ‘What a poem â€Å"means† is something that the writer as well as the reader each must decide alone. Only one thing is certain: that, unlike arithmetic, the correct answers may all be right, yet all be different.’ His imagery grips you hard: ‘Bank holiday, a sky of guns, the river Slopping black silver on the level stair. A war-memorial that aims for ever Its stopped, stone barrel on the enormous air.’ (from ‘At Grantchester’) or ‘Oh mother my mouth is full of stars As cartridges in the tray My blood is a twin-branched scarlet tree And it runs all runs away.’ (From ‘Song of the Dying Gunner A.A.1’). or ‘Charlotte she was gentle But they found her in the flood Her Sunday beads among the reeds Beaming with her blood.’ (from ‘The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond’). From poor Charlotte Dymond, we move to Clifford Dyment’s ‘Fox’, which begins: ‘Exploiter of the shadows He moved among the fences, A strip of action coiling Around his farmyard fancies.’ And so we come to another mammoth, a poet laureate into the bargain, Ted Hughes, who (see above) admired Henry Williamson. Cambridge-educated Yorkshireman Hughes was fascinated by the natural violence of nature – in particular as regards the behaviour of animals – , in power and in death: ‘I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet: Or in a sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.’ (from ‘Hawk Roosting’). or ‘Terrifying are the attent sleek thrushes on the lawn, More coiled steel than living – a poised Dark deadly eye, those delicate legs Triggered to stirrings beyond sense – with a start, a bounce, a stab Overtake the instant and drag out some writhing thing. No indolent procrastinations and no yawning stares, No sighs or head-scrathings. Nothing but bounce and stab And a ravening second.’ (from ‘Thrushes’). or ‘The pig lay on a barrow dead. It weighed, they said, as much as three men. Its eyes closed, pink white eyelashes. Its trotters stuck straight out.’ (‘View of a Pig’). Hughes, who superbly described November as ‘the month of the drowned dog’, had a somewhat intense yet sad relationship with his wife, the American poetess, Silvia Plath, who committed suicide, allegedly because of Hughes relationship(s?) with another woman or more. Pity about the children: and Sylvia’s son committed suicide forty six years after his mother did. Nature, power and death. Our last two poems are by me, and I feel constrained to tell you that if a poem is to be unadulterated, and above the shackles of convention and/or self-interest, whether good or bad, it must come directly from the heart. The only question is how pure is your heart. ‘WILD RIVER TROUT Dark shadow lies beneath, no movement; Not even a twitch of the delicate tail While it seeks its food. More than hidden, it is part of the river. It darts, too quick for eye to follow, You see it in its new position. The upward stab, the plucking bite, The munching seconds, invisible to you. You see only spreading ripples, Then the golden glint, the creamy belly, In the evening sun. You cast, the sudden tug shocks you, Despite your expectation. It pulls and judders at your soul; Such beauty, as you take him out, Designed for hunting fly, To feed its perfect muscles. Body sculpted to living perfection; Colours glisten, yet as deep as the river. The hazel eye stares you out Long after the death. It hunts your soul. Thank God for procreation.’ or REMEMBER To your beauty-hunting body, Oh grant some time to feeling. To your love-thirsting heart, Oh grant some time to harmony. To your self-seeking soul, Please accord some time to thought. To your success-hungry ego, Just grant some time to others. To your power-seeking eyes, Oh grant some time to introspection. To your adventure-seeking feet, Oh grant some time to knowledge. To your God-seeking soul, Please give some time to prayer. Let us now talk quickly about John Fowles, who loved Greece. Indeed, one of his most famous novels, ‘The Magus’, is set on the island of Spetse, a story of intrigue, passion, obsession and sex, with an orchestrator, ‘Conchis’. ‘The Collector’ is also a rather frightening little story of a girl trapped by an obsessive collector, ending nastily. Returning to America, John Steinbeck is of considerable note for his novels about life during the Great Depression, in particular ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. Let us finish, as we began, with a couple of playwrights. Harold Pinter, famous for his skilful repartee, wrote, inter alia, ‘The Birthday Party’ and ‘The Caretaker’. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, and, although part-Jewish, led a group of Jews who campaigned for justice for the Palestinians, embarrassing fanatic Israeli Zionists. To obtain a flavour of his political views, you can look at his ‘A New world Order’, published in 1991. He was awarded an honorary professorship by the University of Thessaloniki. Another well-known playwright is Tom Stoppard, also a master of repartee, who escaped from Czechoslovakia in 1938, at the age of one. He wrote, inter alia, ‘Arcadia’. He also wrote and spoke on political matters. Now we really must stop, and move on to a few typical examination questions: ‘Compare George Bernard Shaw’s and Oscar Wilde’s works.’ ‘Do you think that Maugham was more imaginative in his writing than Orwell?’ ‘It is said that Ted Hughes was obsessed with nature, power and death. What do you think?’ ‘Compare the works of Agatha Christie to those of John Le Carrà ©.’ It goes without saying, almost, that merely learning the above few pages, parrot-fashion, will not be sufficient to pass the examination: they represent only a skeletal outline. Also, you need to be succinct. No linguistic bulimia or irrelevant sentences, please! I shall immediately see through any examination paper that appears to rely only on this brief guide. Most marks will be awarded for evidence of originality and thinking, as well  as of knowledge.

Free Essays on Motivations

Motivation INTRODUCTION A good first step towards understanding the best way to motivates people is to ask "What do people want from their jobs?" We might answer, "money" or "power" but really it is very difficult to judge because depending on our own individual values and beliefs, we are not all motivated by the same things to the same degree. Managers need to be aware that the things that motivate them may not necessarily motivate their employees. Then what is motivation? MEANING OF IS MOTIVATION? Motivation can be defined as a concept used to describe the factors within an individual which arouse, maintain and channel behaviour towards a goal. It is more the removal of obstacles to good work than it is "inspiring" people to work harder. There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the 'ivory to wer' they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external stimulus. Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate the gap between an individual's actual state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the organization. In one of the most elaborate studies on employee motivation, involving 31,000 men and 13,000 women, the Minneapolis Gas Company sought to determine what their potential employees desire most from a job. This study was carried out during a 20 year period from 1945 to 1965 and was quite revealing. The ratings for the various factors differed only slightly between men and women, but both gr... Free Essays on Motivations Free Essays on Motivations Motivation INTRODUCTION A good first step towards understanding the best way to motivates people is to ask "What do people want from their jobs?" We might answer, "money" or "power" but really it is very difficult to judge because depending on our own individual values and beliefs, we are not all motivated by the same things to the same degree. Managers need to be aware that the things that motivate them may not necessarily motivate their employees. Then what is motivation? MEANING OF IS MOTIVATION? Motivation can be defined as a concept used to describe the factors within an individual which arouse, maintain and channel behaviour towards a goal. It is more the removal of obstacles to good work than it is "inspiring" people to work harder. There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if it's thirsty - so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the 'ivory to wer' they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external stimulus. Motivation is, in effect, a means to reduce and manipulate the gap between an individual's actual state and some desired state and the manager tries to reduce this gap. It is inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. Naturally, these goals as also the motivation system must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to the situation and to the organization. In one of the most elaborate studies on employee motivation, involving 31,000 men and 13,000 women, the Minneapolis Gas Company sought to determine what their potential employees desire most from a job. This study was carried out during a 20 year period from 1945 to 1965 and was quite revealing. The ratings for the various factors differed only slightly between men and women, but both gr...

EHR Paper

EHR Paper EHR Paper Achieving quality improvements through EHR is neither low cost nor easy. That being said, depending on how much the physician uses the EHR, not the hard copy of the record, is what will make the difference. Physicians seem to feel that the cost of changing from paper charts to EHR is a little high. Not only do they think this will affect their bottom line income, but also the amount of time they can spend with their patients. The physician office is hit from the beginning with the cost. They know going into the implementation of the EHR that the stimulus money from the government is not going to begin to replace the cost of the system they are using until meaningful use is achieved. Physicians also worry about the cost of training personnel and he cost to keep the EHR system up to date. When looking at the big picture one can see how cost are reduced. The cost of transcription is lowered with the physicians doing their own dictation, if the office has a clerk that has to pull or refile the hard copy of the chart; the cost is reduced there too. A plus is more accurate reimbursement, because the coder can bill more accurately. The EHR also helps with the reduction of late bill filing. Once a physician has chosen a product to use to implement the EHR they worry turns to compatibility. The physician has to worry if the system his office uses is going to work with other physician offices and the hospitals. Unless the EHR systems have the ability to talk with each other, HHS says that he health information system will remain disconnected. EHR reduces paperwork, reduces the number of tests being duplicated and reduces the number of medications errors being sent to the pharmacies. The EHR has taken the medical industry to a whole new level by allowing physicians and patients the opportunities to access their health information from anywhere. The government will not tell the physician what program they have to use, but they will provide assistance with the IT part. The government is giving physicians and hospitals together around $20 billion to help with implementing of the EHR. If a physician does not move toward the EHR, he will see penalties. The penalties will be a decrease in the Medicare fee schedule. Each year the physician does not change over to the EHR, they will lose 1% off of the fee schedule. Upon changing from the paper record to the electronic record, physicians are reporting seeing less of their patients. Physicians have much faster access to their patient’s information; they are able to make faster and better decisions about their patients’ health. One time saving advantage of the EHR is the use of e-scripts. This process allows the physician to send a digital copy of the patient’s prescription to the pharmacy of the patient. This cuts down on medication error and the pharmacist having a difficult time reading what the physician has written. The physician sends the scripts befo re the patient have even left the office and normally the pharmacy has the medication ready when the patient arrives. Physicians are skeptical about the EHR system and have negative feelings for good reason. Most physicians are very concerned with losing patient information.

Common Elements of Eastern Religious Traditions Essay

Common Elements of Eastern Religious Traditions - Essay Example y Chinese do not consider themselves spiritual but their traditions with local gods and daily practices have provided a sense of religion for them for over a thousand years. In the recent years, there has been an increase in interest between the relationship of spiritualism and business (Rarick, 2009). Daoism, also known as Taoism, has greatly shaped the Chinese way of thinking. Daoism is one of the greatest religious systems in China (Hansen, 2013). A person can be spiritual but not religious. Molloy (2010), views religion as a belief system and focuses on how those beliefs’ expression in different contexts. The meaning of religion differs depending on an individual’s society and upbringing. Religion denotes a particular system of faith and worship and/or the human recognition of a higher power (Park & Paloutzian, 2013). In the Eastern cultures, religion encompasses a set or system of beliefs and practices adhered by a given community, supported by rituals that recognize or worship the ultimate truth, reality or nirvana (Park & Paloutzian, 2013). In the natural world, spiritual relationships are important and are very common as they are part of the human survival (Molloy, 2013). Spirituality connotes the personal and effective relationship with God. It is the domain of spirits; God or gods, souls, angels, jinni, demons and metaphorical extensions to other intangible or invisible things (Park & Paloutzian, 2013). Daoism is traceable to shamanism, which spread in china and Mongolia more than ten thousand years ago. The Dao is the opposing force and energy of the universe, and is the beginning and the end of Daoism. The Dao represents a cosmic principle that permeates all the aspects of creation. The exact founding date of Daoism is unknown, even though there is a belief that the mystic Laozi (Lao Tzu) is the one who developed the spiritual and philosophical orientation of Daoism. According to Laozi, the Great Unity known as Yin and Yang ruled the universe.

Exploring the Wonders of Outdoor Learning Dissertation

Exploring the Wonders of Outdoor Learning - Dissertation Example † Introduction Children are very impressionable. They learn from anything and everything that they are exposed to. It takes a responsible adult to provide meaningful and relevant activities from which children will learn important concepts and skills necessary for their growth and development. Guiding them in the learning experiences they will encounter in their lifetime is a primary role of parents, teachers and other adults concerned for the welfare of children. This includes provision of a stimulating learning environment that promotes their optimal development, safety and well-being. This research will be useful for teachers, parents, caregivers and other adults involved in the care and education of young children. Their young wards are at the stage when they are curious, physically active and restless to find out more about their world. This research attempts to bring light to the topic of outdoor play and provide ideas to adults on how they can use outdoor play to support the children’s over-all growth and development. Play & Learning There are many existing views on the concept of learning and development. The Start Right report defines learning as â€Å"the development of children’s capacity and motivation to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes, to make sense of their world and to operate effectively within it† (Ball, 1994, p.103). ... From these definitions, it is clear that the point of view of the child is considered, with adults playing as support instead of a domineering dictator of what they think children should learn. More important than what children learn is how they learn it. Children must be encouraged to enjoy what they do while learning and that practitioners make it possible by making learning tasks interesting, worthwhile and relevant for the children (The Open University, 2003). Edgington (1999) posits that children learn best in an environment that makes them feel secure and confident enough to develop their own ideas with open-ended experiences. They actively engage in learning by partaking of fun, play-based hands-on experiences while adults around them challenge and extend their thinking. Physically, the learning environment gives enough children space to move and be themselves. Children are in their best disposition when they are at play. It is one thing that comes so naturally to them and is a time when they can freely be themselves. Play has been known to be highly beneficial for children as it develops many skills while they learn and have fun. Kanooga (2012) claims that: Play time provides kids with a safe way to experiment and learn about the real world without all the risks associated with the real world. Play time is actually productive time proven to develop talents, character, social skills, language skills, creativity, emotional strength, intellectual capacity and self-discipline (para.2). Children can play alone or with peers; with toys or without; indoors or outdoors. It is such a flexible activity that they can do anywhere, anytime. Adults should keep in mind that children are curious, explorative and active and may get into accidents while they play.