On the assignment sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

On the assignment sheet - Essay Example Grammar Girl outlines a number of reasons to explain why most companies will not include an apostrophe in the names. First, the companies omit an apostrophe in their names because the inclusion of an apostrophe does not favor the creation of a good IP address. It has been shown that names with apostrophes drive less traffic to the site because they rank low in search. This is because most users will forget to include apostrophe when searching. It is important to note that many people are more relaxed on the use of an apostrophe in spoken language Second, many companies omit apostrophes in their names because the center for domestic name registration does not favor it (Grammar Girl, 414). Therefore, this organization advises many companies to omit the apostrophe in their names. They believe that the inclusion of an apostrophe makes the name too personal, which is not good for public properties. Consequently, the inclusion or omission of apostrophe depends on the kind of audience that one is targeting. The narrator in this episode of Grammar Girl uses historical and real examples to convince her audience. She refers to real life examples to show the application of apostrophe in real life. The dilemma that involves including or omitting an apostrophe is explained vividly the narrator. In conclusion, the use of apostrophe in company names is not common because, in most cases, it makes the business too personal. It is, also, true that the use of apostrophe is more strict written English than in spoken English. The use of apostrophe in business names depends on personal

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in Malaysia. The talk on Stress Management for Teachers (Kolej Disted-Stamford news, 23 February 2008) declared that teaching is a challenging profession and hence, teachers could do with learning how to de-stress to maintain good health and high spirits.  There are two main sources of stress which affect teachers; heavy workload and students problem. Nowadays, a teachers duty is multifaceted as they undertake not only teaching but also matters associated with curriculum, students, parents, the school community as well as departmental initiatives. Another key point to note, the success of the newly launched National Education Blueprint has given a big impact on the development of the schools and teachers themselves. This plan is expected to produce intellectual students who are able to collect information and acquire knowledge and skills, instead of purely memorizing knowledge. Education system should cater to the needs of all students; smart, mediocre, weak or disabled. The success of the National Education Blueprint depends on the teachers ability, quality, skills and effectiveness in educating students. Teachers are required to have proficient skills in teaching and educating students to fulfill the governments aspiration in providing world class education. As a result of this new system, married female teachers may face an increase in workload which will in turn affect their work performance as well as their psychological well-being. According to Smylie (1999), These are tough times being a teacher (p. 59). Ewing and Smith (2003) reported that between 25% and 40% of beginning teachers in the Western World countries are leaving teaching or facing burnout syndrome. Over the past ten years, many researchers focused on the effect of work overload on work-family conflict. Generally, they found that high levels of work overload led to higher levels of work-family conflict (WFC). From a personal perspective, {suggested that the demands that employees have to fulfil considering their resources namely time and emotions to devote to work with less devote to their families.} work demands require employees to devote more resources namely time and emotions to work, leaving them with fewer resources to devote to their families. Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) define work-family conflict as a type of inter-role conflict in which role pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible. That is, work demands are not compatible with family demands (Allen, Herst, Bruck, and Sutton, 2000). Allen et al. (2000) reviewed the relationship between work-family conflict and (a) work-related outcomes, (b) non-work-related outcomes, (c) stress-related outcomes and generally found significant relationships across these areas. They concluded that work-family conflict has important personal and organizational consequences. It is important to note that the early research on multiple roles focused almost on women, particularly on women who occupied the roles of wife, mother, and employee. The multiple roles of women may affect the well-being of the family such as the husband, children and including the wife herself. Conflict occurs when a family is unable to cope with this multiples roles effectively and the result has been found to affect work satisfaction and psychological well-being (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Loscocco and Roschelle, 1991; Phelan et al., 1991). In order to maintain the health and success of teachers and schools, greater understanding of WFC is fundamental. Consequently, the influence of WFC in the prediction of psychological well-being is receiving increasing attention (e.g., ODriscoll, Brough, and Kalliath, 2004). This has led to an increment in the number of occupational stress researchers as well as WFC variables in their estimates of both individual health and work performance (Brough O Driscoll, 2005). Research suggests that an individuals self-efficacy in a specific domain provides information regarding how the individual perceive and cope with challenges. In the case of managing conflict that inevitably arise between personal and professional responsibilities, assessing work-family conflict efficacy may provide a unique perspective on what might ultimately help to reduce the negative outcomes namely decrease in life and job satisfaction that are associated with work-family conflict. Understanding how self-efficacy function in the relationship between work-family conflict and these outcomes could bring about meaningful therapeutic measures for women experiencing work-family conflict. Self-efficacy is defined as, peoples judgments in their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performance (p. 391). Bandura (1977) described self-efficacy as a key determinant of psychological change, choice of settings and activities, quality of performance in a specific domain, and level of persistence when one meets adverse or negative experiences. Having mentioned about efficacy, other predictors may also have significance in contributing to WFC and well-being. Religious coping and religiosity that have been found to affect health status positively, including overall morbidity and mortality, acute conditions, fatal ailments, pain and chronic illness (Levin, 1994). Religious belief has been perceived as one way of coping with conflict. The positive influence of religious certainty on well-being was found to be direct and substantial, whereby individuals with a strong religious faith reported higher levels of life satisfaction and greater personal happiness (Ellison, 1991), as well as lower levels of distress (Ross, 1990). Religious activities especially prayers are usually regarded as positive coping devices directed toward both the problem and personal growth (Folkman, Lazarus, Dunkel-Shetter, De Longis Gruis, 1986). Due to the insufficient of information on the psychological outcomes of combining work and family roles among Malaysian women, the present study is aimed at investigating the direct and indirect relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being. The study hypothesized that the relationship between WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being is mediated by WFC. Therefore, the proposed model hypothesized WFC to act as an intervening variable between WFC efficacy and religious coping and well-being among female teachers in Malaysia. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Changes in family structures are transforming the workplace while adjustments in parental work patterns are altering family life. Thus, there has been a dramatic increase in rates of paid employment globally among mothers with children. Research on WFC since the past 30 years has been fuelled by the growing proportion of employees who are dual-earner partners or single parents. As the number of working women with young children at home and dual-career households rise, so does the need for research and organizational attention towards potentially reducing stress due to WFC. Research to date suggests that high levels of work-family conflict are related to dysfunctional outcomes such as life dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and poor health in individual, increased interpersonal conflict and divorce in relationships, and as for the organizations, namely absenteeism, tardiness and loss of talented employees. Besides that, The National Union of The Teaching Profession (NUTP) Secretary, General Lok Yim Pheng, in New Sunday Times, May 18, 2008, informed that teachers are overloaded with paper work and they are pressured to train students on how to answer examination questions. Teachers must always maintain the quality of their work, try to improve their productivity and acquire knowledge and skills to develop human capital in the globalized world. Moreover, teachers play an essential role in shaping a community as their products of educating efforts contribute to its functionality. These are the demands of teaching profession nowadays. Researchers have identified various stressors that may affect the psychological well-being of teachers and one of the stressor is workload that may lead to burnout. Although some researchers may argue that social status is one of the most important factors for psychological well-being (Bredemeier, 1979), it seems that excessive workload could impose an undue level of stress that is more serious than any other stressors. A large number of studies show that teachers are exposed to workload which results particularly in stress and strain. At least one third of teachers can be seen as suffering from extreme stress and/or burnout (e.g., Boyle, Borg, Falzon Baglioni, 1991; Friesen Sarros, 1989). Researchers have considered various unique antecedents to WFC (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Frone, 1992). However, the role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Only a few researchers have assessed the relationship between WFC efficacy and religious coping. For instance, Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. There is a need to identify how WFC efficacy and religious coping can be linked with WFC and well-being in a causal relationship in the school setting. The present study uses the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to examine relationships among two independent (exogenous) and dependent (endogenous) variables simultaneously in a causal framework. With regard to personal resources, why do some teachers succeed in being good teachers continuously enhancing students achievements, setting high goals for themselves and pursuing them persistently, while others fail to meet expectations imposed on them and tend to collapse under the burden of everyday stress? Based on this statement, the study examines the problem by investigating the influence of teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping on work-family conflict and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. If teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping can be proven to reduce WFC among female teachers, it seems possible to increase teachers WFC efficacy and improve teachers coping style using religious approach which in turn may boost teachers well-being. Again, if WFC efficacy and religious coping are causally related to WFC as hypothesized, this relationship will reduce teachers WFC and increase teachers well-being respectively. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In generally, this study serves the purpose to examine the impact of WFC efficacy and religious coping on WFC and well-being of secondary school teachers in Malaysia. To validate the instruments utilized in this study, the researcher adopted the two-step Structural Equation Modeling. Then, the researcher estimated the hypothesized relationships. The primary purpose of this research is to construct-validate the instrument to assess WFC of female teachers in Malaysia which are Work-family conflict (WFC), Work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) Religious coping (RC), Well-being (WB) consisted of Health (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD). The study also estimates the relationships of WFC, WFC efficacy, RC and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions are formulated to address the hypothesized relationships: 1. Are the constructs of work-family conflict, work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping and well-being valid and reliable? 2. Does work-family conflict efficacy directly influenced the well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 3. Does work-family conflict efficacy indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? 4. Does religious coping directly influenced well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 5. Does religious coping indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? Does teachers work-family conflict directly influenced by their well-being? Does WFC-efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated? THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT The model of this study, which is derived from Frone et al., (1992), examines the interrelationships among the two predictors WFC efficacy and RC that may affect well-being directly and indirectly via work-family conflict. This research focuses on the variables that are considered vital to increase well-being and to reduce WFC. The hypothesized interrelationships and interdependency among these variables are presented in Figure 1. The model depicts four measurement models, labeled as efficacy accounted for the variability in WFC efficacy and FWC-efficacy. First, work-family conflict-efficacy (WFC efficacy) which acts as a predictor or an independent variable comprises work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) and family-work conflict efficacy (FWC efficacy) of work-family conflict and well-being. This type of personality may improve or increase ones well-being because it strongly affects a persons ability to do a task. Teachers WFC efficacy should aim at reducing teachers experiences with WFC aside from functioning as a personality booster. Thus, an individuals personality plays a role in the amount of work-family conflict that he or she experiences. The second latent variable, religious coping illustrates the underlying factors for positive religious/spiritual coping (POS RC) and negative religious/spiritual coping (NEG RC). In order for teachers to cope with work-family conflict, they need to choose an effective coping style. In this study, religious coping as a second predictor of WFC and well-being may have significant relationships with both dependents. It is certainly reasonable to argue that teachers who manage their religious coping well would most likely have less WFC and a better well-being. In addition, the relationship between the two constructs namely WFC efficacy and religious coping would covary. In other words, the researcher believes that the constructs are correlated, but does not assume that one construct is dependent upon another. This relationship is depicted by a two-headed arrow connection as shown in Figure 1. In the current study, WFC efficacy and religious coping will be tested as predictors of WFC and w ell-being. The third latent variable, WFC, represents the underlying factor for Work-interfering-with-family and Family-interfering-with-work. WFC occurs when participation in the work role and the family role is incompatible in some respect. Work-family conflict can arise from; 1) the time demands of one role that interfere with participation in the other role and; 2) the stress that originates in one role that spills over into the other role which, only detracts from the latters quality of life. As a result, participation in one role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the other role. Individuals who invest more time or more psychological involvement in their work rather than their family experience the highest levels of work-to-family conflict and life stress, which ultimately reduce their quality of life. The fourth latent variable, well-being, accounts for the variability in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD) which is hypothesized to represent participants reported well-being. Thus, it is not what the situation offers but rather how we react to a situation that determines our well being. If work and family roles were imbalanced, conflict might occur which would eventually affect the well-being of a person. Effects will range from job-family dissatisfaction to health problems, which are viewed as psychological distress. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy H3 Well-being (distress job dissatisfaction Work-family Conflict (wif,fiw) H2 H7 H6 H3 Religious Coping H5 Figure 1 The Hypothesized Model of Work-family Conflict and Well-Being Note: Exogenous Construct: WFC efficacy; religious coping; WFC Endogenous Construct: WFC; well-being RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS In the hypothesized model, six hypotheses are tested to depict the relationships between work-family conflict and the three variables identified above. In the following discussion, each of these six hypotheses are identified and explained. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy, Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Studies have shown that the personal resources that women bring with them into their roles explained more of the variance in reported strain symptoms than the role stressors alone (e.g. Amatea Fong, 1991). Self-efficacy in a particular domain has been indirectly and directly linked to outcomes in that domain. For instance, Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994) suggested that self-efficacy promotes academic and vocational outcomes, such as interest, choice and performance. The conservation of resources model proposes that individuals act to acquire and maintain a variety of resources, such as objects, energies, condition and personal characteristic. On the basis of these findings, the following hypotheses are proposed: H2 Those with high work-family conflict efficacy will portray increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) H3 The effects of work-family conflict efficacy on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict, such that those with high work-family conflict efficacy demonstrate less conflict which will leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). The Reciprocal Relationship between Religious Coping, Work-family Conflict and Well-Being In recent years, a growing body of literature has explored the implications of religion and spirituality for various mental and physical health outcomes (Koenig 1994). Other findings have also indicated that various dimensions of religiousness and spirituality may enhance the subjective states of well-being (Ellison, 1991). A report by the Fetzer Institute (2003), stated that a few studies in the US show that the subjective beneficial effects of participating in religious services, prayer and Bible reading are primarily due to their role in strengthening religious belief and individuals who describe themselves as having a strong religious faith report being happier and more satisfied with their lives. Most recently, Lapierre and Allen (2006) had used conservation of resources model to study the different coping methods employed by individuals to avoid WFC. They found that some coping methods are more useful than others to help individuals gain or conserve resources. Thus, the followi ng hypotheses are proposed: H4 Those with high religious coping show increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). H5 The effects of religious coping on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict such that those with high religious coping portray less conflict which leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Work-family conflict has been found to have a significant negative relationship with measured of psychological health rather than physical health (Mikkelsen Burke, 2004). Noor (2006) presented some selected research findings on work, family and womens well-being. The result showed that women were more strongly affected by the changes in their lives compared to men because even when employed they are still primarily responsible for the home and family. Role theory and spillover theory are the underpinning theories to explain the connection between WFC and well-being. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed: H6 WFC negatively influences well-being. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy and Religious Coping Covary Judge, Erez and Bono (1998) suggested that self-efficacy has a strong influence on individuals, whether they adopt an optimistic or pessimistic coping style (Seligman Schulman, 1996). They suggested that those with high generalized self-efficacy believe in their ability to change bad situations. The type of coping strategy selected has been shown to be related to the experience of work-family strain and overall well-being. Researchers have also found that self-efficacy is linked to the effectiveness of coping (Anderson, 1977; Bandura, 1977). On the basis of these findings, the following hypothesis is proposed: H7 WFC efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This is a fundamental area of study for both researchers and practitioners, as more and more female teachers struggle having to take up with multiple roles in life being a wife, a parent and even a caretaker of elderly parents aside from her teaching profession. Teachers are the main doers in the process of forming a community and students are the products of teachers educating efforts. Due to the above basis, there are three important research areas that need focus namely; theory, methodology and practicality. Firstly, from the theoretical viewpoint, less attention is devoted to examine how WFC and well-being are indirectly related to efficacy and RC. The studies by Frone (2003) called for the examination of personality dispositions as antecedents of WFC. The role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. Although many studies on WFC involved nurses, managers, clericals, doctors, lawyers and engineers there were not many studies related to work and family conflict in the teaching profession. According to Kinicki et al.s (1996) review, the basic proposition which states that environmental and personality variables influence the choice of coping strategies, has been generally supported by empirical research, but the relationships between coping strategies and outcomes are inconsistent. Research on coping should address both the effects of coping on appraisal and strain as well as vice versa (Harris, 1991). It is vital to note that this study focus on the relationships between religious coping and work-family conflict and well-being. Furthermore, knowing how women deal with the realities of their conflicts rather than how they feel about them seems particularly important. Therefore it is of great interest to get a deeper knowledge of the antecedents/predictors of the teachers work-family conflict. Secondly, is/from the methodological component/perspective. There are inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between WFC and well-being. Due to this reason, this study also investigates the direct and indirect relationships concurrently. Apart from that, this study also examines WFC efficacy as a predictor of WFC due to the inconclusive findings related to efficacy and stress. In the current study, the researcher examines work-family conflict efficacy that may play an important role as a predictor of WFC in increasing teachers well-being. Unfortunately, not much is known about the relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being in Malaysian studies. Thus, this study examines direct and indirect relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being. By using Structural Equation Modeling, the direct and indirect relationships can be simultaneously tested. To achieve this purpose, the data are analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analy sis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Additionally, there is only few research on WFC among teachers in the Malaysian population utilizing SEM. The result of the study would substantiate understanding about the phenomenon of work-family conflict in teacher population with the use of SEM. Thirdly, in practicality, it is important to study WFC and the psychological well-being of female school teachers. Studies has indicated that many teachers are incapable of juggling their professional and family roles effectively (Elbaz-Lubisch, 2002; Spencer, 1986). Teachers in Ackers study (1992) clearly thought that the combination roles of being a teacher and a mother were not at all convenient. Job satisfaction and teaching competence are important variables in regard to teachers continuity in the profession. For instance, studies by Certo and Fox (2002) indicated that job satisfaction in teaching was associated with aspects such as workplace conditions, administrative control, and organizational culture. It also touched on how teachers felt about their own competencies like teaching accomplishments and their general feelings coming to work. When teacher satisfaction was examined by Scott and Dinham (2003), they found that it was influenced by students achievement and personal e fficacy. Hence, it may be plausible to argue that a teachers well-being is influenced by job satisfaction and competence plus, reduced well-being associated with work may lead to stress that will in turn affect job performance. This study hopes to contribute to the importance of the relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being of female teachers. Work-family problems, if they are not effectively managed, will not only affect individuals and their families, but also adversely affect their employers and ultimately the society at large. Hence, the responsibility for developing and implementing effective ways to reduce work-family interference and increase development should be shared by organizations, individuals and their families, as well as policy-makers. This study may also assist the policy-makers and administrators to implement intervention strategies aimed at managing teachers WFC, if possible reducing their workload. Additionally, practitioners are interested in the extent to which various interventions like family-friendly policies and programs, and the supportiveness of the work-family culture would actually reduce employees work-family role conflict. They are also interested in how this can have significant impact on a number of work, family and personal outcomes, as mentioned above. Therefore, future research should be aimed at examining the effectiveness of such interventions. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY First, limiting the generalizability of current findings, even though the sample represents the organizations population, they were female. Secondly, the disadvantage of using a survey method is that it influence the willingness of individuals to respond accurately. Finally, the present study is clearly limited by the cross-sectional nature of the research. DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study focused only on married female secondary school teachers in the District of Hulu Langat in Selangor. This sample size was limited to only those who were in one district in one state. The researcher controlled the influence of participants marital status, number of children, working experience on WFC and level of institutions (secondary schools) that were expected to have high significant levels of conflict between work and family roles. The presence of children within the home has been identified as a factor that affects conflict. Regarding the influence children have on work and family conflict, research has suggested that FWC and WFC are exacerbated by the number of children living within the home (Kinnunen Mauno, 1998; Voydanoff, 1988). This research also included in-depth open-ended interviews to further explore the mechanisms that explain teachers WFC. DEFINITION OF THE OPERATIONAL KEY TERMS For the purpose of this study, the key terms or constructs under the study are operationally defined as follow, with some elaborations on the definitions. Work-Family Conflict Work-family conflict has been defined as a form of inter-role conflict in which pressures from work and family roles are incompatible (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985). For instance, when one devotes extra time and energy into one role, the other role is compromised. This study defines work-family conflict according to Netemeyer et al., (1996, p. 401) as a form of inter-role conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy Work-family conflict efficacy is defined as an individuals beliefs in her or his ability to manage work-family and family-work conflict (Cinamon, 2003). In this study, work-family conflict efficacy refers to the perceptions of self-efficacy to manage work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Self-efficacy was theoretically defined in this study as self-regulatory efficacy, which is a specific type of perceived self-efficacy. The given attainment in this study was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Bandura (1997) defined a specific type of self-efficacy, self-regulatory efficacy, as the ability to guide and motivate oneself to get things done that one knows how to do. The issue is not whether one can do them occasionally but whether one has the efficacy to get oneself to do them regularly in the face of varied dissuading (p.43). Religious Coping Various definitions of coping have been proposed, including coping as a psychoanalytic process; as a personal trait, style or disposition; as a description of situationally specific strategies; and as a process. In this study, coping in the context of religious approach is used. Thus, religious coping is defined as dealing with life effectively within the search for significance towards the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Religious coping includes a positive and negative religious/spiritual coping factor that reflects benevolent religious involvement in the search for significance and a negative factor that reflects religious struggle in coping. Well-being Kathryn Dianne (2009) argued that employee well-being consists of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and dispositional affect), workplace well-being (job satisfaction and work-related affect) and psychological well-being (self acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life and personal growth). In this study well-being refers to symptoms of psychological distress and job-family dissatisfaction. Symptoms of psychological distress Goldberg (1978) has identified symptoms of psychological distress through somatic and affective of distress. Job-Family Dissatisfaction Job-family dissatisfaction refers to a respondents perception of negative spillover from his or her work to family (Small Riley, 1990), for example the negative impact of a respondents work demands or stressors on her marital and parental roles. Mediator Mediators are intervening variables, which could explain why relationships exist. Mediation exists when an exogenous construct indirectly influences an endogenous construct via a third variable or construct. That is, the effect of a third variable or construct (mediator) intervenes between two other related constructs. In this study, work-family conflict functions as a mediator. SUMMARY Chapter one is organized into nine sections. The first section presents the background of the study, followed by the statement of problem and purpose of the study. To achieve the purpose of the study, several research questions have been formulated and explained more on the conceptual framework part, a set of relationships (work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping, work-family conflict and well-being) in a path diagram is depicted. Sixth, on the basis of

Use of Insanity and Madness in Hamlet Essays -- Literary Analysis, Sha

It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? I’m not saying Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is â€Å"a permanent disorder of the mind.† I don't think Hamlet had a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway. Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane. Hamlet is so grieved by his father's death that he begins to think of suicide. â€Å"O,tht this too too soid flesh would melt thaw and resolve itelf into a dew!† (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 129-130). Hamlet's next thought to be mad when he begins to follow the ghost. Horatio attempts to tell Hamlet not to follow the ghost, Horatio questions him to about what might happen if the ghost â€Å"assume some other horrible form Which might deprive your sovereignth of reason. And draw you into madness†(Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 72-74)? Throughout the play Hamlet seems to act insane then sane again. His comment to his friends best describes his madness when he says, â€Å"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from handsaw† (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 378-379). Hamlet is insane only when he thinks it is best for him to be insane. He uses his insanity as a way to vent his feelings toward others in the play. Hamlet’s display of insanity allows him to prove that Claudius did in face murder his father. After seein... ...s 319-326). Hamlet leaves his final words to Horatio. He tells him that he leaves behind a story unknown, and that he would like him to give up his happiness until the pain is gone and the story is told. In summary, I do not think that hamlet was insane. I think he had every right to be mad and upset at everyone who done him wrong. He should not have held all of his feelings inside. If I had been Hamlet, I had been mad and wanted to avenge my father's death also. If he had been insane he would not have done all the things that he'd managed to do. It was a pretty smart plan that Hamlet had created, and it almost work, if everyone didn't die at the end. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print

Management Accounting and Financial Accounting Essay

The differences between management accounting and financial accounting include:[1] 1. Management accounting provides information to people within an organization while financial accounting is mainly for those outside it, such as shareholders 2. Financial accounting is required by law while management accounting is not. Specific standards and formats may be required for statutory accounts such as in the I.A.S International Accounting Standard within Europe. 3. Financial accounting covers the entire organization while management accounting may be concerned with particular products or cost centres. Managerial accounting is used primarily by those within a company or organization. Reports can be generated for any period of time such as daily, weekly or monthly. Reports are considered to be â€Å"future looking† and have forecasting value to those within the company. Financial accounting is used primarily by those outside of a company or organization. Financial reports are usually created for a set period of time, such as a fiscal year or period. Financial reports are historically factual and have predictive value to those who wish to make financial decisions or investments in a company. Management Accounting is the branch of Accounting that deals primarily with confidential financial reports for the exclusive use of top management within an organization. These reports are prepared utilizing scientific and statistical methods to arrive at certain monetary values which are then used for decision making. Such reports may include: * Sales Forecasting reports * Budget analysis and comparative analysis * Feasibility studies * Merger and consolidation reports Financial Accounting, on the other hand, concentrates on the production of financial reports, including the basic reporting requirements of profitability, liquidity, solvency and stability. Reports of this nature can be accessed by internal and external users such as the shareholders, the banks and the creditors.

Correspondence

It was a pleasure to meet you at the convention for trial attorneys In New York last week. In addition to the interesting program highlights of the regular sessions, the informal discussions with people like you are an added plus at these meetings. Your contribution to the program was very beneficial and highly Informative.You may recall that I had Just been appointed by the court to defend a woman here n Providence who has been charged with embezzling large sums of money from her previous employer. The defendant had been employed at a large department store for more than 25 years. Because of her valuable years of experience In accounting with the store, she was In charge of accounts receivable at the store. Her previous employer, the plaintiff In the case, claims that she embezzled $18,634 three years ago, $39,072 two years ago, and $27,045 last year.You mentioned that you had represented defendants In similar cases In previous years. Your assistance would be Invaluable as I prepare for this defense. If you are willing to lend your professional expertise In this case, here Is what Is needed: 1 . Within the next week, send the appropriate citations for all similar trials In which you participated. 2. Provide any other case citations that you think might be helpful In this case. 3. Meet with me In approximately two weeks for a case consultation.At hat time we can discuss compensation for your work on this matter. A copy of the formal complaint Is enclosed for your review. I will call you In about a week to arrange a time and place for our meeting. Please let me know If there Is additional Information that would be helpful In preparing for this case. Of experience will be invaluable.

Rockets essays

Rockets essays What goes up must come down. This has been the focus of millions of people fascinated with overcoming this power we call gravity. They do this with rockets. Just like Gemini, Mercury and Apollo, hundreds of thousands of Americans engage in a weekenders activity: model rocketry. From 200 to 2000 feet, low power rocketry is a hobby anyone can start on. My search for information in the subject of rocketry took me to many different forms of media. Newspapers, magazines, books, interviews, and last but certainly not least, the all powerful (and sometimes frustrating) Internet. The first place I started looking (or should I say finding) was the library. Actually, this is where I got my idea. I saw a book on rocketry. Then I went online. The Internet was the focal point of my success. You see, besides WebPages I also found magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and even a T.V transcript. My interview was on the Internet and it worked out very well. I got a lot of information using the Internet. Rockets were invented in ancient china. They used black powder (gunpowder) and bamboo tubes. Though they were unpredictable and inefficient. Nowadays they are as available as model cars. You are able to buy them in virtually every state. You have a variety of choices. Estes, Aerotech and Quest are all leading manufacturers in model rockets. With so much variety its hard to find a reason not to get into the hobby. I guess I should start out with telling you what a rocket is. According to Webster, a rocket is as follows: rocket , n. 1. A projectile consisting of a cylinder filled with a combustible substance which when ignited produces gases that escape through a vent in the rear and drive their container forward by the principle of reaction. Rockets are used as fireworks, signals, and weapons; in WWII rocket bombs proved to be effective military weapons. Sounds like a mouthful but ill try to simplify. You see whe...

The Spider and the Fly Essay Example

The Spider and the Fly Essay Example The Spider and the Fly Paper The Spider and the Fly Paper Essay Topic: Poetry In the famous poem The Spider and the Fly written in 1829, Mary Howitt writes of a spider who cunningly persuades a fly to visit his parlor through flattery and carefully chosen words. The fly at first resists, but eventually falls prey to vanity, and, when the spider has disappeared, flutters Into the parlor, only to be pounced upon and devoured for dinner. On the literal level, the spider uses meiosis to tranquilize the flys fears of the web, and all its implications (flrst and foremost: inevitable doom). By simply referring to it as a parlour the spider is able to negate all the negative onnotations of a spiders web, and the actual ramifications of entering such a web: death. A web is where a spider kills and feasts upon its prey, but through meiosis the spider replaces web with parlour, which simply is a place while people drink- thereby not specifying who will be drinking (the spider) and what hell be drinking (the spiders blood). Understanding the cultural and historical context is the single most important factor in determining the underlying meaning of this poem. Critical analysis Seths poem Is In the form of a story narrative; a parable that seeks to teach as It peaks. The frog Is an unmusical fellow, who nevertheless sings through the night causing his neighbours a lot of discomfort. He refuses to be cowed by any form of restraint and remains the neighbourhood bully. When the nightingale astounds everybody with her beautiful voice, ther frog found himself jealous and upset with her presence and he set about systematically eliminating his rival through a sinister plot. Her realises that she has no notion of her abilities. He makes use of that. He makes her believe that he is a maestro and a music critic. He keeps putting her abilities down. He drives her relentlessly and makes money off her as her tutor as well as from people who wish to listen to her. Soon she breaks down and dies and the frog rules the roost again. The bog once again echoes with the unmusical croaks of the frog. The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published In 1829. The first line of the poem is Will you walk Into my parlor? said the Spider to the Fly. The story tells of a cunning Spider who ensnares a naive Fly through the use of seduction and flattery. The poem is a cautionary tale against those who use flattery and charm as a front for potential evil. the poem concerns a very eloquent spider trying to entire a beautiful fly into his manor. The artwork is very detailed and in a simple black and white scheme. The poem itself is very straightforward and the rhyming pattern is very catchy which. The conflict is between the Spider and the Fly but has a deeper understanding and moral to that. The moral of the tale is that not everyone who flatters and acts friendly really is. Sometimes the very worst things in ife lurk beneath pretty, flowery words. The spiders cunningness stands contrasted with the Innocence of the fly, but the spider succeeds only because the fly Is prone to flattery and Is gullible. Assay By shbhmasthana In the famous poem The Spider and the Fly written in 1829, Mary Howitt writes of a spider has disappeared, flutters into the parlor, only to be pounced upon and flys fears of the web, and all its implications (first and foremost: inevitable doom). By not specifying who will be drinking (the spider) and what hell be drinking (the Seths poem is in the form of a story narrative; a parable that seeks to teach as it speaks. The frog is an unmusical fellow, who nevertheless sings through the night everybody with her beautiful voice, ther frog found himself Jealous and upset with of the frog. The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published in 1829. The first line of the poem is Will you walk into my parlor? said the Spider to with the innocence of the fly, but the spider succeeds only because the fly is prone to flattery and is gullible.

Race Relations and the Olympic Games

Race Relations and the Olympic Games Given that competitors from across the globe compete in the Olympic Games, it’s no surprise that racial tensions will flare on occasion. Athletes in the 2012 Olympic Games in London sparked controversy by making racial jabs about people of color online. Fans set off scandals as well by taking to Twitter to lob xenophobic insults at players from rival countries. And the International Olympic Committee itself was accused of anti-Semitism for not honoring the Israeli athletes killed by terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games with a moment of silence during opening ceremonies 40 years later. This roundup of racial controversies linked to the 2012 Olympics reveals the state of global race relations and how much progress the world needs to make in order for all people- athletes and otherwise- to be considered equals. No Moment of Silence for Victims of Munich Massacre During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September killed 11 Israeli competitors after taking them hostage. The survivors of those killed asked the International Olympic Committee to have a moment of silence for the slain athletes during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Munich Massacre. The IOC refused, leading the family members of the victims to accuse Olympic officials of anti-Semitism. Ankie Spitzer, the wife of the late fencing coach Andre Spitzer, remarked, â€Å"Shame on the IOC because you have forsaken the 11 members of your Olympic family. You are discriminating against them because they are Israelis and Jews,† she said. Ilana Romano, widow of weightlifter Yossef Romano, agreed. She said that IOC president Jacques Rogge told her during a meeting that it was difficult to answer whether or not the IOC would have approved a moment of silence for the murdered athletes had they not been Israelis. â€Å"One could feel the discrimination in the air,† she said. European Athletes Make Racist Remarks on Twitter Before Greek triple jump athlete Paraskevi â€Å"Voula† Papahristou even had a chance to compete in the Olympics, she was kicked off her country’s team. Why? Papahristou sent out a tweet disparaging Africans in Greece. On July 22, she wrote in Greek, â€Å"With so many Africans in Greece, at least the mosquitoes of West Nile will eat homemade food.† Her message was re-tweeted more than 100 times and the 23-year-old quickly faced an angry backlash. After the scandal she apologized, â€Å"I would like to express my heartfelt apologies for the unfortunate and tasteless joke I published on my personal Twitter account,† she said. â€Å"I am very sorry and ashamed for the negative responses I triggered, since I never wanted to offend anyone, or to encroach human rights.† Papahristou wasn’t the only Olympic athlete penalized for being racially insensitive on Twitter. Soccer player Michel Morganella was booted off the Swiss team after he referred to South Koreans as a â€Å"bunch of Mongoloids† on the social networking site. He made the race-based jab after South Korea beat the Swiss team in soccer on July 29. Gian Gilli, head of the Swiss Olympic delegation, explained in a statement that Morganella was removed from the team for having â€Å"said something insulting and discriminatory† about his South Korean rivals. â€Å"We condemn these remarks,† Gilli stated. Was Monkey Gymnast Commercial a Swipe at Gabby Douglas? After 16-year-old Gabby Douglas became the first black gymnast to win the gold medal for the women’s all-around in the sport, NBC sportscaster Bob Costas remarked, â€Å"There are some African-American girls out there who tonight are saying to themselves: ‘Hey, I’d like to try that too.’† Shortly after Douglas’ image appeared during Costas’ commentary on NBC, the network that broadcast the Olympics in the U.S., a commercial for new sitcom â€Å"Animal Practice† featuring a monkey gymnast aired. Many viewers felt that the monkey gymnast was somehow a racial jab at Douglas, since she’s black and racists historically likened African Americans to monkeys and apes. The network apologized in light of a torrent of negative feedback from viewers. It said the commercial was simply a case of bad timing and that the â€Å"Animal Practice† advertisement didn’t aim to offend anyone. For the fourth time in a row, the U.S. women’s soccer team took home the gold medal. They surged to the top during the London Olympics by defeating the Japanese women’s soccer team. After their 2-1 victory, fans took to Twitter not simply to rejoice but also to make racially tinged remarks about the Japanese. â€Å"This ones for Pearl Harbor you Japs,† wrote one tweeter. Many others tweeted similar comments. Discussing the controversy, Brian Floyd of the website SB Nation begged such tweeters to stop posting racially insensitive comments. â€Å"That wasn’t for Pearl Harbor,† he wrote. â€Å"It was a†¦soccer game. Please, for the love of everything, stop doing this, guys. It doesn’t reflect well on any of us. Stop being awful.† â€Å"Exotic Beauty† Lolo Jones Dominates Track and Field Media Coverage Sprinter Lolo Jones wasn’t the top track and field star to represent the United States during the Olympic Games, prompting fellow American runners as well as New York Times writer Jere Longman to point out that Jones garnered a disproportionate amount of media coverage. Why was Jones reported on more than American runners such as Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells? Those women came in at second and third place, respectively, in the women’s 100 meter hurdle, while Jones came in fourth. Longman of the Times says that the biracial Jones has capitalized on her â€Å"exotic beauty† to compensate for her shortcomings as an athlete. Danielle Belton of Clutch magazine said that members of the mostly white and male news media gravitate toward Jones because, â€Å"What is of interest [to] them is a pretty girl, preferably white or as close as you can get to it, who can also do ‘sports.’† Colorism, Belton said, is why the media largely overlooked darker-skinne d runners Harper and Wells to cover Jones.

Clinical Immunology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clinical Immunology - Essay Example On the other hand clinical immunology is the branch which is more important in applied medicine because it deals with those diseases which come into being due to malfunctioning of the immune system. Malfunctioning can be due to dysfunctional immune system or due to any abnormal malignant growth in the cells of immune system. The value of immunological mechanism in pathogenesis and transmission of disease is reflected in the context of prophylactic immunization or the therapeutic manipulation of immune response. These intellectual and practical considerations have created a pathway to establishment of new discipline called clinical immunology (Denman, 1981 pg.277). The diseases which cause malfunctioning of the immune system fall into two subtypes which are the autoimmune diseases and the immunodeficiency diseases. Autoimmune diseases are the ones in which our defensive immune system starts attacking are own body. Best known examples of autoimmune diseases are myasthenia gravis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis. Immunodeficiency diseases occur when the system cannot give proper response after foreign insult. Chronic granulomatous diseases are common immunodeficiency diseases. The most common and lethal immunodeficiency disorder is AIDS. Human immunodeficiency virus affects the body of the affected individual and starts competing with the normal cells of the body (Stern, 1981 pg.206). Another modern intervention the field of clinical immunology is dealing with is transplant rejection. Clinical immunologists work day in and day out to prevent transplant rejections which may occur if the host’s body rejects the tissu e that is being transplanted (Murphy, Porett and Turka, 2011 pg.39). Our immune system is our very own army. Its two arms, acquired and inate provide us with protection against internal and external insults. These insults can be lethal. With

I have to write a research paper on the evolution of crying

I have to write a on the evolution of crying - Research Paper Example It is the hope of this author that such an analysis will provide the reader with a greater understanding of human emotional/evolutionary responses as well as the means by which such responses are understood, translated, and acted upon by individuals. Naturally, an evolutionary understanding of the process of crying necessarily requires both a biological, physiological, psychological, and sociological approach. Accordingly, each of these approaches will be analyzed at some length been the preceding analysis. Likewise, in addition to analyzing Charles Darwin and his theories put forward in The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals, current research within the past seven years on the topic will also be heavily relied upon in order to draw a level of inference an understanding on to the subject matter at hand. As with many forms of scientific analysis that seek to draw inference with regards to the early evolution of mankind, it is not always possible to draw directly upon the extant /hard evidence in order to prove the complexities surrounding such a level of emotional and survival – linked behavior. Rather, it is necessary to draw upon current evidence and help to link it to the needs based approach that has so often been proven to exist with regards to the biological process of evolution. ... Said Darwin in The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals, â€Å"The primary function of the secretion of tears, with some mucus, is to lubricate the surface of the eye, and a secondary one, as some believe, is to keep the nostrils damp, so that the inhaled air may be moist, and likewise to favorites power of smelling. But another, and at least equally important function of tears is to wash out particles of dust or other minute objects which make it into the eyes† (Darwin, 2007). From such an observation, the reader can easily determine that although Darwin was cognizant of the fact that human tears were an exhibition that was unique within the animal kingdom, he did not seem to place a very high-value on the way in which the emotional excretion of tears was important or relevant to the evolutionary process itself (Coulson, 2011). Naturally, such an oversight simplifies the expression of tears and calls into question why humans have developed such a response in such stark c ontrast to the other members of the animal kingdom. Ultimately, Darwin does not provide a reasonable rationale for this and such a question has been left up to more recent evolutionary research on to this topic. Although will not be the express purpose of this analysis to analyze other evolutionary interpretations, it must be understood that prior to the last 15 to 20 years, almost all evolutionary explanations surrounding human crying were concentric upon trying to define it as a necessary biological function that helps to lubricate mucous membranes, expunge the body of toxins, or other non-emotional or impact that can definitions and understandings of such an exhibition. However, recent research has helped to broaden the understanding and

Two years of a foreign language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Two years of a foreign language - Essay Example Learning foreign languages helps the students to get knowledge from the other countries, as they can read various materials written in different languages (Ircsd.org n.p). Such materials are in books, articles, and films that help them learn about other cultures and understand the world. Knowledge of other peoples’ cultures helps one to expand the horizons and be a responsible citizen. The students get to learn about grammar rules in various languages of the world, which help them in their cognitive process. A second language is important for the students who enjoy travelling, as it helps them to be more open-minded and social. Students who know more than one language can learn about other countries history and the current affairs of those countries compared to those who take only one language (Ircsd.org n.p). Taking at least two years in studying a foreign language by high school and college students is important as a way of promoting knowledge and enhancing communication amo ng the students. Students who study a second language in high school and college have greater chances of getting good jobs in reputable organizations compared to those who do not as noted in Ircsd.org in (n.p). After graduation, all graduates aim at securing a good job before furthering their studies. Due to the worlds integration and communication, proficiency in foreign language, especially English among other language-speaking people is of great importance in securing good jobs in international organizations. Most of the companies that advertise jobs cite a second language as an added advantage for candidates interested in those posts. Living in a foreign country can pose a challenge if one does not know the official language of that country; hence, students should do a foreign language during their high school and college level studies. Studying a foreign language by

District School and School Boundary Research Paper

District School and School Boundary - Research Paper Example Some schools or districts use an alternative term for this category and usually refer to it as intermediary school or junior high school. Junior high schools usually refer to schools that engulfs grade seven through nine, while intermediate schools cover grades three through five or sometimes when these grades are separated from elementary schools. Finally, the high school category that includes grades nine through twelve. Sometimes it may incorporate grade seven and above. There are numerous cases where high school covers only grades ten to twelve, and this category is sometimes regarded as senior high school. All categories of the schools that have been discussed herein are responsible for the management of district schools. Public schools are public learning institutions that are managed by school districts that are independently instituted dependent school systems or special purpose governments. These management systems are controlled and closely governed by local and state gover nment (Suzanne and O'Neill, 2007). Notably, district schools are never interfered with by the nation’s politic since they are legally independent body corporate and politic (Daniel and Aladjem, 2006). District learning institutions or the district schools are regarded as local government that have the same mandates and powers as those of a county or township that include eminent domain and taxation. However, the Virginia district divisions have taxing system within its district authority; thus, depends it must seek aid of other local governments including city, county, or town authorities for funding the school. The district school governing body is typically elected through the direct voting system. Nonetheless, the entire governing organ can be appointed by officials within the government (Suzanne and O'Neill, 2007). The district school governing body also known as stakeholders include school board, board of education, board of trustees, school committee, local school board s, district leaders, district accountability committee, school leaders, and school accountability committee. The superintendent is appointed by this body. Normally, an experienced pubic school administrator is appointed in the position of the superintendent. The superintendent’s functions are likened to those of districts chief executive. That is carrying and executing everyday’s decision making and implementing the institutions policies and strategies. Additionally, the school board may be mandated with responsibility such as quasi-judicial functions in matters relating to a serious student or employee discipline matters (Tierney and Fairchild, 2011). All the stakeholders within the school system have varies responsibilities; thus, they are expected to be accountable and supportive along their lines of duty. Other than the mentioned above, the district school stakeholders also include the parents (Suzanne and O'Neill, 2007). Every stakeholder has its own different con tribution to the school success. The Education Department is responsible for ensuring that high-quality information is provided to varied stakeholders including the students, especially concerning the school and district performance. This department is mandated to evaluating the performance of each and every public school, districts, and states applying the already stipulated set of common academic performance indicators (Tierney and

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C Essay

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C - Essay Example â€Å"A virtual organization is a group of individuals whose members and resources may be dispersed geographically and institutionally, yet who function as coherent unit through the use of cyber infrastructure (CI)† (Beyond Being There p.3) This paper tends to discuss the multifaceted effects of virtual organizations in business, organizational structure, and career. Tremendous changes have been visible in the area of organizational management for the past few decades. Unlike traditional organizations, modern companies are able to store every valuable data in their specially designed software. This information system is highly integrated with the enterprise planning (ERP) of a company. Technological advancement has enabled business operators to focus more on the advantages of outsourcing. It enables them to reduce labor cost and time for the accomplishment of intended tasks. Coordinated resource/knowledge sharing is the main facet of virtual organization. Not only VOs but also many of the traditional organizations also take advantage of the broad information technology to strengthen the area of their service. Technology helps big organizations to collaborate and coordinate their resources and people from all around the globe. Computer and computer-based communication facilities are the inevitable requirement for virtual management. Cyber infrast ructure helps organizations to integrate the whole system and enable easy access to resources and information. According to the writers, â€Å"VOs enable system-level science, facilitate access to resources, enhance problem-solving processes, and are a key to national economic and scientific competitiveness.† (Beyond Being There p.5). Virtual Organizations primarily have document processors for storing organizational data. It ensures instant access to organization’s HR information. This is normally known as Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which is highly useful in HR

Critically examine and compare the elitist, pluralist and the Marxist Assignment

Critically examine and compare the elitist, pluralist and the Marxist theories of the state. Pick a position and argue which theory you think best depicts the reality power of political power as is - Assignment Example In this case, the state is as a result is not subjugated by one class- the ruling class or the bourgeoisie- as seen in the Marxist theory. According to Dunleavy & OLeary (2000), the state is influenced by varying factors, and the interests of the existing groups in the society can be effortlessly attained. In addition, the centers of power according to the Pluralists are not centered on one sphere, and that monopoly of power does not exist in a Pluralist state. In as much the ruling class is seemingly strong and powerful, they have no complete control over the working class, and that the rulers are allowed to come up with labor unions that are strong and vocal to champion for the rights of the proletariats. In turn, the working class is able to exert their influence on the capitalists as evident in the work of Dunleavy & OLeary (2000). Modernity, according to the Pluralists, is the ability of one class not exerting their influence on the weak/ ruled in the society (Dunleavy & OLeary, 2000). In such a case, Shively (2002) indicates that the interests of various social groupings in the society are met and fulfilled by the rulers. Trade unions are for that reason functional and can exert considerable influence on the ruling class. As seen in the work compiled by Garner, Ferdinand & Lawson (2012), the Marxist theory indicates that the ruling group in the social order determines and controls power. The bourgeoisie, commonly known as the ruling class, majorly depends on the levies that are imposed on the proletariats- the ruled. On a lighter note, it is palpable that in some states the bourgeoisie have power over the media; thus, making it easier for the rulers to control what is aired and conveyed to the ruled (Garner, Ferdinand & Lawson, 2012). Conversely, this creates a situation whereby the rulers benefit from continuity in power at the expense of the ‘holders of the state.’ Garner, Ferdinand & Lawson (2012) emphasize that the bourgeoisie class

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C Essay

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C - Essay Example â€Å"A virtual organization is a group of individuals whose members and resources may be dispersed geographically and institutionally, yet who function as coherent unit through the use of cyber infrastructure (CI)† (Beyond Being There p.3) This paper tends to discuss the multifaceted effects of virtual organizations in business, organizational structure, and career. Tremendous changes have been visible in the area of organizational management for the past few decades. Unlike traditional organizations, modern companies are able to store every valuable data in their specially designed software. This information system is highly integrated with the enterprise planning (ERP) of a company. Technological advancement has enabled business operators to focus more on the advantages of outsourcing. It enables them to reduce labor cost and time for the accomplishment of intended tasks. Coordinated resource/knowledge sharing is the main facet of virtual organization. Not only VOs but also many of the traditional organizations also take advantage of the broad information technology to strengthen the area of their service. Technology helps big organizations to collaborate and coordinate their resources and people from all around the globe. Computer and computer-based communication facilities are the inevitable requirement for virtual management. Cyber infrast ructure helps organizations to integrate the whole system and enable easy access to resources and information. According to the writers, â€Å"VOs enable system-level science, facilitate access to resources, enhance problem-solving processes, and are a key to national economic and scientific competitiveness.† (Beyond Being There p.5). Virtual Organizations primarily have document processors for storing organizational data. It ensures instant access to organization’s HR information. This is normally known as Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which is highly useful in HR

See the order instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

See the order instructions - Essay Example The overall gothic theme as presented in the movie is about a women Emily who receives a great deal of fortune as her father dies. Emily did not have the right to select the husband for herself because she was wealthy and needed to marry someone who is worth it. As a result, she murders the man she loved and ultimately presents a gothic element (Danticat). Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates is binded by the suspence through myster as a gothic element. This is prevalent throughout the story leaving the readers as astonished. Finally, New York Day Woman? by Edwidge Danticat is amazingly written gothic story which is not just limited to suspense and mystery but it includes horrific species through realism as a pattern (Danticat). The common factors among all these three chosen texts for the paper were the degree of intensity of mystery, suspense and growth of the character as a complex one. The elements have rather been chosen to help the readers to enjoy the gothic genre of

Maintenance And Redevelopment Of Aged Public Housing Estate Construction Essay

Maintenance And Redevelopment Of Aged Public Housing Estate Construction Essay Since the fire in Shek Kip Mei on 25 December 1953 that made 53,000 people homeless, due to the shantytowns of the China immigrants were destroyed. As the population growth of Hong Kong is very fast from the five decades ago due to the immigrants and birthrate. At present, Hong Kong Government is facing the problem of density populated. For this reason, Hong Kong Government assigns Hong Kong Housing Authority to develop public housing program of multi story building for immigrants to living there. Therefore, Hong Kong Housing Authority has been turn into the biggest public housing developer and the single proprietor in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the housing condition and the practicability is the important consideration of the district, because the main concept of public housing is satisfy the basic and real need of townspeople, who cannot afford the private housing requirement. Nowadays, there are many public housing estate are out of the current standard and outmoded owing to the time is elapse. So, Hong Kong Housing Authority launches the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme to make an improvement of living quality to the tenant that living in old public housing estate, there are 566 target block about 231,403 flats which was built before 1973 are demolished and the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme was completed in January 2010. Otherwise, the Housing Authority carry out the Total Maintenance Scheme in 2006 approximately covering 600,000 flats, the Housing Authority article showing that the main concept of this scheme is Proactive and comprehensive approach to identify maintenance problems, then Prompt response to emergencies and tenants requests, finally, Enhanced promotional and educational programmes to improve the maintenance quality and service in public housing estate and enhance the quality of living environment to the tenant. At this moment in this time, Hong Kong Housing Authority had made two different programme which are maintenance and redevelopment in different period to enhance the living quality of public housing estate. Building maintenance is a method to sustainable of keeping and enhances the function of facilities of aged public housing. Redevelopment is a method that demolish the outmoded building and redevelopment, it is very complicated, because there are many factors are contained, (e.g. psychology affect of tenant, use of time, cost of finance, availability of the land). For this reason, the purpose of this study is research the benefit and disadvantage of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing, express the different and difficulties to precede the redevelopment and maintenance and bring up my recommendation that base on the opinion of public and the feasibility study on the actually condition for the future building management for Hong Kong, . Introduction In this study, I will first provide some background information of aged public housing in Hong Kong. Then, I will present a clear conceptual background of maintenance and redevelopment, such as the definition of maintenance and redevelopment, and critically review the condition of aged public housing in Hong Kong. Then, I will evaluate and examine the intention of government policy for choice between maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing, in order to make the best decision between adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing in Hong Kong. In addition, I will outline and discuss the factors contributing to the decision. Besides, I will mainly focus on three factors, economic, environment and structural safety. And, I will then outline the advantages and disadvantages of maintenance and redevelopment, which can affect the decision between adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing. Finally, I will summarize the factors which can affect the decision making and provide some recommendations for the future decision making and redevelopment for public housing estate. Aims and Objective The aim of this dissertation is to review and evaluate the decision for the old public building between maintenance and redevelopment of Hong Kong. Objective: A historical review the background of public housing in Hong Kong. A literature reviews the definition of maintenance and redevelopment and compares the factor which determines the decision between redevelopment and maintenance. Carry out research and interview with selected target building and group. Selection of public building for case study. A critical data analysis and information based on the conclusion drawn from all review and research. Conclusion and recommendation based on the critical analysis and result of the research. History of public housing in Hong Kong The appearance of public housing in Hong Kong mainly due to the fire in Shek Kip Mei on 25 December 1953, the fire destroyed the makeshift homes of refugees from Mainland China, leaving 53,000 people homeless. After the fire, and facing a surge of immigrant population, then the government launched a public housing program to introduce the idea of multi story building for the immigrant population living there, thus commencing a programme of mass public housing, providing affordable homes for those on low incomes. Some scholars have argued that the government has been overstating the role of the fire in the history of public housing in Hong Kong. Nowadays, public housing facility is the weightiest position of the society. Public housing estate major provided a home for peoples who cant afford the private accommodation in real need, because the rates of public housing are really lower than private housing. At present, there are 169 public housing estate (about 656,000 public rental flats and residence around 2.2 million people) under the Housing Authoritys (HA) management scope. Research methodology and significant of study Research is a process, which is the way to get the answer and question to hypothesis in different way of this study and support the conclusion from information of the research. Furthermore, methodology is use for prove the truth of the assumption, the methodology that is choose from literature review (e.g. news, article, journal, book) and investigation for target person (e.g. group interview, individual interview, questionnaire). Chapter outline Chapter one is the Introduction of this study, in this part, the history of Honk Kong public housing estate is introduced first, then define the main focus of this study clearly and explain the source of information about this study. Therefore, a clear concept of this study provided for the reader from this chapter. Chapter two is the Literature Review, in this chapter, the definition and characteristic of maintenance and redevelopment are identify by literature or article or journal, after that, the factor of influence that between maintenance and redevelopment is recognize base on the concept findings of maintenance and redevelopment, the important information from the article or journal are recap and compare the data on the most relevant. Chapter Three is the Methodology, in this part is to make a critical review on the decision for the old public building between maintenance and redevelopment of Hong Kong. The methodology consists of a literature review, followed by questionnaire survey and the subsequent interview. The conclusion from the analysis of the results of questionnaire and interview surveys would be served as a ground for formulating the recommendations. Chapter Four is the Findings and Data Analysis, in this part all information and data that collected would be organized in this chapter and detailed discussion and analysis would be presented from the interview and the questionnaire. Chapter Five is the Conclusion and Recommendations, in this chapter, final conclusion and recommendations will be made based on the discussion, collected information and analysis made in Chapter three and four. Literature review Definition of Maintenance According to British Standard 8210 defined maintenance as the combination of all technical and administrative action intended to retain an item in, or restore it to, a state in which it can perform its required function. And the previous version of British Standard (BS 3811: 1964) stated that maintenance as a combination of any actions carried out to retain an item, or restore it to, an acceptable condition. There are few components are identified from the above definition. According to the British Standard stated that Action not only related to the physical execution of maintenance work, also concerned with its initiation, financing and organization. The notion of an acceptable condition, which implies and understanding of the requirement for the effective usage of the building and its parts, which in turn compels broader consideration of building performance, Chartered of Institute of Building offer the followings definition of maintenance: Works undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility, e.g. every part of building, its services and surrounds, to an agreed standard, determined by the balance between need and available resources. The committee on Building Maintenance recommended the adoption of the followings: Definition of maintenance: Work undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility e.g. every part of building, its services and surrounds to a currently acceptable standard and to sustain the utility and value of the facility. Proper maintenance can extend the useful life of a building substantially. Renovation of old buildings is sometimes a viable alternative to redevelopment as it causes much less disruption to the affected residents. It can also improve the environment and reduce the need for urban renewal from the Planning environment and Lands Branch, 1996 British standard (BS 3811: 1984) classified maintenance as three parts as follow, i. Planned maintenance; described as organized maintenance and carried out with forethought, control, and the use of records to predetermined plan. ii. Preventive maintenance, it is carried out at predetermined or to other prescribed criteria and intended to reduce the likelihood of an item not meeting an acceptable condition. iii. Running maintenance, which can be carried out whilst an item is in service. Definition of Redevelopment Redevelopment means that the society shall demolish and redevelop the old dilapidated building with poor living condition into a productive and desirable use in order to utilize the land resources. Hong Kong Housing Authority described that the redevelopment and clearance aims to improve the living standard for residents in older estates and to ensure that facilities and benefits do not lag too far behind the newer estates. The opinion focuses on demolishing old and dilapidated buildings which providing poor living conditions and improving living conditions by assembling large pieces of land for comprehensive planning and the restructuring of the community through providing better and appropriate community facilities and open space. (P.K. Kam 2002) Housing Authority stated that the land use within the community, new opportunities may be identified which may lead to better planning and development within the district, including opportunities for housing. (HKHA) Redevelopment as an effective means to comprehensively revamp an old area by upgrading the street design and the community amenities as well as to better utilize the in shortage supply of land resources. (Urban Renewal Authority) Comprehensive housing renewal can provide greater open space and community facilities. Typical objective include: suitable re-housing; increased amenities; community preservation architectural conservation and fiscal outcomes, among others that base on Couch 1990, Rapkin 1980 Factors which Determining the Decision between Redevelopment and Maintenance The reason for redevelopment mainly as the following: Replacement of whole elements of components When the whole elements of components are functionally unsatisfactory; incur high maintenance or running costs and aesthetically unacceptable (Lee Maintenance Management), the components will be redeveloped. 2. Design constraints, lack of amenities Since, the publics expectation for improving the standard of living environment is rising. A redeveloped component will provide a better living environment to the residents. Areas concern such as to improve the condition, value and life span of public housing assets, enhance local communities and support the local construction industry. 3. Maximize the usage of land Redevelop a component not only can increase the efficiency of land usage, but also provide a better integration of transportation and commercial facilities and the provision of new district facilities. 4. Change of plot ratio Plot ratio control was under the Building Ordinance is a device used by planning authorities, to restrict the amount of floor space provided in new building in relation to their site area. The population grows at (the rate of population growth is roughly one million per decade in Hong Kong) roughly a million every decade in Hong Kong. With limited land resources, further increase in density in high of housing development is inevitable. In addition, provide more occupancy ratio, the occupancy ratio of 2.23sq m per person that had been established in the 1950s and changed over time to 4.25sq m per person in the 1980s, up to date, the current occupancy ratio stands at 7 sq m per person. Economy The large assembly of land through the Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) comcept has two major benefits from the planners point of view, Booth (1996) and Listokin (1974); Waver and Blabcock (1979); all cited by Tse (2001) The CDA sites can achieve the maximum plot ratio; It can achieve a better designed layout and block disposition and provide adequate communal facilities for the development. structural and building safety American Planning Association elaborated that the building in which it is unsafe for persons and unhealthy to live or work due to dilapidation; deterioration; defective design or physical construction; inadequate utilities; lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities contamination by hazardous substances and redevelopment might be considered. The reasons for maintenance mainly as the following: 1. Environmental impact Environmental impacts arising from the demolition, construction and operation of the redevelopment project and related activities, therefore the environmental impact of maintenance works are much better to avoid and minimize the potential environmental impacts to the public. 2. Long time for the completion of new estates The total lead-time for the completion of new estates is about 4 years including: planning, design, tendering and construction. 3. Lower operation and maintenance cost in the long run Preventive maintenance concept has developed in Housing Authority. In view of the fact that regular repair and maintenance cannot fundamentally solve the problems arising from ageing, such as water seepage in the balcony, rusting of water pipes, wear and tear of concrete, etc. the Housing Department is exploring ways to upgrade or maintain aged estates comprehensively in order to improve tenants living environment Building rehabilitation is one of the options being explored in dealing with aged estates. 4. High construction costs are not cost-effective Tight budget of Housing Authority incurring such high construction costs is not cost-effective and will also affect the environment during construction stage. Advantages of redevelopment There are several benefits for the Housing Authority during redevelopment First of all, the rationalization of land use and the opportunity for increasing housing production, particularly for Housing Authority redevelopment site where boundaries may be modified to optimize development intensity. The ability to bring in other resources to facilitate redevelopment of existing public housing estates, including the private sector and other quasi-government agencies. This could enable some older estates to be redeveloped for higher and more productive uses that would otherwise remain for a long time due to a lack of suitable reception housing. One of the benefits is that the improvement to the physical conditions of the area that would benefit existing public housing residents and at the sme time enhances the attractiveness and desirability of Housing Authority developments. Besides, the grater diversity of land use and type of developments will assist in improving the secio-economic mix in the area and provide housing residents with more choices and housing opportunities. Furthermore, construction jobs created by the development of new buildings and new infrastructure and the remodeling in existing buildings Redeveloping building can stop the spread of deterioration and blight of aging building and improving the safety and environment of adjacent areas Deficiencies of redevelopment Governments redevelopment programs have the following deficiencies: Migration of vast number of people is a complicated process requiring detailed planning, monitoring and documentation. A high percentage (up to 40%) of Hong Kong population is housed in Public Housing Estates. An extensive re-housing and redevelopment program is required, which exerts heavy pressure on manpower, time and money. Demolition of a building is a costly process. Moreover it creates construction waste undesitably unavoidably. The waste, if unsuitably reused, can result in pollution of the environment and depletion of resources. Also noise and visual pollutions can become nuisances to nearby residents. New estate designs are often based on economic values. Also, cost efficiency and high practicality had been the approach adopted in the new developments, lacking in the encouragement of communal interactions. The new estates have more monotonous and self-enclosed living environment. Significances and Advantages of Maintenance According to David Highfield (2000) defined that the cost of refurbishing and re-using and existing building is generally considerably less than the cost of demolition and new construction since many of the building elements are already constructed. One of the principles advantages of opting of refurbishment and re-use of existing building rather than demolition and construction is that, in he majority of cases. The renewed or redeveloped accommodations will be available in a much shorter time. And the shorter contract duration reduces the effects of inflation on building costs, also the overall development period could be shorter and reduces the cost of financing the scheme The work required refurbishing and existing building would normally take considerably less time than the alternative if demolition, site clearance and the construction of a new building. Time savings, during the pre-contract design, planning permission and building works phases of development. The client obtains the building sooner and therefore begins the earn reveue from it (e.g. rentals, retail sales of manufacturing profits) at an earlier date. With the increasing cost of new-build work, effective maintenance of existing building stock is become more important and building maintenance now represents a significant proportion of construction output. About unstable supply of construction works, according to Patricia Hillebrandt (2000) stated that the determination of demand for construction activity is a very complex affair and heavily depends on the policy of government either directly through its intervention in the public sector, or through its influence on the general level of economics activity in the private sector. The standard of maintenance achieved has an important influence on the quality of the built environment and there seems little doubt that society will continue to expect higher standards in new and existing buildings. Nowadays, maintenance is a significant and important part of the work of the constrctuion industry. The environmental advantages, one of the many ways in which energy consumption can be reduced is to recycle and re-use exising resouces as much as possible, in preference to consuming even more energy by replacing them. E.g. when major alterations are made, will generally use less energy than demolition and new build. Housing Authority stressed that maintenance can facilitate early defect deteration and rectifection. This canavoid the additional expenses arising from further deterioration and it enables building elemets and services installations to be replaced at the optimum time in order to achieve the maximum serviceable life (Press Release: Home CARE Maintenance for Public Housing Estate, 1 March,2001) Disadvantage of Maintenance Although maintenance is beneficial to the aged building and many articles are supporting this view, but there are no perfect views of any matter, so in this part, the disadvantage of maintenance is shown as the follows: The resultant standard of living may not live up to contemporary expectations. Very limited potential for positive impact with regard to lad use and building performance. The current mismatch in housing type supply and demand and the general inefficient layout of the site would remain. This approach dose not count for the relatively short life span of the existing housing. Deterioration and Obsolescence The life cycle analysis by Flanagan (1989), which includes the following items: Physical deterioration; economic obsolescence; functional obsolescence; technological obsolescence; social obsolescence; location obsolescence; legal obsolescence; aesthetic and visual obsolescence; image obsolescence; and environmental obsolescence. Base on Aikivuori (1995) asserts that the defects of building are relative, not absolute and therefore difficult to measure objectively. The replacement due to obsolescence is not technically rational since it does not optimize the use of structures until the end of their durability. Since corrective replacement is defined as the project aimed at deteriorated structures in unacceptable physical condition. According to Taylor (1980) proposes that deterioration has no part in the accumulated inferiority caused by obsolescence and the deterioration and obsolescence are 2 separable issues. Both Taylor (1980) have categorized the causes of replacement into these 2 classes, e.g. deterioration and obsolescence. Thus, Aikivuori (1995) view the reasons for the decision to initiate a redevelopment project as a basis of the demand. The phenomena causing redevelopment are classified into 5 categories in his study as follows: failure in the building due to deterioration: change in use: optimization of economic factors: subject features of the decision maker: and the change of circumstances. Life Span of Building Components Base on the main theme of this study, the life span of building components is a very critical part to provide the sustainable development environment and enhance the value and practicability of the aged building. Also, it is a critical part to affect the decision between maintenance and redevelopment, so the building components should be coordinate with the methodology to present result that meet the international standard, the methodology is really simple to included multifarious application and give a suitable advice of the analysis or review for different type of building in Hong Kong or other country. According to the related RICS journals Assessing the Life Expectancies of Building for Life Cycle Costing by Ashworth (1996) bring up the idea is about the rate of depreciation of building components depend on different information or data supporting and the selection of relevant life span reviews. Base on the theory from this journal, the expectancies may be uncertain, due to a proper design and maintenance arrangement or physical deterioration and obsolescence affect or the quality of refurbishment phase. Anyhow, different types or use of building have different refurbishment lives and the argument of expectancies incidence is important than overall building life span. Macdonald (2003) indentified the building requirement and intention of life is at least 50 years or above, if there is good workmanship in construction stage and arrange inspection and maintenance work on cycle. Actuality, most of the building may be demolished before the end of time and rebuild, if there is any economical profit of that place or may be change the use of building to meet the new requirement. Base on the information from RICS, the serviceable life span of aged public housing can be extending about 10-15 years, due to a systematic and cycle maintenance arrangement. Therefore, the aged public housings are structurally safe, that mean it is unnecessary to demolish and redevelopment. . The life span components of public housing estates as follow: Building Components Life Span (year) Window glazing 20 Plumbing 25-30 External wall tile 20-25 Vinyl sheet or tile 20-30 External paint 5-10 Internal wall paint 5-10 Waterproofing, bituminous coating 10 Wooden door 20-30 Hence, there are many factors affecting the life expectancy of building components and need to be considered when making replacement decisions, including the quality of the components, the quality of the installation, level of the maintenance, weather and climatic conditions and intensity of their use. Some components remain functional but become obsolete because of changing styles and styles and taste or because of product improvement. RICS defined that the building structure may be designed using materials, components and technology that may last for about 100 years or more, depending on the quality and standards expected from users. Methodology Research aim This research aims is to evaluate and critical review on the factor contributing to the decision between the adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing estate in Hong Kong with determine the decision between maintenance and redevelopment in public housing estate from the questionnaire and interview and technical record of the building structure life span. The methodology consists of literature research, survey through questionnaires and interviews and reviews the opinion of tenant and government. With a view to do this, I will use the questionnaire and case study in the dissertation respectively. As a new research area, the researcher adopted a multi-faceted approach employing multiple methods for the collection of research materials. There are several methods to do the research. The first method is to visit relevant government departments and officials in order to have a deep understanding to the research. The second method is that, by reviewing some electronic and printed documents as well as participant observations in order to have an up-dated and comprehensive understanding of the issues. The main methodologies used for the dissertation are documentary review on relevant public housing policies particularly on the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme (CPR) and Home CARE Maintenance in both printed and electronic form has been conducted. Besides, case study is used to examine the intention of government policy for redevelopment and maintenance for old public housing estate. The reasons for choosing the above case study for this dissertation can be specifically elaborated into 2 aspects: financial and environment impacts between redevelopment and maintenance that take place in public housing estates. Furthermore, questionnaires were also used to serve the purpose of providing a through understanding of the old public housing estates physical environment, where the tenants live and socialize and their true-wish or desires on maintenance and redevelopment. Research the existing old public housing estate in Hong Kong In 2010, the public housing estate in Hong Kong which is less than 30 years old nearly 87% and about 13% estates were built before 1980. The most common aged public housing estate is Choi Hung Estate, Kwai Shing Estate, Lai King Estate, which is over 35 years old. With a view to maintain the housing standards, public housing estates which are 30 years old or above are require upgrading by improvement measures or facilities. However, some other 30 plus years old public housing estates require to have redevelopment, because its structure is not fulfill the safe standard or becoming uneconomical to take maintenance. For the reason that the oldest block design Mark I to Mark VI public housing estates and the former government low cost housing estates built in the 1950s and 1960s are obsolete by todays standards, the above block designs were cleared for redevelopment in June 1999. The Government started to redevelop these buildings in the 1970s. Up to 31 December 2004, 694 blocks of these estates containing some 249,360 households were redeveloped. Review of building conditions in public housing in Hong Kong In this section, I will present an overview of the current status of old public housing estates in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the remaining early authority estates included, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Fuk Loi Estate, Choi Hung Estate. Although the living environment basically can meet the normal standards, it is not a fine condition in comparing with the public housing estate which built after 70s. In the 1960s, there were some marginal improvement for the public housing design. The improvements not only increase a little more living space in the public housing units, but also the community facilities were significantly improved. Besides, the building block is bigger than before, the stories were increased to 16 and corridors were moved indoors, but neighborliness was discouraged by the long monstrous slab blocks. Nowadays, all units in the ageing public housing estates are self-contained with basic facilities such as shower tray and water closet in the toilet, cooking bench and sink in the kitchen, drying rack, electricity, not and cold water supplies etc. In order to upgrade the facilities, a more energy-saving lift system will be introduced. Also, a security system will be installed in all rental blocks, which includes electronically controlled security gates and door phones for each unit and television surveillance system in common areas from the security counter next to the main entrance on ground floor. Questionnaires Survey In this questionnaire, there are 10 questions to collect tenant opinion on this topic of Choi Hung Estate and Lai King Estate, also, it can collect more basic information of the selected estate In order to ensure accuracy in the collected data by all interviewers, structured questionnaires was adopted in which similar ques