Psychology of personal adjustment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology of personal adjustment - Term Paper Example The word adjustment is quite often used in our daily life. It refers to the establishment of a healthier relationship with the environment and others. No two individuals are alike. So, all the individuals behave or interact in their own ways. The right of one person may not be the right of the other person. Similarly the wrong of one person may not be the wrong of another person. This is because of the fact that different people may have different perceptions, thoughts and attitudes. Since man is a social animal, he needs to adjust with other people who possess different opinions, views etc. Same way, it is necessary for the people to adjust with the changing environment. The environment is not a static entity and it changes rapidly. A person who fails to adjust with such environmental changes may face difficulties in leading a successful life. In short, proper adjustments with the environment and others are necessary for a person to lead a successful life. It is difficult to see two people with same personality. Personality development depends on heredity and environmental factors. ... The adjustment ability of a person depends on so many factors such as the nature of the situation, his socioeconomic status, his physical and mental health, his personality etc. For example, different people may react to the death of a beloved one differently. This is because of the differences in abilities of the people with respect to the adjustments while facing tough life situations. The person who tackled the death of a beloved one with less worry may be said to be well adjusted. On the other hand some people may even develop mental disorders while facing the death of beloved ones. In this case, we said that the person was maladjusted. Adjustment is closely related with the mental health of a person. In fact adjustment can make or break a person. Better adjustments will always help the person in leading a successful life whereas maladjustments will destroy a person. People with good mental health will always adjust well whereas people with weak mental health will struggle to adj ust well. â€Å"To some, mental health implies living securely, enjoying life, being productive, and having a sturdy ego that is capable of withstanding stress. Others say that these properties are a prerequisite to mental health, but not mental health itself† (Adjustment Problems, n. d). In any case, it is an accepted fact that the ability to adjust well is a strong indication of better mental health. A person with better mental health will always take analyze things based on the realities of life. Facts will be the things which motivate such people rather than fiction. Mentally healthy people will always take decisions based on their wisdom rather than emotions. All these positive qualities help him to better adjust when he faces tough situations. Heredity and

Can Lollardy be considered a vigorous movement in the later fifteenth Essay

Can Lollardy be considered a vigorous movement in the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries - Essay Example The Lollard movement started when the followers of John Wycliff, after the death of Wycliff in 1384, started circulating Lollard doctrine around different regions of the world such as Southern and central England. Continuing its connections to Oxford and considerable gentry support, Lollardy was recognised as a small but persistent sect during the fifteenth century. Different scholars have been presenting different views regarding Lollards movement. Some consider Lollards movement as a small-scale movement resulted as a response to Wycliff teachings however, some scholars consider it as a coherent reform movement that prefigured sixteenth-century changes (Amold and Lewis 2004).2 After the emergence of Lollards movement in the fourteenth century, there has been always a dilemma regarding the nature of Lollards movement. Therefore, the aim of this report is to evaluate whether Lollards movement be considered as a vigorous and coherent movement in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Various studies have been conducted to cover the concepts of Lollards movement. Historians and scholars have been always keen to evaluate the impact on Lollardy. Before presenting arguments, analysing the work of historians and scholars is very essential. Lollard is a problematic label and there are many issues regarding the origins, coherence and affect of this movement.3 There are two extreme views regarding the Lollards movement. The first view argues that not all but most of the Lollard writings are written by Wycliffe. Therefore, Lollardy as an incoherent movement was encouraged by social and economic grievance. This movement was primarily started to spread the thought of Wycliffe and it can be termed as either Lollardy or Wycliffism. On the other hand, the other extreme view suggests that Lollardy is not a movement but it is a projection of the anxieties of monarchies or churches. The second view considers Lollardy as a coherence of diverse beliefs and practices

Problem of food shortage

Problem of food shortage Evaluation of agricultural strategies against food crisis One of the major problems in recent years which is really controversial among countries in the world is the problem of facing food shortage especially in developing countries. This problem is due to some main reasons: high food prices, scarcity of food. These reasons which are mentioned have some serious effects on people health and life. For example different kinds of diseases or malnutrition are really significant because of lack of food. Generally governors name this critical situation food crisis. Different countries after some discussions decided to find a practical and real solution to rescue their people. There are some common strategies such as money charity, food aid, using new technologies in agriculture or usage of Genetically modified food which is a new technology which can cause producing better and more food. In this essay we are discussing about agricultural solutions related to the problem of food crisis and the evaluation of this method in some developing countries. Agricultural improvement has some parts to discuss, for instance irrigation methods and using fertilizers technology, but we are focusing on the effect of fertilizers. ( George Charles Lowrison, 1989) In general Fertilizers are compounds which are giving to plants to improve their growth and crops quality. Some of them can be absorbed by the root of the plants and the others can be sprayed. These components can be divided in two main groups organic and chemical (Inorganic) compounds. For instance the manure of animals is the good examples of organic fertilizers and Nitrogen, Phosphorus or Potassium compounds are inorganic chemicals. Some of them are soluble and some of them are insoluble. Most fertilizers which are soluble in water can be solved in soil water and absorb by the root of the plant. In this process fertilizer is not the only factor for growth, the plant needs sunlight, water, soil and different gases from the earth to start a process that Biologist name it growth and because of that the plant will grow. Growth is a general word but, scientist defines growth as a multiplication and also increasing the plant cell size. (Lagried, Bockman andKaarstad, 1999) During the last two decades some countries face some natural disasters such as drought, flood or sudden climate change which are causing many problems in agriculture area. Because of climate change some crops which needed specific situation to grow could not grow, therefore a huge decrease in the amount of crops were seen. And also flood due to climate change caused destroying many farms which were under cultivation. Due to this problems it can be seen a significant food shortage. As a result some governments decided to find new strategies in terms of agriculture. The agriculture improvement has its own categories in response of food crisis. Different arguments have been presented in the recent years. Using fertilizers and methods of irrigation or preserving soil from erosion are some main methods. Gary Toenniessen, director of food security at the Rockefeller Foundation believes that using fertilizer can affect the amount of nutrients in soil, therefore the amount of crops will incr ease significantly especially in dry regions.(Gray Toennessen,Accessed date: Dec 2009) The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements released a report and argued against chemical fertilizers on the grounds that they can have bad effect on ecological cycles and creating a dependence on chemicals.. Agricultural experts and many policy makers had an argument about using fertilizers and its effect on the amount of food. Based on their arguments they believe that using fertilizers in African countries will decrease famine among them. According to Bill Doyle, the CEO of Saskatchewan-based Potash Corp, using fertilizers for increasing yields against food crisis could be really useful. He emphasized that using the combination of three main fertilizers which are potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus can boost the crop yield by as much as 60%. Because of preventing people from famine the world can not feed hungry people without the application of fertilizers in their farms. He be lieves the world must increase the speed of using these substances to feed about eighty million people around the world. Although overuse of fertilizers has some environmental damages. For instance some serious problems will occur in ground water and it will pollute the rivers. The other effects which the fertilizer can have are in decreasing the soil water therefore it causes scarcity of water to irrigate the farms. (Doyle, 2009). Dr Norman Borlaug who is an agriculturalist and the winner of Nobel Pease prize has some ideas about using fertilizers in the recent years. As far as doctor Norman Borlaug concerned hunger often go hand-in-hand. He thinks one of the sufficient compounds which is really important against this crisis is fertilizer. It can have a dramatic increase in the amount of crops. In each year the world population grows by eighty million, therefore the number of consumers will increase. As a result these people need food and crops to live individually. Currently the u sage of grains is really low. In the last decade the usage of seeds has grown among people and its not really easy to provide enough food for people.Dr Norman ((If the farmers stopped growing food today, we would only have enough grains in the worlds storage bins to feed the worlds population for 58 days)). (Dr Norman, 2008) The arguments of this expert person shows feeding 6.6 billion people are really hard and it seems a good idea to use these chemicals. In recent years fertilizers are responsible for between forty and sixty percent of food production. These substances improve our soils in each harvest and it causes a kind of promotion in quality and quantity of food. Because of using the elements in the soil the amount of necessary compounds in the soil will decrease each year, therefore fertilizers are supplying the sufficient nutrients in soil to increase the amount and quality of the crops. Based on research in United Nation Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) agricultural products will be sixty percent higher in the year 2030 in comparison to the current year. The agricultural data over the past fifty years shows that the total world grain production such as corn,oats,wheat and rice increase 0.905 billion metric tons in the year 1965 to 2.091 billion metric tons in 2007. This dramatic increase in world grain production is because of 122 percent increase in crop yield. One of the countries that have a project against its food crisis is Kenya. It is situated in east Africa and situated near Indian ocean. This country is the forty seventh largest country in the world with the population of about 38 million people. (Source: World Bank).Unfortunately this country face many problems in the recent years, but one of the major problems is the food shortage. Many projects have been started against this problem; however researching about agricultural strategies is really significant. One of the projects which was started in January 2003 and still is on going is fertilizers supply as a cure for famine. The agriculturalist in this country use a kind of chemical fertilizers namely Mavuno.. A period of five year drought cause a serious famine for decades. members of cooperating farmer groups in Trans-Nzioia district have increased their maize yields from 8 to 22 bags per acre. In Embu and Kirinyaga districts, farmers harvested more yields it reached from 5 to 20 bags per acre. Approximately 10 bags on average are required to achieve household food security. This project has illustrated that demand for new improved fertilizers the provision of small bags of fertilizers and seeds enabled even the poorest farmers to achieve incremental gains in food and income over a few seasons. Many farmers purchasing 1kg bags quickly graduate to larger amounts. As a result fertilizer supply in this country would be really useful against food crisis. One of the developing countries in Africa continent is Ethiopia. This country is situated in northwest of Africa with the population of 78 million. The staple food in Ethiopia are oil seeds and cereals. People are suffering from famine and there is no proportion between the food demand and supply. Consequently these people are suffering from malnutrition and many diseases. In the year 2002 environmental policy of Ethiopia made some rules to protect the environment and also increase the amount of food in this re gion. They used chemical fertilizers in smallholder agriculture had a great effect on the quality and quantity of food. After this experience they tried these chemicals in larger farms and again they reached to the same results in their crops especially Cotton. Because of starvation problem in Ethiopia a Tigray project started in 1996 to fight this disaster and rescue their people. The project showed an increase in the amount of yields after some years. One of the crops which had a good result after fertilizer treatment was pea. In general fertilizers have a major role in better and more crops in this country. As discussed in the previous paragraphs, it seems starvation is one of the critical situations in the current world and this problem lead people to become ill and malnutrient. Consequently scientists, agriculturalist, and governments decided to find a long term solution to increase their yields. Finally after some experiences and arguments they reached to the common idea about using specific compounds which are fertilizers to increase the food to feed their people and rescue them. Generally fertilizers can greatly increase productivity in the current century. After some researches about this project I believe in this idea that using these types of chemicals would be greatly effective on food production and it could be a reasonable solution against famine disaster in developing countries. References: George Charles Lowrison, 1989, Fertilizer Technology, Library of congress, Simon and Schuster international publication Lagried, Bockman andKaarstad, 1999, Agriculture Fertilizers the environment, Library of congress, CABI Publication www. countrystudies.us/ethinews. www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/debates//2440975.stm http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/?q=node/view/499[accessed date: Dec2009] http://www.scidev.net/en/news/fertilisers-key-to-food-crisis-in-africa-says-s.html)[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88155949.tip.html))[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://matadorpulse.com/do-we-need-industrial-fertilizers-to-weather-the-food-crisis/nt grow and produce crops. [Accessed date: Dec2009] http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/62763[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64312881piPK=64302848theSitePK=40941Projectid=P113002[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://whttp://en.allexperts.com/q/Fertilizer-717/advantages-disadvantages-using-fertilizers.htmww.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-fertilizers-harm-earth[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=subsidized-fertilizer-africa[Accessed date: Dec2009] http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh014[accessed date; Dec2009] www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-10/970846845.Bt.r.html[Accessed date: Dec2009] www.cropfile.com/news[Accessed date: Dec 2009] www.tfi.org/factsandstat[Accessed date: Dec 2009] www.rssww.sciencedev.net[Accessed date: Dec2009] www.earthwire.org/uk[Accessed date: Dec2009] www.mail.saasta.ac.za[Accessed date: Dec 2009]

Anti-traditional Conception of Sex in Pounds Coitus Essay -- Pound Co

Anti-traditional Conception of Sex in Pound's "Coitus" Â   Critics have been fascinated and often baffled by Ezra Pound's shifting poetic style, which ranges from the profound simplicity of "In a Station of the Metro" to the complex intertextuality of the "Cantos." Pound's significance derives largely from his constant resolve to break traditional form and ideology, both literary and poetic. What is particularly unique about Pound, however, is that as he continually establishes precedence, he rarely abandons his thorough knowledge and appreciation of classical literature, drawing heavily from his literary and historical education in even his most groundbreaking works. "Coitus," one of Pound's early short works, exemplifies both his interest in the simple, efficient techniques of vorticism and his homage to the classics, interrelating them to create a statement that is unique and anti-traditional. Â   COITUS The gilded phaloi of the crocuses are thrusting at the spring air. Here is there naught of dead gods But a procession of festival, Â   A procession, O Giulio Romano, Fit for your spirit to dwell in. Dione, your nights are upon us. The dew is upon the leaf. The night about us is restless. Â   Although classical allusions and imagist influences are an essential part of "Coitus," it is the disturbingly stark sexual force that dominates its tone. However bluntly carnal the poem seems, it does not at any point explicitly mention sex, except in the unmistakable directness of the title. Pound renders his tone through a montage of classical allusions and phallic imagery which resemble the vorticistic Japanese haiku; the beginning and ending two lines share similarities with Pound's... ...ion, yoking allusive fragments of western culture with elements of modern life. By combining the ancient with the new, Pound produces disturbing and sexually centered anachronisms that capitalize on the previous history of literature but also revolutionary modern theories; psychological, sexual and literary. As a whole, "Coitus" is an atom of knowledge, capable of splitting and exploding into far reaches of historical and literary realms, yet instantly and intriguingly disturbing for its modern sexual tone. Â   Â   The following poems are borrowed from page 109 of Personae: The Collected Shorter Poems of Ezra Pound, 1926. Â   Â   IN A STATION OF THE METRO The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. Â   ALBA As cool as the pale wet leaves of lily-of-the-valley She lay beside me in the dawn. Â  

Cultural Sensivity Essay

The manner in which color is employed in an international context is a significant factor which is frequently maltreated or neglected by the developers of Web sites and instructional material. What is more, its application is even more complicated due to the notion that perception of color is conditioned not merely by one’s physical competence to see it. It is even more important for a designer to understand the meaning of a color in terms of cultural preferences. Following are some recommendations in regards to the world’s attitudes toward the basic colors. So, the developer of a site oriented on an international viewer should keep in mind that blue is the best-tolerated color worldwide. Blue is one of the colors that is unobjected in the majority of ethnical traditions. Therefore, a designer can employ it for all sorts of sites, no matter what its audience, purpose, or placement are. In regards to the pleasant perception of this color specialists state that on our planet you cannot find anything that would be isolated from the surroundings – that is, excluding the sky. This may be the cause for prevailing religious beliefs place their deity somewhere above, while evil usually resides under the ground. There is a group of colors that possess somewhat indistinct characteristics and meanings. Among those one should mention pink. When developing sites for citizens of East India, it is recommended to avoid pale version of this color for the reason that male audience consider it as having a feminine attribute. In some states, on the other hand, representatives of both genders favor pastels; the perfect example is Japan. But the most important category for the designer to remember is the group of unsafe colors. The most noteworthy example is purple, which is received negatively in all around the world. Catholic-dominated countries, for example, have this color as a representation of death and crucifixion. Moreover, it symbolizes mystical teachings and practices that oppose the tenets of Christianism, Judaism and Muslimism. It is crucial for instructional designers to realize that all material is unseparatable from culture. Thus, Web site developers must take some special aspects of culture like, for example, color preferances, and integrate them into the project in order to create culturally sensitive presentation. Reference List 1. Design at Work Leaning Network. (April 2003). A brief introduction to information design. Retrieved on February 23, 2007, from http://http://www. christiania. edu/iforum/iforum/ePaper_no_4_3003. pdf.

The Cyclist Poem

â€Å"The Cyclist† poetry commentary â€Å"The Cyclist† is a poem by Louis MacNeice which romanticizes the fleeting joys of childhood. These joys are emphasised through imagery of summer – be it activities, food, the beach, a bicycle ride, various techniques such as juxtaposition and enjambment are used to evoke fond memories from the reader. MacNeice’s poem is set in the southwest of England, on a hill with a chalk horse carved into it. It is during the height of summer, when the grasshoppers are buzzing and the children are playing outside. The character is a boy or a group of boys, and they are riding bicycles down a hill near to the chalk horse.The structure of the poem is quite disjointed, with only five sentences throughout three stanzas. Enjambment is used extensively to further reinforce the idea of a out of breath child, as by not ending each line with a full stop the poet is enticing the reader to continue and hear what this breathless child has to say. The use of time in â€Å"The Cyclist† is used to reinforce the notion that the pleasures of summer are temporary. In the first stanza, for example, on line 7, â€Å"but these five minutes† is a reference to both the comparatively short time of childhood and the rapid rush down the hill during summer. Also read: How to be Old Swenson AnalysisTime is again mentioned in line 24 (â€Å"For ten seconds more†) to remind the reader that time is ever-present, and that ageing is impossible to avoid for a child as adulthood draws every closer (emphasised in the decrease of time from five minutes to ten seconds). In general, the speaker in â€Å"The Cyclist† appears to be speaking as a child; he overuses and ‘accidentally’ mixes up words. For instance, on line 4 the speaker says â€Å"In the heat of the handlebars he grasps the summer†. This is plainly a child’s error, and it makes no sense as it is – it should be ‘heat of the summer he grasps the handlebars’.Another example of this is during the last stanza, where the speaker is describing various ways to enjoy the summer, he states â€Å"chase it with butterfly nets or strike [†¦ ] little red ball or gulp [†¦ ] cream /Or drink† (lines 18-20). This overuse of â⠂¬Å"or† again shows the flustered excitement when a child is overloaded with activities; they can’t possibly even speak fast enough to experience them all over the course of one short summer. The experiences which are breathlessly listed are all typical summertime activities, such as catching butterflies, playing cricket, eating summer fruits with cream or enjoying a ool drink in the shade. All of these activities are typically not long-lasting: butterflies slip out of nets, breath cannot be held underwater for long, and food and drink generally do not last long with hungry children around. Therefore, MacNeice is reinforcing the idea that childhood and summertime are fleeting joys which can only be carelessly enjoyed for a so long, and they should be savoured. There is interesting juxtaposition and repetition in the last four lines: repetition of â€Å"calmly† and juxtaposition between calm/stillness and movement.The last four lines also describe the feeling of p eace while you coast along on a bike with no need to pedal after having sped down a hill. â€Å"For ten seconds more can move as the horse in the chalk† means he can be still while still ‘galloping’ (as the horse carved into the hill is galloping, and yet cannot move). â€Å"Calmly regardless of tenses and final clauses† – again grammar is mentioned which refers to the â€Å"forgotten sentence† of school. The final line, â€Å"Calmly unendingly moves. †, is a reference to the horse carved into the hillside.This idea is strengthened in the first line, with â€Å"unpassing horse†. â€Å"unpassing† gives the idea that while the horse is constantly moving, it never actually moves. The fact that the poem both begins and ends with reference to this horse shows that it is one of main ideas of the poem. And so the horse remains there, seemingly for all eternity, fixed in its graceful stride, calmly, unendingly moving. Further jux taposition can also be found in the opposites of â€Å"Left-right-left†, which comes in as the poem approaches its end.It shows the child slowing down and needing to pedal to keep moving, as â€Å"Left-right-left† is the motion needed to turn the pedals one full circle. â€Å"And reaching the valley the boy must pedal again† (line 22) shows that the joys of summer are brief, and they only come once the ‘hill’ (seasons) has done a full cycle and the cyclist has returned himself to the crest of the hill. Water is a symbol which is heavily used in the second stanza and the beginning of the third stanza. It is used to show the innocence of childhood; the purity before the child becomes ‘polluted’ by reality and is forced to ‘pedal’ back up the hill of life.The second stanza begins with imagery of a meadow which quickly transforms into an ocean: â€Å"The grass boils with grasshoppers, a pebble /Scutters from under the wheelâ⠂¬ . The wonderfully poetic language assists in the seamless transition from meadow to ocean: the rolling grass hills are likened the boiling waves (heated by the sun), and the pebbles are compared with crabs, scuttering away to escape the bike’s wheel. The â€Å"boys riding their heat-wave† creates a picture of a surfer, â€Å"feet on a narrow plank and hair thrown back†.The narrow plank creates ambiguity, as the reader is not sure if the poet it referring to a surfboard or the pedals on a bike. The â€Å"spattered white† countryside spoken about on the previous line draws parallels between white caps on the ocean, the boys (whose skin colour would stand out against the green or blue) and the white chalk horses carved into the hills. The â€Å"heat-wave† is a play on words by MacNeice, as the real meaning is a period of exceptionally hot weather which usually occurs in summer. In this context though, it has a double meaning of figuratively Ã¢â‚¬Ë œsurfing’ on the ‘wave’ while ‘riding’ the wave on a bicycle.This water imagery then flows over into the next stanza, pulling the reader forward in the current of the poem, as it depicts the cyclist with a â€Å"surf of dust† (line 17) beneath him, more like a wave than a cloud of dust. The continuation of the sentence into the next stanza is another way MacNeice draws the reader onwards. The animals referred to throughout the poem are all typical summer creatures: grasshoppers chirping on a hot summers’ day, dragonflies suspended in the haze, horses running free over the hills, butterflies floating back and forth, crabs scuttling along a beach.These symbols reinforce MacNeice’s image of a perfect summertime. The poem as a whole – but especially the first stanza – likens life to a text or piece of writing, combined with the fleeting exhilaration of childhood: â€Å"Between the horizon’s brackets†, with the â€Å"main sentence† of adult life to be â€Å"picked up later†. The use of grammatical terms such as â€Å"brackets†, â€Å"parenthesis† and â€Å"tenses and final clauses† reminds the reader that school and education is always in the back of a child’s mind, not wanting for the summer to end.Through the use of poetic techniques such as juxtaposition and enjambment, MacNeice has created parallels between the joys of childhood and the fun of whizzing down a hill on a bicycle. Water imagery, the majority of which is found in the second paragraph, is used to show that summer enjoyment is not only limited to the meadows of southwest England, but can be enjoyed by the beach or surfing in the ocean. In â€Å"The Cyclist† Louis MacNeice seeks to make an initially light-hearted statement about the fun in being a child which slowly shifts into a more contemplative, melodramatic declaration of the inevitability of ageing and the passage of time.

Software Development Proposals essays

Software Development Proposals essays During the past two months, several teams of this companys software development unit have been conducting widespread research, specifically targeting administrators of large volume organisational computer networks, as to what problems and difficulties that are often encountered in regular, day to day running of computer applications and network activities. A common complaint that our surveys have brought to attention is the lack of system security, not only from sources outside of the network, but also from the systems actual users. These security issues range from desktop functionality and user interaction to access restrictions and most importantly data security. Some of these aspects are already in some way provided for in terms of security by a standard operating system, however, the issue has been raised by network administrators that added security is needed. In saying this, our team has conducted minor research and development in a project that we think will take the netw orking market by storm. This product is a complete security solution suitable for networks operating on a Windows based platform. Net-I (the name of the security tool) includes many features that offer complete system security while providing administrators with detailed reports on system use, functionality and much more. This report will provide an outline of the specifications of Net-I and the advantages it brings when used over a network, its potential buyers and marketability, and the benefits that can be reaped by the company provided that the development of this piece of software is given the green light. The purpose of this piece of Software is to be a tool that can be used by system administrators as an internal network security manager. Being best-in-class includes a user experience that is stress-free and effective, using the best technology for the job.[1] Keeping this statement in mind, the central goal in developin...

Analytical Essay Essays

Analytical Essay Essays Analytical Essay Essay Analytical Essay Essay Essay Topic: Analytical Discourses have powerful social effects and can empower some, while marginalizing others. In the texts Lost Property and Muriel’s Wedding the dominant discourse is relationship. The audience is positioned to see Josh Tambling from Lost Property as having tough relationships as he is the one who is expected to pull through. While Muriel Heslop from Muriel’s Wedding is portrayed as unreliable and selfish as the story is told. In the early stages of both texts it is obvious that Josh and Muriel have different relationships, as Josh is respected and dependable while Muriel is rejected and a failure. Josh is trustworthy towards his friends which make him respected in his relationships. For instance, he shows his loyal and respectable values and attitudes in the first chapter as he tends to a woman customer who has lost her cardigan. â€Å"A cardigan. What colour was it, Madam? † Josh asks politely to help the woman. (p3). Josh also shows that he is dependable by singing songs in the band which are chosen by the lead guitarist Neven, despite not liking the song. After viewing the first couple of scenes of Muriel’s Wedding, it is clear that Muriel is rejected and has complete different relationships than Josh. In the first scene, she attends an engagement party. While there she is confronted by the police and a woman accusing her of stealing the dress she is wearing. As she arrives home in a cop car, she is then ridiculed by her family which leads to her father, Bill Heslop, bribing the police men and leaving with a carton of beer. In the first text the audience is positioned to recognize Josh’s deeds as a reliable and honest person, whereas Muriel is some what felt sorry towards for being unwanted and a disappointment. As the plot progresses the bonds between relationships are strengthened. For example, when Josh meets Gemma, he realizes that she is unlike his girlfriend Alicia. Josh has an in depth conversation with Gemma about God, which earlier he tried to have with his girlfriend. This, however, has an unfavorable effect on his relationship with Alicia. Josh’s relationship with Clive, his supervisor in the lost property shop, is as well strengthened when Josh accuses Clive for stealing. Which later on he finds out Clive was keeping these items for people who needed them for sentimental value. â€Å"No, all these things belong to someone else. That’s what the Lost Property Office is for, to get lost things back to their owners. † says Clive. (p115). Even though Muriel is not liked by many, she still manages to get a job with the help of her father, as a beauty consultant. During this time, she is abandoned by her high school friends who afterward go on a holiday. â€Å"You embarrass us. † stated by Nicole, one of the three friends confronting Muriel. Shortly after she had been abandoned, Muriel takes money from her father’s bank to fund for the same holiday as her friends. Whilst on the holiday, Muriel meets Rhonda, who helps Muriel by keeping her company on the holiday. Muriel is then hassled by her father about the money she took, under the pressure, she then moves to Sydney with her new found friend Rhonda. The audience is placed to see how both Josh’s and Muriel’s relationships grow as the narrative unfolds. The last stages of both texts are very similar, nonetheless the discourse of relationship remains the same. At first it looks like Josh is not going to have a happy ending, with Alicia breaking up with him and then Josh dropping out of the band. But Josh manages to keep his life steadily on track after facing his brother in Mackay. He later forms a new relationship with a girl from Fidelis, Isobelle, and at the same time mending his relationship with the band. Michael, Josh’s older brother finally comes home, not by himself though, he ends up bringing his girlfriend and with them their new born son. â€Å"Mum and Dad, this is Kelly,† Michael says proudly, â€Å"and this one here†¦is your grandson, Stuart. † (p266). On the other hand, Muriel’s Wedding ends unfortunately with Muriel’s mother dying as she commits suicide from the pressure of her depression. But not all is bad for Muriel as she returns to Sydney with her friend Rhonda, after she is in a wheelchair from not recovering from her cancer. Although both texts end in a different way, the audience is still positioned to see Josh and Muriel as people who have difficult relationships but in the end rewarding. In conclusion, both Lost Property and Muriel’s Wedding mobilize the discourse of relationships. The reader is positioned to see Josh and Muriel as being pleasing people, who would do everything for their friendships. Throughout both texts Josh and Muriel are constructed as characters who display loyalty and respect towards their friends, supporting them through the harsh periods in their lives.

Examples of Physical Changes and Chemical Changes

Examples of Physical Changes and Chemical Changes Are you confused about the difference between chemical changes and physical changes and how to tell them apart? In a nutshell, a chemical change produces a new substance, while a physical change does not. A material may change shapes or forms while undergoing a physical change, but no chemical reactions occur and no new compounds are produced. Key Takeaways: Chemical and Physical Change Examples A chemical change results from a chemical reaction, while a physical change is when matter changes forms but not chemical identity.Examples of chemical changes are burning, cooking, rusting, and rotting.Examples of physical changes are boiling, melting, freezing, and shredding.Often, physical changes can be undone, if energy is input. The only way to reverse a chemical change is via another chemical reaction. Examples of Chemical Changes A new compound (product) results from a chemical change as the atoms rearrange themselves to form new chemical bonds. Burning woodSouring milkMixing acid and baseDigesting foodCooking an eggHeating sugar to form caramelBaking a cakeRusting of iron Examples of Physical Changes No new chemical species forms in a physical change. Changing the state of a pure substance between solid, liquid, and gas phases of matter are all physical changes since the identity of the matter does not change. Crumpling a sheet of aluminum foilMelting an ice cubeCasting silver in a moldBreaking a bottleBoiling waterEvaporating alcoholShredding paperSublimation of dry ice into carbon dioxide vapor How to Tell Whether Its a Physical or Chemical Change? Look for an indication that a chemical change occurred. Chemical reactions release or absorb heat or other energy or may produce a gas, odor, color or sound. If you dont see any of these indications, a physical change likely occurred. Be aware a physical change may produce a dramatic change in the appearance of a substance. This doesnt mean a chemical reaction occurred. In some cases, it may be hard to tell whether a chemical or physical change occurred. For example, when you dissolve sugar in water, a physical change occurs. The form of the sugar changes, but it remains the same chemically (sucrose molecules). However, when you dissolve the salt in water the salt dissociates into its ions (from NaCl into Na and Cl-) so a chemical change occurs. In both cases, a white solid dissolves into a clear liquid and in both cases, you can recover the starting material by removing the water, yet the processes are not the same. Learn More 10 Examples of Physical Changes10 Examples of Chemical ChangesChemical and Physical PropertiesUnderstanding Chemical and Physical Changes Source Zumdahl, Steven S. and Zumdahl, Susan A. (2000). Chemistry (5th Ed.). Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-98583-8.

Business Case Study - F. X. Pounds Inc Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business - F. X. Pounds Inc - Case Study Example Secondly the initial and fixed cost to setup a distribution business is high. Fuel sector has great government intervention in its running too. Such conditions make it difficult for a new competitor to enter and survive in the market. (Hill & Jones.2010) Rivalry among established companies: FXP’s competitors are usually also old family owned companies with fixed established loyal customers and businesses. The demand in the sector is high and FXP must have been facing high competition in order to capture market share and maintain profits. (Hill & Jones.2010) 1. Power of customers: In FXP, the fuel sector customers usually do not have very high power to influence prices or cut costs as the prices are influenced by government’s intervention and are usually fixed. However in the land fuel products customer can bargain about the prices being offered and FXP might have to cut its cost to retain its customers. (Hill & Jones.2010) 2. Bargaining power of suppliers: The suppliers do hold a significant position in every industry. FXP is mainly involved in distribution business where the suppliers have a significant power to effect company’s cost and ultimately the price. (Hill & Jones.2010) 3. Closeness of substitute for products: The energy consumer sector supplies many products which can be used as each others alternatives. For e.g. wood can be used as a substitute of coal etc. It is extremely important for FXP to sell the best quality at competitive prices in order to stop its customers switch to substitutes. (Hill & Jones.2010) Cost-Leadership: After the industry’s analysis and the competition there in it could be suggested that FXP should adopt a cost leadership strategy out of Porter’s strategies, other being differentiation and focus because of high demand, high customer and supplier power and many replacements for company’s products. There is increasing demand in the market and it is important for FXP to maintain and captu re market share by decreasing costs and offering better prices than those offered by the competitor. As the environment in which FXP operates is extremely dynamic and the prices swing is frequent, it is essential for FXP to lower down its cost and supply at the lowest price even when the prices are high in the market. Differentiation and focus are not suitable strategies as there isn’t much room for an innovative product or a product for which customer will be ready to pay a premium price. (Botten & Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.2009) Fragmented Shareholding: Being a family owned and managed business since its inception FXP continues its shareholding in the family which caused fragmented shareholding. No one except Pam and the new CEO Bruce took part in managing the business. Additionally the death of the two shareholders and their shares being further transferred to their children were the main causes of fragmentation. Agency issues, transfer of shares and ma naging the business are the issues associated. In the current situation, Pam at the board meeting should raise the fragmentation issue for discussion and should inquire how the other shareholders view the problem. A clear and proper policy

Promotional techniques Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Promotional techniques - Coursework Example Section-A: Advertising and Design: 1. Target Market Profile: The products of MAC target a wide range of consumers that encompasses people of all age groups, cultural and economic backgrounds and gender. However, they accord significance to working with children and families. Therefore, their target market is quite wide and diversified and they will have to incorporate variety in their products and well as promotional techniques. On the other hand, due to their emphasis on children, youngsters and families, their strategies will also have to be devised to appeal to this segment of audience. Thus, while designing product promotion strategies and visual ad materials, they have to make sure that these things appeal to the whole range of their target market. 2. Product Differentiation: In the case of MAC, product differentiation is a key component for them to gain access to a wide variety of consumers whose spatial recognition, aesthetical perceptions and expectation of quality vary drast ically. Spatial recognition plays a major role in the case of art and evidence suggests that spatial differentiation leads to â€Å"greater product differentiation† (Datta & Sudhir 2012: 2). So far it relates to products such as arts and arts classes, the expectations of MAC’s audience vary drastically. ... Ads of this nature are highly effective not only in informing and educating the consumers but also to â€Å"manipulate and persuade† them (637). Taking into consideration the target audience of MAC, which encompasses people of all ages and backgrounds, above line ad can be an effective means to introduce and strengthen their brand as well as to create â€Å"favourite images† constantly in the minds of the consumers (637). As can be discerned from the Target Market Character Profile Assessment (CPA) sheet, a major portion of the consumers for MAC falls in category that views visual media at a higher rate. Thus, the most appropriate option for promoting their products is through television advertisement. This will enable them to access a large segment of the audience such as children and youngsters who are their main focus as well as adults including elders. The rate of consumption of TV of all categories of the target audience is quite high and hence TV ads will enable t he company to make their product to reach to almost hundred percent of the population. On the other hand, it is relevant that though it is primarily locality based, MAC belongs to the category of a tourist attraction and therefore their products have relevance to audience at national and international levels. Thus, ad campaigns through national television networks will enable the company to access an audience from the domestic market as well as those who come to England for business or tourism purposes. Another major above the line ad platform for this company could be the print media such as news papers and magazines. Ads in this media will enable them to access a major portion of the audience such as elder people, adults as well as

The impact of social media on brand image of UK coffee shops Dissertation

The impact of social media on brand image of UK coffee shops - Dissertation Example The main objective of this dissertation has been to identify the impact of the social media sites on the brand image of coffee shops in the UK for which Starbucks has been considered as the sample brand. In order to attain the objective, this dissertation has taken into consideration a mixed approach. Furthermore, the sample size for the project is 200 respondents who were supposed to respond to online survey. Questionnaire was also prepared comprising of close-ended questions. In this regard, it has been identified that social media sites imposes a significant impact on the creation of brand image of Starbucks. Table of Contents 1 Abstract 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 5 1.1.Background of the Study 5 1.2. Scope and Objective of the Study 8 1.3 Methodological Overview 11 1.4 Structure of the Project 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 2.1 The Growing Significance of Social Media in the Business Environment of UK (Coffee Retailing) 14 2.2 Contribution of Social Media in Developing Brand Im age 16 2.3 Influencing Factors Causing Impact on Inclusion of Social Media 20 2.4. Opportunity and Risks of Social Media Inclusion 25 2.5 Organisational Strategies Generally Adopted By UK Coffee Shops to Use Social Media 30 2.6. Research Gap 33 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 35 3.1 Overview 35 3.2 Research Philosophy 36 3.3 Research Design and Approach 37 3.4. Data Collection 40 3.5 Data Analysis 41 3.6 Ethical Considerations and Research Limitations 43 3.7 Expected Results 45 Chapter 4: Results and Analysis 47 4.1 Overview 47 4.2 Findings 47 4.3 Evaluation 68 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Recommendations 77 5.1 Key Findings 77 5.2 Recommendations 79 5.3 Further Research 82 References 84 Appendix A 97 Questionnaire 97 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study Social media has been successful at rediscovering the association between companies, employees, suppliers as well as regulators, minimising the implementation of methods that were generally identified as quite time-c onsuming in the traditional era concerning public relations. Most of the companies are making use of the social media so that their efficiencies can be enhanced in respect to the supply chain (Lew & Fung, 2010). In the similar context, others are making use of the social media so that they can create innovative business models and develop relationships with the customers, employees, investors as well as other interested stakeholders gaining the identification of a socially responsible corporate entity. A handful of the companies are making use of the social media sites so that they can boost the morale of the employees and hence enhance efficiency in terms of communication within the organisational setting. The companies striving to strengthen their brand, customer loyalty as well as increase the market share are also making use of the social media sites (Insead, 2012). Although, social media users are basically found to belong from the young age group of the society, an increasing number of middle aged users, especially those possessing a higher level of discretionary income. It has been noted that nearly 67% of the users of the social media believe that the information rendered online imposes a significant impact on their purchasing decision. In the recent phenomenon, it has further been observed that this trend is likely to continue, majorly owing to the underlying fact that advances in technology continue to increase the impact of social media. This trend has permitted the consumers to

Team Building 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team Building 2 - Essay Example m must get into the process of making individual assignments so that everyone knows exactly what they are supposed to do and how it contributes to the team goals (Bennis, 2003). Using an effective decision making process: Making effective decisions that have the commitment of all the team members is another key competency. They must make a wide range of decision related to goals, programs, schedule, assignments and so forth. Establishing open Communication channels: this competency involves some risk if the norm is to keep quiet and say only what the boss wants to hear. So, it would be helpful if the leader initiates a team-oriented exercise which would allow them to open up, make decisions, test trust levels and observe the leader’s behavior (Bennis, 2003). Running effective meetings: the team must have a clear purpose and goal of each meeting, develop and agenda before the meetings, structure the items on the agenda to follow a logical sequence, summarize and record actions, decisions and assignments made at the meeting and make it clear that all team members have the responsibility to call for a meeting, if required. These steps are likely to make the team more productive (W.G. Dyer, W.G. Dyer Jr. & J.H. Dyer, 2007). Establishing Accountability for High performance: High-performance teams ensure high performance standards and team members hold each other accountable for performance. Once individual assignments are done, the team members periodically check the same and hold each other accountable for fulfilling them as the way that is required. Giving credit to all the team members increases the productivity of the team and makes it more effective. Teams which are effective know to give and receive constructive feedback without being defensive or combative. This helps in continuous improvement in the team. Managing conflicts effectively is a critical competency because every team has conflicts, but unresolved conflicts reduce the efficiency of the

Grades inflation in the US Annotated Bibliography

Grades inflation in the US - Annotated Bibliography Example Students and the citizens have been worried about the criteria the professors use when they are grading different students from different races. The problem has been noted since many students have graduated and only a few numbers haven’t. This has been noted. In this article they explain further about grade inflation and the problems that it has caused to the students. The article talks of the act of discrimination in the grading process. You will also find the comparison between different institutions and the policies put in place for the grading process. The article also presents its argument in a diagrammatic way and gives statistics of the same. The article broadly explains on the issue of the grades but for this one is deeper. It tries to overlook the problem and the reasons behind it. It also has a diagram that helps the learner even understand more. The article is very interesting and gives the learner a good experience. It tries to see through the possibilities and the impossibilities of schools applying grade inflation as a way of competition. The article also tries to lay the differences link between school choice and grade inflation. It also goes ahead and talks about empirical strategy The article goes straight to discuss the matter and in this case the article talks about the parents in another dimension where they get to choose the best schools for their children without having in mind the gradation process. The source is very relevant and has good arguments on the matter. This is an article that tries to review whether the credibility of data would affect the data inflation.They get their research from the US law schools admissions. They base their argument onthe reliability and the sincerity of the data that they get. They also give prior research and also have diagrammatic explanations to explain further with the use of examples. There is a lot of data analyzing in this case

Is Multiculturalism good for Britain OR How important is the UK Essay

Is Multiculturalism good for Britain OR How important is the UK economy in shaping British society - Essay Example It has been hugely appreciated and encouraged for long, however, in today’s scenario of terrorism, especially after 2001 riots and 7 July bombings in Britain, multiculturalism is highly questioned for its reliability and its continuity as policy in future. There are many concerns but most important highlight is the segregation rather than integration of cultures due to multiculturalism. This paper studies the different perspectives about multiculturalism and its background briefly in order to determine whether it is good for Britain or not. For understanding multiculturalism in Britain it is crucial to define multiculturalism in its simple and genuine meaning as Sivanandan (2006) stated: ‘Multiculturalism simply means cultural diversity, and that diversity can either be a good thing, leading to integration, or a bad thing, leading to separatism. It is the socio-economic context and the country’s policies that determine the direction in which multiculturalism develops.’ In order to decide whether Multiculturalism is good or bad for Britain, it is crucial to understand the beginning of multicultural Britain. Despite the classic definition of Roy Jenkins’, ‘Integration is not a flattening process of assimilation but equal opportunity accompanied by cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance’(cited in Sivanandan 2006) racial discrimination continued to flourish in employment, social services and other areas and mutual tolerance was destabilized by self-interest of politicians who used anti-immigration agenda for getting votes. Cultural diversity is not any of the government’s decree but an expression of unified struggle and a joint fight of people from different communities, faiths, religions and locals. They were Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Whites who achieved unity in diversity which led to the government’s initiative of anti-discrimination legislation in Race Relation Acts of 65, 68 and 76.This was the t rue

Grades inflation in the US Annotated Bibliography

Grades inflation in the US - Annotated Bibliography Example Students and the citizens have been worried about the criteria the professors use when they are grading different students from different races. The problem has been noted since many students have graduated and only a few numbers haven’t. This has been noted. In this article they explain further about grade inflation and the problems that it has caused to the students. The article talks of the act of discrimination in the grading process. You will also find the comparison between different institutions and the policies put in place for the grading process. The article also presents its argument in a diagrammatic way and gives statistics of the same. The article broadly explains on the issue of the grades but for this one is deeper. It tries to overlook the problem and the reasons behind it. It also has a diagram that helps the learner even understand more. The article is very interesting and gives the learner a good experience. It tries to see through the possibilities and the impossibilities of schools applying grade inflation as a way of competition. The article also tries to lay the differences link between school choice and grade inflation. It also goes ahead and talks about empirical strategy The article goes straight to discuss the matter and in this case the article talks about the parents in another dimension where they get to choose the best schools for their children without having in mind the gradation process. The source is very relevant and has good arguments on the matter. This is an article that tries to review whether the credibility of data would affect the data inflation.They get their research from the US law schools admissions. They base their argument onthe reliability and the sincerity of the data that they get. They also give prior research and also have diagrammatic explanations to explain further with the use of examples. There is a lot of data analyzing in this case

New Hire Mismanagement Essay Example for Free

New Hire Mismanagement Essay When accepting the position of a Campus Recruiter for ABC, Inc., there were specific tasks and expectations that go along with the job title. The specific tasks were explained however, due to the improper planning and poor execution, the individual failed to deliver what was outlined in the job title. This paper will explain the failures due to improper planning, lack of experience and poor time management skills. Furthermore, areas that will be outlined from this case study will include various detailed causes as well as; different solutions to strengthen the recruiting department and prevent any further weaknesses. Background In early April, Carl Robins, was new to the human resources department of ABC, Inc. â€Å"The Corporate Human Resources Recruiter will play a critical role in ensuring we are hiring the best possible talent† (Nourse, 2013). Mr. Robbins had taken on the needed task of hiring 15 individuals, which would work for the Operations Supervisor, Monica Carrolls. This recruiting position is responsible for selecting proper candidates, collecting proper identification and various paperwork such as; a resume, application, transcripts and payroll processing information. A background check, drug screen and a new hire physical must also be performed prior to anyone starting. In addition to the proper processing of the new hires, Mr. Robbins also is responsible for scheduling the new hire orientation and providing the proper materials such as; the manuals, policy booklets and training guides. In this case, Mr. Robbins had already advised the new hires of the required orientation on June 15th. The lack of experience and follow through, along with procrastination was a large factor in completing the tasks set forth for the recruiting position. Mr. Robbins was feeling overwhelmed and began to panic, due to the realization that the needed workforce would not be ready for Monica Carroll, as he previously assured. The failures will effect several people and cause the operations department to not have the new additions to their team and be ready to move forward. Key Problems There are numerous key problems with this case. Mr. Robins’s lack of experience as well as, poor communication and planning from the beginning, caused the situation to spiral, making the end result in complete failure. An incompetent and poorly functioning human resources department reflects the overall state of affairs of an organization and its possible uncompetitive position in the marketplace (Dutta, 2013). Carl Robbins started the hiring process accurately. He successfully hired 15 individuals however, without creating a new hire protocol, several items were missed. Furthermore, Mr. Robins seemed to be completely focused on the fact that he was able to fill the needed positions and impressing the operations supervisor, he failed to follow through from the beginning. The inexperience may also be a factor however, he was hired as a recruiter and gained six months of experience therefore, Mr. Robins knew what was expected of him. Procrastination plays a large role in the end result, as well. Carl did not immediately check with the training facility, even after receiving the call from Monica Carrolls. He waited more than 10 days to look at the training facility availability. Procrastination, weather it was due to lack of experience or being overwhelmed, does not matter in this case. The consequence remained the same, failure to complete the tasks by the needed time. In most cases, time management and procrastination go hand in hand however, Carl did not look at the specific tasks nor did he allot the appropriate time to get the job done by the specified time. Failure to either create a hiring protocol or follow the steps that should have been learned during his first six months of employment, adds additional issues of concern. Being that this was Mr. Robins first recruiting effort, he failed to discuss, clarify or even have the steps that he had already taken reviewed with a fellow recruiting teammate to assure both himself and the recruiting department that the new hires will indeed be ready to start their positions in July. Many of the issues could have been avoided simply by doing research or asking for help. Developing a sufficient protocol or schedule is key however, it is imperative that the proper research on wait times for drug screens, background checks and pre-employment physicals is done so scheduling will go smoothly. It is critical to ensure that you have the proper tools and information to complete the required tasks. Just like any position or task assigned, organization is critical. Carl was moving forward without knowing exactly how the pieces of the puzzle were to be put together. The recruiter did not utilize the appropriate tools such as, database, spreadsheets or check lists to ensure proper completion of the hiring process. Moreover, the recruiter did not set completion goals for each step to aid in this completion. Therefore, Carl did not see that there were numerous critical issues in the hiring process, which will not only affect the new hires, but will also cause delays for Monica Carroll and the operations department. Alternatives There are several alternatives that may strengthen the human recourses (HR) department in the future however, will not fix the current issue at hand. Implementing a new hire protocol that clearly defines each step of the process. Utilizing tools such as, specialized software that can be directly accessed from the outsourced screening companies to deliver new hire physical information, drug screening and background check results. This will allow the recruiter to access the file and make sure that the candidate is ready to begin work or notify when there is an issue with that specific candidate. Another alternative would be to hire an assistant recruiter or administrative assistant to process paperwork as well as, scheduling training rooms and ordering new hire training manuals, etc. Other options to consider would be to outsource the entire hiring process by using an outside recruiting company or using an agency to employ all the individuals that work for ABC Inc. A recruiting company would minimize and allow the human resources department to simplify duties such as, conducting final interviews of the candidates that have been previously screened by the recruiting company. Complete outsourcing of all personnel or employee leasing is costly however, it is another way to prevent cases like Carl Robbins, who failed to represent the company’s professionalism, screen the new hires and organize a new hire schedule. Employee leasing will remove all responsibilities of the employer including, candidate screening, payroll and benefits which would replace both the HR and payro ll departments. Unfortunately, in doing this ABC, Inc. would no longer be eligible for the tax credits that are given when a company hires welfare to work or Veterans. Another downfall would be losing the ability to solve an employment issue in-house. Proposed Solutions There are several proposed solutions mentioned in this case study. The most economic and immediate realistic solution would be to implement an outlined human resources protocol which would include, step by step policies and procedures to successfully start a new hire, creating a spreadsheet or a checklist to prevent critical errors and ensure that each steps are followed as well as, having detailed contact information for each company that is outsourced such as; drug testing and pre-employment physicals and background checks. An important part of the protocol would be to have a new hire orientation packet saved on file so, when the need arises or the inventory gets low, the recruiter can order copies to be made in a timely fashion. The remaining solution that would be outlined in the protocol would be to have the recruiter notate each completed or received paperwork on the checklist to ensure all the necessary paperwork and outsourced results are received. This outlined human resourc es guide and organizational tool would guide the recruiter into making sure all procedures and requirements are met. Recommendations Implementing the protocols would be crucial to the success of the human resources department. A recruiter is just like a salesperson, this is where the first impression is made. If implemented correctly, this will assure hiring the right individuals, which in return will allow ABC, Inc., reach its fullest potential. In this case study, Carol Robbins was not organized. There were no protocols in place to prevent these errors. Furthermore, there was not any direct supervision. It is recommended that the manager of human resources, review the hiring process directly with Mr. Robbins and make clear written expectations on the job requirements. It is further recommended that a clear, step by step protocol be put into place preventing these issues from arising again. Lastly, it is critical for the Manager of Human Resources to review all files before the file is completed and the new hire is scheduled for training. This shall continue until Mr. Robbins clearly understands the policies and procedures.

Risk management and hedging

Risk management and hedging Risk Management And Hedging In Derivatives Market Risk management can be undertaken in several different manners, which often depends on the structure and initiatives for the specific firm. One commonly used approach is to hedge in the derivatives market, which consists of futures, forwards, swaps, CFDs, warrants, convertibles and options. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value and performance depends on the value of underlying assets, for example equities, stock market indices, exchange rates, commodities etc. The main argument for hedging is for companies to minimize risks that may arise from interest rates, exchange rates, and other market variables and volatilities. By engaging in derivatives companies manage their various risks by hedging a position, to be more certain what the outcome will be. For example, one can hedge a certain amount of currency at a future point in time, in order to know exactly how much that will be received/paid at the specific time thereby avoiding the risk of losing value because of the exchange rate risk. There are however also arguments against hedging in the derivatives market. Establishing hedging programs may be very costly, and if there are alternative and more cost efficient ways to reduce risks, such as operational and financial strategies, that could be preferable. Furthermore, sometimes hedging may lead to losses even though there is a gain on the underlying asset, which is a scenario that is difficult to explain to stakeholders. If losses appear too often, this could cause mistrust from the shareholders, and should then be avoided. One has to consider the overall trade-off between costs and savings when engaging in hedging to manage and reduce risks. It is therefore also necessary for management to undergo thorough risk assessments and to construct firm specific schedules, in order to identify the most significant risks and subsequently to establish risk preventing actions. Hedging is in addition mostly used by institutions that are extensively exposed to the various busines s and market risks, and who most of the time would benefit from undertaking such actions. However, derivatives may also be used by the private sector if necessary. The article Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of Risk Management Practices in the Gold Mining Industry by Peter Tufanoexamines a new database that details corporate risk management activity in the North American gold mining industry. The article claims that academics know remarkably little about corporate risk management practice, even though almost three fourths of corporations have adopted at least some financial engineering techniques to control their exposures to intresest rates, foregin exchange rates, and commodity prices. There is little empirical support for the predictive power of theories that view risk management as a means to maximize shareholder value. The article furthermore describes risk management practices and tests their conformance with existing theory by analyzing an industry that seems almost tailor-made for academic investigation: the North American gold mining industry. These firms share a common and clear exposure in that their output is a globally traded, volatile commodity. Firms can manage this exposure using a rich set of instruments, including forward and futures contracts, gold swaps, gold or bullion loans, rolling forward commitments called spot deferred contracts, and options. Perhaps most importantly, firms in the gold mining industry disclose their risk management activities in great detail. The gold industry has embraced risk management: over 85 percent of the firms in the industry used at least some sort of gold price risk management in 1990-1993. Using industry-specific measures for firms exposures, cost structures, and investment programs, Tufano tests whether cross-sectional differences in risk management activity can be explained by academic theory. For example, theory predicts more extensive risk management by firms more likely to face financial distress, which in this industry can be measured by operating costs and leverage. Other theories posit that corporate risk management activities might be linked to risk aversion of corporate managers, and the form in which they hold a stake in the firm. These theories would predict that firms whose managers hold greater equity stakes as a fraction of their private wealth would be more inclined to manage gold price risk, but those whose managers hold options might be less inclined to manage gold price risk. This article tes ts the predictive (as compared with the prescriptive) power of the various theories, i.e., whether they help describe the choices made by firms. He finds that gold mining firms risk management decisions are consistent with some of the extant theory. Managerial risk aversion seems particularly relevant; the data bear out Smith and Stulzs (1985) prediction that firms whose managers own more stock options manage less gold price risk, and those whose managers have more wealth invested in common stock manage more gold price risk. These results seem robust under a variety of econometric specifications, and using a number of alternative proxy variables. In contrast, theories that explain risk management as a means to reduce the costs of financial distress, to break the firms dependence on external financing, or to reduce expected taxes are not supported strongly. He also finds that firm risk management levels appear to be higher for firms with smaller outside block holdings and lower cash balances, and whose senior financial managers have shorter job tenures. â€Å"Managing Foreign Exchange Risk with Derivatives†by Gregory W. Brown is a field study of HDG, a multinational manufacturing company of durable equipment with sales in more than 50 countries that actively encounters 24 different currency exchanges. Although multinational companies like HDG are always exposed to foreign exchange risk, this is one of very few studies that investigate the risk management operations for a non-financial corporation. Since multinational companies tend to be very complex, while using multiple strategies, a field study of this nature provides a deeper understanding of how the risk management process works. Dr. Brown attempts to answer to three main questions. First he wants to understandhowthe Forex risk management program is structured; second,whythe firm focuses on management of exchange risk; finallywhatHDG uses within their hedging derivative portfolio in order to minimize their foreign exchange risk. In order to get a comprehensive understanding Dr. Brown investigated HDG over 14 quarters starting from 1995 and ending in 1998. The structure of HDGs foreign exchange group consisted of 11 employees who were not considered â€Å"traders†, with an average experience of 4 years, whose focus was not only hedging foreign exchange risk. The program cost which included salaries and overhead was approximately $1.5M annually, and the overall transactional costs averaged around $2.3M annually. HDG had an actual foreign exchange risk policy which focused to reduce transactional, translational, and overall economic exposures. In order to meet this policy the group actively engaged in spot and forward contracts, currency put option, and currency call options. Traditional economic theories usually illustrate hedging Forex risk for benefits such as reducing taxable income, protecting against potential costs of financial distress, and reducing overall volatility of wealth. HDG however, focu sed its risk management program on smoothing out earnings impacts, providing the company with competitive pricing, and enabling improved internal control management. In some ways it seemed that HDG was attempting to use Forex risk hedging in a speculative attempt to increase potential income and thereby increase overall firm value. The procedure used in Forex risk hedging was quite simplistic. The department would not use live market feeds but rather sources such as Bloomberg to signify a â€Å"hedge rate† from current market rates and overall cost of derivatives. This information would then be passed onto the tax department and after review would be developed into a hedging strategy to forecast future hedging activity. Browns statistical studies of HDGs hedging activities concluded that the models R-squared value increased as the time horizon decreased. This indicated that the companies hedging activity was dramatically affected by its most recent hedging transactions. This may seem rather obvious but the strongest tests only indicated 55% in accuracy. In all Brown explains there is much more in the way of testing that needs to beconducted in order to better evaluate which additional factors significantly influence the Forex risk management of multinational non-financial companies. This study should be the start of a new investigation in understanding currency risk perspectives. In Risk Measurement and Hedging: With and Without Derivatives, Petersen and Thiagarajan (2000) explore the reasons for two gold mining companies to use opposite approaches in managing their risk, namely American Barrick, which aggressively hedges its gold price risk with derivatives, and Homestake Mining, which uses no derivatives. By studying two firms from the same industry, which hardly has any variation in product quality, the fundamental differences that lead to the different approaches in risk management can be examined. Homestake Mining is focused on developing its own properties and hence, spends more on exploration costs (capital and labour costs), which makes high gold prices profitable if they are not correlated with exploration costs. The greater need of investment capital Homestakes Mining has when gold prices are high makes reductions in the volatility of operating cash flow less valuable to it as a complete hedging would take cash flow away when gold prices are high, i.e. when Homestake Mining is in need of it. The different opportunities companies possess of also explain some reasons for different risk management strategies. Homestake Mining has for example lower costs of adjusting the mining output than American Barrick as the former can (over a short period) alter the quality of the ore that is mined. This mining strategy creates costs that vary positively with the price of gold and thus provides the firm with a natural hedge, which American Barrick does not possess of. As managers will act differently according to the risk they are personally bearing, compensation strategies is of upmost importance when it comes to risk management. Both the American Barrick and Homestake Mining use options to link the managerial wealth to the shareholder wealth, however, American Barrick does so more intensively. Also, its compensation is equity-focused where the bonuses are linked to the stock values, whereas Homestake Miningss bonuses are linked to the profitability, which explains why the latter adjusts its costs as gold prices change. The earnings are quite volatile, however through this can be reduced by different choices of accounting techniques, which is the reason for Homestake Mining to changes them in opposite direction to gold prices, where American Barrick rarely alters its accounting choices at all. From the above findings one may conclude that the choice of managing risks depends on various firms specific characteristics; their firm structure, management contracts and incentives. Specifically, it is a matter of the trade-off between costs and savings/benefits. Establishing and maintaining derivatives program is often quite costly, and therefore the alternative of using other methods to hedge risks may be preferable. In the article Hedging and Coordinated Risk Management: Evidence from Thrift Conversions, the writers argue that the firms risk management can be used to reallocate the firms total risk between different sources, rather than reduce it. So in this case hedging doesnt necessarily equal total risk reduction as often stated, but rather a technique of risk-reallocation or as an essential part of a firms profit-maximizing strategy. This becomes clearer if we separate risk in to two types, based on the activities where the firms have their comparative information advantages, namely: -Core business risk: Firms earn rents or economic profit for taking on activities bearing this risk. -Homogenous risk: Financial risk as interest rate changes, foreign currency exchange rates, or commodity prices. By contrast there is no compensation for bearing this kind of risk. (This doesnt necessarily apply if the firm has a comparative information advantage in the financial risk sector, then financial risk can then become core business risk. If we now consider a risky asset, it may be viewed as a portfolio of multiple claims from the owners. These claims are bundled together which basically means that the firm must take on all the projects if it wants any of them. A subset of these projects may be â€Å"core business projects† which have a positive NPV for the firm, and the remaining subset may be projects bearing homogenous risk with NPV = 0 (the firm hasnt any disadvantage/advantage compared to others in assessing the unsystematic risk). The total variability of a portfolios cash flow of course includes both risk types. An example of this could be a farmer expecting payment for breeding pigs. Then his superior equipment or animal feed preparation would be categorized as activities bearing core business risk, while the price of pork would be homogenous risk. When increase in total risk is costly, risk composition becomes more important as the firm value becomes a concave function of the expected cash flows. Therefore if the risky asset was separable (which it is not), we would only seek to invest in positive NPV projects with core business risk. However this is not the case and therefore we can instead make a trade off by decreasing homogenous risk while gaining additional exposure to core business risk and still maintain the target level of total risk. This substitution is called â€Å"coordinated risk management† and can be attained by the use of derivatives. They test for coordinated risk management in a sample of thrifts that convert from the mutual to stock form of ownership. These conversions have been used to recapitalize the thrift industry since 1982 where legal barriers were cleared. From 83 to 88, 571 conversions issuing stock totaling over $10 billion were completed, compared to only 130 mutual-to-stock conversions between 75 and 82. At the end of 82, stock saving and loans managed only 30% of the industrys assets, but by the end of 88, stock saving and loans controlled 74% of the industrys total assets, going from $686 billion to $1,4 trillion. These converting thrifts provided an interesting sample to test whether the use of hedging can be part of an overall strategy to increase total risk. They argued that converting thrifts will attempt to increase their overall level of firm risk following conversion due to changes that occur at the time of conversion. In other words, these institutions are a unique case relative to empirical studies of risk management that focuses on firms with incentives to decrease total risk. The reasons for converting institutions to increase total firm risk are likely because of these two major reasons: 1. A converting institutions ability to take risk increases at the time of conversion, even though the investment opportunities do not change. This is because conversion provides financial slack and access to capital markets. A conversion typically proceeds at least the book value of equity of the mutual thrift. Assuming that pre-conversion mutual equity meets regulatory capital requirements, doubling the capital ratio creates a larger borrowing capacity that can be used to double the asset size of the thrift. Increasing thrift size does not necessarily imply an increase of thrift risk. However, thrifts usually have incentives to grow by investing in riskier assets because of flat deposit insurance premiums that allow thrifts to shift risk to the government. 2. Converting institutions are predicted to increase the total firm risk following because of the change in their managers incentives for risk taking. Before the conversion, managers receive a fixed salary. But upon conversion, shareholders are able to include stock and stock options in a managers compensation contract, aligning the managers interest with the shareholders. In this situation, the manager will typically be more willing to take risks in order to maximize firm value. The Test Schrand and Unal has used sample data from conversions completed between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1988. They have also made some selecting in the sample excluding the supervisory mergers and merger-conversions. Also they further exclude smaller companies by having a minimum limit of $100 million among the sample companys. As of the methodology Schrand and Unal have used a quantitative time-series study, where they have analyzed the changes in total risk, interest-rate risk and credit risk using an ordinary least squares method. The model is a form of a least squares method where they have added the term Time(t+k). The extra term is an indicator variable which is equal to one if quarter t is k quarters from the conversion quarters, and if not the term equals zero. As of the independent variables in the model, they can be seen as tests, indicating the differences between the risks of the average converting institution and the risks of the average institution in the control group. However the model doesnt indicate whether the interest risk and credit risk are coordinated. Therefore Schrand and Unal have used another model to analyze if there is an association between the interest risk and the credit risk. The model which is a pooled time-series cross-sectional regression is computed as follows: Here Schrand and Unal predict a positive slope between the interest risk (XSNET) and the credit risk (XSHIGH). The Empirical Results The study show that the converting institutions capital position increases with roughly 70 percent after the conversion. Also the study shows that the converting institutions significantly decrease their exposure to interest risk. However the Credit risk increases when converting, because of taking more risk in their loan portfolios. Further the study indicates that the investment patterns are related to the actual conversion rather than the time-trend within the industry. Also they conclude that the increased use of derivatives is a strategic decision and not a mechanical phenomenon. References Brown, G. W. (2001), â€Å"Managing foreign exchange risk with derivatives†, Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 60, pp. 401-448. Naik, N. Y., and P. K. Yadav (2003), â€Å"Risk Management with Derivatives by Dealers and Market Quality in Government Bond Market†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 58 (5), pp. 1873-1904. Schrand, C., and H. Unal (1998), â€Å"Hedging and Coordinated Risk Management: Evidence from Thrift Conversions†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 53 (3), pp. 979-1013. Tufano, P. (1996), â€Å"Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of Risk Management Practices in Gold Mining Industry†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 51(4), pp. 1097-1137. Petersen, M. A., and S. R. Thiagarajan, (2000), Risk Management and Hedging: With and Without Derivatives, Financial Management, Vol. 29(4), pp. 5-30.

coffee, tea, or opium :: essays research papers

â€Å"Coffee, Tea, or Opium?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Coffee, Tea, or Opium,† the authors main point is that even at this point in history some rulers felt that drug importation throughout other countries was immoral for their economic and social status. China’s commissioner for foreign trade, Lin Zexu wanted to stop the illegal importation of opium into his country. Lin saw that the opium trade was damaging the publics health and was bleeding China of its wealth. The emperor of Manchu had given Lin extensive power and ordered him to control the demand of China’s people for opium and force the barbarian merchants to cut off the supply.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout this article Wilson shows that as the years past the opium use in China grew substantially: â€Å"During the trading season of 1816-17, about forty-six hundred 150-pound chests of opium entered China. This number rose to 22, 000 by 1831-32 and 35,000 by 1837-38.. That was more than 5.25 million pounds of opium, the carefully collected and dried sap extruded from 4.8 trillion opium poppies† (Wilson pg 38). Not only was the did it spread rapidly into China, but other countries found that highly addictive substances made great profits in exportation. The traders were not the only men making a quick dollar, but the middlemen, and the farmers as well. The people that fell short we the addicts themselves and the importing countries, due to the fact that the opium ran up uncontrollable trade deficits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  England and other countries profited by exporting opium into China because these countries were receiving goods like tea and silk while China was getting opium. This meant that the other countries were getting items they could sell and receive items that were reusable or they could use for resell in their country for higher prices than what they had spent in China. Not only that but they could sell small amounts of opium for a large sum of money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lin wrote a letter to Queen Victoria to explain his troubles about the effects opium was having on his country, but to no avail. All he wanted was someone who understood his desire to stop the selling of opium in China. Hoping that the Queen would respond and agree with him never happened. Unfortunately the British were determined to keep the sales going even if it meant by force. They wanted to keep the profits in by taking some of China’s main ports.

Toatlitarian Gov. :: essays research papers

Totalitarian Governments use the people in a total movement to achieve a goal. When this goal is finally met, the government finds a new goal to strive for to keep the population in check. This type of government sprang up during the 1930’s in Europe and Asia. Totalitarianism came into being for many reasons: class struggle, nationalism, and a need for a better way of life. However the biggest reason that totalitarian government came into play was because of the Great Depression. Three nations in particular were able to model this take over by using the lower classes as a boost to achieve power. The Russian nation was in a state of distress. The country was being ruined by drought, fire, and the lack of industry. Russia was falling way behind the rest of the world, and with the death of Lenin they were looking for a new leader. The single party system made it easy for a totalitarian style leader to take hold of the reigns of power. Trotsky and Stalin were the two candidates for the take over Russia’s government. They both used socialism to try to move into power, but Stalin used socialism on the home front to his advantage. Where Trotsky wanted to use the rest of the world for socialism, making the people think that they needed a crutch. This idea did not go over well and Stalin won increasing support. He used this support to banish and kill Trotsky and his opposition. After Trotsky was out of the way, Stalin killed his supporters and furthered his totalitarian role. With the introduction of his â€Å"Five Year Plan†, to increase industry by two hundred and fifty percent and agriculture by one hundred and fifty percent, he solidified his position and the birth of a totalitarian government through the goal of industry. Earlier, in the nation of Italy, totalitarianism had been introduced before the grounds had been laid in Russia. There was a great hate that was rising between the upper and lower classes. The socialist movement was in full effect, and factory workers and peasant were taking over factories. And with the pope lifting the ban on Catholics, there were an increasing number of different opposing factions in government making an already unstable government worse. Mussolini, a nationalist and fascist, steps in asking for a greater sense of nationalism. He helps this idea with promises of better benefits for the working class and land reform for the peasants.

Benefits of Higher Education

The number of college graduates has recently been on the increase. Due to the increase of college graduates, there is a lot of competition in hunting for a Job. Many companies have been cutting back on hiring due to the slow down in the economy. When I think about what it takes to get a well-paying Job these days, one must be very knowledgeable about many different topics. This means companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running when they hire them.In addition to one's knowledge they possess, a college diploma is very important while Job hunting. According to the essay, â€Å"Are they really ready to work†, mfoung people need a ange of skills, both basic academic skills as well as the ability to apply these skills and knowledge in the workplace. At the high school level, well over one-half of new entrants are deficiently prepared in the most important skills – Oral and Written Communications, Professionalism/Work Ethic, and Critical Thinking/Problem So lving â€Å"(Casner-Lotto, and Barrington, 2006, p. 51). Generally, there is a limit to what students can learn until they graduate from high school. The time spent in high school is not enough time to gain sufficient knowledge or skill to get a well paying Job. Additionally, high school is place where one learns a little about a lot of different things, receiving a general education. On the other hand, even if students have a college diploma, they still lack some skills, such as writing in English, written communications, and leadership, but they are better prepared than high school graduates.Especially, at the college level, students can concentrate on areas that they think they would want to work in the future, so they can get specialized knowledge and technology. Why do we need adequate skills? The essay â€Å"Work and Workers in the Twenty- First Century' stated that â€Å"Automation will continue to displace low-skilled or unskilled workers in America's manufacturing firms and offices† (Judy, and Amico, 1997, p. 234). In the twenty-first century, there is increased use of computers, robots, and automation in the workplace.This mechanization certainly has brought production costs down, but has lead to fewer unskilled Jobs available in America. The lost of these unskilled Jobs makes it more competitive for the unskilled labors, with not all unskilled labors able to find adequate paying Jobs. Therefore, the companies now require us to have brains. In addition, the physical labors are moving to second and third world countries, in order to build the groundwork for these developing economies.Studying at a college or university in the US these days, could cost tens of thousands of dollars annually including the student's room and board cost. So after a 4 years of thousand dollars. These students must start paying their loans back shortly after they graduate. With employers not hiring and very limited Jobs available, these graduates have a difficult ti me findings Jobs paying the salaries required to pay their loans. Now, if tudents live with their parents, they do not have to pay for room, and board, but only tuition and material fees.Although the students college education is cost them less due to the fact that they did not have to pay for room and board, the cost of the education is still a big burden on most families. However, according to the essay â€Å"The Private Benefits of Higher Education†, there is a big difference between salaries for high school graduates and college graduates. â€Å"Among wage and salary workers between the age 25 and 34, median annual earnings were 58% higher for men who completed at least a achelor's degree than for men who completed only high school ($42,341 vs. 26,842), but 92% higher for women who earned at least a bachelor's degree than for women who earned only a high school diploma ($32,145 vs. $16,770; Perna, 2013, p. 451). † As stated above, men who received at least bachelor 's degree are able to earn more than one and half times more than the median high school graduate. Now as for woman, the numbers are even more pronounced than for the men with a women who earns a Bachelor earns about doubled than that of the median women with only a high school diploma.Research shows that parents with low income and no academic qualifications normally do not have a lot of information about how to get financial aid for their children. Job hunting is a highly competitive in the twenty first century. Moreover, mechanization and globalization narrow the workplace in the US. Therefore, although students have to pay a lot of money to go to a college or university, they still pursue college education. This is due to that higher education will be useful in order to find well-paying Job. In the next five years, college graduates will continue to increase more and more.

When Brothers Share a Wife

Polyandry is a form of polygamy whereby a woman has several husbands. In Tibet those husbands are often brothers, which is why it is most commonly called â€Å"Fraternal Polyandry†. The eldest brother is normally dominant in terms of authority, that is, in managing the household, but all the brothers share the work and participate as sexual partners. Goldstein's article focuses on the overlap between the domestic group, defined as those individuals that live in a single household together, and the kin group, or people who view themselves as relatives, within a certain Tibetan society near Limi, Nepal. According to the article, the idea of polygyny – the taking of more than one wife by a single man – is practiced by consanguine brothers for primarily economic reasons in addition to reasons of tradition. Because of the time requirement of the subsistence economy, a man setting up a monogamous household would find it difficult if not impossible to farm, manage the animals, and care to his husband duties. The article concludes by discussing the decline of polyandrous marriages, and even goes so far as to describe that the practice may be completely gone within a single generation's time. Discussion Item: The article makes me curious how often persons from a more industrialized region paying visit to a tribal or otherwise remote region and exposed to social elements different from that which is typically seen in their own culture judge the people whom they are visiting, or conclude that their practices are â€Å"uncivilized†, â€Å"barbaric† or â€Å"disgusting† without stopping and taking the time to think critically about the economic, political and social reasons behind the practice, as well as the ramifications of changing.

Comparison of the lives of American, Chinese and Thai women

Recent decades have witnessed enormous and far-reaching demographic changes in the lives of American, Chinese and Thai women. These changes touch almost every aspect of life -education, marriage, divorce, employment, sexual behavior, childbearing, and living arrangements. In fact, it is difficult to avoid the media's persistent messages regarding the new woman.We know that women are entering higher levels of education in unprecedented numbers, going into professions traditionally reserved for men, delaying marriage and remaining employed after they are married as well as after their first child is born, divorcing at higher rates, and heading a greater number of households. It is not surprising to find these changes the subject of intensive study by social scientists, policymakers, market researchers, as well as the media. From the perspective of the individual woman, the creation of a family through marriage is a major event.It changes her relationship to the family from which she ca me and provides her with a new set of roles, responsibilities, commitments, and expectations. It is a significant transition in the life course, one that has historically marked the entry into adulthood. The marital behavior of American women has significantly changed in recent decades, and this change has signaled a shift in the relationship of individual women to the family as a social institution and in the way women organize their lives.To begin with, changes in marital behavior since the 1950s point to a significant decline in the importance of marriage in the lives of American women. This decline is being met with a rise in the importance of the primary individual. More women are expected to remain single throughout their lives, those who do marry are marrying later, and marriages are more likely to end in divorce. Consequently, women are spending a smaller proportion of their lives married. Delayed marriage is related to the increasing numbers of young women living alone.Howe ver, the majority of Chinese women, rural and urban, it is still within the context of the family and in their performance of familial roles that they are judged. A fine worker who neglects her husband and beats her children is a bad woman. A fine worker who neglects his wife and beats his children is a fine worker. There have been major changes in the family in urban China. It is most certainly not the buffer (or barrier) it once was between women and the state, but it remains the unit of consumption, the primary caring unit for the weak, ill, or elderly, and its proper functioning is still seen as women's responsibility.Here again, the rural family reflects the vast differences in China between city and countryside. Although it is no longer the only unit of production, that function in 1981 being shared with the production team, it still provides much of the family's resources, and much of that production is women's responsibility (Ebrey 1990). More importantly, even though the ru ral family is now a setting from which women of certain ages go out for varying periods of time to interact with the work world of men, it is still the natural habitat of women. Thai Family Law within the Civil Code contains many outright discriminatory items.For example, if a woman engaged to be married has sexual relations with a man other than her fiance, her fiance is entitled to terminate the engagement and seek compensation from the third party. An engaged woman does not have reciprocal rights. Similarly, if a spouse seeks a judicial divorce (as opposed to a divorce based on mutual consent), the husband is able to divorce his wife on the grounds of adultery but the wife cannot use this reason against her husband without proof that the husband has maintained and honored the ‘other woman' as his wife ( NCWA 1995).Currently the marriage registration system affords women no protection from bigamous husbands, and neither do they provide women with protection against sexual ab use, sexual harassment, rape or domestic violence (NCWA 1995). Domestic violence (especially wife beating) is major family problem in Thai society but it remains underreported because of the social stigma attached to the victims and the perpetrators. One study on Status of Women and Fertility in Thailand conducted in 1993 interviewed 2800 women and found that one-fifth (approximately 600 women) reported having been beaten by their husbands.The highest concentration of women who had experienced domestic violence was in Bangkok. About 13 per cent of Bangkok women reported being beaten regularly and 47 per cent of these remained in the relationship within a submissive role, neither retaliating nor leaving (Chayovan et al. 1995). Traditionally Thai customs have discouraged marriage at a young age and the impact of urbanization and socio-economic development have reinforced this tendency leading to an increase in marriage age among Thais (Limanonda 1992).The last four census figures indi cate that the age at first marriage for women has risen from 21. 6 in 1960 to 23. 5 in 1990. Nonetheless marriage is still the overwhelming choice with only a small number of Thais remaining single by the age of 50 (Limanonda 1992). The divorce rate is increasing especially in Bangkok where remarriage among younger divorcees is quite high. This increase in the marriage dissolution rate has resulted in a growing number of female heads-of-households. From the 1994 Household Survey, out of the total 15. 8 million households counted, 3.2 million households (about 20. 1 per cent) were headed by women and these households had an average of 3. 2 family members. The average age of these women heads was 51 years old. The low levels of education and income prevalent among these single female heads of-households signifies a considerable burden for the women involved since they would most likely be the major provider of the economic and emotional needs of their household members. Chinese and Am erican attitudes toward men and women differ even in situations in which sexual attraction theoretically should have no importance.Many American women today share in the public life of the nation. A majority of them have gone to school with men, worked in the same offices with them, shared identical or similar interests with them, and have even fought them on broad social, political, and economic issues. American women can count among their ranks doctors, lawyers, high government officials, professors, industrial and commercial executives as well as laborers, police, clerks, and members of the armed services. One hundred years after the Opium War only a small minority of Chinese women enjoyed comparable distinctions.They also could name among themselves workers in various professions and occupations, no less than crusaders against social evils deeply embedded in Chinese tradition, but these few women towered above the illiterate majority who either did not hear about the privileged ones or looked upon them with idle curiosity. The reason for this lack of confidence is, however, not so obscure. To begin with, it is connected with the fact that many American women who work outside the home feel defensive. This is one arc of a vicious circle, for the more defensive women feel, the less confidence men will have in them.Why do educated American women who have had lengthy experience in a man's world feel more defensive than their educated Chinese sisters who have but recently obtained equality and are only a small minority? The answer again lies in the underlying psychological patterns of the two groups. In the American individual-centered pattern of thought, sex, being diffused, appears whenever men and women meet. The boundaries defining when sex does or does not apply are simply not clear. Sexual attraction occurs without reference to time, role, and place.In the Chinese pattern, sex, being relegated to particular areas of life, does not pervade every aspect of l ife. Therefore, the Chinese male will react very differently to a show girl and to a woman professor. In the same way, the Chinese female will view different males from the standpoint of their diverse stations in life. To put it more plainly, for Americans, sex differences tend to overshadow situation. For Chinese, situation tends to overshadow sex. An American woman is always prepared to use her womanly charms whether her business is with a store clerk, her landlord, or her husband.She is likely to be pleased by any sign that her beauty is appreciated, whether the complimentary word or glance comes from a bus conductor, her pupils, or a business associate. Even a modern Chinese woman is sure to bring humiliation upon herself if she copies her American sisters in this respect. For in her culture, female charms and beauty are sexual matters, and should therefore be reserved for a woman's lover or husband, or at least for a man whom she might marry. On the other hand, the American wom an is, in male eyes, never separated from the qualities of her sex, even if her work has no connection with them.She feels defensive because the male resents her intrusion into what he considers his world, and he is resentful because she brings with her the advantage of her sex in addition to her professional abilities. The Chinese woman's sexual attractions belong to her husband or fiance alone. She can safely invoke them only in the privacy of her marital situation. But for this very reason, once she has achieved a new occupational or professional status, the Chinese woman tends to be judged in male eyes by her ability and not by her sex.With sex confined to the specific areas of marriage or prostitution, working females have no need to be defensive when entering into traditionally male activities, and males have no cause to view them as transgressors. A socially desexed female is just as good as a socially desexed male. The system of resolving sexual transgression may come to a s tandstill in the case of transgression that crosses ethnic boundaries. We have seen that sexual morality is embedded in the communal social order primarily of the woman's community.Matters are settled within the community, or between Karen communities with shared understanding of the processes for amending the breach. What happens, then, when a breach takes place with those for whom such sanctions are meaningless? The cooling ritual and subsequent marriage cannot be enforced. From a comparative perspective women in Thailand have suffered less discrimination than women in China. Indeed, gender relations in three Thai Kingdoms of Sukhothai, Ayudhaya, and Ratanakosin provided a positive template for the inscribing of a better status for women in the twentieth century.Even in this context the improvement in the status of women since the 1970s has been dramatic. Women's activities have expanded in all spheres as a result of the economic growth of the nation and the accompanying social po licy initiatives of successive governments, academic institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Religious practice has supported the participation of women in worship. In Thai Buddhism a child should aim to gain spiritual merit for his/her parents in order to demonstrate gratitude to the parents for giving life to the child.Sons can perform this act of filial gratitude by joining monasteries and becoming monks. This avenue is not open to women but the exclusion of women does not imply that men have superior status to women. Daughters have other mechanisms for repaying debts of gratitude to parents that are equally as valid—they are simply different from those of sons. There is a clear shift in the nature of women's participation in the national economy since the 1970s. Women have joined the wage-labor force in greater numbers than ever before with the expansion in jobs outside of the dominant agricultural sector.Traditionally agriculture was the main focus of eco nomic activity for Thais and women were an integral part of the agricultural labor force. Women produced a considerable proportion of family and national income from their agricultural activities and played significant roles in marketing and selling the family produce and controlling the family finances (Chayovan et al. 1995). The rapid industrialization of the Thai economy over the past two decades coupled with the globalization of the international labor market have combined to generate large numbers of Thai women migrating from their homes to other centers for employment (Mills 1999).Women comprised the majority of those entering the Bangkok metropolitan area as the opportunities in the service and industrial sectors expanded. Women were preferred employees for the new jobs such as clothing and shoe manufacturing, the sorting of transistors, the assembly of pocket calculators and the handling of microchips for computer components. Thai government planners note that in four out of seven geographical regions the net migration of the female population has been consistently higher than that of men since 1980. They predict that this trend will continue until 2010 (NESDB 1992).The majority of these female migrants move into the large urban centers, have no skills or training, many have little or no knowledge of city-life and even fewer have a network for social and moral support at their destinations. The economic downturn since 1997 has also demonstrated that unskilled women workers remain the most disposable workers. They are often the first laid-off and few have access to severance or redundancy payments. Many of these women are single-parents or heads-of-households with a group of parents or children depending on their wage.The social security system in Thailand is currently too weak to provide support for these women and their families. Labor laws that guarantee severance pay or worker's compensation need to be introduced across all sectors of the economy to ensure that these, the most vulnerable of Thailand's industrial workers, are protected. In sum, employment for women in Thailand remains concentrated in the unskilled, or semi-skilled sectors and also in the informal agricultural sectors. Thai women have made considerable progress in the last thirty years.This results from Thailand's comparatively equitable cultural traditions as well as the rapid economic development of the nation since the 1970s. However, certain groups of women remain at a severe disadvantage compared to men and consequently their potential to contribute to national development is often ignored or overlooked. The continued existence of these weak points, given Thailand's favorable economic and cultural context, suggests that many opportunities for improving the status of Thai women have been missed.As greater numbers of women enter the administrative and political realms and with the continued support of international bodies like the UN, fewer opportunities shou ld be missed in the future. At home, prostitution remains a long-term, growing and unsolved problem. Economic hardship remains the predominant reason for women to enter the sex industry. Lack of education combines with diminishing economic opportunities to create considerable incentives for women to become prostitutes (Cook 1998). Others are forced or lured into the profession by unscrupulous middle-men.Leaving their homes on the assumption that they will be working in factories, many girls find themselves tricked into prostitution instead. Some of the women traveling overseas do so illegally but the income they earn is generally sent home to support parents and siblings in desperate need. Needless to say the majority of these sex-workers work in adverse life-threatening circumstances. The illegal nature of the industry makes it very difficult to monitor numbers of women involved and the conditions under which they work.The work describes in detail a number of important changes in t he fife course of American, Chinese and Thai women. The descriptions of behavioral change are arranged in a series of specific demographic topics – educational attainment, marriage rates, fertility, etc. – and then supplemented with an analysis of women's attitudes over the last twenty years. All of these changes point to a rise in the primacy of the individual woman that is paralleled by a decline in marriage and the family.In general, these demographic changes have been driven by economic, technological, and cultural developments that have permitted women greater control over their lives. This new control is reflected in complex life-course changes that can be roughly summarized as a movement away from the orderly progression of the 1950s (student, then jobholder, then wife, then mother) to participation in several roles simultaneously. Works Cited Chayovan, Napaporn, Malinee Wongsith, Vipan Prachuabmoh Ruffolo. â€Å"A study on status of women and fertility in Thai land,† IPS Publication No.229/95 (May), Institute of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 1995. Cook, Nerida. â€Å"Dutiful daughters†, estranged sisters: women in Thailand,† Gender and Power in Affluent Asia, eds K. Sen and M. Stivens, Routledge, London, 1998. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. â€Å"Women, Marriage, and the Family in Chinese History,† in The Heritage of China, ed. Paul Ropp. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. Limanonda, Bhassorn. â€Å"Nuptiality patterns in Thailand: their implications for further fertility decline,† Fertility Transitions, Family Structure, and Population Policy, ed.Calvin Goldscheider, Westview, Boulder, 1992. Mills, Mary Beth. Thai Women in the Global Labor Force: Consuming desires, contested selves, Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, 1999. National Commission on Women's Affairs (NCWA). Women's Development in Thailand. A report prepared by the National Committee for International Cooperat ion for the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, Nairobi, Kenya (15-26 July), n. p. , Bangkok, 1995. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). Population Projections for Thailand 1980-2015, NESDB, Bangkok, 1992.