Political Climate of the 1970s Essay

Consider for just a moment the following scenario: the United States finds itself embroiled in a war for which no foreseeable end is in sight.   The president finds himself on the low end of the approval polls and the American people are staging protests against the war that the president is dedicated to waging.   While this sounds like it was taken from the headlines of today, and indeed it could be, but it just as well applies to the era of president Richard Nixon and the age of the Vietnam War.   This essay will focus on several facets of Nixon, the war he led, and the scandal that ultimately ended his administration, but created echoes that are heard even today. Political and Social Outcomes of the End of the War in Vietnam The Vietnam War, of course created all of the sadness, caution and concern that all wars throughout history have created.   Additionally, there are definite political and social outcomes from the war that still echo in the American psyche decades after the official end to the war itself.   Politically, Vietnam was a rude awakening for the American political/military machine because this war represented the first time that the US was engaged in a war that it did not win.   While there is lingering debate as to whether the Vietnam War was lost, few can debate that the war was not decisively won by US troops. From this political fallout came several social consequences for the American people.   With the potential that the US could not defeat Communism in any specific way, the American people began to doubt the effectiveness of their government more so than at any other time in history.   Not all people doubted the government’s potency, however, and this gave rise to two sides that would start to debate one another starting in the Vietnam era and continuing into the present day (Gilbert, 2001). Lastly, the end of Vietnam led to a general distrust of the government as a whole, as stories began to leak out about the backroom military planning, lack of accurate information being released to the public, and what many saw as a war that was lost not because of an undefeatable enemy but because of an American military that was too mired in political infighting and self interest to win any war. A Comparison of Nixon’s Policies of Engagement and Cold War Strategies During the Cold War, Richard Nixon held true to one overriding philosophy- â€Å"Peace with Honor†.   Ã‚  This simple statement has far reaching implications because of several considerations about the Vietnamese War.   Eventually, Nixon came to realization that the war was one that could not be won for several reasons.   First, American troops were utilizing conventional military techniques in an unconventional war, fought against an enemy that used hidden tunnels, soldiers without noticeable uniforms, and primitive forms of terrorism such as suicide bombers who would detonate explosives in the midst of American soldiers, killing them by the dozens at a time.   Second, what was really being fought in Vietnam was not another army, but a massive social and political machine called Communism. The forces behind Communism stretched far beyond the borders of Vietnam and represented a foe that would never really be defeated in conventional battle.   What these facts   meant for Nixon, and indeed for the entire nation was that while it may be possible for the United States to be able to withdraw from the war in Vietnam, there really was no way for the war to be won or for Communism to be defeated in the way that physical enemies are neutralized (Katz, 1997).   Nixon’s mindset was indicative of the Cold War strategies used both before and after the years that Nixon led the nation.   It was long acknowledged that Communism was a force that was not able to be fought and defeated like an army might be able to be fought and defeated, but that it would have to compete against and democracy protected and promoted, likewise bringing about â€Å"Peace with Honor† as Nixon advocated. Measure the Impact of the Watergate Scandal on Public Perception of Government Power President Richard Nixon, in the early 1970s, found himself entangled in the Vietnam War but also faced with the possibility that he would not be re-elected to the presidency in the upcoming election. With the pursuit of that re-election in mind, it now is apparent that Nixon was involved in planning, and trying to cover up, the burglary of the Democratic national headquarters in the scandal that would come to be known as Watergate.   In the aftermath of Watergate, public perception of government power was changed forever.   During the 1970s, much of the general public, in particular those of college age, did not trust the government because of what they saw as an unjust war in Vietnam and the accompanying withholding of information about the war itself which was viewed by many as a government conspiracy to deliberately mislead the public in the pursuit of self interests on the part of government officials, from the president himself and downward into the ranks of the US governmen t (Genovese, 2004).   This distrust led to the mantra â€Å"don’t trust anyone over the age of 30†, as young Americans viewed their elders as selfish power grabbers who were using the blood of the youth to serve their own means. The mistrust of the government likewise had effects on the presidency that has repeated itself in almost every subsequent administration since Nixon resigned in the heat of Watergate.   Whether one looks at the Clinton, Reagan, or Bush(es) administrations, there are examples where the Nixon-era suspicion of the government comes out, as allegations are made that the president is more concerned with public approval and his own well-being than he is in being honest and forthcoming with the citizens of the nation (Genovese, 2004).   Skepticism can of course be healthy or destructive, especially in evaluating the government.   The trick, going forward, will be for Americans to recognize the difference between being aware of the government’s actions and petty criticisms that are driven by political self interest and not what is best for the nation as a whole. Conclusion In this essay, the past and present has been brought together.   This linking of history’s events makes it possible to realize that the more things change, the more that they seem to remain the same.   It also makes it possible to understand that events do not take place in isolation from other events that came before them, but there is an historic influence of the past on the events of the present and will eventually affect the events of the future.   This also brings about the old adage that those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.   If political leaders and even the average person on the street fail to pay attention to what has happened before and do something better, no good will come of it.

Commentary on ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Essay

In the novel ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams, a scene that often catches the attention of readers is the poker scene. It begins when Blanche and Stella return from seeing a show too early, not wanting to have been a distraction or a nuisance while the men played poker. Stanley rudely dismisses the ladies making sure they know they aren’t welcome to join in, the tension escalates as does the banter and Stanley whacks Stella’s thigh to end the discussion. Mitch and Blanche then meet for the first time as he exits the bathroom and they are both immediately taken with each other. The poker games continues to progress and the ladies listen to the radio and gossip about the men, Stanley becomes unnecessarily agitated by the music and insists that they turn it off. Mitch then deals a hand and leaves to talk to Blanche, he offers a cigarette from a silver case, which he then continues on to explain the significance behind it, being from a girl whom he was once involved with that passed away. They continue to talk and Blanche explains how she was an English teacher and enjoyed her job even though the majority of her students didn’t retain much interest in the English curriculum. Then, the real action begins to unfold; Blanche turns the radio back on, not aware of what her actions will lead up to. Stanley was already at his wits end by the first time he ordered the radio turned off and a second provocation would only lead to trouble. The music begins to play ‘Wein, Wein, nur du allein’ which translates to ‘Wine, Wine, and you alone’ giving the reader auditory imagery. I find this ironic, as I believe Blanche is an in denial alcoholic, perhaps the song suggests that the only think she can really rely on for comfort is alcohol. She then begins to dance, waltzing ‘with romantic hand gestures’, this gives proof of her aristocratic and privileged upbringing for few of lower standing would know how to waltz. As for the romantic hand gestures, Blanche is utilizing her means of coquettish seduction on Mitch (who seems all too happy to be at the receiving end to her tryst) as she desperately clings to the idea of a stable and supportive relationship with a husband (as well as a source of income and roof over her head). This course of action has Stanley very riled up, even more so then before. The first time I read this passage I believed his anger to be unwarranted and simply unnecessary, but by putting yourself in his shoes it is possible to visualize where he’s coming from. Stanley sees himself as a ‘manly man’ completely sure of himself and filled to the brim with testosterone. Now combine that with whiskey, more testosterone, a little friendly competition and the fact that he’s losing, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Stanley prides himself on his authority and control of his friends, so when his winnings start to go south and he begins to loose face among them; something he prides himself upon. Its logical to say that his reaction will be harsh to any form of provocation using it as an outlet to his frustration and anger, no matter how unconscionable it was. As Stanley reacts to the radio being played the visual imagery and his disposition becomes wild, animalistic and primal. He ‘stalks fiercely’ to the radio, snatches it up, shouts an oath and then throws it out the window. In my opinion Stanley gives off a strong sense of Neanderthal attitudes because his actions are so primal and savage. In the next line Stella even accuses him of being such stating ‘Drunk – drunk – animal thing, you!’ I think it is this accusation from Stella that makes Stanley snap, taking his anger and need for violence past the point of no return. Stella was the last string in his anger coming to be so severe, because after his friends winning more then he, taking some authority and control away form him, his wife then blatantly insulting him in front of his friends on top of that had to do it. Even in his approach he is like an animal ‘Stanley charges after Stella’ as if he is predator and she is prey (which in this scenario it is safe to say was the case). His friends make feeble attempts at calming Stanley down, trying not to anger him further and at the same time avoiding his wrath being directed towards them. At this point I think Stella knows what’s going to happen and her threats of retaliation are empty as she warns ‘You lay your hands on me and I’ll – ’ as she backs out of the scene with Stanley in pursuit. A cacophony of noises is then heard as Stanley hits Stella and then as if the limelight has been off Blanche for too long she begins to scream and run around. Bringing attention back to herself, it also has to do with the fact that she has never been put in conditions as such and is useless, thus she must find some way to give herself the importance she craves so badly. Stanley’s men finally step up to restrain him in the throes of the crazed mist of rage he has succumbed to. Even in a condition as his ‘he nearly throws them off’ giving the reader a reminder of the brute force and strength that is Stanley. Then as if hit with an epiphany of great importance, realization hits, he surfaces from his delusions ‘all at once he subsides and is limp in their grasp’. Stella, presumably still in shock and fear from what has occurred claims that ‘[in a high, unnatural voice, out of sight] I want to go away, I want to go away!’ what’s interesting about this line is that her tone brings us back to Stanley’s demeanour before he attacked her, inhuman, very much like an animal which brings one to wonder that if Stella can react as such that maybe they aren’t so different from each other in that they can be both very animalistic at times. Mitch is one of the quieter characters in this play, much more reserved and miles more civilised then any of the other male characters. And after all these things have occurred he finally speaks up, simply stating that ‘Poker shouldn’t be played in a house with women’ Now, what I see he’s trying to get across is that all of the previous conflict and violence is solely to blame upon the fact that women were in the same building in which poker was being played, Surely this combination cannot be so dangerous as to inspire domestic abuse? Mitch is wrong on this matter because it is obviously not a dangerous combination; it is Stanley’s overbearing and easily angered personality that makes the situation so volatile. As I said before, Stanley was just a time bomb waiting to go off it was just a matter of someone setting him off (in this case, Stella). After all of this has come to pass, Blanche hastily takes Stella upstairs to the neighbours, Stanley realizes what has happened, that Stella is gone and becomes frantic. Becoming violent and telling his men to ‘Let go of me, you sons of bitches!’ it is unsure whether he is going to become mad with anger once again. His friends see this and hastily make their way out, not forgetting to reclaim their winnings. Tennessee Williams then uses repetition to enforce Mitch’s sexist opinion on the matter by having him state, again, that ‘Poker shouldn’t be played in a house with women’ as if the outcome was unavoidable due to this. Our attention is then taken back to Stanley as he continues through this almost heartfelt and emotional realization that Stella has left him, sobbing and crying out for her, this period is brief though and he soon becomes demanding and stubborn with Eunice (the neighbour) in wanting Stella back. When his plight proves useless, it’s as if he’s relapsed back into the desperate, sobbing man he was a moment before, maybe in thinking that this is the best course of action to manipulate Stella into returning. An animalistic reference is made again to Stanley in the description of his actions in that ‘he throws back his head like a baying hound and bellows his wife’s name: ‘Stella! Stella, sweetheart, Stella!’ This continues along with more banter with the neighbour until with one last attempt, as if he is back to his normal self, he cries out ‘[with heaven-splitting violence]: STELLL – AHHHHH!’ After a moment, Stella emerges and the two come together with an unspoken amount of emotion. This passage is extremely intimate and tender, not something that is often witnessed on stage or in books because it takes on such a personal and real feeling. Even as they come together there is still this animosity in the line ‘they came together with low, animal moans’. Stanley is a strong symbol of virility, manhood and all that is masculine but as he kneels half-naked and exposed on the pavement outside their house desperately crying out for his wife it makes you wonder if there is more to him then what the reader thinks. It is a difficult scene to act out in my opinion because the actor must be enticing and terrifying at the same time. Hence, Stella’s unhealthy attraction towards him, even when shouting her name in desperation on the pavement he still remains a dominating force that pulled her towards him. Their reunion at the bottom of the steps is without words – purely physical with a hint of tenderness as Stanley carries her back into their flat. What I think Tennessee Williams was trying to make the reader/audience feel when writing this passage was fear and curiosity at the same time. Fear from what would happen to the characters, namely Stella from Stanley and curiosity for the same reason. What makes this scene so interesting is the conflicting emotions coming from all of the characters, Blanche’s seduction of Mitch and need to feel useful, Stella’s embarrassment and fear of Stanley’s actions, Mitch’s defensiveness of Stanley’s actions, the other friends wariness if not fear of Stanley and Stanley’s anger and frustration at needing to be in control of the situation at all times. Needless to say, it is an incredibly complex situation, which at the same time remains extremely ironic.

A Concussion is No Laughing Matter

This is what I saw in manga, but the character got hard on my head, the stars suddenly floated in the air, and the manga looked very awkward. However, in just a few seconds, the cartoon restarts and resumes operation. In the latest legend of Tom and Jerry or Coyote and Roadrunner, this seems interesting, but in real life it is not that fascinating. Looking at the stars, fainting and feeling unconscious may be a brain injury called concussion. Concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a very serious problem that needs to be treated in this way. However, traditional doctors and medicines often treat post-concussion treatment as long-term treatment. You may ask if there is a general concussion or TBI In the absence of common symptoms, they believe that you healed, but symptoms of concussion have been affected for a long time. There are various ways to heal the brain after concussion, so you can return to sports events and restore quality living. We used the definition of concussion proposed by international consensus on sports concussion. Thus, athletes experiencing acceleration of brain trauma followed by concussion symptoms, concussion or cognitive decline of the brain are diagnosed as concussion. . Standardized entrance and follow-up visit forms are used in various places. The patient enters demographic information (date of birth, gender etc.) and clinical data (eg, injured day, injured movement, symptom score after concussion). A single definition of concussion, mild head trauma, or mild traumatic brain trauma is generally accepted. International Symposium on Sports Vibration 2001 In the first session of the sports group the vibration of the first session was defined as a complicated pathophysiological process affecting the brain caused by traumatic biomechanical force. It is generally accepted that concussion is usually accompanied by transient damage that temporally spontaneously heals over time, and neuroimaging usually has a severe structural change ca used by the condition of the brain It indicates that it is not.

Analysis essay about 'After Death' Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis about 'After Death' - Essay Example Eagleman also corrected the notion of God’s gender and this translates to the ambivalence of the universe. Eagleman however is optimistic that the afterlife will be generous because we will be given a choice of who we would like to be. The book begun with the phrase â€Å"In the afterlife you relive all your experiences, but this time with the events reshuffled into a new order: all the moments share a quality are grouped together (3)†. This is a sort of cataloguing our life and to make us realize how we lived our life. This is an intriguing opening for a book that talked about after life because it makes the reader think and examined their own lives. It is like telling the living that someday how we should live our life today because it will be played before you us when we die so we better make it a good thing to watch. This opening also opens a lot of possibilities of how the afterlife should be. Of course Eagleman’s book are only analysis and wanderings and we will never know its validity until we go to the afterlife. It may be just an existential â€Å"what if† or an excursion of how will it be like in the afterlife. And if there is any consolation to David Eagleman’s dissertation in his work â€Å"Sum: forty tales from the afterlives†, is that it affirms that there is life after our existence here on earth removing the fearful idea that everything ceases when we die. Thus this begs the questions of what are going to do with our lives having known that indeed after life exists. One of these existential excursion of Eagleman’s work is the negation of what we are thinking along – that we are the center of the universe and that all creation revolves around us. Eagleman however did not think so. We are in fact just a byproduct of the bigger scheme of things and not even at the center of it. Our reaction may

Forgiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Forgiveness - Essay Example The research being accessible to everyone on internet has changed the general perspective to a realistic one also introducing the benefits of improving intrapersonal health and thoughts. When it comes to utilizing the benefits of forgiveness, it can be seen in two different ways, religious and psychological; even though both overlap. Forgiveness ensures that intrapersonal and interpersonal troubles of a person are resolved, which is the reason forgiveness cannot be taken as a responsibility or duty. Forgiving by force might shortly suppress the issues but does not resolve them, as per Baker (2012). To truly forgive, one needs to let go from the heart and release the resentment; religiously explained by McMinn et. al (1999), it might be an altruistic gift to the receiving individual; while from a psychological point of view it is seen as means of regaining personal health. This contrast of approaches of forgiveness shows two different perceptions of forgiveness with respect to intrape rsonal characteristics and interpersonal relations. Where religion finds forgiveness to be a trait of God and a way to thank God for His forgiveness, psychologists find it as a therapeutic tool that helps an individual get relieved of his anguish. Reconciliation after forgiveness involves parties to re-establish the relationship but is unlikely to be always synonymous to forgiveness. As alluded by Baker (2012), forgiveness and reconciliation together might be a good combination in case of loved ones but they don’t always go together. This can be due to a number of reasons. For example, the forgiving individual might want to forgive the perpetrator but not have anything to do with them anymore, on the other hand the perpetrator might not even have any remorse in the first place or even being repeatedly injurious making reconciliation impossible whereas the victim might still want to forgive the person. Such situations define the differences between forgiveness and reconciliati on. It might also be a point to note that acknowledgement of offense is also not equal to remorse while on the other hand, forgiveness being a choice still enables the victim to want to forgive an unrepenting perpetrator. The Gale Encyclopedia (2009) article on reconciliation also refers to forgiveness being both a psychological and a religious approach to emotional healing; both being in contrast, still aim the same thing - improvement of interpersonal relations and intrapersonal health. From another point of view, forgiveness might be seen as a unilateral act while reconciliation takes both (or all) parties involved. Forgiveness might also involve foregoing indebtedness so that the victim does not have to go through the ordeal of reconciling with the perpetrator. The senior citizens are also alluded to have found forgiveness and reconciliation an important part in the last phase of their life. The Gale Encyclopedia (2009) terms it as an ‘end of life concern’ for those in the last phase of their life. It is also sometimes the case that tolerance is confused with reconciliation. Tolerance and forgiveness might both be helpful in reconciliation but are not equal to it. Reconciliation involves people on two sides of a divide to uncover the ordeal they’ve been put through and sacrifice in order to re-establish a relationship. Tolerance also does not require the same level of honesty as for forgiveness while reconciliation requires both. This differentiates forgiveness to be unique in the way that it is not

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation Essay

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation - Essay Example This meant that there were less bureaucratic loopholes and more room for productivity to come about within the hospital settings. The patient-centric aspect is being documented through different programs and steps which are taken on every now and then, as well as in a consistent fashion. This has been the basis of finding out where shortcomings are taking place and what best measures are being done to avoid them from coming up in the first place (Tang, 2002). This healthcare manager is therefore doing his levels best to ensure that the hospital facility remains at par with the best hospitals in town and showcases its true mettle to the general public at all times. He has kept a close eye on the internal and external factors which are under his influence so that the hospital facility has a very sound structure in place. This is the basis of knowing exactly where internal level issues are plaguing the hospital and how external factors play significant roles as well. 2. What internal an d external factors were considered in the transformation? The internal factors that were considered during the restructuring and reengineering were mostly comprised of the attitudes that the employees had on a day to day basis. The external factors were mostly to do with the patients, who were essentially the customers for the sake of the hospital facility. ... The external factors were given similar importance because the patients are the basis of any hospital’s long term success. If they are contented, then this means that the healthcare facility is doing well but if these are not, and as the healthcare manager suggests, then there is much to learn on the part of all and sundry. This outlines how well the hospital facility has been able to rein in commitment towards its transformation. 3. What were the barriers or obstacles were encountered (e.g. internal politics, economics, resource limitations, time constraints, etc.) The healthcare manager faced quite a few obstacles and barriers in the beginning when the restructuring and reengineering aspects were outlined in essence. This meant that he needed to face them, analyze them and turn them in his own favor with the passage of time. There were attitudinal problems that the healthcare manager talked about with the internal domains not being beefed up properly. This meant that the pre mise of change was not such a welcoming one within the internal publics. They did not want to alter their working standards and hence this posed as a serious challenge towards the healthcare facility. Moreover, there were economic issues which haunt this healthcare manager as well. This meant that he needed to restructure and reengineer everything within a fixed budget. The internal politics also came about because the employees had a habit of speaking behind one’s back that had a very negative effect as far as the organizational design, culture and adaptation issues were concerned. 4. What is the potential impact on the program of technology, legislation, etc. on the services provided on the program? The potential impact on the program with regards to technology,

Catharine bond hill Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Catharine bond hill - Term Paper Example According to recent research, fully 80% of all economic majors and postgraduates within the United States are men all stop this is a shocking statistic due to the fact that women comprise upwards of 60% of all college and university enrollment within the United States at the given time. Likewise, the purpose of this brief analysis will be to underscore the importance that women play within this field and draw particular inference with regards to the impacts they can have based upon the life and experience of what can only be described as an exceptional woman within the field. In such a way, the preceding analysis will seek to draw inference based upon the life of Catherine Bond Hill and the means by which women within her profession can seek to affected impacts, whom this profession specifically aims to serve, and the overall outlook and future of this profession with regards to the analysis of current and key statistics. Furthermore, it is the hope of this author that such an analys is will be the reader to an understanding of the increased importance that women should place upon the field of economics means by which they can seek to affect the quality within this field over time. ... However, as has been described, below and extent to which women began to be represented within economics is necessarily been constrained. Although it is beyond the scope of this analysis to determine whether or not this constraint is due to natural/personal choices or a systemic level of sexism within the field, nonetheless, the rate of growth that women have seen within economics over the past half-century has been abysmally low as compared to other fields of study. This very low rate of representation is something of a unique dynamic in an arena in which equality is virtually praised to have been met (Peterson 279). Whereas many professions and fields of academics aim to serve specific segments of society, the environment, science, or philosophy, is various profession and fields are generally concentric upon facilitating a key level of value within a specific community of stakeholders. Conversely, those individuals that engage in economic studies are necessarily interested in maxim izing value for each and every stakeholder within society. Such a macro view sets this field apart from any other fields. Accordingly, the need for women to be represented within it is great due to the fact that they are able to bring a unique perspective of a previously disenfranchised and ultimately silent group that represents fully 50% of the global population. In such a manner, the reader/researcher can understand the profession aims at seeking to understand and define a level of resource allocation with regards to the ever-increasing population and never-ending human demands that are placed upon finite resources (Dimand 15). Moreover, in an age of increasing environmental destruction and the impacts of global

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

History - Essay Example The era of the Southern Reagan Democrat was ushered in by racist attitudes that perpetuated the stereotypes about race, poverty, and the deterioration of the inner city. The conservative movement of the last half of the 20th century was based on reactionary politics against the social movements that sought a redistribution of legitimate political power. To a large extent the polarization of the political movements have been an ongoing struggle based on the politics of fear brought on by the Cold War in the 1940s and 1950s. All social movements, whether pro-labor or public health care, were labeled as communist inspired socialist programs. The Vietnam War became a significant factor in further defining the conservative movement. According to Meagher (2009), "their most notorious role in the development of the conservative coalition was to devise a post-Vietnam foreign policy in response to the perceived failures of Democrats to confront communism" (p.261). In this way, the conservative movement was able to turn the battle against liberal social programs into a front for the Cold War. The Vietnam War was also instrumental in forming a common cause base, which several other social groups utilized to form coalitions in an effort to solidify voting blocs. Identity politics, the Black Panthers, Civil Rights, feminism, and the environmental movement all fell under the anti-war umbrella. The left viewed Vietnam as a symptom of worldwide oppression. Though this was a worldwide war being waged by the left against imperialism in all its forms, political and economic, the Left was able to be translated it into the broader issues of community and neighborhood problems of housing, jobs, and education (Nakanishi and Lai, 2003, p.172). Social progress was viewed as redistribution of wealth and progressive programs were labeled as socialism. The conservative movement continued to

Managing the Digital Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing the Digital Firm - Essay Example Due to nturl increse of the orgniztionl size, the need of utomted systems ppered for the effective nd timely mngement of people nd resources. The Informtion System (IS) is wht the compnies now use to rech the objectives of effective processes through mnging the systems, people, dt records nd ctivities tht process the dt nd informtion (Robson 2005). Technologicl dvnces in the form of IS hve chnged the vilbility of informtion nd the nture of communiction within contemporry orgniztions. Compred to more trditionl mens, electronic communiction nd informtion technologies cn crry more informtion fster, t lower cost, nd to more people while lso offering incresed dt communlity, processing, nd powerful recombinnt cpbilities (Fulk, Boyd, 1991). dvnced communiction nd informtion technologies extend the number nd vriety of people involved in orgniztionl decisions, diminish temporl nd physicl interction constrints, nd increse horizontl nd verticl communiction. Moreover, the use of dvnced communiction nd informtion technologies in orgniztions is widespred nd commonplce. Decresing technology costs nd, often, criticl mss of users hve fcilitted substntil use of electronic mil (lbrecht, 1984), corporte Intrnets, Web pges, videoconferencing, nd group support systems. In light of reserch indicting tht individuls often perceive tht informtion is difficult to ccess during periods of orgniztionl sociliztion, the benefits of communiction technologies reltive to informtion dissemintion hve importnt implictions for sociliztion. Effective informtion mngement n importnt prt of effective informtion mngement requires the good development of retrievl systems within the compny's informtion technologies. The necessrily of well-set system of retrievl function is cused by the importnce of designing one computer system tht would gther ll informtion nd the reserch process would significntly ese the process of finding the required informtion. Idelly, the system should be ble to serch huge dtbses of text rpidly, nd be ble to differentite between documents tht seem more relevnt to the user's problem nd those tht seem less so. It should hve some informtion or "knowledge" bout the problem being reserched, bout the domin generlly, nd bout the context of the serch -- for exmple, wht the user hs previously considered relevnt, wht hs lredy been found, nd so on. Finlly, it should be designed in such wy tht it fcilittes the originl reserch tsk.Ech of these three gols is mjor reserch problem in its own right, drwing on the techniques nd tools of three differ ent subfields of computer science nd cognitive science: informtion retrievl (IR), rtificil intelligence (I), nd humn-computer interction (HCI). In frmes of my pper ssignment tht implies writing bout effective informtion systems I will explore the nture of IR which ims to find documents relevnt to user's serch request, documents tht re sid to stisfy the user's "informtion need." In order to rech the min purpose of IR it is required to perform some

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Example for Free

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Some of the key areas of Chipotle’s code of conduct that are of significant importance to the business is the integrity statement and the anti-discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment policy. In the Chipotle’s Ethics and Conflicts of Interest Policy of the Integrity Statement, integrity is about being real and being honest. It means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. That means that you should do the same thing when your manager or co-workers is around or if they aren’t around. No matter what, each of them must accept personal responsibility for doing the right thing. Whether that means when someone is around or not. It also states that they should not accept gifts from competitors, suppliers, vendors, potential vendors, or business entities with which they are conducting business on behalf of Chipotle. When accepting gifts: they should never accept a gift unless it meets all of the following criteria: (1) it is not a cash gift; (2) it is consistent with customary business practices; (3) it is not excessive in value (i.e., is under $150); (4) it cannot be construed as a bribe or payoff; and (5) it does not violate any law or regulation. If you are not sure whether a gift or proposed gift is appropriate, please discuss it with your Manager/Director, who may, in isolated cases, approve your acceptance of a gift that may otherwise have violated criteria (2) or (3). Each year, employees in management positions should be prepared to submit a statement disclosing any entertainment, gifts, or services that they or members of their staff have accepted. Any items that have been accepted must be reported at that time, regardless of whether they were previously discussed with your Manager/Director. Your Manager/ Director will determine if you may keep the gift, return it, or whether it should more appropriately become Company property. You should never offer, give, or provide a gift unless it meets the following criteria: (1) it is not a cash gift; (2) it is consistent with customary business practices; (3) it is not excessive in value (i.e., is under $150); (4) it cannot be constructed as a bribe or payoff; and (5) it does no t violate any  law or regulation. Just like when receiving gifts, if you are not sure whether a gift or proposed gift is appropriate, discuss it with your Manager/Director, who may, in isolated cases, approve your giving of a gift that may otherwise have violated criteria (2) or (3). I think that this is important when receiving or giving gifts because you don’t want to lose your job over something so small. It is also a good idea to have something like this written down because for someone who doesn’t know any better, it will help them out a lot. You may accept entertainment invitations, such as business meals, if they are in line with accepted business practices, could not be constructed as potentially influencing your business judgment or creating an obligation on your part, and if public knowledge of your participation would not embarrass you or Chipotle. When such business activities occur frequently, such costs should be shared or paid for on reciprocal basis. You should always be professional. Act professionally and conscientiously when making business decisions. Personal relationships should never interfere, or give the appearance of interfering, with business actions, judgments, or decisions. When making decisions, weigh all factors impartially and without prejudice and make all decisions solely based on merit. You should honor your agreements and do not encourage or interfere with other parties’ contracts or agreements. Avoid legal speculation or conclusions in your communications. And you should not discuss areas beyond your knowledge or expertise. This is really important because I think that you should act and be professional on any job that is out here. The Anti-Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Harassment Policy states; Chipotle believes in the value of a diverse workforce, equal opportunity, and a workplace free of discrimination and all forms of unlawful harassment. Chipotle prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment. Employees who violate this policy may be disciplined up to and including termination. Chipotle strongly believes that employees and applicants for employment should be treated without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other prohibited basis. This applies to all employment practices. At Chipotle, no form of harassment is acceptable. This includes joking remarks or other abusive conduct (including verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct)  that demeans or shows hostility. Sexual harassment is also prohibited because it may be intimidating or an abuse of power and it is inconsistent with their policies, practices, and management philosophy. Discrimination or harassment of an employee-whether by another employee, supplier, vendor, or customer-is strictly prohibited. This policy I think is the most important because without this policy, so many people can harassed and scared to tell someone about it. Also the anti-discrimination policy is important because of the fact that a lot of women are discriminated against a lot of jobs out here because the mangers think that they aren’t fit for them. Some of the key steps that Chipotle should take to ensure that employees follow the code of conduct would be to have them read it when they are first hired. And then every 2 or 4 months they could give them tests on it to make sure they know and understand it. They can also make sure the managers are up to date on the code of conduct as well. Some ways in which Chipotle can engage in socially responsive activities in the community within it is operated. They can donate all their unused food to homeless shelters. They can do special deals for the senior citizens and for veterans other than Veterans Day. They can build customer relationships. They can do that by having loyalty programs. They must have good customer service or their customer’s will not return. Resources (1) Chipotle Code of Conduct (2) http://www.grouponworks.com/merchant-blog/marketing/four-easy-ways-to-build-customer-relationships-resturant/ (3) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/rules-conduct-resturant-employees-18671.html

The Human Resource Management Of Toyota

The Human Resource Management Of Toyota The Toyota culture has developed since the companys beginning and is the core competency of the corporation. The Toyota is first and leading about culture, the manner people behave and think is deeply entrenched in the company beliefs and its principles. At the core it is regarding respect for individuals and incessant improvement (Liker, 2004). Human resources management in Toyota is an organizational function that personnel and operates a unit. These workforce deals with problems related to individuals within the organization. They make programs to select the best, develop and retain talent and set up a system for employee benefits, payroll administration and daily operation. For manufacturing companies due to the comparatively complex organizations and the processes connecting to levels of employees, this HR department can play a more interactive part in hiring the correct talent, taking care about the workplace needs, hearing the voice of employees, promoting teamwork and mediating conflicts that would maximize efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. Toyota mission is to make sure to get the most utilization out of all of people whether it is team associate on the floor. Everybody is the customer and company is trying to attain a successful business, which entails everybody functioning at the maximum level Strategically, there is a very reflective difference in Human Resource at Toyota contrast to traditional companies but possibly not in the way they might think. Toyotas strategic view is that lean management needs more extremely developed individuals and deeper belief than in a mass manufacturing system. People turn out to be the most critical part of the system and their readiness to recognize and solve issues is what drives continuous improvement. As such, Human Resource is arguably the most significant function in the enterprise. The accounting roles of Human Resource are moderately trivial at Toyota contrasted to roles in developing individuals and creating a fair atmosphere based on shared trust. The human resource department at Toyota plays a very diverse role than that of dealing out with people as a stream of assets. Strategically, the Toyota views the team associates are developed as the main competitive competency of the corporation (Liker and Meier, 2007). And developing outstanding people is the most significant work of the company, the organization emotional with that responsibility had improved is exceptional. One merely has to seem at the people who pass through HR as managers to become aware of something is different at Toyota. Organization directors, vice presidents of manufacturing, and a number of the leading experts on the Toyota production scheme have spent time operational in HR. Since HR has a key position in developing people who effort in operations so HR managers have to be experts on operations. As lean management is a technique for eliminating waste and the object of a great deal of waste elimination is labour cost, one might think the main reason of lean methods is head-count decrease. Toyota has an extremely different sight. People who are healthy trained in problem solving will primary contain the difficulty to get production organization and then take the time to recognize the root reason of the difficulty and develop and implement contradict measures. The insinuation of the attitude of management is quite deep. 1. There have to be a standard, so team members can be familiar with deviations as issues. 2. Team members must be healthy trained to understand the principles. 3. Team members cannot terror that exposing a difficulty will get them in problem. 4. Team members have to be trained in difficulty-solving methods. 5. Team members have to be motivated to help the corporation achieve its goals. Attribute of fetching a strategic associate with the business is representative support for organizational/commerce strategies through alignment with persons strategies. Such position puts HR in an improved position to deliver worth, which thereby demonstrates dependability. HR has turn out to be successful by ensuring that good policies and procedures exist and by managers/ HODs on what they can and cannot perform. HR participates in the business meetings and relationships of the business since HR understands the business and positions exist inside the business. Corporation strives and promises to provide a career development trail and utilize the skills of the resources, and this assure of the business is merely fulfilled by HR since they evaluate the performance and take proper decision so that preeminent suits the business and the resource. The standard for Human Resource is to support the companys principles and to partner with developed in order to arrive at the business strategic goals. The reality of the conditions was that none of these two was being achieved. There was much information from the corporation indicators to substantiate this, including data as of the hotline-call scheme, a regular opinion review, and team associate meetings. With this gap recognized, it was time to get to effort on problem solving. Regularly at Toyota, problems recognized are solved by reaching a cross- functional team together and letting them to employ the problem-solving procedure and empowering them to create the decisions necessary to get care of the issues. * Improved joint effort within HR and with manufacturing. * Development of personage skills in HR. * Integration of HR values into each section. * Greater elasticity in the workers. * Improved communication and entrance to HR for team members. * List all current member roles. * Identify the main roles of HR and then support the organization accordingly. * Operate within budget constraints. Approach of Toyota is much more holistic and broad. It starts with an attitude that the power of the company is based on kaizen and admiration for people. Dimension of success is multidimensional and reflects the achievement of the venture, not particular projects. The leadership hierarchy is not there to delegate development to black- belt specialists but rather best at every level play an important position in daily improvement and develop team members. Toyota is conjured of people and people are greatly capricious from person to person and still the same individual over time. Toyota sets an example of a learning organization that is real and successful. It is successful for the possessor of the company and for the team members. It begins with the assumption that individuals are the most imperative resource and require be developing, nurturing and challenging. Human resource management is the most visible and significant functions in the corporation because humans are barely the competitive resource that cannot be imitation Human Resource changes Key external factors are pouring radical changes to the organizations shape and work the Strategic circumstance for organization people currently and in the imminent years. The factors are for illustration, technological evolution, social and economical changes, operational environment, etc. To remain competitive, organizations regularly find it essential to commence major changes that have an effect on their processes and people. 1. Strategic Partners * Act as an essential part of the commerce team. *Connect the business team in methodical organizational audits resultant in clear priorities. * Give HR resources to the trade. * Possess clear understanding of current business circumstances (internal and outside 2. Administrative Experts * Develop and manage rule, plans, and policies for efficiently managing human capital. * Act as consultants in fields of know-how, supporting additional HR professionals and additional HR clients. * Take blame for continuous development in programs and operations 3. Employee Champions * Speak for employee wants and management anxiety about employee relations. * Know the employees and foresee their concerns and issues. * Be approachable by employees. * Be professional in assisting employees. * Provide employees with the resources they need for meeting company objectives. 4. Change Agents * Influence and impel organizational change strategies in sustain of business objectives. * Manage the process to make sure successful change management. * Incessantly take the organizations pulse concerning both internal and external affairs. * Remain up to date about implements and practices of change in order to successfully and efficiently run change and react to the organizations needs. Team performed the HR roles of both employee and strategic partners. The task of the teams included: * Development: on job development, section-specific training, coaching, process improvement, section business and strategic planning. * Employee Relations employee advocate, peer reviews, concern resolutions, safety and health. * HR Systems rewarded promotions up to assistant manager, training for salaried members, salaried relations. HR and manufacturing now effort on the annual business tactics together, resulting in improved collaboration and addition of the two departments, while at the similar time preventing a number of the team member concerns as of coming up like they used to. In other words, if considering manufacturing and HR are two silos and Toyota divide HR into small teams to work with management, it will assist the collaboration of each although make it harder to make sure fairness and constancy across all of the departments. For this motive, the team suggested that there still be an essential HR administration group that would be dividing into specific functions consecutively to address the problem that were pointed. The group consisted of the subsequent functions: *  Personnel   Comp/benefits, payroll, transfer system, staffing and recruiting *  Health and Safety   Medical leave of absence, early symptom investigation support, Disabilities Act, data reporting, health evaluation, workers comp, family and medical leave. *  Employee Relations   Communications, Policy development and training, recognition. *  Training   Team leader training, Promotion process, problem solving training, quality encircle, plant-wide training. This central group now had the aptitude to focus on planning and policy setting and turn out to be the experts of their own areas. Increasingly, change management is seen as a permanent function to improve competence and keep organization flexible to the competitive market. Organization strategically employs change to improve organizational efficiency. But bringing about endearing change in todays competitive surroundings requires thoughtful planning, effectual communication and employee acceptance. The team spent numerous months getting contribution from the patrons and benchmarking, and then analysis. They looked at the present structure of the HR and found that the biggest difficulty with the existing layout was that HR was figuratively apart from the manufacturing part and also not doing a fine job in partnering with them or being accessible to the team associate and edifice the relationship of trust. As the function with key responsibility for human capital management that has involved from the commencement when main organizational change inventiveness is being developed. The impact of organizational changes on employee approach cannot be overstated. Many people are uncomfortable with change, and are filled with hesitation and apprehension over job security and the future, conditions that can threaten the accomplishment of change initiatives. Human resources departments can lead the way in change management because of their training in communications, performance appraisal, improvement planning, safety and organizational systems. When these skills are optimized, any work setting can go from confrontation to resplendence because of the inclusive nature of changes. Aspects of SHRM (Performance Management System) It is an easy fact of life. The majority humans will lend an ear to praise. No matter who is the being in question, he or she will be able to spare a number of times for compliments, even downright flattery. In conditions of performance management, admire can be an extremely influential tool to motivate the employees and enhance productivity. Up till now it should be realized that delivering meaningful admire is not as easy as it sounds. Certainly, there are ways to go concerning it that are stronger than others. In adding, the timing and optimized constructiveness of admire are very significant points of finesse which is supposed to be hammered down before a manager goes into the field (David, 2002). An effectual supervisor will not consider acknowledging star workers, and letting them to acquaint with just how much they appreciate the stellar performance delivered. A supervisors work is complex, and in the middle of numerous projects it might be easy to allow an employees exceptional performance expedition by unnoticed. This, though, is a dangerous error. It is absolutely vital that supervisors acknowledge workers when they succeed; stipulation a performance management plan is to have any effect on a business since an employee is forging in front in his or her field does not signify that a manager should just pile more effort on the already loaded shoulders (Ummit, 1997). But admire should be administered cleverly, if it is to come crossways right. All too frequently employers are seen amateurish their displays of support by not associating the exact accomplishments with the reasons for the admiration when administering a praise. Most importantly, though, the praise is supposed to be sincere. A supervisor is supposed to never praise an underperforming employee just to jumpstart results. This will ultimately go wrong on the management by point a lower standard of performance and a tapering degree of credibility in universal (James, 1996). The management of praise should be attuned based on the place of the employee or workers in question. Persons at the entry level, for instance, will advance more fast when praise is given rather liberally. Here we observe the notion of estimate. For those start a new job, respect and admire can be given even stipulation the employee doesnt hit the spot perfectly on aspire. At this phase, nurturing the employee is more important than considering results achieved with deafening accuracy. The bar is raised, though, when admire is administered to employees with more experience and superiority. There, encouraging imprecise performance when exactitude is within reach can cause irreversible slippage in conditions of the in general professionalism of the workplace. It be supposed to be remembered, however, that when and knowledgeable employee encounters a new put of everyday jobs, he or she should be praised at the admission level, once more, in order to construct up the skills essential for success in the novel area of work (Fred, 2006). The contented of praise that is positive should be cautiously developed. In arrange to demonstrate the authenticity of the praise known; a supervisor should connect the employee on a decision-making as fit as an interpersonal level. By starting out with an account of how the corporation assistance from the employees performance, the supervisor be supposed to then segue into how the celebrity performance complete him or her feel. After allowing some time for reflection, the worker should drive home how significant the employees performance is to the association (John, 1996). Performance management is a total process which throws glow on the overall association performance to the departments and at the employees level. It too tends to focus on the process to give a goods or services in the association. Scholars have proposed the move of Performance Management from association structure to the employees for achieving improved performance. Others have distinct the multi dimensional organization arrangement in order to performance management to describe the linkage among employees performance management systems to attain its strategic objectives (Micheal, 2000). Workers Performance Management system is a complete procedure, which is based on the workers performance and the accomplishment of managerial objectives at all levels. The essential philosophy at the back the performance management system is to developing the alignment among the managerial objectives, with the employees skills and capabilities, furthermore it emphasize on the growth and improvement of the in general system. People more often than not misperceive the performance management to the performance appraisal; in real performance appraisal is judging the history performance as performance management system is an ongoing procedure to measuring the completion of objectives (Mark, 1995)). Performance appraisal as contrasted to the performance management in which the center is made on the contrast between the performance standards life form made by the association and the actual performance of the employees as no one in fact compares the performance against the managerial objectives. Performance management is the real subject while we effort in the organization for excellence control, in excellence based organization the objective of the performance is complete on the achievement or completion of the goals quite than established principles (Paul, 1999). Researchers have been made in the performance appraisal although unfortunately it did not provide any satisfactory consequences as researchers tends to explain the performance appraisal as it did not effort for the employees as healthy as on for the association except developing the displeasure or expiation. It was finished two of his researches that 90% of the workers found the performance appraisal as an unproductive. The reasons he deduced as of his research are similar to the Managers avoid giving truthful critiques because they dont desire any conflict. Often times managers fear the appraisal process as a great deal as employees do, so they put off and dont prepare adequately. Workers can be demoralized by ratings and statistics as of the research supposed that 80% of people observe themselves in the top 25% of all performers. So 55% will be actually demoralized by honest feedback concerning where they place (Tony, 2000). Performance appraisal is not responsibility something extra for the association and the organization awarded workers based on the appraisal not capable to get the required consequence. Reward does not alter the performance of persons who work exclusively for prize. Better remuneration system can by no means be a good option for the association for achieving its objectives. On the oppose part it can de-inspire the employees due to uneven distribution of plunder on the basis of performance appraisal. On the entire consequences of performance appraisal might lead to the refuse of overall performance of the association. On the other surface, Performance management of the workers is the system which allow the organizations to attain their goals by utilizing the fully skill level of their workers. It begins when a worker joins the organization and trimmings when he leaves your association (Louse, 2002). Performance management and receiving the required behaviour is single of the centre issues which most of the association fails to analyze in arrange to achieve the necessary goals. Organization behaviour be supposed to be developed among the individual in such a method which is performance leaning and behaviour should be examine and then modified to develop the required performance (Simmen, 1996). The achievement of the system is connected with employees expectations stipulation the employees expectations complete with the appraisal system, after that there exists positive relationship and vice versa. The additional thing which must be reserved in mind while rising the goals that it be supposed to be in accordance with the workers and organization capability. Person should be answerable in promoting of a performance management system which in fact promotes the quality culture (John, 1996). The essential purpose of performance management system is to creating the position in between the association objectives and its associate systems to achieve the association objectives, Carter. In modern association there should be a fair performance management system to attain the organization objectives. By strategically by the performance management system organizations can develop its performance principles, can develop the procedures and then reports the judgment for further development and in this an incessant process keep running. In TQM system Performance management system play a significant role for developing as healthy as measuring and achieving the objectives. The approaches similar to balance score certificate, metrics, and indexes are supposed to be match with the system in the quality procedure to the organizations (David, 2002). Stable performance management system plan was taken by scholars to attain the organizations vision deliberately. Balance score focusing on the four business prospective i.e. financial, client satisfaction, business procedure and the organization knowledge and innovative culture. A recent survey indicated that the companies use a standard of 13 management gear at the corporate level. These tools are prospect to help measure or check the performance of an association, and within this the most well-liked performance related instrument was the fair Scorecard. In the nonattendance of a basic strategic background, managers found it firm to agree on an suitable set of measures of managerial performance. Balance scorecard is the stage for measuring the association performance having coordinating with financial and non economic feature of business (Louse, 2002). Deliberately goal setting, rising performance management system, person accountability, rewards and credit are some of the input elements for a excellence performance management system. Next to this, total quality process too focuses of the contribution of all the stake holders of the organization counting the Management, workers, suppliers and clientele. Employees performance depends on the effectual performance management system. Worker must have knowledge concerning their job what they have to have to perform in arrange to fulfil its job aim. In organization the developed performance elements tell the employees actually have to perform and the performance principles tells the workers that how effectively they have to have to perform (Ummit, 1997). The performance rudiments are the indicators which can differ from the organization to association it can be output, effectiveness, and impartiality. While the standards comprise certain objectives for which to employees have to have to achieve. Performance principles and elements be supposed to be such that which have to be calculated, attainable, pale and challenging. Federal system describes the basic three dissimilar types of elements which can be used for the effectual performance management system that are dangerous elements, non critical rudiments and performance elements. Treacherous elements or activities are persons for which an person is assigned for, non risky are those which have no direct effect on the employees performance dimension but it pay an significant role as performers perform in some collection or team activity. Extra performance measurement can be based only on the collection performance rather than the person accountability (Louise, 2002). Critical and non critical rudiments are both interdependent, dangerous elements are believed to be the basic purpose of an individual while non critical and added performance elements are the behind units for receiving the outcomes. Goals can only be achieved stipulation both critical and non dangerous elements are being correctly communicated. At all the levels of the association, there have to be a system of dimension for measuring all the dangerous activities. Performance management is a continuous procedure in which the go after up is being given after every activity is to perform and gauge, (David, 2002). Rising and managing a performance management system is not a simple task. There should be consensus among workers when goals are developed and goals are such that which must be easily sub divided into dissimilar organization level. By the balance card developed by all the four potential (Financial, Process, customers, and Organization culture) must be reserved in mind. Management must be dedicated to develop the structure and proper message with the employees should be made. Clear Measures have to be adopted and employees at all level have to be aware with the adopted procedures. Performance management is a continuous procedure; follow up be supposed to be given to the workers so that employees can approach to know regarding their performance in the association (Louise, 2002). As the performance management is an expensive process and a group of time and money concerned in it so great mind should be taken; merely critical activities should gauge which are necessary for achieving the managerial goals. Though this does not mean that completely lack of knowledge of non critical and added performance elements. These are the supporting rudiments which provide the strategic and act as a means for achieving organization objectives (Mark A and Huselid, 1997). The Performance Management procedure begins and trimmings in the same series of events which are as follows: Personal goal setting Performance study Midyear performance analysis Annual performance appraisal Under individual goal location, the supervisor and the employee will be seated together to set yearly goals at the year finish; the goals are to be attained by the employee at elected accommodation of the subsequent year. Under performance preparation, the manager and the employee, throughout the same goal setting sitting, will arrangement on how to perform in arrange to achieve the goals mainly effectively. In the following year, the supervisor will analysis the employees development and achievements, counsel and coach for better performance, give credit and appreciate for achievements so distant and make changes in the performance diagram, if necessary; the progress of worker shall tell the manager whether or not the all set goals can be achieved in the known year (Paul, 1999) At the year finish, the manager and the employee will be seated together to appraise the employees performance in the known year and the feedbacks will all be fed into location new goals and action tactics for the next year. You may discover the performance management process attractive easy, however, implementing each stage of it requires an sympathetic of how person performance of all employees can translate into total managerial performance. As look upon to this, managers require asking themselves the next questions: WHAT TO ASK WHAT TO DO What does the company desire to achieve in the extended run? Gain imminent into the corporate vision What business does the company has to be in to attain its vision? increase insight into the corporate assignment What will be the strategy to maintain in that business? Formulate business strategy What are the functional objectives behind the strategy? Place functional objectives Process of the Performance Management system: Individual Goal Setting Performance Planning host a performance appraisal sitting between the manager and the employee assess performance as against predetermined goals measure competencies as adjacent to required competencies set for existing role measure potentials as against necessary competencies set for prospect role chalk out person Development Plan delineation to fill skill gap, motivation ambition gap and cooperation gap chalk out strengthening plan to reward/recognize for achievement and punish for deliberate failure Year Performance Review Performance review session among the supervisor and the employee discuss on performance development status and seek answerability for missing deadlines on goals revise performance plan with new deadlines for goals Performance Appraisal Host a performance appraisal session among the supervisor and the worker measure performance as preset goals gauge competencies as against necessary competencies set for current position measure potentials as required competencies set for future position chalk out Individual growth Plan outlining to fill ability gap, motivation ambition gap and communication collaboration gap chalk out strengthening plan to reward for success and punish for on purpose failure The beauty of this Performance Management process is that it has three dimensions only, which give three major outputs that can be fed into other four dimensions of HRM and not to mention Performance Management also. The beauty is illustrated as follows Performance appraisal Performance Measures Score Scale Outputs Performance assessment Set Goals 5-points New goal setting Competency assessment Required competencies of present role 5-points growth Plan Potential assessment Required competencies of prospect role 5-points Vocation Development plan Those are the underlying principles that can be used by managers to develop/modify existing Performance Management mechanism and put them in perform in the company for the betterment

Describe a Person who has influenced you in either a bad or good way Es

Describe a Person who has influenced you in either a bad or good way Bright blue paint was chipped off the tarnished wooden siding. The glassy images were blurred, and their sills seemed to be decaying under the large collections of dust. There was a young girl playing by herself in the unkempt front lawn. This dwelling always caught my attention; it attracted me in a peculiar way. Whenever I walked down my block, my awareness was drawn to this particular house. Its run-down look set it apart from the rest of the houses on Tuttle Street, but I soon realized the contents within this house were priceless. â€Å"We have a new student today,† Mr. Kurys ecstatically said. She seemed familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. It didn’t matter to me anyway; I already had my group of friends. â€Å"Wait a minute†¦. What’s her name?† That’s impossible! I have never met another Justyna before. From that day on, I looked at this girl from a completely different perspective. Just because we had the same name, I began to pay a little more attention to her. Before I knew it, two years passed and we were now in sixth grade. Justyna & Justyna BFF was written on practically anything we could think of. Her move from catholic school to our small public school became a huge impact on the next few years of my life. I was always over her house, if she wasn’t over mine. Having different classes was fine; we always managed to meet in the bathroom or by the water fountain to d...

The Costs and Benefits of Funding Military Research and Development Policy :: Papers

The Costs and Benefits of Funding Military Research and Development Policy The central issues when evaluating the overall the United States research and development policy are the characteristics of a public good. A public good by definition is one that has a zero marginal cost of providing the good an additional person and from which individuals cannot be excluded. Research and development policy contributes to the level of knowledge and technology of the entire country. Knowledge, is in most cases, a public good under the aforementioned definition. Giving knowledge to an additional individual does not take away from the total amount of knowledge available, and exclusion from knowledge is often difficult to maintain. A market failure is often associated with public goods, and knowledge is not an exception. Regarding knowledge, and specifically research and development, the market fails to provide this good at adequate levels. The government then steps in to attempt to correct this failure through its research and development funding policy. The following paper details the costs and benefits incurred through funding research and development specifically within the realm of national defense. National defense is also a public good. The government provides national defense to correct the reality that if left uninfluenced, the market will not provide national defense at an adequate level. The U.S. government funds research and development in the area of defense at a much greater level than any other. Background Major policy initiatives were undertaken during the Reagan and Bush administrations in order to research and develop technologies that would aid in the Cold War. This was the era of Reagan’s arms stockpiling that pushed the defense budget to nearly three times the amount it is today, maxing out at just over $800 billion. (Stiglitz, 332) Policymakers were concerned with creating weapons and technology that were more sophisticated than those of the Soviet Union. Programs such as the semiconductor research consortium, SEMATECH, the Defense department’s Technology Reinvestment Program (TRP) and the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) grew out of these years all of which took advantage of defense funding to establish dual-use technologies, that is technologies with specific uses to both the civilian market and the military. In 1986, the Federal Technology Transfer Act was established to allow federal laboratories to conduct cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) with private firms. The Reagan and Bush era policies supported high technology research and development that related to both the civilian market and to the military.

The Deeper Meaning of Frost’s Tuft of Flowers Essay -- Frost Tuft of F

The Deeper Meaning of Frost’s Tuft of Flowers  Ã‚  Ã‚     Robert Lee Frost published his first book of poems entitled A Boy's Will in 1913. From this collection come one of several poems that critics and anthologists alike highly regard as both lyrical and autobiographical in nature. One such critic, James L. Potter, in his book entitled [The] Robert Frost Handbook, explains "[that] Frost wore a mask in public much of the time, concealing his personal problems and complexities from his reading and listening audiences" (Potter 48). Through "The Tuft of Flowers," a kind of lyrical soliloquy, Frost "half-intentionally" reveals his personal views on the theme of fellowship (Potter 48). In the first of three transitions the speaker, most likely a farmer, comes out to a field just after dawn to turn the freshly mown grass to dry in the sun. The farmer then searches for the mower, but finds he is all alone. Here, the reader senses the loneliness of the scene. Frost's use of figurative language such as the "leveled scene" and "an isle of trees" gives evidence to the speaker's mood of pessimism and loneliness as the speaker implies he must be "as he had been--alone" (4-5, 8). Potter writes that Frost "was often riddled with doubts aboutÃâ€"his role in relation to his family and friends, and even his poetic powers" (Potter 47). We, too, get the sense the speaker (Frost) is suggesting that throughout his life he feels alone quite often and longs for the kinship of his fellow human being.    While the speaker yields to this pessimistic train of thought, a "bewildered butterfly" passes by "on noiseless wing" and ushers in the second transition of the poem (12). Frost uses the scene with the butterfly in the next several couplets to su... ..., Potter writes: The shared happiness represented here... seem to be more than simply a personal relationship between two [farmers]; rather it is a general benevolence which... makes for a good world. [This] feeling is shared by the two mowers in "The Tuft of Flowers." The speaker, finding a tuft of flowers left deliberately by a previous mower, senses "a spirit kindred to [his] own" and concludes that "men work together... / Whether they work together or apart."(Potter 89) Upon closer reflection, we the reader could generalize the poem's meaning to indicate humanity's need to be a part of society outwardly, and inwardly keep the fields of our hearts free from the things that would choke out "The Tuft of Flowers." Work Cited Frost, Robert. "The Tuft of Flowers." Robert Frost Handbook. Ed. James L. Potter. University Park: Penn State UP, 1980.   

Shadow Kiss Chapter 10

Ten THE NEXT DAY, MY guardian duties with Christian resumed. Once again, I found my own life put on hold for someone else's. â€Å"How was your penance?† he asked as we walked across campus from his dorm. I stifled a yawn. I hadn't been able to sleep well last night, both because of my feelings for Dimitri and because of what Father Andrew had told me. Nonetheless, I kept a sharp eye out. This was the location where Stan had attacked us twice before, and besides, the guardians were sick and twisted enough to come after me on a day when I was so exhausted. â€Å"It was okay. The priest let us go early.† â€Å"Us?† â€Å"Dimitri came and helped me. I think he felt bad about me being stuck with that work.† â€Å"Either that or he has nothing else to do now that he's not doing your extra sessions.† â€Å"Maybe, but I doubt it. All in all, I guess it wasn't that bad a day.† Unless you considered learning about spiteful ghosts bad. â€Å"I had a great day,† said Christian, the smallest amount of smugness in his voice. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† He and Lissa had taken advantage of their guardianless day to take advantage of each other. I supposed I should be glad they'd held off until Eddie and I weren't around, but in a lot of ways, it didn't matter. True, when I was awake, I could block out all of the details, but I still knew what was going on. A bit of the jealousy and anger I'd felt from the last time they'd been together returned. It was the same problem all over again: Lissa doing all the things I couldn't do. I was dying to go eat breakfast. I could smell French toast and hot maple syrup. Carbs wrapped in more carbs. Yum. But Christian wanted blood before we ate solid food, and his needs trumped mine. They come first. He'd apparently skipped his daily blood dose yesterday – probably to maximize his romantic time. The feeder room wasn't crowded, but we still had to wait. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"Do you know Brett Ozera? You're related, right?† After my encounter with Jill, I'd finally put some pieces together. Brett Ozera and Dane Zeklos had reminded me of how Brandon had looked the day of Stan's first attack. The disaster of that attack had made me completely forget about Brandon, but the coincidences here suddenly stirred my curiosity. All three had been beaten up. All three had been in denial. Christian nodded. â€Å"Yeah, in the way we're all kind of related. I don't know him that well – he's like a third or fourth cousin or something. His branch of the family hasn't had much to do with mine since †¦ well, you know.† â€Å"I heard something weird about him.† I then related what Jill had told me about Dane and Brett. â€Å"That's weird,† agreed Christian. â€Å"But people get in fights.† â€Å"Yeah, but there are some weird connections here. And royals aren't usually on the losing ends of fights – all three of these guys were.† â€Å"Well, maybe that's it. You know how it's been. A lot of royals are getting pissed off that non-royals want to change how guardians are assigned and learn to start fighting. That's the whole point of Jesse and Ralf's stupid little club. They want to make sure royals stay on top. Non-royals are probably getting just as pissed off and fighting back.† â€Å"So, what, some kind of vigilante is out making royals pay?† â€Å"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's happened around here,† he pointed out. â€Å"That's for damn sure,† I muttered. Christian's name was called, and he peered ahead. â€Å"Look at that,† he said happily. â€Å"Alice again.† â€Å"I don't get your fascination with her,† I observed as we approached the old feeder. â€Å"Lissa's always kind of excited to see her too. But Alice is nuts.† â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"That's what's so great.† Alice greeted us as Christian sat down beside her. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed over my chest. Feeling uppity, I said, â€Å"Alice, the scenery hasn't changed. It's exactly the same as last time.† She turned her dazed eyes on me. â€Å"Patience, Rose. You must be patient. And prepared. Are you prepared?† The switch in subject threw me a little. It was like talking to Jill, except less sane. â€Å"Um, prepared how? For the scenery?† In what had to be a prime moment of irony, she looked at me as though I were the one who was crazy. â€Å"Armed. Are you armed? You're going to protect us, aren't you?† I reached inside my coat and pulled out the practice stake I'd been given for the field experience. â€Å"Got you covered,† I said. She looked immensely relieved and apparently couldn't tell the difference between a real stake and a fake one. â€Å"Good,† she said. â€Å"Now we'll be safe.† â€Å"That's right,† said Christian. â€Å"With Rose armed, we have nothing to worry about. The Moroi world can rest easy.† Alice was oblivious to his sarcasm. â€Å"Yes. Well, nowhere is ever safe.† I concealed the stake again. â€Å"We're safe. We've got the best guardians in the world protecting us, not to mention the wards. Strigoi aren't getting in here.† I didn't add what I'd recently learned: that Strigoi could get humans to break the wards. Wards were invisible lines of power that were composed of all four elements. They were created when four Moroi, each one strong in a different element, walked around an area and laid the magic in a circle upon the ground, creating a protective border. Moroi magic was imbued with life, and a strong field of it kept out Strigoi, since they were devoid of life. So wards were frequently laid around Moroi dwellings. Tons of them were laid around this school. Since stakes were also imbued with all four elements, driving a stake through a ward line in the ground pierced the ward and canceled out the protective effect. This had never been much of a concern because Strigoi couldn't touch stakes. However, in some recent attacks, humans – who could touch stakes – had served Strigoi and broken some wards. We believed the Strigoi I'd killed had been the ringleaders in that group, but we still d idn't know for sure. Alice studied me closely with her cloudy eyes, almost as though she knew what I was thinking. â€Å"Nowhere is safe. Wards fade. Guardians die.† I glanced over at Christian, who shrugged in a sort of what did you expect from her? kind of way. â€Å"If you guys are done with your girl talk, can I eat now?† he asked. Alice was more than happy to comply; he was her first hit of the day. She soon forgot about wards or anything else and simply lost herself to the ecstasy of his bite. I forgot about wards too. I had a one-track mind, really: I still wanted to know if Mason had been real or not. The priest's frightening explanation aside, I had to admit Mason's visits hadn't been threatening, just scary. If he was out to get me, he was kind of doing a half-assed job of it. Once again, I started putting more stock in the stress-and-fatigue theory. â€Å"Now it's time for me to eat,† I said when Christian finished. I was pretty sure I could smell bacon now. That'd probably make Christian happy. He could wrap it around his French toast. We'd barely stepped out of the room when Lissa came running up to us, Eddie trailing behind. Excitement lit her face, though the feelings in the bond weren't exactly happy. â€Å"Did you hear?† she asked, a little breathless. â€Å"Hear what?† I asked. â€Å"You have to hurry – go pack your things. We're going to Victor's trial. Right now.† There'd been no warning at all about when Victor's trial would even occur, let alone that someone had apparently decided we could go. Christian and I exchanged brief, startled looks and then hurried off to his room to gather our things. Packing was a breeze. My bag was ready to go already, and Christian only took a minute to throw his together. In less than a half hour, we were out on the Academy's landing strip. Two private jets sat in attendance, one of which was fired up and waiting to go. A couple of Moroi hurried about, doing last-minute things with the plane and the runway. No one seemed to know what was going on. Lissa had simply been told that she, Christian, and I were going to testify and that Eddie could come along to continue his field experience. There'd been no explanation as to why things had changed, and a weird mix of eagerness and apprehension crackled around us. We all wanted to see Victor locked away for good, but now that we were actually faced with the reality of the trial and of seeing him – well, it was kind of scary. A few guardians lingered near the steps going up to the plane. I recognized them as the ones who had helped capture Victor. They were probably going to do double duty and serve as witnesses and as our protection. Dimitri hovered near the outskirts, and I hurried over to him. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I gulped out. â€Å"I'm so sorry.† He turned toward me, his face schooled to that perfect picture of neutrality that he was so good at. â€Å"Sorry for what?† â€Å"For all the horrible things I said yesterday. You did it – you really did it. You got them to let us go.† Despite my nervousness about seeing Victor, I was filled with elation. Dimitri had come through. I'd known all along that he really cared about me – this just proved it. If there hadn't been so many people around, I would have hugged him. Dimitri's face didn't change. â€Å"It wasn't me, Rose. I had nothing to do with it.† Alberta signaled that we could board, and he turned away to join the others. I stood frozen for a moment, watching him and trying to figure out what had happened. If he hadn't intervened, then why were we going? Lissa's diplomatic efforts had been shot down a while ago. Why the change of heart? My friends were already on board, so I hurried to catch up. As soon as I stepped into the cabin, a voice called to me. â€Å"Little dhampir! About time you got here.† I looked and saw Adrian waving, a drink in his hand. Great. We'd had to beg and plead to go along, yet Adrian had somehow just glided on in. Lissa and Christian were sitting together, so I joined Eddie in the hopes of staying away from Adrian. Eddie gave me the window seat. Adrian moved to the seat in front of us, though, and might as well have been sitting in our row, as often as he turned around to talk to me. His chatter and outrageous flirting indicated he'd been sipping cocktails long before the rest of us had come aboard. I kind of wished I'd had a few myself once we were airborne. A wicked headache set in almost immediately after liftoff, and I entertained a fantasy of vodka numbing the pain. â€Å"We're going to Court,† Adrian said. â€Å"Aren't you excited about it?† I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. â€Å"About which one? The royal one or the legal one?† â€Å"The royal one. Did you bring a dress?† â€Å"Nobody told me to.† â€Å"So †¦ that's a ‘no.'† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Yes? I thought you meant no.† I opened one eye and glared. â€Å"I did mean no, and you know it. No, I did not bring a dress.† â€Å"We'll get you one,† he said loftily. â€Å"You're going to take me shopping? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they won't consider you a reliable chaperone.† â€Å"Shopping? As if. There are tailors that live there. We'll get you something custom-made.† â€Å"We're not staying that long. And do I really need a dress for what we're doing there?† â€Å"No, I'd just kind of like to see you in one.† I sighed and leaned my head against the window. The pain in my skull was still throbbing. It was like the air was pressing in on me. Something flashed in my peripheral vision, and I turned in surprise, but there was nothing but stars outside the window. â€Å"Something black,† he continued. â€Å"Satin, I think†¦ maybe with lace trim. Do you like lace? Some women think it itches.† â€Å"Adrian.† It was like a hammer, a hammer inside and outside my head. â€Å"You could get a nice velvet trim too, though. That wouldn't itch.† â€Å"Adrian.† Even my eye sockets seemed to hurt. â€Å"And then a slit up the side to show off what great legs you have. It could go nearly to the hip and have this cute little bow – â€Å" â€Å"Adrian!† Something inside of me burst. â€Å"Will you shut the hell up for five seconds?† I yelled so loud that the pilot had probably heard me. Adrian had that rare look of astonishment on his face. Alberta, sitting across the aisle from Adrian, shot up in her seat. â€Å"Rose,† she exclaimed. â€Å"What's going on?† I gritted my teeth and rubbed my forehead. â€Å"I have the worst fucking headache in the world, and he won't shut up.† I didn't even realize I'd sworn in front of an instructor until several seconds later. From the other side of my field of vision, I thought I saw something else – another shadow darting through the plane, reminding me of black wings. Like a bat or a raven. I covered my eyes. There was nothing flying through the plane. â€Å"God, why won't it go away?† I expected Alberta to chastise me for the outburst, but instead, Christian spoke: â€Å"She hasn't eaten today. She was really hungry earlier.† I uncovered my eyes. Alberta's face was filled with concern, and Dimitri now hovered behind her. More shadowy shapes flitted across my vision. Most were indistinct, but I could have sworn I saw something that looked like a skull mixed in with the darkness. I blinked rapidly, and it all disappeared. Alberta turned to one of the flight attendants. â€Å"Can you get her something to eat? And find a painkiller?† â€Å"Where's it at?† Dimitri asked me. â€Å"The pain?† With all of this attention, my explosion suddenly seemed excessive. â€Å"It's a headache†¦I'm sure it'll go away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Seeing his stern look, I pointed to the center of my forehead. â€Å"It's like something pushing on my skull. And there's pain kind of behind my eyes. I keep feeling like†¦well, it's like I've got something in my eye. I think I'm seeing a shadow or something. Then I blink and it's gone.† â€Å"Ah,† said Alberta. â€Å"That's a migraine symptom – having vision problems. It's called an aura. People sometimes get it before the headache sets in.† â€Å"An aura?† I asked, startled. I glanced up at Adrian. He was looking at me over the top of his seat, his long arms hanging over the back of it. â€Å"Not that kind,† he said, a small smile turning up his lips. â€Å"Same name. Like Court and court. Migraine auras are images and light you see when a migraine's coming on. They have nothing to do with the auras around people I see. But I tell you †¦ the aura I can see †¦ the one around you †¦ wow.† â€Å"Black?† â€Å"And then some. It's obvious even after all the drinks I've had. Never seen anything like it.† I didn't exactly know what to make of that, but then the flight attendant returned with a banana, a granola bar, and some ibuprofen. It was a far cry from French toast, but it sounded good on my empty stomach. I consumed it all and then propped a pillow up against the window. Closing my eyes, I rested my head and hoped I could sleep the headache off before we landed. Mercifully, everyone else stayed quiet. I had drifted off a little when I felt a slight touch on my arm. â€Å"Rose?† Opening my eyes, I peered at Lissa as she sat in Eddie's seat. Those bat-winged shapes flitted behind her, and my head still hurt. In those swirling shadows, I again saw what looked like a face, this time with a wide gaping mouth and eyes like fire. I flinched. â€Å"You're still in pain?† Lissa asked, peering at me. I blinked, and the face was gone. â€Å"Yeah, I – oh no.† I realized what she was going to do. â€Å"Don't do it. Don't waste it on me.† â€Å"It's easy,† she said. â€Å"It hardly fazes me.† â€Å"Yeah, but the more you use it†¦ the more it hurts you in the long run. Even if it's easy now.† â€Å"I'll worry about that later. Here.† She clasped my hand between hers and closed her eyes. Through our bond, I felt the magic welling up in her as she drew upon spirit's healing power. To her, magic felt warm and golden. I'd been healed before, and it always came through to me as varying temperatures: hot, then cold, then hot, etc. But this time, when she released the magic and sent it into me, I didn't feel anything except a very faint tingle. Her eyelids fluttered open. â€Å"Wh – what happened?† she asked. â€Å"Nothing,† I said. â€Å"The headache's still going strong.† â€Å"But I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The confusion and shock on her face mirrored what I sensed in her. â€Å"I had it. I felt the magic. It worked.† â€Å"I don't know, Liss. It's okay, really. You haven't been off the meds that long, you know.† â€Å"Yeah, but I healed Eddie the other day without any problems. And Adrian,† she added dryly. He was hanging over the seat again, watching us intently. â€Å"Those were scrapes,† I said. â€Å"This is a five-alarm migraine we're talking about. Maybe you've got to build back up.† Lissa bit her lower lip. â€Å"You don't think the pills permanently hurt my magic, do you?† â€Å"Nah,† said Adrian, head tilted to the side. â€Å"You lit up like a supernova when you were summoning it. You had magic. I just don't think it had any effect on her.† â€Å"Why not?† she demanded. â€Å"Maybe she's got something you can't heal.† â€Å"A headache?† I asked in disbelief. He shrugged. â€Å"What do I look like, a doctor? I don't know. Just telling you what I saw.† I sighed and placed a hand on my forehead. â€Å"Well, I appreciate the help, Liss, and I appreciate your annoying commentary, Adrian. But I think sleep might be the best thing for now. Maybe it's stress or something.† Sure, why not? Stress was the answer to everything lately. Ghosts. Incurable headaches. Weird faces floating in the air. â€Å"Probably can't heal that.† â€Å"Maybe,† she said, sounding as though she took personal offense at me having something she couldn't fix. Inside her mind, though, her accusations were turned toward herself, not me. She worried she wasn't good enough. â€Å"It's okay,† I said soothingly. â€Å"You're just getting your stride back. Once you're up to full power, I'll go crack a rib or something so we can test it.† She groaned. â€Å"The horrible part is that I don't think you're joking.† After a quick squeeze of my hand, she stood up. â€Å"Sleep well.† She left, and I soon realized Eddie wasn't coming back. He'd taken a new seat so that I'd have more room. Appreciative, I fluffed and repositioned the pillow while stretching my legs out as best I could across the seats. A few more phantom clouds danced across my vision, and then I closed my eyes to sleep. I woke up later when the plane touched down, the sounds of its engines kicking into reverse startling me out of a deep sleep. To my relief, the headache was gone. So were the weird shapes floating around me. â€Å"Better?† Lissa asked when I stood up and yawned. I nodded. â€Å"Much. Better still if I can get some real food.† â€Å"Well,† she laughed, â€Å"somehow I doubt there's any shortage of food around here.† She was right. Glancing out the windows, I tried to get my first look at our surroundings. We'd made it. We were at the Moroi Royal Court.

Huck Finn

Through Huck’s many adventures, his sense of morality plays a large role in the decisions he makes as well as the relationships he builds with others. Huck’s decisions and actions have the ability to change the lives of those around him; his sense of morality influences his choices, thus leading him to many difficult situations with others. By the time that Huck decides that he is going to follow his heart and save Jim instead of turning him in, his moral development is at an increase, as opposed to his morality in the beginning of the novel.Though his intentions for saving Jim are not completely genuine, he makes the upstanding decision to save Jim and exemplifies his change of heart. Huck displays his nonconformity to the society around him by considering Jim as a friend and not as an insignificant slave. After Huck has found Jim imprisoned at the Phelps’s farm and has encountered Tom, Huck changes in his morality, causing him to make wrong and right decisions that affect lives around him.From when Huck decides to follow his heart and save Jim, the basis of Huck’s moral development grows, but under many circumstances Huck succumbs to Tom’s naivety and unethical choices, thus hindering the progression of his moral growth. The basis of Huck’s morality is developing, but under Tom’s influence Huck slowly loses his grasp on morality and submits to many of Huck’s wrongful ideas. Huck at times shows his morality by making the â€Å"right† decisions in many circumstances, but when following Tom in Tom’s plans, Huck caves into Tom’s devious, immoral, adventure seeking ideas that causes trouble for the Phelps as well as himself.Huck possesses a desire to follow his heart to help Jim as he leaves for Silas Phelps’ farm, and the basis of that wish to be moral persists and influences a few of his actions in dealing with the Phelps: â€Å"Laws knows I wanted to go, bad enough, to see abou t Tom, and all was intending to go, but after that, I wouldn’t a went, not for kingdoms† (350). Huck’s basis of morality still exists even through Tom’s influence. Huck chooses the right decision to stay and keep Aunt Sally from becoming even more sorrowful.Though he knows that Tom is waiting for him, Huck stays not for the benefit of himself, but for Aunt Sally, because he sympathizes for her. Huck’s moral development progresses when not in the presence of Tom’s manipulative words, but when he is around Tom’s influence, Huck gives into falling under the impression of Tom’s ideals and ridiculous, immoral schemes. Huck considers Tom an authoritative, knowledgeable figure and follows Tom in many of Tom’s unreasonable, unethical acts regardless of the negative circumstances Huck knows will undergo: â€Å"’Now you’re talking! I says; ‘Your head gets leveler and leveler all the time, Tom Sawyer,’ I says. ‘Picks is the thing, moral or no moral; and as for me, I don’t care shucks for the morality of it nohow† (307). Tom finds it very important that they make Jim’s escape from bondage an adventure, hence Tom and Huck must steal, life, and cheat to make their somewhat simple situation adventuresome. Huck steals the Phelps’s family’s picks, and disregards the fact that what he is doing is immoral because he is lost in the desire to free Jim out with Tom.Huck relishes in the fact that Tom is helping him and putts of his morality for adventure. Huck acknowledges the fact that stealing the picks is immoral and wrong, but is so caught up with working with Tom that he gives up on morality. Tom’s negative influence over Huck succeeds him to the end of the novel, in which Huck completely loses his sense of moral development. By the end of the novel, after Jim has been emancipated and Huck and Tom are both out of trouble, Huck’s outlook on morality changes and his moral development completely regresses and plans to regress in his subsequent journey.Having been exposed to the influences of Tom and after realizing that after the trouble they cause, that everything results in a trouble free situation with no negative circumstances, Huck feels as if his immorality is acceptable. Jim endures much unnecessary trouble to be released from imprisonment just because of Tom’s whimsical wants and desires; Jim is treated by Huck and Tom as if his life is a trivial game that is intended for their enjoyment.Jim is not treated as a real human being, but is treated as if he were a lesser person, yet Huck is content with how everything turns out: â€Å"But I reckoned it was about as well the way it was† (360). Tom and Huck’s actions and motives to release Jim from imprisonment are completely immoral, but the fact that everything turns out satisfactory, Huck overlooks the importance of morality. Huck loses all r espect for Jim as a human being, and almost considers Jim a slave again and not as a friend.Tom degrades Jim by giving him forty dollars, the same price in which Jim was sold for, in exchange for Jim’s cooperation in Tom’s fun and games; Huck gives Tom silent approval, and doesn’t object to Tom’s act of immorality. Emerson said that a great man keeps his independence and own opinions, and doesn’t conform to the ways of society. Throughout the novel, Huck has shown much self-reliance and assertiveness in his own opinions and values. By the end of the novel, Huck is not the great man that Emerson describes.Though Huck can stand strong on his ideas and desires independently, he conforms to the ideals of society, Tom, by the end of the novel. Before Huck encounters Tom on the Phelps’s farm, he sticks true to his beliefs and his heart’s desires, yet after spending a great deal of time with Tom, he loses his values and his morals under the influence of Tom. Thus Huck is unable to not conform to those around him, therefore unable to be a â€Å"great man† in the eyes of Emerson. Huck Finn Through Huck’s many adventures, his sense of morality plays a large role in the decisions he makes as well as the relationships he builds with others. Huck’s decisions and actions have the ability to change the lives of those around him; his sense of morality influences his choices, thus leading him to many difficult situations with others. By the time that Huck decides that he is going to follow his heart and save Jim instead of turning him in, his moral development is at an increase, as opposed to his morality in the beginning of the novel.Though his intentions for saving Jim are not completely genuine, he makes the upstanding decision to save Jim and exemplifies his change of heart. Huck displays his nonconformity to the society around him by considering Jim as a friend and not as an insignificant slave. After Huck has found Jim imprisoned at the Phelps’s farm and has encountered Tom, Huck changes in his morality, causing him to make wrong and right decisions that affect lives around him.From when Huck decides to follow his heart and save Jim, the basis of Huck’s moral development grows, but under many circumstances Huck succumbs to Tom’s naivety and unethical choices, thus hindering the progression of his moral growth. The basis of Huck’s morality is developing, but under Tom’s influence Huck slowly loses his grasp on morality and submits to many of Huck’s wrongful ideas. Huck at times shows his morality by making the â€Å"right† decisions in many circumstances, but when following Tom in Tom’s plans, Huck caves into Tom’s devious, immoral, adventure seeking ideas that causes trouble for the Phelps as well as himself.Huck possesses a desire to follow his heart to help Jim as he leaves for Silas Phelps’ farm, and the basis of that wish to be moral persists and influences a few of his actions in dealing with the Phelps: â€Å"Laws knows I wanted to go, bad enough, to see abou t Tom, and all was intending to go, but after that, I wouldn’t a went, not for kingdoms† (350). Huck’s basis of morality still exists even through Tom’s influence. Huck chooses the right decision to stay and keep Aunt Sally from becoming even more sorrowful.Though he knows that Tom is waiting for him, Huck stays not for the benefit of himself, but for Aunt Sally, because he sympathizes for her. Huck’s moral development progresses when not in the presence of Tom’s manipulative words, but when he is around Tom’s influence, Huck gives into falling under the impression of Tom’s ideals and ridiculous, immoral schemes. Huck considers Tom an authoritative, knowledgeable figure and follows Tom in many of Tom’s unreasonable, unethical acts regardless of the negative circumstances Huck knows will undergo: â€Å"’Now you’re talking! I says; ‘Your head gets leveler and leveler all the time, Tom Sawyer,’ I says. ‘Picks is the thing, moral or no moral; and as for me, I don’t care shucks for the morality of it nohow† (307). Tom finds it very important that they make Jim’s escape from bondage an adventure, hence Tom and Huck must steal, life, and cheat to make their somewhat simple situation adventuresome. Huck steals the Phelps’s family’s picks, and disregards the fact that what he is doing is immoral because he is lost in the desire to free Jim out with Tom.Huck relishes in the fact that Tom is helping him and putts of his morality for adventure. Huck acknowledges the fact that stealing the picks is immoral and wrong, but is so caught up with working with Tom that he gives up on morality. Tom’s negative influence over Huck succeeds him to the end of the novel, in which Huck completely loses his sense of moral development. By the end of the novel, after Jim has been emancipated and Huck and Tom are both out of trouble, Huck’s outlook on morality changes and his moral development completely regresses and plans to regress in his subsequent journey.Having been exposed to the influences of Tom and after realizing that after the trouble they cause, that everything results in a trouble free situation with no negative circumstances, Huck feels as if his immorality is acceptable. Jim endures much unnecessary trouble to be released from imprisonment just because of Tom’s whimsical wants and desires; Jim is treated by Huck and Tom as if his life is a trivial game that is intended for their enjoyment.Jim is not treated as a real human being, but is treated as if he were a lesser person, yet Huck is content with how everything turns out: â€Å"But I reckoned it was about as well the way it was† (360). Tom and Huck’s actions and motives to release Jim from imprisonment are completely immoral, but the fact that everything turns out satisfactory, Huck overlooks the importance of morality. Huck loses all r espect for Jim as a human being, and almost considers Jim a slave again and not as a friend.Tom degrades Jim by giving him forty dollars, the same price in which Jim was sold for, in exchange for Jim’s cooperation in Tom’s fun and games; Huck gives Tom silent approval, and doesn’t object to Tom’s act of immorality. Emerson said that a great man keeps his independence and own opinions, and doesn’t conform to the ways of society. Throughout the novel, Huck has shown much self-reliance and assertiveness in his own opinions and values. By the end of the novel, Huck is not the great man that Emerson describes.Though Huck can stand strong on his ideas and desires independently, he conforms to the ideals of society, Tom, by the end of the novel. Before Huck encounters Tom on the Phelps’s farm, he sticks true to his beliefs and his heart’s desires, yet after spending a great deal of time with Tom, he loses his values and his morals under the influence of Tom. Thus Huck is unable to not conform to those around him, therefore unable to be a â€Å"great man† in the eyes of Emerson. Huck Finn Superstition and Religion in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, superstition is used throughout the story. Mark Twain uses superstition to show the difference between an organized religion, such as Christianity, and believing in superstition. As Huckleberry Finn and Jim escape to freedom from civilized living and slavery, religion and superstition have a strong effect on them. As they go back and forth between the two faiths, the reader gets an idea of the system of beliefs that people followed living along the Mississippi River.Belief in the supernatural and superstition are the marks of many characters in the storyline. It is Jim and Huck’s shared belief in superstitions that originally draws them together. Jim and Huck explain things using superstition that they cannot otherwise explain. It is possible that the novel parodies religion by comparing it to superstition, since some characters take advantag e of both belief systems to influence and mislead. Most often, superstitions are used as an attempt to explain why bad things happen.When a character has something good happen, most likely religion takes credit for that positive outcome. When someone is punished, or something terrible happens, it is a lot more comforting to put the blame on superstition. Religion, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, is defined as â€Å"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices† and â€Å"the service and worship of God or the supernatural: commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance† or â€Å"a cause, principal or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith†.Superstition, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, is defined as â€Å"a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or false conception of causation† and â€Å"an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition†. Both notions are used throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , in some cases they do not seem to be equivalent to their particular definitions. The question that resides in the core of this novel is â€Å"How is superstition and religion used in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and what defines their meaning?Later on in chapter one, Huck is alone in his room watching a spider crawl up his shoulder. Huck flips the spider off and it falls into the candle, shriveling up and dying. Huck says, â€Å"I didn’t need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sin and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me. I got up and turned around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time: and when I tied up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep witches away. But I hadn’t no confidence. Huck shows us his supersti tions and his belief in them. These beliefs have been ingrained in him from his father, Pap. In chapter four, Huck turns over the salt-cellar at breakfast. When he goes to throw some of the salt over his left shoulder, Miss Watson stepped in and crossed him off. She tells him to take his hands away and to stop making a mess. The widow Douglas puts in a good word for Huck, but he feels that it will not be enough to ward off the bad luck. After the salt spilling, Huck was feeling worried and shaky and wondering what bad luck would befall him.Since he was unable to perform his ritual, (throwing the salt over his left shoulder) he felt he had to be on the lookout all day. It seems as though Huck’s views on superstition revolve around bad luck more so than good. Huck blames bad happenings on superstition, while good happenings are â€Å"natural† or have been earned in some way. Huck doesn’t trust religion to explain life’s negatives, so he uses his belief in t he supernatural. Huck finds tracks in the snow in chapter 4, a boot print with a cross in the left boot-heel made with big nails, to ward off the devil.He finds the footprints all around then and he follows them, before it struck him who they belonged to. Pap had been checking on Huck and was watching him. This is when the reader finds out that Jim isn’t the only source of Huck’s superstitions beliefs. Some of the superstitions that Huck follows have been passed on to him from his father. Huck uses superstition to justify and explain why some bad events happen. Take the situation with the rattlesnake, Huck thinks to himself, â€Å"We didn’t say a word for a good while. There warn’t anything to say.We both knowed well enough it was some more work of the rattlesnake-skin; so what was the use to talk about it? It would only look like we was finding fault, and that would be bound to fetch more bad luck – and keep on fetching it, too, till we knowed en ough to keep still. Both Jim and Huck continue to expect bad luck because of the rattlesnake skin that Huck touched. In chapter one, the Widow and Miss Watson try to teach Huck about religion. They try to teach him all about heaven and hell. They explain to him that the things you do on earth will decide where you go after death.Huck inevitably decides that since Tom wasn’t going to the good place, he didn’t care to go there either. Huck treats the philosophies of heaven and hell impartially and seems to be a bit immature about the whole idea. All Huck knows is that he does not want to be lonely and he wants to be with his friend, Tom Sawyer. In chapter two, Ben Rogers says that he could not get out much, only on Sundays so Tom Sawyer’s gang could begin then. Surprisingly, all the boys said that it would be wicked to do such a thing on Sunday, as it is a holy day.The interesting part of this logic is that the boys don’t care much about being in a gang, st ealing, or murdering, yet they care enough not to do it on a holy day. In Huck’s case, he seems to care more about the smaller issue of not starting a gang on a holy day, yet does not care much of bigger issues such as heaven and hell, or Noah and the Bulrushers. In chapter 3, Huck is sitting alone in the woods trying to figure out the logistics of religion. He wonders about prayer and how it works.He thinks to himself, â€Å"if a body can get anything they pray for, why don’t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can’t the widow get back her snuffbox that was stole? Why can’t Miss Watson fat up? † After Miss Watson tells him that he must help people, do everything he could for others, and never think of himself, Huck decides that he does not see any advantage to living that way. He debates over every part of religion and does not accept it all just because it’s part of the whole. He chooses what he does and does not believe, a nd doesn’t look at it as all or nothing.Huck’s view on religion starts to evolve in chapter eighteen. He thinks to himself, â€Å"If you notice, most folks don’t go to church only when they’ve got to: but a hog is different. † Huck starts to realize that people just use religion when it’s good for them. He sees that people use religion to manipulate and get what they want. The Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons sit in church together. Mark Twain shows us how extraordinarily important religion in the South is during this era. The only time that the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons don’t fight is during their time at church.They view their religious gatherings as a common ground and their respect for religion is the only thing that quiets their feud. Huck is perplexed at how these two families can live in the Christian way by following the church and the bible; yet continue to kill each other. Huck sees the king use religion as a tool of de ception. While the king is pretending to be Harvey Wilks’, He tells the town about his congregation in England and how they were sweet on him and he must hurry and settle the estate right away and then leave for home.Again, Huck sees religion being used to manipulate and control people. Although Huck is bombarded with superstitious beliefs and religion, he chooses to go on his own path. He weighs each piece of information he gets and decides to take it all for what it is. Huck believes in different parts of each belief system. Though Huck feels that organized religion is stifling, he still clings to it in his times of despair and uses it as a comfort mechanism. When all is said and done, Huck searches for what is right in his heart and he considers all possibilities, and in the end chooses his own moral code. Huck Finn Daved Najarian American literature II 9:00am Huck, The Duke and Pinocchio One of the primary themes Mark Twain uses throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that of deception. Twain uses many forms and styles of deception not only to illustrate varying degrees of it, but also to draw a distinction between morally permissible and morally corrupt lies. Twain introduces different forms of deception brought about by a myriad of catalysts. Throughout the book, Twain uses Huck, the Duke and the King to compare and contrast different forms of lying, and to illustrate how context plays a large role in the moral weight of a deception.By portraying each of these characters actions and reactions to their environment, Twain is able to explore the moral importance of familiar circumstances. Huck takes on a more innocent and playful approach to deception and only uses morally weighted lies as a means to protect. While the Duke plays with good intentions, too often the end goals of his dece ptions are for monetary gain. Finally the King is presented as possessing little redeeming quality and is by far the most morally corrupt of the characters. Huck seems to primarily formulate deceptions in two circumstances throughout the novel.The first of these is for an innocent, or even jestful reason, with little or no mal-intent. The second of these is the use of a deception in a more serious manner, but generally used only to preserve the wellbeing of Jim or himself. Unlike the more serious and character damaging lies of the King and the Duke, Huck’s deceptions are, for the most part, spur of the moment rather than premeditated. Towards the beginning of the adventure, Huck seems to deceive for relatively harmless reasons. When Huck goes ashore dressed as a girl to attain town gossip, he lies about who he is, but the moral implications of this lie are slight.He has no malicious motive in mind, and is â€Å"taking advantage† of the newcomers for information alone. In this scene, Huck is very nervous and un-savvy of his character, which leads to him being caught in his deception. Although Huck uses lavish deceptions he is still relatively novice at it, and for this reason his lies depend heavily on the intended victims perception and relationship to him. These sorts of lies seem to represent a sort of â€Å"game† to Huck and he is accordingly unaware of their effects on others. When Huck plays a trick on Jim these effects become apparent. â€Å"Well, this is too many for me, Jim.I hain't seen no fog, nor no islands, nor no troubles, nor nothing. † When Huck tricks Jim into thinking he dreamt up a whole night of troubles, he holds no ill intent. Like his â€Å"girl deception† this lie takes advantage of Jim for his own lighthearted enjoyment, and not for material benefit. Through this depiction, Twain illustrates that it is not just the content of a lie but the intended recipient that determines its moral severity. Once Huc k realizes the effects of this style of fib and the repercussions of tricking those close to him, he discontinues it for the rest of the novel.The second form of deception in Huck’s arsenal is a sort of â€Å"deception for preservation†. The first time Huck lies in this manner is to avoid a dangerous situation with Pap. When Pap awakes to find Huck sleeping with a gun, Huck is quick to fabricate a story about a potential intruder he was â€Å"laying for†. The purpose of this form of a lie is clearly self-preservation, and unlike Huck’s other form of deception, it is brought about by necessity and is spur the moment. Huck uses this level of deception throughout the adventure and therefore gains a mastery of it.Twain seems to suggest that Huck’s circumstances justify some of his lies and deception, playing with the notion of â€Å"necessary lies† Huck is in many ways â€Å"forced† into situations where a lie becomes necessary to preserv e a life. As Huck and Jim grow as friends Huck not only is unable to turn Jim in, but finds himself fabricating elaborate deceptions to keep him safe. In one scene in particular, Huck uses â€Å"reverse psychology† to trick men into believing he wants help on the raft when in fact he wants the opposite. â€Å"I will, sir, I will, honest – but don't leave us, please.It's the – the – Gentlemen, if you'll only pull ahead, and let me heave you the headline, you won't have to come a-near the raft – please do. † In this encounter, Huck is able to create the illusion that he is desperate for help; with a sub lie that those aboard the raft are ill with small pox. What is important to recognize here, is that this level of lie is to protect Jim (and himself) from the greed of slave hunters, not to gain additional benefit from them. Most of the deception created by Huck is simply to maintain the status quo.Huck and Jim do not wish to gain anything mate rial from others but simply want to be left alone. Unlike the King and Duke who look ashore to interact and take with deceit, Huck and Jim lie to distance themselves from those on shore. Twain compares and contrasts the King and the Duke from the moment of their arrival. â€Å"These liars warn't no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds. † Although Huck sees through the King and Duke’s lies right away, there is importance and foreshadowing in their first deception.The very fact that the King places himself higher than the Duke with an outlandish introduction, â€Å"Bilgewater, I am the late Dauphin! † foreshadows that the King is the worse of the two con men. Throughout the trip the Duke utilizes two forms of deception, the first of which focuses on the betterment of the group as a whole. This is illustrated by his attempts to make it easier for them to â€Å"run during the day† rather than the shadow of night. This lie involved the faking of Jim’s capture and deception of reward seeking in order to avoid the attention of others.Like Huck, this lie helps to protect the group but unlike Huck it involves premeditation and a change in the status quo. While Huck lies to protect Jim rather than for selfish intent, the Duke does not. The second form or level of deception the Duke emphasizes is the fabrication of legitimacy to his illegitimate forms of entertainment. In the end, these attempts are commendable but pathetic, â€Å"To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin that makes calamity of so long life†.Although many of the Dukes offerings (such as Shakespeare) tender some level of legitimacy, his back-story and quality of performance are shrouded with deception. What differentiates these lies from others is the emphasis on greed; as the end goal of the Duke’s deceptions often-involved monetary gain and taking from others. Twain paints the King as not only less intelligent than the Duke, bu t also more cruel. As the tale progresses the King’s lies and deception escalate from a moral grey area to out right. From the start, the Kings lies target the innocent, ignorant, and emotionally compromised.In contrast to the Duke, the King’s first performance takes advantage of the kind and empathetic attendees at a religious gathering. From this point on the King’s greed is insatiable, and his lust for money and material goods causes him to be irrational. The King gets so lie crazy at one point that he even lies about lying about who took the gold, saying that he took it, â€Å"‘Nough! – I OWN UP! † These deceptions finally peak during the Wilks’ impersonation when the King is unsatisfied with the $6,000 and wants to sell the girl’s properties.While many of the Duke’s stunts were simply to get by, the King lets his greed completely overwhelm his character. The intellectually superior Duke even looks to get out of the l ong con while they still can, but he is talked back in to it by the King and his greed. Twain uses this character to not only illustrate how, â€Å"One can become the company they keep,† (as all were dragged into the con), but that greed can turn most men to sin. The lies and deceptions portrayed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn introduce ethical and moral issues that are relevant to the reader.Twain does an excellent job of utilizing context to explore the morality of deception. By exploring intent and the inner workings of Huck, the Duke and the King, Twain is able to illustrate how lies can be permissible or damning. The concept of â€Å"necessary lies† carries a great deal of weight when analyzing the morality of a deception, and Twain uses the ethical framework of Utilitarianism to justify this. For Twain is seems as though the morality of a lie is tied to the consequence of that lie, rather than the lie itself.Rather than making deception universally â€Å" wrong†, Twain leaves the door open for moral interpretation. Twain suggests, that by looking at the result of a lie and who is affected, one can determine the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of that particular lie. The ethical framework of utilitarianism of course brings with it a slue of objections, however; in the context the novel it is intuitive. The most â€Å"morally corrupt lie† in the text negatively effects the largest number of people, whereas many of Huck’s lies positively effect Jim or himself and carry little negative effect to others.The King’s Wilks impersonation, along with others, affected not just those that survived the deceased but the entire town. These â€Å"large scale† deceptions clearly would be considered morally corrupt by Utilitarians; whereas many of Huck’s lies were small scale and produced the smallest ripples. Twain masterfully incorporates ethics into a realistic story, resulting in this mul ti-layered tale. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. pg. 122 [ 2 ]. pg. 166 [ 3 ]. pg. 165 [ 4 ]. 182 [ 5 ]. 276