How to Write an Effective Thesis for a Comparative Essay

No matter what your major, there's usually no escape from English literature and composition classes and a compare-contrast essay assignment. Many students get nervous when their professors ask them to write an essay about the similarities and differences between two or more texts or ideas, especially when writing the thesis for the essay; however, writing a thesis for a compare-contrast essay is not as difficult as you may think.InstructionsRead the assignment sheet carefully before you begin so you can follow the professor's instructions exactly. Each professor usually has his own idiosyncrasies, so underline everything the professor expects you to include in the thesis. While writing the thesis, refer back to the underlined notes. 2Make a list of similarities and differences between the texts, ideas or events.Sponsored Links Simple Project TemplateYes. It's easy. Nothing to install. Try it Free! www.smartsheet.comNarrow down similarities and differences to specific ideas to avoid writing a compare-contrast thesis that is too broad. For example the compare-contrast thesis, â€Å"The media depict people in different roles compared to the realities of the general population,† is too general.Begin your statement with words like whereas, while, even though, and although to suggest a contrasting element will follow. For example: Although the media depict most women as housewives and stay-at-home mothers, in reality many women work full time and put their children in daycare.Make sure the thesis for a compare and contrast essay compares and contrasts two or more ideas. One of the most common basic ways to write a thesis statement for a compare contrast essay is as follows: While Jane Austin's novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† underscores themes of pride, prejudice and women and marriage, and Mary Shelly's story â€Å"Frankenstein† reveals themes of madness, the sublime, and justice, it is apparent by juxtaposing these two novels that most women during the early 19th century felt trapped in a patriarchal society that restricted the roles of women, especially in marriage. 6Familiarize yourself with literary devices other than theme for compare and contrast essays. Rhetorical devices such as allegory, characterization, climax, symbolism, foreshadowing, figurative language, simile, imagery, irony, metaphor, motifs, personification, tone and other devices can add interest to a thesis statement for a compare-contrast essay.Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_5012335_write-statement-compare-contrast-essay.html#ixzz2rPnmEClT

My First Day at University

My first day in buic I remember my first day I had wait all the summer to enter the university. I felt excited and at the same time I was very nervous because it was my first day in the university and I didn't know any person. My first day in the university was good and give my love and pain to me. I didn't know how to find my classroom. I was lost and I had to ask one person the easy way to go to there. This person was very nice and told me the right direction. I wouldn't find my classroom I arrived to classroom late. When I walked on, I saw some people and I felt strange.I approached to one girl and asked for the classroom. It’s so lucky when I knew that we were in the same group, so I felt less nervous. I introduced myself and she also did it, her name is tip. We came in the classroom when the time to start classes began. All our classmates were quiet, nobody talked at all. The teacher arrived early. She started the class and after that we introduced ourselves. There were m any people that came from different areas of over country, they were friendly and interested. tip and I sat closely and talked very much. After that, we spent the rest of the day together until we had to go home.We felt that we have many things in common with each other. Day by day, we have been best friends at university and usually helped each other in studies and also in life. At last ,days ago It was a Saturday when I first saw her. Her brown caramel eyes made my heart skip a beat for I had never seen anything so breathtaking. Her skin was a russet color and her hair was a shady black. That first moment when we saw each other is engraved in my head. I can still hear my heart throbbing loudly in my chest as her eyes landed on me in that small room.We stared at each other as she made her way to the seat in front of me and a smile flicked on her lips to seal that moment. It took a year for me to talk to her; we became best friends but nothing more, nothing that I wanted. Her life w as mine, her thoughts were mine, she was my world and she didn't even know. Everyone said that we had something between us, she always laughed because she never notice how I shatter every time she notice someone else, but what really destroyed me was the day she broke the news that she was leaving and maybe never coming back.I am always going to remember that day because I had the opportunity to meet more people ,especially made friend with tip. Finally, I think it is natural that on the first day we feel nervous, but this always have a happy ending. that's why I believe my first day in the university was very good. My love for her is like the waves in the sea, it comes and it goes and She made me cry but she also made me laugh. But she never come back to me forever.

British Airways Essay Example for Free

British Airways Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA In 1987, British Airways was privatised, and over the next decade turned from a loss-making nationalised company into â€Å"The World’s Favourite Airline† – a market-leading and very profitable plc. The strategy that transformed the company into a marketing-led and efficient operation was conceived and implemented by Lord King as Chairman, aided by Sir Colin (subsequently Lord) Marshall: two tough businessmen who confronted staff inefficiencies and so improved service effectiveness that BA was rated international business travellers’ favourite airline for several years in the 1990’s. Lord King having retired, Lord Marshall became Chairman and was succeeded as Chief Executive by Bob Ayling, a long-time BA manager. Ayling set in train a strategy to turn BA into a â€Å"global† airline – transcending the â€Å"flag-carrier† status (the role of a nation’s leading airline) it shared with Air France, Lufthansa, Swissair, Alitalia, Iberia – into an airline with no â€Å"national home† operating throughout the world. The dropping of the overtly â€Å"British† heritage and associations was reflected in a changed brand strategy. Away went aeroplane liveries featuring the Union flag, to be replaced by tailfins bearing themed designs from around the world. This was to address the â€Å"global traveller† a savvy (mainly business) customer whose criteria for purchase were service levels, range of destinations, promptness – not price. But the re-branding became a debacle. Customers, staff, alliance partners, shareholders and retailers (travel agents) all liked the British heritage and imagery and rebelled against the turn to an anonymous, characterless new style. Ayling also focused on cost-reduction programmes which antagonised and demotivated BA’s staff – and customers noticed the deterioration in behaviour of staff whose commitment to customer service suddenly plummeted. The upshot was that Ayling was ousted in a boardroom coup in March 2000. During his reign, a loss of 244m in the year to March 31 2000 – the first since privatisation – was recorded and the group’s market value had fallen  by half. In May 2000, Rod Eddington joined BA as Chief Executive. He was previously Managing Directory of Cathay Pacific and Executive Chairman of Ansett, an Australian airline. Eddington’s immediate actions were designed to restore profitability to BA’s operations – and to restore the Union Flag to BA’s planes! He set about reducing the fleet, moving to smaller aircraft, cutting clearly unprofitable routes. He also targeted â€Å"high-yield† customers, the traditional mainstay segment for BA. Matching supply with demand was the overall concern, to restore positive cash flow. Strategically, BA’s longtime search for a merger partner was resumed. A link with American Airlines, the first choice partner, was out of the question after US regulatory authorities squashed the idea. A proposed merger with KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, was discussed in some depth, but that foundered on doubts over the long-term financial benefits, and arguments over the relative shares each airline would have in the merged company. Meanwhile, the airline industry was undergoing a seismic shift with the rise of low-cost â€Å"no frills† airlines. Ryanair and easyJet had, at first, demonstrated the existence of a new market for cheap airline travel which had not been tapped by traditional airlines. But then they began to expand and to compete for passengers that normally would have gone to BA – even business class customers couldn’t see the reason â€Å"to pay  £100 for breakfast† (the difference in price between BA and easyJet between London and Edinburgh.) BA’s response (under Bob Ayling) was to form GO as a direct response to the no-frills competitor. Operating out of Stansted airport, GO was operated entirely separately from BA, so none of the high-cost culture was inherited. Launched in the face of vociferous opposition from easyJet, GO nevertheless established itself in the market – though at what cost, no-one could guess. Rod Eddington soon decided that his focus on premium customers made GO’s operations inconsistent with that of BA as a whole. GO was sold in May 2001 for  £100m to 3i, a UK venture capital and private equity group. GO was subsequently sold on to easy Jet for 375m. However, the driving of aggressive strategies from budget airlines is still forcing flag-carriers to re-assess their business models. For the year ended March 2001, Eddington’s steps had yielded a quadrupling of operating profits. Market share on key routes had been lost as cuts in fleet and routes bit, but BA believed it had lost customers who paid deeply-discounted fares. BA continued its vigorous pursuit of high-yield passengers. So, all seemed to be going well. The brand was being restored, financial performance was improving and the only real problem was lack of progress on forming a partnership with a US carrier, prevented by the regulators. Then came September 11th, and the airline market fell apart. The consequences were swift – passenger numbers fell 28%, US airports were closed for a week, Swissair, Sabena, US Airlines and nearly, Aer Lingus, went bust. Alitalia lost 570m, Lufthansa 400m. Altogether the industry lost 7bn and shed 120,000 jobs – 13,000 at BA – and passenger numbers are still running at 13% below normal on transatlantic routes. In contrast, passenger numbers and financial results at low-cost carriers – easyJet and Ryanair – were rising impressively. Then came Sars, the Iraq war and the continuing sluggishness of the world economy, all deeply damaging to passenger numbers. Strategy at BA was thrown into disarray. With the travel market is still subject to â€Å"global economic and political uncertainty†, BA has repeated its forecasts for lower revenues. However, the â€Å"fundamentals of this business are stronger than they have been for four or five years† John Rishton, Finance Director, says BA is generating cash, and is conserving that cash. (FT and D.Tel. 6.11.02). The operational imperatives to cope with the turbulent environment are expressed in BA’s â€Å"Future Size and Shape† initiative which is intended to: – Achieve significant cost reductions. Originally targeted at 650m, the cost savings are now expected to save an annualised  £1.1bn over 3 years (FT 19.3.03). Simplified operations and minimal overheads is the aim. – Cut capacity, to match supply of aircraft and flights to the reduced demand. – Cut staffing levels. A further 3,000 job cuts planned for March 2004 have been brought forward to September 2003. – Change BA’s business model. Aware that no-frills competition is not going to go away, but that BA possesses a positive service heritage, BA wants to create an offering that combines the best bits of BA and the no-frills model. Martin George, BA’s director of marketing and commercial development, explains â€Å"our customers like the BA product – convenient airports, high frequency, good level of service – but want it at the right price, and that’s what we’ll give them. It’s about changing our business model to allow us to compete profitably† (Management Today, September 2000). – Rationalise BA’s internal UK and short-haul business – CitiExpress has been formed from the activities of subsidiaries Brymon, BRAL, Manx and BA Regional. To stem heavy losses on this short-haul network, some rationalisation has been done – it has pulled out of Cardiff and Leeds-Bradford airports, and will cut its current fleet from 82 to 50 all-jet planes by end-2005. However, it is expanding operations from Manchester, and from London City airport to Paris and Frankfurt. (FT 18.12.02). It is recognised that BA started to take the bitter medicine of cost cuts and restructuring earlier and in bigger doses than rivals in Europe and North America, and that Rod Eddington has pushed through changes that were long overdue. But is this enough? – can BA wrest back the short haul market from easyJet and Ryanair, while maintaining its position in the longhaul market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ In July 2003, just at the start of the busy holiday season, BA was hit by an unofficial strike by Heathrow check-in and sales staff who were objecting to a hasty introduction of a swipe-card automatic clocking system. 500 flights were cancelled, affecting 100,000 passengers. The damage to BA’s service reputation was enormous. Both management and union leaders were taken by surprise, and it brought to a head the existence of restrictive practices going back 40 or 50 years which both sides have to confront. Results for the year ending 31st March 2003 showed a pretax profit of 135 on turnover down 7.8% to  £7.69bn, up from a loss of 335 in the year to March 2002. The results included a charge of 84m for the planned ending of Concorde flights in October, and a fourth-quarter loss (January to March) of 200m. These positive results were entirely down to cost reduction. No  dividend was paid – a consequence of the need to conserve cash. Operating margin at 3.8% is way below Eddington’s target of 10%. (D.Tel, 20.5.03, FT, 21.5.03). In the first quarter of the 2003-04 year, a pretax loss of  £45m was incurred – the effect of the Heathrow strike was put at 30-40m. However, Rod Eddington sees the furure business environment as very hard to read, but expects it to get tougher. 2003-04 was meant, according to analysts, to be BA’s year of recovery, but it is not now expected to happen. (DTel, 11.2.03) A critical development is the start of talks between the EU and the USA to dismantle the web of regulations that have controlled the development of international aviation since the mid-1940’s. Eddington, as chairman of the Association of European Airlines, insists that truly global airlines are impossible in the current regulatory environment. â€Å"If it were left to the market, international airlines would undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of other industries and would seek the benefits of scale and scope that are currently denied them. A truly global airline†¦..would be free to operate wherever its customers demanded, free to grow organically or through acquisition and free to charge whatever the market would bear.† These talks are likely to be very long. However, it potentially offers the opportunity for an opening of the two biggest airline markets and lead to substantial consolidation of participants. (FT, 29.9.03). The takeover of KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, by Air France, may be the precursor to the consolidation expected. BA sees no threat from what is now Europe’s largest airline. D.Tel, 1.01.03). British Airways. (2016, Jul 21).

Birth Order and Its Effect on Personality Research Paper

Birth Order and Its Effect on Personality - Research Paper Example Birth order can be defined as the position one has in a family in relation to the other siblings. For instance a person can be a first born, second or even a last born. There are some people who are normally only children to their parents. All these are termed as birth orders. According to research, birth order has various effects on an individual's personality. (Adler, 1956)It is very important to study this issue because it helps to in understanding the different personalities in relation to birth order. This study is very important to educators or teachers because it helps them to understand the behavioral differences among the students. It will also help them to know how to relate to different personalities of students and also fellow teachers. (Adler, 1956) This study is very fundamental to counselors. This is because it helps them to understand the behavioral differences in their clients. This makes it easier for them to give more pragmatic solutions basing on having such prior knowledge. This study is very essential to parents as it helps them to understand the different personality traits among their children. It is also important to study this issue as it helps us understand ourselves more as individuals. This helps us to understand why we behave the way we do. This also helps people to understand each other in various dimensions of relationships. This includes relationships between siblings and marriage etc. Our ordinal positioning in the family highly affects how we develop. According to research the ordinal positioning of a child affects his or her personality traits. There are various researchers that have studied this issue concerning birth order and personality traits. Alderian theory Alfred Adler is one of the psychologists who carried out research on this issue. This was carried out in the early 1920's. According to Adler, there are various variables that contribute to the birth order theory. He explains that there are chances that a child can take his or her sibling's position if the environment allows it. Adler explains that in case a child has a physical disability for instance, then his or her sibling will automatically take part of the sibling's birth order traits. (Adler, 1956) Adler concurs that there can be other influences that can affect a child's personality. These include gender roles, social and economic position and parental attitudes. Adler's findings show that the spacing of the children has a big impact on their personality traits. There is high impact on the positioning of children if they are separated by more than three years. (Adler, 1956) According to Adler an only child will in most cases have adult like speech because he or she receives two hundred of the parent's attention. Such a child he says always prefers to be in the midst of adults than his or her peers. In most cases parents who have an only child over protect and end up spoiling the child. (Birth Order Dynamics 2007) According to Adler, the first child always feels dethroned when the second born comes along. This makes him or her to feel a bit insecure and conservative. The first born will in this case exhibit authoritarian characters and become strict. (Adler, 1956) Second born in

The problems with forensic procedure that are arising with the DVI Dissertation

The problems with forensic procedure that are arising with the DVI manual in mass graves during interrnaional disaster in the v - Dissertation Example The proposed study has the main objective of finding out whether conducting the job of identification of victim of natural or manmade disasters on foreign soil in accordance with DVI manual are helpful. In other words to say, the proposed to will try to examine whether the protocol of DVI proposed by Interpol is a perfect answer to victim identification in case of disasters of international nature. For the purpose of the study, the proposed research has a goal of focusing on a various problems and challenges that forensic experts face at the time of victim identification. It would really be interesting to find out whether the problems can be attributable to DVI protocol. In other words to say, it would really interesting to find out whether DVI protocol actually helps forensic experts in their process of victim identification or makes the process more challenging. If it is found that DVI protocol is actually helpful to the forensic experts in the process of victim identification, the n it can be said that DVI protocol is a perfect answer to identification of victims of disasters. The proposed research will take into account a natural as well as a man-made disaster. For examining the efficiency of DVI in victim identification in case of a natural disaster identification work in Thailand in post-tsunami phase will be considered, while for man-made disaster, identification work during war of former Yugoslavia in 1991 will be taken in account. Having these overall research objectives for the study, the specific research aims for the proposed study can be as follows: To evaluate the efficiency of DVI guidelines in conducting successful and effective identification of victims of Tsunami in Thailand. To examine whether DVI manual was actually helpful or an obstacle in conducting the job of victim identification effectively in case of former Yugoslavia war that killed innumerable people. How the shortcomings of DVI, is any, in conducting identification of victims can be resolved? Outline and Organization of Topic Brief overview of the field: Interpol has proposed guidelines in the DVI manual for use by the member nations of Interpol Member in case of identifying victims of any disaster. This DVI guide is extremely useful for those member countries of Interpol that do not possess their own team for identification of victim in disasters or no not have any prior experience in confronting such huge and complicated operational situation by setting up a DVI team and making it functional. It offers vital supplemental information as well to those member countries which have built their own DVI teams. (INTERPOL, 2009) The most essential prerequisite in case of victim identification effort is the implementation of global standards that could serve as some common basis for the activities in case of DVI operations with multinational character. (INTERPOL, 2009) All measures of victim identifications are generally structured in such a way that they can produce results in the form of accurate positive victim identification. In case of victim identification in international disasters, the victim identification standard employed must be of the highest quality. Besides, it is extremely vital to offer proper respond to the need of relatives need within the shortest possible time. Victims are required to be handled with dignity and proper reverence. DVI teams generally conduct their activities in an

Role of Compromise in Delaying the Civil War Essay

Role of Compromise in Delaying the Civil War - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the period before the American civil war of 1861-1865 was one of the politically dramatic periods in American history. This essay discusses that compromise played a big role in delaying the civil war until 1861. The compromise of 1850 consisted of five bills processed by Clay and advocated by Douglas. This paper illustrates that the bill made it possible for Texas to withdraw its war claim to New Mexico. States such as Washington D.C agreed to ban of slave trade whereas others such as national capital retained slave trade. Additionally, other states allowed California to be a free state. The author has rightly presented that the ideas of popular sovereignty sought to manifest sovereign powers to the people by allowing them to have free will in determining their political and societal discourse. The paper tells that this was most evident in Kansas-Nebraska act. Douglas advocated for democracy and free will among the people. Different st ates were able to make their own independent decisions regarding an important issue such as the constitution. This helped delay the civil war appreciably. This essay discusses that Missouri compromise aimed at finding a consensus between pro and anti-slavery factions. House of Representatives eased their stand on the issue. According to the research findings, Missouri was allowed to make their own constitution in which they sought to forbid slave trade.

Concept of learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concept of learning - Essay Example By using metacognitive skills such as strategic thinking, the students have a better chance of being successful on a much wider variety of performance measures than by just using rote memorization. What is the Difference Between Learning and Performance Learning is the concept of gaining new information. Most students are naturally curious and have an affinity for learning. Performance, on the other hand is a demonstration of what has been learned, or is it? There are many students who learn, yet are not able to perform what they have actually learned. Many factors go into the issue of performance. Learning, as we know it in the classroom, takes a basic three step approach. Each concept must be presented orally, visually, and kinetically in order reach each student in a way that can be assimilated. For this reason, students are given many activities to perform while learning a new concept. Today’s children are much less auditorially oriented than their predecessors. They are n o longer will to sit and listen to boring lectures about vague concepts; children learn what they do. It is up to us, as educators, to make learning interesting and student focused. ( Shippey, 2010) The students of yesterday knew many facts; rote learning was the way education was done.

An Organizational Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Organizational Dilemma - Essay Example This essay seeks to analyze a critical way of handling ethical issues in any organization by using an example from General Motors. The methodology used herein is derived by Trevino and Nelson (2011). Steps of Handling Ethical Issues Now that ethical issues will always appear in a business organization, it is only obvious that every manager has the responsibility of handling the issues sensibly. This means they should be handled in a manner that compromises little but at the same time achieves a great deal for the business. In that light, the eight step model developed by Trevino and Nelson (2011) seeks to ease the task of managers in ensuring that all the key players, who are; the customers, employees, shareholders and the community in which the business operates, are all at a satisfactory level. Step One: Gather the Facts According to Trevino and Nelson, this is quite a critical yet unpredictable part of addressing the ethical issue (2011). At this level, the management is required to collect the points of view of the customers, employees, shareholders and the community. ... Step Two: Define the Ethical Issues This is an analysis of the results obtained in step one. The management interprets the meaning of the facts gathered in relation to the organization. This identifies the genuine issues from the bluffs. For instance, a GM customer who claims that there is no customer help centre in South Africa is considered to be bluffing since there are a number of them. Step Three: Identify the Affected Parties The opinion or complaint of one party could be a whole network that affects more than just that one party. This step enlists all the parties affected by a single issue. For instance, GM was considered to be a key pollutant in 1978 by producing 80 different toxic fumes. This not only affects the community around it but also the employees working in the factory. Step Four: Identify the Consequences These could be considered as either long-term or short-term effects of the particular issue highlighted by the preceding steps (Trevino and Nelson, 2011). This me ans that some effects are felt for a long period of time while others are only felt for a short time. These effects can also be viewed from the perspective of how much damage they cause to the stakeholders. For example, the GM pollution of 1978 was said to cause adverse respiratory complications for the society around it, including school children. With this, the management is charged with the responsibility of providing actions that can solve the situation both in the long term and short term. Step Five: Identify Obligation for each Action Contemplated This means that the management is required to know if any of the actions contemplated in step four is implemented and the implications thereof to

CASE2-SLP 2 Writing about Issues and using Third person Essay

CASE2-SLP 2 Writing about Issues and using Third person - Essay Example He highlighted the role of experienced PR people in handling these disasters through creating disaster management plans. This paper agrees with Sniderman (2011) that considering PR slips as disasters and dealing with them quickly, honestly, and taking everything not too seriously are effective ways of managing them; moreover, it is imperative to have a system that deals with PR problems in a proactive manner. Every PR slip is a disaster. Sniderman (2011) stressed the importance of treating PR slips as disasters, and this paper supports him, because without this thinking, these problems may not receive enough attention and time from the management. When this happens, a small smoke may turn into a wild and uncontrollable wildfire because public relations officers think that these concerns do not warrant a quick response. It does not mean that everything small should be developed into sensational issues. Instead, it is about humanizing the organization and ensuring the provision of sympathetic responses to those hurt and offended by social media comments or posts. In addition, thinking that PR slips are disasters guarantee that the organizations are always actively monitoring their social media sites. If they are conscious of their sites and how they are run, they can place themselves at a better position in handling these PR problems. These organizations also become more aware of the ident ity of their audiences, and learn more about their values, viewpoints, and goals in life. They may even realize that they can agree to disagree, as long as they do not openly spread hate or violence in their social media networks. The ultimate outcome is better PR relations with diverse stakeholder groups, whose beliefs and priorities may differ with the organizations. Quick, honest, and not too seriously are some of the characteristics of a good PR response to social media disasters. Quickness of response is needed, but it should also

Compare the theme of outsiders in Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Compare the theme of outsiders in Frankenstein Essay D, so he wanted to join the terrorist group to seek revenge. In this respect Daz is similar to the monster, they are both willing to commit heinous crimes for vengeance. Del thats my brovver thay catch im raiding wiv Dred. Top him dont thay. This quote shows how Dazs brother was killing in a raid with Dred. After the night in the Blue Moon where he saved Zoe and her friends, Daz finds himself an outcast from two societies. He was still physically a chippy, which means he is not allowed in Silverdale; however, he helped out the enemy subbies which make him not an accepted chippy. After Daz and Zoe they contact each other through letters and finally when they meet, the reader recognise that Daz does not want to be a chippy. Throughout this novel we are constantly reminded of this forbidden love. I seen this Subby girl, our mam. Forget her, Daz. Not easy, our mam. Not easy. Daz is given a negative response from his mum, when he explains that he has met Zoe. However, once Daz meets Zoe he realises he does not want to be an outsider any longer, Dazs priorities and views of subbies change. Like Victor, Daz is very determined; he takes a lot of risks for Zoe and to make his life better. It appears to the reader that Zoe has the perfect life, money, nice houses, cars and good facilities. However it becomes evermore clear that Zoe feels trapped and unhappy. Zoe is an outsider because after she meets Daz, Silverdale citizens see her as a chippy lover. Thats why we have fences and lights and guards some kids get fed up being cooped up a suburbs a pretty nice place but any place with a fence aroundll get to you, eventually. This quote shows the reader how a Subby teenager can become fed up with the enclosed lifestyle. Zoe feels this because she is brainwashed into believing her existence is happy and enjoyable. Similar to Daz, when the two forbidden lovers meet her priorities changes. Zoe the loyal and hard working daughter rebels against her parents old fashioned and single minded views. Unlike Daz, Zoe is an outsider by choice. Her easiest option could have been to lead a normal life as a young, well-educated Silverdale resident. Nevertheless, Zoe decides to leave the suburb and live in the city, choosing to become an outsider from two societies. Zoe chooses to be an outsider and is similar to Victor; she sees that defending things that are important to her holds great risks. For the first time I contemplated the enormity of the step I had just taken This quote shows how Zoe realises that she has left her Subby life to live in the city; this is the first physical sign of her becoming an outsider. In Daz 4 Zoe Zoes Grandmother is not an obvious outsider. To begin with Grandma is not a visible outsider, although later we go on to find she is the founder of the illegitimate organisation. She is very similar to Robert Walton as they are both outsiders in their thoughts and views, however they are not outcasts. Grandma was part of an underground outfit called F. A. I. R, which stands for Fraternal Alliance for Integration through Reunification. Resembling Victor, Robert Walton and Zoe, she is an outsider through choice and these views influence Zoe. Daz 4 Zoe and Frankenstein both discuss outsiders in society, and how people can be born outcasts and how others chose to be secluded from society because of their ambitions, beliefs or interests. We read how Daz and the Monster we forced into seclusion, isolated from society. Also how Zoe, Victor, Grandma and Robert Walton choose to live their lives dangerously and even unhappily because of their thoughts. The nineteenth century literature and the contemporary novel are relevant to todays society. In the present culture we have different castes, religions, races even different accents, Daz 4 Zoe shows an extreme version of abused power and prejudice. Due to advances in medical science in the present day limbs can be sewn on, body parts reshaped new skin tissue be formed. Frankenstein again shows excessive power, since the novel was written we have had cloning and artificial body parts The two novels both are severe results of social issues we have today. I feel the moral of the two novels combined is that with no action, modern society could find themselves in these difficult situations. 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one? Search for

Womens Progression In The Workforce History Essay

Womens Progression In The Workforce History Essay As our country entered WWII, the workforce consisted primarily of men. Women made up only twenty-six percent of the workforce during this time. During World War II, the percentage of women in the workforce nearly doubled as a result of men being drafted into the war.  [1]  Immediately following the war many women were fired from their jobs, but this did not stop seventy-five percent of women from wanting to work outside of the home.  [2]  Women progressed in the workforce drastically during WWII, and the years that followed as a result of the war, economic challenges, congressional legislation, and changes in the dynamics of the workforce. World War II affected the workforce in many different ways. The major way that WWII altered the workforce is that men were drafted into the military. This drafting left women to step into the jobs vacated by the men. Women soon found themselves being homemakers as well as doing things such as working long hours in factories. Women were able to demonstrate that they could perform at the same level as men in industrial roles.  [3]  They did not always receive equal pay and benefits as their male counterparts may have had, but the ability to do the work at hand was equal. Women also found themselves becoming members of the military. One example of this is Betty Budde, of Concord, who, during WWII was able to see the world as a member of the Womens Air Force Service Pilots.  [4]  These jobs outside of the home caused women to gain a since of independence from the typical roles of the time of a working husband, and a stay at home wife. The media also encouraged women to be a part of the war effort through magazine and advertisements such as Rosie the Riveter. In some ways, the domestic circumstances of the war fostered the roots of the womens rights movement that built on it.  [5]  Toward the end of the war, the advertisements started to change, reminding women that they would soon return to their homemaking.  [6]  The response from women was different though. Surveys showed that women wanted to continue working outside of the home after the war ended. In 1945, many of the men that had been off in the war returned home, and many women were fired and forced out of their jobs. Some women even voluntarily left their jobs. One woman, Mrs. Neffe, stated that she left her job at a naval depot in Tacoma because her husband wanted a wife, not a career woman.  [7]  The number of women in the work force dropped from 20.3 million down to 15.9 million between 1945 and 1947.  [8]  Even though women were forced out of the industrial line of work, many sought the clerical and service jobs that were becoming available that men returning from the war did not want to take. After the war ended, America expected women to go back to the same roles they were in before the war started. While the country attempted to create a new and exciting future, womens roles changed, leading to feelings of isolation and worthlessness.  [9]  There was also a baby boom that followed the mens return.  [10]  This baby boom caused women to stay at home and tend to their children and the domestic duties of life. The same media before that had encouraged women to join the war effort and work outside the home was now showing the proper gender roles of men and women by showing the ideal family being a stay at home mom, and a father who went to work. Also, mens wages were higher than ever before, making it possible for the first time in U.S. history for a substantial number of middle class families to live comfortably on the income of one breadwinner .  [11]  With all these factors working against them, the setbacks did not keep seventy five percent of those women fro m continuing to want to work outside of the home.  [12]   As time passed, these determined women did not let go of hope of one day working outside of the home once again. The economy was changing so much that it was becoming almost impossible to live off of one single income. Social and economic pressures were causing families to spend more money and come to realize that they needed more income for the family. Living off of one income to create a heightened lifestyle was a struggle so it left it up to women to pick up a job outside of the home to help support the family, and its wants and needs. Yet, women still felt the social pressure to stay at home.  [13]  Industries were making it easier for women to do their typical duties at home, such as invention of the microwavable television dinner. Housewives became more and more dissatisfied with staying home as the skills for being a housewife decreased.  [14]  At the same time, many women were obtaining a higher education compared to earlier years. This higher education was preparing women for better jobs in the workplace than the clerical and service jobs that few were working after the war. Many women were starting to wonder if their higher education would benefit them, and not just their husbands career. By the 1960s, the previous social pressures of being a stay at home wife were overcome. The number of married women in the workforce at the beginning of the sixties was higher than at any previous time in American history.  [15]  During this time, cultural changes led many women to fight for equal pay for equal work done in the workplace.  [16]  Gradually, Americans came to accept some of the basic goals of the Sixties feminists: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, curtailment of severe limits on women in managerial jobs, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing.  [17]  This was a major change in the roles of women in comparison to earlier in the century. Women were starting to move up the in the working world, even though Americans were still attempting to stop them. Some historians believe womens entry into industrial jobs during World War II hastened societal and economic changes already occurring in the American landscape and that it may have lit a fuse that contributed to the womens rights movements that were occurring.  [18]  These movements led to the acceptance of many women in jobs that would not have been imagined to be obtained before. The 1970s also led to an influx of women into the workforce. This influx happened because (page 4 of RAND) By 1980, forty three percent of the workforce consisted of women.  [19]   Many women who lived through World War II came to want different lives for their  daughters.  [20]  

Commodity Fetishism in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence :: Edith Wharton Age Innocence Essays

Commodity Fetishism in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence Commodity fetishism is a term first coined by Karl Marx in his 1867 economic treatise, Das Kapital. It takes two words, one with a historically economic bent and another with a historically religious bent, and combines them to form a critical term describing post-industrial revolution, capitalist economies. Specifically, this term was used to describe the application of special powers or ideas to products that carried no such inherent value. In Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, old New York society is dissected as if the book were a study in cultural anthropology. One of the critical elements of this society is its emphasis on material items. From Parisian dresses to brand name cigars, this society is particularly interested in what a member owns. A brief examination of how commodities affect the creation an identity and social order in Wharton’s New York will be endeavored. But first, commodity fetishism will be defined more specifically before we can apply Marx’s ideas to the novel. The comprising elements of this term will be examined to create a general understanding of the economic and social ideas that went into its creation. The term â€Å"commodity† is often considered to be synonymous with a â€Å"good,† any produced item, such as refined sugar or textiles (Spickard). Although this seems a decent, basic definition, a commodity actually refers to something useful that can be turned to commercial or other advantage. The key point here is that a good fails to be a commodity when it no longer has a commercial advantage. A pile of gold is only a commodity if someone agrees to buy it. The term â€Å"fetish†, despite the prevalent sexual connotations of today, actually has a religious origin. A fetish is any object that is believed to have special or magical powers, often associated with animistic or shamanistic religions. Thus, to make something a fetish is to infuse an inanimate or material object with special powers above and beyond that of its physical self. The concept of commodity fetishism, then, was used by Marx to describe the over-appraisal of commodities in a capitalist economy. What is Marx saying? How can something be â€Å"worth† more than it’s worth? This occurs when the â€Å"use value,† the natural capacity to satisfy a human want, of something is of different worth than its â€Å"exchange value,† the social capacity to be exchangeable for other commodities (Wenning).

The Apology Essay -- Greek, Socrates, Plato

In this paper I will be discussing the four charges brought against Socrates in Plato’s essay The Apology# and why exactly each of these charges is completely fictitious. The four charges brought against Socrates were that he argued the physical over the metaphysical, he argued the weaker claim over the stronger claim, he went against the gods, and he was corrupting the youth (Singer, lecture, 9-15-11). Each of these four charges is false for varying reasons and I will be addressing each explanation on why each charge is a complete sham, after discussing each charge. The first charge made against Socrates was that he argued the physical over the metaphysical (Singer, lecture, 9-15-11). This charge says that he believed in reason and science over the teachings of the gods. This alleged crime helped form the basis for the hatred and distrust the Athenians felt toward Socrates (Plato, p. 51). Socrates’ accusers claimed, â€Å"Socrates is an evil-doer and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in the heavens† (Plato, p. 51). This claim is completely false for multiple reasons. Primarily, Socrates simply did not argue the physical over the metaphysical; he just wanted to find true knowledge. He did not have any interest in this argument at all (Singer, lecture, 9-15-11). In Socrates opening statement to the court, Socrates identified the first charge to be false by directly confronting the philosophers who actually did this style of teaching. He stated,† I will ask you then to assume with me that my opponents are of two kinds: one more recent, the other from the past. I will answer the latter first, for these accusations you heard long before the others† (Plato, p. 51). In this statement Socrates was referr... ...s statement by Melatus illustrates that Melatus doesn’t have any knowledge on how to help the youth and that his main intention is to get Socrates sentenced to death (Plato, p. 54). In this paper I talked about Plato’s essay The Apology, in which Socrates was accused of committing four crimes against the people of Athens. These four charges were that he argued the physical over the metaphysical, he argued the weaker claim over the stronger claim, he went against the gods, and he corrupted the youth (Singer, lecture, 9-15-11). Each of these claims was completely erroneous for their own reasons, however the court sentenced him to death anyways (Plato, p. 61). The fact that he was executed despite being falsely accused and the fact that he accepted death instead of abandoning his beliefs helped make him the philosopher that is loved and revered still to this day.

goals :: essays research papers

Goals! How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible T[here] they are, the twenty-one most important principles of goal setting and goal achieving ever discovered. Your regular review and practice of these principles will enable you to live an extraordinary life. Nothing can stop you now. Good luck! Chapter 1 – Unlock Your Potential – Always remember that your true potential is unlimited. Whatever you have accomplished in life up to now has only been preparation for the amazing things you can accomplish in the future. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine that you have the inborn ability to achieve any goal you could ever set for yourself. What do you really want to be, have, and do? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What are the activities that give you your greatest sense of meaning and purpose of life? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look at your personal and work life today and identify how you own thinking has created your world. What should you or could you change? 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What do you think and talk about most of the time—what you want or what you don’t want? 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the price you have to pay to achieve the goals that are most important to you? 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What one action should you take immediately as the result of your answers to the above questions? Chapter 2 – Take Charge of Your Life – You are completely responsible for everything you are today, for everything you think, say, and do, and for everything you become from this moment forward. Refuse to make excuses or to blame others. Instead, make progress toward your goals every day. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify your biggest problem or source of negativity in life today. In what ways are you responsible for this situation? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  See yourself as the president of your own company. How would you act differently if you owned 100 percent of the shares? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resolve today to stop blaming anyone else for anything and instead accept complete responsibility in every area of your life. What actions should you be taking? 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stop making excuses and start making progress. Imagine that your favorite excuses have no basis in fact, and act accordingly. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  See yourself as the primary creative force in your own life. You are where you are and what you are because of your own choices and decisions. What should you change? 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resolve today to forgive anyone who has ever hurt you in any way. Let it go. Refuse to discuss it again. Instead, get so busy working on something that is important to you that you don’t have time to think about it again.

Movie Response – Oklahoma Featuring Hugh Jackman

1. The central conflict of the musical ‘Oklahoma’ is concerned with the complicated love relationship of the two protagonists, Curly and Laurey. While they evidently fancy each other, they are reluctant to admit it openly. They are afraid that their affair will be talked about all around the town. As young people in love often behave, they are teasing each other by flirting with others. Curly asks Laurey to go with him to the Box Social, yet Laurey decides to go with Jud (who can be regarded as the antagonist). At the Box Social, Curly outbids Jud for Laurey’s baskets, and the young couple acknowledges their feeling towards each other. Conflict resolution occurs when drunk Jud comes to the wedding ceremony of Curly and Laurey and puts up a fight but accidentally stubs himself with his own knife. The people at the wedding stage a quick trial and decide that Curly is not guilty of what has happened. After it, the young couple goes on a honeymoon. While the relationship of Curly and Laurey is the central conflict of the musical, there is also another love story that contributes to the plot development. Will is in love with Ado Annie, yet upon his return from the Kansas City, he discovers that she is flirting with Ali Hakim, a peddler man. Yet Ali doesn’t have any plans to marry Ado Annie, while her father takes everything too seriously and threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t propose. However, after the Box Social, when Ali’s intentions to stay a bachelor become far too evident, Will and Ado Annie talk freely about their relationship. Finally, another implicit conflict in the plot is the division between farmers and cowboys. While these divisions are presented in a funny and lighthearted way, farmers and cowboys represent two different communities, and the any pretext can be used to start a brawl. When two communities come together to raise money for a schoolhouse is an interim resolution of this conflict. 2. Characters of Curly and Laurey are very graphically depicted in the musical. Their relationship is complicated, yet so is their emotional life. This is specifically true for Laurey who at times finds herself trapped in the confusion of her feelings. At the beginning, Laurey seems slightly too self-confident and stubborn: when Curly asks her to be his company at the Box Social, she doubts whether he is good enough for her. This image is further developed in the ‘Many a New Day’ scene: she sings that she will never be too upset if her man is gone; she’ll find a new love instead. She is confident of her beauty and her charm; she is sure that when she buys a new dress and brushes her hair, she’ll be able to start over a new leaf. However, this image of a self-confident girl who doesn’t take her love life seriously is questioned in the scene when Laurey dreams about getting married to Curly, but the image of Jud penetrates her dream. In this episode, Laurey is presented as a sensitive and vulnerable girl who cannot make up her mind but wants a happy love life. As for Curly, in the opening scene he is portrayed as an optimistic and buoyant guy with a good sense of humor: he sings of corn as high as an elephant's eye and the cattle are standing like statues. He is determined to win Laurey’s affection and is hurt by her refusal to go to the Box Social with him. In the episode when he asks her out, he is presented as a creative and romantic young man as he promises his honey that he’ll take her out in the surrey with the fringe on top with a team of snow-white horses. As the plot develops, a darker side of Curly’s personality is revealed. When he comes to the Smokehouse, consumed with jealousy and the pain from being rejected, he dreams of Jud being dead. Yet he decides to take a more constructive approach, and sells everything he has to outbid Jud for Laurey’s basket at the Box Social. Both Curly and Laurey are too preoccupied with what other people think about their nascent relationship; they don’t want neighbors to gossip all day behind their doors. But when everything works out well, Curly rejoices and claims publicly that Laurey is his girl. Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle both makes believable Curly and Laurey. However, if I dare voice a personal opinion, Hugh Jackman’s performance is slightly superior to that of Josefina Gabrielle. It can be perhaps explained by the fact that the character of Curly is more integral and consistent, while Gabrielle could have done a better job revealing two different sides of Laurey’s characters, hard and soft one. 3. To my mind, the song that best serves the purpose of revealing the character is the ‘Lonely Room.’ It gives a valuable insight into the inner world of Jud. It clearly identifies his motivation for getting Laurey: he cannot stand being in his room, all alone, without a girl to hold. The song probably suggests that it’s not so much about Laurey as about his unwillingness to be on her own anymore. While Jud should be best seen as an antagonist in the musical, the song serves to generate sympathy towards him. He spent so many long and lonely nights in his room that he deserves his own love. The song also gives a sense of Jud’s determination and impatience: instead of dreaming of Laurey, he wants to go outside and get her immediately. 4. Apart from serving a purely aesthetical purpose, the Dream Ballet also plays a foreshadowing role. In her dreams, Laurey is getting married to Curly; both look beautiful in their wedding costumes and happy to unite with each others. Yet this idyllic scene is devastated when Jud appears seemingly from nowhere. His costume and appearance both hint that he is not the one Laurey should be with; it reflects the feeling of insecurity Laurey experience by Jud’s side. The choreography of the ballet also represents the build-up of the tension between Curly and Jud; it ends abruptly when Curly is killed by the hatred and aggression Jud emanates. The theme of the ballet is connected with two dimensions of the first major theme of the musical (i.e. the power of love). First of all, people in love should acknowledge their feelings to each other openly, and girls should look for the right man for them. If it isn’t happening, and girls toy with the feelings of other men, the power of love can turn into a destructive and dangerous force. The ballet helps to advance the plot in two different ways: first of all, it serves the purpose of foreshadowing future events; secondly, it shows what a nightmare scenario will be like so that the viewer feel emotionally relieved upon the happy end. 5. There are two predominant themes of the film: the first one concerns the issue of true love and its power, and the second one is connected with the separation of public and private. The essence of the first theme is fairly clear-cut: both Curly/Laurey and Will/Ado Anne end up together despite the girls’ hesitation and flirt with other men. The film also suggests that girls should be honest with themselves and look for a man that has serious intentions. The power of love is also presented with a dramatic touch: it can grant happiness, but can also lead to tragic consequences, like Jud’s death. The second theme is also implicitly present throughout the whole story. While love is a private matter, people always take the opinion of family and community into account. Curly and Laurey are well-aware of the fact that they love each other, yet they don’t want their relationship to be discussed by everybody. Similar is true about Ado Annie’s affair with Ali: the father intervenes into their relationship with the intent to make Ali marry his daughter. All these facts exemplify that the line between public and private is blurred. 6. I enjoyed watching ‘Oklahoma,’ but it would hardly make it the list of my favorite films. While both camera work and actors’ performance are great, there are certain limitations. The passages from comic to tragic are too abrupt, and certain characters lack in-depth elaboration. However, keeping in mind that it’s a complicated and challenging task to adapt a musical for screen, Trevor Nunn did a fairly good job. References Oklahoma. Dir. Trevor Nunn. Image Entertainment, 1999.

The effect of performance management systems on employee engagement

Introduction Background Prior research has established the positive effects of employee engagement in the workplace, not only for the organisation in its entirety but also for the wellbeing and productivity of individual employees (Kahn, 1990). It is therefore of paramount importance that research correctly identifies the factors which give rise to increased employee engagement and investment in their job. Rich, Lepine and Crawford (2010) found in a study of 245 fire fighters that engagement, conceptualised as the investment of one’s complete self into a job role (the degree to which a job role is integrated into a personal construct) was a significant mediator in the relationship between value congruence, perceived organisational support, core self-evaluations and the dependent variable: job performance dimensions. Aside from the obvious benefits, including increased productivity and employee initiative, this also suggests that there are psychological perks for employees with higher rates of engagem ent. Increased self-efficacy, job satisfaction, self-esteem and morale have been found to be direct consequences of higher rates of employee engagement (Bakker and Schaufeli, 2008; Harter, Schmidt and Hayes, 2002). Employee wellbeing in the workplace is known to correlate with positive business outcomes (Harter, Schmidt and Keyes, 2003). Overall, engaged employees are more likely to view their job as meaningful, their management and leadership as above average, have better perceptions of their own ability to perform their duties and are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, leading to a greater work ethic and better performance (May, Gilson and Harter, 2004). The research question The research problem we are facing is to determine the antecedents of employee engagement in the workplace. The questions that will be used to investigate this will query the relationship between management policy and employee engagement. The objective of this study will be to determine whether performance management strategies used by companies affects in any capacity the tendency of employees to fully engage themselves in the workplace. The experimental hypothesis will be that increased use of performance management strategies in the workplace increases rates of employee engagement. Performance management is the independent variable and employee engagement will be the dependent variable. This will establish whether one significant facet of management policy affects employee engagement; an important factor in predicting effectiveness in the workplace. However there are other factors which could potentially influence the dependent variable (employee engagement) which are beyond the scope of this study. There may be many aspects of the individual and their chosen career which affect how engaged they are regardless of management policy. In addition, Saks (2006) found that multiple facets of how an organisation handles employees’ work ethic determines how engaged they are in the workplace, including how much training is provided and perceived effectiveness of procedural justice at work. Isolating performance management will be one step in building a framework to more fully predict employee engagement. If the anticipated effects are discovered, this would be valuable information for businesses wishing to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction using the medium of employee engagement. By establishing the antecedents of employee engagement it will be possible to fill in another gap in the overall model presented by research to predict positive business outcomes. It has been vehemently established that employee engagement can indirectly affect this outcome, but the influences resulting in greater engagement have received relatively little attention. Performance management in particular was chosen since it encapsulates something that is under the direct control of businesses, and will therefore potentially offer an immediate and practical means for businesses to affect employee engagement. Literature review This section will incorporate definitions of the variables involved and the theoretical context of employee engagement and its antecedents. It will also cover some of the research into other factors besides the independent variable for this study which could reasonably affect the independent variable. Employee engagement The definition of employee engagement is surprisingly ambiguous in the literature, which led Macey and Schneider (2008) to gather and categorise the various definitions found in research. They found that authors generally referred to engagement in one of three broad domains; psychological state engagement, behavioural engagement and trait engagement. The effect of management, leadership, company policy and any performance management strategies employed by the business are of course effective only at the behavioural and psychological state level; trait level engagement is innate and relatively constant in each individual, and arises from various psychometric variables. The conceptualisation we shall settle on for this study will therefore involve only the psychological state and behavioural levels, since the primary independent variables of interest involve factors the business can influence to increase employee engagement. Theoretical context for employee engagement Within a theoretical context, employee engagement fits well into the explanatory remit of self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985). This theory postulates that different forms of motivation exist; autonomous regulation refers to all volition which originates from genuine internal desires, as opposed to controlled regulation in which the source of the impetus to act is external. In terms of engagement at work, autonomous regulation is desirable, as it results in greater initiative and productivity at a task. According to Meyer and Gagne (2008), who explored the underlying psychological mechanisms of autonomous regulation in the workplace, the key lies in satisfying basic psychological needs for competency, autonomy and relatedness. Performance management systems are likely to be a part of building the work environment which successfully cultivates these feelings in employees; giving them a sense that their needs have been met. Although of course there is certainly more involved in determining the extent to which employees are personally involved in their work than need satisfaction. Intervening factors are likely to include employee personal circumstances and the current economic climate. Performance management For the purposes of this study, the definition of performance management shall be the degree to which intervention by the business occurs to ensure recognition of above average performance, and involvement with offering incentives for increased productivity and work ethic. All other variables listed above which have been identified as causal antecedents of engagement will be considered as confounding variables in this study, and will be controlled for as far as possible. According to Roberts (2001), performance management involves the setting of objectives, the use of appraisal systems, reward strategies, training and feedback. This is a definition that can be more easily operationalized as the components are clearly divided which will make development of measurement scales for each subset simpler. Therefore these are the components that shall be measured as the independent variable in this study to make up performance management. Theoretical context for performance management Performance management affects employee perceptions and attitudes, which subsequently affect performance (Hartog, Boselie and Paauwe, 2004). This fits in with the theoretical framework which places employee engagement as reflecting attitudes and the meaning ascribed to job roles. It is therefore logical to expect that higher levels of implementation of performance management strategies would be significantly related to employee engagement. Although this theoretical framework does not leave much room for the inclusion of the position individual employees ascribe to their jobs in their lives. It is relatively simplistic in terms of modelling the expected effects, and there are likely to be confounding variables. Intervening variables Research has uncovered some general factors which contribute in various magnitudes to the level of employee engagement. Job characteristics (van der Broeck, Vansteenkiste, de Witte and Lens, 2008) perceived organisational support (including leadership), procedural justice, learning and training opportunities and performance management strategies (including rewards and recognition management) are all important in predicting the level of engagement an employee is likely to exhibit (Saks, 2006). This study will address one aspect of the bigger research question then; the explanatory power of performance management over employee engagement will be established. The issue will require further research to account for other possible influences on engagement, and potential interaction effects between independent variables. The originality of this study then lies in the examination of a relatively newly recognised concept (employee engagement) and shedding light on the specific relationship it has with performance management strategies, independent of other influences. Methodology This section will describe the proposed method of examining the experimental hypothesis, including how data will be gathered, what will be measured, and how the data will be analysed. Design and procedure Since the sample is limited to one business many confounding variables such as differing job demands and organisational structure can be eliminated. The samples will be taken from historical data, from employees working within a business with relatively low levels of performance management compared to similar organisations. The business under study will have to be one which has at some point implemented a new, more involved performance management strategy; this is how the independent variable will be manipulated. Both levels of employee engagement and performance management will be measured before the implementation of the new performance management strategy to serve as the control data. After the new strategy has been imposed and levels of performance management have increased in the business, the independent and dependent variable will be measured again, and this data will serve as the experimental condition. To establish the persistence over time of any significant differences in the dependent variable found to result from the change in performance management strategy, three samples will be taken at six month intervals after the implementation of the new strategy. If there is any initial difference in employee engagement between the samples immediately before and after the new strategy comes into for ce, the subsequent samples taken after the strategy has been present for some time will tell us about the long term effects of increasing performance management, otherwise the possibility remains that any effects are merely short term and fade when employees become accustomed to the new system. This will therefore be a repeated measures design. The rates of employee engagement will be compared between temporally differing samples, which will determine if changing levels of performance management alone were sufficient to affect a change in engagement, and how any effects persist, weaken, or strengthen with time. Participants Data will be gathered from secondary sources extant in the literature. The ratings of employee engagement and performance management strategies will be gathered from employees and managers working within the same business. Model specification The model we have to test (based on prior research in the area) places employee engagement as dependent in part on performance management. An a priori power analysis will be conducted on previous studies examining employee engagement to determine the expected effect size. Operationalisation of variables Performance management will be defined as the number of rewards and punishments handed out by senior management, the amount of time employees spend in training, and how often employees are appraised. Employee engagement will be measured with subjective rating scales and peer ratings. Analysis Statistical analysis of this data would include one-way analysis of variance. First performance management would be measured in each group to ensure that in reality there was a change due to the implementation of the new strategy. Then the degree of variability in engagement can be examined between conditions. The relative impact of increasing performance management can be examined in the short and long term, which could help in our theoretical understanding of the psychological underpinnings of any effects observed; if the effects change over time, this will provide clues for future research to investigate, and give use evidence to speculate further on why the change took place. This method of statistical analysis will allow for simple comparisons between control and experimental groups, and for different levels of the experimental condition, in this case the amount of time elapsed after the implementation of the new strategy. Limitations Since the data will all be gathered from the same business, many confounding variables will remain constant between groups, however this means the findings may be less applicable to other business contexts. There is also the fact that a substantial time will have passed between conditions, meaning there may have been other changes other than the independent variable under study, which could confound the results. All other pertinent factors will be investigated and accounted for in the final report to ensure they remain as consistent as possible. It is also essential to recognise the fact that different individuals harbouring different internal traits and psychological dispositions will be motivated to engage in their workplace by different factors which are meaningful to them personally. This is especially true between individuals with radically differing job characteristics and duties since they are likely to have different expectations of their job, and view their relationship to their job role differently. However the influences on engagement cited here have been shown to be generally applicable despite differing job roles. Psychological factors of unique individuals may also play a role in shaping how well specific employees fit into their job role. May, Gilson and Harter (2004) found that perceived meaningfulness of job role, perceived safety at work (including co-worker relations and perceived job security) and availability of psychological resources relevant to job demands are all positively correlated with employee engagement. Such factors may be positively influenced directly by effective performance management but are otherwise outside the scope of this study. The fact that different employees are likely to have been used between conditions (due to the time elapsed) could also pose a problem due to their potential to have very different opinions, experiences and traits relevant to their work life which could influence employee engagement. Limitations include the fact that not all influences on the outcome variable have possibly been considered in the analysis, although there are good theoretical grounds for including the variables that are present. There is likely a myriad of intervening factors affecting how much employees engage at work, but focusing on ones that are immediately under the control of the business administrators and relatively logistically sound to implement makes the most sense as a starting point for this line of research. References Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008) Positive organizational behavior: Engaged employees in flourishing organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(2), 147-154 Den Hartog, D. N., Boselie, P. and Paauwe, J. (2004) Performance management: a model and research agenda. Applied psychology, 53(4), 556-569 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Hayes, T. L. (2002) Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis. Journal of applied psychology, 87(2), 268 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Keyes, C. L. (2003) Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived, 2, 205-224 Kahn, W. A. (1990) Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of management journal, 33(4), 692-724 Macey, W. H. and Schneider, B. (2008) The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 1, 3-30 May, D. R., Gilson, R. L. and Harter, L. M. (2004) The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(1), 11-37 Meyer, J. P. and Gagne, M. (2008) Employee engagement from a self-determination theory perspective. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 60-62 Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A. and Crawford, E. R. (2010) Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academic Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635 Roberts, I. (2001) Reward and performance management. Human resource management: A contemporary approach, 3, 506-558 Saks, A. M. (2006) Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement.Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619 Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H. and Lens, W. (2008) Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work & Stress,22(3), 277-294

Copying and Simulation

Copying and simulation are two very different, yet very similar things people often misinterpret. In the process of copying, an identical clone of the original work is produced. On the other hand, the process of simulation can be defined as creating a different material with similar characteristics and a much similar output. Copying is an easy, fool proof way to create an efficient and correctly functioning piece of work, while as simulation is more complicated.Simulation, on the other hand, is much more complicated. In simulation, a much modified version of the object, one that fulfills the purpose of the initial object is created. Examples of copying are all around us. A simple example is the duplication of the DNA in a cell during the basic cellular process of mitosis. Another example is photocopying your friend's notes for an upcoming test or assignment. Another example is mass production of identical materials in a factory.Examples of simulation are more common than copying. The most basic example of simulation is the human race, where there are people possessing emotional and physical trait that are very different, yet al are able to accomplish the same tasks. All humans eat, sleep, drink and socialize, but not all them do so in the same way. Humans were also created for the same purpose, therefore meeting the criteria of simulation. Another example of simulation is various types of phones.While they all work to accomplish the same tasks, they contain different processors, and come in various shapes and sized. Copying and simulation are two valuable processes with many similarities and differences. While copying must produce an identical version of the object, simulation creates something that must only be similar in purpose and result. Copying and similar are extremely different, yet extremely similar. By Miriam-H. Raga

How consumers are protected in contracts for the sale Essay

Goods are any form of products that are supplied to consumers for their convenience. They are generally modelled as having diminishing marginal utility. Ultimately, whether an object is a good or a bad depends on each individual consumer and therefore, it is important to realize that not all goods are good all the time and not all goods are goods to all people. Sourced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_(economics) Role of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: The Sales of Goods Act 1979 gives consumers the opportunity of returning or exchanging products which do not fit the description for example, if a consumer has joined a new contract with the O2 and have been told that with the new contract they get a contract phone in black, however on the day when the phone arrives its white then the consumer can take their problem straight back to O2 and they would have to change the product straight away as it doesn’t look like what it is said to. Also if the contract clearly states that it will be a particular phone and turns out to be a different make then O2 would have to make sure the exchange the products and supply the customer with the one they have stated. Express Terms of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: An express term of a contract is a declaration which is made by two or more organisations; and has agreed upon what is stated in the contract, the contracts can be made through verbal methods or by word of mouth. Once the contract has been agreed upon both the organisations have to make sure the follow the deal. Conditions: A condition is a term which has to be followed within the agreement, For example, if O2 are selling their phone contract to customers, whereas supply customers with a different phone contract then it shows that  O2 did there bit of providing the customer with a mobile phone contract however didn’t provide them with the right one. A breach of contract will entitle O2 to follow the correct law of the contract and provide the consumer with the right one. Warranties: A warranty is a term that does not fully follow all agreements, so For example, carrying on from the O2 phone contract issue , when the customers buys the phone contract and is assured by the company that they will receive a special tariff with the contract. Therefore, when the phone contract arrives on the day there is no extra tariff, when the party doesn’t stick to its word then this is seen as a warranty. The customer is able to sue the supplier however it doesn’t mean that the agreement will end. Implied terms of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: There are sequence of conditions which are automatically prepared in every contract by the sales of goods act; and they would be dealing with the following which include: title, description, fitness for purpose and satisfactory quality. I have stated these factors below and explained what each and every one of them means: Title: this is when there is an implied condition which allows the sellers to have the right to sell the goods for example, O2 impliedly confirms that the phone contract it sells actually belong to it and also that it can legally pass on the ownership to another telecommunications company, however if O2 are not able to pass on the title to the buyers then it will mean that O2 will be liable for breach for the contract. Description: the contract must fully explain how the product has been described, when there is a contract for the sales of goods by description then there will be an implied condition that the goods will correspond with that description. However the slightest removal from the description will then enable the buyer into rejecting the goods for breach of condition of the contract made. Fitness for purpose: A fitness for purpose is where a seller who in this case  is O2 plans to sell its goods in the good courses of their business, for example if O2 was to sell their contract to the consumers for the business to be better and make more sales. There is an implied condition for this was they are fit for the particular purpose, this means that the buyer (consumer) has expressly or impliedly known to the seller. Satisfactory quality: The satisfactory quality is where the sellers sell goods for the good of their business; there is an implied term that the goods that is supplied are of the right satisfactory quality. However except to the extent of defects which are brought straight to the buyer’s attention, this will be done before the contract is made meaning that T-Mobile will need to sell satisfactory quality to their consumers. Conclusion: Overall in the briefing sheet I have made sure that all evidence is provided, also that a clear explanation is made of how a contract protects the consumer and what happens if that contract is breached. Mainly information is suggested on the different conditions made by the sales of goods act such as title, description, fitness for purpose and also satisfactory quality. Factors that invalidate contracts: There are many factors that can make a contract invalidated, which means that the contracts cannot be used anymore, such as the following: Misrepresentation: Misrepresentation is where there is a false statement in the contract which is made by one of the parties to the other before the contract is agreed on. There is no general duty to disclose facts, and silence will not normally amount to a misrepresentation. But gestures, smiles or a course of conduct may amount to a representation. Duress: Duress is where a party enters into a contract against their will for example, if O2 is forced into a contract by either violence or treat of violence to themselves or to their family then it means that the contract that is being made may become invalid. In this case the affected party can avoid the contract on the ground of duress; this is because all parties who are entering a contract must enter freely. Mistake: In general terms a mistake  is when a contract is being made however one of the party members may have made a mistake in knowing what they are agreeing to or a contract can be made which turns out to be wrong, this i s down to a mistake occurring, sometimes when there is a mistake in a contract it can make it invalidated.

Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Letter - Essay Example The topic being discussed should resonate with the reader in such a way as to provoke a reaction, a response or an action. I will be the first to admit that I struggle when writing, such as putting the words into the introduction. It is what they call as a â€Å"writer’s block† in which I have ideas but cannot put them down into writing. This is the same case with my conclusion portion of a paper, how to summarize everything that is to be consistent with the material that went before reaching the last part of any paper. In this regard, I have learned how to use persuasion as one of the writing styles with which to convince a reader of my viewpoint. To do that successfully, I need to use all the three factors of argumentation which are pathos (emotions), logos (knowledge) and ethos (credibility). To do so successfully, I believe I need to improve my English skills so I can put my thoughts into the exact words to what I mean. Because of my limited English skills, I understand I can have a harder time than my classmates when trying to make a point in my paper. However, I believe this problem can be solved if I try hard enough. I also realized a bit late that my tone can sometimes be too neutral when I should have been taking a stand on a certain issue or a topic being discussed. It seems I am afraid to commit my opinion to one side and I think this makes my paper a bit tame and therefore also less convincing. In my attempts to express my ideas, I tend to put so many things together in one sentence which can cloud the whole argument I am making or dilutes the essence of my ideas. The reader can get confused which I understand is not the intention of any writing and so some arguments are not discussed so very thoroughly in a way that convinces people to my side. I am probably good in incorporating some notable quotations in my papers but doing so is not effective at times because I end up not showing my tone

Business (Decision Making) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business (Decision Making) - Essay Example This implies that the sum of all the cells will be equal to the sum of subjects. Another assumption is that chi square is applied to a large sample of data. Usage of small sample is expected to mislead the user to come up with wrong results. Every observation of chi square is expected to have the same distribution. The assumption regarding cell sizes is that in a 2 by 2 table there should be five or more cells. The observations must be properly grouped. The different categories should be based on the nature of the distribution. The hypotheses between the relationships of two values are studied by using chi square. Since the distribution is already planned by the hypothesis, the distributions that are to be made in the cell can be expressed even without doing any calculation. Chi square test is actually used to compare different data which are considered useful for various purposes. The comparison is made between the data that are already available with the one that will be gathered on the basis of the hypothesis. Chi square tests whether a collected sample of data belong to a population with specific distribution. Degrees of freedom or 'df' is one of the most important parameters of Chi square distribution. Chi square distribution tends to approach a normal distribution with an increase in the degrees of freedom. "As the df increase, the chi square distribution approaches a normal distribution." (Hyperstat online contents). There are three possible tests in chi square. They are test for independence, goodness of fit and test for homogeneity. In the first case, that is the test for independence, it is examined whether the value of a particular variable can be assessed with the help of any other variable. Under goodness of fit analysis the efficiency of a statistical expression to fit to a given situation or observation is examined. In the third case, that is the test for homogeneity, it is examined as to whether there are similar observations for common population in a given data. Though the formula in both the cases is the same, the values are differently interpreted for arriving at a conclusion in a given scenario. F-ratio is another statistical tool used in the interpretation of data. F-ratio is mainly used to test variances. This tests whether the variances are equal for the given independent variables. "The F-ratio is used to determine whether the variances in two independent samples are equal." (Applied statistics handbook, 2007). Therefore, f-ratio calculates the existence of any difference between the variables. It does not analyze the difference to know the reasons. That is in order to know the reason for the existence of difference certain other methods are to be applied. In the given situation the company W sells its new software products through the sales force they assigned for different regions. Usually the demand for different regions varies due to different factors. But without considering this variation the sales persons are expected to achieve same sales target. In the present situation the sales that have been achieved by the sales persons must be compared with those of the exp ected sales figures. Thus, the company will be able to make a clear forecast of the sales that it can possibly achieve and the sales persons can be given that as their target. When the employees are aware of the expected

Same sex marriage issue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Same sex marriage issue - Assignment Example In tandem with this, the article asserts that DOMA violates not only basic due process, but also equal protection principles that are applicable to the Federal Government by injuring the class New York aims to protect. According to Kennedy, the failure of the Executive to defend  §3 in court while denying refunds and at the same time assessing deficiencies resulted in a complication. In connection with this, the article claims that the government of the United States established a controversy that was sufficient for Article III jurisdiction by refusing to pay the refund to Windsor. However, the ruling by the amicus showed that it was the right of Windsor to ask for the refund of the tax she had paid because same-sex marriage should be given recognition as well as validated by law (United States v. Windsor, Executor of the State of Spyer, et al., 2013). United States v. Windsor, Executor of the State of Spyer, et al. (2013). Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved from

Recommendation on Hiring an External Advertising Agency Research Proposal

Recommendation on Hiring an External Advertising Agency - Research Proposal Example The recommendation is to hire an external advertising agency to mitigate the risk associated with a failed advertising. The company is on a limited budget because it is still a start-up company. XYZ Company can remedy this shortcoming by resorting to a Limited-Service Advertising agency whereby some of the advertising function such as planning and strategic functions may require XYZ Company’s greater involvement. Unlike in a full-service advertising service where the company only need to state its objective, Limited Advertising Agency would require greater involvement (http://adworld2020.blogspot.com/). XYZ would assume a greater responsibility for the strategic function of the campaign which is advantageous to the company because it can include inputs which are a very valuable aspect of the campaign since the company knows best its market. In effect, XYZ Company will have the best of both worlds in this approach because its inputs will be guided by a professional that would h elp determine if the formulated strategy will work or not. Thus, a $15,000 advertising budget for a limited service advertising would suffice. Limited-Service Advertising agency is more appropriate for XYZ Company for a variety of reason. Limited-Service Advertising agency is an advertising agency that supplies only one or two basic services such as creative advertising but will also provide strategic planning service (http://adworld2020.blogspot.com/). Hiring a Limited-Service Advertising agency is more appropriate for XYZ Company to mitigate the risk in advertising. Hiring a Limited-Service Advertising agency will avoid an advertising failure due to lack of expertise. The company cannot afford this mistake because it is still a start-up and therefore, it would be best for the company if it will hire professional ad agencies which have records of the high degree of success in raising consumer awareness.

Interest Groups GP210 Wk 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interest Groups GP210 Wk 5 - Research Paper Example er example can be seen in China which is working towards approving non-animal tested cosmetics in the country following an initiative led by PETA (Gallon, 2012). In order to influence policy and public agenda, PETA conducts activities like holding campaigns and working towards changing the law concerning ‘required’ animal testing. It is also involved in creating public awareness about animal abuse in the entertainment, research, fashion and food industries. Several celebrities like Paul McCartney and Russell Simmons support PETA and this is a major strength as common people look up to them as idols. Their strengths include being creative and highly visible. Their major weakness is their crude and uncaring manner of communicating their purpose. For example, PETA came up with a billboard before Easter 2004 that pictures a pig with the caption ‘He died for your sins – go vegetarian’ (Strom, 2004). This brought about a huge uproar from the Christian community.

Respond to the discussion about Aristotle (for online Essay

Respond to the discussion about Aristotle (for online class-introduction to Ethics) - Essay Example There is nothing we can call as â€Å"ultimate† goal. 2. I disagree with you when you visualize Aristotle’s opinion as belonging to a different time frame i.e. Greek. I think what he is talking about is one of the most fundamental realities of life that never change with time. However, I completely agree with you when you refer to the â€Å"proper function† as â€Å"a higher fulfillment of life†. There is no such think as â€Å"perfect† in this world. But we tend to achieve the maximum in the effort of achieving the perfection. Everything has a room for improvement, and therefore, â€Å"proper function† should always be visualized as something â€Å"higher†. 3. You have made a good attempt to interpret Aristotle’s meaning of â€Å"proper function†, though I have slight reservations in accepting particularly when you say that â€Å"everything that we as human beings aim at is good†. That is not always the case. What about the robbers and serial killers who aim at killing people for their personal benefits? When we generalize certain facts for all members of the society, we need to be watchful of all members who positively â€Å"and† negatively affect the society. 4.

Assess critically the English international private law governing the Essay

Assess critically the English international private law governing the traditional, personal law, concept of domicile - Essay Example And the United Kingdom citizens are not spared from this fact. In this essay, it is necessary to establish that law in this context is global in nature of which territories or jurisdictions are involved, thereby not limited within the United Kingdom. Although UK private law secures individuals and families, international private law involves any individual citizen of any state or country and other country laws and jurisdiction as well as the individual's country of citizenship or origin. The United Kingdom Parliament (2004) acknowledges that "Sometimes new laws are needed to ensure that the UK complies with International or European Law. The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are recent examples of this." Edwards (2006) pointed out that while "statements cross national boundaries, inevitably problems of international private law are invoked, with difficult questions raised such as what country (or countries) will have jurisdiction to hear any action for damages raised, what country's law should govern the action (the choice of law question) and if a decree is obtained, how can it be enforced if the defender lives out with the jurisdiction of the court" In this case, it has been proposed that "action must be raised in the courts of the domicile of the defender (but) it should also be noted that forum non conveniens is still a possible plea in actions involving intra-UK jurisdiction only, although not actions between parties from different states party to the Brussels Convention" (Edwards, 2006) The concept of domicile have always been associated with UK tax, and with the integration of European Union as well as the increasing diversity of United Kingdom population, domicile is becoming more interesting to many individuals (Waldon, 2006). Nevertheless, it is not limited to tax but also marriage and legitimacy while every individual have one single domicile at one time. The various categories of domicile include origin, dependency, choice, and deemed domicile. The domicile of origin is hereditary such as the case of a legitimate child. In the United Kingdom, domicile of origin is based on the domicile status of the child's father during its birth, but in some instances, it is based on the domicile status of the mother. The domicile of origin is most often described as "adhesive" of which a status prevails until an alternative domicile has been acquired. It has two alternative categories: the domicile of dependency and domicile of choice. The domicile of dependency primarily related to children under the age of sixteen based upon the domicile status of the father at the date of birth. In cases where the domicile status of the father changes while the child is still dependent or under the age 16, the child's domicile status follows that of the father's. Upon reaching the age of 16, the domicile of dependency will be replaced by a domicile of choice in the same jurisdiction. This also applies to women married before January 1 1974 as these women acquired a domicile of dependency based upon the status of their husbands. Domicile of choice alters the domicile of origin in an alternative jurisdiction. This may happen when an individual is able to illustrate actual physical

The Stereotype of Intolerance Essay Example for Free

The Stereotype of Intolerance Essay I have many international friends in my area, with whom I have shared good times and bad.   I have slept in their homes, and even been considered by their parents a genuine part of their families.   Yet I disliked the fact that Indian families may often act only the basis of emotions.   I blamed their emotionally charged natures on the Indian soap operas they watched day after day.   I disliked those Indian shows even though I had watched only two of them in my entire life.    Still, I knew that it was best not to feel negative emotions in myself.   I had to stop being stereotypically intolerant, after all, and love my friends as I loved my own family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Indian dramas that my friends’ families loved to watch daily were just slow motion pictures in my opinion.   Each moment of each drama focused on lethargic and unreal adventures in emotions.   Nothing went very far.   Crying; getting offensive about everything under the bright blue sky; and blaming one another were the themes of the shows.   I disliked them with all my heart.   And, whenever it was time for my friends’ families to watch those Indian shows, I found myself leaving their homes.   I was even uncomfortable leaving in those moments, given that my own negative emotions were obnoxious enough to seem to strangle me because I did not understand them at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to understand my emotions, in the face of the fact that I loved my Indian â€Å"families,† I made an effort to watch â€Å"Kyunke Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thee† (2006) with my friends another time.   While watching the show this time, I was observant of my own reactions and feelings.   At the same time, I observed the others in the TV lounge watching the show with me.   Two of Vijay’s aunts sobbed during the show.   To my surprise, Vijay, his mom, and his dad also started to laugh during the show soon after I had witnessed the sobbing aunts.   I relaxed there and then, and from that point on, the show was a breeze.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though â€Å"Kyunke Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thee† lasts only thirty minutes each time, five days a week, I disliked it the first two times I watched it.   I believed that it was the TV drama that had taught my Indian friends to overreact to certain emotional issues in the past.   I also believed that the emotional drama was a bad influence on me. Obviously, I was being oversensitive at the same time as I blamed the drama for teaching oversensitivity to its viewers.   Besides, I was not thinking that it is the individual himself with the prerogative to allow conditioning of any sort.   Nobody can force us to be influenced by anything.   Thus, being stereotypically intolerant is nobody’s problem except our own.   The good news is that it is possible for us to get rid of our stereotypes by analyzing them like I did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now I have stopped detesting the Indian shows that I previously could not digest.   I can stay in my friends’ homes as long as I please.   Apart from this, I have understood that my Indian â€Å"families† have a right to feel and believe whatever they do.   Choosing emotions over the intellect many a times is their choice and responsibility.   And if I love them, I must do so regardless of the different perspectives we have about dealing with ourselves and others. While I imagine that I am granting my Indian friends this â€Å"space to breathe,† in actuality this space is mine to occupy.   I give up my stereotypical intolerance today – and for ever – but only after realizing that I had adopted this stereotype subconsciously, or perhaps just by observing it in society.   After analyzing this stereotype, I feel like a different, freer person altogether.   For sure, it was difficult to breathe in negativity. References â€Å"Kyunke Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thee.† Star Plus (30 December 2006). TV Series.