Public Law assignment Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Law assignment - Scholarship Essay Example % PIECE YOU HAVE EVALUATED: Mark TITLE Gordon Brown's Commons statement on reform of the constitution. AUTHOR Gordon Brown REFERENCE (citation) Carroll, a, Constitutional and Administrative Law (4b ed),London Pearson, Longman.2007 APPLICATION OF THE COCOA MODEL Coverage: The speech addresses the issue of the powers exercised by the Prime Minister and the Executive in the name of the monarchy without the people and their elected representatives being consulted. Objectivity: The piece represents one point of view that Prime minister and executive retain more powers and constitutional change is needed. Currency: The speech was made in 2007 after the Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office in 27 June 2007. Organization: The speech took place in the House of Commons. Authorship: The Author is the Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party. POSITION OF THE AUTHOR The position of the Author as a Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party explains why he claims for new British constitutional settlement that entrusts more power to Parliament and the British people. CLAIMS made by the author and EVIDENCE provided (adjust numbering and space for this section as needed according to your chosen piece) Claim 1: The executive retain more power over the parliament Evidence: The government has the power to request the dissolution of Parliament and the power to restrict Parliamentary oversight of the intelligence services Comment: These powers exercised by the executive are great evidence on its over-mighty authority. Gordon Brown proposed that the House of Commons would have to approve a resolution for any dissolution of Parliament requested by the Prime Minister. Claim 2: The executive controls over the judiciary... 2. a brief summary of how the COCOA model works in relation to the piece (COVERAGE, OBJECTIVITY, CURRENCY, ORGANISATION and AUTHORSHIP) - see InfoSkills section 3 for more information on the COCOA model. (15 marks) This task contributes 5 per cent of your overall assessment for Legal Technique and Reasoning and there is therefore no individual pass-mark for this element (the overall passmark for LTR is 40 per cent). Coverage: The speech addresses the issue of the powers exercised by the Prime Minister and the Executive in the name of the monarchy without the people and their elected representatives being consulted. The position of the Author as a Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party explains why he claims for new British constitutional settlement that entrusts more power to Parliament and the British people. These powers exercised by the executive are great evidence on its over-mighty authority. Gordon Brown proposed that the House of Commons would have to approve a resolution for any dissolution of Parliament requested by the Prime Minister. Comment: Regarding this Gordon Brown proposed to start the debate and consult on empowering citizens and communities. Moreover to reinforce the neutrality of the civil service, the core principles governing it should be legislated by Parliament. That's why Brown assures that The Church of England is, and should remain, the established church in England.

Evaluating Eligibility Rules Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Eligibility Rules Essay In determining which eligibility rules can be associated with the Lakeland Police Department, it the objectives of such institution must be looked into before going through the details in which such rules apply. The institution provides public and security measures to the community it holds. They promote the welfare of the people around them under the parameters mandated by the law in the creation of such institution. With this, the eligibility rules that the agency uses revolves around the (1) eligibility by administrative rule and regulation, (2) eligibility by administrative discretion and (3) eligibility by judicial decision. To understand whether the eligibility rules advocated by the agency promotes a stigmatization, trade-offs or off-target benefits, each rule must be looked into in accordance to the application of such within the Lakeland Police Department. The eligibility by administrative rule and regulations creates â€Å"an advantage to client beneficiaries because it gives social workers and other human service staff members a means by which to administer the benefit or service program evenhandedly and reliably, so that people similarly situated are given similar benefits. (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 112) This rule can be seen to create trade-offs within the system of Lakeland Police Department. Trade-offs is evident because of the situational circumstances in which this rule can be applied to citizens within the district. There are implications of such applications in the way the police department addresses the people. â€Å"On the other hand, administrative rules restrict the freedom of staff members to use their discretion that is to judge need for the benefit or service in individual circumstances. (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 112) The next thing is the eligibility by administrative discretion. This discretion sees to it that all particular concerns within a system need to be addressed by the agency. â€Å"All general organizational policies and administrative rules must be interpreted and applied to individual situations, so it is important to understand that such interpretation and applications necessarily involve significant personal judgment on the part of the staff member. † (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 14) With this, it can be seen that there is a stigmatization of benefits among members of the community handled by the Lakeland Police Department. Their capability to address situations of its citizens particularly concerning their welfare in accordance to the law and mandates of the city can clearly be seen. This creates benefits among locals on the assurance that their welfare is protected by the agency. Lastly, is the eligibility of judicial decision. This rule can also be seen as applicable to the Lakeland Police Department. After a program has been in operation for a period of time, it is very likely that a contention will arise about whether the enabling legislation or whether an administrative rule or discretionary judgment was faithful to the spirit and intention of the law under which the program or policy was established. † (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 115) It can be seen that this categorization creates an important part of the Lakeland Police Academy. This creates a stigmatization of benefits among local citizenry. It may be true that the agency can exercise administrative discretion, however issues may arise between the proper execution and application of such initiative among members of the community. This rule seeks to create a check-and-balance among the members of the police force. It is true that the objectives are in-line with the rules and mandates of the law, however, the actual practice remains to be on the part of local enforcers and policeman. This creates a subjective interpretation of actions by enforcers that more often than not leads to judicial contention. Appeals to the judiciary for clarification of the law are routine and in the end they can become as important as the legislation or administrative rules themselves. † (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 115) To determine whether there are weak rules in the system of Lakeland Police Department, the three eligibility rules again must be looked into. On the eligibility by administrative rule and regulation, there exists a problematic issue on how to effectively distinguish what are the different parameters for such actions. The agency may have difficulty in promoting the necessary measures present if such issue persists. â€Å"Therefore, it is important to know whether a certain entitlement rule originates with judicial decisions, administrative rule, or individual staff discretion, for on that fact depends the probability of change – staff decisions certainly are changed more easily than are formal rules and statutes. † (Chambers and Wedal, 2005, p. 112) On the other hand, the two other eligibility rules are described to be minimal in problems. This is due to their ability to sink within the system and serve as both a check-and-balance among local authorities under the Lakewood Police Department and an initiative to further create changes that the department needs to address the changing needs of the future. Eligibility rules are characterized to create a foundation for actions by people. In the case of Lakewood Police Department, it seeks to cater the needs of the locals in promoting security and their welfare. In the issue of such eligibility rules being fair, it can be argued that they are indeed fair overall since it is based from the mandate of laws and legislation. The only issue here is the actual application of such rules by people who supposed to be fit for the description. Sometimes, there is a subjective interpretation of how such rules can be applied. This creates the sense of disparity of opinions and practices to both local and enforcers of such rules. On the other hand, tackling the issue of sufficiency, yes, it can be argued that the rules applied during that time are sufficient to address the current need of the locals. However, it may not be the case in the future as new issues and challenges arise within the new system. That is why, changes in the system and rules are needed to further pursue the interests of people. For one, rules are and regulations are meant for the people to ensure their security and welfare within the community.

Royal Caribbean And International Travel Tourism Essay

Royal Caribbean And International Travel Tourism Essay The travel industry provides many positive aspects into leisure vacationing. It offers the ability to enhance ones self knowledge. A more cultural diverse knowledge will also broaden business choices. International travel has impacted businesses worldwide. Executives and employees increase their knowledge with different cultures, legalities and politics. This gained knowledge improves the corporations structure with financial, marketing, sales, management practices in addition to personal fulfillment. The cruise industry fits perfectly into this way of enhancement. Leisure travel and cruising has impacted many different economies, such as the United States and abroad. They do so by integrating and expanding regional markets, sales, supply, and demand across the globe. Purpose of Study This papers purpose is to explain the benefits of travel and the cruise industry in a corporate infrastructure. Royal Caribbean, the cruise industry and other travel methods will show how and why corporate executives choose to incorporate leisure into business. Some limitations of study would be the lack of knowledge and experience in managing an entire corporation in the United States or internationally. Also, the travel industry and cruise lines main focus is offering consumer vacations primarily to United States citizens. Only in the recent two decades have they embarked on becoming more globalized. Definition of Terms Terminology within this paper will be of common knowledge and common sense. Any unusual terms used will be explained in the section it resides. Review of Literature Organization of the cruise industry Annual cruise reviews from the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), announced the cruise industry will grow after prior years of economic slowdown. Despite the slumping economy, Royal Caribbean has continued to expand its fleets, introduce new port of calls (stops and ship destinations) and itineraries. In addition to American growth, international growth has also been reported. The United Kingdom is expected to double its passengers in 2010. The increase in passengers is attributed to Royal Caribbean, Holland America, MSC and Maritime Voyages (Griffiths, 2010, p. 10). Since the late 1980s the United States accounts for two-thirds of the global cruise market. Also, Europeans and Asians are quickly capturing shares in this growing industry. This is shown by Royal Caribbeans global expansion strategy by easing ships into Asia. Since 2009, Asian passengers increased to one million due to the rise of the middle class. Royal Caribbeans expansion strategy has left a footprint for other cruise lines to follow. Adam Goldstien, President of Royal Caribbean acknowledges his job is to lead a brand that delivers the Wow! (Kolesnikov-Jessup, 2008, p. 12). Strategy and organizational architecture Strategic planning often involves working with the National Tourism Organization (NTO). Although it has been argued that the NTOs of different countries describe strategic planning as an overall government strategy its mission is to research, develop and promote tourism on an economic level. NTOs help organizations in several aspects such as improving organizational levels, management, and performance to provide the needs of the organization, the industry and itself (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). Different models of plan of action are used depending on the industry, economic environment and organizational needs. Royal Caribbean uses the most common type, known as the normative model. This strategy requires a proactive view in establishing and achieving goals, such as to observe environments and economic conditions, assess internal capabilities, and research and development (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). This proactive view consists of restructuring the organization. There are several factors that affect the organizations operations. These factors include, control systems, incentives, organizational culture, processes, and people. This is referred to as organizational architecture of a company. These five factors are divided into subunits often called product divisions, national operations and functions. These divisions provide the ability to improve on executive decision-making, integration of teams domestically and internationally, and the coordination of processes and activities. Processes are the method of how decisions are agreed upon and approved (Hill, 2009, p. 451). Internal capability Royal Caribbeans level of competency is a major determinant on whether the NTOs normative model will be successful. Some factors of competency are whether management understands the commitment to the past, present and future development of the organization. Other factors are time management, the ability to deal with disruptive crises, manage disruptions and the desire to focus on what is important to the organization (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). Royal Caribbean and the NTOs main focus are to become more globalized. Decisions on how to perform and achieve the ultimate goal is important. Most of the critical issues are centralized to hierarchy executives at the main headquarters in Miami, Florida. For example, strategic and financial decisions are primarily the responsibility of the President and board of directors. These major company changes and objectives need to be kept consistent, avoid cultural problems, and poorly repeated activities (Hill, 2009, pp. 451-452). International local offices have more of decentralized decision-making capabilities. Local offices in Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Australia and Singapore have better flexibility, control and professional freedom. For example, if there are employee, entertainment, ship safety and maintenance issues with ships in the Australia region, that local office has the ability to make quicker decisions in resolving problems (Hill, 2009, p. 453). Globalization of the cruise industry Globalization is important for most organizations to expand through the ever-changing world of technology. Over twenty years ago cruise ships were exclusively available to travelers of the United States. Royal Caribbean, the second largest cruise line behind Carnival Cruise foresaw globalization as a way to help lead the industry into the millennium (Griffiths, 2010). Significant changes and benefits have spanned over-seas. New emerging market industries have appeared in some European countries such as Germany and Italy. Royal Caribbean and other large cruise lines have invested time and money into these countries to utilize their prime locations and joint ventures for ship building. While Royal Caribbean expands their fleets, they are also helping to improve economies. Improvements can be seen in providing employment and wages to drawing attention to the European nations through tourism (WTTC, IFTO, IHRA, ICCL, 2002, p. 45). According to MaryAnne Howland of Black Enterprises, globalization encompasses mixing business with leisure. Whether your single or have a family, business trips do not require suffering through boring hotel stays and horrible food. With the ease of internet access, making reservations for the next business trip can also be you and your familys next mini-vacation (2004, p. 125). In addition to having quality time to yourself and saving costs to the company or client, business trips can now involve family, education and the chance to broaden your cultural diversity. Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines offer exactly this-with ports all over the world, amenities and activities for all age groups. While the family is enjoying themselves, conferences and meetings can be conducted with minimal interruptions with a more refreshed attitude. Globalization also provides more opportunities in obtaining new contracts, prospects, and clients enabling positive memorable first impressions with personal meetings (Mancini, 2004, p. 15). Although obtaining flights and hotels all over the world are the primary choice of conducting business and gathering new prospects and clients, cruising has offered a different option. For most executives, being away from the family and children is the first sacrifice when building an organization. Business trips can often span over several weeks of time especially when traveling overseas. Some business dealings are conducted via the internet and conference calls, but nothing makes a better impression than in-person meetings when closing the deal. This aspect proves why it is undeniable the ease of flights and hotels as a primary choice of conducting travel. With all success comes sacrifice and in most instances it is the personal lives of family that carries that burden. This inevitably creates stress for the executive in addition to the family dynamic. Stress not only affects the family dynamic, but will also transfer into the workplace. This is where Royal Caribbean comes into the picture. They provide a choice of combining work and pleasure. The family no longer has to always sacrifice personal happiness and growth for the sake of better careers and higher incomes. It is true, families can fly to worldly destinations on business trips, but unless they are familiar with the country, location and culture most often they are stuck in the hotel. With Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines, this is no longer a problem. Safety is their number one priority in addition to reaching the different age groups of providing fun and entertainment. Everything is inclusive, from staterooms (sleeping quarters), food, pools, gyms, daycare to bars, casinos and shopping (Mancini, 2004). Regional economic impact on global economies The United States and international economies are in dire need of recovery. According to the Travel Trade Gazette business travel is on the rise and will be an important factor in repairing global economies. Corporations such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise among other large companies are trying to achieve that competitive edge. A survey recently revealed that approximately seventy-nine percent of organizations prefer a more personal approach in conducting business. Eighty-nine percent of business executives believe face-to-face interaction is crucial to finalize the deal. It is essential for executives to visit and personally interact with people and analyze new market industries, especially in a recession (Travel Trade Gazette, 2010, p. 11). The cruise industry has impacted many different economies in addition to the United States. The most well known areas are Mexico, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Bahamian and Caribbean locations. More recently a new trend has emerged. Several countries offer unexplored and untouched regions. Despite pirate-infested waters, Royal Caribbean among other larger cruise lines is adding new routes to their itineraries. Some itineraries include Asia to Europe, South and West Africa, Australia, Mediteranian and Singapore to Rome. Each different port offers several offshore excursions. These lesser-explored areas create excitement to the consumer. For example, Africa currently offers heritage tours remembering past slave trades. National parks, exquisite beaches, chimpanzee and hippopotamus sanctuaries are only a few of the choices consumers have, while cruising with Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines. These underdeveloped, international areas have increased in revenue because of the cruise industry r evenue from tourism that would not have normally been accessible other than by air (Jainchill, 2010, np). Despite recent port additions Royal Caribbean felt the hard reality of three key factors in the early 1990s. These three factors affected most of the cruise industry; the war in the Middle East, the United States recession and increased costs of supply, primarily fuel. Glenn Withiam of Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administrations cited from analyst Arthur Little that the United States recession was affecting the cruise industry, tourism and international economies worse than the war (1992, p. 1). Although the early 1990s looked bleak, four encouraging factors were offering a positive outlook leading up to the year 2010. The four factors were; the consumers continued interest in adventure and cultural diversity, the cruise industries earned reputation from word of mouth of having the best customer satisfaction, decreasing production schedules on fleet expansions and cost control because newer ships run more efficiently. Other interrelated lesser, encouraging factors will continue to be higher air fares, more conservative lending institutions and the slowing of supply due to space constraints in shipyards (Withiam, 1992, p. 9). Cultural diversity and impact Royal Caribbean offers luxury and lavish attention which can be enjoyed by vacationers and executives on business trips. Cruise ships offer interesting and exciting destinations and an excellent way to visit several different geographic areas in a short period of time. In addition to meeting new prospects on port-of-calls, cruise ships have the most cultural diversity within its passengers (Magic at sea: The cruise industry, 2005). When vacationing or conducting business on or off the ship, it is important to be aware of different societies and their shared values and norms. The last thing desired is to offend societies or possible new customers or business partners (Hill, 2009, p. 89). Religion and ethical systems (or moral principles) play a large part in shaping cultures (p. 96). Royal Caribbean embraces cultural diversity. They believe in employing a well rounded workforce and inspiring other cruise lines to adopt the same way of thinking. They often choose to employ people from the different country and island destinations that are on the itineraries. Employing people from local cultures exposes passengers and fellow employees to new learning experiences (Our Company, 2010). According to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) the cruise industry employs about eighty five to ninety percent of people from international countries. As Royal Caribbean is providing new cultural experiences for everyone onboard, these international or local workers are gaining financial independence, personal autonomy, economic, social and cultural equality. Extensive training and education required for all company personnel provides a sense of pride and empowerment not otherwise gained in the country of origin (WTTC, IFTO, IHRA, ICCL, 2002, p. 48). In addition to providing a more diverse environment on ships, it has been proven that cultural dining and entertainment is exciting to consumers. For example, employing European, Japanese and Mexican chefs offer the chance to taste the very best cuisine that would normally be available only in four-star restaurants and hotels. Foreign entertainment coordinators also provide unique experiences in traditional and exotic shows. Cultures are never constant and are always changing through the decades thus providing an endless array of different styles of entertainers and entertainment (Our Company, 2010). Discussion Review of Findings Royal Caribbean has helped lead industries into a new way of vacationing and business travel. Their global expansion strategy, positive impact on the United States, international economies and cultural diversity has been noticed by many different industries and corporations worldwide. Smaller cruise lines have also noticed how globalization has affected the market. Unfortunately due to their lack of capital, fleets (numerous ships) and vision they are unable to effectively compete with the large corporations like Royal Caribbean. These smaller organizations are primarily localized in small city-limit areas and are often privately owned and operated. These limitations keep them from expanding. Working with the NTO, Royal Caribbean has improved on several internal levels of the organization such as, management and performance. Their strategy focuses on a proactive view when making decisions in regards to company goals, research, development and internal capabilities. Although determinants sometimes exist such as lack of competency, commitment and conflict management skills, most of these abilities can be learned through experience, proper training and role models. Globalization has been a key part of the cruise industrys success in the last three decades. Creating new itineraries and new foreign relations has helped Royal Caribbean and their leading competitor Carnival Cruise to expand their fleets and improve the United States and international economies. To keep a competitive edge on industry markets, executives from all over the globe have the choice to utilize cruise ships to achieve a more personalized first impression to confirm and close the sales deal. Nearly ninety percent of organizations prefer a personalized method. Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry continually strive to improve different economies, increase supply, demand, and boost revenue to countries that would not normally obtain the benefits of tourism. Interpretation/Analysis of Findings Economic slowdown will continue to occur in the future. This affects all economies and markets, including the travel and cruise industry. Since the conception of Royal Caribbean in the 1970s, they showed ambition and promise for a bright future. In the 1980s Royal Caribbean among other large cruise industries accounted for two-thirds of the globalized cruise market, even though this ratio had not yet included the growing interest in European and Asian countries. The National Tourism Organization appears to be of great help to large corporations trying to break into globalization. Their strategic planning and general know-how seems to be having an overall positive effect for Royal Caribbean. Their internal levels of; management, research, development and financial restructuring has helped them lead the industry and influence other corporations. Their market strategy, entrepreneurial spirit and NTO support helps guide them. Strategy changes such as their target market of GenerationX and Baby Boomer age groups, adopting new accounting methods, and implementing new financial practices like the Dupont system of analysis (Block, S., Hirt, G., Danielsen, B., 2009), has proven to be successful and going in the right direction. Although, snapshots of their stock fluctuates and is currently showing a slight drop of .07% according to the Wall Street Journal (Company Research: RCL Stock Quote, 2010), internal organizational changes to become more globalized has increased their asset turnover and return on assets in addition to their enthusiasm (Block et al, 2009). Their belief in cultural diversity within the workforce has created wonderful experiences for vacationers and executives alike. Providing a more diverse environment has proven to be successful in maintaining the excitement of consumers. Exotic entertainment and destinations, to four-star dining experiences has set Royal Caribbean apart from the average cruise line. The goal of creating that Wow! factor appears to be working. Summary and Conclusions Royal Caribbean will continue to grow, as they have for the past four decades. Keeping a competitive edge and continuing to strive for more globalization while being proactive in decision making will ensure their successful existence in the cruise industry for years to come. Although the National Tourism Organizations strategy planning is considered a government plan by most countries, they have significantly helped Royal Caribbean and the travel industry in becoming more globalized. Working with the NTO will also help them stay focused on the continual improvements with their internal levels and capability of the organization. Globalization is the key to Royal Caribbeans success. Although they probably would have continued to stay in business it would have been at a smaller scale. Their expansion into European countries is what has cemented their legacy in the new millennium. Building local offices in countries like Italy and Australia, in addition to ship-manufacturing joint ventures in areas such as Finland, Germany and France has improved cultural diversity, increased fleets and intensified economies with employment, wages and tourism. Royal Caribbean has also provided another choice for executives to mix business and the family dynamic. In this dire need of economic recovery, the executives or owners of other companies and industries should be Royal Caribbeans next demographic to strongly focus on. Leisure travel and cruising has impacted many different economies, such as the United States and abroad by integrating and expanding regional markets, sales, supply, and demand across the globe.

The Importance of Blake in Today’s World :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Importance of Blake in Today’s World      Ã‚   William Blake, who lived in the latter half of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth, was a profoundly stirring poet who was, in large part, responsible for bringing about the Romantic movement in poetry; was able to achieve "remarkable results with the simplest means"; and was one of several poets of the time who restored "rich musicality to the language" (Appelbaum v). His research and introspection into the human mind and soul has resulted in his being called the "Columbus of the psyche," and because no language existed at the time to describe what he discovered on his voyages, he created his own mythology to describe what he found there (Damon ix). He was an accomplished poet, painter, and engraver.    Blake scholars disagree on whether or not Blake was a mystic. In the Norton Anthology, he is described as "an acknowledged mystic, [who] saw visions from the age of four" (Mack 783). Frye, however, who seems to be one of the most influential Blake scholars, disagrees, saying that Blake was a visionary rather than a mystic. "'Mysticism' . . . means a certain kind of religious techniques difficult to reconcile with anyone's poetry," says Frye (Frye 8). He next says that "visionary" is "a word that Blake uses, and uses constantly" and cites the example of Plotinus, the mystic, who experienced a "direct apprehension of God" four times in his life, and then only with "great effort and relentless discipline." He finally cites Blake's poem "I rose up at the dawn of day," in which Blake states,    I am in God's presence night & day, And he never turns his face away (Frye 9).    Besides all of these achievements, Blake was a social critic of his own time and considered himself a prophet of times to come. Frye says that "all his poetry was written as though it were about to have the immediate social impact of a new play" (Frye 4). His social criticism is not only representative of his own country and era, but strikes profound chords in our own time as well. As Appelbaum said in the introduction to his anthology English Romantic Poetry, "[Blake] was not fully rediscovered and rehabilitated until a full century after his death" (Appelbaum v). For Blake was not truly appreciated during his life, except by small cliques of individuals, and was not well-known during the rest of the nineteenth century (Appelbaum v).

Measuring Reliability

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most popular personality tests in the world today.   However, data reviewed from more than twenty MBTI research studies has indicated that the test has inadequate validity.   In other words, MBTI does not adequately measure what it is meant to measure.   Moreover, MBTI has reported reliability coefficients for its four scales on general population samples in the ranges from 0.61 to 0.87.   Experts on psychometric testing reveal that reliability coefficients for short personality tests should actually be in the range of 0.7 to 0.8 (Psychometric Success). Does this mean that MBTI is unreliable? – No.   While this important personality test sometimes reveals a lower reliability coefficient than the other personality tests, even when its reliability coefficient is close to 0.61, the test is said to give us a dependable measure of the constructs it measures at least 61% of the time.   To put it another way, at least 61% of the people who use the MBTI once would see that their scores on the different constructs of the test would not change on a second testing session and all subsequent testing sessions. Reliability is also known as â€Å"repeatability† or â€Å"consistency.†Ã‚   A test with perfect reliability has a coefficient of 1.0.   A test with no reliability whatsoever has a coefficient of 0.   A test with perfect reliability is one which gives us absolutely consistent results with the same sample.   The higher the reliability, the better is a test, scientifically, given that we can trust the results of this test with confidence, knowing that they will not change drastically through retesting (Trochim, 2006). With MBTI, we can be confident that the test would show us a true picture of an individual’s personality at least 61% of the time.   Although this value is better than 50%, MBTI would have  given us greater confidence in terms of its measurement if its reliability coefficient always fell in the range of 0.8 to 0.9.   This would have led us to believe that MBTI is most definitely a trustworthy measure of an individual’s personality type. References 1.Psychometric Success. â€Å"Myers-Briggs Widely Used But Still Controversial.† Available at http://www.psychometric-success.com/index.htm. (31 January 2007).    2. Trochim, William. (2006). â€Å"Theory of Reliability.† Research Methods Knowledge Base. Available at http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/reliablt.php. (31 January 2007).         

Synthetic Milk

Assessment of synthetic milk exposure to children of selected population in Uttar Pradesh, India Shuchi R. Bhatt1, Dr. Anita Singh2 and S. M. Bhatt3 (Abstract) The present study was carried out keeping in view the recently emerging concern of the adulteration of the natural milk with the synthetic milk. Synthetic milk is prepared by emulsifying vegetable oils with appropriate amount of detergent and urea. Samples of the natural milk with synthetic milk were analyzed for concentration of urea and detergent and their effect is assayed through survey in different population in Uttar Pradesh, India.Children’s had different range of intake of milk. Children of age group 1-5 years consumes about 50-250 mg of milk daily, while of age group 6-18 years of children consumes about 250-1000 ml milk/day and children’s of age group 19-22 consumes milk about 500-1000 ml milk /day. Addition of synthetic milk is on large scale in Meerut district of U. P. and mostly urea in such milk cre ating huge problem of headache, eyesight and diarrhea in children. Keywords: Milk adulteration; Synthetic milk, detection, urea 1.Research Scholar, Faculty of H. Sc, Sri. A. K. A. P. G. Collage Varanasi. 2. Head, Department of Food & Nutrition, Sri. Agrasen Kanya Autonomous P. G. College. Parmanandpur, Varanasi. 3. School of Biochemical Engineering, Institule of Technology B. H. U. Varanasi. Corresponding Author Email: [email  protected] co. in 1 Introduction Liquid milk is an essential nutritional food for infants as well as the aged. Adulteration of natural milk with a chemically synthesized milky liquid (synthetic milk) is a matter of serious concern.The dairy industry employs various checks these tests commonly include determination of fat and total solids by chemical or physical analyses; estimation of sediment by forcing milk through filter pads and noting the residue left; determination of Bacterial count and determination of freezing point etc. (Dean, 1985; Fox, 1992). How ever, most of these measurements are expensive and time consuming like measurement of conductance (Mebrook & Petty 2003 a and b; Willard et al 2003). Synthetic milk is an excellent imitation of natural milk.Milk fat is mimicked by vegetable oil; the nitrogen component in milk is mimicked by urea; detergents are added to make it frothy. This mixture is so expertly prepared that the specific gravity of the concocted milk is the same as natural buffalo milk. This mixture is then mixed with natural milk in varying proportions. Such milk can be processed into ‘‘value added’’ products which bring in a bigger profit. A recent Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) report has suggested that such adulterated items have a cancerous effect on the human system and can lead to gradual impairment of the body.Milk is a complex mixture of water, lactose, fat, protein, minerals, and vitamins distributed throughout colloidal and soluble phases. Although the cow is the pri ncipal source of milk for human consumption in the United States and many other parts of the world (DePeters 1992). In India most milk is 2 obtained from the buffalo. The composition of milk from buffalo is water (82. 14%), fat (7. 44%), protein (4. 78%), lactose (4. 8%) and ash (0. 83%) (Rangappa & Achary, 1973).On average milk has optimum level of urea and other chemicals but due to habit of making huge profit there is on going malpractice of using synthetic milk in the original milk. Therefore there is need to work out regularly in different region of India to expose such malpractices and to check such malpractices adapted ignoring health concerns of people. The effect of urea on animal reproductive system has been carried out by Ropstad etal 1987. They reported that reproduction system and reproductive cycle in animals get badly affected by high concentration of urea.This work is carried out to expose and to increase the awareness among people to decline such malpractices adapte d, since it is difficult to detect such harmful adulterants in dangerous amount in household. One quick method describe in the article is to check the pH of the milk by pH paper (red turns blue) that is available freely and can’t be adjusted quickly at large scale. Material and method Survey Preschool (1-5 years) and school going (6-18 years) children in urban and rural area from different district of U. P. had been surveyed.A total of 365 household were surveyed in which 70 children’s were of age group 1-5 years, 150 children’s were of age group 6-18 years, and 145 children’s were of age group 19-22 years. Since it was household survey, the homemaker of the household was interviewed for intake of milk. The region of study selected was Varanasi, Bulandsahar, Meerut and Mathura. Thus, 365 individuals in urban area and 365 in rural area were surveyed. The milk were 3 collected from the household and tested for presence of urea and detergent. The frequency m ethod was employed for calculation.The survey includes consumption of milk/day, their effect on health such as headache, eyesight problem, and diarrhea. Also, 160 sample of the milk were collected from different local market, vendors, and stalls of Bulandsahar, Mathura, Meerut, and Varanasi. Qualitative analysis for urea detection Qualitative analysis for urea detection were done by the method describe below 1. Took 5 ml of milk in a test tube 2. Added 20 mg of Soya bean powder & 2 drops of 0. 5 % aqueous solution of Bromothymol blue. 3. Mixed the sample well. 4. The development of Blue colour after 10 min indicates the addition of urea the sample. 5.For confirmatory test was done by adding five ml of milk with 5 ml paradimethyl amino benzaldehyde (16%). If the solution turns yellow in colour, then the given sample of milk is added with urea. Quantitative analysis for urea detection A quantitative estimate of urea was carried out by preparing standard of urea and their pH variation and by utilizing Urease enzyme. For this we took 5 ml of milk in a test tube and added 0. 2 ml of urease (20 mg / ml) and centrifuged it well at room temperature. Now added 0. 1 ml of bromothymol blue solution (0. 5%). The appearance of blue colour after 10-15 min indicates the adulteration milk with urea.Urease can be obtained by adding 4 soybean slurry (source of urease prepared by soaking soybeans overnight or for 12 hours in water and grinding to prepare a slurry). (Dean J. A 1985) The OD of sample was taken in UV-Vis Spectrophotometer (ELICO double beam) at 420 nm. And pH was measured by pH meter using buffer sample set at pH 4. In the presence of urea the red litmus paper turns blue. Urea Standard Solution was prepared by following method – (a) Stock solution concentration was 5 mg / ml. Dissolved 50 gm reagent grade urea in water and dilute to 1 litre with water. b) Working solution was prepared by Pipetting 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 ml stock solution into 250 ml volumetric flask and dilute to volume with phosphate buffer. (c) Reference solution – standard solution was containing 1. 0 mg urea / 5 ml as reference standard. Figure caption Fig. 1 showing variation of pH with different concentration of urea Fig. 2 showing variation of urea and detergent in different region of Uttar Pradesh India Fig. 3 showing children affected by synthetic milk in different age group (a) Headache; (b) Eyesight ; and (c) Diarrhea. 5 Figures Urea 5 4 Urea % (w/v) 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 pH Fig. 1 showing variation of pH with different concentration of urea 60 Urban Rural % of Urea and detergent adultrants 50 40 30 20 10 0 Bulandsahar Mathura Meerut Varanasi Fig. 2 showing variation of urea and detergent in different region of Uttar Pradesh India 6 Headache 40 35 30 Urban Rural 60 50 Eye sight problem Urban Rural % of sample 25 20 15 10 5 0 1-5 6-18 19-22 % of sample 40 30 20 10 0 1-5 6-18 19-22 age group Age group (a) (b) % of children affected by problem of Diarrhea 60 50 Urban Rural % of total sample 40 30 20 10 0 1-5 6-18 19-22 Age group (c) Fig. showing children affected by synthetic milk in different age group (a) Headache; (b) Eyesight ; and (c) Diarrhea. 7 Tables Table-1 showing different constituents of milk CONSTITUENTS Water Lipid in emulion phase ( mixture of mixed triglecerides) Phospolipids ( lacithine, Cephaline, ) STEROLS carotenoids vit. A, D. E. K Protiens (Casein) B- Lactoglobulin Lactoalbumin Albumin, Psuedoglobulin etc Enzymes ( Catalase, Peroxidase, Amylase, Lipase, Protease) DESSOLVED MATERIALS Carbohydraetes Lactose Glocose ORGANIC AND INORGANIC ION & SALTS Calcium Phosphate Citrate Chloride, Sodium, Pottasium, Magnesium etc.Water soluble Vitamins Thiamin APPROX.. CONCENTRATION / LIT 860 TO 880 gms 30-50gms 0. 30 gms 0. 10 gms 25 gms 3 gms 0. 7gms 40-50 gms 50 mgs 1. 25 gms 2. 10 gms 2. 0 gms 1. 00 gms 0. 4 mg 1. 5 mg 8 Riboflavin Niacin Pyridoxin Pentothenic Acid Biotin Folic acid Chline (Total) Vit B12 inosi tol Ascorbic acid Nitrogenous material Ammonia Amino Acids Urea Creatine and Createnine Uric acid Gases Carbon dio Oxide Oxygen Nitrogen 0. 2 -1. 2 mg 0. 7mg 3. 0 mg 50 mg 1. 0 mg 150 mg 7. 0 mg 180 mg 20 gm 2-12 mg 3. 5 mg 100 mg 15 mg 7 mg Milk exposed to air 15 mg 7. mg 15 mg Copper, Iron, Rb, Trace element Li, Ba, Mn, Al, Zn, B, Co, I Occasionally Present Mc, Cr, Ag, Sn, Ti, 9 Table 2. Average Composition of milk Item Water Lactose Fat True Protein Crude Protein Casein Ash Other Average milk composition % 87. 00 4. 90 3. 70 3. 00 3. 10 2. 60 . 80 . 50 Table -3 showing average milk consumed by different age group Mean of Milk age (years) 1-5 years 6-18 years 19-22 years children consumed 70 150 145 156. 428 SD range 53. 78 50-250 500 274. 77 250-1000 800 224. 22 500-1000 10Table-4 Effect of urea on different age groups in urban area No. of Age group 1-5 years 6-18 19-22 children Headache Eye problem 70 150 145 nil 42 56 8 86 76 Digestion /diarrhea 32 86 76 normal 38 60 69 Table-5 Effect of urea on different age groups in rural area (365 samples) No. of Age group 1-5 years 6-18 19-22 children Headache Eye problem 70 150 145 nil 6 16 2 25 18 Digestion /diarrhea 16 25 18 normal 54 125 127 Table-6 Sample tested in rural area (sample tested 160) No. of sample 40 38 32 50 City >5% urea 5% urea

Gigantopithecus - Facts and Figures

Gigantopithecus - Facts and Figures Name: Gigantopithecus (Greek for giant ape); prounced jie-GAN-toe-pith-ECK-us Habitat: Woodlands of Asia Historical Epoch: Miocene-Pleistocene (six million to 200,000 years ago) Size and Weight: Up to nine feet tall and 1,000 pounds Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; large, flat molars; four-footed posture About Gigantopithecus The literal 1,000-pound gorilla sitting in the corner of a natural history museum, the appropriately named Gigantopithecus was the largest ape that ever lived, not quite King Kong-sized but, at up to half a ton or so, much bigger than your average lowland gorilla. Or, at least, thats the way this prehistoric primate has been reconstructed; frustratingly, practically everything we know about Gigantopithecus is based on its scattered, fossilized teeth and jaws, which first came to the worlds attention when they were sold in Chinese apothecary shops in the first half of the 20th century. Paleontologists arent even sure how this colossus moved; the consensus is that it must have been a ponderous knuckle-walker, like modern gorillas, but a minority opinion holds that Gigantopithecus may have been capable of walking on its two hind feet. Another mysterious thing about Gigantopithecus is when, exactly, it lived. Most experts date this ape from Miocene to mid-Pleistocene eastern and southeastern Asia, about six million to one million years B.C., and it may have survived in small populations until as late as 200,000 or 300,000 years ago. Predictably, a small community of cryptozoologists insists that Gigantopithecus never went extinct, and persists in the present day, high up in the Himalayan Mountains, as the mythical Yeti, better known in the west as the Abominable Snowman! (Rest assured that no reputable scientists subscribe to this theory, which is supported by absolutely no compelling material or eyewitness evidence.) As fearsome as it must have looked, Gigantopithecus seems to have been mostly herbivorouswe can infer from its teeth and jaws that this primate subsisted on fruits, nuts, shoots and, just possibly, the occasional small, quivering mammal or lizard. (The presence of an unusual number of cavities in Gigantopithecus teeth also points to a possible diet of bamboo, much like that of a modern Panda Bear.) Given its size when fully grown, an adult Gigantopithecus would not have been an active target of predation, though the same cant be said for sick, juvenile or aged individuals, which figured on the lunch menu of various tigers, crocodiles and hyenas. Gigantopithecus comprises three separate species. The first and largest, G. blacki, lived in southeastern Asia starting in the middle Pleistocene epoch and shared its territory, toward the end of its existence, with various populations of Homo erectus, the immediate precursor of Homo sapiens. The second, G. bilaspurensis, dates to six million years ago, during the Miocene epoch, about the same early time frame as the oddly named G. giganteus, which was only about half the size of its G. blacki cousin.

Last Mohicans Essay Example

Last Mohicans Essay Example Last Mohicans Essay Last Mohicans Essay Essay Topic: Last Of the Mohicans The Heart Goes Last Plus scenes from the movie didnt match up properly with what Cooper had written. In the beginning of the novel the character David Gamut is introduced. He was a wandering young man in the forest who loved poetry. David was attempting to carry Christianity to the frontier through the power of his song. He was totally out of place in the wilderness, plus he was a subject of Hawkers mockery. He eventually became close with Hawker and helped him throughout their Journey. But for some reason he was of no relevance in the movie. David Gamut is a ghost to Michael Duns movie, he simply doesnt exist. Plus in the movie the eldest daughter Cord Munroe was castes and portrayed far differently than what Cooper had described. Cooper described his character Cord Munroe as an interracial child with an African American background. That is why they referred to her as the dark one. But in the movie she was played by an actress who was Caucasian, and the only thing that was dark about her was her hair. Cooper also made Corals love interest Uncaps, who is the full blood Monica son of Chicagoan. But the relationship ended tragically and there would have been no way possible for t to occur. Due to Cord and Uncaps being both of different nationalities. In Michael Duns movie Cord and Uncaps relationship didnt exist. The character Cord was played by the Caucasian actress Madeline Stows. She ended up falling in love with the storys hero Hawker. Both characters got to be together in the end of the movie. This is dramatically different than what Cooper had in his novel. Both Hawker and Cord could be together in Duns movie because it created no controversy over race. On another note, the movie showed that the younger sister Alice Munroe was in love tit Uncaps. When Magma was given Alice in the end of the movie to bare children with it sends Uncaps into a rage. As he tried to rescue Alice he was killed by Magma and thrown off the cliffs. Alice then commits suicide by slowly falling back off the mountain after her deceased love Uncaps. In comparison the novel and movie are wildly different. Characters in the movie are entirely different than what Cooper had created. They also are engaging in complete opposite roles. Important details in the novel made the story truer to its time. I suppose changing those important aspects of he novel made the movie more interesting, more action packed and to the point. Leave the storyline with a somewhat happy ending. In Coopers novel Hawkers relationship with the Musicians isnt as friendly as it is in the movie. In the movie when Hawker and the Musicians are introduced they act as if one another is family. Hawker refers to Chicagoan as his father and Uncaps his brother. Chicagoan Hawker and his adoptive family are close friends with Englishmen in the colony. They actually go to a gentlemans cabin that night and have dinner with this British colony family. Everyone interacts with one another very closely. Even the natives are eating dinner at the table and playing with the Englishmen son. In the novel Hawker doesnt share that same type of relationship with the Musicians, also continuously talks about how he is not of Indian blood. In the book he even states l am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an Iroquois, adrenal deny that I am genuine white . Hawkers adoptive background breeds both productive alliances and disturbingly racist convictions. He shows how the history and cultures of the people of the frontier influence one another. Regardless of the divide that the English, French etc want to create, everyone is going to somewhat intermix. But Hawker has a confliction wanting to state that he is white and has much more privileges than his friend. Yet he feels more comfortable in the wilderness with the native people. Hawker demonstrates that hes almost obsessed with proving hes not a native. Throughout Coopers novel he constantly brings up his white background to prove it. Scenes throughout Michaels Duns movie are so completely efferent than Coopers novel. In the beginning of the movie Hawker is hunting in the woods with the Musicians. Hawker shoots the deer with his long rifle with no worries at all. However, in Coopers story the Musicians keep Hawker from shooting the deer. They feared he would give up their location to their enemies so Uncaps kills the animal with a bow and arrow and finishes it off with a knife. Another part of Duns 1997 movie was definitely portrayed much different Coopers novel. Uncaps went to the tribal grounds of Magma to rescue Cord and the others. Demanded ends p letting Uncaps and Hawker go, but Magma takes Cord. Uncaps is so enraged he goes back to rescue Cord. When a native of Magma tribe gets impatient he stabs Cord in the heart. Uncaps and Magma battle it out but Magma slips off of the side of the mountain. As he slips Magma grasp hold of some trees and holds on for his life. But Hawker shoots him, and he falls back into his ultimate death. I truly believe both pieces of work were brilliant and beautiful. Yet it was difficult to understand Coopers novel, and was very lengthy. He emphasized a lot on the battles and showed the influences that all the people in the colony had on one another. But Dunn brought a lot of interesting elements to The Last Monica story. The battles were very realistic and thrilling. He showed that although the people in the colonies had issues there were some bonds and strong relationships among the different races. I personally would had never watched or read the book by choice myself. But I am glad I got to read, and watch two exceptional pieces of work. Although Dunn didnt tell the same story as Cooper, it was a very well made movie.

Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides in Humans

Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides in Humans Antimicrobial peptides Introduction Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are gene-encoded peptides of the host defence system made up of 12-50 amino acids, with at least 2 positive charges conferred by lysine and arginine residues and about 50% hydrophobic amino acids (Hancock and Scott 2000). They are produced from gene transcription and ribosomal translation and often, further proteolytically processed (Zhoa 2003). The peptides are folded so that non-polar amino acid side-chains form a hydrophobic face and polar, positively charged residues form a hydrophilic face (Robert and Hancock 1997). Expression of antimicrobial peptides can be constitutive or inducible by infectious or inflammatory stimuli like cytokines, bacteria and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (Cunliffe and Mahida 2004). They have diverse structures to effectively kill a wide range of microbes at prone sites e. g the skin and lungs, and in secretions such as sweat and saliva (Yeaman and Yount 2004; Santamaria 2005). Many mammalian antimicrobial peptides rouse the host’s innate immune system (Jenssen et al 2006) instead of directly killing the host. Peptides which are found in living organisms from bacteria to plants, insects, fish, amphibians to mammals including humans (Kamysz 2005) are recorded in numerous existing databases e. g. AMSDb (Eukaryotic peptides) (Tossi and Sandri 2002), BAPDb (bacterial peptides), ANTIMIC (natural antimicrobial peptides) (Brahmachary et al 2004) and APPDb. Currently, 1831 peptides are hosted by the Antimicrobial peptide database with 99 antiviral, 453 antifungal, 100 anticancer and 1179 antibacterial peptides (The Antimicrobial Peptide database 2010). In humans, antimicrobial peptides are produced by granulocytes, macrophages and most epithelial and endothelial cells. They boost the immune system, have anti-neoplastic properties and help in regulating cell signalling and multiplication. Amphibian AMPs have been discovered from the skin of frogs from families ra nging from Iomedusa, Pipidae, Hyperoliidae, Ranidae, Hylidae, Discoglossidae, Agalychnis and Litoria. The structure of these peptides as unravelled by CD spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling (Suh et al 1996) have been found to be generally 10-46 amino acid residues long (Rollins-Smith et al 2005), mostly linear and simple-structured, (Conlon et al 2004) the majority being hydrophobic, cationic and possessing an amphipathic a-helix in nature. Following production, they are stored in the granular glands (poison glands) of skin dermal layer to be secreted in response to injury (Bovbjerg 1963), or as defence against pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Biologically active molecules including antimicrobial peptides are produced as large proteins harbouring a signal and an acidic propiece which get cut off to give an active peptide prior to or at secretion from the poison glands (Amiche et al 1999). Cationic peptides are also expressed in the gastric mucosa cells and in the intestinal tract (Kamysz 2005). The best-known peptides isolated from frogs are caeruleins, tachykinins, bradykinins, thyrotropin- releasing hormone (Barra and Simmaco 1995), brevinins, esculentins, magainins, ranatuerins and temporins (Conlon et al 2004). In the past, peptides were extracted using solvents like methanol or acid from the skins of amphibians after sun-drying but with concomitant dwindling of many frog species, other alternative techniques have emerged, one of which comprises stimulating the frog using mild electricity and collecting the skin secretion; 2-4 weeks after, the secretion can be re-collected after replenishment of the glands (Barra and Simmaco 1995). Large amounts of small peptides and their analogues which are resistant to protease cleavage and contain D-amino acids can be chemically synthesised while larger peptides can be expressed in a prokaryotic host from cloned cDNAs coding for a fusion protein (Piers et al 1993). An efficient means of producing therapeutic peptides in transgenic mice red blood cells has been explained by Sharma et al (1994) whereby the required peptide is collected from proteolytic cleavage from the fusion protein where the peptide is at the C-terminal end of human a-globin.

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (easy work) Research Paper

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (easy work) - Research Paper Example In clearer terms, ADR refers to the processes of solving disputes outside the judicial process or formal litigation. In fact, the judicial system/process is currently encouraging and requiring conflicting parties to utilize the Alternative Dispute Resolution processes, particularly mediation, prior to taking such cases before a court of law. There are four other main types of Alternative Dispute Resolution namely negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law (Lynch, P. 213). In fact, conciliation is also considered a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Except in negotiation, all the other categories of Alternative Dispute Resolution involve the presence of a neutral person who provides fair opinions while facilitating or making decision in ADR processes. However, the collaborative law processes such as collaborative divorce requires both parties to have counsels who are experts at following the details of the contracts or terms involved such issues. Among the disputes or conflicts in which ADR techniques have been particularly useful include family matters such as divorce, professional liability disputes, insurance issues/disputes, and personal injury situations. There are several advantages for which the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution has become prominent in recent times. These advantages include more efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and greater satisfaction for all parties involved. In fact, great deals of civil cases such as marital dissolutions have been settled using Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques (Lynch, P. 213). Due to the recognized effectiveness of ADR as a tool for dispute resolution, judicial systems world over have adopted the practice of providing conflicting parties and their lawyers with information about and the option of ADR, more so in civil cases. This paper explores the concept of Alternative Dispute Resolution with regard to its advantages,

The main reason couples divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The main reason couples divorce - Essay Example Gender and Society construction play a major role in the occurrence of divorce leading to many reasons why couples end up divorcing. The most considered reasons are a lack of commitment, unrealistic expectations, lack of equality in the relationship, abuse, and infidelity, lack of communication and financial problems. These problems can be prevented or fixed if they happen (Lyngstad, 52). Commitment in a relationship is very essential as it brings a long-term view in the relationship that helps couples not get overwhelmed by challenges and problems they face in their day-to-day life. High commitment in a relationship is very essential as the couple will feel safe and will be willing to give all what it takes the relationship to become a success. Gender and Society construction in regards to the nature and roles the male and female gender plays a key  role in the occurrence of divorce. However, at times divorce is necessary as it helps in preserving the moral boundaries of marriage. According to a study conducted by Amato, the most common reasons, why couples get divorced, is lack of commitment. From the study results, 73 percent of the research participants identified a lack of couple’s commitment as a major reason for divorce. Other reasons given in the study included infidelity 56 percent, too much arguing in the relationship 55 percent, unrealistic and conflicting expectations in the marriage 46 percent, early marriages 45 percent, financial issues 41 percent, male masculinity and lack of equality 44 percent and relationship abuse 29 percent. From the list, it is possible to fix many of the issues raised above and prevent divorce occurrence. It is essential for couples to learn how to avoid their destructive arguments and solve their issues to create greater expectations in their marriage. Even damaging issues such as infidelity affairs in a relationship can be

Romantic music in Renaissance painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Romantic music in Renaissance painting - Essay Example Another purpose of Romantic music was that it had non-musical influences. Changes and events that occur in the society such as discoveries, ideas, inventions, attitudes and historical events which will affect the music at all the time. For instance, by early 19th century the industrial revolution was in fully effective and it had a great effect on music. One effect was that there were great improvements in the mechanical valves. This meant that due to the innovative instruments music could be played with more simplicity and easiness. Also the instruments became more reliable. Development in music was also caused by increase of middle class. Composers previously lived on the benefaction of the aristocracy. The audience was small most of the times and the music was only composed by people who had music knowledge and the upper class ones. On the other hand romantic composers wrote mainly for public festivals and concerts, they had large audiences. Nationalism was another theme during Ro mantic era. For instance, Jean Sibelius is mainly read to represent the Finland nation which was rising during that period and which was expecting to gain freedom one day from the Russians. Another example of musical nationalism which is well seen in the productivity of the romantic ages is where Joseph Machlis states that`` Poland’s struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland.† The development of Renaissance painting is an odd age in the history. It is not only that the time.

Marketing Strategies of Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut Essay

Marketing Strategies of Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut - Essay Example McDonalds is the biggest player in the industry that controls 18% of the market (King, 2013). For the previous two decades, Dominos and Pizza hut have created a reputation for excellence that has yielded respect from the customers and other industry experts. Over the past five years, Dominos and Pizza hut have obtained profits due to their marketing efforts. For the period between 2010 and 2014 Dominos profits were  £251M,  £280M,  £305M,  £399M and  £405M respectively (Market Watch, 2015). On the other hand, Pizza hut’s profits were  £400M,  £450M,  £600M,  £700M and  £760M (Novak & Creed, 2015). Notably, marketing itself is a strategy that organizations employ to communicate with the consumers to make them knowledgeable of the services and products offered (Kotler & Armstrong, 2014). Marketing is particularly essential as it gives the company an edge against the rival firms (Boone & Kurtz, 2015). A marketing strategy engrosses the products offered, the pricing of such products, the promotion of the products and their distribution. This report will give the marketing milestones that Pizza hut and Dominos have achieved and the differences in their marketing strategies within the United Kingdom. Since its incorporation in 1995, Dominos has endeavored to be the world’s best pizza delivery company. The company strives to bring accessibility, pleasure and happiness to its consumers through delivering pizza at their door steps (Farrell, 2014). The company also strives to introduce products that best satisfy the needs of its customers. Though it’s an international company, the company acts locally within the UK by offering delicious local tastes. The company’s slogan such as â€Å"fun meal† has been famous among the customers. Consequently, Dominos delights in a high market share of 9% in the UK market (King, 2013). On the other hand,

The Morrison Company , Wheelwright , S.C and Myers, P. ( 2011), Assignment

The Morrison Company , Wheelwright , S.C and Myers, P. ( 2011), Harvard Business School - Assignment Example Breen can adopt the following strategies for bringing in the organizational change required to improve the performance. 1. It was found that personalization or customization of the smart labels is creating problems as Morrison was facing bottlenecks due to personalization delaying the packaging operation, moreover pharmaceutical companies required less customization as only 15% of orders were customized and its average price is $0.22 and represented two-thirds of Morrison revenue however 85% of retail orders were personalized with average price being only $.11. So it is recommended that personalization should be done only for large orders and not small orders and interchangeability manufacturing system should be introduced (Patil 2008). 2. Optimal Inventory Policy to be adopted: It was found that the current inventory policy of Morrison is inefficient as it is contributing towards significant lead time and suppliers are not able to supply 100 percent of the orders on time due to whic h Morrison is delivering orders 10 weeks later than the originally scheduled date. Therefore the inventory policy for materials has to change and optimum inventory policy should be adopted. Optimum inventory policy calls for two models, first through developing a simple model in which the relevant quantities and constant future demand flow are estimated in advance and second by developing an uncertainty model in which the random variable is demand flow is studied with probability distribution. Using two models, â€Å"the best maximum stock and the best reordering point are determined as functions of the demand distribution, the cost of making an order and the penalty of stock depletion† (Arrow et al 1950, p.1; Tempelmeier 2012). The optimum safety stock acts as a buffer production plan that takes into account the random uncertain events such as breakdowns of machines, random demands and late deliveries (Tempelmeier 2012). 3. ERP system to be launched: ERP system is used exten sively by both large and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Breen should convince her CEO that ERP system provides both tangible and intangible benefits to the organization and its benefits are much more than its cost not vice versa. Tangible benefits realized from launching ERP system are reduction of inventory, personnel, financial close cycle, cost of IT, cost of procurement, and maintenance; improvements in productivity, order management, cash management, increase in profit and revenue and ensures on time delivery. Intangible benefits derived are increased visibility, improved processes, reduction in overall costs, customer responsiveness, more integration, flexibility, increase in performance of business and improved demand/supply chain (O’Leary 2004). It has become a must for integrating various business functions and for gaining competitive advantage however it must be customized, have support of top management (Fosser 2008). It can use materials requirement re source planning and manufacturing resource planning (Patil 2008). 4. Materials supplier sources should be increased: As it was found that

Romantic music in Renaissance painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Romantic music in Renaissance painting - Essay Example Another purpose of Romantic music was that it had non-musical influences. Changes and events that occur in the society such as discoveries, ideas, inventions, attitudes and historical events which will affect the music at all the time. For instance, by early 19th century the industrial revolution was in fully effective and it had a great effect on music. One effect was that there were great improvements in the mechanical valves. This meant that due to the innovative instruments music could be played with more simplicity and easiness. Also the instruments became more reliable. Development in music was also caused by increase of middle class. Composers previously lived on the benefaction of the aristocracy. The audience was small most of the times and the music was only composed by people who had music knowledge and the upper class ones. On the other hand romantic composers wrote mainly for public festivals and concerts, they had large audiences. Nationalism was another theme during Ro mantic era. For instance, Jean Sibelius is mainly read to represent the Finland nation which was rising during that period and which was expecting to gain freedom one day from the Russians. Another example of musical nationalism which is well seen in the productivity of the romantic ages is where Joseph Machlis states that`` Poland’s struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland.† The development of Renaissance painting is an odd age in the history. It is not only that the time.

The Morrison Company , Wheelwright , S.C and Myers, P. ( 2011), Assignment

The Morrison Company , Wheelwright , S.C and Myers, P. ( 2011), Harvard Business School - Assignment Example Breen can adopt the following strategies for bringing in the organizational change required to improve the performance. 1. It was found that personalization or customization of the smart labels is creating problems as Morrison was facing bottlenecks due to personalization delaying the packaging operation, moreover pharmaceutical companies required less customization as only 15% of orders were customized and its average price is $0.22 and represented two-thirds of Morrison revenue however 85% of retail orders were personalized with average price being only $.11. So it is recommended that personalization should be done only for large orders and not small orders and interchangeability manufacturing system should be introduced (Patil 2008). 2. Optimal Inventory Policy to be adopted: It was found that the current inventory policy of Morrison is inefficient as it is contributing towards significant lead time and suppliers are not able to supply 100 percent of the orders on time due to whic h Morrison is delivering orders 10 weeks later than the originally scheduled date. Therefore the inventory policy for materials has to change and optimum inventory policy should be adopted. Optimum inventory policy calls for two models, first through developing a simple model in which the relevant quantities and constant future demand flow are estimated in advance and second by developing an uncertainty model in which the random variable is demand flow is studied with probability distribution. Using two models, â€Å"the best maximum stock and the best reordering point are determined as functions of the demand distribution, the cost of making an order and the penalty of stock depletion† (Arrow et al 1950, p.1; Tempelmeier 2012). The optimum safety stock acts as a buffer production plan that takes into account the random uncertain events such as breakdowns of machines, random demands and late deliveries (Tempelmeier 2012). 3. ERP system to be launched: ERP system is used exten sively by both large and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Breen should convince her CEO that ERP system provides both tangible and intangible benefits to the organization and its benefits are much more than its cost not vice versa. Tangible benefits realized from launching ERP system are reduction of inventory, personnel, financial close cycle, cost of IT, cost of procurement, and maintenance; improvements in productivity, order management, cash management, increase in profit and revenue and ensures on time delivery. Intangible benefits derived are increased visibility, improved processes, reduction in overall costs, customer responsiveness, more integration, flexibility, increase in performance of business and improved demand/supply chain (O’Leary 2004). It has become a must for integrating various business functions and for gaining competitive advantage however it must be customized, have support of top management (Fosser 2008). It can use materials requirement re source planning and manufacturing resource planning (Patil 2008). 4. Materials supplier sources should be increased: As it was found that

Newspaper article Essay Example for Free

Newspaper article Essay The Pirates put out an amazing playoff season, this year having been the first year in the playoffs since 1992, but on October 9, 2013 they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals ending their amazing playoff season. In their last playoff game in St. Louis the Pirates lost 6-1 to the Cardinals, ending the season. In the second inning the Cardinals scored two runs taking the lead over the pirates. There was no more scoring until the sixth inning when the Cardinals scored yet another run, now having a three point lead over the Pirates. In the next inning the Pirates scored their first run. And sadly, the Cardinals scored three more runs in the eighth inning ending the game at a score of 6-1. The Pirates played the best theyve played since 1992, which wasnt enough this time. There was some amazing plays in the game, but I believe an incredible one was in the fourth inning when Starling Marte covered about twenty feet to catch a fly ball and get the second out with his incredible dive catch. An articles read about their season said that they played everything right, it was a amazing season but it wasnt enough this year, they needed a little more. This year the Pirates MVP player is Andrew McCutchen, he put up an OPS+ of 158, and swiped 27 bags this season. The teams LVP was Barmes, who plays shortstop, he hit a measly . 211/. 249/. 309, which is considered quite weak. The Pirates gameplan for next season is to keep the team mostly intact, and to hopefully make it farther into the playoffs next season. According to Christian Hartman The teams MVP should definitely be McCutchen, he hits well, plays amazing center field, and hes just overall great. He is everything a player should be. The Pirates put out an amazing playoff season, this year being their first playoff season since 1992.

Masculinity In Victorian Gothic Novels

Masculinity In Victorian Gothic Novels In both Robert Louis Stephensons The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Bram Stokers Dracula, social expectation reveals anxieties surrounding sexuality in the Victorian period. Stephensons novel depicts the masculine as a vehicle of self denial where the protagonist Jekyll will not allow himself to surrender to his immoral alter-ego. In a similar way, the novel Dracula depicts sexual power as a major threat to masculinity, whereby the male characters refuse to permit the females to act upon their sexual desires for fear that such liberation will destabilise patriarchal control. Whilst Victorian ideology is not outwardly challenged in the novels, as liberation sexual or otherwise is entirely condemned, investigating the function of the masculine reveals a somewhat radical gender ideology which contests Victorian expectation. In general, critics comment on oppression of the female within the Victorian period and overlook the same subjugation faced by men. Female disempowerment is commonly recognised whereas male suffering in the context of the same social rigidity is often omitted in criticism of the time. Critic George Landow comments that feminist analysis of the Gothic focuses on the concern of the stereotyping of the female characters according to male fantasy, however Stokers Dracula indulges the male imagination by subverting stereotypical female characters and allowing women power through sexual liberation. Stoker challenges Landows comments that it is only the feminine that suffers under marginalisation of the stereotype by presenting masculine subjugation as a consequence of social restraint. Critic Cyndy Hendershots work on male oppression in Victorian society further challenges ideology of the time. She argues that, generally, the notion of Victorian masculinity is ambiguous as stereotypical an d presumptuous representations of male characters are rarely questioned. Stefan Collini is a critic who acknowledges the ambiguity surrounding representations of Victorian masculinity. He comments that there appears to be a general consensus of gender ideals whereby the accepted single, rigid idea of Victorian masculinity remained unquestioned. Collini suggests that the concept of Victorian masculinity as heterosexual rises from an unquestioned assumption of this as the norm. As a result, it seems that the novels work to challenge accepted roles of gender and sexuality within the Victorian period. Within Victorian society, one of the fundamental concerns was the preservation of reputation. Alongside this concern lay an anxiety over sexuality and how to express and, in turn, suppress, sexual desires. In many ways, the oppressive nature of society, and consequently the inability for men, as well as women, to be sexually expressive, only heightened the fascination of a more sinister side of sexuality. In Jekyll and Hyde, there is a major emphasis on the value systems within Victorian society, especially with regards to their concern to preserve reputation. This is made evident through the characters of both Utterson and Enfield, both respectable members of the society who consider gossip as detrimental to a persons reputation. Dr Jekylls major concern is the way in which others perceive him and he is conscious to maintain an upstanding reputation throughout the novel. On the other hand, the character of Hyde is presented as wholly monstrous and as a means through which Jekyll can become uninhibited, unleashing the emotions society compels him to contain. The characters are anxious to remain within the boundaries of social expectation, yet this overbearing force of constraint is often detrimental as it is clear in both novels that what is constantly suppressed is ultimately released. It is interesting to consider the role of the male characters within the novels as it is evident that the masculine is not, as it would first appear, prioritised. Moreover, the omission of the female, which would generally suggest lack of authority on the part of the feminine, suggests here that the male characters are problematic to themselves, exposing the weakness of the male in a supposedly patriarchal society. In Jekyll and Hyde, the way in which the male characters are so evidently anxious about women and sexuality, despite the fact there are no predominant female characters, suggests that the masculine sphere is continually threatened by female influence. In many ways, the removal of the feminine exposes the flaws of the masculine, and shows that it is not the female who causes the male to suffer but the male alone. The threat of female sexual expression despite the lack of females within the novel demonstrates the psychological turmoil the men face under the constraints of th e Victorian society. Dracula uses female sexuality as a threat to men, again demonstrating the power that women hold over the men and consequently emphasising the weakness of the male. One of the key themes within Stokers novel is the fear surrounding sexual expression. Female sexual expression is seen as a threat which provokes a form of pleasure in the male imagination. The characters are liberated from the pressures of social constraint by means of the imagination, through which they can give a free rein to their sexual desires. Female sexuality is fundamental to the novels exploration of the role of the male within Victorian society as the novel shifts power from one gender to another, as the females exercise their voluptuousness and the men act to maintain social order. Critic Heath comments that feminism makes things unsafe for men, unsettles assumed positions and undoes given identities. Stokers Dracula confirms this theory in its exploration of sexually powerful women who threaten patriarchal authority. On the other hand, the way in which the female characters transform into vampire vixens is not categorically a feminist depiction as the females simply tran sform into embodiments of Dracula, meaning that they shift and take on a masculine form in order to gain power. The three females who become sexualised are clearly representations of gender subversion as they seek to dominate Harker and use him to fulfil their own sexual urges. Yet, in many respects, these females must adopt the role of the male in order to acquire any form of power. Their sharp teeth, which they are determined to bite Harker with, are undoubtedly phallic symbols which epitomise the penetration of the victim. Ultimately, the way females attain power in the novel is through masculinity, therefore gender ideals are not subverted in this sense. Although female characters in the novel are permitted a degree of power and sexual liberation, masculinity remains as the more powerful position. Stoker uses Freudian theory in his novel in order to examine sexuality in the Victorian period without appearing overtly critical of the society in which he lived. The vampire element of the novel distances the reader from the society being described and yet there are noticeable parallels which suggest Stokers deliberate attempt to challenge accepted ideology. Dracula begins with a description of Jonathan Harkers description of how he arrives at the castle. Harker uses the word uncanny in this description which immediately makes reference to Freuds theory, published in 1919, on the uncanny. This theory is referenced throughout the novel, as the vampire who brings about death with his mouth, is representative of the first stage of psychosexual development, according to Freud. It is at this stage where, Freud believes, the person develops the compulsion to destroy that which is living. The characters of Lucy and Mina are presented as being wholly devoted to the men in their lives. This innocence depicts these women as both docile and two-dimensional. Dracula threatens to change these women into devils of the Pit and give them power through sexualisation, and it is only through these transformations that the female characters may acquire a voice within the text. When Lucy Westerna is transformed into a sexual being by Count Dracula, she changes from a weak and passive female character into a vampire vixen who seeks to satisfy her own sexual desires. She is at first submissive at the hands of the male characters but, once she becomes sexualised, she hunts for to use men for her own advantage and fulfil her sexually. Stokers Dracula investigates the possibility of a kind of fluidity within gender roles. When Lucy transforms into a voluptuous vampire, any potential male suitor is warned off at the demand of any form of objection to established sexual identity. The men are perturbed at the prospect of a woman usurping power and subverting accepted roles. Lucys transformation is seen as so insubordinate of social expectation that Van Helsings men are determined to destroy her in an attempt to reinstate social order. The men are fearful that Mina will also be transformed and dedicate themselves to controlling female sexual behaviour in order that the women do not become disparaged socially and therefore incapable of any relationship with them. The mens fears over the womens transformations are entirely selfish as they feel unsafe with any attack on social order. Dracula mocks them saying your girls that you love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine. He suggests here tha t his transformation of women into sexualised vampire vixens, where their sexual desires are uncontained and liberated, leaves men exposed and will ultimately destroy patriarchy within society. Stoker depicts Victorian horror at the thought of a sexually liberated woman through his description of Harkers own fear at confronting the vampires. His confusion surrounding the kiss of the vampire, where he feels both desire, in his longing for the kiss, and deadly fear at the same time, is representative of the way that Victorian society constrained the mobility of sexual desire for men, as well as for women. His confusion as to whether he was dreaming in his visions of pleasure as the women approached him suggest that he will not allow himself to consider any sexual desire as real and he will not confront his feelings. He decides that if the vampires are more than just visions then they will drink his blood, making themselves stronger and, in turn, weakening him. However, he is still fearful of these vampires if they are simply visions as they still threaten to drain him of semen, as they are providing him with sexual pleasure, as he lies in languorous ecstasy. Harkers weakness as a male is revealed when he is described as being both sickened and excited by the thought of any sexual contact with the female vampires. This demonstrates the oppressive nature of Victorian society in that Harker was forced to subdue his desires as he did not have the power to act upon them. The way in which Stoker depicts Harkers fear in losing valuable fluid, whether blood or semen, in either situation, presents an image of the collapsing patriarchal structure of Victorian society. Stoker may be warning men of this social change, but it seems more likely that he is encouraging social ideology to be reconsidered. The function of the vampire in the novel can be considered as a representation of sexual oppression. The male characters in Dracula all fight to contain female sexuality as they panic for their own wellbeing. In Christopher Crafts essay on gender and inversion in the novel, he argues that Dracula uses gender stereotypes in order to encourage exploration into sexuality and in order that social expectation can be re-imagined. He comments that the novels depiction of transformation, whether from victim to vampire or from vampire to the victim, permits an investigation into sexuality and gender. Often, the way in which the novel challenges oppressive Victorian society is overlooked in favour of its apparent denunciation of gender inversion. Dracula seems to imply a failing on the part of women who seek to subvert conventional social roles and yet in many ways the females are not permitted any form of power as they adopt masculine qualities when they are transformed into vampires. It can be said that gender roles are not definitively reversed in the novel, as the females must become male as they become vampires. In becoming male, the female vampires lose any maternal sense as they prey on innocent children and they become penetrators in their desire to suck blood from their victims. The novel, therefore, has no real female representation, suggesting that Stoker was not setting men and women up against each other but commenting on society as a whole. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novel which confronts anxieties of the Victorian period. The narrative presents the idea of one body which contains two opposing personas. Dr Jekyll, who is well-educated and an upright member of society is contained within the single body alongside the wholly immoral Mr Hyde. Dr Jekylls underlying desire to liberate himself from the oppressive society in which he lives is outplayed through his alter-ego Mr Hyde, who enjoys the freedom of acting upon his desires and human urges. This representation seems to emulate Victorian societys deep-rooted fascination with emancipation from social imprisonment. Many critics suggest that masculinity is often presented as an adaptable and indefinite sphere within the novel, a factor which has permitted a degree of reimagining the concept of the male in literature. Critic Cohen argues that from as early as the 1880s, fictional depictions of English masculinity often narrativise the difficulties of the male embodiment as a splitting within the male subject precisely in order to assert new modes of self-representation. He suggests here that the male figure was less frequently written as a stable representation and was more commonly represented as a character with more than one persona. The image of Victorian London presented by Stephenson is a society almost entirely lacking in females. The only woman who is present in the narrative is the maid who witnesses the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Her status instantly suggests that the woman is lower class and she is presented as an almost insignificant member of society. She describes the body of Sir Danvers Carew as beautiful. This is the only instance novel in the novel where there is any form of interaction between the genders and, even this interaction is presented as non-sexual. The consequences of such a repressive society are clearly detrimental to the people who inhabit it, as Dr Jekyll proves through Hyde, and this oppression is demonstrated through the lack of open sexual desire within the novel. Furthermore, the absence of women within the novel suggests that the male identity crisis was a social creation rather than due to female influence. The men in the novel are at peril with their sexual identity and plac e in society because of the imposing nature of society itself. Whilst Stephenson presents the idea that Victorian society regarded displays of sexuality as indecent, Hydes actions within the novel are undoubted of a sexual nature. When Hyde is first introduced to the novel, there is a description of him trampling a young girl underfoot, and, afterwards, he pays for her family to keep quiet about the incident. This incident could insinuate that Hyde was involved in the common Victorian crime of child prostitution. Moreover, the lack of sexual desire towards females on the part of the male characters may imply that these men were concealing homosexual tendencies. The close relationship shared between Utterson and Enfield may also imply that these two men take part in some kind of sexual behaviour that would have been condemned at the time. Freudian theory labels the character of Hyde as an illustration of the unconscious mind, known as the id. Jekylls ability to conform to social expectation is controlled by his ego which suppresses his unconscious thoughts. Critic Michael Kane believes that Victorian society found the unconscious mind as detrimental. He comments that repressed desires were projected upon those it considered inferior, not only women but any lower order of society, who became the unconscious of respectable society. His ideas suggest that gender is not the significant factor which causes people to act upon their basic urges; it is the idea of levels of the class which impose social rigidity. By this he means that upper class citizens are more likely to suppress any improper desire because of their position within society. This argument is not supported by the novel, however, as Jekyll is a doctor so he is clearly educated and he is a respectable member of society who falls victim to the social oppression he faces. The novel uses the concept of the double in order to examine the way in which characters of either gender can be identified by more than one state, exploring Stephensons own claims that every human being contains some form of alter-ego. Dr Jekyll is an upstanding citizen who conceals an immoral monster in the form of alter-ego Hyde. Throughout the novel the two are presented as entirely distinct beings and it is only in the novels conclusion that the reader can fully understand the two personas as one character. The use of the double personality of Jekyll and Hyde is a useful concept when considering male gender identity, as the dual nature of the individual is said to destabilise male character itself. The novel challenges the idea that the male character represents unquestionably the embodied attributes of a male and a gender ideology that qualifies masculinity as proper male character. Despite the fact that the novel does appear to confront gender stereotypes referenced in the pre vious statement, the idea of masculinity is difficult to consider in the context of social influence, the idea that society constructs the way that gender identity is formed. Stephenson does not condemn men as individuals but comments on the way that the stringency of Victorian society and its expectations does not account for the duality of human nature. Both Stokers Dracula and Stephensons Jekyll and Hyde share a similar narrative structure, introducing a monstrosity and then exploring this idea before eradicating the monster with the intention that social order is reinstated. The monster in Dracula is the Count himself and the monstrosity of the novel is the liberation of female sexual expression through his transformation of women into vampire vixens. Stephensons novel shows the monster as repressed desires of Jekyll which are unveiled through the vehicle of Hyde. At the end of the novel, Jekyll reveals that he knows Hyde will be no more by the time Utterson reads his final letter. At the end of Stokers novel, Dracula is killed and Little Quinceys birth fulfils Van Helsings prophecy of the children that are to be and restores order among the community. Critic Christopher Craft comments that the monstrous threat in the novels is contained and finally nullified by the narrative requirement that the monster be repudiated and the worl d of normal relations restored. The restoration at the end of both novels suggests that gender ideals cannot be subverted entirely, despite challenging social expectation to a certain degree. Nevertheless, the conclusions of the novels are not positive which suggest that although ideals remain as established this is not necessarily the best outcome and there is an inference that change needs to be made. Gothic novels are commonly recognised as texts which exemplify the subjugation of women yet the oppression faced by the male characters is often disregarded. Both men and women suffered equally under the repressive Victorian society which directed sexual behaviour and regarded open sexual expression as depraved. The function of the male character within the novels is not merely to criticise the patriarchal society of the 19th century but to challenge the way that social ideology was a detrimental factor to both men and women.

Dysfunctional Families in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams

Dysfunctional Families in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams Dysfunction and volatility is common amongst families. These families dislike their kin and often resent them. In the play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams, the Politt family does not function as a normal family. Brick, Maggie, and Big Daddy are three members of the family that have the most problems that affect the whole family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brick, Maggie’s alcoholic husband, is an uncaring man who has no good feelings toward his wife. For example, when Maggie buys a gift for Brick to give to Big Daddy on his birthday and Maggie wants Brick to sign the card, he says â€Å"No†¦ I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do†(28). Even on Big Daddy’s last birthday, Brick refuses to make Big Daddy happy. He is very selfish in his decision. In addition, when Maggie wants to have a little privacy with Brick and he refuses, Maggie responds by saying she can’t live under those circumstances, Brick then states â€Å"You agreed to†¦ Accept that condition†(32). Maggie wants to love Brick but is shunned because of his insensitivity. Brick’s alcohol seems to float his boat more than being with his spouse. Brick has no compassion and feelings for his family and for anyone else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Margaret (Maggie), a young, beautiful woman has a marriage on the rocks and a strong dislike towards Mae and her children. For instance, when Maggie starts talking about Skipper during her con...

Women’s Plight in Katherine Mansfield’s Life Of Ma Parker :: Life Of Ma Parker Essays

Katherine Mansfield’s "Life of Ma Parker" presents the plight of Ma Parker as a working-class woman at the turn of the century, in terms of her position in the sphere of the family and in the sphere of society. "Life of Ma Parker" is a story of a widowed charwoman. Like Miss Brill, Ma Parker is a very lonely woman, but their equally painful story is told quite differently, mainly because Mansfield supplies no background to account why Miss Brill’s Sunday passes as it does. As the title of the story denotes, we receive the story of Ma Parker’s life, which explains her current situation. "As servant, wife, and mother, she’s the generic British working-class female at the turn of the century – cowed by drudgery and burdened by loss. Her husband, a baker, died of ‘white lung’ disease, and those children who survived the high rate of infant mortality fell victim to other ills of the late-Victorian underclass: emigration, prostitution, poor h ealth, worse luck" (Lohafer 475). At the present point in the story, Ma Parker arrives to work in the house of the literary gentleman after she buried the previous day her loving grandson, Lennie, who was the only ray of light in her dreary life. According to Irigaray, "all the systems of exchange that organize patriarchal societies and all the modalities of productive work that are recognized, values, and rewarded in these societies are men’s business†¦.[t]he work force is this always assumed to be masculine, and ‘products’ are objects to be used, objects of transaction among men alone" (171). Ma Parker has to play the role of an object circulated among masculine employers as she has to support her children and herself. Ma begins working as early as the age of sixteen as a "kitching-maid" (143). Later on, "[w]hen that family was sold up she went as ‘help’ to a doctor’s house, and after two years there, on the run from morning till light, she married her husband" (144). Ma is an object of transaction among men, as she transfers from one male employee to another, until she is married. Now then, Ma was working for the literary man, as people advised him to "get a hag in once a week to clean up" (142, my italics). The literary man, insensitive to his surroundings and lonely as Ma Parker at the same time, dirties everything around him and leaves it all looking like "a gigantic dustbin" (142), but Ma "pitied the poor young gentleman for having no one to look after him" (142).