Purpose of Schools Essay

School is an institutional mechanism that tries to share knowledge and/or be an agent for social action. Looking back to the ancient history of schools, some schools of ancient Israel for example feel that the main purpose of education was to ‘produce faithful members of a nation – a son who would bring pride to his family and his people and glory to God. ’ In ancient Greece, the school was to produce a productive citizen, wise and mature and Rome followed the example of Greece. However, there are some schools which are just for education, where basic knowledge is shared based on the age through a planned curriculum. There are schools which apart from providing knowledge through planned curricula do bring in social change through actions. I believe that a school has got to play the role of both i. e. sharing knowledge and also be an agency for social action. An example that can be cited following both is the ancient Hindu school called ‘gurukul’ , where apart from knowledge through planned curricula, there are learning sessions on various social norms and values that are normally practiced in the society. The purpose of a school is thus to orient students to socialize by understanding the background, culture and values of that area which would further add to their individual growth and understanding for nurturing good citizens. Apart from this, there is a need for the schools to see to it that students are able to gain proper knowledge which should further help them to able to attain further education and employment. Thus, we can say that the main purpose of schools is to provide education which would enhance the knowledge, skills and attributes of students and make them responsible citizens of the country. Even though schools as educational institutions have their own limitations of access to knowledge, funds to provide the services to students etc. based on the need and following the goal that the educational institution wants to achieve, teachers have to redesign their teaching strategies/pedagogy.

Arab Americans

The biggest consideration in any effort to infiltrate the community is the legal and ethical issues that would govern those actions. Immigrants have rights and they must be respected in the country. It’s important that these people would know that the government respects them as persons and as citizens of America. There are constitutional rights that must not be broken; otherwise, no immigrant in the country would ever feel safe. There are already many crimes against their race and I wouldn’t want to add to that list. I believe in getting their trust in order for them to cooperate and become loyal to the country.Loyalty can’t be bought nor can it be forced. It has to be their decision to express loyalty to a country that treats them well. Ethical issues need also be taken into account. For instance, would it be right for me to tap into people’s conversations even if those persons are exemplary citizens and have been positive contributors to the community? If there are times when it is absolutely necessary to spy on every person in the immigrant population, then, it will be done so long as needless deaths will be prevented. As for sending agents, I believe it is a must to have undercover people among them in order to filter out the rotten tomatoes.The undercover work’s goal is to identify, without a doubt, who are propagating extremist ideas in the community. Once identified, these people will be given the appropriate punishment under the law. The most important role I could play in the community is to make sure that even the immigrants and the Arab Americans will not become unwitting tools of terrorists. 2. Based on the reading assignments, what status, rights and protections would you afford someone who was an American citizen captured in the United States in the act of terroristic violence?How about someone who was a foreign national engage in terrorism in the United States? An American citizen fights American forces abroad? A foreign national, but not a member of a nation's military, fighting American forces abroad? Would torture of any of these subjects ever be justified if it could save lives? American Citizen An American citizen captured in the country committing terroristic violence will be captured and imprisoned under the rules of law. Since it can be considered treason to commit acts of terror in one’s country, then that person will not have the rights of a common prisoner.Foreign National A foreign national committing terroristic activity in the country will be detained depending on the Attorney General’s mandates, and will be tried either inside the country or outside it. The hearing would likely be before a military tribunal. American Citizen Fighting American Forces Abroad If the American citizen fighting American forces abroad will be captured, he will be treated as a prisoner of war provided that he meets the criteria provided for in the Geneva Convention. He will have the r ights of a POW and will be treated accordingly.Foreign National Fighting American Forces Abroad A foreign national who is not a member of a military unit will be accorded a prisoner of war status until such time that his status will be determined by the appropriate tribunal. If the foreign national turns out to be a terrorist, then, he will be punished the way terrorists should be punished in accordance to law. 3. What are the different perspectives concerning Just War? Can the war on terror be properly characterized as a just war? Under what circumstances would fighting terrorism cease to be just?Why? The different perspectives of Just War are: †¢ Just War is only permissible as a last resort when all other non-violent means have been exhausted. †¢ A war can only be just if it is conducted by who society deems to have the authority to do so. †¢ Just war happens to remedy the wrong committed against society. †¢ To fight a war that does not have a chance of succee ding is not just. †¢ The ultimate goal of just war is the re-establishment of peace. †¢ It is just war if the violence in the war is proportionate to the injury endured.†¢ A just war does not target civilians and all efforts must be made so as not to harm civilians. The war on terror can be considered just because the proper authorities are out to get the villains in order to make the society safe for the citizens. Terrorists do not discriminate between military and civilian targets, as such, they must be stopped to avoid the killings of civilians. Fighting terrorism ceases to be just when the country has endangered citizens in the process. For example, if the U. S.will engage the whole of Afghanistan in war just because the Al Qaeda had its beginnings in that country won’t be just. It’s not fair to generalize that every Afghanistan is a terrorist. Also, war will become unjust if the wrong people are targeted by the authorities. Say for example that ever y person coming from the Middle East and who looks like Osama bin Laden will be detained by authorities because of how they look, then, that action is not just anymore. It is already a discrimination against individual persons. 4. How serious is the problem of anti-Americanism here at home?Should people be accountable for inciting violence when they glorify violent acts against America but themselves do not engage in it? What remedies are available to the government, if any, to deal with schools, mosques, and charities that indirectly support terrorism while not actually engaging in it? What should the remedies be? Anti-Americanism in the United States is often on issues that involve the presence of troops in Iraq, the operations in Afghanistan and global warming. Many Americans do not want the American troops to continue being in Iraq.There are constant protests and demonstrations asking the government for the troops’ withdrawal. At the same time, the government’s cam paign in Afghanistan is viewed by many citizens to be unreasonable and should be stopped. Many American Muslims believe that putting all of the blame on Osama bin Laden and his group is not right. There are also a lot of demonstrations and protests calling for the government to do something about global warming. Meanwhile, Pipes (2005) reports that some American Muslim schools have been teaching things that tantamount to being anti-American.As an example, an American-Muslim student told the Washington Post in 2001 that for him, being American is just about where he was born, and it does not define him. Some schools are also teaching things against the Jews, while promoting the supremacy of Islam. Pipes relates that a textbook in a Muslim school in Virginia has stated that only Islam is the true religion, and all others are false. First graders are easily influenced and reading this text would make them believe that people who are not Muslims are inferior to their race.The government , especially the education ministry, has to take a direct control over what materials are being taught in schools. The schools must not be allowed to focus too much on religion. There must be a law prohibiting minority schools to engage in activities or teach lessons that would indirectly support and promote terrorism. 5. Give your overall assessment of the USA PATRIOT ACT. Do you think it has contributed to the lack of terror attacks in the United States since 9/11? If you were in Congress, would you vote to renew the act as is?Would you change anything? Why or why not? Before the USA Patriotic Act was passed into law, electronic surveillance had to undergo a lot of red tape before it can be approved. Sharing of information between intelligence units and law enforcement agencies was very limited because the law does not say to what extent should information be shared. This could have resulted to missed opportunities to prevent acts of terror in the country. When the Patriotic Act w as enforced, every ground rule was established on how information will be obtained and shared.Surveillance of every information, financial or otherwise, became permissible. Even phone conversations can be tapped into. Because of this, the terrorist groups have to devise new ways of communicating, which possibly thwarted further acts of terror after 9/11. In this sense, the Patriotic Act is able to curtail further terroristic activities in the country. There are, however, some parts of the Act that speaks of human rights violations. For instance, indefinite detention of immigrants is not reasonable. It would strike fear in the hearts of those who are being loyal and good citizens of America.While the innocent would fear the Act, it would make terrorists wary of committing acts of terror. They would have to be very clever to go unnoticed. Overall, the Patriotic Act has served its purpose despite flaws in some of its contents. If I were a member of Congress, I would vote to renew the P atriotic Act. It may not be perfect but it has kept the country relatively free of terror attacks after 9/11. However, there would be some changes on the Act, which addresses controversial issues like indefinite detentions, secret trials, and giving vast powers to the executive branch.As a democratic country, it is important that the laws of democracy would not be forgotten in the quest to end terrorism. References Ferraro, V. Principles of the Just War. Mount Holyoke College. Retrieved August 17, 2008, from http://www. mtholyoke. edu/acad/intrel/pol116/justwar. htm Pipes, D. (2005, March 29). What Are Islamic Schools Teaching? New York Sun. Retrieved August 17, 2008, from http://www. danielpipes. org/article/2489 USA Patriot Act (H. R. 3162). Retrieved August 17, 2008, from http://www. personalinfomediary. com/USAPATRIOTACT_Text. htm

Pfeffer High Performance Practices

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Report for the CEO Goncalo Correia MIB28 The Trivalor Holding The Trivalor Holding, is a Portuguese group created more than 50 years ago by a Portuguese business man, having started with two companies in the Business Services segment, and evolving over time, securing a position as the biggest services group in Portugal, owning today 16 companies and employing at times over 11. 000 workers. The areas covered by the group are, social and public food services, emission and management of services tickets, commercialization and logistics of food products, industrial cleanings, uman and robotic security, transport of values, vending machines and archive management.The main clients of the state are public administration, local city councils, hospitals, schools, and defense forces as well as prisons. Historically, the group, has always had an â€Å"employer friendly† policy, and is known for the fact of never having lay- ­? off one single worker following a â€Å"Japanese† style management. The majority of the technical and administrative workforce has worked there since the beginning of the company and there is a unity feeling that can be easily perceived amongst the workers. Nevertheless, from my point of iew, due to its size and age, it has created over the time some habits that fail to evolve from a top- ­? down to a integrative style management where workers are part of everyday decisions, fact which after reading this paper I believe could be substantially ameliorated contributing for an efficiency breakthrough needed by us to remain competitive. 2 Status Quo In an evolving business environment such as the one we live in nowadays, where there is a clear tendency of companies in the first world countries to walk towards a service driven economy, human resources are one if not the most important assets that a firm can have.This should not be ignored or by any means devalued by top management, tha t in order to retain its best individuals within the firm, must adapt, motivate and commit to people in all levels of work. In current times, polls show a high- ­? growing discontentment of people towards their professional careers. For this, workers lack motivation, not feeling aligned with the company goals, ultimately seeing the organization they work for as the â€Å"enemy†, facts that are responsible for the loss of Billions of dollars every year. Amongst the main reasons for this dissatisfaction, Pfeffer stresses out, issues like Company Trust, or in ther words how does the employee perceives to what degree the statements, relations and promises from the company are feasible and fulfilled in the future, Job Security, the prospects of maintaining their job position in the long term as well as the dependence on externalities such as economic downturns and crisis, or industry distresses;Work- ­Family relation, which is commonly perceived as a distributive issue, meanin g that a person which is good in the family- ­? relations must necessary lack of commitment to their job, and finally Poor Job conditions and environment, when people don’t feel comfortable with the workplace s well as their professional relations. Historically, the firms that have soon understood this, and practice a high commitment tactics towards all its stakeholders, were able to profit on long periods of success, and ultimately guarantee financial wealth. Taking Advantage of an Integrative Management style As our company has been in the services and utilities business for decades, from my point of view, we have gained the habit of taking a more accommodated approach in the relation with our employees, failing sometimes to take advantages from some high commitment tactics, many of which could be put in practice with little pending and effort.Our group policy has been since the beginning to offer a work for life, offering a secure position as long as the co- ­? workers comply with what it is requested from them, what accordingly to Pfeffer and proven by our success of transforming a small company in the biggest group in the country inside our industry paid- ­? off in the long- ­? term. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to express that from my analysis of the article that you as CEO asked me to read we are still lacking off on issues like training and skill development, as our R&D expenditure has been practically none over the last couple of ears. 3 I believe that by continuously training and investing in our co- ­? workers, through coaching programs, team building days, and more corporate events, more than just gaining the advantages of what they will learn and apply to our daily operations, we can make them getting involved with their work tasks what will bring a substantial increase in their performance. Nowadays I believe our relationship between employees is above average but there is still a big power- ­? distance within Trival or.This comes hand- ­? in- ­? hands with the decentralization of our daily decisions, which I believe some of these have the potential f being made from bottom- ­? up rather than following our historical rigid and traditional top- ­? down hierarchy model as in many cases it is the workers down the hierarchy chain have best knowledge of some the operational processes. Studies suggest that workers that feel their importance to the organization, and that are trusted with a great deal of information, tend to feel more involved, making better- ­? informed decisions about operational facts. Further, from an organizational behavior point of view, people tend to be concerned with affiliation within a group and the fact of feeling that they are part of something has lso a very positive effect in their performance.People do worry about their work relationships and about the other worker’s opinions on themselves. Reciprocity should be a central concept to bear in mind, defende d by Pfeffer when managing the relations between an organization and its co- ­? workers. To me, even searching in common sense, my empirical experiences suggest that people work better under devotion than obligation, and workers often tend to be much more pro- ­? active giving valuable and balanced input and new ideas when they feel a inner rush to please their superiors and the organization, rather than working n a fear oriented regime, where individuals respond by impulses. Deepened by further research I must underline my belief that by uniting all the above factors, would constitute an important milestone in the process of achieving what Professor Michael Beer identified as the three main goals in the quest for success in management.First, Performance Alignment1, the designing of a winning strategy to achieve long- ­? term goals, (by training and coaching our employees). Second, a Psychological Alignment, providing to our co- ­? workers a mindset that fosters meaning of t heir task, challenging work, a pleasant work environment nd the capacity to make a difference (through offering more autonomy, respect and conditions) and finally Capacity for Learning Change, by making everyone from the lowest level to senior places feel like part of something- ­? our company. 1 High Commitment High Performance: How to Build A Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage, Michael Beer Hardcover, August 2009 4 Implementation Challenges Analyzing our company, it is not hard to spot some of our pit- ­? falls when it comes to high performance management tactics.When reading the points described above you might end up asking yourself, if this analysis is not just resenting facts of good sense, and that the position defended by Pfeffer is obvious. But if this is true, why do we then fail to implement the suggested changes in our organization? The first reason that can come up to your head is cost. As I am aware, mainly due to externalities like the 2008 downturn cr isis our group has been trying to cut costs, mainly changing processes (specially logistics) into a lean management style, and betting on credit recuperation, although opting always by not laying- ­? off co- ­? workers.This might seem stressful time to propose these kinds of structural changes to the shareholder, as we have een feeling pressure from upstream to retain costs. Nevertheless I would argue that even in the medium term, the results will be felt, and by implementing some of these changes would have a positive effect on our employees trust, representing a boost in the recuperation from last year hard times. Further, as our macro- ­? economic situation in Portugal is very unsure at the time, as our government is struggling to approve its deficit budget with the European Union, I believe that these measures could consolidate our firm’s image that no matter what, we keep our dynamic capabilities and do not stagnate our processes even in imes of economic downturn. This, not to mention the confidence passed to our co- ­? workers that currently face a confidence crisis triggered by the media alarmism. We must not fall in the trap of following our competitor’s measures in order to secure our market position.Also I believe that by having a single shareholder we are in a privileged position, as if we are able to expose and adopt these tactics, we do not suffer pressures from other shareholders that could eventually feel they are being putted second after the employees. Concluding, my last point resides on our company being a pioneer when it comes to rewarding ethods. It was in fact the first group in the country to implement the â€Å"American reward system†, knowledge acquired by our Shareholder in the beginning of his life still as a manager working in the U. S. Our system relies on meritocracy, and even at the lowest levels, let’s take for example a cook in one of our hospital canteen, can make up to 20% of her base salar y if there is a compliance and dedication to schedules, attendance and customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, I believe that in addition to this, there could be offered an extra remuneration to the team as a whole including the cooks, the responsible of the canteen

Recent biotechnological approaches that have been used to enhance the Essay

Recent biotechnological approaches that have been used to enhance the yield and diversity of amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics - Essay Example These enrichments are only possible with Biotechnology. In the agriculture sector, many technologies are used such as genetic manipulation and gene transfer, development of recombinant vaccines, molecular markers, DNA-based disease diagnosis and characterization, embryo transfer and in vitro propagation of plants. In the food industry, the food processing is the main part where biotechnology intermission is required. For the improvement of the bacterial strains, genetic modification of the strains for the food processing microorganisms by the identification, characterization and alteration is done. Thus biotechnology has vast applications in many fields. Biofuels: As the fossil fuels are very limited, the search for the alternative methods that are renewable and safe are looked upon. The biological fuels such as ethanol, methane, hydrogen etc., are increasing day by day. To improve the production quality of these biofuels, the biotechnological approaches are used. The drawbacks of th ese methods such as low yield, high cost of feed, ad lack of active micro organisms can be overcome by using biotechnological approaches. ... Here the metabolic pathway is altered. The glucose metabolism towards the metabolic pyruvate formate lyase pathway by interrupting the succinate producing and lactate producing pathways. (Yoshida et al. 2006). By this technique the yield of hydrogen was increased from 1.08 mol/mol glucose to 1.83 mol/mol glucose which is 190 percent increase in the yields when compared to the wild strain hydrogen production. (Yoshida et al. 2006). The maize is used for the production of biofuel nowadays. The distillery soluble waste obtained after the ethanol production called as dried distiller grain soluble (DDGS), is usually left out as cattle feed. The researchers have found that this DDGS has a lot of nutritional value and if the feed is improved with amino acid and vitamin content, it can be used for swine and poultry. (Ufaz and Galili 2008). Lignocellulostic biomass is widely used as the main source of sugars for the fermentation to biofuels and other energy sources. These sugars are present b ound to the plant cell walls. The process of overcoming these barriers by the use of some break through technologies is termed as â€Å"biomass recalcitrance†. (Tomes and Lakshmanan 2010). Pretreatment of the biomass and then using it as the raw material for biofuel production will result in better yield. As lignin is not degraded easily by the protease enzymes, some modification to the substrate is very essential. Lignin hinders its active site form the enzymes and also binds reversibly to the proteins, because of this nature of lignin the enzymatic conversion is very less. So an alternative approach of increasing the pore size of the biomass can help to increase the enzymatic activity. Enzymes such as cellulase and hemicellulase are used for the

The other main cause of Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The other main cause of Global Warming - Essay Example The term global warming and its effects on the earth’s surface are not new, especially in a world where the impact is devastating. In fact, Global warming has greatest threat to worldwide economic and social systems. Global warming can be termed as the increase of the Earth’s average surface temperature due to effect of green house gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels (Haldar 1). Global warming has in effect taken the center stage in the scientists struggle to reverse the endangering effects of climate change and replenish the environment. Agriculture, mining, manufacturing activities among others are the most listed alternative causes of global warming when carbon dioxide is exempted. Other causes of global warming that have been given central attention in efforts to save our environment include among others natural causes. Natural causes are created and affected by nature without human’s contribution. One of the most known natural causes of global warming is the spontaneous release of methane gas in wetlands and tundra forests, mainly found in the Arctic region. Global warming becomes a serious and complex issue because the surface of the earth does not cool primarily by means of radiation but rather cools by evaporation and convention. This is contributed by the changing of temperature. With the increasing atmospheric temperature, the rate of evaporation is also escalating leading to increase in the volume of water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere.... Trees and vegetation has a natural process of photosynthesis which absorb carbon dioxide. Worst still is that the effect off deforestation is felt in two dimensions. One is where the trees are cut down thus unable to trap carbon dioxide and the other is that the same trees are used as a source of energy which also contributes to carbon emission. Global warming becomes a serious and complex issue because the surface of the earth does not cool primarily by means of radiation but rather cools by evaporation and convention. This is contributed by the changing of temperature. With the increasing atmospheric temperature, the rate of evaporation is also escalating leading to increase in the volume of water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere. As described by Maslin, increased water vapor in the atmosphere has effects of compacting to form a natural blanket that finally traps and hinders terrestrial radiation from escaping from the earth’s atmosphere (12). Due to increase in global temperatures, the precipitation patterns change causing alteration of natural processes and the arrangement and function of the ecological unit. This significantly contributes to global warming. In addition, increased use of inorganic fertilizers such as nitrogenous fertilizers has largely contributed to global warming (Maslin 10). Nitrogenous fertilizers are reacting in the soil and produce nitrogen oxide and nitric acid, which are catalysts to the process of global warming. Fertilizers and carbon dioxide are two major items to improve crop yield, so control global warming will influence the crop yield more or less. The increasingly populace around the world has

IMRD RESEARCH PAPER (McDonalds) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

IMRD (McDonalds) - Research Paper Example It helps eradicate all chronic disease like diabetes through eating the right food. People should be ready for jogging mostly at the morning to avoid obesity. The disease is associated with heart attacks. This Keeps people in good shape, Regardless of Mc Donald’s being the community based company, it should consider the health factor of the people not only the profits. As the most bigly and formally known in the community, it should come up with booklet advising the community the significant of good meal but not to ruin their life by making them food addicts. By the company so doing health will be stabilized through feeding ourselves with good food. Most of the children are overweight or obese, this is caused with parent feeding their children in fats and a lot of food staff which is overwhelming the fridge and all store in the house. Parent should consider the food thy give their children. Not only to buy sweet and sugary food. People have to consider the benefit of the food they buy for their children. Mc Donald’s have been criticized for not selling standardized food for the children making them nearly one third of America children are fat. This has attracted attention in the nation from healthy professional, parent to consumer. As attention is centered with many people, it has forced the company to come up with sugar free juice like apple dipper. Most of the company customers are children who come to eat their as the company claim to raise more money for food. This will chase their client as many young people and children cannot afford to buy food there. This will make the company less competitive; therefore, it will be out of market and losing some of its customer hence going loss. The companies don’t want to lose its sale through rising of price. Many people were insulated that the company does not provide quality food which is harmful; to consumer and children that why it’s selli ng very cheap their food. Since the

How does the economy of Iceland work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How does the economy of Iceland work - Essay Example As opposed to a purely capitalistic economy, the mixed economy in Iceland ensures regulated private ownership and safeguarded welfare of the citizens, a feature that limits exploitation of the public and concentration of resources in the hands of few individuals at the expense of other citizens. The country’s economy also operates through investments into creation of employment opportunities. Reported data on the country’s economy for instance indicates low unemployment rates, an indication that job creation is a prioritized economic policy (CIA, p. 1). One of the core bases of the Iceland’s economic sustainability is its fishing industry. According to CIA statistics, the industry is responsible for about 12 percent of the country’s economy and is a source of employment to at least seven percent of the country’s population. The fishing industry also sustains Iceland’s economy through the vast export of the fishery products. Contributing about 40 percent of the country’s export identifies fishing as a major source of foreign exchange to the country. The export aspect from fishing industry also indicates the country’s involvements and derived benefits of international trade. International trade is therefore another base for Iceland’s economic functionality and sustainability and includes other exports other resources such as metal ores. The economy is also characterized by significant foreign investments. With cheap energy sources such as geothermal power, the country has been able to attract investors from across the world. Investments in the economy have also undergone diversification towards exploration and exploitation of different available resources in the country. Further, the country has been able to attract foreign revenues through foreign investments by its domestic industries such as its financial institution. The

The Tactics of the Ku Klux Klan Used During Post-Civil War Essay

The Tactics of the Ku Klux Klan Used During Post-Civil War Reconstruction - Essay Example The political and social realities of the South immediately after the Civil War made it an ideal environment for the transformation of the KKK. It was quickly reborn at a convention of delegates in Nashville, TN. A constitution was drawn up and Nathan Bedford Forest, a former slave trader and Confederate general was elected Imperial Wizard. Due to the secretive and covert nature of the organization, there was a lack of centralized control and any person who wished to dress in a white cape and hood and "dispense justice" could claim affiliation with the KKK. There were several methods used to intimidate and frighten African Americans and those sympathetic to their cause during Reconstruction. They ranged from threatening words to assault and lynching. The main goal of the KKK at this point was to threaten the black man into either not voting, or voting as the KKK would like them to vote. Testifying for a Joint Select Committee to inquire into the condition of affairs in the South directly after reconstruction, two white men, two black men and one black woman all were witness to or victim of acts of terrorization by members of the KKK organization. In particular, the testimonies of the two black men, Elias Thomson and Mervin Givens list atrocities in the form of physical assault on their persons by members of the KKK. Mr. Thomson testified to being taken from his home out into the yard and beaten because he had voted for Claudius Turner. When asked by the KKK what his reasons were, Mr. Thomson said. "I thought a good deal of him; he was my neighbor. Because I thought it was right" (Thomson 15). The KKK then proceeded to tell him he was wrong for voting, threatened to hang him, and then whipped him soundly. After his testimony, questions were asked of him by the Ohio Senator, Philadelp Van Trump. Mr. Van Trump asked Mr. Thomson pointed questions, even rudely interrupting his answers to openly mock his speaking style. It was clear that Mr. Van Trump was trying to discredit or make Mr. Thomson seem to falter by the general absurdity of his questions. Questions including if the KKK was trying to intimidate colored people, why did they make you promise not to tell anyone of their visit (Thomson 16-17) After testifying that he was whipped until his short was torn from his body, Mr. Mervin Givens faced Senator Van Trump's particular brand of questioning. Mr. Givens said that the reason he was beaten was his voting preference. Mr. Van Trump asked why Mr. Givens was testifying now, and if he thought that those three men (the committee) could change anything. Mr. Givens calmly replied that they could get help. Mr. Givens' testimony shows that although the black community was living in fear of the KKK, they were still able to stand up for their rights when they felt a change was possible. The KKK might be making them extra wary, but they were not losing hope. The two white men -Samuel Poinier and D.H. Chamberlain- were not physically assaulted in any way. Samuel Poinier was a prominent Republican newspaperman and testified to receiving threatening communications ordering him to leave the county and signed by the KKK (Thomson 16). He also mentioned having witnessed, or heard of attacks on black men and women in his county,

Productivity in the workplace as an lpn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Productivity in the workplace as an lpn - Essay Example Most of the nurses view lpn roles similar to certified nursing attendants: nurses feel that lpn need to be told what to do and be closely monitored. Lpn’s believe that a professional degree gives authority and autonomy in an organization; moreover, increases motivation for workplace productivity. The feeling that they are being treated equal to nurses enforces them to work hard, care more, and be at good relation with co-workers. In order to reduce conflict and increase workplace productivity of lpn, collaboration between nurses, lpn, and management must be addressed. A health care institution with good working relationships smoothen work flow by facilitating ease of task. Time is not wasted for arguments and health care workers focus only on how to deliver quality care to clients; therefore, human resources are maximized which increases workplace

Anwar Sadat Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Anwar Sadat - Assignment Example   During his 11-year reign, he was responsible for the transformation of Egypt from the once retrogressive state to the now progressive state.   His achievements are well documented.Upon ascending to power, Sadat embarked on a corrective initiative that was meant to amend the supposed damage done by his predecessor.   The arrest of the secret police generals and the subsequent diluting of the secret police powers caused shock waves in Egypt. The expulsion of the Soviet Union military from Egypt and the transformation of the Egyptian military brought confidence amongst Egyptians on his determination to address the unchecked misuse of the military powers in the country (International Relations, 2015).In 1973, President Sadat led Egypt into the Yom Kippur War that helped in reclaiming Egypt’s land. During the Six Day War that his predecessor Nasser took part, the country was overwhelmed by the Israeli military that resulted in the country losing some of its lands. As presid ent, Sadat made the recapturing of Egypt’s land lost during the war his priority. As a result, Sinai Peninsula, which was captured by the Israeli army during the war, was returned to Egypt.   Later on, he engaged in finding a peaceful resolution between Egypt and Israel; an act that earned him a Nobel Prize Award. Even though the supposed treaty elicited negative reactions and resistance from the Arab world, it was successfully signed on 26th March 1979 in Washington D.C(Rubin, 2014).

American Writers Essay Example for Free

American Writers Essay ENG 4U1 – Film and Literature Comparative ISP Choose your ISP Topic below. For that topic, you must choose one corresponding film and one corresponding novel from the list below. You will then work towards completing a comparative analysis of the two chosen works. The steps of the ISP are as follows: U1A5 – Statement of Intent/ISP Proposal U2A6 – ISP Progress Report #1 (here you will review your ISP novel) U4A1 – ISP Annotated Bibliography U5A1 – ISP Progress Report #2 (here you will review your ISP film) U5A2 – ISP Thesis/Outline U5A4 – Final ISP Essay. ISP TOPICS FILM CHOICES NOVEL CHOICES Personal Liberation/Redemption Gran Torino Rocky Balboa Albert Camus, The Outsider Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying Ian McEwan, Atonement Jane Urqhart, The Stone Carvers John Irving, A Prayer For Owen Meany Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner Margaret Atwood, Surfacing Margaret Laurence, The Stone Angel Miriam Toews, A Complicated Kindness Oscar Wilde, A Picture of Dorian Gray Roberston Davis, Fifth Business Walter Lamb, She’s Come Undone Destructive Nature of Dreams American Gangster. There Will Be Blood Brian Moore, The Passion of Judith Hearne F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby John Steinbeck, The Pearl John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men Mordechai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye Utopia/Direction of the Future Children of Men The Road Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange Cormac McCarthy, The Road George Orwell, 1984 Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid’s Tale Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 Journey Motif Rain Man Motorcycle Diaries  A. Manette Ansay, Vingear Hill Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Cormac McCarthy, The Road John Steinbeck, The Pearl Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Marina Nemat, The Prisoner of Tehran Paolo Coehlo, The Alchemist Salman Rushdie, Satanic Verses Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying Destructive Nature of War Avatar The Hurt Locker Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces Denis Brock, The Ash Garden. Elie Wiesel, Night Ian McEwan, Atonement Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road Joseph Keller, Catch-22 Joy Kogawa, Obasan Laura Esquivel, Like Water For Chocolate Markus Zusak, The Book Thief Pat Barker, The Ghost Road Timothy Findley, The Wars Non-Conformist Hero Juno Iron Man Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange J. D, Salinger, The Catcher in The Rye John Irving, A Prayer For Owen Meany Joyce Carol Oates, Foxfire Ken Kesey, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in  the Nighttime Miriam Toews, A Complicated Kindness Roddy Doyle. A Star Called Henry Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees Immigrant Experience Lost in Translation In America Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible Brian Moore, The Luck of Ginger Coffey Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes Jane Urquhart, The Stone Carvers Joy Kowaga, Obasan Margaret Laurence, The Diviners Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion Mistry Rohinton, A Fine Balance Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints Role of Women Revolutionary Road An Education. Alice Walker, The Colour Purple Anita Diamant, The Red Tent Anne Marie MacDonald, Fall On Your Knees Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible Bernhard Schlink, The Reader Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Margaret Atwood, The Edible Woman Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale Miriam Toews, A Complicated Kindness Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye Wally Lamb, She’s Come Undone.

Jews Milkweed Essay Example for Free

Jews Milkweed Essay During Hitler`s region, he and the Nazi region changed many lives of innocent people. Milkweed, a historical fiction by Jerry Spinelli, shows how the Holocaust impacted a multitude of people. Orphaned at an early age Misha, the protagonist, adopts the identity of an orphan gypsy a persona created by his friend Uri. Misha adapts that identity would eventually become Misha Milgrom- the Jew. Misha assumes the role as the Milgrom family â€Å"breadwinner†. After thousands of Jews including the Milgroms, are relocated to the ghetto of Warsaw, Misha learns to identify himself with the Jewish struggle, and to be a part of a family. Because of Hitler`s oppression region, Jews like Misha, the street gang of orphans, and the Milgrom family learn to rely on relationships to help boost their chances of survival if not survival of life then survival of humanity and hope. Hitler`s is able to oppress the Jewish population by taking away their individual power, humility, and hope. One of the ways he takes away power is by using propaganda is to convince the non-Jews that Jews are to blame the wrongs in society. Misha sees this happen when he goes to the carousel and finds a horse missing. It has been from the place on the ride. The crowd surrounding the carousel immediately place blame for the missing horse. â€Å"‘Find the dirty Jew! ’ the voices called over and over, and I think one I heard was mine. † (pg. 66). Spinelli is showing how readly people will follow the crowd and join in the demeaning of a person to save their own lives. Even Misha finds himself buying into the propaganda. He has jumped on the bandwagon. After Misha realizes he too is joining in, he sees that someone has been found to blame. â€Å"They found a Jew. Or should I say they found a Jew. Jews are interchangeable. One was as good as another. † (pg. 66). It is clear that Jews have lost their individuality and become the scapegoat. They are now the â€Å"filthy son of Abraham† a worthless group of useless people, thriving people. People who are to be blamed for all the ills of society. Another example, of oppression is when Misha, Uri, and the boys are being rounded up by the jackboots to go to the ghetto. The boys are surprised when shouting voices as they scramble to escape. In an effort to get away, the boys all go in different directions. One of the boys jumped from the loft. He was shot in midair and flopped to the ground like a ragdoll. † (pg. 79). the boys are oppressed; under complete control of the Nazis. They fear being shot too. The Nazis believe that shooting the boy that try to escape is a small price to pay to get all the others under control. As people lose their powers, they need to help one another as it means of survival. Misha is dependent on Uri for basic survival during Hitler`s take over at Poland. Misha is naive, immature, young homeless boy. He is hopeless without the guidance of Uri. Uri has kept Mishap with food, shelter, companionship, and clothing. He treats him like a younger brother. Uri teaches him about the true purpose of the jackboots and news rules in society. â€Å"For some reason, I felt freer to be stupid and silly when he was there than when he was not. † (pg. 80). Mishap is more comfortable with Uri than without him and does not feel safe to be himself without Uri around. He trusts Uri to protect him when he crosses the line. He knows that if he is to act foolish walking the streets alone he would undoubtedly be killed. To help Misha survive the atrocity of the war, Uri has to take drastic measures. By the end of the war, Misha has learned from Uri how to become a protector and provider. At this point of the novel, the reader has begun to see little of Uri. When he does show Uri he is needed and has to do what no friend should have to do to help Misha avoid the train. â€Å"The Jackboot flung me against a wall. I saw his hand go to his holster. I saw the gun come out and point between my eyes. Die piglet! The voice. I looked up. The red hair. The face. Uri! I cried, and the gun went off. (pg. 168). Uri may have shot off Misha`s ear off, but he gave him an opportunity to run toward freedom and away from the ovens. Misha is helping the Milgroms in a desperate time of need. During the Holocaust many families, including the Milgroms, learn to survive the hardships by relying on relationships to help boost their chances of survival. One way the Milgroms use relationships to survive is by using it to sta y positive. There is so much death and destruction in the ghetto that people need hope if they wish to keep going and survive. Misha leans this when Mr. Milgrom tells him and Janina that Hanukkah is a holiday to celebrate the Jewish heritage. â€Å"And so Hanukkah is eight days when we remember that time, and we remember to be happy and proud to be Jews and that we will always survive. This is our time. We celebrate ourselves. We must be happy now. We must never forget how to be happy. Never forget. † (pg. 157). Spinelli is showing to be proud of yourself. It doesn`t matter what race or religion you are. Just be happy and never forget to be happy. If you have a good attitude, you can make other people around you happy. If you feel happy about yourself nothing will bring you down. Being positive about yourself will help people survive in the hardest of times. After Misha learns about deportations from a friend, Uri, Misha warns the Milgrom family in order for them to survive. Mr. Milgrom realizes that he will need to let go of Janina in order for her to survive. â€Å"He stared into my eyes. He gripped my forearm. Take her hand. Keep her with you. Make her go take off your armbands off and run. Run until daylight. Then hide. Run at night. He squeezed my arm so hard I would have thought he was trying to hurt me if I hadn’t known better. Do not bring back food tonight. Do not return. Run. Run. † (pg. 180). It is clear that the Holocaust is tearing up families and people, but this shows the Milgrom`s family has trust in everyone in the family. This shows that Mr. Milgrom trusts Misha to take Janina away from Warsaw. Mr. Milgrom wants Janina to be safe, to be happy, and to be free. He doesn’t want Janina to die like her mother. Misha understands this is hard for Mr. Milgrom to let go of Janina, but it needs to be done in order for her to survive. The oppressive nature of living in a German occupied Poland created conflict for the Jews. In order to survive or at least have some hope of survival, Jews such as the Milgroms, Misha, and the orphans had to form relationship that boosted their chances to live. Misha needed Uri, the Milgroms needed Misha, and the street gang needed each one another. Because life is hard and people are cruel and intolerant, relationships are essential to bring hope and light into the darkness life may throw in your way. Life in the ghetto during the Holocaust is dark as it gets.

Evaluating the Value of the Multifactor Leadership

Evaluating the Value of the Multifactor Leadership The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) is one of the most widely used instruments to measure leadership ability and behaviour in organisations and organisational studies. However this does not mean it is without flaws. This report will describe and discuss the MLQ and its main purposes. It will analyse leadership theories and the ways in which the test resonates with and conflicts with particular theories. In particular it will look at classic and contemporary leadership perspectives and theories and how it has been applied to the development of the MLQ and the Multifactor Leadership Model the questionnaire is based on. This report will show that while there are flaws in the design, construction, validity and practical application of the MLQ, it is a reliable tool when used in conjunction with other leadership selection and development tools and offers much promise in evaluating leadership ability and behaviours, follower reactions and situational attributes. In 1978, Burns proposed that leaders could be distinguished in terms of transactional or transformational leaders (Parry and Bryman, 2006, p 450). In his work, transactional leadership consisted of an exchange process between the leader and follower in which the leader offers a reward for compliance with his or her contract (Parry and Bryman, 2006, p 450) and is based on rewards and punishment. Transformational leadership on the other hand is the process of motivating followers or colleagues to do more than originally expected using charisma, influence and vision by transferring followers attitudes, beliefs and values, as opposed to simply gaining compliance (Parry and Bryman, 2006, p 450; Rafferty and Griffin, 2004, p 330). However, Burns proposed that a leader was either transformational or transactional, and that the two were at opposite ends of the spectrum. In the 1980s, Basss approach was able to draw heavily on Burns work, but hypothesised that successful leaders were transformational and transactional. Bass theory represented a combination of transformational, transactional and non-transactional laissez-faire leadership factors (Antonakis et al, 2003, p 264). Bass propositioned that transformational and transactional leadership styles are separate and independent dimensions that appear simultaneously (Tejeda, Scandura and Pillai, 2001, p 33) and that the transactional attributes would deliver the basic needs of an organisation, while the transformational attributes would foster change and encourage commitment. He believed that every leader displays each of the styles to some extent and called this the Full Range of Leadership Model (Bass, 1998, p. 7). However an effective leader would demonstrate transformational attributes more frequently then transactional attributes. Central to Bass research is the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Hartog, Muijen and Koopman, 1997, p21). The MLQ is a leadership assessment tool that measures leadership behaviour and style. It is the primary measurement tool of research on the theory (Tejeda et al, 2001, p 34). In its most recent format, the MLQ is a short but comprehensive survey of 45 items which measures a full range of leadership styles (http://www.cornerstonecoaching.com.au/MLQ_Questionnaire.html, 20/09/2010).  The MLQ is designed to evaluate the factors that are related to leadership and how these factors determine the efficiency and effectiveness of a leader. It assesses the transformational leadership with five scales: 1) idealised attributes, 2) idealised behaviours, 3) inspirational motivation, 4) intellectual stimulation and 5) individualised characterisation (Muenjohn and Armstrong, 2008, p 5). Three scales are identified as characteristics of transactional leadership: 1) contingent reward, 2) man agement by exception: active and management by exception: passive and one scale for Non-leadership, laissez-faire (Muenjohn and Armstrong, 2008, p 5). It also assesses the outcome of leadership in terms of effectiveness and satisfaction. The current version of the MLQ (Form 5X) was developed based on the results of studies of the previous versions and the feedback of leadership scholars who revised the questionnaire (XXXXX IN Antonakis, Avolio and Sivasubramaniam, 2003, p 265) and is used widely in research and across organisations in leadership assessment and development. Leadership Theories and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire The Multifactor Leadership Model has become one of the most widely cited theory of leadership, and while Bass (Bass, 1990b, in Hartog et al, 1997, p19) claims that the transactional-transformational leadership model is a new paradigm, and does not replace or explain other models, the model does in fact integrate ideas from classic and contemporary theories of leadership. Up until the late 1940s, the trait-based approach dominated leadership approaches (Parry and Bryman, 2006, p 448). These theories isolated characteristics that differentiated leaders from non-leaders based on the premise that leaders are born, to an extent, and that the skills required are innate and are not developed over time. The Multifactor Leadership Theory is not a trait based approach however it is evident that there are certain traits exhibited that differentiate a transformational leader from a transactional leader or traits that are not considered as leadership qualities. For instance, confidence (question 25), pride (question 10), optimism (question 9), resiliance and enthusiasm (question 13) are seen as traits of transformational leaders. One question in the MLQ states my associates and followers trust me and exhibit the values I portrayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (www.mlq.com.au, accessed 21/09/2010). In this question, trustworthiness is a trait that is perceived as important for transformational leadership. In fact, Bass approach is based on the concept of the trait or characteristic of charisma. However what the MLQ does not do is state that leadership traits are innate, and that leaders cannot be developed. A key advantage of the MLQ is that it is a tool to assess leadership skills and develop the leader into becoming more effective, efficient and transformational and show where development is required. From inception, the multifactor leadership model incorporated earlier behavioural approaches to leadership (Sashkin, 2004 in Antonakis, Cianciolo and Stenberg, 2004, p 175). Behaviour dimensions are actions that inspires by communicating a vision, actions that express considerations and behaviours that engage and challenge followers to think for themselves (Sashkin, 2004 in Antonakis et al, 2004, p 175). One of the best known approaches to behavioural leadership theories stems from research undertaken by a group of researchers at the Ohio State University. Stogdill and Coons identified two dimensions of leadership in their studies, referred to as consideration or employee-oriented leadership and initiating structure or production-oriented leadership (Antonakis, Cianciolo and Stenberg, 2004, p 7), not dissimilar to transactional, or task focussed leadership. It is important to note that unlike trait based approaches to leadership which focuses on characteristics that is perceived to make a good leader, behavioural approaches emphasise that behaviour can be changed, and through training, individuals can be better leaders. The MLQ is a tool that assesses current behaviour and can be used as a tool to assist in developing individuals to better leaders. In 1967, Fiedlar proposed a contingency model of leadership effectiveness which measured the leadership orientation of the person completing it (Fiedlar, 1967 in Parry and Byrman, 2006, p 449). The leader was either human-relations oriented, that is, considerate of the subordinates feelings and concerned with fostering good relations, or task-motivated (Parry and Byrman, 2006, p 449). Like Burns approach on transactional and transformational leadership, Fiedlar proposed that leaders were either human-relations oriented or task motivated, and could alternate depending on the situational factors. The MLQ however shows that for a leader to be effective, both task oriented attributes and transformation attributes needed to be displayed. The two were not co-dependent. The theory focuses on contingent reward as motivation, and is similar to transactional leader attributes. However, the theory highlighted that since a leaders personality does not change, it is instead necessary to change th e situational factors instead, such as task structure, position power or leader-member relations (Parry and Byrman, 2006, p 449). The MLQ is an assessment tool based on analysing a persons behaviours and attributes and developing or changing their behaviour to transformational leaders rather than transactional or non-leaders rather than the need to change the environment or situation. The multifactor model seems to stem from research conducted from the late 1980s onwards and the theories that became known as contemporary perspectives. One such example is leadership through emotional intelligence (EI). EI is consistently associated with good leadership and is the ability to understand and manage feelings, moods and emotions in self and others (Kupers and Weibler, 2005, p 369). The connection between emotions and transformational leadership was assessed by research conducted in 2001 by Palmer, Walls and Burgess by measuring emotional intelligence in 43 participants in managerial roles using the Trait Meta Mood Scale, and effective transformational leadership attributes were measured by the MLQ. It was found that there was a positive correlation between EI and transformational leadership, a factor that has not been missed by Bass, who declared that leadership is as much emotional and subjective as rational and objective in effect (1999, p 19 in Kupers and Weibler, 20 05, p 369). This and other research has suggested that EI is an important component of transformational leadership, and the ability to utilise transactional attributes when required. In fact, transformational leaders would need to use emotion to communicate vision to gain a response from their subordinates. It is interesting to note that the EI model became prevalent from 1980 onwards. Perhaps for this reason Bass and team insisted that their multifactor leader model was not based on previous classic models of leadership but asserted that there was a positive relationship between EI and transformational leadership. While this report does not propose that the multifactor model does not have any similarities to classic models, it is evident that the model has more similarity with contemporary models of leadership. Further correlations can be made between the multifactor model and the level 5 leadership model and inspirational leadership model. The level 5 leadership model is based on the premise that an effective leader exhibits attributes effective leadership, competent management, contributing team membership and a highly capable individual and can in addition demonstrate personal humility and professional will. Inspirational leadership is a combination of level 5 leadership and EI. Inspirational leaders selectively show their own weaknesses, dare to be different, rely on intuition and ability to read interpersonal cues and practice tough empathy. Attributes of the multifactor model, including inspirational motivations, simulation and consideration are similar to the concepts presented above. Effective leaders will also be transformational and transactional, therefore showing both competent manager and highly capable individual attributes. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Practical Application The MLQ is essentially based on the premise that for a leader to be successful, transactional and transformational attributes need to be displayed. This has also made the test popular and valid in a variety of situations and environments, including structured, task oriented workplaces, such as manufacturing or in a professional services environment, where employee empowerment, charisma and visionary leadership are prevalent. In addition, it is essentially a 360 degree feedback tool, that is used not only to develop the leader but to identify the thoughts of subordinates, thereby increasing accuracy, acceptance, better understanding of performance and gaps in performance and indicates the leadership skills an individual needs to develop to be effective. Based on the results, ineffective leaders can be differentiated from effective leaders. Furthermore, its successful application in a variety of organisations is highlighted by the fact that it has been translated in other languages to decrease the language barrier or cultural implications. What it does not take into account however, is other cultural implications such as preferred or required leadership style or social factors, and research has revealed that different cultures place value certain leadership styles and behaviours to a greater extent than others. Certain cultures for instance, may not value individualise d consideration for instance as much as the cultural norms of collectivist societies in China or India for instance, so attributes valued in the multifactor model may not be ideal in certain cultures. In a study by Shahin and Wright (2004), they highlighted that cooperation and coordination were important for social integration among people in Egypt, stemming from social culture and its dependence on Islam (Shahin and Wright, 2004, 9 203). The MLQ does not take into account social culture and cultural implications and for this reason further questions were added measuring social integration. Shahin and Wright (2004) also noted that the form in which char ismatic leadership portrayed in the Egyptian context has a strong element of authoritarianism (p 504). The leadership style exhibits strong elements of transactional leadership behaviours, where contingent reward and management by exception are required to ensure subordinates perform (Shahin and Wright, 2004, 9 504). Therefore the ideal measurements of the MLQ needed to be customised to suit the context. In addition Validity and Design As noted above, key to the multifactor model is based on the premise that the theoretical background stems from classic and contemporary leadership, and is based on developing leaders, not that leaders are born. The MLQ is widely accepted and used and extensive research has been conducted that highlights its validity and reliability to measure management behaviour and performance (Agle, 1993; Carless, Mann and Wearing, 1995; Lowe, Kroek and Sivasubramaniam, 1996). It has emerged from a through and rigorous research process over the past fifteen years (Whitelaw, 2001, p 1). Part of its success in implementation in todays business world is its success in integrating emotional intelligence into the attributes of transformation leaders. Based on the results, training, support, mentoring and coaching can be provided to the leader. It would be very difficult in criticising the MLQ in terms of its application, as the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) is widely used in academic research and also a broad range of different organisations across many cultures (Anatonakis et al, 2003; Krickbride, 2006). The evidence of this is the fact that the MLQ has been translated into ten different languages, and has extensively been used in organisations globally in the following sectors in many sectors such as training, consulting, financial and insurance institutes, law firms, hospitals, mining and manufacturing businesses, media, government, marketing, gaming industry, defence, retail, property businesses, education etc. However, research (House, 1997) reveals that different cultures vary immensely in the value they give to certain leadership styles and behaviours. This may lead to a problem in the potential application of the MLQ as leadership behaviour that is valued by the MLQ (e.g. individualised consideration t owards subordinates) might violate certain cultural norms of collectivist societies e.g. India and Japan. Furthermore, a research conducted by Connelly, Zaccharo, Threlfall, Marks and Mumford (2002) reveals that questionnaires like MLQ in which subordinates and peers provide evaluation, fail to measure certain types of leadership skills, as they might be less observable e.g. knowledge, problem-solving and judgement capabilities.   The ***** provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of public organizations, especially on the point that the criteria are multiple, shifting, and conflicting (Rainey, 2003) The MLQ is capable of measuring the extent to which leadership is ***** considerate, providing the ***** with support, mentoring, ***** coaching (*****, p. 5). Established ***** (Bass). In addition, the MLQ: *****. Differentiates effective and ineffective leaders ***** all organizational levels; 2. Assesses the effectiveness ***** an entire organizations leadership; 3. Is valid ***** cultures ***** types of organizations; *****. Is ***** to administer, requires 15 minutes to complete; 5. Has ***** extensively ***** and validated; 6. The MLQ provides the best relationship ***** survey data to organizational outcome; and, 7. The MLQ has become ***** benchmark measure of Transformational Leadership (***** *****) The data developed from the ***** to date have been shown to highly correlate with ***** with effectiveness, performance, ***** satisfaction (Bass, p. 83). In addition, the feedback of MLQ results can also be used for mentoring, counseling, coaching, and training; MLQ scores might also be used profitably to identify executives to head ***** ventures (Bass, p. 84). Theoretical background is based on developing leaders, not that leaders are born EI aspects present in MLQ Plenty of research and used widely, accepted 360 degree feedback, tool to identify the thoughts of subordinates practical application design validity Weaknesses of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Cultural factors e.g. org culture Environmental factors, economy (crisis) Type of organisation e.g. manufacturing organisation might need diff style of leadership to professional services firm Reliance on honesty Self-evaluation Does not consider variance in thought or ideology Some questions may not apply in certain situations Opportunities and Threats of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire practical application design validity Conclusion

Drug Abuse Essays -- Papers Drugs Narcotics Legal Essays Papers

Drug Abuse The term drug abuse most often refers to the use of a drug with such frequency that it causes physical or mental harm to the user or impairs social functioning. Although the term seems to imply that users abuse the drugs they take, in fact, it is themselves or others they abuse by using drugs. Traditionally, the term drug abuse referred to the use of any drug prohibited by law, regardless of whether it was actually harmful or not. This meant that any use of marijuana, for example, even if it occurred only once in a while, would constitute abuse, while the same level of alcohol consumption would not. In 1973 the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse declared that this definition was illogical. The term abuse, the commission stated, "has no functional utility and has become no more than an arbitrary code word for that drug presently considered wrong." As a result, this definition fell into disuse. The term drug is commonly associated with substances that may be purchased legally by prescription for medical use, such as penicillin, which is almost never abused, and Valium, which is frequently abused, or illegal substances, such as angel dust, which are taken for the purpose of getting high, or intoxicated, but actually have no medical use. Other substances that may be purchased legally and are commonly abused include alcohol (see alcoholism) and nicotine, contained in tobacco cigarettes. In addition, in recent years, chemists working in illegal, clandestine laboratories have developed new chemicals that ha... ... policy and full legalization would be most effective. Needle exchange programs have cut down on drug-related AIDS transmission in Liverpool, England. The Dutch policy of de facto decriminalization for marijuana and hashish has not resulted in a rise in use or abuse. Perhaps the guiding policy on drug use ought to be on harm reduction rather than waging a war on drug abuse. Some aspects of this policy should include a flexible or selective enforcement, vastly expanding drug treatment programs, needle exchange programs, a distinction between "hard" (cocaine and heroin) and "soft" drugs (marijuana), expanding antidrug educational efforts, and focusing on reducing the use and abuse of tobacco and alcohol. The first priority should be to make sure that the users and abusers harm themselves and others as little as possible.

Death in Venice Essay: Love for Tadzio or Venice? -- Death in Venice E

Aschenbach: In love with Tadzio, or Venice? Thomas Mann's Death in Venice presents an artist with a fascination for beauty that overpowers all of his senses. Aschenbach's attraction to Tadzio can be viewed as a symbol for his love for the city of Venice. The city, however, is also filled with corruption, and it is this corruptive element that kills him. Aschenbach first exhibits his love for Venice when he feels that he must go to "one of the gay world's playgrounds in the lovely south"(6). The south, to him, means something new and exciting. He has lived a structured life in Germany, filled with order and precision. He feels the need to move, to experience new and different aspects of life; since for Aschenbach, "there is no doubt that the south will bring him the fulfillment of his wish for self-release"(Jonas 35). Upon his arrival, Aschenbach immediately "drinks in the fabulous beauty" of the city. He notices a distinct difference between this foreign land and his homeland, for Venice is filled with antiquity and classical beauty. Aschenbach's love for the city is already app... ...captivated by it. He is so enthralled, that he does not realize the problems with the Italian city. Whether Mann is actually attacking Venice or Italy for the corruption of its beauty is a possibility, but not very important here. What is most important is to realize that Mann is discussing an infatuation with beauty in general, not an infatuation with a boy. Aschenbach does not die because of Tadzio, he dies because of what the boy represents. The novella is titled so for a reason; it is a Death in Venice, or rather a "Death Because of Venice".

Vouchers Are Not the Solution for Improving Public Schools Essay

â€Å"Vouchers lead us away from the basic American tradition of a free, quality public education for every student and undermine the kind of comprehensive, systemic school reform that is working [†¦]† (Tirozzi, 1997). This quote taken from Gerald Tirozzi, the assistant U.S. secretary of education for elementary and secondary education, sums up the issue of vouchers. Milton Friedman, a free-market theorist, introduced vouchers, which funnel public funds to private schools, more than forty years ago (Resnick, 1998). Vouchers redirect money that would have been spent on educating a child in the public school system to a private school of the parent’s choosing. Voucher use is based on two factors, student eligibility and school eligibility. Those students who would be eligible for vouchers are among those in low-income families. School eligibility widely varies state by state. In some states school eligibility is restricted only to nonsectarian private schools, where elsewhere any private school is eligible (Resnick, 1998). Those who support vouchers offer three reasons for their position. One reason being that most public schools are failing, secondly vouchers help the children who use them, and thirdly vouchers create competition that motivates public schools to improve (Resnick, 1998). However, opponents argue that funding should be put toward improving the current public school system for the masses instead of allowing a better education to an elite few. Research is largely oppos ed to vouchers. Vouchers imprudently use public funds to back religious education, degrade public education, and support elitism. Vouchers are set up such that they take money from public school funds and redirect it towards private schools an... ... nations schools are not failing, but would benefit from improvement, the children that do receive the vouchers are but an elite few and the benefits of a private school education as opposed to public has yet to be proven. Supporters make the last argument that vouchers create competition that motivates the public schools to improve, however at the same time the funding that needs to go towards improvements is being stripped away resulting in deterioration of the public school system. As supported vouchers unfavorably use public funds to back religious education, degrade public education, and support elitism where it should not be. The public school system was created to accept all children no matter what. The system of vouchers causes the school system to take several steps back on the progress it has made as a result of years of struggle to become truly public.

How the State Profits from War Essay

One of the most enduring misconceptions in economics is that war is beneficial to the economy (Moffatt, n. pag. ). This myth was further perpetuated by the economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who wrote: â€Å"Ghastly as it may seem, (the destruction of the World Trade Center) could even do some economic good†¦ the driving force behind the economic slowdown has been a plunge in business investment. Now, all of a sudden, we need some new office buildings† (Tracinski, n. pag. ). Indeed, bad economics reign in moments of crisis and or panic, when people are desperate for solutions. To refute the alleged benefits of the â€Å"War Economy,† critiques use the â€Å"fallacy of the broken window† (Tracinski, n. pag. ). When a vandal throws a brick through a shop’s window and the shop’s owner has to spend, say, $200 for the window’s repair, the people will think that the defacer has given a positive contribution to society. After all, the repair of the broken window meant an â€Å"instant boost in employment and economic activity† (Tracinski, n. pag. ). But what these short-sighted citizens didn’t know was that the $200 that was spent on fixing the window could have been used in ventures that might have advanced the shop owner’s enterprise. Unfortunately, proponents of the â€Å"War Economy† assumed that â€Å"(since) a broken window can stimulate the economy, (it must be better) when literally thousands of them are broken† (Tracinski, n. pag. ). For them, wars are crucial for the survival of modern economies (Cline, n. pag. ). â€Å"War Economy† advocates believed that almost every industry is involved with providing goods and services to the armed forces (uniforms, food, medicines, weapons manufacturing, etc. ). Hence, should war be eliminated, these businesses, particularly technology and manufacturing, will fold up. Another argument of the backers of the â€Å"War Economy† is that it is the fastest solution to an economic slump (Moffatt, n. pag. ). When the economy is undergoing recession, production is low and people are spending less than usual. But when the government goes into war, it will need weapons and equipment for its soldiers. Economic activity is therefore expected to increase due to the rise both in government spending and the private sector’s business transactions with the miliatry. Corporations will scramble for contracts that will allow them to supply uniforms, vehicles and bombs to the army. These companies will have to hire more workers to keep up with the increase in demand, lowering the unemployment rate in the process. There are even some workers who will be employed to replace those who volunteered as reservists abroad. Since the unemployment rate is decreased, consumers will spend more again. Increased consumption, in turn, will boost the retail sector. At the end of the day, there will be overall economic growth, thanks to the government preparing for war. However, critics contended that the above-mentioned projected economic advancement is at the expense of helpless civilians from Third World countries (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). In 2002, annual global military expenditures were estimated to be more than $800 billion (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). The United States was at the top of this list, spending $343. 2 billion yearly (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). Canada earned more than $3 million from selling weapons in the same year (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). According to the United Nations Platform for Action Committee – Manitoba (UNPAC-Manitoba) article The Economics of War (n. d. ), â€Å"a large part of the economies of all of the world’s wealthiest countries derives from the sale of weapons† (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). From 1996 to 2000, the US exported $54 billion worth of arms – 45% of the total amount of weapons that was exported around the world (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). Russia came second at $21 billion (17%), followed by France ($11 billion or 9%), the United Kingdom ($8 billion or 7%) and Germany ($6 billion or 5%) (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). As a result, says the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2002, 500,000 firearm-related deaths occur annually (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). Each year, land mines kill 15,000-20,000 children and adults (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). Iraq’s cancer rates rose to 700% between 1991 and 1994 due to chemical weapons, while 86 million people have perished in hostilities after World War II (http://www. unpac. ca, n. pag. ). The Iraq war in 2003 was the latest example of how the US turned war into a money-making venture. It was â€Å"rooted in the logic of global monopoly capital, specifically American capitalism, to expand into an empire† (Barona, 33). Despite being packaged as a â€Å"terrorist war,† (to instill fear among detractors) it was brought about by the globalization policies of American multinational companies, particularly the US oil industry and the military-industrial complex (MIC) (Barona, 33). Iraq is one of the world’s biggest oil reserves – it, along with other OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, has 79% of the world’s total oil supply (__________, 16). For the US to have unlimited access to Iraq’s oil, it simply had to remove Saddam Hussein, a staunch US opponent, from power. Back home, the US economy was sustained by military spending – the injection of fresh capital was necessary to revive an economy that would continue to deteriorate if left to the â€Å"free market† (Barona, 33). But the Iraq war proved to be disastrous for the US economy. The US spends $200 million daily just to be able to continue its military operations in Iraq (Wolk, n. pag. ). Even if the US finally decides to pull its troops out of Iraq â€Å"within another three years, total direct and indirect costs to US taxpayers will likely by more than $400 billion†¦the total economic impact at up to $2 trillion† (Wolk, n. pag. ). Economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz (a well-known castigator of the Iraq war) claimed that the total cost of US military intervention in Iraq is a â€Å"staggering $1 trillion to $2 trillion, including $500 billion for the war and occupation and up to $300 billion in future health care costs for wounded troops† (Wolk, n. pag. ). Stiglitz added that further expenses include â€Å"a negative impact from the rising cost of oil and added interest on the national debt† (Wolk, n. pag. ). These astronomically huge sums of money came from taxes – funds that should have been diverted to basic social services such as education, health and housing. While ordinary American citizens were suffering from the economic catastrophe brought about by the Iraq war, a few individuals and corporations cahsed in on the said conflict. In 2007, Lockheed Martin (the leading weapons manufacturer in the US) had a profit increase of 22% (Scheer, n. pag. ). In the same year, the profits of its competitors Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics rose by 62% and 22%, respectively (Scheer, n. pag. ). Boeing’s profits, meanwhile, increased by 61% (Scheer, n. pag. ). Below are some personalities who were said to have also profitted from the Iraq War: a) Former US President George W. Bush, Sr. – Shareholder and former Senior Advisor in the Carlyle Group, a defense contractor with ties to the Saudi royal family and the Bin Ladens. b) Former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci – Member of the RAND Board of Trustees and co-chair of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy Advisory Board. Also the chairman of the Carlyle Group. c) Former Secretary of State and Secretary of Treasury James Baker – Former Carlyle Senior Counselor. d) White House Budget Advisor Richard Darman – Carlyle Managing Director e) US Vice President Dick Cheney – Head of Halliburton Co. , an oil enterprise that traded with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries (Lynch, n. pag. ). Thanks to the hysteria brought about by the â€Å"War on Terrorism† and the Iraq war, taxpayers were swindled into funding the â€Å"War Economy† that made millionaires out of Bush and his ilk. And as long as the absurd propaganda of â€Å"The War on Terrorism† and the Iraq war continues to exist, ordinary Americans will spend their entire lives paying taxes not for basic social services, but as a â€Å"tribute† to Bush and his sort for them to be able to live like kings. Works Cited â€Å"The Oil Equation in the US Bid against Iraq. † Education for Development October 2002: 15-16. Barona, Caesar.â€Å"Technology, Power and the ‘War against Terrorism. ‘†The National Guilder July 2002: 32-33. Cline, Austin. â€Å"Economic Benefits of War. † n. d. About. com. 18 February 2008 . Lynch, Colum. â€Å"Firms Iraq Deals Greater Than Cheney Has Said. † 23 June 2001. Global Policy Forum. 19 February 2008 . Moffatt, Mike. â€Å"Are Wars Good for the Economy? † n. d. About. com 18 February 2008 .

Operation & Production Management Exam Essay

What is operation management? What is the role of the Operation Manager? Set of activities that create value in the form of goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs. The role of an operation manager is to design and manage the daily operations and activities in a way that the productivity of the employees raises. It is also their responsibility to ensure that the physical and the human resources of the organization are achieved. He also ensures that the organization produces quality and goods and services are produced on time to meet the client’s time or deadline. 1. What are the 10 critical decisions an operations manager can make? Design of goods and services Quality Management Process Design Capacity Design Location Strategy Layout Design Supply-Chain Management Inventory Management Intermediate and Shot-term scheduling Maintanance 2. What is the difference between a product and a service? Products are tangible and services are intangible services are normally produced and consumed at the same time services are often unique services have inconsistent product definition 3. What is a system? Draw a process? A system can be broadly defined as an integrated set of elements that accomplish a defined objective. It is a dynamic and complex whole, interacting as a structured functional unit. 4. What is productivity? Why is it important for an operations manager to calculate productivity? Productivity is the performance measure relating outputs to inputs: Measurement of units produced, labor hours per unit, number of workers. The cost of labor, the cost of material, machine hours, etc. It is important for an operation manager to calculate productivity to determine the outputs for time period and to determine the cost of inputs to get determine the productivity rate by dividing the number of outputs by input to ultimately make most of the inputs and maximize output. 5. Create a life cycle for a Product? I have found 2 answers in relevance to this question I will provide them both please mark the relevant. 1- Concept phase: concept design ATV All Terrain Vehicle 2- Definition phase: system specification and planning Dual purpose Sport/Utility ATV with an engine of 750cc 3- Design and development phase: detailed design, prototyping and development testing Modern style exterior with lightweight and strong material covering body parts. 4- Creation and production phase: manufacturing, tooling, testing and accepting Building the atv with quality control and testing for any defaults or malfunctions regarding safety. 5- Operation: Implementing, operation & Maintenance. Introduction Phase: The introduction phase is when the public first sees or hears about a product. The product appears in stores for the first time, and people start seeing print and television ads High resolution TV Growth Phase: The growth phase is when sales and profits for the new product start rising. A company will usually keep product prices about the same during the growth stage to maximize earnings. Product quality is also maintained. Millions of sales around the world Maturity Stage: Success inevitably leads to increased competition. Other companies eventually will start introducing similar products, especially if the initial product is highly successful. Consequently, the demand for the product and its competitors will peak at some point. Many brands start making hdmi tvs Decline Stage: Demand for the product will eventually wane as newer technologies are introduced. Hence, companies can either maintain the product, sell it at heavily reduced prices or discontinue the product. New Smart 3d/tv that include hdmi gets introduced and declines hdmi tvs 6. What is quality? What is the role of quality in an organism operation? Quality has various definitions depending on the point of view it is judged from, it is mostly the customer that has the most say about if the product or service has a excellent, good or bad quality. A producer’s aim is to design for excellence but it is easier said than done. In general quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. The features and characteristics include; durability and endurance, design by appearance, value for price, performance etc. Quality plays a role in an organism operation, only some companies and corporations give it more importance. Successful operation organisms set up a quality management from beginning to end that include the organizational processes such as quality control to ensure meeting standards and processes that determine quality policies, objectives, and responsibilities. 7. Explain the impact of culture on international operations A challenge of doing operations internationally is to adapt effectively to different cultures. Such adaptation requires an understanding of cultural diversity, perception and values. Culture can have positive impact on expansion or negative impact on international operations if ends don’t meet their respective expectations.

Slaughterhouse-Five and Beloved

The modern human attitude is largely framed by the philosophy of science, in America. According to this philosophy the world is governed by the fixed laws of physics, through which humans find intellectual enlightenment. In this world of science, knowledge is power, and this power renders humans more able to shape their destiny. The American ideal of the self-made individual, (although usually vouched in the terms of religion), is structured upon this science based premise. But a contradiction lies at the heart of this blending of scientific philosophy and individual identity.It is that a physically and scientifically determined universe does not allow for free will. The modern headlong march towards scientific utopia thus carries grave peril because a philosophy that denies the inexorable human desire for free will ultimately is not self-sustaining. It is as if people are surrendering to destiny at the price of believing that the will is empowered by science. It recalls Franklin Roo sevelt’s memorable comment that â€Å"freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved† (qtd. in Singh 143). This crucial issue is dealt with by Kurt Vonnegut in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five.Although many readers view Vonnegut’s novel as advocating fatalism, the opposite is true. Billy Pilgrim, the novel’s protagonist, clearly advocates that humans must overcome fatalism in order to restore free will and sustain forward movement. Toni Morrison, in her novel Beloved, suggests that humans also should overcome the fixity of time. To move forward, both Sethe and Paul D must learn to redefine themselves by psychologically releasing themselves from the physical chains of their previous slavery. The central message of both authors is that there is no looking back. A vigorous free will must always look forward.Sociological and psychological factors may be challenges, but they are not impediments to the free will. The only such barriers are those that exist within humans. The crucial factor is the orientation of people’s vision. Both texts stress the importance of escaping the grip of the past by focusing on the future, and thus are aimed at nourishing hope. The guiding motif in this analysis is thus time. The novels can also be read as reminders of the American ideal, and what it means to be a successful American in the modern era. The American outlook has always resisted historicity.Its orientation is to leave the old world behind and focus on the forging of the new. But modern Americans are surrendering to historicity once more, and thereby squandering their freedom. By chasing synthetic and materialistic dreams (which is merely slavery to past success), we lose our moral orientation, and this is a failure of the American ideal. If we hope to recover from this decadence we must re-establish our freedom, which should be in the spirit of Emerson’s â€Å"nonconformism†. The novel Slaughterhouse-Five is intensely personal to Kurt Vonnegut, though Billy Pilgrim is not necessarily the alter ego of the author.He draws on his experience of having fought in the Second World War, been taken prisoner, and surviving the blanket firebombing of Dresden. He survived by being trapped as a prisoner-of-war in an underground locker of a slaughterhouse, and emerged a few days later to apprehend the charred desolation. In the novel, Billy Pilgrim goes through the same experience which turns out to be the defining moment of his existence. He has become â€Å"unstuck in time† through his experience of this event, meaning that the flow of time does not effect him anymore, and that he can shift at will from one moment in time to another.He experiences only episodes, in random order, and over and over again, but they always refer back to the Dresden massacre. He does not realize what is happening until much later, when he is abducted by alien creatures known as the Tralfamadorians. They reveal to him that free wil l is only an illusion, and because they exist in four dimensions – the fourth dimension being time – they observe past, present and future simultaneously, and the entire life as a unified whole. Time itself is indestructible, and, therefore, one lives one’s life over and over again.One only has free will to the extent that one chooses to concentrate on the better moments in life. This is the way Tralfamadorian literature is written, as one of his captors reveals to him, â€Å"There isn’t any particular relationship between the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects.What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time (Vonnegut 88). † After this encounter, Billy is confirmed in his fatalism, and he is desc ribed as living the episodes of his life over and over again. Before his violent end in the year 1976, he reveals to the world the secret about the nature of time which he has learned from the Tralfamadorian. He does so with calm and collected purpose, because he knows beforehand that his message will be accepted.He even avoids bearing a grudge towards his own murderer, knowing that it is all fated, and that death itself is of no consequence. The vital clue that the novel as taking place frozen time is found in Vonnegut’s introduction, in which he says, â€Å"This is a novel somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner of tales of the planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from† (Ibid, title page). The tales told on that distant planet take place in static time, and by pointing out this similarity the author is acknowledging the existence of dynamic time, which the Trafalmadorians deny.Regarding this weird theory, there is ample evidence that what is to ld about the aliens is nothing more than a figment of Billy’s imagination, and that much of the novel is from the point of view of a severely disturbed mind. It is his own fixity in time which he tries to rationalize with his tales of the aliens. The description of the aliens as upside down toilet plungers is laughable, and this is a clue from the author that we are not supposed to believe in them and their outlandish concept of time.Even though Billy is portrayed as a weakling, readers should not judge his fatalism as abnormal, or his ideas about time as merely the products of an unsettled imagination. Vonnegut is passing judgment on the ethos of the human age, and readers know this because the world accepts Billy’s revelations in the end, also, because the narrative is rooted in the Second World War. This is the event that finally shatters the notion of â€Å"progress† as in the eighteenth century Enlightenment.The consequence of the two world wars is the para lysis of cultural will, and this is captured through Billy’s fantastic notion of time, also rooted in the Second World War. Billy’s particular circumstance, allied with his curious nature, allows him to come to vital understanding that he lives in an age of stagnancy. But even though the novel is mainly concerned with depicting the human age, there are also enough clues that point to the way out of this nightmare. For example, Vonnegut, in his own character in the novel, talks about its composition to his publisher in Chapter 1, and says, â€Å"People aren’t supposed to look back.I’m certainly not going to do it anymore. I’ve finished my war book now. The next one I write is going to be fun. This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt (28). † Whatever deep secrets it conveys, the novel is declared to be a failure, and Vonnegut admits that he too is subject to frozen time in writing such a novel, describing himself as â€Å"a pillar of salt†. The reference in to Lot’s wife, who is described in Genesis as turning into a pillar of salt because she chose to look back with attachment to the incinerating city of Sodom. Looking back is made to be the most fatal destroyer of the will.So he promises he will not do it again, and his subsequent novels will be situated in dynamic time. For Vonnegut, hope resides in leaving the past behind. Toni Morrison delivers the same message in a very different context. Slavery is an integral part of the birth of the American nation. It is now universally admitted to have been a cruel institution. But, as E H Carr puts it, history is only â€Å"the key to the understanding of the present† (14). It is very difficult for us to empathize with the motivations of the slave-owners, and any effort in this direction is bound to be controversial.But in her novel Beloved, Morrison is not intent on giving the reader further history, or even a commen tary of history. The advocacy is clear, that humans should leave history behind. Sethe is a former slave, now living out her freedom with her teenage daughter Denver, and recently having admitted another former slave Paul D as her partner. She is trying to suppress her horrific past, but the arrival of Paul D brings it back to her. Once, when fleeing from her sadistic owner, she had murdered her 2 year old daughter, thinking that capture was inevitable, and she did not want her children to suffer slavery.Soon after the arrival of Paul D, the embodied spirit of her murdered daughter appears, calling herself Beloved. Her appearance brings new life into all that come in contact with her, because she infuses tension into their lives, by which they must react. She becomes a demanding presence in the household, and Sethe finds herself at her beck and call. The shy and retiring Denver find herself forced out of the household and in the process acquires maturity. Even Paul D learns to open up his â€Å"rusted tin tobacco box† of a heart in her presence. In the end she disappears just as suddenly, and all the tensions are at once relieved.But she has touched lives in such a way that in her aftermath they are all restored to life and hope. Beloved clearly represents a horrible past, and one which must be dealt with finally. Even traces of the tale itself must not be left behind, and so the novel ends, â€Å"This is not a story to pass on† (Morrison 324). The past must be completely extinguished, and once this has been done, there is the possibility of shaping one’s destiny through the exercise of free will. These novels by Vonnegut and Morrison raise the issue of what it means to be successful in America today.Traditionally, historicity had been part of the old world, and that which the new world tries to leave behind. But these novels suggest that historicity has certainly caught up with modern America, and is the root to modern decadence. But to r eview the exhortations of the greatest Americans of the past is only to confirm that the nation was established on the basis of freedom, and freedom necessarily entails the letting go of the past. In the early period of the Puritan fathers the message use to be couched in terms of religion, and which we may detect in the sermons of Jonathan Edwards.In his speech â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† there is no reference to anything in the past. It is entirely aimed at striking terror in the heart of the sinners, by evoking the visions of the hell that awaits them, laced with such warnings as: â€Å"There is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any moment, out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God† (Edwards 90). Edwards relies on the immediacy of his message, and thereby strikes a particularly American note. The calm transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson may seem to be at a polar opposite, yet projects the same obligation to freedom.In his essay â€Å"Natureâ₠¬  he says, â€Å"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchers of the fathers. It writes biographies, histories, and criticism. The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes† (Emerson 181). Writing in the middle of the 19th century, he warns that the true American spirit of freedom is being quickly eroded, and will not be recovered until we relearn how to apprehend nature with immediacy. â€Å"Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist,† he says in his essay â€Å"Self Reliance† (Ibid 269).Any sort of conformity is compromising to the freedom, and therefore is a betrayal of the American ethos. Mark Twain conveys the same message in his classic children’s adventure story Huckleberry Finn. Set in the context of slavery and emancipation, it is more truly about the slavery of the whites than that of the blacks. Huck is fleeing from his drunken father, but he also becomes wary of the pious and benevolent reach o f society that tries to civilize him. He sets himself up on a floating raft, with an escaped slave, and only here he feels free and himself: â€Å"[T]here warn’t no home like a raft, after all.Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft† (Twain123). Huck’s suspicion towards society and civilization is the central point of the novel, and this makes him a true American. Vonnegut and Morrison would say that modern American is a betrayal of the founding spirit of the nation, where conformity to a media constructed reality in the norm. It is a historicity of a different sort which America enslaves itself to. It is as if history is rewritten by Hollywood, and such false history tends to become the worldview of the average American.The media projects crass materialism in every aspect, where fame is the highest criterion for judging worth. So, Americans not only follow the dress code o f celebrity film stars, they also follow the history and sociology of celebrity historians and sociologists. This in conformity of the most enslaving form, and represents a total loss of freedom. The judgment must be that, without the recovery of the Emersonian spirit of nonconformism there is no way out of this predicament. Americans must strive once again to succeed as human beings, and must stop chasing the fame and fortune of film stars. The crucial necessity is to recover free will.Both Vonnegut and Morrison bring the message that the barriers to the exercise of free will lie not in external conditions, but within each human being. If people believe that they lie with social, psychological or emotional factors, then they subscribe to the thinking of the Enlightenment, which believed that a scientific approach to understanding external conditions will result in their gradual removal, and generally in the direction of utopia. Vonnegut intends to explode this myth, and tells reade rs that such determinism renders the free will paralyzed, and he depicts the modern world as having met this unacceptable end.Like Morrison does in her novel Beloved, Vonnegut advocates that humans must overcome the past if they hope to exercise control over their future. Morrison’s specific concern is the fixity of Black America in the past of slavery, but she is in fact addressing a wider malaise in America as a whole. The common message is that slavery to the past is destructive to the free will, and therefore disastrous to the American ideal. Works Cited Carr, E. H. What is History? New York: Penguin Books, 1967. Edwards, Jonathan. A Jonathan Edwards Reader. Eds.John Edwin Smith, Harry S. Stout. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Eds. William H. Gilman, Charles Johnson. New York: Signet Classic, 2003. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Vintage International, 2004. Singh, M. P. Quote Unquote. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2007. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Signet Classic, 2002. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five, Or, the Children's Crusade: A Duty-dance With Death. New York: Dell, 1969.