How does Shakespeare’s language portray Claudius as an intellectual Villain? Essay

Charming, Charismatic and Sympathetic. The new King of Denmark seems to possess all the equalities the citizens of Denmark were craving for in their new leader. After years of being subjected to the government of an old-fashioned King they were ready for a change, which they get in the form of Claudius. However, it is possible that beneath the veneer and gloss of the splendid King something is rotten in the state of Denmark. As the plot of â€Å"Hamlet† unfolds, we get to see behind the fai ade of the cheerful King and Queen of Denmark and discover the deceit and dishonesty that lurks in Claudius. Claudius is first presented to us in Act I Scene II. This is the first time that Claudius addresses his court, and so to his audience these first impressions are vital. He presents them with a well-rehearsed speech, using all his skill as a diplomat and politician to win over his new subjects. He dedicates the first part of his speech to remembering old King Hamlet-to his audience this would seem respectful, but I think he does this simply to cover up for his deed-by saying â€Å"how green the memory of him is† he will not be suspected to have had any part in old Hamlet’s death. This is also clever on Claudius’ part as he is aware of the unease of his position. Claudius goes on to use the term â€Å"that it us befitted†, this is clever on the Kings part as he cleverly merges the royal use with the ordinary plural. This is extremely subtle but it shows him identifying himself with his audience and the ordinary people of Denmark. Claudius also makes sure that his audience knows that it was his advisors who suggested he marry Gertrude-â€Å"Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone with this affair along for all, our thanks†. To his audience this may have been seen as a gracious act, but for Claudius it ensures a group of people whom to blame if their marriage fails, it also gives a group of advisors who the Denmark population can blame if the marriage fails. People who don’t agree with the marriage have someone other than Claudius to blame. These are just some of the examples showing Claudius’ qualities as a politician, choosing his words extremely carefully, and wining them over. We know he needs to redeem himself in this way as the Church of England and Catholic faith forbade such incestuous marriages. When Claudius uses the term ‘jointress’ he implies that Gertrude has some part in the kingdom. This means that him marrying Gertrude has safeguarded his claim to the throne. This will ensure no one else will contest his claim to the throne and he craftily lets his audience know this. Claudius gains more support by throwing meaningless but bold statements into his speech- the destruction of the agreement with Fortimbras is mainly symbolic, but to the audience it is a brave act telling them he will fight for Denmark. He knows how unpopular the war with Denmark and by quickly letting them know he is against it, he will win the people over. Claudius knows that to be successful he needs to win over Polonius, not only as an advisor but as someone he can use and trust. He does this by announcing that Polonius’ son Laertes may have his leave. Claudius uses very intimate language while talking to Laertes, firstly by addressing him as ‘thou’-a very intimate form of address, and secondly by repeating Laertes name while in conversation with him. This would show Claudius’ graciousness to the son of Polonius whom Claudius must win over. Apart from wining over Polonius, in front of the court it shows them his kindness. To add his show of warmth, Claudius publicly welcomes Hamlet as his son â€Å"But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son†. Claudius knows that wining over Hamlet is imperative, as he therefore ignores Hamlet’s rebellious comments about him and his wife-Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. Claudius also makes sure his love for Gertrude is present, he frequently uses the plural instead of the singular when he expresses his views to Hamlet-â€Å"And we beseech you to remain†. We know that Claudius’ behaviour in front of the court are just for show because of his replies to Hamlet-often intimidating as if he has no interest in what Hamlet has to say, such as Hamlet’s remark â€Å"A little more than kin and less than kind†. Claudius pretends not to hear this and then asks Hamlet why the clouds still hang on him? Claudius must know of Hamlet’s grief but pretends to know nothing of it. Another way we can tell Claudius simply puts on a show is that when talking in front of the court he calls Hamlet’s grief â€Å"Sweet and commendable† as if he understands it. In private though, he is worried about it that he calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. So, in this first speech he has been presented as an excellent politician, a well-spoken and kind man, but all of this seems to be a show. He has many hidden motives in his speech proving him to be very calculated. We must remember that there was much public opinion against Old Hamlet when Claudius came to power, people of Denmark were tired of the war and so Claudius didn’t need to prove himself as a man to become King. We get the feeling that anyone apart from Old Hamlet would be good. We already know from the remarks of Barnardo in Act I Scene I that Claudius has assembled a back-up fleet, ready if the negotiations with Fortinbras fail. All the evidence so far has shown Claudius to be an excellent King but a sly and crafty Man. The next time we see Claudius he is plotting against Hamlet, a demonstration that he has no intentions to talk hamlets behaviour through with him. This time Claudius uses two of Hamlet’s close friends from university-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He explains to them how Hamlet is â€Å"So much from th’understanding of himself†. Again, Claudius puts on a show as a â€Å"worried father figure† to bring them round despite the fact we know all of this is being done completely behind Hamlet’s back. Claudius is aware of his power over these men, and uses it to his full advantage, how can they disobey the King and Queen? Claudius’ real motive is simply to have two spies to make sure Hamlet causes no trouble for Claudius while he is away. Claudius doesn’t mention or consider the consequences for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they do what they are asked. Claudius’ continual use of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, despite the suspicions among them that Hamlet knows they are spies, eventually leads to their death in Act 4 Scene 7 although their death is brought about by Hamlet, it was the fact that they were spying on him that caused him to die. Claudius’ treatment of Polonius must next be examined. When Claudius finds out about Hamlets love of Ophelia, he knows he can use this to his full advantage. Indirectly, his use of Polonius leads to Polonius forcing his daughter into becoming a spy for the king, which Ophelia is reluctant to do. Polonius feels it is his duty and wants to impress the king. When Claudius is told about Polonius’ plan to use Hamlets love for Ophelia to trap him, Claudius embarrasses it, â€Å"We will try it†, unlike any other descent man who would dismiss it as deceitful. We now see that the only friends Claudius wishes to make are those who will be useful to him either as spies or informants. Although Claudius acts as if their plot to use Ophelia is a last resort, it isn’t, it is simply easier than having to talk to Hamlet himself and have a conversation as if Hamlet were his own son. In fact Claudius has made no real attempt to find out what the problem with Hamlet is. He has avoided conversing with Hamlet since when he spoke to the court. These are hardly the traits of a caring father figure. When we see Claudius in the Play scene, some argue that his redeeming quality is his conscience and regret at what he did, but Claudius’ reaction is no different to anyone else’s in that situation. He had just seen the murder that he committed portrayed to him in the form of a Play, when he was certain nobody knew about it. The reaction is probably of panic that someone knew of his foul act rather than anything else. This reaction certainly isn’t one of guilt. When Claudius says, â€Å"Give me some light, away† we know that him seeing his act again has almost made him physically ill. Claudius’ panic and guilt are short lived, immediately after the play he plots to be rid of Hamlet by sending him to England. He now knows that Hamlet knows of his offence, and his tone of voice also now changes. â€Å"I like him not, nor stands it safe with us to let his madness range†¦ and he to England shall along with you†. People argue that if any scene redeems Claudius, it is the prayer scene. Claudius does use Biblical quotations but they do not show a close study of the Bible and would have been common knowledge among anyone in a Catholic country such as Denmark. In fact the main reason for his prayer is probably fear. Anyone who committed an act like this would be sent to hell, Claudius knew this and it was therefore a last attempt at redemption. The thing that I find most staggering in his prayer is that he still wishes he could â€Å"Be pardoned and retain the offence? † This shows that if there were a choice between staying King or being pardoned, he would rather stay in power. This clearly illustrates that Claudius has no interest in being pardoned or paying for his offences. He almost believes that his choice of killing his brother was the right one. His guilty conscience is also clear, â€Å"My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent†, demonstrating that he didn’t think that his guilt would be a problem when he murdered his brother. It is only now once the play scene has brought his guilt back to him that his conscience becomes a problem and affects him. When Polonius is killed by Hamlet in act 3 Scene 4, largely due to Claudius, you would think that Claudius would stop plotting bloody deeds, however Polonius’ death has little effect on him, but Claudius walks straight from praying into plotting another murder. This time he plots the murder of Hamlet, and drags Laertes into his scheme taking full advantage of the fact Laertes is angry and seeking revenge. In plotting with Laertes, Claudius knows that his troubles with Hamlet will be over. If Claudius was able to convince Laertes to exact revenge on Hamlet for Polonius’ death, Hamlet will cause him no more grief. There is irony here, as Claudius is advising Laertes to do what Hamlet is attempting to do to Claudius. Claudius uses all his strengths to bring Laertes round to murdering Hamlet- â€Å"Was your father dear to you? † and â€Å"Revenge should have no bounds†. We must remember that all this plotting is done without Gertrude’s knowledge, he doesn’t have any trust in her, and this makes us doubt his love for her. Claudius has plenty of time to think over the plot to kill Hamlet, but even when Ophelia dies he still goes ahead and in fact he wants the deed done sooner-â€Å"We’ll put the matter to present push†. Many critics described Claudius’ intentions when he committed the murder to be for his love for Gertrude. I think it was simply the gaining of the throne and greed that drove him to it. I believe the final scene rules out the argument that Claudius committed murder because of his love for Gertrude. In the final act Claudius has set up a poisoned drink for Hamlet after the dual. It is yet another deceitful plan that has catastrophic effects. When the plan goes wrong and Gertrude goes to drink the poison, if his love were true he would have stopped her immediately. But he knows of the effects for himself if he does this and so, selfishly, he makes no attempt to stop her. He doesn’t even leave his seat; he just mutters, â€Å"It is the polish’d up. It is too late†. Claudius’ only redeeming qualities lie in the fact that he is a human being. Even when he prayed he wasn’t desperate enough for mercy to give up the throne, he plotted murders to his dying day, and he lied continuously to his wife Gertrude. I believe he would have lived on quite happily if he hadn’t been murdered at the end, indeed he was more worried about the consequences for himself if he had been found guilty of treason. Everyone Claudius befriended throughout the play died, each person somehow connected with Claudius. I think the only one person Claudius cared for was himself. He never once apologised or pleaded with Hamlet-even when he was dying. Claudius’ only redeeming feature is that he is human.

To Kill a Mockingbird Letter Essay

June 20, 1935 Mr B. B Underwood chief editor Maycomb tribune newspaper Po Box Maycomb USA Nst290 Dear Mr B. B Underwood, I strongly believe that Tom Robinson was not guilty of the crime and the sentence was untrue and unjust. I am appalled to hear that he was guilty of raping Mayella Ewell when there was no substantial or even any evidence against Tom Robinson. I was at the trial of Tom Robinson and noticed many substantial faults in Mayella Ewell’s story as she proposed in the court. I watched as Atticus examined her testimony and asked why she didn’t put up a better fight and why her screams didn’t bring the many other children in the Ewell’s house running. Additionally, all the physical evidence is against the Ewell’s claims because Mayella’s bruises are on the right side of her face and Tom Robinson can’t use his left arm due to an accident where his hand was torn apart by a cotton gin when he was a boy. Mayella and Bob Ewell are both very obnoxious during the trail and in my opinion don’t seem very trustworthy. Mr Ewell did not called a doctor after learning of Mayella’s injuries. If Tom Robinson had committed the crime, Mr Ewell’s first instinct would to get his daughter checked out. i hope you agree this would be the normal approach of a father concerned about his daughter. Tom’s side of the story is much more just. As I listened to Tom he explained that he always did chores for the Ewell’s and one day Mayella asked him to lift a box down from a dresser. When Tom climbed on a chair, she grabbed his legs, scaring him so much that he jumped down. She then hugged him around the waist and asked him to kiss her. As she struggled, her father, Bob Ewell, appeared at the window, calling Mayella a whore and threatening to kill her. As a result Tom then fled the house. Mr Ewell is likely to have misinterpreted the actual situation. I think Bob Ewell is more likely to have bashed or even molested his daughter than Mr Robinson . Tom is a respectable member of the Maycomb community with a steady job and is a hardworking man meanwhile Bob Ewell is often drunk, mostly unemployed and a member of Maycomb’s poorest family. The prosecution has produced no medical evidence of the crime and has presented only the shaky testimony of two unreliable witnesses, the physical evidence suggests that Bob Ewell, not Tom Robinson, beat Mayella. I believe Mayella is lonely and unhappy. She committed the unmentionable act of lusting after a black man and then concealed her shame by accusing him of rape after being caught. I conclude again that Tom Robinson is not guilty. Mr Robinson was only named guilty because of the colour of his skin and racism on this town of Maycomb. Thank you for your time in considering my opinion. I look forward to you publishing my point of view in the tribune I would appreciate it being published anonymously of the divide of the community. Sincerely, Henry Jenkins 19 Mille road Maycomb USA. June 20, 1935 Mr B. B Underwood chief editor Maycomb tribune newspaper Po Box Maycomb USA Nst290 Dear Mr B. B under wood I attended the court case yesterday and I decidedly believe the sentencing of Tom Robinson was ethical and just. I decisively disapprove the statements and remarks that Atticus made during the trail and feel terrible for the Ewell family in result of their daughter being raped. Why would a good white girl like Mayella be in the slightest attracted to an older black man? We all know that black and white don’t mix. Our history and society is supported by this principle. Blacks are there to serve whites after all. They find themselves in Macomb and the rest of America generally because they are to improve the lives of the white population. I am dismayed at the fabricated story that Tom Robinson proposed to the court. The possibility of no one being home because Mayella gave his younger siblings money to go and buy ice-creams and then tries to flirt and kiss Mr Robinson is just absurd. These events could not happen. To follow up Mr Robinson’s story, Atticus then explains how Bob Ewell beat his own daughter. I believe that this story is just a extensive ridiculous cover up for the horrific rape of Mayella Ewell. I conclude that the sentencing of Tom Robinson was appropriate and just. He deserved every bit of his of the death penalty sentence. He should be frowned upon in the Macomb community. Thank you for reading my letter of opinion. I would greatly appreciate if this letter could be published in the Macomb tribune. Sincerely, Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose 4 Corbel road Maycomb USA

City and Farm Life Essay

Comparing and contrasting city and farm life has been a common theme of situation comedies, movies as well as novels for decades. Many people find themselves, at some point, questioning the advantages of living on a farm life to living in the city. While a case can be made for both locations as to which is the best place to live, it is vital to consider how the options, farm life versus city life, are similar as well as different. There are a number of ways to make such comparisons that include firsthand experience of each type of the city and farm living environments. One such contrast is that people living farm lives and those living city lives have different social constructs as far as health and physical activities are concerned. This is as a result of the various social circumstances of the communities in addition to the locations in which they reside. People living farm lives, live a typical farming or country life as compared to those living in the cities (Smith 1). Living a c ity life often has the advantage of sufficient access to health services, recreational facilities in addition to having relatively sufficient health education in comparison to farm life. see more:city life vs country life essay People living in the city have therefore an advantage of health benefits, developed knowledge of physical activities, are exposed to health promotion campaigns in addition to having higher socio-economic status. All these factors have contributed to people living a city lives experiencing superior health compared to those living farm lives (Recomparison 1). Another key issue to be considered in any comparison between city and farm life is the quality of life. People living city lives have many more choices they can make regarding various aspects of their day-to-day lives. For example, people living city lives are more likely to find various kinds of foods and this could probably result in overall good health as there is greater diversity in terms of diet. Moreover, those living city lives enjoy opportunities to take a great number of social events since they always have a long list to choose from. As a result of this, they always have an opportunity to get more cultured and therefore more likely to meet other people from other cultural and ethnic groups. Parents have also many options available for their children’s education and can always pick from a long list of both private and public schools, which results in potential for better education. It is also important to note that city life offer their residents the opportunity to choose from a wide range of job options in a number of companies or organizations. On the other hand, people living farm lives do not enjoy same level of choices and in very remote areas one may forced to walk for long distances (Recomparison 1). Another contrast between city and farm life is their surrounding environment. Farm life is often best described as a more peaceful as well as a healthy way of living. For example, farm life offers residents an opportunity to take pleasure in the natural world instead of having to go to places such as parks. Individuals are surrounded by the gifts of nature such as trees, sun, wind, animals, natural cycles etc. Moreover, people living farm lives do not have to s truggle with the every day stresses associated with city life, for instance getting stuck in traffic, coping with high crime rates, and in most cases, having to pay higher taxes. The absence such stressors are known to have a significant effect on the overall quality of life. Alternatively, city life is often portrayed as fast-paced, modern, polluted, and full of work pressure as well as financial pressure (Recomparison 1). On the whole, if there is any testimonial to be made regarding the quality of life in the farm, it is that, there is high probability to connect with the people as well as the landscape. However, one similarity between farm life and city life is that both entail a high level of socialization, even though on a cursory level E-how 1). The discrepancy of what an individual wants and needs has also something to do with where they are to be found. Individuals living a farm life identify as well as prioritize their needs much more than their wants. They are therefore familiar with what is essential for them to live a standard of living further different from others and closer to natural cycles that gives priority to things that are of greater im portance. Their wants are simple and they do not cling to the life they cannot afford. On the other hand, with the attractive as well as the competition inducing advertisements they watch on television along with the peer persuasions that urge them to acquire specific items, one cannot avoid feeling pressured to possess the items. City is therefore more complicated as compared to the farm life (E-how 1). Lastly, a contrast between city and farm life can be seen in the types of housing available. In general, city residents have choices of living in apartments, townhouses and condominium. In contrast, those living farm lives often have housing options that includes mobile homes, single family detached homes in addition to the low-rise apartment building.Moreover; housing is more often than not cheaper for those living farm lives due to decreased demand (Herlihy 1). Conclusion As a conclusion, both city and farm lives have their own draw backs which form the basis of their contrasts. Thus, individuals ought to think carefully before making decisions to live in the city or live a farm life since it’s their decisions that bring differences in their lives.

Alcohol Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alcohol - Assignment Example It affects the central nervous system. The human body eliminates the alcohol in three different ways metabolism, evaporation and excretion. Since the excretion of alcohol is done through tears, sweat, saliva, urine and semen. On the other hand when the blood circulates the alcohol into the lungs it is evaporated through ones breath which can be measured through breath sample test (Alcohol and the human body 101). For DUI, these physical changes allow police officers to investigate an individual. The concentration of alcohol in blood shows in fact the same symptoms as cocaine, heroin, and other narcotics. The drug crimes include drug trafficking, possession of drug with an intention to distribute or manufacture. A level of alcohol in the blood content can be measured by blood test, urine test or by breath testing. Blood test is more expensive and intrusive but one of the most accurate methods while breath testing is cheaper and inaccurate ways of testing alcohol content because results can vary depending upon certain factors (Alcohol and the human body

Joan of Arc (1929) visual analyses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Joan of Arc (1929) visual analyses - Essay Example I feel that Dreyer actually did a unique job to develop eloquent interpretations from visual objects to life situations and to other artworks. The use of photography and pictures Dreyer uses a portrait of Mile Falconetti to reveal the faith that guided the lady knight of France. The sadness portrayed in this picture seems very real and at some point, as tears roll down her cheeks, the eyes widen at hearing something from the old, cultured men who question her pitilessly. The interesting part revealed here is that, though it happened 500 years back, when anyone takes a seat in the Little Carnegie Theatre, looking at this extraordinary motion picture, he or she is torn between hate and pity. The face of Mile with her closely collected hair is at first persuasive but startling (Warner 56). Her brown skin, the staring eyes, her lips free from rouge but which look dry, all resemble the girl of the soil. However, as the picture continues, one realizes in the sensitive elements something re ally magnetic, specifically the irregular glance of hope. Her expression does not tighten a feature, and when she is steadfast in her faith, no movement of the jaws is portrayed, but regularly by her eyes. No signs of revenge or bitterness, but she is confident with the responses to her inquisitors. The photography used by Dreyer pulls ever jot of fury, disdain, and impatience from the soldiers and clerics. The whiplash pulls touching extreme to touching extreme to give the movie its raw authority, but it is positively wearing for the viewer. Personally, I felt drained after watching the movie, which means I was deeply invested in the emotional turmoil by Joan throughout the movie. The use of the camera Mile Falconetti is outstanding in the way she answers questions, and Dreyer darts at different places of the stage with his camera. Sometimes he reveals Jeanne in a turn of the room with the huge heads and tinier heads in the foreground. He brings out something that is happening and then flashes somewhere else to other heads. All this is achieved without fadeouts or dissolves in such an efficient way that whichever the angle from which the scenes are viewed, it is ever satisfactory and not in any way impressionistic or tricky. It is a fact that a curious feat, the way in which this movie is pictured, with its numerous close-ups, it is very thoroughly matched to this specific subject. Nevertheless, the weakness in the film can be seen here, noting that it is doubtful if this screen method would effectively suit any other story (Warner 72). The camera is frequently placed at exaggerated angles, and faces are often cropped so firmly as to forcefully defy a character’s individual space. Further, edits in between shots are mostly had no coherence. This means that the camera could go between the questioner and Joan without minding to care if it seems like they are really facing each other. Since the shots are framed so firmly on every frame, each movement wave s into great touching pay-offs. In this sense therefore, interties are almost useless when the camera bores into the soul of every character. I agree that the all-purpose lack of interties actually made the best part of the film and kept the pace from deteriorating. Costumes The Danish director in this film makes the most of long phrases of the costumes or garments of the priest in the foreground on a single side of the barrow’

Technology Studies Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Technology Studies Case Study - Essay Example It is no surprise that moisture is one of the main dilemma of the hotel maintenance department because UK copes up with something like 25,000 gallon of water annually. Nearly all moisture problems are much less severe than they actually look. Moisture can be very dangerous to our health. It can intensify respiratory problems and it can even encourage mites and moulds to grow. The properties of moisture can be very serious and even makes the whole surrounding cold and unpleasant to see. Moisture can be anywhere. They could be on the roof, on the walls, on the floors, windows, doors and pipeline. Oftentimes, the presence Saturated up through permeable materials like concrete hollow blocks into the floors and walls of the home, and it usually occurs in building which did not have any waterproofing in the track of its construction. Consequently, rising moisture can be detected easily. We can conclude that there is rising moisture in the area if, the wall is in contact with the ground, if the walls feel dampy and cold to touch and if there are stains on wall decorations. Nevertheless, rising moisture rarely goes up above one meter on the wall. Penatrating moisture is frequently caused by the building plumbing. The trouble comes in when the water is tolerable to enter the property. Symptoms of rising moisture frequently becomes noticeable during the rainy season. It usually affects roofs, ceilings and walls. Water marks appear if water continues to enter the house. It can be caused by groove or roof problems which had allowed rainwater to trickle in and soak area of walls. This is frequently seen in old houses that has solid wall. Penetrating moisture is very Not easy to find and may require proficient help. There are many ways of treating moisture. Rising moisture is worse at the bottom of a wall than at the top. Aside from blocked airbricks, the most frequent cause is 'bridging", this is when soil from the garden climbs up directly on the house wall and trap moisture. This problem is frequent and it can be easily worked out. Excavate the soil from the house so that the soil can no longer knock against the wall. A technique used in old properties is the inoculation of chemical in the problem areas. If the moisture is getting higher through the floorboard, a moisture-proof membrane maybe frayed so it is best to have a refitting. Penetrating moisture More often than not forms when water get into the property. Check up in details grooves, downpipes, flashings and window frames. It will be best to check everything inside and around the property area. Check the sealing of window frames to make sure that there must be a drip groove to get rid of rainwater. If there are blocks, clear them comprehensively. An ill-fitted roofing on a flat roof will probably cause moisture and a fractured wall can let water in. Repair a fractured wall with protective material and fit insulation rubber to all door frames. Application of Outdoor water proofing fluid will be helpful if the outdoor brickwork is already absorbent. A moisture proof track is also one means of avoiding increasing moisture. This is a process where in two layers of bricks with a space between can avoid moisture. This is frequent

Love, Sex, and Lies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Love, Sex, and Lies - Essay Example However his selfish thrive towards the riches and the comfort gets him arrested and finally his tragic end. The second movie, An Affair to Remember narrates the story of Nickie Ferrant (played by Cary Grant) and Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr) who fall in love on a ship despite their individual engagements. It is a remake of the 1939’s movie Love Affair by McCarey. The movie was remade more than once. The story is about the union of the lovers despite Terry becoming disabled from an accident. Love, sex and lies play their role in both the movies and help in giving them a shape. In the melodramatic film A Place in the Sun, romance has a strong place especially while depicting the relationship between George and Angela. Initially he dates Al (Shelley Winters), a poor girl who works at the factory of his uncle, against the norms of the company. She is mesmerized by George and being inexperienced, falls in love with him. It is hard to determine who George actually loves because he is more drawn to the light promised by the wealth and luxury he traces in the life of his uncle and the hope of which he finds in his life with Angela, a socialite whom he meets during his outing with Al. However despite his actual intentions, some of the most intense scenes are shot between Angela and George. In one of the cases George says: â€Å"I love you. Ive loved you since the first moment I saw you. I guess maybe Ive even loved you before I saw you†. However it is Al who has fallen in love with George and when she gets pregnant forces him to marry her. Despite his sugg estion for abortion she is poised on her decision and threatens to reveal everything if he does not marry her. It is difficult to gauge whose love is for real because while one runs after money the other is even ready to inflict harm on her lover if he betrays. Angela is perhaps the one who loves George truly and manages to convince her father about their marriage. As the movie unravels one

The effectiveness of Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Research Paper

The effectiveness of Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement in the Healthcare setting - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that as the healthcare industry continues to meet the challenges of escalating costs, high turnover in personnel, and continuing customer service complaints, healthcare has turned to Total Quality Management to address the issues and implement solutions. The present research has identified that Total Quality Management (TQM), also called Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), has been utilized to assess efficiency, quality of care, cost-effectiveness and safety issues. The researcher states that Swedish hospitals employed TQM and CQI when confronted with avoidable patient injuries, the wastefulness of healthcare resources, and public criticism of health care management and quality of care. Their use of Total Quality Management resulted in mixed reviews. Øvretveit noted the obstacles of costs and time constraints, especially on physicians’ time, that limited the comprehensive use of TQM. The notice was made regarding the hierarchies indwelling in hospital social strata, that of both the physicians and the nurses, and the disregard of management to institute real change. According to the research findings, TQM teams were set up, but the meetings were reduced as more pressing factors (patient emergencies) limited the meeting times and the efficacy of the process.   Often decisions impacting patient care bypassed the TQM process for a quicker resolution to an immediate issue.... confronted with avoidable patient injuries, wastefulness of health care resources, and public criticism of health care management and quality of care (Ovretveit , 2003, 6). Their use of Total Quality Management resulted in mixed reviews. Ovretveit noted the obstacles of costs and time constraints, especially on physicians’ time, that limited the comprehensive use of TQM (11). Notice was made regarding the hierarchies indwelling in hospital social strata, that of both the physicians and the nurses, and the disregard of management to institute real change. TQM teams were set up, but the meetings were reduced as more pressing factors (patient emergencies) limited the meeting times and the efficacy of the process. Often decisions impacting patient care bypassed the TQM process for a quicker resolution to an immediate issue. The Korean Hospitals have been most successful at implementing TQM as they have built in a TQM or CQI department from the beginning. Rather than making TQM a s econdary model for management, the Korean hospitals have embraced TQM as their total problem-solving solution. This resulted in Korean hospitals having created and managed TQM programs in 72% of their hospitals (Lee, 384). The major impact of this study determined that the climate of organizational change and the implementation of statistical data were the primary factors in the successful use of TQM and CQI (Lee, 391). Unfortunately, the openness to institutional change and the collection of statistical data were two of the most common issues reported as detrimental to change. Zbaracki (1988), in his article, â€Å"The Rhetoric and Reality of Total Quality Management,† states there are several places that the TQM implementation can go off track. The hospital setting has its peculiarities of

Whether chemical residue damage human Research Paper

Whether chemical residue damage human - Research Paper Example A review of the literature reveals that the HAV is capable of surviving in and being transmitted through frozen foods. By design, the proposed study is a case-control study. The 27 people alleged to have contracted the virus after eating the said berries will serve as the cases while the remaining 38 will constitute the controls. The particulars of the participants will be obtained from the Department of Health. The results will be analyzed using SPSS. Data analysis will be followed by a discussion of the same and relevant recommendations made. In Australia, it is estimated that on any given day, there are 11,500 cases of food poisoning. In a year, food poisoning costs the country AU $2.6 billion (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2005). As of March 17, 2015, 65 cases of Hepatitis A had been reported in Australia compared to 81 cases same time last year(Australina Government, 2015). Of the 65 cases, 27 were linked to Chinese frozen berries manufactured by Nanna. In all the 27 cases, the victims reported having eaten Nanna’s frozen berries within fifteen to fifty days of the onset of the symptoms. The strong epidemiological association is has been strengthened by genotyping. Following the incident, four products including the 1kg pack of Nanna’s Mixed Berries, were recalled from the Chinese market. Only Nanna’s Mixed Berries had been linked with the outbreak; the other three products were recalled as a precaution. During its media update on the outbreak in March, the Department of Health advise d anyone who had eaten the recalled frozen berries and felt unwell to see their GP soonest possible. China is the world’s largest agricultural economy and one the leading agricultural exporters (Food and Water Watch, 2011). However, since the 1990s, Chinese food standards have fallen below international standards, raising serious concerns over consumer safety (Ortega, Wang, Wu, Olynk, & Bai, 2012). The main factor that

Republic Day (India) Essay Example for Free

Republic Day (India) Essay Parades, distribution of sweets in schools and cultural dances In India, Republic Day honors the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950.[1] The date of 26 January was chosen to honour the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India. While the main parade takes place in the national capital, New Delhi, at the Rajpath before the President of India (currently Pranab Mukherjee, the anniversary is also celebrated with varying degrees of formality in state capitals and other centres. India achieved independence from British rule on 15 August 1947 following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led[citation needed] by the Indian National Congress. The independence came through the Indian Independence Act 1947 (10 11 Geo 6 c. 30), an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent Dominions of the British Commonwealth (later Commonwealth of Nations): India and Pakistan. [2] India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947 as a constitutional monarchy with George VI as head of state and the Earl Mountbatten as governor-general. The country, though, did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935. On 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Dr.B. R. Ambedkar as chairman. While Indias Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution. A draft constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on 4 November 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period  of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on 24 January 1950. Two days later, it came into effect throughout the nation. Celebrations See also: Delhi Republic Day parade The main celebration is held in the capital New Delhi. Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honour of unfurling the National Flag of India. On this day 26 January Indian flag is hoist by the Presidents of India and after that national anthem is sung by the all groups in the standing postion. India Will Celebrate Its Republic Day With Pride And A Faint Hope For The Mighty Lokpal Dr. Bikkar Singh Lalli On January 26, The Republic of India, world’s largest liberal democracy, rich in ethnic diversity, with over 1.3 billion people speaking hundreds of languages, will be celebrating its secular birth. Perhaps there is no better day than Jan. 26 to reflect on the opening words of the Indian Constitution, the document that enshrines the foundation of the world’s largest democracy begins with ‘We the People of India†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hopefully, on that day of joyous celebrations, caste, creed or religion for people of India, will not matter at all. It was January 26 of 1950 when the constitution of India came into force and India attained a sovereign status. The Preamble of the constitution seeks to establish what Mahatma Gandhi described as â€Å"The India of my dream: – —.woman will enjoy the same rights as man†. India will celebrate its 63rd Republic Day on Jan.26. Its supercharged economy has been the envy of the world. The dreams of Mahatma pay fi tting tribute to the people of a nation who, from all corners of the planet, are fuelling the spectacular growth of their homeland. During 2010-2011 alone India received $58 billion from Indian Diaspora. â€Å"The people of India, whether they live in India or elsewhere, are the engine of India.† For 2012 however, the economic forecast appears to be a bit gloomy mostly due to the turmoil in the global economy, especially in the Euro-zone Problems in the global economy and the  government’s inability to control corruption at home, will affect the government’s revenue-raising capacity in 2012. In fact, the Central excise collection fell by 6.5 per cent in November. That shortfall will affect the investment on infrastructure: like proper roads, power supply and railways that gives better opportunities to the poor to earn more. Thousands of villages remain with little or no power supply. Significantly, core sector industries (power, steel, coal, petroleum refining, electricity, cement, natural gas and oil) grew extremely slowly at 0.1 per cent in October 2011. The slowdown in the EU is also affecting Indian exports which grew only by 4.2 per cent in November 2011. Inflation, which is close to double digit again, will hit the poor hard unless food prices are brought down drastically. This economic melt-down will affect the poor most. Over 800 million Indians are living below the poverty line, and this year about 22 million more will be added to that number with the 2.8 per cent growth in population. For people in dire straight, republic day or for that matter any historical event has no real significance. Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption is laudable. But, is it possible to cleanse the polluted polity and change the greedy mindset with the passage of a Lokpal Bill? You cannot legislate social change. The democracy, the super-watchdog which should deliver all-round accountability, has become extremely weak and wasteful in India. Election to five States has been announced. To curb irregularities, to fight corruption, the commission has announced steps to reduce the role of black money in elections The politicians accepting funds, for fighting an election, know that a quid pro quo (pay-back) is involved. There are also wealthy fighting elections using their own unaccounted funds. They pay off the party leadership to get nominations. For the elimination of corruption and other maladies afflicting Indian polity, what matters most is the moral and social climate of a country. If this climate is healthy, dry and dirty bushes would not come about. â€Å"The soil would support greener pastures which would throw up upright and earnest people who in turn would choose upright and earnest leaders. One would reinforce the virtues of the other. And the nation would move from clean to cleaner public life, from strength and stability to greater strength and stability.† Every party in power has played havoc with watchdog institutions so as to control them for its narrow ends. Democracy ought to have ensured accountability of institutions. Votes  should have weeded out corrupt but the opposite has been happening – the honest rarely win elections. There is a need for political movements that can change the national consciousness; a task being addressed by movement against corruption and for a Lokepal Unfortunately, no one in our national leadership is applying his or her mind to bring about this change. As log as an elected official is not answerable to the electorate in his/her constituency, corruption cannot be eradicated. In his address to the nation the Dr. Manmohan Singh, a man of impeccable integrity and vision, will give a very hopeful message to the nation, regarding the health of the nation’s economy. He has already announced his decision to allow qualified foreign investors (QFIs) to directly invest in the Indian equity marke t. In his address at the 99th Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress in Bhubaneswar (Orissa) on Jan.3, he said that: â€Å"As we head into the Twelfth Plan, there are some objectives we must try to achieve in the Science and Technology sector. First, we must ensure a major increase in investment in RD, including by industry and strategic sectors. Second, we must ensure the creation of a new innovation ecosystem. Third, we must achieve greater alignment of the Science and Technology sector with the inclusive development needs of our nation. Fourth, we must expand basic science infrastructure. Fifth, we must encourage greater research collaboration among universities and national laboratories.† In order to compete with China, India has to do much more that what PM is aiming at. India has been seriously lagging behind in education. By 2012, it aims to educate as many as seven crore learners out of which six crore will be women. With more than 400 universities and over 20,000 colleges, the student enrolment in India has crossed 12.9 million in 2007 – 2008. Millions of children go to school every day. But for 10 million street children there, 50,000 in the streets of Delhi alone, there is no schooling and no home. They are either rag pickers or engaged in other hazardous jobs, and for them the word ‘secular democracy’ is â€Å"hopelessly meaningless† and redundant. It is estimated that there are 80-100 million children out of schools and are trapped in endless cycle of exploitation. Moreover, India has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of child workers in the world. They need protection, loving homes and good education. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Jan.10, described child malnutrition as â€Å"national shame† and said health, education  and sanitation sectors must collaborate to shape national response to the problem. â€Å"These sectors can no longer work in isolation. Health professionals cannot solely concentrate on curative care. Drinking water providers cannot be oblivious to the externality of their actions. School teachers need to be aware of the nutritional needs of adolescent girls,† he said after releasing a new research by Hyderabad-based Naandi Foundation on the status child malnutrition in India. According to that research 59 per cent kids are stunted and 42 percent are underweight. Solving malnutrition is in India’s self-interest with a huge economic return on investment. It is estimated that malnutrition costs the economy $29 billion per year in India. – as of reduced productivity and earning and increased health costs. Today, more than one third of the world’s undernourished children reside in India. A country where 79 per cent of the milk samples tested (Jan. 10, 2012, Delhi fared worst), were found to be either contaminated or diluted, cannot expect their toddlers to be in excellent health. Even with the most modern technology and access to medical facilities in most parts of the country, over four lakh newborn babies still die within 24 hours of their life in India, and 2 million children die before they turn the age of five. Most of these children die because of diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and post-natal; complications. According to India’s third National Family Health Survey of 2005-06, 70 per cent of children between six months and 59 months are anemic. Every day 1379 unborn babies are being killed. This is happening in a land where 33 crore gods and goddesses are being worshipped. As a fast emerging world power under the stewardship of a pragmatic academic and realistic visionary, India has started playing a very constructive role on the world stage. However, it has to tackle some very serious problems like extreme poverty, child labour, chronic corruption, infanticide, dowry murders, unacceptable inequality and fast growing population. These problems cannot be tackled without a collective resolve by Indian leadership. Let us congratulate the people of India on that momentous day. Let us all recall the quote from Tagore: â€Å"Where the mind is without fear and the head held high. Where knowledge is free and the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls†¦. let my country awake†.

The Negative Impacts Of Cruise Tourism Tourism Essay

The Negative Impacts Of Cruise Tourism Tourism Essay 1. Introduction Nowadays, cruise tourism plays an important role in the tourism industry. Cruise ships become newer, larger and more comfortable so that nearly every need of the customers can be satisfied on the high seas. Capabilities like theaters, cinemas, fitness clubs, discotheques, casinos, tennis courts and many others are common on most modern cruise ships. Moreover, that most of the named activities are already included in the price. Thereby the ships beat about all the seven oceans to the most beautiful places on earth like for instance the Caribbean. But all these glorious sounding features involve several negative environmental problems. Cruise ships contaminate the seas with tons of waste and sewage which causes decreases of biodiversity, coral reefs and of course the water quality. Mass tourism harms and destroys ecological systems like beaches and reefs. This examination is about the impacts of cruise tourism to the environment and contingencies how to make cruise tourism more sustain able. 2. Utilization of resources Cruise tourism requires an abundance of resources and produces quantities of waste. A typical Caribbean cruise ship produces about 50tons of waste, 7.5 million liter potable water, 800.000 liter wastewater and 130.000 liter oleiferous water. Approximately 75% of all produced wastewater are caused by cruise ships. Between 1993 and 1998 over 100 cases of marine pollutions were investigated in the Caribbean. The estimate number of unknown cases might exceed this number many times over because the disposal of wastewater takes place in aquatic environments where environmental pollution is permitted on payment of a fee. Furthermore the cruise industry requires a convenient super- and infrastructure at their destinations which often overwhelms the financial capability of the regions and causes a dependency to the cruise tourism. 3. General information about the impact of the cruise tourism industry The entire tourism industry has positive as well as negative impacts on the economy, the culture and the environment. Thereby the cruise industry is no exception. Being an in Niche market the cruise industrys impact is higher-than average. By establishing more than 450,000 employments with salaries of 15 billion US-Dollars in the whole and a turnover of some billion dollars above all the cruise industry in the USA has a great impact on the economy. Furthermore a big impact on the governments revenues and expenditures is notable. The revenues of local governments consist like following: Taxes paid on turnovers by cruise passenger, the crew and the cruise line Temporarily taxes on accommodations that are paid by passengers Revenues in fees paid by passengers as well as by the cruise line, including fees for calling at a port, cleaning and other expenditures on a harbor Fees for recycling and the use of water Fees for passengers, including admission charge and payments for medical provision Tax payment of companies which distribute products and services to cruise lines passengers taxes paid by enterprises Operational costs on- site Secondary or indirect tax revenues like payment of property tax by employees of the cruise lines and their families 4. Possibilities to create sustainable cruise tourism The Cruise tourism encompasses different segments and sub segments. Aspects of sustainability in the sense of ecological sustainability play in most of the sub-segments of cruise tourism a more or less important role. All indications are that the cruise industry, in its own interest, tries to eliminate these negative impacts as fast as possible. Potential Reasons, as the fact that one of the most important subareas of cruise industry, the Caribbean, cannot comply the conception of sustainable tourism in the sense of the definition of sustainability mentioned in the Bruntland Report, have to be searched on the academic and socio-cultural level. To find concrete evidence on these levels seems to be difficult. Although the cruise tourism initiate doubtless economical impulses on the destinations, the essentially effects on the long term local development remain to be unrealized. The relation between costs and benefits on the environmental level as well as on the socio- cultural level seems to be unbalanced what a disadvantage of the destinations is. A quantification of this context owes. With the undersigning of a pioneering nature protection agreement on January 15th 2008, re-experienced the 12-month collaboration of Conservation International, the tourism agency of Cozumel, and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association its climax. Cruise industry representatives from the government, private enterprise association and cruise ship association were part of this contract. With the undersigning of this arrangement the contractual partners originated a significant nature conservancy initiative which should help to protect the vulnerable biodiversity of the most popular cruise destination on earth Cozumel, Mexico. In the year 2006 the island employed about 1000 workers for cruise ships, which brought an estimate number of 2.6 million cruise passengers to Cozumel. During peak times up to nine cruise ships with over 10.000 tourists reach the islands harbor daily. The rapid growing of the cruise tourism industry led to a heavy burden for the environment. The agreement composes the fundament for sustainable cruise tourism which will be achieved with the following projects: The creation of more awareness for environmental problems among the cruise tourists, tour operators and within the local community Improvement of the infrastructure of the island (especially the transportation- and waste-management) Increased security for the coral reef Indemnity of the strict observance of current laws These projects were developed during a range of workshops by groups of different stakeholders. Hereby over 80 leading representatives of the cruise tourism were brought together in order to pinpoint important environmental aspects and to achieve a common accomplishment for these projects. This common planning process is worldwide the first of its kind in the cruise tourism. Therefore Cozumel is the only cruise ship destination which helps to prevent its nature and biodiversity. Leading representatives of the cruise tourism established the so-called Stewardship Working Group which is supposed to implement objectives mentioned in the environment protection agreement. Following objectives are on the agenda: Every cruise ship passenger will see a 30 second information-movie in which he will appealed to handle sustainable in order to protect the nature In a photo exhibition, nearby the landing stage, the passengers will see the unspoilt districts of the island All tour-boats on the island have their own recycling system In the next step the representatives will evolve awareness campaigns which involve not only the cruise tourists but also the tour operator and hosts. Approximately over 500.000 cruise tourists will be involved in such campaigns. 5. Particular sensitive sea area The cruise industry will be confronted with several challenges related to environmental issues in the future. These challenges relate to the activities in the oceans, especially in and around important nature protection areas. The international Maritime Organization (IMO) recognized that issue and initiated counteractions, the so called Particular Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSA). At present there exist 11 PSSAs. The effective guidelines of these areas commit all the governments of the IMO member- states to ensure that cruise lines which drive under their flag have to keep the methods of protection. The following 11 PSSAs were arranged: The Great Barrier Reef, Australia (1990) The Sabana-Camagà ¼ey Archipelago, Cuba (1996) The Malpelo Island, Colombia (2002) The Sea around the Florida Keys (2002) The Wadden Sea, Denmark, Norway, Germanys (2002) The Paracas National Reserve, Peru (2003) The western European Waters (2004) Enlargement of the existing PSSA of the Great Barrier Reef including the Torres Strait Islands (2005) The Canary Islands, Spain (2005) The Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (2005) The Baltic Sea, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden (2005) The MARPOL Convention arranges three complementary methods for the contamination management: Reduction of waste products, Recycling and disposal of waste. With the agreement of the MARPOL Convention a cruise ship can convert its waste and dispose it on its own as well as leave the waste on a harbor for disposal either by store it, burn it or recycle it. 6. Studies and scientific literature In the more recent past only a small number of studies concerning the environmental impact of the cruise industry existed. For a considerable time a wide range of articles, reports, books, campaigns and websites occurred. The most informative subscription are scientific works (Cruise Ship Tourism, 2006, CABI), which interpret the concrete impacts of the cruise industry to the environment. The most considered researches were published by Ross Dowling and Ross Klein (Cruise Ship Blues The Underside of the Cruise Industry, 2002, and Cruise Ship Squeeze The New Pirates of the Seven Seas, 2005, New Society Publishers). Furthermore, Klein also operates to websites (www.cruisejunkie.com and www.cruiseresearch.org) where the visitor can find a varies number of resources like detailed lists of diseases, cancellations, suicides, passengers who fell overboard, powertrain problems, environmental incidents, health issues and many more. Between 2002 and 2006 over one thousand facts were collected. 7. Conclusion Although the cruise tourism has a huge negative impact on the environment there are still no homogenous regulations or laws to protect the ecological system. Even if some regions established such laws, regulations and awareness campaigns there are still huge areas of freedom to act in an environmentally harmful way. Due to the magnitude of the seas the direct environmental impacts are not clearly recognizable in a short time but they cause long-term damages. The new cruise ships which are bigger than ever before and the increasing demand in this tourism branch wont help to come to grips with this problem. In terms of achieving sustainable tourism it is, therefore, a sub-sector within which socio-economic, cultural and environmental considerations need to be continually analyzed, addressed and monitored. However, decision-makers in cruise tourism destinations, particularly those outside North America, need to work closely with operators to facilitate both integrated waste management and intergenerational and intra-societal equity rather than merely accept the prospect of short-term economic gain.

Cross Linguistic Influence English Language Essay

Cross Linguistic Influence English Language Essay The research area of this paper is a cross-linguistic influence or as otherwise known transfer. Specifically, I propose to examine orthographic transfer and its potential effects on English native speakers pronunciation of segmentals in German as their second language. The fact that orthography can influence second language pronunciation is recognized by many foreign language teachers. Nevertheless, there is not enough evidence for such influence and more research is needed (Bassetti, 2008). Previous research on orthographic transfer has mainly looked at its effects on reading and spelling (Jarvis Pavlenko, 2008). Cook and Bassetti (2005) argue that writing system transfer is separate from language transfer maintaining that it is not so much aspects of the language that may be carried over as the attributes of a particular writing system (p. 29). Jarvis and Pavlenko (2008) concur with the above statement; however they also emphasize the importance of the connection between orthographic transfer and language use, since it relates to the orthographic effects on phonology and vice versa. According to Jarvis and Pavlenko, during the development of L1literacy skills, which uses the phonetic alphabet, important sound-letter correspondences are acquired which later can be transferred to the acquisition and use of the second language. Before proceeding any further, the discussion of two key terms that are extensively used in this paper as well as their definitions as proposed by the researchers in the field of SLA is required. The terms are writing system and orthography. The first term to define is writing system. Coulmas (1999) defines writing system (WS) as a set of visible or tactile signs to represent units of language in a systematic way (p. 560). There are various types of writing systems depending on what type of linguistic units they represent (Bassetti, 2005). Consequently, there are writing systems whose linguistic units are consonants hence the name consonantal WSs (for example, Hebrew and Arabic). Morphemic WSs are represented by morphemes (Chinese) and alphabetic WSs are represented by phonemes (English, German, and Spanish). In addition, there are also syllabic WSs whose linguistic units are syllables (Japanese). This paper will specifically focus on alphabetic writing systems of English and German languages which use the same script the Roman alphabet. The term writing system relates to orthography which is the second term and is defined as a set of rules for using script in a particular language, such as symbol- phoneme correspondences, capitalization, punctuation, etc. (Coulmas, 2003, p. 35). For example, in English orthography the letter Ë‚s˃ is read as /s/ and in German orthography as /z/ (Benware, 1986). Thus, the same script- the Roman alphabet- is used differently in the English and German orthographies. Orthographies of the same type of alphabetic writing system and script are also varied in their regularity of sound-symbol correspondences (Cook Bassetti, 2005). For instance, in English, the letter Ë‚a˃ maps to different phonemes in words such as park, bank, and ball, whereas in German the same letter Ë‚a˃ has only one pronunciation /a/ as in German nouns Park, Ball, Bank (Goswami, Ziegler, Richardson, 2005). English orthography is very inconsistent in terms of its sound-letter correspondences thus it is considered to have deep orthography. Languages such as German, Italian and Spanish have relatively consistent letter-to-sound correspondences, so their orthographies are shallow or as otherwise called phonologically transparent (Cook Bassetti, 2005). Thus, it should be easier for English native speakers to acquire German sound-letter correspondence rules than for German native speakers to acquire English sound-letter correspondence rules. Nevertheless, there has been observed a considerable number of segmental mispronunciations by English native speakers learning German as a foreign language. Therefore, the question arises whether the knowledge of L1 orthography has an effect on how English native speakers pronounce segmentals in German or are there any other factors such as cognate status or the age of acquisition that contribute to the orthographic transfer?. Literature review The focus of this paper is to explore whether the knowledge of L1 (English) orthography, namely its sound-letter correspondence rules, is transferred to L2 (German) and whether it has any positive or negative effects on L2 pronunciation of segmentals in adult language learners of different proficiency levels. The paper also aims at investigating whether there is a significant difference of orthographic transfer produced by learners at different proficiency levels (beginning, intermediate and advanced). Finally, the study will examine whether a lexical factor such as cognate status has either positive or negative effect on the acquisition and use of German as a foreign language. A number of studies have examined orthographic effects on either spelling or reading. Many studies also have looked at the effects of L1 orthographic experience on L2 word learning and decoding. However, there has been little research examining the effects of orthography on phonology and vice versa. According to Hayes-Harb, Nicol, and Barker (2010) no research has examined spelling conventions of the native and second languages where both share the same script. Although there is some evidence of the relationship between orthographic and phonological representations in learning new vocabulary, more research is needed to shed light on this phenomenon (Hayes-Harb et al., 2010). As this study examines orthographic transfer from English to German, the notion of cross-linguistic similarity should be taken into consideration especially given the fact that both languages share a significant number of cross-linguistic similarities in cognate, lexical, phonological, and writing systems areas. Ringbom and Jarvis (2009) discuss the importance of cross-linguistic similarities in foreign language learning. Specifically, they maintain that learners rely on their previous linguistic knowledge and look for similarities rather than differences between the L1 and the TL. Ringbom and Jarvis also state that second language learners refer to their previous linguistic knowledge mostly at the beginning stages of second language acquisition. Another important factor such as phonetic awareness and phonetic sensitivity should not be neglected. Piske (2008) maintains that children develop phonetic sensitivity to speech contrasts specific to their L1 long before they begin read and write and at the same time their ability to perceive non-native speech contrasts (L2) weakens with age. So for adult language learners perceiving non-native speech contrast and sounds that are particular to the target language is difficult. To develop phonological awareness and sensitivity would require an extensive practice and frequent exposure to target language. Considering this fact, Piske states that adult language learners are influenced by writing systems of their L1 during L2 acquisition. Consequently this results in learners pronunciation errors which are linked to the reliance on L1 grapheme-phoneme correspondence rules. Especially this refers to the cases when sound-letter correspondences are inconsistent between the L1 and L2. Odlin (1989) also provides ample evidence compiled from different studies that demonstrate the clear effect of first language influence on L2 speech production and orthography. Odlin states that similar writing systems in L1 and L2 represent a much easier task for learners acquiring a new language. The same however, cannot be said of pronunciation, as other variables may influence decoding of written symbols in L2. Flege, Freida, Walley, and Randaza (1998) examined whether lexical factors such as frequency, familiarity, cognate status and the age of acquisition have an effect on production. The authors provide an insight into what role the cognate status of words can play and how it effects speech production. More specifically, Flege et al. state that degree of perceived relatedness can vary depending on degree of cross-linguistic similarities the L1 and L2 share. Specifically, they point to the proximity of cognate pairs in L1-L2 in their meaning and especially in sound. This paper will also examine whether cognate pairs influence L2 pronunciation of target sounds. Based on these statements it is also likely that English-speaking learners of German will rely on their knowledge of English sound-letter correspondence rules when speaking or reading in the target language. This may result in either mispronunciation of certain sound-letter correspondences that are inconsistent with English orthography or it may have facilitatory effects on L2 phonology acquisition. In terms of findings several studies particularly stand out. Young-Scholten (2002)1 provides evidence of orthographic effects on the production of German consonants by English speakers. Another study conducted by Young-Scholten, Akita, and Cross (1999)2 also shows evidence of the effects of written representations on the pronunciation of consonant clusters in learners of Polish as a second language. These findings led the researchers to conclude that there is a relationship between orthographic representations and L2 phonology. Other studies investigating the effects of orthography on second language phonology demonstrate that second language learners pronunciation can be influenced by orthographic input (Bassetti, 2007). Bassetti (2007) examined the effects of pinyin (a romanized version of the Chinese language) on pronunciation in learners of Chinese as a foreign language. The author predicted that orthographic representation of pinyin would result in learners not pronouncing the main vowel in the rhymes whose transcription does not represent that main vowel as in rhymes /iu/ which maps to [iou], /ui/ [uei] and /un/ [uÓâ„ ¢n]. The results of the study suggest strong influence of pinyin orthographic rules on the pronunciation of Chinese rhymes. Specifically, learners of Chinese as a foreign language would delete the main vowel, which is not present orthographically; however they would always pronounce the same main vowel in the rhymes /you/, /wen/, and /wei/ (Bassetti, 2006; Bassetti, 2007). One of the most recent studies conducted by Hayes-Harb et al. (2010) provides some evidence of orthographic influence on the acquisition of the phonological forms of new words. In this study, Hayes-Harb et al. recreated conditions in which subjects experienced learning new vocabulary in a new language. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the presence of the written form of the new words affected the learning of their phonological form. Thus, native speakers of English were divided into three groups. The first group was provided with the written forms of new words that were inconsistent with English spelling. The second group was presented with words that were matching the English sound-letter correspondences. The third group had only an auditory input and no written forms of the new words were provided. The results demonstrated that L1 orthography interfered with students ability to learn new words especially when new vocabulary differed from English sound-letter correspo ndences. While Hayes-Harb et al. (2010) provide some evidence of orthographic effects in the process of learning new phonological forms of words, the authors admit that the method is a novel one and in the future should be controlled by learners spelling ability. Previous studies show clear effects of a relationship between orthography and phonology in second language acquisition. Much of the research has analyzed orthographies that use different writing systems, and as Hayes-Harb et al. (2010) point out very little research has been done investigating the effects of orthographies on L2 pronunciation within the same writing system and script. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate further the notion of orthographic transfer by analyzing the relationship between orthography and phonology of two languages that share the same script and the following research questions are addressed in this paper: Is orthographic transfer statistically present in the sample? Do results vary and are they statistically significant between different proficiency levels? What is the nature of relationship between error score and students perceptions of cognate status? Method 2.1 Participants The participants of this study were 28 undergraduate American English speakers from Ohio University. The students were enrolled in the 100, 200 and 300 levels of German as a foreign language. The levels differ by proficiency. The 100 level is offered to beginners, the 200 level is an intermediate level, and the 300 level is taught to the advanced students respectively. Each proficiency level consists of a three quarter sequence meeting four hours per week with regular homework assignments. Each year sequence of German series focuses on developing all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). 2.2 Materials and procedures The study consisted of two phases: the screening phase and the data collection phase. During the screening phase, students enrolled in all three proficiency levels volunteered to fill out an online language background survey. The purpose of this survey was to select potential participants for the study by controlling several variables that could have had an effect on the results. It was set up in such a way that participants could be screened based on their responses to the first three questions. Thus, those who did not qualify for the study were automatically eliminated without going over all of the survey questions. First of all, it helped eliminate the students with any reading or speech disorders. It also helped exclude those students who were taking another foreign language class along with German. The survey also eliminated the students who had taken a foreign language other than German less than a year ago, which could have contributed to transfer from that language into their knowledge and use of German. In addition, information such as students motivation, number of years they have studied German and the time spent in German speaking countries was collected through this survey. As a result, out of 63 students who had volunteered to fill out the survey, 28 were qualified and participated in the data collection phase. The selected participants included nine beginners, eight intermediate-level students, and eleven advanced-level students. The data collection phase consisted of three tasks administered in the following order: an informal reading aloud task, a formal reading aloud task, and a perception task. All three tasks were performed by the students during individual single session meetings lasting fifteen minutes. Reading aloud is considered to be the best way to test the knowledge of sound-letter correspondences. It provides good control and allows for comparison of speech samples from different subjects. Reading aloud is also a technique that is widely used in a foreign language class thanks to which participants feel more comfortable during data collection (Madsen, 1983). During the informal reading task, students were asked to read aloud a German text which was adapted in order to target certain German consonants and consonant clusters as detailed in Tables 1 and 2. The inventory sets (see Table 1) include incongruent grapheme-phoneme correspondences students presumably would have had the most difficulty producing. Table 1. Incongruent grapheme-phoneme correspondences Sounds exist in both languages, but are represented with different letters German phoneme-grapheme correspondences English phoneme-grapheme correspondences 1 Ë‚w˃ / [v] e.g., Wind [vÉ ªnt] Ë‚v˃ /[v] eg.: van [và ¦n] 2 Ë‚v˃ / [f] e.g., Vogel [foË gl] Ë‚f˃ / [f] eg.: fan [fà ¦n] 3 Ë‚s˃ / [z] e.g., sinken [zÉ ªÃƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹knÃÅ' ©] Ë‚z˃ / [z] eg.: zone [zoÊÅ  n] 4 Ë‚s˃/[ʃ] when followed by e.g., Sport [ʃpɆrt] Ë‚s˃ / [ʃ] when followed by eg.: shine [ʃaÉ ªn] 5 Ë‚s˃ /[ʃ] when followed by e.g., Student [ʃtudɆºnt] Ë‚s˃ / [ʃ] when followed by eg.: shed [ʃɆºd] Sounds are different in both languages, but are represented with the same letters 6 Ë‚t˃/ [ts] e.g., Tradition [traditsioË n] Ë‚t˃/[ʃ] e.g., tradition [trÉâ„ ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã‹â€ dÉ ªÃƒÅ Ã†â€™http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/dictionary/graphics/luna/thinsp.pngÉâ„ ¢n] 7 Ë‚z˃/ [ts] e.g., Zimmer [tsÉ ªmÉ ] Ë‚z˃ / [z] e.g., zone [zoÊÅ  n] 8 Ë‚ch˃/[à §] e.g., sportlich [ʃpɆrtlÉ ªÃƒ §] Ë‚ch˃/ [tʃ] e.g., rich [rÉ ªtʃ] Also is included a set of congruent phoneme-grapheme correspondences that exist in both English and German languages (see Table 3). Table 3. Congruent grapheme-phoneme correspondences Grapheme-phoneme correspondences existing in both languages German examples English examples 1 2 3 4 5 Ë‚b˃ maps to [b] Ë‚n˃ maps to [n] Ë‚l˃ maps to [l] Ë‚t˃ maps to [t] Ë‚p˃ maps to [p] Bank [baņ¹k] Nuss [nÊÅ  s] Land [lant] Tag [taË k] Park [park] Bank [bà ¦Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹k] Nut [nÊŒt] Land [là ¦nd ] Tag [tà ¦g ] Park [pÉ‘rk ] To test students pronunciation of the targeted German segmentals in relation to potential transfer effects, each grapheme-phoneme correspondence listed in Tables 1 and 2 was encountered at least twice in the informal reading task and once in the formal reading task. Students readings in both tasks were recorded in a soundproof recording laboratory using audio recording software. During the first task, students had one minute to read the text silently before being recorded. The formal reading task followed the informal one and required the participants to read words with the targeted sounds in isolation. The words in the formal task were a subset of those used in the informal task and some of them were cognates with English. Finally, during the perception task students had to categorize a list of both cognate and non-cognate German words in terms of their similarity to any of the English words. Students had to rate the words on a three-point scale (1=same; 2= similar; 3= dissimilar) relying on their own perceptions. Table 3 below contains examples of words students rated in the perception task. Table 3 Categorization of cognate and non-cognate words Same meaning Form Same Similar Dissimilar Ger. Wind Eng. Wind Ger. Sturm Eng. storm Ger. Viel Eng. many Ger. Student Eng. Student Ger. Milch Eng. Milk Ger. Vogel Eng. bird Ger. Winter Eng. Winter Ger. Temperatur Eng. Temperature Ger. Zeit Eng. time Ger. Warm Eng. Warm Ger. Wetter Eng. Weather Ger. Zimmer Eng. room Ger. Sport Eng. Sport Ger. Naturlich Egn. Naturally Ger. traurig Eng. sad Ger. Tradition Eng. Tradition Ger. Sportlich Eng. sporty Ger. Information Eng. Information Ger. Sonne Eng. Sun Ger. Strudel Eng. Strudel Results from these tasks revealed whether the reliance on first language orthography had a positive or negative effect on students pronunciation of segmentals in German. The mispronunciations in the recordings were quantified, categorized and recorded in a data file. Their performance was then codified and entered in the data file. Finally, student survey responses and identifying information collected through the questionnaire were matched with participants reading performance results and the perception task. Once the survey information and performance results were merged, the data was de-identified to ensure the confidentiality of the participants. Data analysis and results In order to address the first research question of whether orthographic transfer is statistically present in the sample, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, the nonparametric alternative to the paired-sample t-test was used to examine whether the participants pronunciation errors were statistically more prevalent in cases of incongruent sound-letter correspondences between the L1 and L2 than in cases of congruent sound-letter correspondences. That is, we tested whether the participants distribution of errors and successes is keyed to the specific ways in which the L1 and L2 are related in terms of sound-letter correspondences. The results of the test revealed that orthographic transfer is statistically present in the sample (p=.00). Students indeed produced more errors in cases of incongruent sound-letter correspondences and there were zero number of mistakes in cases with congruent sound-letter correspondences. In order to address our second research question concerning whether there is any difference in the mean scores between proficiency level groups, The Kruskal Wallis test was performed. This test was conducted on the results of the reading tasks of the experiment to test whether the subjects from the three proficiency level groups differed significantly in producing German segmentals [à §, f, ts, ʃp, ʃt, z, v]. It was assumed that the distribution of errors would be more prevalent in the beginner level group as opposed to intermediate and advanced level groups. The results demonstrated a significant difference in mean scores between all three proficiency groups for both informal and formal reading tasks (p =.009). The results of the descriptive statistics are summarized below in Table 5.   Table 5 Mean error scores for each proficiency level Beginners group mean score Intermediate group mean score Advanced group mean score Group Mean Informal reading task 22.50 15.58 8.00 14.83 Formal reading task 20.42 13.85 5.41 12.64 Cumulative error mean 43.37 30.43 13.41 27.90 Valid N 9 8 11 28 Finally, in our last research question we examined the relationship between students performance results in both reading tasks and their perceptions regarding cognate status of the words. For this purpose a correlation analysis was conducted to examine what kind of relationship there exist between the number of errors produced in the target sounds and the number of students rating the words as same or dissimilar. As a result, correlation coefficient between error score and a number of students rating the words as same revealed a weak negative relationship between these two variables, with correlation coefficient r = -.47. On the other hand, correlation analysis between error score and a number of students rating the words as dissimilar showed a moderate positive relationship between the variables with r = .57. Discussion The present study is exploratory in its nature yet the results show evidence of orthographic transfer in the sample. By that we mean that students do tend to rely on their L1 knowledge of sound-letter correspondence rules specifically in the cases of incongruent sound-letter correspondences between the L1 and L2. The results also indicate a significant difference in mean error scores at different proficiency levels. Thus, the beginner level students produced the highest number of errors in targeted segmentals than students from intermediate and advanced levels. These findings support the idea Ringbom and Jarviss (2009) stated that the second language learners rely more on their previous linguistic knowledge at an early stages of second language acquisition. This especially applies to the languages that share a significant number of cross-linguistic features in cognate, lexical, phonological and writing systems, as in case of English and German. The results of this study are also in line with previous findings of Piske (2008), which suggested that adult learners are influenced by the writing systems of their L1. A considerable number of errors were observed in producing in seven out of eight German segmentals [à §, f, ts, ʃp, ʃt, z, ts] with the exception of [v] which maps to Ë‚w˃ in German. For example, the highest number of errors students produced was the German consonant Ë‚g˃ in word final which maps to palatal fricative [à §] when preceded by front vowels as in traurig and consonantal cluster Ë‚ch˃ in word final which also maps to palatal [à §] in words such as Milch, natà ¼rlich, sportlich. Students produced these two sounds as [k]. They also confused German Ë‚v˃ which maps to [f] with its English counterpart [v]. The same was observed with the other two German consonants Ë‚s,z˃ which map to [z,ts] respect ively and were pronounced as English phonemes [s, z]. This can be explained by the fact that all German consonants mentioned above are represented by the same graphemes in English, which resulted in students mispronunciations. Interesting results were obtained from the words that contained labio-dental [v] which in German maps to Ë‚w˃ grapheme. None of the students had errors producing this sound despite the fact that the same grapheme /w/ maps to an approximant [w] in English. This could be interpreted as following: it appears easier for students to produce sounds that are far apart in terms of their place of articulation than for instance, the sounds that vary only in their voicing. Thus students in this study had difficulty to devoice fricative [f] in German because it is represented by grapheme Ë‚v˃, which in English maps to voiced fricative [v]. Participants of this study also struggled producing consonantal clusters Ë‚ st, sp Ã⠀¹Ã†â€™ which in German language map to [ʃt, ʃp]. Although English has phoneme [ʃ], it exists in different phonetic environment and is never followed by [p,t] phonemes in onset. Therefore students confused these two consonantal clusters with their English counterparts and produced them as [sp] for example English sport or [st] as in English student. Lastly, the perception task yielded somewhat ambiguous results. It appears that there might be a relationship between the error score and a number of students rating the words as dissimilar. Nonetheless, this needs to be investigated in the future research using a larger sample as there was insufficient amount of data to strongly support the findings. For more details regarding error score and the students perceptions see Table 6 in Appendix A. Conclusion The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent English-speaking learners of German rely on the English orthography and whether the presence of cognate words results in mispronunciation in the target language or vice versa helps learners to acquire L2 phonology. Given what was found (a) evidence that English orthography, namely its grapheme-phoneme rules interferes with learners pronunciation of German segmentals, (b) evidence that learners were influenced by L1 writing system mostly at the beginning stages of second language acquisition, and (c) some evidence of potential relationship between the errors produced and students perceptions of cognate status, we might consider some practical implications for foreign language classroom as well as future research implications. As Hayes-Herb et al. (2010) suggested language teachers might find it beneficial presenting new vocabulary using initially auditory input only. This may particularly refer to the non-cognates words as students in this study made more errors in words that they rated as dissimilar with English. At the same time, it may be helpful for learners to receive written input of the words that contain German Ë‚w˃ in word initial, as students produced zero errors, which might suggest that in this particular case written input positively influenced learners pronunciation. Therefore it is important for language instructors to be aware of orthographic transfer and its positive and negative effects so that they can address this information accordingly in their classroom. On the other hand more research is needed to support these findings. For this purpose a more comprehensive study with a larger sample would help to expand the current analysis of data and make the findings general izable for a larger population of students studying German as a foreign language. Teacher surveys might reveal whether language instructors focus on orthographic transfer or is it something new to them as well as to what extent they focus on pronunciation of those specific sounds that might be problematic due to the reliance on L1 sound-letter correspondence rules in their classroom. The results can provide valuable insights that can be applied to the teaching of German as a foreign language. Furthermore, given the scope of this study only eight German segmentals were investigated. Examining other segmentals whose orthographic representations exist only in German (for example, Ë‚Â Ã‚ ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã†â€™, Ë‚Ã ¼, à ¶, à ¤ ˃) or segmentals whose sounds exist only in German but are represented by the same graphemes (for example German Ë‚r˃ which maps to several phonemes [Êâ‚ ¬, Ê , r] depending on the in word position) would clearly provide better results on the way English and German orthographies interact with German as a foreign language phonology. To conclude, while the this study attempted to address questions on how orthography of L1 and its sound-letter correspondence rules can be transferred to L2 phonology resulting in mispronunciation of certain segmentals still more research on this topic is needed.

Essay --

Imagine having to work a 100 hour work week as a slave, being so desperate for food that you eat snakes, rats, and human corpses to stay alive, and being forced to witness public executions of your closest family members. This is the reality for the 176,000 political and associative prisoners living in North Korean prisons with no rights, no trial, and no reason. The world will have to regard the human rights abuses in North Korean as an important issue if we wish to stop the torture, murder, and starvation that it enforces on its people. Recognition for our need for basic human rights is required to understand how North Korea deprives its people from the choices we as citizens of the USA take for granted. The United Nation’s office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights says that â€Å"human rights are rights inherent to all human beings†. These rights include the rights to life, liberty, property, movement, expression, and security. The United States has different rights engrained in its Bill of Rights, like the right to a speedy trial, freedom from harboring soldiers, and the freedom to a militia. North Korea has had its prisons for more than 5 decades, and its background goes back to the Korean War, when they stored their Prisoners of War and the members of the opposition in the camps. They have continued to today, despite the fact that the North Korean government denies their existence. Those on the outside mainly get their information from prison escapees and satellite imagery, and by these testimonies we can only make educated guesses on the population, location, and size of the camps. Shin Dong-hyuk has helped the rest of the world understand what prison life was like, for his story is haunting. He was born in a prison camp... ...t? Indeed, one of the biggest pitfalls that we as people have subsided from is publicizing the rejection of rights from the North Korean peoples, and we have forgotten that we can get out the word to top diplomatic officials on how and when we wish to combat the violations. Spreading the word is one of the most helpful things you can currently do to, as you, as an American, have the right to democracy and the people’s choice in matters, a right that North Korean citizens have been blatantly denied. Get educated on these matters through books, websites and documentaries, then go spread the information you have been given. As support for the prisoners grows, so will support for the human race as a whole, it will be only then that the issue of North Korea’s concentration camps will be brought to the diplomatic table for and by the people wherever they shall reside.

Theme of Loneliness in Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenstein essays Shell

Theme of Loneliness in Frankenstein   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, one of the key themes is loneliness. For many, most of their time is spent with people, whether it is friends, family, coworkers, or strangers. Many of the characters in this book break that norm and spend countless hours alone. Having time to reflect and think about everything. Sometimes, the characters are still lonely, even with people, and sometimes friends around them. The first character that we are introduced to is R. Walton. He is on a ship with many deck hands and crewmembers, but in his letter to Margaret, his sister, he states, "I have no friend. Even when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain to me dejection." Although Walton has a boat full of men, he still feels lonely and friendless, and wishes he had a male companion to sympathize with him. Perhaps the reason that he feels this way is that he is looking for a different type of friend than what these tough sailors can offer. "I spoke of my (Walton) desire of finding a friend, of my thirst for a more intimate sympathy with a fellow mind than had ever fallen to my lot." The next character that we meet who is lonely is Victor Frankenstein. At first he doesn't seem to be because, since he was a child he has had Elizabeth as a constant playmate and friend, along with Henry Clerval. But when he leaves to go to college in Ingolstadt, he feels all alone because he has left all his friends behind him. Although his professor, Waldman, befriends him, there, at Ingolstadt, he spends many hours secluded and alone, working on his creation, the... ...ry. The loneliness of Frankenstein and the monster drove them miserable for most their lives, and in the end, to death. Walton on the other had, turns back to civilization, perhaps learning something from the story of Victor Frankenstein. In the book Frankenstein, there were many moments of glory for Victor Frankenstein, but in the end he only ending up destroying many of his family, himself, and the monster after suffering through loneliness and grief for a big part of his life.    Sources Botting, Fred. Making Monstrous. Frankenstein, criticism, theory. Manchester University Press, 1991. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992 Williams, Bill. On Loneliness in Frankenstein.   http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/class/books/frank/papers/FrankWJW.html   

Functional: Management and Business Essay

There are several functional areas within the business world today that managers use to make certain that their businesses run successfully. The functions approach provides four major functional areas in the business world. The four functions include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The functional areas in the functions approach are vitally important when concerning operating a business. The two functional areas most important for managers when creating a business would be the planning and organizational areas. Planning is by far the most important functional area in business that managers can follow. I believe this because without proper planning whether in business or anything in general if proper planning is not laid out managers may run into short-term or long-term obstacles that could cause the business to suffer and perhaps even go under. Managers must know what organizational goals they have for the business and must be able to implement planning to target those goals. Managers must plan to provide direction and reduce uncertainty (Robbins & Coulter, Management, 2010). Planning for managers involves setting short-term and long-term goals, establishing strategies, and developing plans to coordinate activities (Robbins & Coulter, Management, 2010). Planning helps managers to minimize and to eliminate problems foreseen within the business. Planning is the foundation that a business is built upon. Because of the uncertainty involved with planning, the plan must be updated as information is gathered and changes take place (Ibahim, Angelidis, & Parsa, 2004). Proper planning gives management and businesses the opportunity to determine what the desired outcome should be and how to go about achieving that desired outcome. While planning managers must not only be sensitive to their needs but also to the needs of their employees. It is very necessary to take into account not only the future but also the present as well. I believe that many times managers make the mistake by planning to far in advance and missing opportunities for growth and development in the now. This is why establishing short-term and long-term goals are important. Because long-range planning is a continual process, it should be periodically reviewed and revised (Ibahim, Angelidis, & Parsa, 2004). The types of goals taken into consideration include financial goals, which relates to a business’s financial performance, strategic goals that relates to other areas of a business’s performance, stated goals are those goals explicitly stated by an organization, and real goals that an organization wishes to accomplish and actively pursues (Robbins & Coulter, Management, 2010). Those charged with the responsibility for the plan must determine if the company’s performance and other happenings are compatible with the plan (Ibahim, Angelidis, & Parsa, 2004). Strategically planning each step in a business could have much to do with the successes and failures of the business. I believe that most business that fail do so because managers lack the necessary skills of preparation and planning. When management fails to plan strategically a business has the capabilities to run into problems with organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning can only be a useful managerial function if objectives are properly chosen (Ibahim, Angelidis, & Parsa, 2004). Types of plans that managers must take into consideration would include strategic plans. Strategic plans are broad and apply to the organization and help establish the organization’s goals. The second type of plans is operational plans. Operational plans are narrow and relate to a specific business area, long-term plans generally tend to be more than three years long, short-term plans that will be achieved within a year or less, specific plans are plans that do not permit for ambiguity and work well with low levels of uncertainty, flexible directional plans that accommodate high levels of uncertainty, single-use plans focus one specific project or to achieve a specific goals, and standing plans put in place for a fair amount of time such as policies and procedures (Robbins & Coulter, Management, 2010). Planning goes hand-in-hand with the organizing function of a business’s success. With proper planning of a business this gives room for better organization of the business. Organizing a business would involve determining what is to be done, how it will be done, and who is to do it. If a business has proper planning the functional area of organization has no other choice but to fall in place. Organizational structure issues include (1) how structure will affect communications within and outside, (2) how much centralizations is desired, and (3) how projects will be planned (Adler, MacDonald, & McDonald, 1992). If management has evaluated and implemented the proper planning and organizing techniques I do not see any reason that a business should suffer. I believe that if a management implements these two functional areas within their business that leading and controlling would be no issue. With the planning aspect managers know who will lead in the organization and managers also know what will be done and how the job will be done. Organizing also optimizes the communication and achievement of strategic objectives (Adler, MacDonald, & McDonald, 1992). All functional areas are important and I believe that every business should incorporate them to be successful. However, with strong planning and organizing with a business there is a better chance of much success and less barriers and obstacles down the line. In conclusion every area of the functions of management is important. Some areas take more time and consideration than others. Without proper planning and organization a business will suffer. Every business and manager must stay focused and keep in mind what the goals and desired outcomes are. In keeping goals in mind this will help managers plan and organize their business.