Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Flaws of the Tragic Hero Hamlet in Shakespeares...

The Flaws of the Tragic Hero Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet With Hamlet being generally labeled as the best tragic hero ever created, it is ironic that his tragic flaw has never been as solidly confirmed as those of most of his fellow protagonists. There is Macbeth with his ambition, Oedipus with his pride, Othello with his jealousy, and all the others with their particular odd spots. Then there is Hamlet. He has been accused of everything and of nothing, and neither seems to stick. Flaws are carved out of obscure conversations when he may or may not be speaking truthfully and alleged from instances of his own self-discipline. They are bored into him with the bits of psychological drills invented long after Shakespeares hand crafted†¦show more content†¦And so he dies, not because of his flaw, but because the flawless ideal cannot coexist with the pockmarked real. Most heroes strong points are unique for their possessors. They have few others. And so, the tension is concentrated upon those spots and they are quickly and noticeably sc ratched. And the interpreters leap upon the battle wound and call it a flaw. It is given a name, ambition, arrogance, or other words that society likes to use to demonize a rise above mediocrity and indecision. All this, of course, has been tried on Hamlet, and none are universally accepted as right or even slightly viable. He has no one point on which to concentrate the attack. He smashes against the ragged walls of his cell with inflexible force. He alters his environment on all fronts, from his own appearance to the psychological states of others (most notably Ophelia). His flaw is the strength of his strengths, the consistency of his consistencies. There is, first of all, what he says of himself. He says to the ghost, just as the plot gets underway, thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the book and volume of my brain.(Act 1, Scene 4, 102,103) Then, again, the message comes, soon after the climax, in the form of: My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!(Act 4, Scene 4, 66) He then dedicates himself entirely to his cause. He feigns madness to the point of starvingShow MoreRelatedHamlet, A Tragic Hero1003 Words   |  5 Pagesmemorable tragic hero’s Hamlet is the definition of a tragic hero. In the book, Hamlet, Shakespeare’s character hamlet is determined on killing his uncle the king. This goal proves to be challenging to him due to his morals. He often struggles with this throughout the book. This proves to be his downfall for not deciding to kill the king until the very end. A tragic hero has to have a fatal flaw that, combined with fate, brings tragedy. This is one of the key characteristics of a tragic hero. He hadRead More Shakespeares Macbeth and Hamlet as Tragic Heroes Essay893 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth and Hamlet as Tragic Heroes      Ã‚   William Shakespeare has written many literary works - from his sonnets to his plays, each has its own individual characteristics.   One popular characteristic that comes from his plays is the tragic hero.   The audience can always relate to the tragic hero and the many trials he faces.   Macbeth and Hamlet are just two of Shakespeares plays that involve the tragic hero.   Through their nobility, tragic flaws, and dignity Macbeth and Hamlet prove to beRead MoreHamlet Was Not Shakespeare’S First Tragedy, Nor Would It1627 Words   |  7 PagesHamlet was not Shakespeare’s first tragedy, nor would it be his last, but it is certainly one of his most venerated for one reason in particular: Hamlet himself, the tragic hero. Not even Aristotle could have predicted that a character as complex and intricate as Hamlet would ever come into writing, although he did lay the foundation for which Hamlet could be built upon. As with most tragic heroes, where Hamlet begin s in the play gives tremendous magnitude to where he eventually ends. He begins asRead MoreIs Hamlet A Tragic Hero Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesTo be, or not to be: a hero. That is the question often asked of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet: whether Hamlet II, Prince of Denmark, can be considered a hero. Throughout the play Hamlet proves himself to be a hero, although different from the usual sense of one. Hamlet is a tragic hero, â€Å"a great or virtuous character . . . who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat . . . who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedyRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare648 Words   |  3 PagesTo be, or not to be, or maybe just to pretend to be – Hamlet - make up your mind already! Before discussing Hamlet’s hamartia, please let me say that Hamlet is one of my all-time favorite plays. Yes, it is tragic. Yes, they all fall in the end. But, goo d lord, what action! So, what is this shortcoming the unfortunate Hamlet possesses that brings about his undeserved end? Before discussing the frailty of this tragic hero, let us examine the word, hamartia, used by Aristotle in â€Å"The Poetics†. HamartiaRead MoreEssay about Hamlet702 Words   |  3 Pagesquot;there is a hero to every storyquot; has been heard of by almost all. But can this be true if the hero doesnt survive through the story? It all depends on the definition of hero. A person can still be classified as a hero even if they do not live to see the good that they have done or accomplished in their lifetime. This type of hero is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a good and admirable man of high position who falls to destruction as a result of some great error he commits or some flaw in his characterRead MoreEssay on The Ideal Hero in Shakespeares Hamlet1632 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet is not like the other tragic heroes of his period. He stands apart from other Shakespeares heroes because of his innocence. Perhaps this supposed tragic hero is an ideal hero - one without the tragic flaw. The tragic flaw has been a part of the formula for the tragedy since the Golden age of Greece. The main, and, most often, the only flaw that has been attributed to Hamlet is his delay.   This seems to constitute the central part in Hamlet. Critics seem to cling to this detail, as ifRead MoreHamlet, Prince of Denmark825 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, Prince of Denmark By William Shakespeare Submitted by: Tariq Khan Dated: Monday, 24th September, 2012 Hamlet as a Tragedy by William Shakespeare 1.1. Brief Introduction to Tragedy: Greek and English: Elizabethan tragedy is traced back to Greek tragedy, since Greeks are said to have pioneered the Western knowledge, be it Science, Arts, or Humanities—not necessarily Technology. The rich contribution of Greek dramatists like Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and AristophanesRead MoreHamlet : A Tragic Hero995 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet: A Tragic Hero William Shakespeare is known through the ages as a brilliant playwright. He has written several comedies and tragedies that people have loved through decades. Shakespeare’s plays have been interpreted in many different ways and have been debated on which interpretation is correct. Some of these included even the basis of the character’s persona. In the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, the main protagonist, Prince Hamlet, is fated by the ghost of his late father that, becauseRead MoreEssay about Greek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeares Hamlet1191 Words   |  5 PagesGreek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeares Hamlet For several thousands of years, drama has existed among mankind. The ancient Greeks are accredited with the creation of drama, which began as simple religious rituals and eventually evolved into the more complex forms of tragedies and comedies. The first rules of drama, not surprisingly, were also written by a Greek--the famous philosopher and intellectual, Aristotle. Aristotle took note of the what qualities created a successful dramatic piece

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Ethical And Ethical Aspects Of Social Ethics - 2191 Words

What is the meaning of social ethics? The most common way of defining social ethics is a system of principles that distinguish between right and wrong. From a young age humans are taught ethical norms from family, religion, friends and the legal, political and social culture. â€Å"Ethical norms are so ubiquitous that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society?† (Resnik, 2011). Ethical disputes emerge from value conflicts because people interpret and apply ethical norms in different ways due to their own beliefs and life experiences. In research, these conflicts are expressed in various ways:†¦show more content†¦It is therefore important for researchers to learn how to interpret, assess, and apply research rules and how to make decisions and act in diverse situations. Most cultures have legal rules that govern beha vior, but ethical norms have a tendency to be more informal than laws. â€Å"Although most societies use laws to enforce widely accepted moral standards and ethical and legal rules use similar concepts, it is important to remember that ethics and law are not the same. An action may be legal but unethical or illegal but ethical† (Resnik, 2011). This is one reason why social scientist researchers have begun to address the particular ethical issues that arise in their work. By examining two highly debated case studies it will be clear to see why ethics in research is so important. Both The Bell Curve written by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray and Pygmalion in the Classroom by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson identify education as being one of the main avenues of social mobility. Within our educational institutions today, supremacism remains a function of how schools enforce discipline, use standardized tests, select curriculum and texts, and teacher attitudes. On the other hand, the most notable difference between the cases is the significant discrepancies in intelligence between racial and ethnic groups. The authors of The Bell Curve argue that no amount of

Monday, December 9, 2019

I.t. doctors database analysis Essay Example For Students

I.t. doctors database analysis Essay There are some parts of a Doctor’s Surgery that could benefit from computerisation. As time goes on technology will aid most types of work, for instance office work (Department of Trade and Industry, for example). Technology could be used in a Doctor’s surgery to computerise the patients’ files, to print out prescriptions and certificates for things like immunisations. The patients’ file would consist of their name address, telephone number, D.O.B, sex, allergies, and diseases. In addition, it will be faster for the doctor to access his or her files because they are all just a few clicks of a mouse button away instead of loads of paper-based files in a big fat cabinet away. If you were to misplace a file in your office, it would probably be hard to find it, whereas if you lost a file on a computer you could use the find utility in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or 2000 (by pressing the button and F at the same time) and the file would be found in a few seconds. On a computer you could automatically put the files in alphabetical order by whatever- name, GP, date of birth e.t.c. However, in an office cabinet it really would not be easy at all to put and keep the files in some sort of alphabetical sequence. Currently the database is pen-and-paper based, which may be cost effective but is very time-consuming when compared to a computer-based database. Say you have a paper-based database. If one of your clients move house or get married, you would have to create a whole new record because of the altered information. And say it was a family who moved residence, and then after you made the new records the parents got married. It would cause a lot of hassle and waste a lot of time, wouldn’t it? The doctor would get annoyed searching for people’s files and they would take longer to get through things, which means less appointments every day. The dilemma is that I need to make a database to answer all these problems. I will make a database for a doctor’s surgery so the doctors can look up and alter the files of their patients with just the click of a button. The database will be able to find their medical record (allergies, etc.), their home address, their home phone number, their allergies (if any), and their diseases (if any). The potential users of this database are doctors, stand in doctors, receptionists, physiotherapists and nurses. Doctors are potential users because they are the people treating their patients so they will need to be constantly checking their patients’ files. That also applies for the nurses, physiotherapists and receptionists. Receptionists are potential users because they are the people who book the appointments and edit files for things like addresses or names. Also, I will need to make a brochure for my company for it to be a form of advertising. In addition to that, I will make a slide show advertisement that customers could watch when in the surgery. This could be used to let them know the full capabilities of the surgery; it could also help the customers tell their friends about the surgery in case their friends are looking for something that they cannot find in other surgeries. I asked my GP (General Practitioner) these questions:1. Would you prefer a paper-based record of everything or a computer-based record of everything?2. Why?3. Which system are you currently using?4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this system?5. Did you ever use the other system?6. Why did you change?He replied:1. I would prefer a computer-based record of everything. .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .postImageUrl , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:hover , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:visited , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:active { border:0!important; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:active , .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18 .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5c8e936029bd136cc90b58bbba46ae18:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Human Cloning Isn't as Scary as It Sounds Essay2. Why? Because it means easier access, more space in my room, lees time-consuming, and I can print out prescriptions instead of hand-writing them, and I don’t have re-record things when I have to edit something. 3. Currently I am thankfully using a computer for my records and prescriptions. 4. The advantages are that it is quick, that the files can be edited, added and erased easily, etc. The disadvantages are that data can be lost permanently; the computer can crash because of bugs. 5. I used the other system years ago. 6. I changed because compared to the system I am using now it was very frustrating and time-consuming. In my database I will construct a spreadsheet for customer details, employee details, for the supplier’s details and appointment details. From these spreadsheets I will generate a form for each so the receptionist/Doctor can simply fill out the form instead of having to keep checking what column he/she is writing on in a spreadsheet. It is also easier to write in forms rather than spreadsheets because you can merely press the tab button to move down to the next data insertion/edit field. I will mail merge the spreadsheets for customer details, employee details and prescription supplier’s details. I will need a computer, preferably with Microsoft Access included, and one or more floppy discs to transfer my work from one computer to another. I will make a logo to represent my company in the advertising area of things, and I will make a slide show for my company, also for advertising purposes. You could make certain databases available to certain people only, for instance the appointment data available only to the receptionist, the patient’s data available only to the This Database would only be available to the Doctor, and you could certify this by these security procedures:? Encryption? Password at login screen? Password at bootup screen? Files kept on LaptopProblems with the current system? It is written on paper? The doctor would have to re-print the patient’s file if something had to be altered, e.g. vaccinations, change of telephone number, moving house. ? You have to sift through loads of files to find a specific patients file? The only way they are secure from prying eyes is to lock them in a cupboardObjectives of the new system? Faster access to files? Easier alteration of files? Confidentiality? To be less space- consumingLimitations? If I were to create a new program to do this task from scratch, I would have to learn C++ so I could do it? I can only use the programs that I have access to: Microsoft Access, Microsoft Works, and Delphi 3. ? Time You never have enough time. The limitations of the potential users will be minimised by the production of a simple user guide written in plain English. The limitations imposed by the resources available are: ? I can only use a program that I and they have constant access to? I and they must know how to use the program to good effectSo, the key objectives are to make a logo, id badge, business card and a doctors’ database for a surgery. There are no data sources needed for this task; all the names have been devised by myself to use in the database. All the addresses are bogus as well.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Lord Of The Flies By William Golding Essays (754 words)

Lord Of The Flies By William Golding Is man really born with a evil persona or a persona that is worthy as an angel or is man born naked for a reason because he has nothing to bring to this world but himself? A person is not innately any characteristic, he was brought to the world from love and must choose to love or not. Mother Theresa explains this best by saying, "Everyone was created to be loved and to love." The novel, Lord of the Flies, has characters that were not brought to the island good or evil, but has characters that changed because the atmosphere that they are in changed them. Because of the environment that you are in makes you become a certain person, you change with the circumstances of your environment, and interact with the condition of your environment. Major events affect your life in drastic ways. A marriage, for instance is a major occurrence and different kinds of marriages can drastically change your life. A marriage that is abusive emotionally and physically can make your life full of hatred, you could be depressed, you could see your self as less a person than you are, and you could also be a frightened person because of it. A marriage completely different is one full of love. A marriage like that can cause a person to act blissful, to go out and do more things on account of your support system, and you can show other people to have loving lives like yours. All the characters, as one, are in a kind of marriage together, they lived concurrently and supported each other. The marriage was abusive, they taunted each other, especially Piggy. They taunted him at first meeting by saying this, "He's not Fatty... his real name's Piggy"(21). On account of that Piggy felt not worthy to other characters in the novel and didn't get to show his more intelligent side to everyone. Events are a primary device that causes people to act a certain way. If the characters didn't live so close together and taunt Piggy, would he have acted the way he did through the course of the novel? Being brought into particular situations can alter your life. To cite an instance, a child being taken from his home, the only place he knew, and put into a foster home would be a particular situation that could alter one's life. The other place he lived in may have been harmful to his well-being and it was a positive occurrence that he was brought out of his home. On the other hand, the foster home could affect his well-being in a more negative way than his old home. The Lord of the Flies is based upon the fact that these children were suddenly thrusted into a new environment that in the end affected them in a very negative way. The conversation Ralph has with the naval officer in the end expresses how a person from the outside can't believe that children could be killing each other just because they are alone on an island; the officer says," We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?" (201). The truth was that their new environment, the island, was a big reason that did really have a war with each other. Changing an environment may have an effect on a person in many different ways, good and bad. People are who they are because of people that surround them. For example, Piggy grew up with his aunt, who spoiled him, and taught him about his asthma. Piggy proves he runs his life according to his aunt by saying, "My auntie told me not to run...on account of my asthma"(9). Piggy's new surroundings changed him into what he was in the story. An example of this would be when the other boys teased him. Because of their harsh treatment he was quiet and less self-confident. The boys were now his aunt and they now controlled how he acted and felt. Lord of the Flies is a good example of how people in your surroundings help make the person you are. In conclusion, your future is not decided at birth. The good and evil in mankind depends on the situations that happen, not on that one person. The evil that happened in Lord of the Flies occurred because of the situations on their environment, the island, and the situations that happened to them individually. A person is not just

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Blood

Beep, beep, beep, beep. â€Å"You were traveling to class in the morning, it was very foggy. Without warning you saw a car in front of you as you slammed on your brakes your car started to spin and eventually rolled four times. The ambulance came and rushed you to the hospital. During the accident you suffered a head injury and are going to need a blood transfusion to compensate for the blood you have lost.† Beep, beep, beep, beep sounds the heart monitor. Throughout the world, everyday people are being deprived of life. Why? Because the need for donated blood is at devastatingly high levels. Did you know only about 5% of Americans eligible to donate blood, actually donate every year. I have been donating my blood since I was 16 years old, when my mother signed a waiver in order for me to donate my blood to my best friends mom who was very ill. I have done research on the topic of blood donating and today, I will persuade you to take an active role in saving someone’s life by donating blood. According to the American Red Cross every three seconds someone in the United States needs blood. With the occurrence of car accidents, shootings, and other medical emergencies blood is an invaluable resource. Blood is essential to life and there is no artificial substitute that can replace human blood. The National Blood Data Resource Center states that about 10,000 people receive blood transfusions every day and many of them are in jeopardy due to the declining rate of blood donations. All blood types are needed especially the â€Å"universal blood† type O blood, which can be received by anyone. The American Red Cross estimates about 12 million units of whole blood are donated in the U.S. every year and on any given day, approximately 33,000 units are needed. When calculated that leaves an estimated 45,000 units of blood still needed every year. I would be devastated if one of my friends, family members or myself needed some of the 45,000 un... Free Essays on Blood Free Essays on Blood Beep, beep, beep, beep. â€Å"You were traveling to class in the morning, it was very foggy. Without warning you saw a car in front of you as you slammed on your brakes your car started to spin and eventually rolled four times. The ambulance came and rushed you to the hospital. During the accident you suffered a head injury and are going to need a blood transfusion to compensate for the blood you have lost.† Beep, beep, beep, beep sounds the heart monitor. Throughout the world, everyday people are being deprived of life. Why? Because the need for donated blood is at devastatingly high levels. Did you know only about 5% of Americans eligible to donate blood, actually donate every year. I have been donating my blood since I was 16 years old, when my mother signed a waiver in order for me to donate my blood to my best friends mom who was very ill. I have done research on the topic of blood donating and today, I will persuade you to take an active role in saving someone’s life by donating blood. According to the American Red Cross every three seconds someone in the United States needs blood. With the occurrence of car accidents, shootings, and other medical emergencies blood is an invaluable resource. Blood is essential to life and there is no artificial substitute that can replace human blood. The National Blood Data Resource Center states that about 10,000 people receive blood transfusions every day and many of them are in jeopardy due to the declining rate of blood donations. All blood types are needed especially the â€Å"universal blood† type O blood, which can be received by anyone. The American Red Cross estimates about 12 million units of whole blood are donated in the U.S. every year and on any given day, approximately 33,000 units are needed. When calculated that leaves an estimated 45,000 units of blood still needed every year. I would be devastated if one of my friends, family members or myself needed some of the 45,000 un...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Ghazals, Short Lyrical Poems that Blend Arabic and American Cultures

Ghazals, Short Lyrical Poems that Blend Arabic and American Cultures Like  the pantoum, the ghazal arose in another language and has recently come to life in English despite the difficulties of technical translation. Ghazals originated in 8th century Arabic verse, came to the Indian subcontinent with Sufis in the 12th century, and flourished in the voices of the great Persian mystics, Rumi in the 13th century and Hafez in the 14th century. After Goethe became enamored of the form, ghazals became popular among 19th century German poets, as well as more recent generations like the Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcà ­a Lorca. In the last 20 years, the ghazal has taken its place among the adopted poetic forms used by many contemporary poets writing in English. A ghazal is a short lyric poem composed of a series of about 5 to 15 couplets, each of which stands independently on its own as a poetic thought. The couplets are linked through a rhyme scheme established in both lines of the first couplet and continued in the 2nd line of each following pair of lines. (Some critics specify that this rhyme carried through the 2nd line of each couplet must actually, in strict ghazal form, be the same ending word.) The meter is not strictly determined, but the lines of the couplets must be of equal length. Themes usually are connected to love and longing, either romantic desire for a mortal beloved, or a spiritual longing for communion with a higher power. The closing signature couplet of a ghazal often includes the poet’s name or an allusion to it. Ghazals traditionally invoke universal themes like love, melancholy, desire and address metaphysical questions. Indian musicians like Ravi Shankar and Begum Akhtar made ghazals popular in the United States during the 1960s. Americans also discovered ghazals through the New Delhi poet Agha Shahid Ali, who blended Indo-Islamic traditions with American-style storytelling.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ending of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ending of Life - Essay Example The LCF strongly views that the legalisation of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide is against the right of the under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The LCF has brought to light that euthanasia or physician assisted suicide cannot be truly autonomous acts which requires consent and the accurate assessment of competence is not adequately guaranteed. Further, the submission also focuses on the fact that it is to too difficult to ensure a truly voluntary decision and it is impossible to regulate euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. The LCF rightly has pointed out that neither the doctors nor patients want euthanasia and the legalization would create a policy drift away from the principle of inviolability of life, thus opening the door to further liberalization of the law. In the submission, ‘ECHR’ denotes the European Convention on Human Rights 1950, ‘ECtHR’ denotes the European Court on Human rights; ‘PAS’ denotes physician assisted suicide, where a doctor helps a patient to take his or her own life; Euthanasia denotes the intentional termination of a patient’s life by a doctor who thinks that death is of benefit to the patient; Involuntary euthanasia denotes euthanasia being carried out against the wishes of a Non – competent patients; The House of Lords Committee denotes the House of Lords Select Committee on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill; The Select Committee Report denotes the First Select Committee Report of the House of Lords on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. The LCF has classified its objections into various categories as The Right to Life, The Right to choose, The Problem of Consent, Depression, The Impossibility of the Regulation, Safeguards, Implication and Conclusion in the submission. According to the LCF submission, the Right to Life is the corner stone of human rights law, which has the protection under the Article 3

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Short Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Answers - Essay Example Because of the vast territory, there emerged a more global culture within the city-states which integrates their artistic styles into a single art form which we now call Hellenistic art (Greek Art 1). The classical period has emphasized the shift from depicting gods and goddesses with their ideal forms into human beings in their natural state. This has been continued in the Hellenistic period yet "the artist of the Hellenistic era expanded his formal horizons with dramatic posing, sweeping lines, and high contrast of light, shadow and emotions" (Greek Art 2. From the simple depiction of Poseidon or Zeus in the classical era, the Hellenistic art comes up with more dramatic masterpieces such as the sculpture of Antinous which imparts deeper emotion. It should also be noted that the "subtle implications of greatness and humility of the classical era are replaced with bold expressions of energy and power" (Greek Art 3). The classical period's Charioteer of Dephi even though recognized for the severity of movements is relatively static when compared to the Hellenistic period's Boy Jockey which highlights tension. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are considered the three greatest thinkers in Greece.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Feminism and Cultural Identity Essay Example for Free

Feminism and Cultural Identity Essay Barbie, a worldwide viral doll known for her interest in adult-fashioned roles, indirectly constitutes the way American girls should grow up to be. With the creation of this doll came the thirst and need to sell it. Therefore, just one version of the Barbie doll is not sufficient. Mattel Inc., famous for its numerous toy creations yet infamous for its many controversies, has made Barbie’s boyfriend, sister, cousin and even her dog. Consequently, Mattel created Barbie collectibles that included the â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World†. In this collection, the creation â€Å"the notorious PR Barbie† as Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner states in Barbie’s Hair: Selling Out Puerto Rican Identity in the Global Market, has developed confusion, furiousness and also indifference in the Puerto Rican society. In Sandra Cisneros’ essay, Barbie Q, Barbie’s values are as she physically is, merely plastic. She is a â€Å"mean-eyed† fashionista boyfriend stealer with emphasis on the stealing part. Barbie has made society assume that girls and women’s interests are only based on their looks and men. At the same time, girls around the world are getting brainwashed into thinking that is what they were made to do and how they are meant to be. Because Barbie dolls are used by young girls who may be in the process finding who they are, these girls may grow up with these sexist values in their lives. With this being said, young girls are offered a very superficial way of life, the life of a Barbie, which may be pretty and cute from the outside but it’s a very fake one. With this, society has created a twisted way of how a girl or woman should be like. On this essay’s last paragraphs describes where the protagonists dolls come from; a flea market. The doll she had probably was damaged by a fire, but as she describes the damages it shows that in a way the child accepts not only the doll’s flaws, but her own. With this, she will not let society define perfection. And the search for perfection will be her own, not what society has taught. Another essay that embarks the same issue with Barbie dolls is the previously mentioned by Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner. In this essay, Negrà ³n, states that when Mattel brought the new Boricua personage to the â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World† collection, Puerto Rican people from both the island and migrants in the United States had distinct yet connected opinions of the doll. Island intellectuals criticized the doll’s Americanized ideal of what a Puerto Rican should be and is like, this being a wavy-haired mulatta. Still, Puerto Ricans living on the island bought the doll and made it one of the most sold. On the other hand, Islanders now living in the United States considered the doll â€Å"straight-haired and white†. The Puerto Rican Barbie offers young girls a misconception of what a Puerto Rican really is. The Puerto Rican Barbie was conceived almost in the 21st century with the mannerisms of a 19th century jà ­bara (a country-side woman). The idea behind â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World† was that American girls learned about different cultures in the world. Since Barbie’s are sold worldwide, there is an issue that is developed instantly. The American corporation Mattel has a big dilemma: making sure that the conception of the dolls is loyal to the culture it corresponds, an issue that they did not pay attention with proximity for the Puerto Rican Barbie doll. Thanks to this doll, people from around the world perceive Puerto Rican identity as country mulatto men and women. When in reality, Puerto Rico’s race is a mix of African, Spanish and Taà ­no (natives): â€Å"The lingering impression that the Puerto Rican Barbie was essentially white and that its â€Å"mulattoness† was a cultural masquerade was reinforced by the box’s ethnic â€Å"origin† story for Puerto Ricans: ‘My country was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus who claimed it for Spain.’ In only mentioning that the island was discovered by Columbus, Mattel and its allies connote that all Puerto Ricans are fundamentally Europeans and banish the influence of Natives and Africans to the back of the bus.† The doll’s box, to a certain point, limits the explanation of the Puerto Rican race and the consumer to his or her understanding and knowledge of the Puerto Rican culture, or any culture for that matter. The owner of the Barbie doll, or society passes to believe what the box primarily says. Usually, stereotypes are a general knowledge of a country or a culture. This not being the case on the Puerto Rican conception of the Barbie doll, she is put as an olive skinned, jà ­bara with a bomba dress, that in reality looks like a European dress with encaje (lace). If the doll was a jà ­bara (low class countryside woman) with a bomba dress, why did it have lace when it is a sign of a high-class European wardrobe? â€Å"The doll’s main concern is for you to ‘like the special white dress I am wearing. It is very typical of a dress I might wear to a festival of a party.’† states Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner. The Puerto Rican doll is a complete stereotype of what a Puerto Rican is. If the box said that the doll is wearing a traditional outfit, or explained how our culture developed, it would be a different story. Nevertheless, the doll is put in a 19th century context when it was almost created within the new millennium. Clearly, Puerto Ricans must have passed through modernization or what Puerto Rican intellectuals call â€Å"Americanization†. Also, the doll’s features are the ones of a mulatto, when Puerto Ricans have a mixture of African, Taà ­no and Spanish. Puerto Rican’s ethnic background is omitted with this doll. However, the most controversial issue with this doll wasn’t its skin color or its â€Å"fiesta† wardrobe, it was its hair, as the essay’s title says: â€Å"Barbie’s Hair†. Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner shows various Puerto Rican opinions on the doll’s hair but the most outrageous states as follows: â€Å"Lourdes Pà ©rez, a Puerto Rican Chicago-based, San Juan-raised interior decorator, was horrified at what she saw: ‘I don’t care that she’s white. Puerto Ricans come in all colors. But when I saw that hair, I thought ‘Dios mà ­o’, we just passed a terrible legacy to the next generation.â⠂¬â„¢ Despite exasperated responses from some Puerto Rico-based (white) men- â€Å"[t]his woman is saying that the prevalent lack of respect, the lawlessness, drugs, driving conditions, domestic and child abuse aren’t as terrible a legacy as a straight-haired Barbie† Lourdes Pà ©rez then was pointed out by Louis Aguilar as a Puerto Rican woman who probably spent countless hours straightening her hair before going to the office or school. She was described as a woman ashamed of her griferà ­a. Pà ©rez contradicts herself in the previous quote because she emphasized, â€Å"Puerto Ricans come in all colors† and yet criticized what big hair the doll had. Puerto Ricans, as previously informed, are a mix of 3 bloods: Taà ­no, Spanish and African. Therefore, the issue that the Puerto Rican Barbie’s hair provoked is illogical. What Mattel should have worked on better, were its features and the box historical background. Because Barbie is a globalized toy, it is impo rtant that the company portrays the culture correctly so people won’t generalize when in contact with another culture. The representation of Barbies as women helps re-create stereotypes because girls that play with these dolls are in the stage of life where they are in the process of formation as a human being. The doll’s profession or wardrobe will be what the child wants to grow up and be or know. Barbies as women are key to generalization and dolls should be what a kid wants it to be, not what a company wants women to be. In a way, Negrà ³n-Muntaner suggests in â€Å"Barbie’s Hair† that cultural stereotypes affect not only how people around the world view Puerto Ricans but also how Puerto Ricans view themselves. A sort of indifference has been created with this doll. Puerto Rican folk know that the doll’s historical background is completely disfigured yet they still go out and buy the collectible Barbie. That is to say, Puerto Ricans have passed to not care about how other people view them. People around the world see Puerto Ricans like the doll; peasants wearing bomba dresses with European lace, that meant the person is in a higher social class. It’s a bad combination of what we are. By reading these materials it has been clearly learned that it is very important that people know have a deep sense of they are and where they come from. Also, not to generalize a culture with a doll meant for a specific country. It is essential that we, as Puerto Ricans, become proud of our roots and get to know where we come from. We cannot limit our knowledge of what a Puerto Rican is and where he or she comes from to a doll. It is also necessary that girls own up to a Barbie, not the other way around. A Barbie is not a paradigm of what a girl should grow up to be. We are not perfect or plastic and we are not meant to be it either. This is where society fails. Most people don’t let their children know that they are perfect in their own way. It is most important that we let others know the wrongs that come from generalization and stereotypes. These, along with prejudice, paralyze and deactivate intelligence because people won’t let it flow or let he or she get influenced by other cultures and learn. [ 1 ]. Mulatto is the race mix of Spanish and Taà ­no. [ 2 ]. African-Puerto Rican dance that the lower class performed. [ 3 ]. Known as big kinky hair passed African folk.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Classical Criminology Essay -- Crime Deviance Psychology Essays

Classical Criminology The classical school of criminology was around in the eighteenth century. It came abount in a time when the previous dominent spiritual look at defining crime and criminal behaviour was being challenged by a newer naturalistic approach of the social contract theorists. The classical school was the established ideas of monarchs, fedual lords and the fathers of the church. The main pioneers of the classical school were Cesar Beccaria ( 1738-1974) from Italy and Jeremy Bantham from Britain (1948-1832). From them writing their theories in the eighteenth century they established the essential components of the rational actor model. They both shared the idea that crime and criminal behaviour could be understood and controlled by human nature. The classical school was not intrested in studying crime and criminals, it got its theorys from law making and legal processing. The new ideas of '' enlightenment'' philoshefers were Montisque, Rasseau, Voltaire, Thomas Aquins and Locke. The fundermental principles of the classical school are made up of four main things. These are, free will, rationality, self-intrest and responsibility. Free will - People thought that god made people commit the crime, the classical school thought that people are not forced into commiting crimes. They believe that its our choice to behave in a criminal or non criminal way. We have a range of choices, and it is up to us if we want to break the law. Rationality,- This is where we think about each pro and con of each action we take, and we think about what we are doing. Self-intrest.- The classical school believed that we were all born s... ...present the state. In proportion to all this, the law must specify the relationship between law and the punishment given. The Punishment must come very soon and as quick as possible after the crime has been commited. The judge's and the jurys administer the law and punishment and interprate the law. Beccaria's theorys have a huge impact on modern criminal law. The idea of free will is built into many legal codes. Jermy Bantham was a philoshopher and a leading disciple of Beccaria. He too thought that human nature had some place in people becoming criminals. He too was a believer in that people would commit crime to minimalise pain and maximise pleasure. Bantham believed that it was incorect up-bringing that caused people to commit crime. Works Cited Roger Hopkins Burke. An Introduction to Criminological Theory

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Importance of blood donation Essay

Begin with an interesting quotation related to your opinion about The American Red cross (You will need a transition here) – End the Intro paragraph with your thesis statement: Even though Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. because It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it. and Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. Body Paragraph or Section #1 Topic of the body thesis: Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Body Paragraph or Section #2 Even though Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. because It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it.. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Body Paragraph or Section #3 The most important reason Every person in this world should donate blood once. is because Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Conclusion So it is clear that although Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. for two main reasons. First, It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it.. But most importantly, Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. – Now you will return to your opening attention-getter from the introduction – Then end your essay with a powerful So What? statement.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Roles of Reality in Children’s Literature

The Role of Reality in Children’s Literature Anna Scott The Role of Reality in Children’s Literature Historical Fiction Historical Realism attempts to recreate a reality of the past, to capture the milieu of a time gone by and must be set at least a generation before the writing of the book. It has the power to broaden our horizons, to learn more about the people and places of our world by reading about the past—where we all came from (Russell, 2009). One such powerful story, one of the inhumanity and sacrilege of World War II and a family’s journey through it all is Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars.Family and Social Values Number the Stars is an excellent example of historical fiction which deals directly with the Nazi regime. Here and there is a bit of violence, suspense and fear of the soldiers, but it is mostly a story of bravery, courage, friendship and hope. A young girl named Annemarie Johanson grows up in occupied Denmark during the Second Worl d War. She learns first-hand about the plight of the Jews in her country when she and her family help her best friend Ellen Rosen and her family escape to Sweden.A soldier appears when the Johanson’s take Ellen in for one night while Ellen’s mother and father are taken to a safe place. Annemarie helps Ellen by hiding her Star of David necklace so the soldiers do not see it. Ellen pretends to be Annemarie’s dead sister Lise and is hopeful that the soldiers do not find out. The next day Annemarie, her mother, Annemarie’s Uncle Henrik and Brother-in-law Peter help Ellen and her family flee to Sweden. During the most intense parts of the book, the two families (Johanson’s and Rosen’s) are often put face to face with the enemy.At one point, the family is gathered around a coffin along with other families in hopes to meet to discuss future events that will aid in their safe departure from the country. But when a soldier enters and demands the coff in be opened, the family must decide quickly a plan to fool the soldier and to convince him that they are truly mourning a death, and not conspiring against the soldiers. Uncle Henrik tells Annemarie: â€Å"It is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything†¦ e only know what we need to know† (Lowry, 1989) and Annemarie quickly discovers that it is better to know less than to know the truth, as the fear is so much more apparent when the truth is known. This story is filled with aspects of respect and unity as both families treat each other equally and protect each other, even though Ellen’s family is Jewish and Annemarie’s isn’t. Ellen and Annemarie’s friendship is a true testament to how far you will go to protect a friend. Almost every character exemplifies bravery in one way or another.Annemarie does not think she is brave even though she took her Uncle his forgotten â€Å"lunch† and takes on two German soldiers. When Uncle Henrik tells her, â€Å"That’s all that brave means, not thinking about the dangers. Just thinking about what you must do† (Lowry, 1989), Annemarie learns that being scared or frightened does not mean that one is not brave. Annemarie and her family push through the fears and the unknown to strive for what is right and what they believe in. Literary elements and structural devicesNumber the Stars is a serious yet hopeful story that provides details about wartime experience. Told in third person, Number the Stars reflects a child’s view of the Nazi occupation in Denmark. The characters main cultures are Danish, Jewish and German and it is assumed that the characters have traditional gender roles and behaviors. The story is set in the Protagonist against Society conflict where the protagonists are the main characters: Annemarie and her family and Ellen and her family and they are against the Nazis values and morals.Number the Stars is a coming of age story about fa mily and close friends that entails the characters likes, dislikes, struggles and triumphs. Based in fact or History In Number the Stars, Lowry tells of the realistic story of life in Denmark during World War II through the lives of two young girls, but while reading there is not too much evidence that the story is not real. The book tells the true events of the Nazi soldiers in that time period as well as Jewish people becoming targeted by Nazi’s and other’s helping them hide.According to Lowry, Number the Stars is a novel that was inspired by a friend who had grown up in Denmark during World War II. It is based on hours of conversations with her friend and others who experienced the hardships of World War II and in much of her writing; Lowry tries to tell the big story by relating small details (â€Å"Study Guide for Number the Stars (pdf)†, n. d). Most of her explanation about where the story came from and where fact ends and fiction begins is at the end of t he book in the Afterword.Here she explains that she had always been fascinated and moved by her friends descriptions not only of the personal deprivation and sacrifices that her family and neighbors suffered through but the courage and integrity of the Danish people and the leadership of the kind they loved, Christian X (â€Å"Study Guide for Number the Stars (pdf)†, n. d). Reading this afterword, adds an element to the story that you thought was already there. You can easily identify the time, place and discover the families while you are shown examples of honor, hope, friendship, bravery and courage all knowing that portions of the story have a small inkling of truth.Summary We read realism because we are interested in the lives of the characters—their loves, fears, likes, dislikes, struggles, and triumphs. What we learn is that human beings of different times and places have a great deal in common (Russell, 2009). In Number the Stars, there are lessons of friendship , honor, respect, unity, and bravery within the story. Lois Lowry gives us a moving story that shows us in the face of Nazi bigotry and hatred, honor and hope still prevail. We are told that we can learn from the past, that we can avoid the same mistakes however, covering it up does not erase it.Being ignorant only leaves us unprepared for the future so we should not only uncover the horrors of the past, but also show the glories as well. References EBOOK COLLECTION:  Russell, D. L. (2009). Literature for children: A short introduction (6th ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Lowry, L. (1989). Number the Stars. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. Study Guide for Number the Stars (PDF). (n. d. ), Retrieved from http://www. glencoe. com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/number_the_stars. pdf

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Bedford Hours essays

Bedford Hours essays Various medieval manuscripts are focus of interest for todays scholar, because of their intricate textual and pictorial context. Yet it is The Book of Hours that stands out the most for its diverse structural framework and the creative peculiarities. The irregularities within this brilliant manuscript make it unique in its own way. The unconventional order of the texts, iconographical peculiarities within a program, the abnormality of miniatures, the question of patronage, identity of the artist or the date of production are many reasons why we get captivated and choose to examine this type of manuscript more closely. There are many different Books of Hours. The Bedford Hours is one of the most intriguing ones. The book measures 260 x 180 mm (10 1/2 x 7 1/8 inches). It contains nearly 300 leaves, every one of which is illuminated. In addition to its 38 large miniatures, most of which complement conventional texts of a Book of Hours, it includes more than 1200 tiny marginal pictures, illustrating scenes from Old and New Testaments. The text of the manuscript is written in blue, red and gold ink. The body of work consists of six unequal sections, each of which includes a coherent sequence of devotions appropriate to inclusion in this type of book. The sections are as follows: Calendar; Gospel Lessons followed by Obsecro te and O intemerata; Hours of the Virgin; Penitential Psalms with special Hours assigned to the seven days of the week, and Office of the Dead; Hours of the Passion; Memorials of selected saints, and number of selected special devotions. Each section is composed of multiple gatherings of eight leaves. A gathering of twelve leaves, carrying the calendar precedes these sections. Each month occupying the recto and verso of a single leaf, is illustrated with appropriate iconography. The suitable labors of the month accompanied by zodiac signs are shown in the lower margin of the rec...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Submit Forms Using TWebBrowser in Delphi

Populate/Submit Forms Using TWebBrowser in Delphi The TWebBrowser Delphi control provides access to the Web browser functionality from your Delphi apps - to allow you to create a customized Web browsing application or to add Internet, file and network browsing, document viewing, and data downloading capabilities to your applications. Web Forms A web form or a form on a web page allows a web page visitor to enter data that is, in most cases, sent to the server for processing. The simplest web form could consist of one input element (edit control) and a submit button. Most web search engines (like Google) use such a web form to allow you to search the internet. More complex web forms would include drop-down lists, check boxes, radio buttons, etc. A web form is much like a standard windows form with text input and selection controls. Every form would include a button - a submit button - that tells the browser to take action on the web form (typically to send it to a web server for processing). Programmatically Populating Web Forms If in your desktop application you use the TWebBrowser to display web pages, you can programmatically control web forms: manipulate, change, fill, populate fields of a web form and submit it. Heres a collection of custom Delphi functions you can use to list all the web forms on a web page, to retrieve input elements, to programmatically populate fields and to finally submit the form. To more easily follow the examples, lets say theres a TWebBrowser control named WebBrowser1 on a Delphi (standard Windows) form. Note: you should add mshtml to your uses clause in order to compile the methods listed here. List Web Form Names, Get a Web Form by Index A web page would in most cases have only one web form, but some web pages might have more than one web form. Heres how to get the names of all the web forms on a web page: function WebFormNames(const document: IHTMLDocument2): TStringList; var   Ã‚  forms : IHTMLElementCollection;   Ã‚  form : IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  idx : integer; begin   Ã‚  forms : document.Forms as IHTMLElementCollection;   Ã‚  result : TStringList.Create;   Ã‚  for idx : 0 to -1 forms.length do   Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : forms.item(idx,0) as IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  result.Add(form.name) ;   Ã‚  end; end; A simple usage to display the list of web form names in a TMemo: var   Ã‚  forms : TStringList; begin   Ã‚  forms : WebFormNames(WebBrowser1.Document AS IHTMLDocument2) ;   Ã‚  try   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  memo1.Lines.Assign(forms) ;   Ã‚  finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  forms.Free;   Ã‚  end; end; Heres how to get the instance of a web form by index.  For a single form page the index would be 0 (zero). function WebFormGet(const formNumber: integer; const document: IHTMLDocument2): IHTMLFormElement; var   Ã‚  forms : IHTMLElementCollection; begin   Ã‚  forms : document.Forms as IHTMLElementCollection;   Ã‚  result : forms.Item(formNumber,) as IHTMLFormElement end; Once you have the web form, you can list all the HTML input elements by their name, you can get or set the value for each of the fields, and finally, you can submit the web form. Web pages can host web forms with input elements like edit boxes and drop down lists which you can control and manipulate programmatically from Delphi code. Once you have the web form, you can  list all the HTML input elements by their name: function  WebFormFields(const  document: IHTMLDocument2;  const  formName :  string): TStringList;  var  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  field : IHTMLElement;   Ã‚  fName : string;   Ã‚  idx : integer;  begin  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : WebFormGet(0, WebBrowser1.Document  AS  IHTMLDocument2) ;   Ã‚  result : TStringList.Create;   Ã‚  for  idx : 0  to  -1 form.length  do  Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  field : form.item(idx, ) as IHTMLElement;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if  field   nil then  Continue;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  fName : field.id;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if  field.tagName INPUT  then  fName : (field  as  IHTMLInputElement).name;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if  field.tagName SELECT  then  fName : (field  as  IHTMLSelectElement).name;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if  field.tagName TEXTAREA  then  fName : (field  as  IHTMLTextAreaElement).name;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  result.Add(fName) ;   Ã‚  end;  end; When you know the names of the fields on a web form, you can programmatically  get the value  for a single  HTML  field: function  WebFormFieldValue(   Ã‚  const  document: IHTMLDocument2;   Ã‚  const  formNumber : integer;   Ã‚  const  fieldName :  string):  string;  var  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  field: IHTMLElement;  begin  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : WebFormGet(formNumber, WebBrowser1.Document  AS  IHTMLDocument2) ;   Ã‚  field : form.Item(fieldName,) as IHTMLElement;   Ã‚  if  field   nil then  Exit;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName INPUT  then  result : (field  as  IHTMLInputElement).value;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName SELECT  then  result : (field  as  IHTMLSelectElement).value;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName TEXTAREA  then  result : (field  as  IHTMLTextAreaElement).value;  end; An example of usage to get the value of an input field named URL: const  Ã‚  Ã‚  FIELDNAME url;  var  Ã‚  Ã‚  doc :IHTMLDocument2;   Ã‚  fieldValue :  string;  begin  Ã‚  doc : WebBrowser1.Document  AS  IHTMLDocument2;   Ã‚  fieldValue : WebFormFieldValue(doc, 0, FIELDNAME) ;   Ã‚  memo1.Lines.Add(Field : URL, value: fieldValue) ;end; The entire idea would have no value if you would not be able to  fill in web form elements: procedure  WebFormSetFieldValue(const  document: IHTMLDocument2;  const  formNumber: integer;  const  fieldName, newValue:  string) ;  var  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  field: IHTMLElement;  begin  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : WebFormGet(formNumber, WebBrowser1.Document  AS  IHTMLDocument2) ;   Ã‚  field : form.Item(fieldName,)  as  IHTMLElement;   Ã‚  if  field   nil then  Exit;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName INPUT  then  (field  as  IHTMLInputElement).value : newValue;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName SELECT  then  (field  as  IHTMLSelectElement) : newValue;   Ã‚  if  field.tagName TEXTAREA  then  (field  as  IHTMLTextAreaElement) : newValue;  end; Submit  a Web Form Finally, when all the fields are manipulated, you would probably want to submit the web form from Delphi code. Heres how: procedure WebFormSubmit(   Ã‚  const  document: IHTMLDocument2;   Ã‚  const  formNumber: integer) ;  var  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : IHTMLFormElement;   Ã‚  field: IHTMLElement;  begin  Ã‚  Ã‚  form : WebFormGet(formNumber, WebBrowser1.Document  AS  IHTMLDocument2) ;   Ã‚  form.submit;  end; Not All Web Forms Are Open Minded Some web forms might host a captcha image to prevent web pages from being manipulated programmatically. Some web forms might not be submitted when you click the submit button. Some web forms execute JavaScript or some other procedure gets executed handled by the onsubmit event of the web form. In any event, web pages can be controlled programmatically, the only question is how far are you prepared to go?

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

3 - Assignment Example The spot gasoline prices are the prices that have an influence on the wholesale of gasoline. This is the price paid by stations when filling their storage tanks. The current price of commodity is $2.18 per gallon (Roseman n.d). This changes depending with season. For instance, during winter the prices are likely to go down by almost a half. The specifications for the commodity have changed since 1998 (Brand n.d). This is as way of keeping up with the new technologies being invented and especially in the oil production and refinery sectors. Also, the changes in the commodity specification are a method of creating environmental friendly products thereby reducing the products negative impacts on the environment (Roseman n.d). Sulphur levels in the Canadian gasoline are not to average more than 30 parts per million. Similarly, the sale of Benzene has been limited to 1.5% by volume. The current future of gasoline is that the prices are likely to shoot. This is because this is what has been trending from February 2015 until March 9 2015 (Roseman n.d). For example, the price was $2.332 on February 23 2015, $2.473 on March 2 2015 and $2.487 on March 9 2015 (Brand n.d). This explains the trend that the prices are going up every week. I expect the price of gasoline to average $3/bbl. The reason for this projection is that the current futures are suggesting a very high uncertainty in the overall price outlook. For instance, the future contracts for May 2015 averaged $52/bbl. This indicates an average of 52% volatility and 95% upper and lower limits. This confirms that the market expectations will widen over time. In my opinion, I would recommend that the projections for the commodity be set a month before the release of the commodity. The executive committee should avoid long duration’s predictions as this is affecting the price of gasoline. For example, if they predict the price shall go up even when the economy is doing great, the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Needs Analysis of Microsoft Corporation Research Paper

Needs Analysis of Microsoft Corporation - Research Paper Example At the point when the event is harmful, some inspiration or objective of the hackers must be determined and addressed through the most appropriate measures. For example, the goal could be aimed at upsetting ordinary business operations, consequently denying information accessibility and production. Microsoft has been a leader in the design and programming of computer software, including operating systems and software applications. However, the future of Microsoft, as said by Steve Ballmer, the company’s CEO, is that of both a hardware and software corporation. According to the CEO, in about five to ten years, the company will be a manufacturer of devices as an addition to its software services and applications. The hardware, which the company is expected to manufacture in the future, includes Windows 8 Surface Tablets. In addition, it is postulated that the company will produce Windows 8 Smartphones. The entry into the mobile phone and telecommunication industry by Microsoft is likely to shape or change the competitiveness of this industry to a large extent hence the need for security. This clearly shows that Microsoft Corporation requires adequate security measures. Most firms such as Microsoft Corporation are on the look for superior and successful ways of managing their safety infrastructure. Nonetheless, technological advancement is a human innovation, but it surpasses human control. This is why most companies are afraid of security threats brought about by change while at the same time; they have to embrace technology as a means of improving their sales. Network threats and attacks are some of the challenges facing security personnel in various industries. This has pushed security operators to consider using complex systems or models to ensure compliance. In addition, these security threats call for stringent and network-wide security policies. The reason why most companies consider using sophisticated

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Answer the questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer the questions - Case Study Example Furthermore, it is out of his determination that he started the Element Bar, as an alternative producer of all-natural and organic bars. Third, Miller is a risk taker. As a strength, this ability grants him the opportunity to position himself in line with new business ideas in a highly competitive market and goes ahead to invest in them, with the hope of obtaining a substantial market growth. The strength of Element Bars lies in the differentiation of products done in the production of all-natural organic energy bars, as opposed to the competitor firms such as Bear Naked Granola, You Bar, and Humm Foods. On the other hand, Miller portrays weakness points in relation to his negotiation skills. He is a poor negotiator, as evidenced in his inability to convince the bank and other sources of financing to loan him capital to expand on the business. Subsequently, he panics when faced with the interviews with the Shark Tank investors, and spends a lot of time preparing, with mock interviews being organized by his family. Element Bars is also weakened by not having a strong capital base; hence, not viable for loan options from a bank or other financial institutions to enable it expand its business capacity. Additionally, has not been in the market for a long time, and lacks the capability to withstand the competitive pressure that comes from established firms within the industry (Gasparski, Ryan & Kwiatkowski, 2010). Element Bars has a great potential in the market of all-natural organic bars given that nearly all its competitor firms are not entirely differentiated into this form of bars. Furthermore, the firm has a potential market in diabetic and healthy conscious consumers who would always choose their products over those from other companies. The company has a huge potential of expanding in growth should it obtain the right amount of capital investment into increased production of the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Nestle Company Analysis Marketing Essay

Nestle Company Analysis Marketing Essay Introduction The marketing communication these days have changed like never before with more emphasis on the non conventional media rather than just relying on the mass media. Companies are no longer looking at the mass media as their saviour to reach out to the masses and convince them; on the contrary many of them find these mass media advertising as intrusive and the messages carried through them does not create the impact as much as they want it to be. Integrated marketing communication is the order of the day with multiple mediums used by the companies ensuring that they reach out to the customers in a more effective and efficient manner. By having the messages communicated through various channels they make sure that these companies are able to create a complete brand experience. IMC tries to integrate various marketing communication channels such as PR, online and social media, mass media advertising etc into one singular entity conveying a compelling simple theme that can get the customer s for the company. The main factor that these companies have to make sure is that they convey a unified message in all the mediums. There are several examples where companies in an attempt to woo the customers tried to pass on conflicting messages thus driving the customers away from them. Synergy between various mediums and the compatibility of the messages in all the mediums thus plays a very important role in this case (Fall C, 2002). NESTLE In UK In a recent media statement, the Swiss food giant Nestle said that they are well placed to cope up with the changing demographics and cost pressures and they are all set to rule the UK market. This statement came in view of the rise in the input prices by almost 10 % which has made other major corporations found wanting. Nestle still believes that they can be a market leader in confectionaries after the huge success of their brand Kit Kat which was well established. But the company has been under severe pressure to streamline its processes due to the fact that there has been an increase in the price of raw materials and that too the customer base in UK is more or less saturating leaving no room for further expansion. Major supplier of cocoa, Ivory Coast going through a rough political phase has been the reason for worry in UK confectionary industry. This leads to changes in prices even though Nestle claims that the pricing wont vary much and would be decided upon based on various segments that they are catering to (Ellwood, I. 2002). All these factors lead to the importance of having a loyal customer base and increased frequency of use by the existing customer base. In order to reach to your customer and get a share of their mind, especially in the FMCG segment it is essential that you have to reinforce the message again and again so as to get a top of the mind recall. In this age when one is bombarded with thousands of advertisements every day, unless and until you try out something different the customers are not really going to pay attention to you. One way to overcome this problem is using an integrated marketing communication approach, wherein the messages are passed on to the customers by means of various channels and thus reinforcing the message. By using various media options that are seen as non intrusive you are actually talking to the customers in a more conducive environment and hence they are more likely to listen to you (Davies, M. 1998). When y ou run a campaign it is essential to monitor the campaign and then guide it at each and every stage so that the money that is spent on advertising is not wasted. This is also possible by the use of various media options like Social and interactive media where the customers essentially form a part of the campaign thus giving them a feeling that they have an involvement in the whole process and thus they feel like owning the product. Integrated Marketing Campaign by NESTLE Nestle has been using Integrated marketing campaigns to good effect in almost all the countries they are into. They have been using non conventional media options to good effect so as to maintain the brand image that they have developed at the same time ensure a top of the mind recall in the minds of the customers. They have been into event marketing which is a very effective mode of communicating with your customers, as they are in a framework of mind to listen to you. C:UsersSharonDesktopAIM-path-to-purchase-generic.jpg For example their recent family days campaign as a part of the Minor league basketball sponsorship. They are using all the available media options for this purpose and have made an interactive website which has already attracted many hits in the initial days of the campaign itself. Thus by making the product a part of the events the company is trying to make it an essential part in the lives of those who love baseball and the customers start associating themselves with the brand more. This gives them immense opportunities to piggy-back on those events and thus creates a hype and excitement around the brand (Brassington, F and Pettitt, S, 2000). They can even analyse the current brand health and these events gives you the best platform to relaunch or reinforce the position in the market. By linking a campaign to loyalty and frequency programs the company can actually get more of repeat purchases thus ensuring that they are getting most out of a profitable customer by maintaining a lon g term relationship with them. Let us now look at various media options that are available, the pros and cons of them with respect to Nestle and then analyse whether they should go ahead with such an option or not. Mass Media Nestle being in FMCG category it is essential for them to advertise and remain in the minds of the customers and hence they have to use mass media. This is the cheapest option in terms of the cost per customer is concerned but the main worrying factor is that most of the developed nations have already admitted the famous death of mass media marketing as there are so many messages bombarded to the customers and they started ignoring the messages or is selectively paying attention to these channels. Another main factor that repels customer attention towards these channels are that the messages which are communicated are not distinctive or refreshing. For example when two companies Nestle and Cadbury comes up with a TV commercial about similar products, the customers dont find any major difference between the two and hence they tend to ignore both and the purchase is often impulsive. By Have a break Have a Kit Kat campaign the company tried to project the chocolate as a thing that can b e used whenever there is a break. The marketing teams often fall into this trap, they cannot survive the competition without getting a share of mind and voice which is possible only with mass media channels, but they themselves know that the message that they communicate is not targeted at the population that they are selling to or the majority does not care to buy the product. But in an FMCG industry in order to ensure parity with others in the market, companies are forced to make media expenditure on the product. The company thus have to ensure that they get the right TV spots whenever they are advertising rather than just extravagantly spending on Television advertising. In case of print media the life of ad is even longer and one can actually target the customers in a more effective manner. They can communicate their brand positioning in a more effective manner and the shelf value of such ads are much more than that of a radio or a TV commercial. Nestle has been not utilising this medium effectively, rather than just concentrating heavily on the TV commercials (Aaker, D and Joachimsthaler, E 2000). They should come out with effective Print ads in various national dailies and magazines that are meant for fun since their target group essentially reads these magazines and dailies. By means of print media, company can give more information to the customers and they can even invite them to be a part of various contests that they are planning in any campaign. Mobile Applications With widespread adoption of mobile phones, this is one of the important areas which can be effectively used by the Nestle. Most of the customers find mobile marketing as non intrusive and hence they welcome it if done in moderation. Again being an FMCG product Nestle have to combine this mobile marketing with any other sort of marketing such as event related or contests. They can give personalised information to individual customers on various product information and event sponsorships like that of Minor League Football Sponsorship. This medium is very effective because of the fact that the company can target its customers in a more effective manner. Unlike mass media which appeals to all sections of the population, in this case only the profitable customers can be targeted by effective use of CRM and database solutions. The messages are passed on to only those who have a good customer life time value according to the company statistics. This medium can also be used to lure those cus tomers who are likely to switch by offering them better deals and better variety of options. Given the tie up of Nestle with major retail stores in UK, it can be stated that they have good information about its customers preferences and they can utilise them to attract the customers into their fold. Online Media Marketers have realised the power of online media and almost every other company is trying hard to use the online media space to communicate their message to the customers. The customers on the other hand prefer this media much more than that of any other media channel because of the fact that this media channel gives them the option of a two way dialogue. Nestle can come up with initiatives to make customers a part of their marketing campaigns by means of suggestions and contests. Online media can be a double edged sword; it can create negative word of mouth which can affect the brand equity. No one realises it better than Nestle as they have already faced the brunt of Milk product campaign which gave them bad word of mouth and the news got spread all across the world in no time because of online media. There were several Boycott Nestle campaigns run across the world. So it has to be handled effectively. Online media also gives in-depth product information that the customers need. O ne of the main challenges that Nestle faces while addressing such an issue is that they have attract the customers to their website, which is difficult in case of an FMCG product. This can be done by having interactive sections, games and contests on the website which will draw the public towards these websites. The company can also go in for advertorials and expert comments which are taken with more credibility by the public. They develop a sense of trust in the brand when the products are endorsed by the domain experts and celebrities. Social networking is one major tool which is being increasingly used by many companies. People who are their target segment are internet savvy and spend most of their time in social networking sites like facebook. The company can promote their products through these sites and get a customer feedback directly from them (Assael, H. 1992). By placing the product promotions within various games and other applications that can help them in making the brand memorable in the minds of the people. One of the important factors why marketers prefer this media option is that they get a direct feedback over a specific marketing campaign that they run and hence they are able to mould it accordingly based on the needs and requirements of the company. Moreover internet offe rs them immense opportunities to promote the product at a very less cost and thus direct the expenses in a more effective manner. Out of the Home Advertising Out of the home advertising has moved on from the ages of static bill boards which occupied the advertising history for so long. Emergence of 3D sign-boards and likes has made the arena more compelling and attractive for the customer to take a note while he is on transit. There are several examples where companies engage in direct battles with the competitors through out of the home media (Baker, M. 2000). The industry is focusing more on OOH as it provides a cheaper substitute to the mass media at the same time helps them in making aware about the product. Nestle even though have been involved in a certain degree of Out of the home mode of advertising, they havent made any real breakthrough as afar as out of the home media is concerned (Booms, B.H. and Bitner, M.J. 1981). They heavily rely on 2D ordinary bill boards still. They have to move out of the conventional methods and try out something new like a 3D billboard. If the company has to target the rural segment then they have to effectively use it. Given the fact that the urban customer base are already on a saturation , Nestle has to concentrate more on its rural population and this can be done effectively with the help of Out of the home media channels. Direct and E-mail Marketing FMCG companies use less of direct and email marketing, as they have very little information as compared to that of many high involvement products. The company have not been using this media option that much. Nestle can still use direct mailers and e mails to its profitable customers. But still they wont have much of an option when they consider such an option. This can be used while they run any particular contests or to attract the customers to their websites. Nestle can use this mode of option to direct the traffic to the website and then promote the products through the website. Marketers can measure the response rate of the direct mailer campaigns and hence can monitor the same very easily. Many companies ignore this route but Nestle can make use of this mode so that it can complement other methods of marketing (David Sebastan, 1959). PROS CONS of IMC: Why it should be Used? One of the main advantages of using an IMC approach in case of an FMCG is that it helps in effective cross functional merging of various media channels rather than just depending on the mass media to deliver. With an integrated marketing approach communication with the customers improves and it ensures that customers voice is also heard and at the same time gives them a sense of involvement in the whole process. By profiling the customers based on demographics and psychographics, Nestle can actually target only those who are actually a part of the target group rather than just communicating with anyone and everyone who is not a part of companies target group (John Gullivan, 1998). By applying strategic segmentation of customers, the company would be clear with respect to the communication objectives that they are upto and they help them in simplifying the whole process as they get an idea about how much to spend on each channel based on the effectiveness of the medium. Integrated mar keting communications approach also makes sure that many offline and online mediums which have high potential but rarely used are also used in the process to ensure that the customers are attacked from all the sides and they essentially develop a sort of bonding with the customers (Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. 2001). With the advent of online and internet marketing numerous ways to woo the customers such as Search engine optimisation e marketing campaigns pay per click, blogs, RSS podcasts etc are used which have proved to be non intrusive and very effective in reaching the customers. One of the main advantages of such a campaign is that Nestle would be able to customise the marketing communications based on the time budget and resources of the customers. This helps in streamlining the available resources with the company in a efficient manner. Nestle being a large corporation has the financial muscle power to utilise various channels to reach out to the customer and thus create a visible difference in their current campaign. The main disadvantages of such a campaign are that there need to be simple message that needs to be communicated through various mediums. If the messages in various mediums are contrasting then it is never going to work in favour of the company. It also depends excessively on the database that the company have and the profiling that they do with the data. If not done in a proper manner then all the money that one spends on it is going to be wasted (Glynn Mangold, David J. Faulds, 1992). The benefits of such campaigns are that it helps the company is maximising the use of money that they spend on marketing communications and it has been seen in many examples that the net results out of such campaigns per dollar is much more than that of normal mass media communications. It helps in interacting with the customers at an individual basis which is more effective and when you have a simple compelling story to tell through various media channels it is going to be a success for sure.

Friday, October 25, 2019

We Need Automatic Voter Registration Now :: Politics Political Essays

We Need Automatic Voter Registration Now    Political participation should not plummet in the new millennium. Young people should automatically become registered on their eighteenth birthday. With all of the new technology our now it should be able to be done. All babies are given social security numbers shortly after birth. From this procedure every individual should be registered to vote on their eighteenth birthday.    Every young person enrolled in high school should be required to take and pass a current government class that teaches the student about the current government laws and political offices and who holds the current positions. If this is done no one should have the excuse not to vote because they don't know who to vote for or who the candidates are. Keeping the young informed and involved in politics and the politicians and their views can only help in getting them to vote and stay involved.    The voting age should not be lower than 18 years of age. Voting is an earned privilege and is given to mature individuals who want to make a difference in their lives. To vote for the candidate that will best serve the office in which they are elected is what young people should look forward to. Every eligible person should want to participate in making a difference in the country in which they live. Everyone young or not should be provided with: all of the information on all political offices that are to be voted on; what the person elected to the office is responsible for and the qualifications it takes to obtain the position; and, what the position is supposed to accomplish for the well being of the citizens.    Keeping lines of communication open for everyone is another way of helping voters to encourage voters to exercise their rights to vote. Keeping the ballots simple and uncomplicated also is great help to the young and elderly. Making sure the voting day and the voting hours are suitable to all working people with odd shifts easy to get to vote.    The absentee ballots that are available are also a great idea for people who can not get to the polls on Election Day. Keeping things simple and uncomplicated are ways to help young people to use their rights to vote and make a difference in this political world.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Poisons and their effects Essay

What are poisons and what are their effects? Biologically a poison is any substance that is capable of causing damages, illness and sometimes can lead to death of plants and animals. Poisons affect things when they chemically react with the substance. When poison is introduced in the body it harms the cell metabolism thus rendering it to be non-functional. Some substances are not chemically harmful but when they are taken in excess they have effects like those of poisons. Most poisoning cases are of people who try or commit suicide. It should be known that poisons should not always be looked in negative light, as some of them are very helpful to human beings. Their use depends on their toxicality and the intended work. It is the property of poisons toxicality that makes it to be used for specific functions for example those that are used in farms to control pests, killing weeds and others are applied to preserve building stuff. There are still others that are used by farmers to preserve their harvested foodstuffs such as maize, beans and other grains. Therefore safe in this knowledge, chemicals should not always term as destructive for in other circumstances they are very vital.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poison in a chemical is not what makes it to qualify as a poison but rather, it is the chemical or physical properties that make it to qualify. Everybody should be well aware that when poisonous substances are swallowed, inhaled or when it comes to contact with ones skin, they can cause unwanted reaction and this is why they are referred as poison depending on the expected outcome. The reason for saying this is because even some drugs that are prescribed by doctors sometimes could become poisonous if they are not taken as the medical practitioners prescribe them. (Turkington, C. 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most affected of all groups are children. This is because children are very curious to test on every chemical substance they come across especially those who are below the age of six. Most children have itchy hands thus when an adult person is using these chemicals and they happen to be distracted by other things, these children may have access to them. Teenagers are also at risk of being poison victims either knowingly or unknowingly because they like taking risks. Some teenagers also out of curiosity experiment on some poisonous substances like sniffing glue or inhaling other substances. About all teenage cases of poisoning, half of them are regarded as suicide attempts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poisons also affect adults either intentionally or unintentionally. These poisons may result from gas leakages; alcohol and other illegal intoxicants and also some household cleaning substances are poisonous. Substances are termed as poisonous depending on their expected. Alcohol is taken for fun but if it is exceeded, then it becomes poisonous and can even kill. There are various symptoms of somebody who has taken poison but these are not always consistent as they vary from one person to another depending on their age, the content and amount taken and the lapsed time since it was taken. The most common symptoms of poisoned victim are: Feeling nausea and vomiting, having cramps, drooling, having pains in the throat, being confused and reduced alertness accompanied with headache. A person may also feel sleepy, experience difficulty in breathing, and they may sustain mouth, eyes, teeth and skin burns. When these symptoms are noted, the victim should immediately be given the necessary first aid and then immediately taken to hospital. (Goldsmith D. 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As consumers of chemical products people buy about 0.5 million of potentially poisonous substances either for cleaning, cosmetics, medication, killing weeds. Most of the chemicals that are bought are used for spraying both insects and pests. Almost every American household has about eight poisonous substances. Though pesticides are meant for households, not anyone should be let to access them. This is because most of the children poisoning cases occur due to lack of proper storage of chemicals and negligence. Other accidents occur because the user does not read the instructions properly. It is required that all manufacturers should advise their consumers of how these chemicals should be applied (NSC.org 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are various categories of poisoning and they can be classified as acute poisoning which occurs to a person for a short time, the other one is chronic, this is a continuous and extended poison contamination. Here the victim slowly by slowly develops complications until they later die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It can be concluded that chemicals are not poisons but it is the content of the chemical that makes a chemical product to be regarded as poisonous. Even when medical drugs are misused, they could result to deaths.   Therefore all chemicals are potentially poisonous.    Reference: Goldsmith D. 2001. Occupational Health Information on Pesticide Contamination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Collection Forum. Vol.16. 62-65. NSC.Org. 11th March 2005. Types of Poisons in The Home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.nsc.org/issues/poison/types.htm Turkington, C. 1999.The Poisons and Antidotes. 2nd Ed. Source Book, New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Checkmark Books,

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Conflict Resolution in Public Sector

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1Background to the Study Conflict is inevitable in organizations because, they function by means of adjustment and compromises among competitive elements in their structure and membership. Conflict also arises when there is change because, it may be seen as a threat to be challenged or resisted, or when there is frustration, this may produce an aggressive reaction, fight rather than flight. Conflict is not to be deplored, it is an inevitable result of progress and change and it can be used constructively. Conflict between individuals raises fewer problems than conflict between groups. Individuals cannot act independently and resolve their differences; members of group may have to accept the norms, goals and values of their group. The individual’s loyalty will usually be to his or her own group if it is in conflict with others. When the climate of the organization is not conducive to the needs of the personnel, conflict can result. In the past this conflict was regarded as inherently bad. Managers believed it was generated by trouble makers trying to disrupt the organization. Today, this stereotype view is no longer accepted. Conflict is currently regarded as inevitable and, if properly managed, a source of increased organizational effectiveness. The federal civil service commission is an organization of individuals and groups pursuing various goals. The federal civil service commission is established under section 153 (ii) of the 199 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. Specifically, part I (d), paragraph II of the third schedule to the constitution vests the commission with power to: (i)Appoint and promote persons to offices in the federal civil service, and. ii)Dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding such offices†. More so, in discharge of the above functions, the commission works in close operation with the ministries, departments and agencies (MDA’s) of the federal government. In area of recruitment and appointment, the commission relies on the MDA to provide it with vacancy positions and make a formal request that the commission should fill the vacancies. The MDA’s stipulate what should be the requisite qualifications for particular positions if they are not provided for by the scheme of service. The commission also invites experts from MDA’s, making a request for recruitment to participate in the interview as resource persons. MDA’s can also reject any particular selected candidate(s) if they convince the commission that he or she does not have the requisite qualifications. Promotion exercise is carried out only on the basis of vacancies provided by the MDA’s and all candidates for promotion must be recommended by the MDA’s. Resource persons from the MDA’s participate in the conduct of promotion examinations. The commission can dismiss and exercise disciplinary control only on the recommendation of the MDA’s. Section 170 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria empowers the commission to delegate any of its functions as it deems fit. The commission has therefore delegated the following functions to federal ministries and extra – ministerial departments in order to speed up action on appointment, promotion and disciplinary control of officers in salary grade levels 03-06. However, the disciplinary control of officers on salary grade levels 07-13 after being considered by the senior staff committees (SSC) in the ministries. In order to monitor the effective utilization of the delegated powers, participation of commissioners from the commission in the meetings of SSCs is mandatory. Indeed, without the participation of members of the commission, decisions reached at such meetings would be null and void. Moreover, returns on all appointments, promotions and disciplinary cases considered in the meetings should be rendered to the commission within two weeks of concluding such matters. In this research conflicts that arises as a result of the discharge of the federal civil service functions and duties and how they are managed will be discussed. Conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome of the close interaction of people who may have diverse opinions and values, pursue different objectives and have differential access to information and resources within the organization. Individuals and groups will use power and political activity to handle their differences and manage conflict. Too much conflict can be harmful to an organization. However conflict can also be a positive force because it challenges the status quo, encourages new ideas and approaches and leads to change. Some degree of conflict occurs in all human relationships, between friends, romantic partners and team mates as well as between parents and children, teachers and students and bosses and employees. Conflict is not necessarily a negative force, it results from normal interaction of varying human interests and the goals they wish to achieve through the organization. In any organization that encourages a democratic push and pull of ideas, the forces of conflict, power and politics may be particularly evident. Managers in all organizations regularly deal with conflict and struggle with decisions about how to get the most out of employees, enhance Job satisfaction and team identification and realize high organizational performance. Conflict between individuals and groups is a universal phenomenon. A better understanding of the important areas of conflict will help managers to use the people in the organization more effectively to reach organizational objectives. Failure to be concerned about conflict is very costly since ignoring it will almost guarantee that work and interpersonal relations will deteriorate. If this occurs, employees will have little motivation to work together and organizational effectiveness will suffer. 1. 2Statement of the Problem Each organization has an objective to achieve and the ability to achieve this objective depends on how integrated the personnel are in the pursuit of this objectives. The civil services of the federation objectives include the following:- i)Appointment of qualified candidates including promotion to man the different ministries/extra–ministerial departments in the federal civil service. i) Recommendations to government on personnel policies aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the federal civil service and, iii)Ensuring that personnel decisions including discipline are taken objectively, promptly and competently and that such decisions reflect the stated policies and interest of the government. The question to be investigated in the study proposed here will be, does conflict due to the lack of integration of the offi cer’s result to ineffective achievement of the objectives of the federal civil service commission? The question will be investigated using data already in existence with the addition of data that has accumulated since earlier studies were done and also data gathered during the research will be used. 1. 3Objective of the Study Effectiveness and efficiency can only be achieved in an organization when the various departments that exist in the organization work co-operatively. It is also one thing to argue that conflict can be valuable for an organization. However, this research work aims at finding out the positive and negative effects of conflict, what happens to an organization without conflict, it will also seek to explain the types of conflict that exist, their sources and how conflict can be managed, that is, how it is controlled, resolved and how it can be stimulated. Also the need for integration as a means for effectiveness and efficiency will be determined. 1. 4Significance of the Study We have come a long way since the days when conflict was believed to be universally destructive. Unfortunately, With the exception of some lip services given in recent years to the value of conflict in organizations, both practicing managers and management scholars continue to treat conflict management and conflict resolution as synonymous. There are some positive consequences to be gained from conflict, but also that organizations require functional conflict if they are to survive. There will be situations in which conflict levels are too low and as a result, the other side of the conflict management coin; conflict stimulation should not be ignored. Excessive levels of conflict can, and do hinder organizational effectiveness. Conflict should not be completely written off like in the traditional era, but should be encouraged as it helps to bring out efficiency and effectiveness if properly managed. Mary parker Follet herself said that there is no good or bad conflict, but conflict provides opportunities for good or bad result. 1. 5Research Questions At the end of the study, the following questions shall be answered 1. What are the types of conflict that exists in an organization? 2. What are the sources of the conflict? 3. What are the Strategies for managing conflict? 4. What are the values of conflicts? 5. What are the transitions in conflict thought? 6. How can conflict be stimulated and why? 7. How can conflict be controlled and resolved? 8. What are the positive and negative effects of conflicts? 1. 6Research Hypotheses 1. H0: Lack of integration between groups does not result to conflict in an organization H1: lack of integration between groups results to conflict in the organization 2. H0: Conflict if properly managed does not improve organizational performance. H1: Conflict if properly managed improves organizational performance 1. 7Scope and Limitations of the Study The scope of the study covers the departments including the offices of the commissioners of the various states in the federal civil service commission. The scope also covers the relationship between the groups, how integrated they are with one another in other to achieve organizational goals and objectives and how the conflicts that arise as a result of their relationship are managed. However, the limitations encountered during the course of this research are as a result of the limited time frame available in acquiring information. Being the Federal Civil Service Commission there are a lot of Bureaucratic bottlenecks, getting required information took a lot of time, the letter of introduction which was addressed to the chairman took about a month, of which I had to rewrite another letter before getting any response. As a result for the duration of time I went to the organization once every week till I got the information I needed. Most officers were unwilling to give information concerning conflict in the organization, some even refused to admit that conflict existed in the organization; some thought that conflict implies physical combats instead of interference by a person or group on another. Only a few of them seemed to know what conflict is really about. There is also the high cost of printing and photocopying of materials required for the study. 1. 8Definition of Terms Conflict: This is the behaviour by a person or group which is purposely designed to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group. Competition: Competition takes place when individuals or groups have incompatible goals but do not interfere with each other as they both try to attain their respective goals. Organization: A group of people who form a business club or work together in other to achieve a particular aim. Strategy: A plan that is intended to achieve a particular purpose. Management: Is the process of combining and utilizing, or of allocating organizations input (men, material and money) by planning, organizing, directing and controlling for the purpose of producing outputs (goods and services desired by customers so that the organizations objectives are accomplished). Value: Value is how much something is worth in money or other goods for which it can be exchanged or how much something is worth compared with its price. Structure: The way in which the parts of something are connected together, arranged or organized, a particular arrangement of parts, something that is made of several parts. Traditional: Being part of the beliefs customs or way of life of a particular group of people that have not changed for a long time. Intra-Individual Conflict: This refers to conflict within an individual about which work activities to perform. Inter-Individual Conflict: This refers to conflict between two individuals. Inter-Group Conflict: This is conflict between departments in a single firm as well as conflict between different firms. Conflict Management: Are techniques for controlling conflicting which either is to stimulate conflict or to resolve it. Conflict Stimulation: This enables groups or individuals in an organization who are too set in their ways or too willing to accept unquestioningly the view of a powerful individual. Conflict Resolution: These are techniques that are used in conflict situations. Smoothing: This is a conflict resolution technique which involves considerable use of tact by the party doing the smoothing. Playing down of differences between individuals and groups while, emphasizing their common interests. Consensus: Consensus requires the conflicting party to work together to find the best solution to their problem, an opinion that all members must agree. Confrontation: This technique requires the opposing parties to openly state their views to each other. A situation where there is an angry disagreement between people or groups who have different opinions. Integration: This technique requires the conflicting parties to collaborate in order to resolve the conflict. It requires both parties to have the attitude that, although they may be in conflict they will strive to develop collaboratively a solution that satisfies the needs of both parties. CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2. 1Definition of Conflict Organizational conflict is inevitable because of the regular and continuing human interactions that must occur. It can be defined as all types of opposition or antagonistic interaction. It is based on scarcity of power, resources or social position, and differing value structures. Conflict occurs, between managers and subordinates, between labour and management, between work groups, and between the organization and its external environment. Many of the traditional management writers, both classicists and neoclassicists, treated the existence of conflict as an indication of a problem, a disturbance that interfered with the smooth operation of the organization. Current management writers and practicing managers are careful not to assume that all conflict is bad instead, conflict is viewed as a phenomenon that arises in every organization to a certain extent, and in some organizations it is a positive indicator of highly motivated, highly committed organization members. Conflict can be a highly constructive force, particularly in highly differentiated organizations which utilize a considerable amount of horizontal integration. The challenge to modern management is not to avoid conflict or suppress it; instead, managers must find ways to channel the energy that conflict represents into activities with positive payoffs for the organization and to keep it within acceptable limits. Conflicts need to be resolved constructively, not hidden from view. According to Boone and Kortz (1987) conflict is opposition interaction resulting from scarcity of power, resources or social position, and different value structures on the part of the individuals or groups. DuBose (1988) sees conflict as any kind of opposition or antagonistic interaction between two or more parties; it can be conceptualized as existing along continuous range. At one extreme, there is no conflict. At the other extreme is conflicts highest state, described behaviourally as the act of destroying or annihilating the opposing party. All intensities of interpersonal, intra group and inter group conflicts would fall somewhere along this continuum. Inherent in this definition is the requirement that conflict must be perceived by the involved parties. In other words, if there is opposition but the parties fail to perceive it; then it does not exist. Similarly, if a conflict is perceived, it exists whether or not that perception is accurate. Griffin (2002) also sees conflict as a disagreement between two or more individuals, groups, or organizations. This disagreement may be relatively superficial or very strong. It may be short-lived or it can exist for months even years, and it may be work-related or personal. Conflict according to Mullins (2007) is seen as behaviour intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals. Conflict is based on the incompatibility of goals and arises from opposing behaviours. It can be viewed at the individual, group or organization level. Management establishes boundaries that distinguish acceptable and non acceptable behaviour from employees. The actions of employees are then judged as falling on one side or the other of these boundaries. According to Gray and Starke (1980) conflict is behaviour by a person or group which is purposely designed to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group. This purposeful inhibition may be active or passive. For example, in a sequential production line, if one group does not do its job and its output is the input for another department, the other department will be blocked from reaching its goals of say, producing at standard. Alternatively, the blocking behaviour may be active, as in the case of two fighters trying to knock each other out. The key issue in defining conflict is that of incompatible goals. When one person or group deliberately interferes with another person or group with the purpose of denying the other group goal achievement, conflict exists. Conflict and Competition Conflict is similar to competition but more severe competition means rivalry among groups in the pursuit of a common prize, while conflict presumes direct interference with goal achievement. The terms of conflict and competition are often mistakenly used interchangeably. Perhaps the most widely accepted view at present is that competition takes place when individuals or groups have incompatible goals but do not interfere with each other as they both try to attain their respective goals. Conflict on the hand occurs when individuals or groups have incompatible goals and they interfere with each other as they try to attain their respective goals. These definitions suggests that the key behavioural difference in conflict and competition analogous to the behavioural differences evident in a race and a fight. In the former, the goals are incompatible (only one runner can win), but the runners do not interfere with one another. In the later the goals are also incompatible (only one fighter can win), but interference is an obvious part of the conflict. Using these two definitions allows us to clearly categorize many of the familiar activities in our society. One of the things that become apparent immediately is that certain activities which are typically viewed as homogenous must be further broken down. For example, certain sports (boxing, tennis, football, hockey etc) are characterized by obvious blocking behaviour at the resource attainment level. The general public usually refers to what businesses do to each other in the market place as competition, this is an over simplification. At one extreme, business firms vigorously block one another’s attempt to achieve goals and this is conflict. For example, in an industry where consumer demand is low and industry production capacity is high conflict is almost certain to result as each firm attempts to reach its goals at the expense of the other firms. Blocking activity in these cases, often takes place at the activity level. A different situation exists in industries where government’s contracts are the rule. Here, competition is more likely. Each firm submits bids and strives to reach its goal of getting the contract. Blocking behaviour is not evident even though there can be only one winner and the goals of the firm are incompatible. 2. 2Nature of Conflict Conflict may manifest itself in various ways. People may compete with one another, glare at one another, shout, or withdraw. Groups may band together to protect popular members or oust unpopular members. Organizations may seek legal remedy. Working with diversity discusses how casual dress policies are creating conflict in some organizations. Most people assume that conflict is something to be avoided because it connotes antagonism, hostility, unpleasantness, and dissension. Indeed, managers and management theorists have traditionally viewed conflict as a problem to be avoided. In recent years however, we have come to recognize that, although conflict can be a major problem, certain kinds of conflict may also be beneficial. For instance, when two members of a site selection committee disagree over the best location for a new plant, each may be forceD to study and defend his or her preferred alternative more thoroughly. As a result of more systematic analysis and discussion the committee may make a better decision and be better prepared to justify it to others than if every one had agreed from the outset and accepted an alternative that was perhaps not well analyzed. As long as conflict is being handled in a cordial and constructive manner, it is probably serving a useful purpose in the organization. On the other hand, when working relationships are being disrupted and the conflict has reached destructive levels, it has likely become dysfunctional and needs to be addressed. According to Mullins (2007) conflict is not necessarily a bad thing however, it can be seen as a constructive force and in certain circumstances it can be welcomed or even encouraged. For example, it can be seen as an aid to incremental improvement in organization design and functioning and to the decision making process. Conflict can be an agent for evolution, and for internal and external change. Properly identified and handled, it can help to minimize the destructive influences of the win–lose situation. From a survey of practicing managers who reported that they spend approximately 20 percent of their time dealing with conflict situations a number of both positive and negative outcomes of conflict were recorded positive outcomes include. a. Better ideas produced b. People forced to search for new approaches. c. Long-standing problems brought to the surface and resolved. d. Stimulation of interest and creativity. e. A chance for people to test their capacities Negative outcomes include: a. Some people felt defeated and demeaned b. The distance between people increased c. A climate of mistrust and suspicion developed d. Resistance developed rather than team work e. An increase in employee turnover. According to Gray and Starke (1980) the positive outcome of conflict an as follows: a. The energy level of groups or individuals increase with conflict. This increased energy level can be seen when people talk louder, listen more closely to what is being said, or work harder. Two of the benefits organizations get from increased energy levels are increased output and innovative ideas for doing the work better. . Group cohesion increases. Research has shown that, when groups are engaged in a conflict, their internal cohesion increases. The other group is seen as the â€Å"enemy† and group resources are mobilized to meet the threat from the â€Å"outside†. To do this, disagreements within the group must be suppressed and all energies diverted towards the enemy. Thi s process can be seen in the mid-east; Arab nations have trouble getting along with one another except when a common threat (Israel) dominates their relationship. The reason that increased cohesion is considered a positive outcome of conflict is that highly cohesive groups can have high productivity, particularly if they support management goals. c. Problems are made known during conflict when conflict develops management can readily see that something is amiss and can embark in a program to resolve the conflict. If two groups are in disagreement about something but never make it known, they may work at a reduced level of effectiveness without management being able to determine why. This is particularly likely to happen if the problem between the groups is caused by some system of work that management has set up. Group members may be reluctant to criticize management about the system, and the conflict will not be made known. Negative outcomes d. A decline in communication between the conflicting parties,when individuals or groups are upset with each other, a common development is that they stop speaking. As we have seen, this is very dysfunctional because conflict is often worsened when there is little information passing between the conflicting parties. e. Hostility and aggression develop it is a typical human reaction to feel hostility toward someone who is blocking our attempts to reach a goal. Aggression (either physical or verbal) is also a common behaviour associated with hostility. While this may satisfy the person’s urges to attack the person doing the blocking, from the organizations point of view it is undesirable because it channels behaviour into non productive area. For example if two groups are in conflict about something they may spend much of the work day devising schemes to block the other group’s goal attainment. Obviously a point is reached where the work of each group does not get done. f. Over conformity to group demands. We noted above that conflict could cause groups to become cohesive and this might result in higher productivity. We must also recognize that members of a group faced with an outside threat may over conform to the group demands. This involves blind acceptance of the leaders’ interpretation of the opposing group and no thinking about solutions by anyone in the group. This prolongs the conflict and makes it more intense. As time passes, the group is unable to view its opposition with any objectivity and perceptions become very distorted. Either too much or too little conflict can be dysfunctional for an organization. In either case performance maybe low. However, an optimal level of conflict that sparks motivation, creativity, innovation and initiation can result in higher levels of performance. If there is absolutely no conflict in the group or organization, its members may become complacent and apathetic. As a result group or organizational performance and innovation may begin to suffer. A moderate level of conflict among groups or organizational members, on the other hand, can spark motivation, creativity, innovation and initiation and raise performance. Too much conflict though, can produce undesirable results such as hostility and lack of cooperation, which lowers performance. The key for managers is to find and maintain the optimal amount of conflict that fosters performance. Of course, what constitutes optimal conflict varies with both situation and the people involved. 2. 3Types of Conflicts The first step in learning to deal with organizational conflict is the recognition that all conflicts are not alike; they spring from different sources and must be resolved in different ways. The major categories of organizational conflict are; intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal conflict, person group conflict and inter group conflict. Intra personal conflict occurs within the individual that is a single member of the organization and comes primarily from two sources: role conflict and job stress. Role conflict is the simultaneous occurrence of two (or more) role sending such that compliance with one would make more difficult compliance with the other. For instance a person’s superior may make it clear to him that he is expected to hold his subordinates strictly to company rules. At the same time, his subordinates may indicate in various ways that they would like loose, relaxed supervision, and that they will make things difficult if they are pushed too hard. Such cases are so common that a whole literature has been created on the problem of the first line supervision as the â€Å"man in the middle†. In addition, role conflict may occur as the result of different roles an individual has to play. For instance, the role of parent and the role of employee may come into conflict when the employee’s child becomes sick. The wide spread presence of two wage-earner households and societal changes affecting values with respect to work have resulted in individuals being called upon to play a greater number of diverse roles. The result is increased frequency of this type of role conflict. The second primary source of intra personal conflict in modern organization is job stress. As the pace of change quickens in organizations and throughout society, workers may come to feel lost, unsure of what is expected of them, and unsure of their abilities to cope with what they perceive as ever– mounting pressure. While some stress may even be a positive factor in motivating individuals and in fueling innovation, chronic over stress leads to short-tempered, uncooperative defensive employees who may even indulge in such self destructive activities as alcoholism and drug abuse, the cost of such response to stress maybe the individual’s family. Job stress also results when the individual, on an on going basis, is unable to meet his or her own expectations, either in terms of performance (for example, the social worker who wishes to help people but feels unable to do so because of the nature of the system) or in terms of the nature of the work (for example, the assembling line worker who is bored by the repetitious nature of the job and feels that his skills and abilities are not being utilized). Intrapersonal conflict is a subject of increasing concern to organizations due to its damaging impact in Job performance, absenteeism and turnover. Employee counseling centers, company-sponsored stress management seminars, and management by objectives programs are just some of the methods currently being used to combat this problem. Interpersonal conflict is conflict occurring between two or more organizational members as a result of such factors as differences in managerial philosophies, values and problem-solving styles or competition for power or promotion. Traditionally this type of conflict was attributed to personality differences†. However, it can result from several factors. . Differences in values. For instance, one manager might place a great emphasis in task accomplishment to the exclusion of all else, while another might stress the need to maintain good employee relations even if performance of the immediate task is slightly affected. b. Differences in problem-Solving styles. One person may prefer to work in groups, for example, while another prefers to work alone. c. Differences in managerial philosophies. One manage may favour decentralization of decision making while another favours centralization. In addition, interpersonal conflict can occur due to competition between individuals, for power, for promotion, or for other organizational rewards. Because interpersonal conflict interferes with effective communication, and thus problem solving, it is a cause of considerable concern for modern organization. Organization development and communication training are frequently used methods of modifying interpersonal conflicts and channeling them into more constructive paths. a. Person-group conflict. This is conflict resulting from individual opposition to group norms or rules of behaviour that govern group membership. The classic example of this phenomenon is the â€Å"rate breaker† who consistently performs at a level well above that of other group due to fear that higher performance standards will be established based on the performance of the rate breaker. A more recent example is the treatment sometimes afforded the â€Å"Whistle blower†, the individual who brings to the attention of management or the general public instances of waste, fraud or corruption. Such individual may be ostracized and subject to harassment by other members of the group. On the other hand, person-group conflict can sometimes play a positive role within organizations. When an individual places his or her own needs for recognition or power ahead of the needs of the group to accomplish it’s task, group pressure can exert a powerful influence to bring the individual back into line with over all group norms. Intergroup conflict- This type of conflict occurs between departments or work groups and typically revolves around issue of authority, jurisdiction, control of work flow, or access to scarce organizational resources. It arises directly from the need for differentiation in an organization. To deal with complexity, we resort to specialization and specialists’ people with diverse cognitive and emotional orientations in the various functional areas. Such people frequently experience difficulty in communicating and cooperating. Yet, for an organization to act as a unit there must be integration or collaboration among the various departments. Thus, management frequently faces a problem. Long-run performance requires substantial integration, but efforts to generate collaboration often produce short-run conflict. Intergroup conflict arises from two sources: systems conflict and bargaining conflict. Systems conflict come about because of the divergence in objectives between work groups. For example, the marketing department may feel that rapid order processing is more important than quality control since replacing a defective unit is likely to produce less customer dissatisfaction than waiting on an unfilled order. The production department, on the other hand, may feel that its reputation depends on the continued high quality of its products and this belief may be supported by the incentive system used to govern rewards for production department personnel. Strategies for resolving system conflicts include rotation of department members among work units to improve understanding and empathy with the problems of other departments, charges in formal incentive systems to reflect overall organizational objectives related to the issue, and the use of horizontal integrative mechanisms such as task forces. Bargaining conflicts occurs when groups compete for scarce organizational resources or for power and influence within the system. An excellent recent example of such conflicts involved government attempts to reduce budget deficits by reducing expenditures. Interest groups both inside and outside government have attempted to influence this process to ensure that their programs are not cut. When viewed from the organizational level, conflict can often be categorized into two groups: Institutionalized and emergent. Each presents problem. Institutionalized conflict often results from organizational attempts to structure work assignments. This is clearly seen in the case of departmentalization, in which organizations group their personnel into major departments such as finance, marketing and production. Once assigned to such a bailiwick, it is common to find the personnel becoming highly concerned with the needs of their own particular department and relatively unconcerned with those of the others. Budget time finds everyone fighting for increased departmental allocations. Since this is a win lose situation, those who get percentage increases achieve them only at the expense of the other departments. Such a conflict situation, however, is often inevitable, since many people feel greater loyalty to their department in particular than to their organization in general. A similar type of institutionalized conflict emerges from the organization’s creation of a hierarchy. Low level managers have short-run problems related to work schedules and quotas. Top managers have long-run concerns related to the future course of the total organization. Each hierarchical level tends to be in some degree of conflict with the one above. Similarly, line and staff personnel are often at loggerheads. The former is responsible for making action decisions, the latter provides support help. Line-staff conflict is often brought about by the following attitudes and philosophies. Line officers are highly action-oriented; staff officers are concerned with studying a problem in depth before making recommendation. Line officers are highly intuitive in contrast to being analytical; staff officers are highly analytical, in contrast to being intuitive. Line officers are often short sighted, staff officers are often long-range orientated. Line officers often ask the wrong kinds of questions staff officers have answers and therefore spend their time looking for questions. Line officers wants simple easy-to-use solutions, staff officers complicate situations by providing esoteric data. Line officers are accustomed to examining some of the available alternatives and choosing one of them, staff officers are interested in examining all of the possible alternative, weighing them, analyzing them and then choosing the â€Å"best† one regardless of time or cost restraints. Line officers are highly protective of the organization, staff are highly critical of the organization. Each of these institutionalized conflicts is caused by the creation of a formal organization. Management cannot sidestep them; they are inherently in a hierarchical structure. All the organization can do is to try to manage them properly. Emergent conflict arises from personnel and social causes one of the most common is formal-informal organizational conflict. When the goals of these two groups are incompatible, problems can result. The objectives of the formal organization may call for more output than the members of informal organization are willing to give. A second form of emergent conflict arises from status incongruencies. Some people in the organization may feel that they know a great deal more than their supervisors about how to improve efficiency. However, status is often accorded on the basis of rank. Additionally, line managers often suffer status incongruency when staff advisers have the boss’s ear and can convince the latter to implement their recommendations. In such cases the line personnel are reduced to being order –takers, while the staff people call the shorts. Additionally, if personnel are highly trained or well educated and the organization assigns them a job requiring minimum ability, they often feel the work is below them and suffer status conflict. So, too do personnel who are promoted to higher positions but not given the symbols that accompany the office. For example, a person who is promoted into the top-management ranks but not given a private office and a secretary like the other top managers may well have status problem. These emergent conflict situations are personal and social in nature in that they involve individual and group norms. Whether or not there is a conflict depends upon how the people view the situation. An informal organization that feels management’s work quotas are too low may not have any problem accepting an increase in them. Likewise, a manager who is obvious to status symbols may not feel status inconsistency if the organization fails to provide a private office and a secretary. In most situations, however, this is not the case. 2. 4Sources of Conflict There are numerous sources of conflict within formal organization. Much has been written about the implications of conflict as a social process. The important point is not so much whether competing sub-groups and conflict are seen as inevitable consequences of organization structure, but how conflict, when found to exist, is handled and managed. The following are the sources of conflict according to Mullins (2007). Difference in perception- We all see things in different ways. We all have our own, unique picture or image of how we see the real world. Differences in perception result in different people attaching different meanings to the same stimuli. As perceptions became a person’s reality, value judgments can be a potential major source of conflict. Limited resources- Most organization resources are limited and individuals and groups have to fight for their share, for example at the time of the llocation of the next year’s budget or when cutbacks have to be made, the greater the limitation of resources, then usually the greater the potential for conflict. In an organization with reducing profits or revenue the potential for conflict is likely to be intensified. Departmentalization and specialization- Most work organizations are divided into departments with specialized functions. Because of familiarity with the manner in which they undertake their activities, managers tend to turn inwards and to concentrate on the achievement of their own particular goals. When departments need to co-operate, this is a frequent source of conflict. Differing goals and internal environments of departments are also a potential source of conflict. In Woodward’s study of management organization of firms in the country she comments on the bad relationships between accountants and other managers. One reason for this hostility was the beginning of two quite separate financial functions. People concerned with works accounting tended to assume responsibility for end results that was not properly theirs; they saw their role as a controlling and sanctioning one rather than a serving and supportive one. Line managers resented this attitude and retaliated by becoming aggressive and obstructive. The nature of work activities -Where the task of one person is dependent upon the work of others there is potential for conflict. For instance, if a worker is expected to complete the assembly of a given number of components in a week but the person forwarding the part assembled component does not supply a sufficient number on time. If reward and punishment systems are perceived to be based on keeping up with performance levels, then the potential for conflict is even greater. If the work of a department is dependent upon the output of another department, a similar situation could arise, especially if this situation is coupled with limited resources for example, where the activities of a department, whose budget reduced below what is believed necessary to run, the department efficiently, are interdependent with those of another department, which appears to have received a more generous budget allocation. Role conflict- A role is the expected pattern of behaviour associated with the members occupying a particular position within the structure of the organization. In practice, the manner in which people actually behave may not be consistent with their expected pattern of behaviour. Problems of role incompatibility and role ambiguity arise from inadequate or inappropriate role definition and can be a significant source of conflict. Inequitable treatment- A person’s perception of unjust treatment such as in the operation of personnel policies and practices, or in reward and punishment systems can lead to tension and conflict. For instance, according to the equity theory of motivation the perception of inequality will motivate a person to take action to restore equity including change to inputs or outputs. Violation of territory- People tends to become attached to their own territory within work organizations, for example to their own area of work, or kinds of clients to be dealt with, or to their own room, chair or parking space. Jealously may arise over other people’s territory for instance, size of room company car, allocation of an assistant or other perks, through access to information or through membership of groups. A stranger walking into a place of work can create an immediate feeling of suspicion or even resentment because people do not usually like, ‘their’ territory entered by someone they do not know and whose motives are probably unclear to them. Ownership of territory may be conferred formally for example by organization charts, job descriptions or management decisions. It may be established through procedures for instance circulation lists or membership of committees. Or it may arise informally, for example, through group norms, tradition or perceived status symbols. The place where people choose to meet can have a possible, significant symbolic value. For instance if a subordinate is summoned to a meeting in a manager’s office this might be taken that the manager is signaling higher status. If the manager chooses to meet at the subordinates place of work, or on neutral territory, this may be a signal that the manager wishes to meet the subordinate as an equal. If a person’s territory is violated this can lead to the possibility of retaliation and conflict. Environment change- Change in an organization’s external environment such as shifts in demand, increased competition, government intervention, new technology or changing social values, can cause major areas of conflict. For instance a fall in demand for, or government financial restrictions, on, enrolments for a certain discipline in higher education can result in conflict for the allocation of resources. If the department concerned is a large and important one and led by a powerful head, there could be even greater potential for conflict. There are other sources of organizational conflicts, including; Individual; Such as attitudes, personality characteristics or particular personal need, illness or stress. Group, Such as group skills, the informal organization and group norms. An Organization; such as communications, authority structure, leadership style, managerial behaviour. The age gap-relationships between older employees and younger managers, where experience is on one side and power on the other, can lead to conflict. According to Gray and Starke (1980) sources of conflict are as follows. Limited Resource Perhaps the most fundamental fact of organizational life is that resources are finite. Even the most successful companies have found that they are limited in what they can accomplish. With this realization groups and individuals see that there will be times when they will have to fight for what they want. The most obvious manifestation of this problem comes when the annual budget is set. Each department typically submits a request for its needs during the next fiscal year, and top management adjusts the request based on its knowledge of the total organization. Department heads often see their requests cut back because the resources for the total organization are limited. When cutbacks occur, however, the potential for conflict increases because the heads of various departments begin making value judgments about why management decided to cut back one department but not another. As a general rule the greater the scarcity of resources, the greater the potential for conflict. Interdependent work activities Added to the basic problem of finite resources is the problem of organizational units having to work together. It is bad enough to get less than you wanted for your department because of some other department, but then to have to work with other departments may be more than some managers can take. Suppose you are the head of department A, and in the yearly budget just approved by top management, you received considerably less money for operations than you thought was minimally necessary to run your department. Suppose also that you see that department B got most of what it asked for. If the work activities of your department are interdependent with those of department B, you might well consider purposely slowing down your departments work in attempt to convince top management that they made a mistake in their allocation of funds. This is a particularly salient cause of conflict because there is so much interdependence of work activities in organizations. On a grander scale, inter organizational conflict is often caused because the activities of many separate organizations must be coordinated. In May, 1979, California motorists found themselves in long lines waiting for gasoline. The oil companies, the oil producers, consumer groups, and the government spent considerable time arguing about who was to blame. The problem was most likely caused by the tight interdependence of work activities needed to get oil from wellhead to the consumer. Any purposeful disruption by one of the organizations in the system (e. g. Iranian government’s decision to reduce output) would cause conflict among the other parties in the system. As a general rule the more interdependent the work activities, the greater the potential for conflict. It is important for management to know the nature of work interdependence so system of work can be implemented that will reduce the potentials for dysfunctional conflict. Differentiation of activities We noted above that interdependence of work activities is an important source of conflict in organizations. Backing up a step furthermore, we can see that the mere existence of groups doing different functions created the potential for conflict. As groups become familiar with how they perform their jobs, they may turn inward and become uninterested in, (A) how their work fits in with other groups (B) the importance of other groups work. As a result, when difficult issues between the groups must be dealt with, each group behaves in a way that increases potential for harmful conflict. This differentiation in work activities leads to differentiation in goals. Production goals may be to have long production runs with few changes in product style because this allows the production facilities to operate at peak efficiency. Marketing’s goal, on the other hand maybe to give customers what they want when they want it. This means rush orders, special orders, and other demands that directly conflict with production goals. Communication problems Both the interdependence and differentiation of work activities demand that communication between individuals and groups be effective. However, this often does not occur. At the broadcast level, communication problems develop because not all groups have the same information. Each group therefore takes a position based on its view of the world and the information it has. The obvious solution to this problem is to give all groups equal information. However, this is generally not feasible because individuals with important information may want to use it for their own advantage and not share it. Communication problems are also caused by technical Jargon that is so frequently used in organizations. Overtime, each group develops its own language which may mean nothing to another group. When the two groups must deal with a contentious issue, the â€Å"Us vs. them† mentally more easily develops because of the meanings each group attaches to words. Differences in perceptions We all see the world slightly differently because we have all had different experiences. These different views of the world can be a major source of conflict in organizations because value judgments flow from these views. Differences in perceptions involve the value of experience vs. the value of education. Older, more experienced managers often are in conflict with younger, inexperienced managers about the way in which work should be done. The experienced person usually points out how knowledgeable he or she has become over the years, whereas the in experienced person argues for â€Å"new way† of doing things. Often this conflict is resolved by the older person exercising his or her authority. It is hard to make unequivocal statements about how differences in perception will influence conflict. It is also difficult to deduce exactly how a person views the world, unless the person is well known to the manager. Nevertheless, a realization that differences in perception (by groups or individuals) is crucial to conflict means that it must be included in any discussion of the sources of conflict. The environment of the organization Thus far, we have been concerned with factors inside organizations which cause conflict. However, changes in the firm’s environment (which it usually has no control over) can cause major conflict within the organization. In the late 1970’s, for example, college enrolment in liberal arts declined as students began entering disciplines which were more job-oriented. This shift in demand meant that there were pressures to reallocate resources within universities. These pressures caused real problem as the different faculties were in conflict as to how this reallocation should be done. As another example, consider a conglomerate which finds that the demand for the output of one of its divisions is rapidly declining. The obvious thing to do is to hit back activities in that division and channel corporate resources into more profitable divisions. However, if the division having difficulties is an important one, and its head is a powerful person, tremendous conflict may develop as other division heads argue for a redistribution of resources within the company. Other sources of conflict exist in organizations. They are; (A)Individual differences (some people enjoy conflict while others don’t) (B)Unclear authority structures (conflict develops because people don’t know how far their authority extends) (C)Differences in attitudes (members of different groups have different attitudes). D)Task asymmetries (one group is more powerful than another and the weaker group tries to change the situation. (E)Difference in time horizons (some departments have a long-run view and others a short-run view. 2. 5 Strategies for Managing Conflict Although a certain amount of organizational conflict may be seen as inevitable, there are a number of ways in which management can attempt to avoid the harmful effects of conflict. The strat egies adopted will vary according to the nature and sources of conflict outlined above. a. Clarification of goals and objectives. The clarification and continual refinement of goals and objectives, role definitions and performance standards will help to avoid misunderstandings and conflict. Focusing attention on superordinate goals that are shared by the parties in conflict may help to diffuse hostility and lead to more co-operative behaviour. b. Resource distribution. Although it may not always be possible for managers to increase their allocated share of resources, they may be able to use imagination and initiative to help overcome conflict situations. For instance, making a special case to higher management; greater flexibility to transfer funds between budget headings, delaying staff appointments in one area to provide more money for another area. c. Human resource management policies and procedures. Careful and detailed attention to just and equitable human resource management policies and procedures may help to reduce areas of conflict. Examples are job analysis, recruitment and selection; systems of reward and punishment; appeals, grievance and disciplinary procedures; arbitration and mediation, recognition of trade unions and their officials. d. Non-monetary rewards. Where financial resources are limited, it may be possible to pay greater attention to non monetary rewards. Examples are job design, more interesting challenging or responsible work, increased delegation or empowerment, improved equipment, flexible working hours, attendance at course or conferences, unofficial perks or more relaxed working conditions. e. Development of interpersonal/group process skills. This may help to encourage a better understanding of ones own behaviour, the other person’s point of view, communication processes and problem solving. It may also encourage people to work through conflict situation in a constructive manner. . Group activities. Attention to the composition of groups and to factors which affect group cohesiveness may reduce dysfunctional conflict. Overlapping group membership with a linking pin process, and the careful selection of project teams or task forces for problems affecting more than one group, may also be beneficial. g. Leadership and management. A more participative and supportive style of leadership and managerial behaviour is likely to assist in conflict management for example, showing an attitude of respect and trust, encouraging personal self- development, creating a work environment in which staff can work co-operatively. A participative approach to leadership and management may also help to create greater employee commitment. h. Organizational process. Conflict situations may be reduced by attention to such features as the nature of the authority structure, work organization, patterns of communication and sharing of information, democratic functioning of the organization unnecessary adherence to bureaucratic procedures and official rules and regulations. i. Socio-technical approach. Viewing the organization as a socio-technical system, in which psychological and social factors are developed in keeping with structural and technical requirements, will help in reducing dysfunctional conflict. 2. 6The Value of Conflict The interactionist philosophy does not propose that all conflicts are good for an organization. Excessive levels of conflict can and do hinder organizational effectiveness. It shows itself in reduced job satisfaction by employees, increased absence and turnover rates, and eventually in lower productivity. What the interactionist approach says is that managers should continue to resolve those conflicts that hinder the organization, but stimulate conflict intensity when the level is below that which is necessary to maintain a responsive and innovative unit. Without some level of constructive conflict, an organization’s survival will be in jeopardy. Survival can result only when an organization is able to adapt to constant changes in the environment. Adaptation is possible only through change, and change is stimulated by conflict. Change develops from dissatisfaction, from a desire for improvement, and from creative development of alternatives. In other words, change do not just happen, they are inspired by conflict. Conflict is the catalyst of change. If we do not adapt our product and services to the changing needs of our customers, actions of our competitors, and new technological development, our organization will be sick and eventually die. Is it not possible that more organizations fail because of two little conflict rather than too much? Without change, no organization can survive, and conflict spurs change. Opposition to others’ ideas, dissatisfaction with the status quo, concern about doing things better, and the desire to improve inadequacies are all seeds of change. Therefore, the factor that differentiates the interactionist philosophy most form its predecessors is the belief that just as the level of conflict may be too high, requiring resolution, it may also be too low and in need of stimulation. There is a growing body of literature that supports the contention that organizations that have levels of conflict above, zero are more effective, that is functional levels of conflict are conducive to innovation and higher quality decisions. For instance, a review of the relationship between bureaucracy and innovation found that conflict encourages innovative solution. This relationship was more recently confirmed in a comparism of six major decisions during the administrations of four U. S presidents. The comparism demonstrated that conformity among presidential advisers was related to poor decisions, while an atmosphere of constructive conflict and critical thinking surrounded the well- developed decisions. The bankruptcy of the penn central railroad has been generally attributed to mismanagement and a failure of the company’s board of directors to question actions taken by management. The board was composed of outside directors, who met monthly to oversee the railroad’s operations. Few questioned the decisions made by the operating management, though there was wide evidence that several board members were uncomfortable with many major decisions made by the management. Apathy and a desire to avoid conflict allowed poor decisions to stand unquestioned. It can only be postulated how differently things might have turned out for the penn central had it had an enquiring board which demanded that the company’s management discuss and justify key decisions. In addition to better and more innovative decisions in situations where there is some conflict, there is evidence that indicates that conflict can be positively related to productivity. It was demonstrated that among the high conflict groups was 73 per cent greater than that of those groups characterized by low conflict conditions. Similarly, an investigation of twenty-two teams of system analysts, which the researcher sought to assist the relationship between inter personal compatibility and productivity, achieved results consistent with the previous studies. The findings strongly suggested that the more incompatible groups were likely to be more productive. 2. 7Transition in Conflict Thought According to Dubose (1980), the development of conflict thought as professed by academic has gone through three distinct stages which he labeled as traditional, behavioural and internationalist. The prescription of the early management theories, the traditionalists, towards conflict was simple. It should be eliminated. All conflicts were seen as destructive and it was management role to rid the organization of them. This philosophy dominated during the nineteenth century and continued to the middle 1940s. Thetraditional view was replaced in the late 1940s and early 1950s with a behavioural approach. Those who studied organizations began to recognize that all organizations, by their very nature, had built in contents. Since conflict was inevitable, the behaviouralist prescribed â€Å"acceptance† of conflict. They rationalized its existence. However, as with the traditionalists, the behaviouralist approach to managing conflict was to resolve it. Looking at the behaviours of manager, it seems clear that the traditional philosophy is still the most prevalent in organizations. We live in a society that has been built upon anti-conflict values. Since our earliest years we have been indoctrinated in the belief that it was important to get along with others and to avoid conflict. Parents in the home, teachers and administrators in school, teachings of the church, and authority figures in social groups all have historically reinforced the belief that disagreement bred discontent, which acted to dissolve common ties and could eventually lead to destruction of the system. Certainly we should not be surprised to find that children raised to view all conflict as destructive would mature into adult managers who would maintain and encourage the same values. In addition, the senior managers in most organizations praise and reward managers who maintain peace, harmony, and tranquility in their units, while disequilibrium, confrontation, and dissatisfaction are appraised negatively. Given that managers seek to â€Å"look good† on the criteria by which they are evaluated, and since the absence of conflict is frequently used at evaluation time as a proxy for managerial effectiveness, it should not be surprising to find that most managers are concerned with eliminating or suppressing all conflicts. According to Gray and Stark (1980) there are two distinct phases of thinking about conflict: the traditional view and the current view. The traditional view of conflict assumes that conflict is bad for organizations. In the view of the traditionalist, organizational conflict was proof that there was something â€Å"wrong† with the organization. The Hawthorne studies were probably important in shaping the traditional view because in those studies the dysfunctional consequences of conflict were noted. Another likely factor in the traditional view was the development of labour unions and the often violent conflict between labour and management. During the early twentieth century labou