The 4As Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The 4As - Essay Example 4A’s always attempts to improve the agency business. With 750 members and 1250 branch offices, approximately 80% of 4A’s members are placed in all national advertising agencies. Virtually all of the large multinational agencies are members of the 4A’s. While at the same time, along with addressing the expectations of shareholders and stakeholders, the organization fulfills its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as well. The association represents advertising agency business to public service work of the Advertising Council, Inc. and Spencer, AAAA Educational Foundation which offers allowances and fellowship to graduate multicultural learners studying advertising at college or graduate school levels. It also runs a group insurance and group pension/profit sharing plan for the benefit of employees in agencies. 4A’s has its individual composition of constitution, mission statement, by-laws and standards of practice approved by the Board of Directors along with membership together (American Association of Advertising Agencies, 2013). Mission and Purpose of 4A’s The mission of 4A’s is to improve and to strengthen the advertising agency business in the United States by counselling members on operations and management by offering collective experience of the many to each. It strives to establish high creativity and business standards by attracting quality workforce to the business. Considering itself as a management oriented agency, the association is focused on providing leadership, support and assistance to the advertising community in serious areas such as compensation, agency operation, talent management, business development, government policy and technology. The organization divides its purpose in short-term and long-term bases. Short-term goal includes endorsing friendly relations within the entire associated agencies and maintaining as well as preserving honesty along with fairness. Moreover, working with the govern ment and consumers on matters which affect advertising is also a key short-term goal. Long-term goal includes fostering social responsibility of advertising and marketing, and fostering scientific research along with innovation to continually improve advertising. Moreover, to provide their members with unlimited access to their full time team of information specialist, which helps a client to meet all the secondary research needs, such as industry statics, creative work, and demographic data, original research, surveys and white papers, comes under their prime purpose (American Association of Advertising Agencies, 2013; SlideShare Inc, 2013). Services Offered by 4A’s 4A’s provides insurance and pension/profit sharing plan for the welfare of their associates in agencies. The agency is mainly involved in planning, producing, creating advertisement and performing research along with selecting media. The 4A’s runs its own research departments. Consulting and advisor y services on a variety of management related topics, training and professional development programmes and research services, including access to specialists and numerous databases are a few more services offered by 4A’s. 4A’s devotes a part of its time and energy in facilitating government on matters that have an impact on advertising and marketing communication industry. It has committed a substantial effort in creating responsible practices in two vital areas, food and beverage related advertising to the children along

Read and decide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Read and decide - Essay Example Nevertheless, over 60 percent of UK residents are registered members of assorted libraries including local public or private libraries, educational institutions, and prisons in addition to enrolling online within their homesteads (EMAC, 2003). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (2004) has underlined three major objectives including encouraging a reading culture and casual scholarship; access to ICT skills and facilities including government systems; and dealing with the socially neglected groups to integrate them into mainstream communal structures. Although reading is predominantly a private individual affair savouring varied verbal prose, it subsequently induces persons to seek sharing this pleasurable experience with others including friends, workmates or online friends, thus has enabled libraries that offer online access expanded reach as their clients or groups share the fantastic experience. Municipal authorities have been charged with the responsibility of operating and improving public libraries in the UK under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. There were 4,759 permanent public libraries and 693 mobile units, in addition to 19,136 service areas stationed in diverse locations like health centres and jails all over Britain by 1997. These public libraries have served as a learning forum for communities with many people preferring them for obtaining information and study to universities hence the adage ‘universities in the streets’ (Bennett, 2001). To enhance ICT skills among the library patrons, most public libraries have established Open Learning Centres that engage staff who are able to impart knowledge to the unskilled patrons. Nonetheless, the Library Association has called for a formal standardised scheme to ensure the correct and appropriate skills are taught. This would

Perceptions And Experiences Of Survivors Of Retrenchment Philosophy Essay

Perceptions And Experiences Of Survivors Of Retrenchment Philosophy Essay The preceding chapter justified the selected methodology as an appropriate research strategy in the framework created by the research problem and literature review. This chapter presents the findings obtained from the present study. It represents a thematic synopsis of the prevailing survivor responses obtained through three in-depth semi-structured interviews, where each core theme is described followed by a description of the contributory sub-themes within the core themes as well as aggravating factors (if applicable). Themes will be illustrated with direct quotations in a manner that adequately addresses the construed experiences of the interviewed survivors. The first core theme to emerge is the prevailing end state of survivors in the present study. The survivors demonstrated differing forms of denial, and these manifestations are illustrated as the subsequent three core themes, with their aggravating factors. The next core themes to emerge relates to the affective and behavioural responses of survivors throughout the retrenchment process. Finally, the theme underlying and giving rise to the other themes is that of the survivors perception of the company retrenchment experience. The chapter concludes with a critical discussion of the present study in light of previous research and literature in the field, and guidelines for organisations that are contemplating, or have already commenced, with retrenchments to reduce the anticipated negative effects of the retrenchment process. 5.2 RESEARCH RESULTS AND FINDINGS In this section, the themes obtained from the gathered data are considered. As previously noted, the interviewees were quoted verbatim these quotes are demarcated by the use of blue, italic text type. Journal and memo inclusions are demarcated by the use of italic text in shaded boxes. In order to illustrate the perceptions and experiences of survivors of retrenchment, the outcomes of the present study are represented in Figure 5.1. 5.2.1 Denial The first theme elicited from the interview transcriptions is that of survivor denial. Other researchers (De Vries Balazs, 1997; Greenhalgh Jick, 1989; Noer, 1993) have explored diverse defensive responses provoked by the retrenchment experience. One frequent and widespread response is denial, a defensive mechanism equally manifesting in both management and employees who is currently experiencing, or have recently experienced, retrenchment. Denial can be defined as unconscious negation of some or all of the total available meanings of an event to alleviate anxiety or other unpleasant condition. Denial covers situations in which individuals in words, act, or fantasies attempt to avoid painful reality. (Dorpat, 1983). Denial assisted the survivors in regulating their feelings of grief, thus protecting them from anxiety and pain by refusing to completely experience happenings that the survivor could not cope with. In this regard, there is a charm in denial, as it only lets in as much grief as can be handled. However, the survivors could not work through these initial stages of the grief cycle, and subsequently, became stuck in the denial phase. This outcome is the result of various contributing factors, which has been identified as themes supporting this end state. All three interviewed survivors were in a state of denial, as they had not developed or were not equipped with constructive coping mechanisms to deal with the stress and anxiety caused by the retrenchment process. According to Chapman (2009), individuals reactions to distressing events are as unique as a fingerprint. This is clearly demonstrated as the denial manifested in three forms, which will subsequently be discussed. Fish bowl reaction The first manifestation of denial was that of the Fishbowl effect this is characterised by the survivors experiencing a pervasive sensation of being under constant scrutiny from other employees affected employees in the organisation. The survivors are scrutinised as a result of their position within the company whether it be hierarchical position or divisional position. Although the mental process of denial cannot be observed directly, it can be inferred from verbal behaviour. To this effect, Cramer (1987) developed categories for identifying denial. Pertinent to the fish bowl effect are: Statements of negation: An individual contradicts an action, wish or intention, which, if acknowledged, would cause discontent, pain, anxiety or humiliation. Again, you know, and then it seems almost like the fairy tale situation where I am ecstatically happy you know, you get your days where you just want to dart out of here and it is too much Overly maximising the positive or minimizing the negative: Sizeable exaggeration or underestimation of a characters quality, size, power, role and authority. I was involved, sitting in at the meetings with some of the directors and general managerswe did discuss some of the positions that might fall awayI was involvedbut not the actual decision making. Survivors soon realise that working in this fishbowl, everyone scrutinizes what they are doing and because other employees can offer their critique, looking good becomes as important as doing the right thing. It appears that initially, the interviewees are intensely aware of the scrutiny and their role in the unpleasant exercise, however, in order to escape the anxiety that this creates; selected stimuli and observations are unconsciously denied. You are emotional when you in our function you cant be emotional, you need to kind of your emotions need to be put to the side to stay professional. So we were stretched, and I was stretched beyond that I thought that I could do or endure. But luckily we went through it. Further to this, in the fish bowl effect manifestation, considerable attention was given to the details of the issue as this served as a distraction enabling the survivors to avoid the affective whole. This was clearly demonstrated by one survivor who insisted that the company did not communicate the financial specifics for the severance package. However, when I reviewed the company documentation, this seemed to be the one element that was clearly and consistently communicated. Kets de Vries and Balazs (1996, 1997) reported similar findings. I would have handled the process in such a way that employees knew exactly what the package entailedknow where you are at lets have a look at maybe, how does your Provident Fund look like. Keep more information, so that people can make a more informed decision. In the present study, denial appeared to be an extension of the initial avoidance response. When reality threatened the survivors directly, and when the behaviours of avoidance were no longer adequate, the survivors turned to denial. The difference between denial and avoidance is the difference between passivity and activity, or between the tacit and the overt (Gottlieb, 2004). however, the meeting was postponed on the first occasion, due to the participant being too busy on the specific day. The interview was re-scheduled on this day, I had to remind the participant of the interview, yet the interview started 10 minutes late. I found it rather disturbing that the participant was rather non-committal with some of the answers, not committing to any specific viewpoint, but rather skirting the issue as to not tick anyone, thereby remaining on the fence. The participant seemed to take on the role of champion of the company, even though most answers pointed towards disagreement. During the interview, she spoke freely about relevant retrenchment issues, but it left me with a feeling of superficiality, as the issues raised were addressed fleetingly (this seems to be a denial in itself?) and the topic was consistently changed after a few minutes, almost contradicting what she said earlier. The change of topic occurred when discussions about emotions were further explored. It seems that the recall of intense emotional experience (negative) during the period of retrenchment creates feeling of anxiety that is denied and suppressed. Non-committal answers might be an attempt to deny negative experiences and or defend the company out of a sense of loyalty to organisation or defending own role in retrenchment. In the fishbowl state, the survivor is so preoccupied with doing the right thing and looking good to both management and employees that they consistently deny and bury their own emotional responses to retrenchment. This manifestation of this denial encompasses the alteration of language and logic to justify their behaviour (Cramer, 1987; Stein, 1997). Looking back on the entire process and where we are now, a year later you think it was a good business decision? At the time yes, for the business to continue, because we didnt know the economy was going to turn. Yes, I would say at that given point in time it could have been a good business decision. all affected people kind of made good business senseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I dont know if that makes any sense at all but made good business sense. So I think everybody would understand that none of this was a personal mission to get rid of anybody. It is possible that, as a consequence of prolonged denial in the fishbowl state, the survivors reasonable argument and cognitive schemata might be discarded altogether, because those strategies are not sustainable and are unable to persuade others; at which time the survivor will merely refer to their feelings or emotions as the exclusive justification. (Cramer, 1987). Placing all your eggs in the downsizing organisations basket It would seem that the strategies of retaining employees for the long-term have had negative, inadvertent consequences on the survivors seducing employees into a co-dependent relationship with the organisation. The co-dependent employees sense of value and identity is based on pleasing someone or something else. A lot of duality in this interview unhappy at work, yet wishing to stay, also expressing regret at not being retrenched, yet sacrificing her relationship to perform responsibilities at work. Defending abuse from management, yet complaining about management style. According to Noer (2009), benefits, services and office size are all advantages that reward seniority and tenure. In addition, Company X has in recent years placed more focus on employee wellness programmes, thereby channelling employees social patterns into organisationally endorsed activities. The result is that numerous employees have placed all of their emotional and social eggs in the organisational basket as the retrenchments were implemented and the new psychological contract unfolded, the basket has been dropped, and, according to Noer (1993), resulting in a range of negative survivor symptoms, such as fear and anxiety and triggering co-dependent behaviours like control and denial. The duality experienced could possibly be viewed as anxious denial there seems to be a swing from one extreme to the other, as if she cannot consolidate these conflicting emotions and feelings and the anxiety that this is causing. This denial and need for control is verbalised / acted out in the desire to have been retrenched. Due to the role that I fulfil on Organisation X, I have been privy to discussion about subsequent decisions made by this participant affecting / sacrificing her private life for the benefit of her career. As previously discussed, the higher the organisational level, the stronger the denial tends to be. It is therefore not surprising that the interviewee who most strongly displays this manifestation of denial, is the highest ranking employee interviewed. Although the concept of co-dependency will be discussed later in this section, it should be noted that previous research (Noer, 1993) indicated that co-dependants make themselves into permanent victims. It seems that perhaps this is the most salient characteristic of this manifestation of denial by denying any other role other than that of the victim, the survivor has rejected their role and accountability as part of the senior management team of Organisation X, as well as rejecting activities that should have been undertaken as part of management responsibility. Thereby effectively denying the extent to which her lack of action contributed to negative impacts on others, specifically the affected subordinates. A possible explanation for this unconscious decision is that it is an attempt to avoid guilt, and possibly shame. but with even like with subordinate I worked with, right until a week which before she moved, she didnt really know what was going to happen to her. She was told, Divisional Manager said to me, well maybe she would fit in with General Manager: XXXs department. So I went back, said to Subordinate, please set up a meeting with General Manager: XXX go speak to him, see what the job is all about. But nobody spoke to her I spoke to her said, lets make an appointment with General Manager: XXX.so nobody spoke to her, it wasnt like a person or thing. I know with Subordinate, nobody came to speak to her to say you know you are going to lose your position, but there is another position for you this is what it entails or set up an appointment with General Manager: XXX or anythingI would have like to just walked with my people a little bit more, so that theyre not so unhappy. There were lots of rumours and think from that aspect, maybe they were not as open as they should have been. This is congruent to two of Cramers (1987) characteristic of denial, namely the denial of reality whereby the survivor avoids addressing something that would be unpleasant to think about, in this case the loss of her subordinate to another department as well as her abdication of responsibility as departmental head. Secondly, statements of negation where the individual contradicts an action, wish or intention, which, if acknowledged, would cause discontent, pain, anxiety or humiliation. Further to this, and supporting the previous assertion of the strong denial of management responsibility, dissatisfaction with company direction, management credibility and long-term strategy were particularly strong amongst the most senior survivor interviewed, which is interesting as she is responsible for some of these functions. A lot of the instructions that were given are very short term. So, I think from an environment point of view, I just feel Im not learning as much as I could have, because everything is now killing the fires and its short term strategies, so you dont actually learn or develop and there is not time to develop as a person within the company. How would you describe your level of trust, in the management team of the company?very low trust. Because if something goes wrong, they blame somebody else. This candidate is part of senior management, yet seems to feel ostracized. Perhaps this is the reason for her projections? Further to the above, when psychological denial distorts reality, individuals are prone to make erroneous decisions or avoid complicated decisions and disregard serious problems; holding others responsible when things do not turn out as expected (Cramer, 1987). This finding is supported by subsequent verifiable information that became known to me recently as a result of the interview and my position within the organisation. one interviewee fluctuated between almost total denial of her accountability and role (as senior manager) in the retrenchment and repeated attempts to bring about her own death (Kà ¼bler-Ross, 1969) in the organisation. This self-sabotage took the form of non-performance, defiance when dealing with top management and ignoring communications. Some aggravating factors to this denial reaction must also be noted the first is the espoused value of the new psychological contract and secondly the presence of aggravating peripheral circumstances. These factors will be explored and discussed later in this section. Keeping up appearances: coping by not coping This manifestation is characterised by the minimisation of the overall effect that the retrenchment had on the survivors. Although feelings of uncertainty, stress and guilt had been experienced, there were some expressions of optimism and perceptions that Company X engaged in a tough, but necessary activity to get or keep the company on track toward profitability. I think for anybody this is a very difficult exercise to go throughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there was not you dont need to worry, it is never going to happen, youre safe. There was never any of that false hope created. I dont know if that makes any sense at all but made good business sense. Unfortunately, as a business, this is the only way we can survive. This technique has been termed denial of injuries by Gandolfi (2009) and pertains to survivors involved in the retrenchment process maintaining that retrenchment victims did not suffer any detrimental consequences. In the aforementioned study, this was the reaction where victims were provided with generous severance packages. The findings of the current study in consistent with this, as all interviewed survivors exhibited a manifestation of denial and without fail, referred to the generous severance packages. Well, I looked at the packages and I know that they were really good based on obviously you know what the packages based on experience, based on years service and based on beginner service and all those sort of things. However, the denial is evident in the contradictions during the interviews, as well as during discussion that pertained to behavioural and affective responses during the retrenchment. This is congruent with two of Cramer (1987) identified characteristics of denial, namely: Statements of negation: An individual contradicts an action, wish or intention, which, if acknowledged, would cause discontent, pain, anxiety or humiliation. Obviously I could not divulge that until the final decisions had been madeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ when you are going through a structural change there is this cloud of secrecy and certain people know whats going on, and there is talking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it was communicated to them [affected department], and it was done right down to the brutal truth. Unexpected goodness, optimism, positivity: nonchalance in the face of threats. The team is not quite where it needs to be yet, but certainly we pulling more together in terms of the transparencies and the cross functional support areas where we may be 5 years ago. I got to say the resizing exercise did a lot in terms of shaking up peoples foundations where you thought you were so secure, everybody realized nobody is secure. But what changed it and what made this last resizing exercise so positive, is the way it was handled. These reported perceptions are complex and quite often contradictory. The same survivors who articulated sentiments of optimism also articulated strong sentiments of uncertainty, stress and changed work life perceptions. Uncertainty was most apparent in the continuous attempts to obtain the approval and validation of reactions from me, as if to establish whether the perceptions are correct, or perhaps to avoid confronting actions that causes guilt by perceiving this to be a common occurrence. It seems as if the survivors escaped dealing with their personal feelings by focusing on projected organisational outcomes. This is congruent to previous research (Noer, 1993) as well a variation on the fishbowl effect, where survivors focus on details to escape dealing with their personal feelings. The objectives were pretty clear and that was that we need to look at the functions within the department, and the main objective was not clearing heads, that was never the main objective. The main objective was look at the functions, how can we work and structure this department to work smarter. Not necessarily cheaper, but smarter and obviously ultimately is there a possibility for the right sizingthe objective was never to get the heads of the headcount, never. Obviously you know long term wise it is a win- win situation for everybody. This particular manifestation seems to be exacerbated by previous experience of a retrenchment possibly colouring the survivors frame of reference. The interviewee that displayed this manifestation most prominently has personally survived two previous retrenchments at Organisation X. Another interviewee who displayed this manifestation of denial to a lesser extent had survived one previous retrenchment at Organisation X and recalls that her father had experienced a retrenchment at his employer at the time. I am left to wonder whether this positive attitude is genuine or whether the participant is still keeping up appearances for the benefit of who perhaps top management perhaps. Is this denial (of damage done to others) a facade to hide feelings of being the executioner as the participant clearly indicated that she felt guilty for being picked to stay whilst other employees (in her department) became victims. This reaction can possibly be attributed to repeated experiences of retrenchment resulting in emotional numbing (Kets de Vries Balazs, 1996), whereby the survivor starts to experience problems with a reduced capacity to feel. According to Kets de Vries and Balazs (1996), this defensive process is set in motion a state of affairs overflowing with painful emotions and psychological conflict. This reaction was used as a means to shelter the survivors from intolerable experiences and functions as a type off shut-off mechanism this emotional shut-off is essentially the core of psychological denial as discussed in the introduction to this section. It appears as if the survivors resort to doing to prevent experiencing. One of the survivors went into great detail about her growth in the company, her flexibility with regards to long-term career goals, the positive relationships with both top management and Human Resources, and her perception of how other departments handled this process. In all of this, she never voluntarily referred to feelings. When specifically asked about her feelings and reactions during the time of retrenchments, she conceded that she did feel saddened by the process, but quickly added that this was reserved for after-hours and in general, she felt that it had been a process well handled. What seems to be true for all of the participants is that their involvement in retrenchments is an activity that opposes their base belief about organisational life. Underlying this base belief is the psychological employment contract. These survivors have to cope with significant change at the same time as experiencing it. Shared denial Although the survivors engaged in the same basic defence mechanism, the expression of the defence took various forms. It is interesting to note that there are some shared reactions in the expression of denial, namely the denial of the survivors own expectation of the old psychological contract to hold true and the unfailing blaming of others for negative outcomes experienced. Each of these shared reactions will consequently be explored. Denial of belief in old psychological contract All of the interviewees espoused the values of the new psychological contract and advocated its importance in the new world of work, yet, all the interviewees demonstrated throughout the interview, that they have a very strong expectation that the old psychological contract is to hold true for them on Organisation X. . I really would like to have an overseas assignment. Just to get exposure, because for me is I want a long term relationship with Company X. I was quite happy here and I thought, well, I am happy to stay with Company X for the next 10 years. Whatever I wanted to develop, I would like to get to a General Manager level, learn as much as I can from the company. It seems that the survivors agree with the logic and the theory of the new psychological contract, but that this new way paradigm conflicts with their need for membership and would require a great mindset shift. I believe that most employees expect an organisation to look after them and that you will receive the benefits, or reap the benefits of hard work. But in reality, that does not work that wayI know that your psychological contract has changed during the course of the last few years, but still, I think that maybe employees want to be trained in such way that they can move on, out of the organisation, with more skills they what they come into. Despite strongly advocating the new psychological contract the participants responses throughout the interview indicates a strong co-dependency on the company being researched. It seems as if the participant defines a (big?) part of herself by achievement / growth / future in / at the company being researched. Also, this participant perhaps more than the other participants espouses the values of the new psychological contract, yet looks at the organisation to provide growth and development, and feels betrayed and offended that the current situation impacted on her development. The survivors denial of their belief in the old psychological contract could possibly be explained by the concept of co-dependence. The co-dependent changed their identity, denied their feelings and spend a substantial quantity of energy in an effort to control an alcoholic; shared the alcoholics addiction. The co-dependent does not notice the destruction that their denial causes to themselves and others they were co-dependent with the alcoholic (Bekker, 1998; Noer, 1993) According to Noer (1993), just as a person can exist in a co-dependent state with another person in relation to an addiction, a person can also be co-dependent with an organisational system. Employees of an organisation who have become co-dependent on the organisation, defines themselves to a large extent by their job. During a retrenchment, it is therefore not only their job that becomes vulnerable, but also their sense of worth, sense of relevance, identity and purpose. This phenomenon could explain most, if not all, of the survivor experiences explored in this study. As discussed in section 3.3.4, the greater the sense of personal violation, the greater the susceptibility to survivor syndrome and destructive defence mechanisms. The perception of violation appears directly related to the degree of trust employees had that Organisation X will take care of them (Noer, 1993). The survivors all indicated that they definitely had the expectation of long-term employment at Company X, with the associated growth and development as reward for their tenure and performance. The retrenchment experience seemed to be a rude wake-up call that this is in actual fact not the truth. There is no such thing as life-long employment. There is a classic saying, if you want loyalty, buy a dog. It is all good and well to be committed to a company, but there is no guarantee, not either way, that you are going to be with that company for a life-long commitment or that that the company is going to keep you on for a life-long commitmentonce you heard that very clear definition that life owes you nothing and Company X owes you nothing and I owe you nothing. That kind of inspired you to do more and to want more. You know, if I came in at age 17, turning 18 in February, that I was working, thinking I am just going to be a typist for the rest of my life and Company X going to keep me, keep me, you gonna have to want that little bit more ever so often. If you are not motivated, and if you are not accepting those challenges, there is no future for you here. Denying their belief in the truth of the old psychological contract, might serve two purposes: By verbally acknowledging the value of the new psychological contract, they are espousing the message that is expected of them due to their position within the company. As in the fishbowl effect manifestation, the survivors are seen to be doing the right thing and looking good; By denying their belief in the truth of the old psychological contract, the survivors are attempting to avoid the painful reality that this paradigm no longer holds true by refuting their own truth by their words and actions. Blaming of others All interviewed survivors blamed other groups. In most cases, generic management were blamed or colleagues in organisation X, however, no interviewee assigned any blame for negative outcomes to themselves. Nevertheless, people tend to blame others usually the next person up on the organisational chart for what is a basic systemic change, beyond anyones control. But then, if I look at other areas that the same sort of exercises, and I dont know if it is because it was handled poorly, that maybe their management wasnt being honest or forthcoming with their people. Look at the XXX department a huge mess. You know, where people left on the end of the month, and there was absolutely nobody trained to do those. If youre ultimate goal is to get rid of people on downsize and get rid of people on a head count level that is easy to do. This blaming phenomenon could be a form of projection that serves as a defence mechanism, assisting the survivor to confront their own survivor guilt by allowing the survivor to consider others as dysfunctional without experiencing the discomfort of realising that these views and feelings are their own. This allows the survivor to express disapproval of the other person, distancing themselves from their own dysfunction (Straker, 2009). This reaction has also been noted by previous researchers such as Noer (1993), Kets de Vries and Balazs (1996) and Appelbaum et al. (1997). Based on the preceding discussion, it is put forward that blaming others for whichever collection of consequences generally represents denial. Contributory themes As a result of the survivors inability to progress through the stages of grief and complete their mourning, the interviewed survivors remained in state of denial. Contributing to these responses and outcomes were the presence of aggravating peripheral circumstances and role conflict. Role conflict Beauchamp and Bray (2001) defines role conflict as referring to the presence of incongruent expectations placed on a role incumbent. The presence of role conflict exacerbating the effects of denial was evident amongst survivors. This role conflict related to the dual roles of being involved in the implementation of the retrenchment for the survival of Company X and the emotional effect that the aforementioned has on the survivor. You are emotional when you in our function you cant be emotional, you need to kind of your emotions need to be put to the side to stay professional. So, you talk to people over the telephone, and they are emotional that side, youre sitting on this side, and you know their affected it is a difficult, difficult time. It is possible that this role conflict also contributed to the extensive engagement in reasoning to justify retrenchments. This reaction is similar to what Noer (1993) described as the Judas complex. This reaction seems to allow the survivors to deny the negative impact of their actions on others. It is very difficult to keep your managers hat on and on the other side of the scale to put your humanitarian hat on.you had to come in

Les Miserables Essays -- essays research papers

In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thà ©nardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me; do not tell me that I take you into my house..... whatever is here is yours." (pg. 15-16) The bishop didn't loo k at him as a convict; he looked at him as a fellow brother. Later, when the bishop found out that Valjean stole his silver, he wasn't mad, but offered all of his silver to Valjean saying, "Don't forget that you promised me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thà ©nardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thà ©nardier represents greed and evil is how he... Les Miserables Essays -- essays research papers In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thà ©nardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me; do not tell me that I take you into my house..... whatever is here is yours." (pg. 15-16) The bishop didn't loo k at him as a convict; he looked at him as a fellow brother. Later, when the bishop found out that Valjean stole his silver, he wasn't mad, but offered all of his silver to Valjean saying, "Don't forget that you promised me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thà ©nardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thà ©nardier represents greed and evil is how he...

Starbucks Weakness

Starbucks, as we all know, are one of the globally popular companies, but like everything else, it has its own weaknesses. Here I will suggest some solutions to help solve the problems faced in their inventory management processes. Starbucks follows the EOQ model, which involves heavy calculations and predictions. Without the formulas and some basic information about the demands from customers, the cost of placing orders, and other variables, the calculation of the EOQ model will not be able to reach its optimal potential. From this, collecting the accurate information for the calculations is vital, the company has to acquire reliable and timely sources. Conveying surveys, searching data online from sources like Google Analytics about the spending behavior, and carrying out research are among the ways to collect vital info from current and potential customers. By doing this, it can help determine the annual demand of the company, which can help solve or at least ease on the uncertainties of demand. Having skilled or experienced employees/ staff is also crucial as they are considered by some are the most valuable assets of a company, which they experience customer feedback firsthand. These ‘customer feedback’ are useful to further improve the customer of said company. Listening to employee feedbacks can also help to execute certain operations, selling products to customers, and how to do things better (Vos 2013, p. 1). Other than that, having good employees that takes charge of the calculation, for example the calculation of the EOQ model, are vital because they are needed to calculate the best possible figures of ordering. Through this, it can help narrow down the EOQ model predictions. Also, they can help predict through experience without completely relying on the calculations. Calculation based on the EOQ model also requires constant set of data. For example, the demand for the year has to be known (which has been covered on the second paragraph on accurate data collection), the cost of ordering has to be same throughout the year and also the lead time must not fluctuate and remains consistent. Having a good supplier can help solve the consistency of ordering cost and also constant lead time (Ready Ratios, 2013). A good supplier will be able to achieve expected results, offering good quality of products and delivering goods on time are among some of the benefits of having a good supplier. Building a good relationship with the supplier will get you more benefits, such as priority as a valued customer, competitiveness (in terms of pricing, quality, reliability ahead of the competition, in this case, Starbucks, is facing), innovation and also product development (Bob Reiss, 2010). Other than that, having good material handling can also help cope with the unpredictable usages or the uncertainties of demand. By having good material handling, the company can improve the efficiency of the production this will save time and indirectly save labor cost as productions run faster. It can also maximize space utilization by storing materials in the way it should, it also can reduce cost by saving on inventory carrying cost which is not properly handled. All of this are necessary to make sure if something goes wrong in the calculation, the loss can hopefully be covered by the savings in material handling, making the loss easier to swallow. Having good transport of goods is also beneficial by having shorter lead time and at the same time transporting more goods are both time and cost saving. Furthermore, keeping a contingency plan at the ready can also help the company in case of unpredictable situations happening, such as natural disasters, shortage of raw materials usually hits us by surprise. So, to keep the company on their toes, to be ready to face emergencies such as this, the company can either keep additional safety stocks, or have another backup supplier from another region to provide with the supplies just to counter the sudden changes and to prevent stock outs to happen. Other than that, the appropriate application of the contingency plan can showcase how the company can utilize and prove to others that the company can manage themselves well, inviting more investors to join in the company. Moreover, advancement of technology plays a part in the inventory management of Starbucks. They can use it to keep track of their inventory much faster and efficient. This allows them to keep track and keep updated with how many units they have. With this said, they can improve their inventory flow and also quickly order materials that are needed for fear that miscalculation happens in the EOQ model which leads to surplus or shortage of materials, with the help of inventory management system (IMS) that Starbucks uses, they can further improve their services and provide better quality products. To wrap things up, to have a successful company, one needs to have more than a capable workforce, it needs to have a blend of luck and some daring decisions to start up something new. For instance, Starbucks Corp. which was founded by a few teachers and their friends, and with a simple idea of a company selling overpriced coffee with decent atmosphere. Who could’ve thought that it could be this successful? References 1. Bob Reiss. (2010).  Build a Good Relationship With Suppliers.  Available: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/205868. Last accessed 15th June 2013. 2. Readyratios.com. 2013.  Economic Order Quantity Model (EOQ). [online] Available at: http://www.readyratios.com/reference/analysis/economic_order_quantity_model_eoq.html [Accessed: 16 Jun 2013]. 3. Vos, L. 2013.  People: The Most Important Asset of Any Company. [e-book] Georgia: p. 1. Available through: Georgia SBDC http://www.georgiasbdc.org/pdfs/vos09.pdf [Accessed: 16 Jun 2013].

Phenomenal Woman Essay

A phenomenal woman, according to both Maya Angelou and Virginia Woolf, is a female who knows herself well. The phenomenal woman is honest and could even be proud enough to show the world who she really is. Both authors have given very beautiful ways to describe the phenomenal woman. Angelou describes her as self-confident, honest, sincere, mysterious, and silent although her own curves can be alluring. Knowing her capabilities as a woman makes her very attractive to men despite most people’s conventional idea that beautiful women are physically well-endowed. Woolf on the other hand, shows a more timid side of the phenomenal woman by introducing the character of the Angel of the House. She says that this angel is what most women project to the public. She is practical, sympathetic, charming, always willing to make sacrifices for her household, pure in mind and in heart but unfortunately does not have a mind of her own. The angel would rather lie to get a society’s approval to attain the success she wants. To transcend to become phenomenal, the Angel of the House must perish and give way to an honest individual who does not need to hide behind the image of a man. The phenomenal woman is brave enough to liberate herself from the domestic concepts of society. Why is it phenomenal for a woman to be herself in society? This is because the world has imposed so many expectations and has stereotyped women as the weaker of the genders. Men are allowed to be who they are. They can even write about the physical romantic reactions of people bluntly. However, it is hard for a woman to express herself as frankly because society demands her to be submissive and docile. It takes so much courage for a woman to say what and how she feels even about the basic things that are common to man and woman (example: sex). The mere effort to express one’s self about any aspect of the world is what makes a woman phenomenal. I believe that Virginia Woolf’s description of a woman is closer to my own image of what a phenomenal lady really is. Woolf was able to show the problems that most women encounter daily. Some of these troubles are deeply embedded not only in the reactions of society to a liberal woman but mostly in her subconscious thoughts. It takes great will power to kill the Angel of the House and also manage to survive smashing into a rock. It takes a very strong female indeed to look at society in the eye and say her thoughts about the world so bravely and develop into a phenomenal woman.

Ethiopian Food and Health Essays

Ethiopian Food and Health Essays Ethiopian Food and Health Paper Ethiopian Food and Health Paper Nutrition is the key to a healthy life and the cornerstone of any cultures cooking. If our food lacks nutrition, we get sick and Inevitably parish. This discussion will examine the food types Indigenous to a very misunderstood country In Eastern Africa: Ethiopia. Boasting diverse landscapes filled with rolling hills, great rivers and majestic wild life, Ethiopia is the site of many of the most ancient and famed human fossils ever discovered, and as the worlds oldest surviving continuously-sovereign nation state, is rich in tradition and cuisine. Sadly however, most Americans today associate the country primarily with the devastating famine that ravaged its people In the meld-legless. When I tell someone I am going to an Ethiopians restaurant, I often get a response like, I thought they dont have food, as if for thousands of years the inhabitants of this bountiful country, who filled it with ancient, world-renown monuments, churches and cities, were bereft of sustenance. The idea is absurd, but most of the people who make such statements had their views shaped by media images of famine victims and so have given little thought to the customary dishes of heir land. In the following passages I will endeavor to expose my audience to the cornucopia of creative culinary combinations comprising Ethiopians cuisine and to research providing evidence that the traditional Ethiopians diet meets nutritional requirements and ensures overall health. Ethiopians number-one agricultural resource is cereal grain. Theft, barley, wheat, maize, finger millet, oats, and rice make up 85% of Ethiopians crops. In order from greatest to least, the countrys remaining crop production includes pulses, like beans, lentils, and fenugreek; oilseeds such as inside, sesame, flax and safflower; vegetables Including a variety of cabbages, peppers, Swiss chard and tomato; root crops Like beetroot, carrots, ginger, potato and garlic; fruits such as banana, papaya, guava, avocado, lemons, mango, orange and pineapple, then, finally, coffee, a huge export from Ethiopia and central to a traditional ceremony that is practiced to this day (Agricultural Sample Survey 19). Now that wave covered the fundamental ingredient sources, I will now discuss some major Ethiopians dishes in more detail, starting with the staple of most meals, leaner, a type of flattered traditionally made from theft and millet. The batter Is slightly fermented then cooked on a large skillet too spongy texture similar too crepe. Many Africans traditionally eat in communal settings with many people at one table eating from one main dish. Injure is the base upon which other foods are served and the bread is then torn away piecewise, to be used as a utensil for scooping, dipping or picking up the proteins and vegetables. Traditional Injure is whole grain, and contains calcium, protein and fiber, as well as Iron elf threshed on the ground while the proboscis generated during the brief fermentation aid In digestion. (K) Ethiopia has many economical resources that offer a variety of fruits and vegetables to the memos, a traditional wicker dining table. Fruits that are common to the country are listed above; other fruits are now being cultivated such as good health. Vegetable dishes commonly include tubers, such as white and sweet potatoes, green beans, onion, collards, carrot, garlic, captain peppers and cabbages. Often vegetables are prepared into their own dishes since Christians in the country have over 200 days of fasting from meats. Common vegetarian meals are fossils a green bean, carrot and garlic dish and miser hot, a red lentil and onion tee. Many legumes from chickpeas to yellow splits are prepared into fantastic dishes like mildly spiced kick Alicia and the above-listed miser hot. Chickpeas are pulverize and stewed into shirr (Selling). All of these dishes have fiber-filled complex carbohydrates, vitamin-and-mineral- rich vegetables, and, when grains and legumes are combined, the amino acid profiles qualify as a complete protein source (Carter ). According to recommendations by nutrition and health professionals, it wouldnt be hard to balance a diet using the foods from the lists above in fact the food list is Ideal for optimal health (Madeline lust). The vitamins and minerals in the green bean and carrot dish (egg serving) would fulfill RD ( recommended daily intake) for vitamin A, 25% for K and 50% for C. It also contains 25% of the recommended iron intake and 10% of daily calcium intake to name a few of the health benefits. The garlic in the dish has natural anti-viral, anti- fungal and anti-bacterial properties and is loaded with photo- and microinstructions as well. Yellow splits and other legumes are also packed with nutrition, containing 16. 4 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrates and 16. 3 grams of fiber per cup. Their criterion density measures up strong too: one cup of split peas provides 196 % of the RD, of molybdenum, 56. % of the RD of thyrotrophic, 39 % for manganese, 31. 8 % of the RD of foliate, 24. 7 % of your thiamine, 20. 3 % of your potassium and 19. 4 % of the RD of phosphorous. In addition to these high encountering values, one serving of split peas is an excellent source of 11 amino acids on top of thyrotrophic(e) and provides between 10 and 20 % of the RD of magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. (Thompson) So far were off to a good start nutritionally and we ha ve only talked about how ruts and vegetables are used in Ethiopians dishes. Now lets talk about meats. As in America, Ethiopians farmers often raise livestock, usually sheep, goat, cattle and chickens, for dairy, egg and meat production. A number of dishes are made from lamb for it is their most well-known source of animal protein and a staple in the East African diet (Traditional Food). Concoctions range from Aziza Tips pieces of meat seasoned and pan seared to Saga Watt lamb stewed usually with garlic and white onion. These dishes are lower in fat since the meat is trimmed of fat and cooked in clarified butter or vegetable oil. The results produce colorful and flavor meals fulfilling a days worth of protein requirement in one serving. Kit ground beef served raw or seared is mixed with Collards or other greens a major source of calcium and photo-nutrients. Even the spices in Ethiopians cooking have great benefits. Seasonings made from hot chilies, fenugreek, cumin, ginger and cloves all contain vitamins, and several have been for other potential health benefits (Beebe) We have touched on fruits, vegetables, spices and meats but dairy is also part of the culture. Most households in Ethiopia produce their own cheese and yogurt in- lain non-flavored yogurt. Both are rich in calcium and protein with the yogurt full of proboscis as well. The career and accomplishments of Beebe Bikini give further proof that the food of Ethiopia is both nutritionally sound and functional for extreme-demand energy supply. This man is a world-champion, multiple-Olympic-gold-medal-winning marathon runner who took the world by storm in the early sixties. (Beebe Bikini the Legend) Ethiopia has low rates of stomach and prostate cancer (Heartbreakingly) consistent with the known tendency of diets low in saturated fat and high in fiber to reduce the risk of developing these diseases. The country seems to have average death rates of other cancers, which is impressive because the medical system is very poor. Though malnutrition has claimed many lives in the country, it is not due to any lack of quality in the traditional dishes but mainly to poverty, regional drought and famine, all of which could be at least partly resolved with careful investment in technology. Transportation and irrigation advancements offer very realistic solutions to the lack of crops and food in certain parts of the country. Fish is a good resource and can be harvested from the Nile River and is only now finding its way to market, due to the cent advancements in storage and transportation availability (Ethiopia, Agriculture). The unfortunate truth is that the deaths of 1,000,000, from starvation caused by famine in the mid-eighties have given this country a reputation as barren, depicting the people as skinny, hungry and poor (Famine In Ethiopia). The effects of hunger still exist, but if you were to ask an Ethiopians citizen if everyone is starving to death there, they would scoff at your ignorance. Most people in the more populated cities live much as you or I do in America. They own or rent houses and property, eat on a daily basis, drink coffee and work Jobs. It is true, however, that in certain areas people living in underdeveloped communities at risk due to the local lack of resources. The unfortunate situation is that 35% of Ethiopia is food insecure (WEEP of Ethiopia) but wild edible plants (WEEP) can be the potential key to putting good meals on every table. New research into the indigenous plant life has been finding wild species of edible vegetation in all regions. The results are astounding: 413 edible species have been identified including trees, herbs and climbers with only 233 already used by the people. The study was done to help identify alternatives for when conventional DOD supplies are interrupted but it may also give information encouraging farmers to cultivate plants that are resilient to the regional climate extremes (WEEP of Ethiopia 72). The only problem is that more research is needed to know what combinations of the newly-cataloged Weeps would give the most benefit. For example, Ethiopia has many varieties of wild mushrooms, a staple in some cultures, but more documentation is needed. Many countries have had similar problems and the research has proven WEEP to be of great value in Tanzania, 85 species of edible orchid were discovered. With mom diligent research there could be great relief brought to the Ethiopia via WEEP. (WEEP of Ethiopia 83, 84) life have developed here in America, Ethiopians traditional cuisine is nutritious and fills the requirements for a complete and healthy diet. It supplies whole grains, fibrous fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. An array of these edible plants will give substantial doses of vitamins and minerals. Ethiopians dishes are nutritious and delicious, incorporating a colorful spread of finger foods, and are increasingly enjoyed by people all over the planet, bringing renewed recognition to a ultra that had been left in the dark and which, though often seen as the very face of hunger, has much to teach us about healthy sustenance.

Psychology of Television essays

Psychology of Television essays Today many people think that television is the cause of violence in todays youth. Many have pondered that television disturbs traditions as well as interferes with the minds of adolecened children who can not yet comprehend the truth of fiction and reality. Thus television has become a widely talked about controversy, mainly because of the fatal incidents that have been occurring during the past couple of years. Questions are being raised and people want answers. What kind of effects does the television have on human beings? In todays society the public is interested in the detailed information about the content of television. Persons who work in the media are often concerned with what the television portrays and why it portrays the way it does. Even though they know that their shows are representative to their viewers tastes and not that of the real world. Although this information is not acknowledged as fiction or non-fiction it is still portrayed and processed information by the viewer. One must be able to realize, How this information is different from everyday life? By mocking a family, situation, or community, distortions and biases occur on the television when these subjects are compared to real life. Still unsure of these problems the majority of humans watch even when they dont understand why? Television is a medium of novelty, with each new season bringing new shows with dreamier characters and more enticing situations. These shows are successful because they challenge ones wisdom if he or she were in the same situation. This is the reason why people are starting to question and be afraid of the pushed boundaries of television. With the dramatic increase of violence in todays world the programmers are filling ones mind of not wisdom, but the dark escape of violence which makes up the viewers mi ...

An Analysis of circumstances

An Analysis of circumstances Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . An analysis of circumstances Every offence require proof of the actus reus and mens rea. The question is focus on actus reus. There’re three categories which are under actus reus. Those are positive act, voluntary act and causation. The general rule is that every offence must be committed by way of a positive act. The basis of this requirement is that a person should only be found guilty for something which they actually did and not something which they fail to do. This would be in lie with the principle of responsibility. However, as stated in the question, there’re circumstances where a person can be found guilty in relation to a failure to act. The basis justification for such liability is because the defendant had a duty to act and failed in that duty. Whether such liability is in fact justified, will be discuss as follows. The first circumstance of ommission liability is that imposed under statute.Statutory duty are largely regulatory in nature as they’re enacted by the law.There are numerous examples of the courts’ construction of words to include liability for omission. In R v Sharma, a conviction for falsifying a document required for an accounting purpose contrary to the Theft Act 1968, s 17(1)(a), was upheld where the defendent omitted entirely to fill in a form which it was his duty to complete. Similarly,in R v Firth, a doctor was held to have deceived a hospital contrary to the Theft Act 1978, s 2(1) by failing to inform the hospital that certain patients were private patients. In each of the cases, liability was imposed on the defendant in relation to a failure to act in accordance with a duty which was provided for by the law. One is of the opinion that imposition of omission liability in relation to a breach of statutory duty is justify because the duty is imposed by enacted and particularly if the legislator is being guided by the principle of minimal criminalisation, these duties would only be required in order t o ensure and protect a minimal standard of public well-being and safety which is of paramount importance particularly as statutory duties are in essence regulatory. The second instance of a failure to act that can constitute the actus reus of an offence is the duties of law enforcement. It is stated that any member of law enforcement has the duty to preserve the peace and to protect the public. An example of offence of pure omission are also to be found in Dytham (1979) QB 722; a police officer was held to be guilty of a common law misdemeanour when, without justification or excuse, he failed to perform his duty to preserve the Queen’s peace by protecting a citizen who was abeing kicked to death. Likewise, in Brown (1841) Car The defendant was a normal citizen who is found guilty of an offence when he fails to respond to a constable’s call for assistance in keeping the peace. In one point’s of view, it’s court decision is reasonable in Dytham because the police officer is obling to his duty eventhough when he’s off-duty, and more importantly the incident happen during his working hours. However, one may not agree with the decision in Brown’s case because the policeman cannot assume that when a normal citizen or if the old man who’s at the scene has the phsycal ability or mental strength to stop a riot, will abet in the riot. In other words, the decision that the citizen has to make at the moment claims to be too wide as it fails to take account whether the defendant has the capacity to appreciate the risk.

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Sociology - Essay Example In addition, research based on self-report is vulnerable to the social factors affecting both the availability of research participants and their willingness to respond to researchers questions (Lee 15). On the other hand, ethnographic field work is a more comprehensive way of conducting qualitative research. In fact, it is a part of a documentary research. Nevertheless, the setting dictates when documentary research is more useful than ethnographic field work. When a researcher studies a contemporary organization, documentary research is a necessity since records such as financial statements, employee records, and other primary written sources play a role in completing the investigation. In conclusion, documentary research complements other research methods and can stand alone only if data is needed. Silverman, D. ( 2004 ). Qualitative Research : Method, Theory and Practice. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=v6X7SolgXVUC&p g=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq =ethnographic+fieldwork+vs+documentary&source=bl&ots=9hOGQsBwBG&sig=T3I02Apvvdx1VqRKVjHrBOpoqRA&hl=en&ei=-gNlS9S0CI6OkQXon6jUCg&sa=X&oi=book_ result&ct=result&resnum =5&ved =0CBoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false on Jan 15,

Is Global Warming a Scam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Global Warming a Scam - Research Paper Example This report stresses that since nothing has proved beyond doubt that the carbon dioxide and other toxic gases causes to the atmosphere. Most of the reliable sources of temperature data show no global warming trend. All predictions of global warming are based on computer models, which is incapable of predicting the history. Global warming data has historical importance and hence it should be analyzed based on the history as well. â€Å"A modest amount of global warming, should it occur, would be beneficial to the natural world and to human civilization. Efforts to quickly reduce human greenhouse gas emissions would be costly and would not stop Earth’s climate from changing. Even the governments are spending billions of dollars in the researches of global warming. Moreover these scientists succeeded in threatening the world population and thus the governments forced to allocate more money to the researches in this field which were looted by some greedy politicians and scientist s. This paper makes a conclusion that the increased amount of carbon dioxide causing global warming. In fact the amount of increased Co2 in atmosphere caused by human activities is negligible compared to the increase in atmospheric temperature. The changes caused in Sun are the main reason behind the atmospheric temperature increase. It is evident from the climate changes in other planets that sun is the villain, not the human being on earth which causes global warming. The global warming subject is a huge scam developed by some politicians and scientists to rob the wealth of common people.

Business Environment coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Environment - Coursework Example Pertaining to this growth, various sectors of the economy are sprouting up (Uppal et al, 2009) Apart from the robust middle class, India also ranks as the fourth largest billionaire population in the world. This also makes it a lucrative market for premium products and high end luxury products. Moreover, the country has a pulsating democracy which gives an easier access to Foreign Direct Investment and an encouraging environment for business. Entrepreneurs can exploit these benefits in form of ease in technical issues such as the paper work, licensing hurdles, company registration process, and other tax incentives to operate in India (Uppal et al, 2009). The process for incorporation of a company in India has about 11 steps which are spread over a time period of 35 days. As quoted above, the country’s middle class along with the high income earners constitutes a high overall spending power and as quoted above, this fact makes it one of the most lucrative markets in South Asia and the whole world. Moreover, the political condition in the economy has led to a gap for entrepreneurs in different sectors of the economy like retail, insurance, banking etc. This gap has largely been created because previously, these sectors were owned and controlled by the government and as the Indian economy opens up to the global markets, these government monopolies have started to evaporate leaving space for entrepreneurs (Uppal et al, 2009). No matter how huge and lucrative the market seems, India is not the country of one’s dreams and like all the rest of the world, has some setbacks too. Unfortunately, one of the problems in the business environment which India faces is unimposing law enforcement by the Indian judiciary. This is mainly because of resource constraints and long procedures owing to corruption. However, the problem has been identified and is deemed serious enough to take some actions to avert this drawback in the country’s

Legal Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions in Business Research Paper

Legal Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions in Business - Research Paper Example If ABC wants to acquire Smith Bicycle Company, a private seller, it is vital to consider the two ways of acquiring the company. The first way of acquiring the business is by buying shares in the company that owns the business (Gole & Morris, 115). The second way of acquiring the company is through purchasing the assets of the company, which comprises the business. It is imperative to state that in this situation, the company is the seller, and it will thereby sell some or the entire assets to the buyer. It is worth denoting that share sales structure the majority of the acquisitions. A variety of factors may affect the structure used. Occasionally, it is vital to restructure the business or company before its sale in order to allow for proper acquisition. In the case of Smith Company, it is imperative to state that tax implications tremendously determine the structure of a transaction for both the buyer and sellers. Their interests may conflict particularly when achieving the vast be neficial tax outcome. Moreover, where sellers are individuals, there is a likelihood that the sellers will favor a share sale in order to circumvent a latent double tax charge (Gole & Morris, 116). This tax charge comprises of an initial tax charge on the company during the sale of assets to the buyer, and an additional tax charge on the shareholders of the company, when they pull out the sale profits from the company. Since tax immensely proves as a critical determining factor towards the structure of a deal, it is vital for the buyer and seller to obtain specialist tax advice. Based on the share sale, the buyer acquires the company together with all its â€Å"assets, liabilities, and obligations† (Gole & Morris, 118). This offers the sellers a suitable break, as, after the sale of the company, they will cease to have direct conscientiousness for the company. The buyer will thus owe any prevailing liability under the terms of warranties and indemnities agreed upon in the sal e and purchase agreement. Based on business sale, there is only an acquisition of assets and liabilities purchased by the buyer, implying that everything else remains with the company (Gole & Morris, 118). If the buyer suspects of unknown liabilities within the company or troubled by any business aspect, the buyer prefers to structure the deal as a business sale. It is worth denoting that there exist more realistic and marketable issues to assert on a business sale other than on share sale. Based on the share sale, there is an only a transfer of ownership of the company shares. It is imperative to state that while there is a change on the shareholders of the company, the assets that are inclusive of business contracts and licenses remain with the company. From the outside, there is minimal change as customers and suppliers will continue dealing with the company. However, certain contracts such as financing contracts in conjunction with other long-term agreements at times require the consent of the other party after planning of change of company’s ownership (Gole & Morris, 120). It is critical to identify such contracts earlier in the acquisition process.

Response to Intercultural Outgroup Members Essay

Response to Intercultural Outgroup Members - Essay Example What makes these black guys scary is only in her eyes, but because these guys were aggrieved, they made her fear come true, they pulls out a gun, points on theirs face and carjacked them. This results biased judgment for blacks. Jean holds prejudice against people on the basis of skin color and cultural race. She discriminates the Mexican-American locksmith because he looks like a "gang member," with a shaved head and tattoos, when actually he is a devoted family man. She thinks that the locksmith would sell their keys with his allegedly gang banger friends. But the offended locksmith proved her dilemma to be wrong. Another racist, Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) is a white police officer who molests Christine, a black woman, during a traffic stop. Meanwhile, Ryan is trying to get help from Shaniqua Johnson, a black woman, for his father, who may possibly have prostate cancer but seems to have been misdiagnosed with a bladder infection, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Ryan's racist remarks to a black insurance representative (Miss Johnson) prevent him from getting his father the treatment he needs. His racial prejudices seem to stem in part from the negative impact that local affirmative action-style policies that favored minority businesses had on his father's business, family, and life. Ryan later relieves the viewers of his racist tendencies when he saves Christine from certain death in a fiery car wreck and is seen working with a Mexican-American Patrolman whom he seems to show no signs of prejudice towards. Where Do I Fit In Why and when individuals felt like outgroup members within their own group Chung (1998) explained that it has to do with the context and status of the individual with whom one interacts. So here enters Officer Hanson who is having an embarrassing problem, for personal nature. He is Officer Ryan's partner, who is disgusted by Ryan's racism and the city's inaction. After trying to get another partner after seeing Ryan molest Christine, Hanson accepts a solo patrol vehicle. Hanson saves Cameron during his confrontation with the police, yet shoots Peter when Peter reaches for what he suspected was a weapon, but was actually a statuette of Saint Christopher in his car after picking him up and giving him a ride. He dumps the body and burns his car in an attempt to hide evidence. Another issue raised in this chapter is - if the ingroup does not approve of an individual's behavior, it can reject the ingroup member. This was manifested when a black guy (Anthony) tries to carjack his black fellow, Cameron. Thus Cameron felt embarrassed because of Anthony's wrong doing. Prejudiced Remarksor Innocent Jokes Our question is, Do "innocent" remarks or biased jokes directed at an individual or ethnic group make them tolerable or acceptable In a certain scenario, a Persian store owner is afraid for his safety. He is depicted as a man frustrated by the racial harassment he experiences in the United States as well as deterred with difficulties with speaking English. To protect his store, the only thing his family has, he goes to a gun shop and attempts to buy a gun but his hotheaded attitude causes racist remarks from the owner who refuses to sell him a gun. One thing that the owner says is - "Yo! Osama plan a jiharan your own time. What do you want"

Peronal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Peronal Law - Essay Example I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all1." Against that backdrop, this question questions state banning on gay marriage. Applying Dr. Kings analysis, a just law was one that was in keeping with our moral teachings or the moral teachings of God. Likewise, if our moral teachings, teach us that something is immoral, then Dr. King would have advised against following that particular law and instead engaging in non-violent civil disobedience. If Dr. King felt that homosexual relations were something that were immoral then he would have agreed that state laws banning gay marriage are just and should be followed. Someone advocating in favor of gay marriage might argue that King would have advocated for gay marriage because he believed that all men are created equal and as a marginalized black man he can certainly identify with the feelings that gays have in being denied the ability to have their union legalized. I think however, that given Dr. King's religious background, the moral and vast religious climate of his time, Dr. King would have said that his interpretation of the Bible is that there was to me a union between man and woman only. I think that any law that allows the separation of people is one that begs civil disobedience. Any law that allows one group of people to have superiority over another group is one that is immoral and therefore must not be respected. For example if a group of gay students are not allowed to attend graduation or are made to feel so afraid to go to graduation that they refrain, refusing to attend graduation even though you must do so to get a diploma is an instance of when civil disobedience is justified. There is a way to get a message across without it becoming violent and without bringing additional malevolence to the marginalized party. The perfect form of civil disobedience was that of Rosa Parks. While we are all familiar with her refusal to give up her seat on a bus, she also brought a line of African American children to a "white" library and had them each attempt to check out a library book. The children were courteous, and sincere when they explained that they needed to get the books from the "white" library and despite being turned away, they did not protest violently. An unacceptable form of civil disobedience is when there are laws or codes enacted for the safety of a population and they are violated. Rioting or any other form of violence which puts the lives of others in jeopardy is not proper. Further, there is a fine line as to what is pushing the break of the law too far. Remember, Dr. King readily admits that in order the get the law changed, it must first be broken or others will not take notice. Thus the better question, is what is the difference between breaking the law and civil disobedience 5 points 3. What is the rule of law Under the rule of law how are government officials supposed to use their power and how are they not supposed to use their power There does not appear to be one universal definition of the rule of law. However there are basic tenets to the definitions that I did find. For purposes of answering this question I will submit the simplest definition and work my answer

Response to Intercultural Outgroup Members Essay

Response to Intercultural Outgroup Members - Essay Example What makes these black guys scary is only in her eyes, but because these guys were aggrieved, they made her fear come true, they pulls out a gun, points on theirs face and carjacked them. This results biased judgment for blacks. Jean holds prejudice against people on the basis of skin color and cultural race. She discriminates the Mexican-American locksmith because he looks like a "gang member," with a shaved head and tattoos, when actually he is a devoted family man. She thinks that the locksmith would sell their keys with his allegedly gang banger friends. But the offended locksmith proved her dilemma to be wrong. Another racist, Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) is a white police officer who molests Christine, a black woman, during a traffic stop. Meanwhile, Ryan is trying to get help from Shaniqua Johnson, a black woman, for his father, who may possibly have prostate cancer but seems to have been misdiagnosed with a bladder infection, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Ryan's racist remarks to a black insurance representative (Miss Johnson) prevent him from getting his father the treatment he needs. His racial prejudices seem to stem in part from the negative impact that local affirmative action-style policies that favored minority businesses had on his father's business, family, and life. Ryan later relieves the viewers of his racist tendencies when he saves Christine from certain death in a fiery car wreck and is seen working with a Mexican-American Patrolman whom he seems to show no signs of prejudice towards. Where Do I Fit In Why and when individuals felt like outgroup members within their own group Chung (1998) explained that it has to do with the context and status of the individual with whom one interacts. So here enters Officer Hanson who is having an embarrassing problem, for personal nature. He is Officer Ryan's partner, who is disgusted by Ryan's racism and the city's inaction. After trying to get another partner after seeing Ryan molest Christine, Hanson accepts a solo patrol vehicle. Hanson saves Cameron during his confrontation with the police, yet shoots Peter when Peter reaches for what he suspected was a weapon, but was actually a statuette of Saint Christopher in his car after picking him up and giving him a ride. He dumps the body and burns his car in an attempt to hide evidence. Another issue raised in this chapter is - if the ingroup does not approve of an individual's behavior, it can reject the ingroup member. This was manifested when a black guy (Anthony) tries to carjack his black fellow, Cameron. Thus Cameron felt embarrassed because of Anthony's wrong doing. Prejudiced Remarksor Innocent Jokes Our question is, Do "innocent" remarks or biased jokes directed at an individual or ethnic group make them tolerable or acceptable In a certain scenario, a Persian store owner is afraid for his safety. He is depicted as a man frustrated by the racial harassment he experiences in the United States as well as deterred with difficulties with speaking English. To protect his store, the only thing his family has, he goes to a gun shop and attempts to buy a gun but his hotheaded attitude causes racist remarks from the owner who refuses to sell him a gun. One thing that the owner says is - "Yo! Osama plan a jiharan your own time. What do you want"

The English Theatre during the Tudor Era Essay Example for Free

The English Theatre during the Tudor Era Essay The rule of the Tudor dynasty in England, extended from 1485 to 1603, was established after The War of the Roses between House of York and House of Lancaster. A period of unusual isolation for England from the Continental trends, Tudor period witnessed the developments of drama from the religious plays to Interludes in royal courts and from there to the regular drama in the Theatres. Drama began as an offshoot of the practices of the church and was thus religious in intention. It developed through the Tudor period acquiring a secular character by substituting moral teaching for purely religious instruction. The characters underwent a corresponding change: they were no longer Biblical figures, as in the case of Mystery plays, but personified virtues and vices. The some famous examples of these moral plays, or Morality Plays, as they were called are Everyman, a late fifteenth century work of unknown authorship and The Castle of Perseverance. Another important development in the English theatre during the Tudor period was the Interlude. It was the transitional form between the Morality play and the regular drama, in which the allegorical characters were displaced. Unlike moralities they were meant for amusement and entertainment. It was John Heywood who rendered interludes a definitive place in the development of English drama. He was a court musician and provider of amusements to Henry VIII. The interludes were dramatized at feasts and celebrations to entertain the court and the nobility. Heywood’s well-known interlude Four P’s (about 1520) represented an amusing dialogue passed between a Palmer, a Pardoner, a Pothecary and a Pedlar. Heywood continued his position in the Tudor court during the reign of Edward VI and Queen Mary. In due course of time, the interlude dissociated itself and became independent species of drama that was true to life and more regular in form. The influence of new learning prompted the performances of Latin plays of Terence and Plautus in schools and colleges. The next step was to create English plays on the classical model. The result was the first regular comedy in English, Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall, produced during the brief reign of Edward VI. It was followed soon after by Gammer Gurton’s Needle, of doubtful authorship, performed at Christ’s College, Cambridge. In the following years several Senecan Tragedies were translated in to English, which provided the model for the first English Tragedy written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. It was performed before Queen Elizabeth in 1561. It was followed by Tancred and Grismunda in 1568 and Misfortunes of Arthur in 1587. Another popular drama form that was inspired from Seneca during this period was the revenge tragedy. Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (1586) established this kind of drama in England. The rest of the Elizabethan age saw the golden age of English Drama with the rise of the playwrights who were commonly called ‘the university wits’ and of course, William Shakespeare. The Tudor period saw the growth of Dramas from the royal courts to the theatres. With the advent of the Interludes, the demand for the entertainments of this kind led to the formation of small companies of actors maintained in the houses of noblemen. They wandered from place to place performing in inn-yards market places etc. First of the permanent theatre, which was called ‘The Theatre’ was built in Shoreditch in 1576. It was followed by the establishment of eight playhouses in London. The most famous of these early theatres were ‘Rose’, where the plays of Marlowe were performed; ‘Globe’in Southwark and Shakespeare’s ‘Wooden O’, where his masterpieces were first performed. The Art of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci The era of Renaissance saw the zenith of the European arts of painting sculpture, architecture and literature that was not surpassed in any age. Italy was the epicenter of the Renaissance the chief characteristic of which was humanism. It was a system of vision which extolled human worth and dignity, expressing deep faith in his great creative potential, proclaiming liberty and absolute rights of the individual. The works of veteran Italian artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Davinci announced the aforesaid spirit of Renaissance and their works are often considered synonymous with the Renaissance art. Humanism and Renaissance found brilliant expression in the realm of painting, sculpture and architecture. The artists of the time made use of biblical subjects, but their interpretation had little to do with the traditional religious attitude. Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and Michelangelo’s Pieta are examples. Often described as the archetype of ‘the Renaissance man’, Leornado Davinci is regarded as one of the most talented people ever lived, on account of his genius in several fields. Like all Renaissance artists, he looked upon art as an imitation of life. He is praised for stylistic innovations, especially his understanding of anatomical structure of human body in order to represent movement. The interest in human anatomy to find the mechanism underlying the gestures and expression was a feature of the Renaissance artists. Da Vinci’s interpretation of biblical episodes had the scent of human life, with all its earthly beauty and vigor. Annunciation, which is thought to be one of the earliest completed works by Da Vinci, portrays the Humanist face of Virgin Mary. Physical aspects of man’s existence were given prominence rather than that of the religious. He is best known for two paintings: Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. The latter was yet another attempt by Da Vinci to humanise the biblical episode of the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death. His mastery of depicting the expression is evident in the smile of Mona Lisa that baffled the centuries. Da Vinci’s contemporary, Michelangelo was also a multifaceted genius who proved his expertise as a painter, sculptor architect poet and engineer. His out put in every field during his long life was phenomenal. Two of his best known works, Pieta and David were sculpted before he was thirty. In spite of his low opinions about painting he contributed two important works in fresco: the decoration of the ceilings and alter walls of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. He drew the subjects from Christian mythology but giving it an intense human interpretation thereby catching the spirit of Renaissance. These paintings, for example The Last Judgment and The Fall of Man are among the most works of art in the world. One of his greatest contributions to architecture was the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo’s Pieta, carved in 1499, is another epitome of the Renaissance humanism. It is a representation of Mary with the dead Christ across her knees. Following the popular theme at the time he depicted the woes of mother and son as human beings and not as religious symbols. Many depictions of Mary and Christ as a child at that time represented Mary and Jesus as loving human beings. Michelangelo viewed art as something that sprung from inner motivation and from culture. While Da Vinci’s art sprung from the observation of nature and of man, Michelangelo saw nature as an enemy to over come. According to him every stone has a sculpture in it and the job of the sculptor was to chip away all that was not a part of the statue. References Dev, Arjun. (1997). The Story of Civilization. Vol. 1. New Delhi: NCERT.

Psychoanalytic theory and the crisis of masculinity

Psychoanalytic theory and the crisis of masculinity The late 60s saw a rapidly materialising concern about the status of masculinity. Before the 60s it seemed that the idea of masculinity was safe males could be useful within modern capitalist societies, providing for their families and gaining a sense of satisfaction from their place in society. But society began to change, economically, socially and especially in relation to the position of women. The rise of feminism was changing womens attitudes about the way in which they were (and are) treated. In turn this was starting to affect how men viewed themselves. Carroll (2004) explains how in American society the breadwinner ideal was being eroded with support from professional groups including psychologists and cardiologists working all the hours and a constant striving for material wealth might not be good for you. How, asked men, do we define ourselves now? This essay will examine the crisis in masculinity from the point of view of psychoanalysis  ¿Ã‚ ½through the Oedipal compl ex and the cast0tl.QDCOmp,lex and then move onto evidence from social and cultural theories. To examine how masculinity might be in crisis, it is first necessary to examine how psychoanalytical theories posit that boys gain their masculine identity or in other words how they become men. Modern psychoanalytical theory, as did Freud himself, places a great emphasis on the early relationships of the young boy with his parents or caregivers. It is the vicissitudes of these relationships that will have important consequences for development. In Freudian terms, this early relationship is overshadowed by the Oedipal conflict. The mother shows a great interest in the child and the boy realises that his father represents his main rival to this relationship. The boy desires the mother, but the father stands in the way. Attempting to maintain these conflicting influences at some kind of equilibrium is the central drama of development from a psychoanalytical viewpoint. What, then, are the most important processes that occur in early life that influence the construction (or otherwise) of the male identity out of the Oedipal crisis? Greenson (1968) explains that psychoanalytic theory concentrates on the idea of disidentification, this is divided into two processes: firstly a boy must sever the emotional ties he has with the primary caregiver usually the mother and secondly he needs to identify with a male role-model usually the father. The identification with the father should allow the boy to have a way of communicating with the outside world, to tempt the boy away from psychological closeness with the mother and provide the support needed to avoid the boys return to a symbiotic relationship with his mother. The relationship with the mother, then, is seen by Klein (1975) as a delicate balancing act. It proVides a prototype for later relationships with women and so needs to be warm and lOVing, but it is difficult for a man to have relationships with women if he is too close to his mother. Horrocks (1994) argues that, in fact, the male child is surrounded by femininity throughout his early childhood, and it is important for him to break away and discover a world of men for here lie the roots of the male identity. The central paradox, though, is that the man wishes to escape this cocoon of womanhood but there is also the desire to become close to a woman. One danger in this dynamic is that the early influence of the mother is too great and not sufficiently counter-acted by the father this leads to an inability to separate himself from the mother (Horrocks, 1994). The role of the father in the masculine identity is seen as crucial by psychoanalysts. Horrocks (1994) sees the role of fathering as an introduction to manhood, the introduction to a role that has previously been shrouded in mystery. While there are some initiation rights and ceremonies in some cultures, overall, and especially in western societies, it is not particularly strong. There has actually been a disconnect between the son and his father, now the father heads out to work everyday and no longer has a chance to bond with his son. Horrocks (1994) sees one of the most important functions of the father as to show the young boy that it is possible to live with the mother, to have conflict, fear and guilt, but still to live together. It is through the father-son relationship that the boy can learn that it is possible to live a civilised existence without continual recourse to violence and satiation of primitive longings. The damaged modern male, the male in crisis, is seen by Horrocks (1994) as unfathered. Women are viewed as dangerous to have a relationship is to have a bat tle and the man must draw himself away from women from time to time to maintain his safety. By never really making a strong connection, the modern man in crisis feels damaged and abused and uses the methods of abuse and damage to relate to others because he knows no other way. This analysis of the Oedipal complex and its effects, as well as the possibility of transcendence, actually describes a rather prototypical interaction between the young boy and his caregiver. Blazina (2004) describes how some criticisms and refinements of this model have been made by subsequent theorists. Bergman (1995), for example, has argued that it is not necessarily with the mother the boy should be disidentifying. There are many situations where the father is actually the provider of the most emotional nurturance. In this case it is better to see the individuation as occurring with the primary caregiver rather than the mother. Blazina (2004) also maintains that there should not be such emphasis on the cutting off of the other identity. Where the other identity is feminine, there is now greater acceptability of feminine qualities in men so these can be integrated into male identity without compromising maleness. For the crisis in masculinity, Freuds conception of the castration complex is of great interest. Freud (1925) theorised that the castration complex had the follOWing stages. Firstly a boy guesses from the evidence of his own anatomy that everyone has a penis. Secondly he finds out that women do not have penises and assumes that they have been mutilated in some way. Thirdly when he begins to masturbate, he is told that he will be castrated. Fourthly, finding that the breast has already been removed, summarises that the penis will be next. Finally, the Oedipus complex is destroyed by this threat of castration. According to Horrocks (1994), Freud saw this sequence of events as concrete, whereas many psychoanalysts now see this in more allegorical terms, as mediated by culture and society. Through gender, both men as well as women are denied a whole world of being, the world of the other gender. After the process of partitioning men and women both feel a sense of loss at the things that they will not be able to experience. In men this castration complex expresses itself in a variety of different ways. Men have a desire for love, a fear of their own sexuality, and, in particular, a fear of their own anger. Horrocks (1994) describes how, as a psychotherapist, many men talk about their fear that their anger will be exposed to the world. To stop this, they have to bottle it up and repress the emotion. As a result, in heterosexual men, this is recognised by the women with whom they have relationships and they are rendered impotent and asexual. A man who acts in this way behaves passive aggressively ¿Ã‚ ½ he is motivated to manipulate those around him by his anger. This prohibits a direct connection with other people because his relationships are based on manipulation. The result of this is that feelings are kept inside and denied. A similar problem is seen, in Horrocks experience, in macho men. The castration of the macho man leaves him profoundly afraid of expressing his own feelings. This denies him the possibility of acting emotionally in any situation as this will simply reveal his weakness as he sees it. It is the emotional parts of himself that this man hates and wants to hide away the feminine parts of him are an embarrassment. By being cut-off from his own feelings, the psychologically castrated man experiences an emptiness within himself that he attempts to fill with methods that will never work. The emptiness inside is often experienced as a dead feeling, almost of death itself. It is precisely this almost death from which, Horrocks argues, many men in the crisis of masculinity are suffering. Without the connection with his own emotions, or those of anyone else, he is only half a man, not able to experience himself or others properly, safely cocooned within an empty world. Within Freuds writings, woman were theorised to suffer from envy of the male penis, but Freud did not acknowledge the possibility of men being envious of the female breast. The male-centred idea that penis envy is fundamental to psychoanalysis is attacked by the introduction of the idea of breast envy. Klein (1975), for example, has pointed out that both male and female children have very strong feelings towards the breast both are attracted to it and both want to destroy it. Instead of defining both sexes in terms of the penis one having and the other jealous a reciprocal envy provides balance that acknowledges the lacuna in mens lives as well. The breast does, after all provide, not only nourishment, but also love to the child, and so a womans breast is a symbol of these qualities. Horrocks (1994) argues that men have a strong desire to return to the breast, to return to the originator of life and at the same time men attack the breast and want to destroy it. Melanie Klein posited that the idea of womb envy was also an important component in the male psyche. Minsky (1995) describes how the Kleinian viewpoint sees the development of male power as being rooted in the fear of the womb. Like the young boys envy of his mothers breasts, he also becomes envious of her womb and the power it has to create new life. To make up for this envy, men are forced to concentrate their efforts on cultural and creative efforts and to suppress womens forays into the same field. Minsky (1995) explains that it is the phallus that then saves men and provides a distraction from the envy of the womb. Lacan has a different take on the Oedipus complex. He sees the father not as a real father but as a representation or a metaphor for culture (Lacan, 2004). It is through the young boys experience of cultural factors such as language that he is pulled away from the mother. The mother represents desire for Lacan and so culture, through the representation of the father, pulls the boy from what he desires. This cutting off is like a castration and the child then attempts to substitute this with a search for truth (Minsky, 1995). Many of these psychoanalytical ideas about the roots of a crisis in masculinity are analysed in social theories in terms of a conflict in gender roles. ONeil, Helms, Gable, David, Wrightsman (1986) have defined gender role conflict as where socialised gender roles have an adverse psychological effect which causes a restrictive effect on the self through barriers created around personal creativities and freedom. ONeil et al. (1986) identify four different types of role conflict. There is a restriction in the range of internal emotionality; similarly, there is a restriction in the types of emotional behaviour that are possible towards other men ¿Ã‚ ½ this results in an inability to communicate feelings. Personal achievement and constant comparison to what others have creates a constant sense of fear and worry. There is a conflict between the requirements of work and those of the family which results in stress and health problems, and a simple lack of time to relax. Evidence to support these ideas of role conflicts has come, for example, from Sharpe Heppner (1991) who found a connection between role conflict and problems with intimate relationships. Watts Borders (2005) point out, though, that many of these studies have not been carried out in younger, adolescent boys. In rectifying this hole in the research, Watts Borders (2005) investigated role conflict in adolescent boys. Their findings were in line with the theories put forward by ONeil et at. (1986). The boys in their study said they found there was a societal pressure to restrict their emotionality, both internally and between themselves and other boys. Further they theorised that many of the boys had only been exposed to a very limited range of emotions from male role models ¿Ã‚ ½ indeed many denied experiencing any emotions other than anger. Cultural theories, which intersect with Lacans ideas, are also important in how the crisis in masculinity has been studied. Whitehead (2002) considers arguments that have been played out in the public domain. Firstly he considers the publication of Stiffed: The Betrayal of Modern Man (Faludi, 2000). The thesis of this book is that it is now the male who finds himself objectified and the subject of much sexist consumer culture. In addition the mans secure attachments and relationships with the world of work are no longer as strong and exclusive as they once were. Men seem also, in Faludis view, to be failing to fight back against the new culture, failing to take on this creeping emasculation. Now that feminism has attacked the patriarchal systems of power and control, masculinity has been left undermined and unsure. The rise of feminism has surely encouraged many men to question how they view women ¿Ã‚ ½ and then apparently left them confused. Faludi (2000) places the blame for this crisis in masculinity at the door of culture and encourages them to work together to combat it. While the argument has some elements of truth, quite how men and women are supposed to step outside of culture is not clear. Without men and women, there is no culture people are intimately bound up with it and part of it. The second set of arguments centre around research carried out by Professor Richard Scase as part of the European Commissions Futures Programme (Scase, 1999). This research found that many women are choosing to live alone as their opportunities in the workplace increase and especially as the roles they can adopt widen. It is hypothesised that this is having a knock-on effect on men who find it difficult to cope with this new situation. Evidence for this is in the rising rates of suicide  ¿Ã‚ ½between 1991 and 1997 they have increased by 60%. Social research finds that men are choosing to remain living at home rather than move out on their own (Office of National Statistics, 2000). Whitehead (2002) sees this as evidence that men are failing to cope with the new challenges they are facing. Further cultural and social evidence that men are in crisis is prOVided by Beynon (2001). Relying heavily on role theory, Beynon (2001) points to the changes in work patterns particularly the fact that less than half the men over 55 are in work. There is also a sense in which these men are caught between attempting to maintain the old-style macho posturing and the new-man type behaviour requiring a man to be in touch with his feelings. Beynon (2001) claims that generally men are less likely to a breakdown, Be of divorces. S . a ~_ C 0 ogical or physical illness which faces them. In marital a::> es, the man is normally most responsible, with women starting 75% of ten men move out of the marital home after the breakdown of a e er, is probably more of an artefact of the legal system and simple ietment on men. Apart from anything else, men generally die younger and e e y to suffer from heart disease. e g facts and figures continue through both crime and education and other major areas of  ¿Ã‚ ½;e. _.en crimes are mostly committed by men, indeed it is men who are mostly the victims of e crime, and so it is violence that is seen as an important component of masculinity. itehead (2002) sees this violence discourse as having a powerful effect on peoples attitudes to men. Men are seen as being unable to cope with the demands of modern life, especially those men on the social and economic fringes, and so the resort to violence is only natural. Within education, in the schools, male performance is significantly lower then female. Despite much theoretical attentior as well as some evidence from research on role theories and other areas, there has been a far degree of criticism of the idea of a crisis in masculinity. Writers have asked whether the crisis of gender is anything new. Mangan (1997) (as cited in Whitehead, 2002) argues that masculinity, li e femininity is constantly in crisis, constantly changing and adapting to new circumstances. Indeed, some of the fundamental ideas from psychoanalysis support the idea that masculinity is always a matter of crisis men will always have to cope with breast envy, womb en and a castration complex. This question aside though, some commentators have asked if t ere is really anything to explain at all with the rise of feminism, men have suffered a loss of power relative to women and are trying to cope with that loss, some less successf J t an others. Whitehead (200l) suggests that the crisis in masculinity is, in reality, an iHuson co ned to academic journals and has no meaning for people in the real world. Heartfield (2002), in arguing against a crisis of masculinity, talks of the fetishising of sexual difference, an exaggera ion of the differences between men and women. Heartfield (2002) suggests that it is instead the working classes that are in crisis, not men in general. These ideas are far removed from those that come from psychoanalysis where many of the roots of future struggle are born in that difference. In conclusion, psychoanalytical ideas about the crisis in masculinity are grounded in the biological differences between the sexes and how these are dealt with psychologically. Other psychoanalysts and Lacanian ideas have taken these literal conflicts and, to some extent, moved them away from a focus on biological difference and introduced more cultural and social ideas. Social and cultural theories provide a wide variety of, and some reasons for, a possible crisis in masculinity. In particular, the use of role theory has provided an important analysis. Despite using the language of role conflict, the male preoccupations and problems described by role theory have many things in common with those arrived at by psychoanalytical means. Nevertheless, many authors have questioned whether this crisis in masculinity really exists and whether it is anything new