Organizational Behavior Mid Term Essay Example

Organizational Behavior Mid Term Essay ASSIGNMENT FRONT COVER | | | |Module name: Class # 790 – Organizational Behavior | |Assignment title: Midterm Exam | |Assignment deadline: November 12th 2012 | |Effective number of words used: 1471 | | Table of Contents Question 1: Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations – discuss the benefits of self evaluation/self assessment as it relates to leaders today . †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Question 2: Prejudice can be hurtful and destructive – discuss how you can personally reduce prejudice in your workplace – please provide an example †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 References and Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Question 1: Understanding Human Behavior is critic al to organizations – discuss the benefits of self evaluation/self assessment as it relates to leaders today In today’s ever changing environment, organizations need to continuously adapt and transform, not only in order to succeed but even just to survive. While it takes a capable manager to efficiently run a business in steady-state, it takes a leader to successfully drive an organization through change (Kotter in Robbins and Judge, 2009: 385). Dealing with technology, economic and legislation changes isn’t new for organizations. The speed of change has however substantially increased in the last few decades as has the disruptive nature of these changes. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior Mid Term specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior Mid Term specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior Mid Term specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Leaders today are faced with challenges such as globalization and instant communication that were not present until recently. The words and actions of leaders are broadcasted across the globe within seconds and are heard and seen by individuals who will perceive and interpret them through the filter of their own values, assumptions, beliefs and expectations. In this accelerated environment, effective leaders need to be able to swiftly read trends and anticipate change, adapt to new situations, fine-tune their actions and continuously inspire others towards the pursuit of a compelling vision. In order to do so, they need to be perceptive of the environment around them and detect when discrepancies between their assumptions and reality arise (Clawson, 2001: 14). An example of business failure due to the mismatch between leader’s assumptions and environmental reality is Polaroid. When in 1977 Polaroid launched its instant-video product Polavision (an innovative instant movie camera that used an additive process to generate color), it experienced the first of several product failures that eventually forced the company into bankruptcy. The mistake that Polaroid’s Leader Edwin H. Land made was to assume that the market-follows-technology approach that had been successful for the previous 40 years was unchangeably valid (Lefler, 2010), despite the skepticism expressed by many within the company. Simpler and cheaper videocassette based alternatives were released at the same time by Kodak and other competitors. These â€Å"non-instant† products responded to markets’ trends better than Polaroid’s ground breaking instant-video solution, condemning Polavision to irrelevance and Polaroid to massive losses (Giambarba, 1977). I think Polavision is the story of a self awareness lacking leader, failing to identify his blind spots and driving the organization to failure. In my opinion Mr. Land failed to question his assumption in a changing marketplace and to openly listen to others, consequently ignoring precious feedback. Had Mr. Land listened to the concerns expressed by others around him, including Polaroid’s president Bill McCune, things could have possibly gone differently. Self evaluation is what allows individuals to identify those blind spots and weaknesses and to put measures in place to compensate them (Musselwhite, C. 2007). Through self evaluation, self awareness is achieved. The benefits of self evaluation and self awareness for a leader in today’s organizations are significant. By understanding your strengths, efforts can be focused on them, hence developing a greater potential for success (Roberts at all, 2005: 1). By recognizing your weaknesses you are in a better position to a ccept them and deal with them effectively. In the case of Polavision, Mr Land’s product and technology strengths were overshadowed by his marketing weakness. For his leadership to be effective, Mr. Land should have commissioned a market research to validate his assumption that the public was ready and willing to consume the product he was developing. Self awareness is the basis of self management and social awareness (Goleman, 2000; 80). The ability to read and manage your emotions, reactions and feelings, helps seeing yourself and the world under a different light. This in turns enables you to shift your point of view and identify opportunities and solutions that were otherwise impossible to imagine (Covey, 1989: 86). In the case of Polaroid a more socially aware Mr. Land would have valued the input of the Polavision skeptics and maybe redirected his creativity towards developing a product more in line with current market trends. Moreover, acknowledging your limits and not hiding them induces trust. You are perceived as human and people relate to you better. When trusted, you become a more effective leader as people feel safe when they follow your direction. Your behavior remains consistent in different situations and the influence of the environment on your actions is weakened. You develop charisma. You become authentic (George, B. et all, 2007: 7). Self evaluation implies asking for feedback and actively listening to what you hear. As you learn from asking questions, people around you also feel more comfortable doing so. This ignites a virtuous learning circle that drives personal growth. The biggest asset of organizations is their human capital. An engaged, motivated and virtuous human capital is the engine behind organizations’ success. In particular, by developing an environment where it is OK to ask questions, to challenge status-quo, to try new things and to make mistakes, innovation forces are unleashed (Musselwhite, C. , 2007). Conclusion Self Evaluation develops self awareness. Self awareness promotes personal growth and enables behaviors that are associated with charismatic leadership. Charisma is what inspires others to follow the leader. They trust her, share her vision and feel empowered and motivated to work towards a common goal. Charisma is a crucial element of effective leadership, but it is often not sufficient to drive organizations, particularly large ones, to sustainable success (Nadler and Tushman, 1990: 85). Self awareness developed through self evaluation, allows a leader to also understand and address this. By recognizing her limits, a self aware leader will develop an organizational structure that complements her strengths and, through alignment, effectively works towards the set vision. The most prominent benefits of self assessment for leaders today in my opinion are therefore the enablement of charismatic and institutional leadership, both of which are necessary to effectively guide an organization. Question 2: Prejudice can be hurtful and destructive – discuss how you can personally reduce prejudice in your workplace – please provide an example Prejudice (prior judgment[1]) implies forming an opinion about the personality traits, expected behavior, skills and capability of a person, without that opinion being backed by empirical evidence. These pre-formed opinions are often very strong, deriving from values and beliefs that are deeply embedded in our psyche. As such they are hard to remove. We may even unconsciously reject evidence negating the pre-judgment in a self affirming effort to confirm our assumptions. The end result is a diminished ability to appreciate the full range of qualities and the potential of the impacted individual. Prejudice and the corresponding discriminatory behavior, including institutional prejudice, are major issues for organizations today. Increasing cultural diversity in the workforce and the global reach of markets require organizations to actively strive for integration rather than assimilation or differentiation (Thomas Ely, 1996: 1). In my opinion, the onus of promoting an effort in that direction lies mostly on managers. As a manager I have a moral and professional duty to address prejudice in my organization and I have taken specific steps in that sense. I started with doing introspection to identify my own prejudices. I focused on my upbringing: who were the most influential figures in my childhood? What messaging did I receive from them and from the environment around me? What stereotypes derived from this? Being of white, catholic and Italian origin, I could immediately identify how anything outside of that archetype, was subject to some degree of prejudice, even if involuntarily. The good news is that â€Å"Prejudice is externally sourced† and â€Å"since it s learned, it can be unlearned† (Clawson, J. G. Smith, B. , 1990: 5-6). I then realized that most likely everyone in my work environment have similar preconceptions. For example, some people talk to me with the typical Italian-American mafia accent from The Sopranos[2] probably thinking it is hilarious. It doesn’t bother me, but I can definitely see how it could be bothersome to other Italians. I made treasure of these realizations and determined that these are ignorance-based preconceptions that can be resolved by increasing inter-cultural knowledge. I therefore resolved to take steps to encourage people from different backgrounds and cultures to interact with each other. For example, recently I included two international team members (Bryan the reporting manager who is Chinese and Manish the systems analyst who is Indian) in a 4 person project team based in the US Midwest, dealing with the integration of systems and processes from our Company’s latest acquisition. I personally facilitated the first few meetings and encouraged open participation by listening to and publicly valuing everyone’s contribution. I then assigned tasks in a way that required interaction and cooperation. The effort paid off and the team succeeded. The system and process integration was completed in record time, with wide consensus and to the smallest details. References and Bibliography Books Robbins, S. P. Judge, T. A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. 13th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. USA: Free Press. Internet Resources Lefler, P. (2010). Polavision Polaroids disruptive innovation failure. [Webpage] Available from: http://www. spruancegroup. com/blog/bid/32860/Polavision-Polaroid-s-disruptive-innovation-failure [Accessed on Wednesday, November 7th 2012]. Giambarba, P. (1977). [Webpage] Available from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Polavision [Accessed on Wednesday, November 7th 2012]. Musselwhite, C. (2007). Self Awareness and the Effective Leader. [Webpage] Available from: http://www. inc. com/resources/leadership/articles/20071001/musselwhite. html [Accessed on Wednesday, November 7th 2012]. The Online Etymology Dictionary, word search: prejudice. [Webpage] Available from: http://www. etymonline. com/index. php? term=prejudice [Accessed on Thursday, November 8th 2012]. Wikipedia, word search: the sopranos. [Webpage] Available from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Sopranos [Accessed on Friday, November 9th 2012]. Journal Articles and Written Course Material Roberts, L. M. , Spreitzer, G. , Dutton, J. , Quinn, R. , Heaphy, E. , and Barker, B. (2005), â€Å"How to Play to Your Strenghts†, Harvard Business Review, January 2005. Goleman, D, (2000), â€Å"Leadership that gets results†, Harvard Business Review, March-April 2000. Clawson, J. G. 2001) UVA-OB-0652 Leadership and Intelligence, Charlottesville: University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. George, B. , Sims, P. , McLean, A. N. , and Mayer, D. (2007), â€Å"Discovering Your Authentic Leadership†, Harvard Business Review, February 2007. Nadler, D. A. , Tushman, M. L. , (1990) CMR-024 Beyond the Charismatic Leader: Leadership and Organizational Change, Calif ornia Management Review, Harvard Business School Publishing. Clawson, J. G. Smith, B. (1990) UVA-OB-0381 Prejudice in Organizations, Charlottesville: University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. Thomas, D. A. Ely, R. J. (1996), â€Å"Making Differences Matter†, Harvard Business Review, September-October 1996. [1] See the â€Å"Online Etymology Dictionary† (http://www. etymonline. com/index. php? term=prejudice) [2] From Wikipedia (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Sopranos): The Sopranos is an American television drama created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads.

Free Essays on Belize

My interviewee is from the country of Belize, Central America. Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of the northern Central America. It shares a border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with the Guatemalan department of Pet’n and on the south with the border of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest barrier reef in the world, most of its coastline is swampy. The country totals area is slight larger than El Salvador or Massachusetts. The capital to Belize is called Belmopan. When someone hears about Belize for the first time, they imagine it is somewhere in South America. But in reality, it is in the middle of Central America. For most part, only a small portion of today’s tourist population has been to Belize. Because of this, the Belize’s Barrier Reef, Maya ruins and rain forest are â€Å"unspoiled† for all to enjoy. The total population of Belize in 2004 was 272,945 people. Approximately 55.8% of the population is the age bracket of 15-64, 40.6% in the age 0-14 and only 3.5% over age of 65. Some would say that the first settlers to Belize were the Mayan Indians. Archeologist says that approximately 1 to 2 millions Mayans lived on the coast of Belize. Mayans, dating back to 2000 BC, originally occupied Belize. The Mayan culture flourished until about 900 AD. No one knows for certain what caused the disappearance but some would say it was war, famine, loss of faith, or a series of natural disasters. The Spanish first laid claim to the areas of Central American during the 16th and 17th centuries. Belize at that time was called the Bay of Honduras. The English Puritan claimed to be the first settlers; they settled in early 1600’s. This began the conflict with Spanish settlers that lasted for centuries. The Spanish continuously tried to expel the British from their territory. They did signed treaties in 1763 and 1786 that allowed the British to contin... Free Essays on Belize Free Essays on Belize My interviewee is from the country of Belize, Central America. Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of the northern Central America. It shares a border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with the Guatemalan department of Pet’n and on the south with the border of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest barrier reef in the world, most of its coastline is swampy. The country totals area is slight larger than El Salvador or Massachusetts. The capital to Belize is called Belmopan. When someone hears about Belize for the first time, they imagine it is somewhere in South America. But in reality, it is in the middle of Central America. For most part, only a small portion of today’s tourist population has been to Belize. Because of this, the Belize’s Barrier Reef, Maya ruins and rain forest are â€Å"unspoiled† for all to enjoy. The total population of Belize in 2004 was 272,945 people. Approximately 55.8% of the population is the age bracket of 15-64, 40.6% in the age 0-14 and only 3.5% over age of 65. Some would say that the first settlers to Belize were the Mayan Indians. Archeologist says that approximately 1 to 2 millions Mayans lived on the coast of Belize. Mayans, dating back to 2000 BC, originally occupied Belize. The Mayan culture flourished until about 900 AD. No one knows for certain what caused the disappearance but some would say it was war, famine, loss of faith, or a series of natural disasters. The Spanish first laid claim to the areas of Central American during the 16th and 17th centuries. Belize at that time was called the Bay of Honduras. The English Puritan claimed to be the first settlers; they settled in early 1600’s. This began the conflict with Spanish settlers that lasted for centuries. The Spanish continuously tried to expel the British from their territory. They did signed treaties in 1763 and 1786 that allowed the British to contin...

Human Resource and equal Employment Opportunities Essay

Human Resource and equal Employment Opportunities - Essay Example Walgreens receives a number of benefits for employing the disadvantaged people in the society. First, Walgreen gains reputation since it is only company that gives priority to the physically challenged individuals who are subject of rejections. Additionally, reputation gained will attract greater market ahead of other drugs suppliers because of fame and uniqueness. With time, the population of the disabled will increase and this group is likely to be shopping from these centers because their colleges work there. The company will also benefit from diversity that promotes creativity and innovation. It will be the center for harnessing the talents from the physically challenged, that the rest of the world has not realized.A number of factors hinder people with disability from obtaining employment. First is little education or lack of training. Majority of the physically challenged are rejects in the society, they have little access to education compared to the rest of the society. Some of them lack mobility to go look for these jobs hence cannot access the opportunities. Moreover, the lack of special features in the job places locks them out. This is because the disabled requires special washrooms, equipment, and a good work environment. Additionally, a person’s own disability is another barrier. For example, some of the people with special needs may not complete the assigned task because of their disability. Finally, stereotype is also a major challenge, the society view disability as inability.

Regions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Regions - Research Paper Example The specific concept that emerged during this period was altered the conception of the region. The concept was not a descriptive unit but rather, and it was a theoretical unit. The intellectual transformation was wedded to geopolitical conditions that comprised war and militarism. The transformation was driven by an imperative in advancement in science. The article shows an increase in the demand for regional intelligence and research that could address social challenges adequately. A new regional model that is linked with the solidification the strategic regions of the world open to America power and there is an emergency of complex technology involved in science. The evidence provided to support the main point of the second reference is the measurement takes in situ. The article provides a time comparison of the offensive patterns at two points in Oresund, a Scandinavian border region in between Sweden and Denmark. The analysis was carried out to facilitate the understanding of the relationship between crime and demography, land and social-economic covariates. The measurement is taken at the original point of occurrence and hence in situ. The implication of the main point of the first reference is the explanation between the advances in science and technology and military operations. The article implies that as science and technology advanced the operations of the military also advanced. The implication of the main point of the second reference is that there is a possibility of crime in the border to continue growing interest in Europe. The increased interest is as a result of the enlargement of the European Union and the increase in the movement across the border. The movement is facilitated by improved communication systems. The increased communication systems lead to the continuous change in the offensive pattern across the border. The two main points can be combined to

Answering Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answering Questions - Essay Example Intended strategy is often planned unlike emergent strategy which is which emerges incrementally. Emergent strategy, therefore, is often used to respond to emergency situations. Intended strategy has a well laid out structure and plan whereas emergent is usually informal and doesn’t have a well laid out structure (Grant, 2010). Another difference is that intended structure is as a result of critical thinking and execution while emergent is often based on trial and error. Intended strategy involves analyzing situations while emergent strategy is based on exploring options or finding out solutions. This school is visionary in nature and it has a centralized leadership through the Chief Executive Officer (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2009). It has a body the where crucial decisions can be taken and comprehensive tactics can be deduced. These bodies use intuition, visions, inspiration, and inspiration as tools for guiding their decision making process Its strategy comes about through constant experimentation and adapting to situations. This means that strategies are gained through experience (Grant & Jordan, 2012). The more the experiences the greater the knowledge learned from them. There is no clear pattern to describe how strategies are formulated. Internal Strategic Analysis is undertaken to evaluate and organization’s strategic capabilities and so as to know its main strengths and weaknesses, and sources of the sustainable competitive advantage. The model used is SWOT analysis. This means that the strength and weaknesses likely to impact the strategy development is reviewed. The information need is derived using an internal analytical tool such as value chain and financial analysis. Organizational purpose tries to explain the reason for the existence of the organization. Corporate social responsibility, on the other hand, is the endeavor of organizations to act ethically by taking care of the welfare of its staff members and

Instrumental And Integrative Motivation

Instrumental And Integrative Motivation Robert Gardner established a model of motivation in second language acquisition in 1985. The field of language teaching has been influenced for many years by the model which came from the studies of language immersion in Canada (Ehrman, 1996, p.139). The model describes two forms of motivation, instrumental and integrative. Instrumental motivation refers to learning to accomplish a task, such as passing a course, getting better pay, and so on (Ehrman, 1996, p.139). Integrative motivation refers to a favorable attitude toward the target language community, possibly a wish to integrate and adapt to a new target culture through use of the language (Gardner, 1985, p. 54). One of the Gardners main ideas is that the integrative motivation plays an important role in second language acquisition. It is directly and positively related to second language achievement. However, the Gardeners model has received lots of criticisms since it was published. The criticisms will be discussed in the foll owing. The model is criticized for overstating the importance of the integrative motive. Gardner simply used the candidates selection of integrative reasons over instrumental ones as evidence that integrative reasons have a higher level of motivational intensity (Gardner, 1985, p.53). Gardner found that the integrative motivation has an extremely high significance in his studies. Nevertheless, the instrumental orientation such as getting a job and passing an examination is also an important factor in second language learning. If learners with integrative motivation can achieve success since they are active in their learning, the same theory might be applicable to the learners with instrumental motivation. Instrumentally motivated learners may be successful since they are eager to learn to achieve their instrumental purposes. Integrative motivation is the central concept in the Gardners model. However, the support of the importance of the integrative motivation is not consistent. Some early studies did agree that integrative motivation was significant in second language learning (Gardner and Lambert, 1959) but some recent researches has shown that the instrumental motivation has an equal or better impact than the integrative motivation. In some cases, the integrative motivation is even considered as having a negative correlation with proficiency which in turn affecting the success of second language learning (Belmechri and Hummel, 1998; DÃ ¶rnyei, 1990). DÃ ¶rnyei (1990) suggested that instrumental motivation could be more important than integrative motivation for foreign language learners since foreign language learners are not likely to have sufficient knowledge and experience to take part in the culture of the people who speak the target language in their early stage of language learning. Integrative motivation may not play a significant role in the early stage of foreign language learners. The importance of different kinds of motivation can be different between second language learners and foreign language learners. Gardners emphasis on integrative motivation for language learning may not fit in all language learning situations (Schmidt, Boraie, and Kassabgy, 1999). The Gardners model have limited applicability for the learners who do not have frequent contact with the target language speakers since they have few opportunities to integrate with the speakers. There are many other factors contributing to the motivation of the learners who are far away from the target language speakers, such as instrumental motivation and knowledge orientation. Gardner should not overstate the importance of integrative motivation in all language learning situations. The significance of different types of motivation may vary from one to another language learning situations. Actually, integrative and instrumental motivations are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Brown (2000) stated that learners rarely select only one type of motivation when learning a second language. The motivation of learning a second language is usually a combination of different forms of orientations. He has cited an example of international students who are residents in the United States. The international students learn English for academic purposes while wishing to be integrated with the people and culture of the country at the same time. This example has clearly shown that integrative and instrumental motivations can mutually exist. In some cases, it is difficult to divide instrumental and integrative motivations. To conclude, the importance of instrumental motivation is being concerned more in the later studies while the significance of integrative motivation has continued to be emphasized. However, it is important to note that the instrumental motivation has only been regarded as an important factor in second language learning while integrative motivation is continually linked to the success of second language learning. Motivation is a significant contribution to second language learning achievement. Therefore, identifying the types and combinations of motivations is one of the keys to successful second language learning. At the same time, learners should be reminded that there are always other variables which can be unique to each language learner affecting the success of second language learning. References Belmechri, F., Hymmel, K. (1998). Orientations and motivation in the acquisition of English as a second language among high school students in Quebec City, Language Learning Brown, H.D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall. DÃ ¶rnyei, Z. (1990). Conceptualizing motivation in foreign language learning. Language Learning Ehrman, E. (1996) Understanding Second Language Learning Difficulties. London: Sage Publications Gardner, R. C., Lambert, W. E. (1959). Motivational variables in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London, Ontario: Edward Arnold. Schmidt, R., Boraie, D., Kassabgy, O. (1999). Foreign language motivation: Internal structure and external connections. In R. L. Oxford (Ed.), Language learning motivation: Pathways to the new century. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

A Comparison of Andrew Marvells To His Coy Mistress and Thomas Hardys

A Comparison of Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress and Thomas Hardy's The Ruined Maid In this essay I will look at the two poems, explore what the poems are about, look at the language and images used in them by the writers and then compare the two. "The ruined maid" by Thomas Hardy is a conversation between two women; "Melia", the ruined maid herself and another lady, her friend of whom she used to know when she lived in need. Melia's friend brings up all different points about Melia that have changed, for example the way she looks, 'now you've gay bracelets' and acts, 'you'd sigh and you'd sock' but Melia just says a few simple words in reply. 'To his coy mistress' by Andrew Marvell is a one sided argument and is about a man trying to persuade his mistress to lose her virginity with him before her looks and beauty start to go, as she gets older. He tries to persuade her to have sex with him by using flattery, humour and frightening, almost blackmailing her by describing different shocking images. Hardy writes 'The ruined maid' in an unusual way, one of which is not usually heard of, he writes it as if it was an actual informal conversation between two women. He creates this by using various amounts of punctuation; he uses speech marks throughout the poem, uses dashes to separate the two different people?s speech, and uses question marks, explanation marks and further speech marks in all the appropriate places, which all help to give the effect of the conversation happening, from the first line to the last and encourages the reader to think of it more as a dialogue when reading it. 'Your talking quite fits 'ee for high compa-ny!'- ?Some polish is gained with one?s ruin,? said she? is an e... ...gh it is obvious that she does not want to, as she would have known that it wasn?t the best thing to do, that her marital status would have been in ruins, her reputation in tatters. However in ?The ruined maid? Melia had already have had sex and although her old life and the only way she knew was gone, she had gained a much better one, where although she is no longer of any marital value, she appears (unless it is just a cover) to be more polished and seems happier in general life. If you look at it in one way, ?The ruined maid? could be what could happen to the mistress in ?To his coy mistress?. It could be what happens to her if she goes through with the man?s proposal so in conclusion, although the poems tell the tales of two different stories, they could easily be part of the same one, where ?The ruined maid? follows on from ?To his coy mistress?. A Comparison of Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress and Thomas Hardy's A Comparison of Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress and Thomas Hardy's The Ruined Maid In this essay I will look at the two poems, explore what the poems are about, look at the language and images used in them by the writers and then compare the two. "The ruined maid" by Thomas Hardy is a conversation between two women; "Melia", the ruined maid herself and another lady, her friend of whom she used to know when she lived in need. Melia's friend brings up all different points about Melia that have changed, for example the way she looks, 'now you've gay bracelets' and acts, 'you'd sigh and you'd sock' but Melia just says a few simple words in reply. 'To his coy mistress' by Andrew Marvell is a one sided argument and is about a man trying to persuade his mistress to lose her virginity with him before her looks and beauty start to go, as she gets older. He tries to persuade her to have sex with him by using flattery, humour and frightening, almost blackmailing her by describing different shocking images. Hardy writes 'The ruined maid' in an unusual way, one of which is not usually heard of, he writes it as if it was an actual informal conversation between two women. He creates this by using various amounts of punctuation; he uses speech marks throughout the poem, uses dashes to separate the two different people?s speech, and uses question marks, explanation marks and further speech marks in all the appropriate places, which all help to give the effect of the conversation happening, from the first line to the last and encourages the reader to think of it more as a dialogue when reading it. 'Your talking quite fits 'ee for high compa-ny!'- ?Some polish is gained with one?s ruin,? said she? is an e... ...gh it is obvious that she does not want to, as she would have known that it wasn?t the best thing to do, that her marital status would have been in ruins, her reputation in tatters. However in ?The ruined maid? Melia had already have had sex and although her old life and the only way she knew was gone, she had gained a much better one, where although she is no longer of any marital value, she appears (unless it is just a cover) to be more polished and seems happier in general life. If you look at it in one way, ?The ruined maid? could be what could happen to the mistress in ?To his coy mistress?. It could be what happens to her if she goes through with the man?s proposal so in conclusion, although the poems tell the tales of two different stories, they could easily be part of the same one, where ?The ruined maid? follows on from ?To his coy mistress?.

Investigation of factors affecting the distribution of Chironomus larvae in Nant Iago

Method: Biotic Data 1. The stream was split into 14 sections and groups of 3 were each assigned to work at different sections of the stream, which began at the beginning, right at the top, and ended further down stream. 2. The method we used for our experiment was Disturbance Sampling. This was accomplished with the aid of a Surber Sampler which we used in one riffle and one pool in our section. The Surber Sampler consisted of a net which had a 1.0mm2 mesh at the end where all the samples were collected and a quadrat which was placed over a part of the riffle or pool and gave us our area of sampling. 3. By laying the quadrat flat on the bed, I disturbed the stream bed and washed any lying organisms into the mesh. I then washed the water through the mesh to collect any samples in the water. 4. Once this was done the invertebrates were identified, counted and recorded Physical Data: 1. To accomplish my physical data, I measured the pH of the water, the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), the dissolved oxygen, the depth and the temperature. 2. All were measured using specialised probes which were placed in the water of the riffles or the pool. The probes gave us readings of whichever piece of data we were trying to achieve after 30 seconds. The readings were then recorded. 3. The amount of detritus was estimated using estimation by eye, recorded and measured using a scale of 1-4: 1. None 2. Little 3. Some 4. Abundant The pool was 4 and the riffles was 2. 4. The substrate was also identified as to what matter was present, i.e. Riffles: gravel's and pebbles. Pools: twigs, soil, leaves, detritus. Null Hypothesis: There will be no difference in the numbers of Chironomus between pools and riffles. Alternative Hypothesis: There will be a significantly higher number of Chironomus in the pools than in the riffles. Which statistical test? I am going to use the chi square test because we do not know the normal distribution of the data and because I only have a small data sample of 14. A chi square test is used to see if observe values are different from expected values. X2 = ? (O-E)2 o = observed E E = expected POOL RIFFLE OBSERVED (o) 285 15 EXPECTED (e) 300 = 150 300 = 15 O – E 285 – 150 = 135 15 – 150 = -135 (O – E) 2 (285- 150)2 = 18,225 (15-150)2 = 18,225 ( O-E)2 E 18225 = 121.5 150 18225 = 121.5 150 ? (O-E)2 E 121.5 + 121.5 = 243 My chi square value from the experiment was 243. The critical value from the table at 95% confidence showed to be 3.84 at 1 degree of freedom. Because my experimental chi- square value is of a much greater value than my calculated value, it leaves me with a result indicating that my Null Hypothesis is incorrect. I am 99.9% confident that it is wrong as the critical value at this point is 10.8 and my calculated critical value is 243 which is an extremely larger figure. Therefore I will in turn accept my alternative hypothesis which states that there will be a significantly larger number of Chironomus in pools than in the riffles. After my statistical analysis, I can see that there was significantly more Chironomus found in the pool. As my density data shows the maximum abundance of Chironomus is 800m2 in the pool, whereas the maximum number of Chironomus found in the riffles is 50m2. Interpretation Our aim was to investigate the distribution of freshwater Macroinvertebrates in two microhabitats in an upland stream. A stream is formed due to gravity causing overland flow in water and there are many individual factors which affect the stream and the abundance of its inhabitants. The two different types of factors are Abiotic and Biotic. Abiotic The Abiotic factors, which would affect the stream and its inhabitants, are: The current in the riffles, which is significantly stronger compared to the current in the pools. It would suggest that there are either not as many organisms living in the riffles or that if there are, then they would be specially adapted organisms. Examples of this would be an organism, which is highly streamlined. This would help it be prevented from being washed off the rock. It is also adapted to living in the riffles with its ‘claws' that help it grip and cling onto the rock to prevent it from being washed away. In comparison, there is evidence to indicate that there is none or very little current in the pools. This will affect the organisms living in the pools, because there is very little chance for them to be washed away, resulting in there being a higher population of organisms in the pools than there is in the riffles. The low ratings of current mean that there is also a lot of small substrate particles. This means that many other different types of organisms will inhabit the pools as there will be more prey for predators, and in turn, those which are the predators, will attract organisms which hunt for them themselves. These new predators will also inhabit the pools to consume their prey. The substratum levels and content of them also affects the stream and its organisms. In the pools, there are mostly high levels of detritus as the current is extremely low and so the sediment is allowed to settle on the streambed and be built up. There are, however, lower numbers of detritus, twigs and leaves in the riffles because there is a high current running here and anything which settles here will get washed away. Therefore, there is a layer of gravel and pebbles. Temperature also affects the distribution of organisms. When there are high temperatures or when the temperatures rise, the respiration of the organism will also rise, affecting where they must live due to the fact that if they are respiring at a higher rate, then there will need to be more oxygen available to them. By living in the pools, this large amount of oxygen is unavailable to them because of the slow flow rate and low dissolved oxygen percentage. If there is a drastic change in the temperature of the water, then the enzymes in most organisms will become denatured and they will die. This is also the case if the temperature becomes too cold. The organisms will not be able to live in those conditions and so will die. The percentage of dissolved oxygen affects the stream and the distribution of its organisms. When there is a low percentage of dissolved oxygen, there will be a high number of organisms, which are specially adapted to living in these kinds of conditions, such as the Chironomus. This organism has haemoglobin in its body to help it survive in such low levels of dissolved oxygen when it is burrowed in the stream bed. Where there are high levels of oxygen, you will find that there are riffles. This means that there will be very little number of organisms present as they will just be washed away. Biotic Biotic factors affecting the distribution and abundance of the stream and its organisms include: * Food Availability –> for example,the prey or food particles of the correct size/type * Predation –>The probability of prey surviving plummets when predator densities increase. * Competition –>Competition from organisms with similar ecological niches * Disease There are 2 microhabitats in the Nant Iago; the pool, and the riffle. I am now going to describe in more detail the differences the characteristics of the two microhabitats and compare them to assist me in describing the factors affecting the distribution of organisms in Nant Iago Nr. Abergevanny, S. Wales. Characteristics Of A Pool To begin, the substrate in the pool mainly consists of small particles such as sand, mud, detritus and twigs. Detritus is dead decaying organic matter. This build up is due to the low flow rate of 0.05m/s in the stream which prevents the substrate from being washed away. The effect is that the substrate settles and is deposited on the streambed as there is not enough force to wash it away and becomes a habitat for many organisms which can be established in the stream. It has made the detritus rating 3.7 which is abundant. The percentage of dissolved oxygen in the stream is 63.6% which is low. This low amount of dissolved oxygen is due to the fact that bacteria feed on the large amounts of settled detritus. These decomposing bacteria are high in numbers and aerobically respire extensively as they feed on the detritus. In order to respire, oxygen is needed; therefore oxygen levels are exceptionally low and plummet in pools due to the mass of bacteria respiring. This leaves a low ventilation of fresh oxygen in water. The low level of fresh oxygen is also due to the substrate on the streambed accumulating and being so condensed, that the water particles are restricted from moving through it. This, together with the low current, means that the oxygen is not able to be replaced and conditions in pool sediments may become anoxic. Characteristics Of A Riffle In a riffle the number of small substrate particles recorded was lower than that of the pool, and this is due to the much faster current flowing through this part of the stream. The flow rate here was 0.431 m/s. This means that it has a considerably higher kinetic energy in comparison to the pool and it results in the diminutive particles and detritus being swept away with ease. This is evidential through the data which I recorded where it demonstrates that the detritus count was 2.4 (little). Organisms which would need to be adapted to these kinds of speeds of water flow. Baetidae is an example. These organisms are extremely streamlined. This assists the organism greatly, as when it hangs onto the rocks, instead of the water taking the Baetidae with its current, the water will instead flow over due to its highly streamlined body. This is also helpful as when the water flows over the organism, the pressure from the flow causes the organism to be pressed against the rock even more, causing greater resistance to the organism being taken away with the current. The Baetidae also has adapted ‘claws' which are situated on the ends of its legs. These claws cling onto the rock to help give extra strength against being taken away with the current. The dissolved percentage of oxygen was read at 64.1%. This however may not entirely be correct as the reading is far too low than expected, which leads me to believe that the reader may have been defected as the value should be closer to 100%. The general trend is superior to that of the pools because there are large gaps between the large substrate particles in the riffles, which in turn results in higher ventilation and faster current/water flow through the sediment. I will now explain how and why Chironomus are found in pools and are able to live in anoxic conditions. As a female adult Midge deposits her eggs in water, the gelatinous mass hatches and each larvae which has hatched, burrows into the detritus on the bed of the pool. Once here, it develops a silken burrow to prevent the detritus from collapsing on it. The only time the detritivore Chironomus vaguely leaves this silken burrow is when it will pop its head out briefly to feed on the surrounding detritus. This benthic invertebrate is adapted to existing in anoxic conditions and has become acquired to them through several ways; psyological adaptations, behavioural adaptations and structural adaptations. * Structural Adaptations –> The Chironomus has diminutive gills at the end of its body which amplifies the large surface area to volume ratio. Therefore oxygen may diffuse in quickly and easily. Its slender cylinder shape means that it can burrow easily in the detritus found on the stream bed. * Behavioural Adaptations –> The Chironomus exists in silken burrows in the sediment. This means that there is a constrained quantity of oxygen obtainable to them. Therefore to make the oxygen accessible, they undulate their bodies to make water flow through the tube. This enables the haemoglobin in their bodies to become saturated with oxygen from the water in this ventilation current. * Psyological Adaptations –> Just like a mammalian, in order for oxygen to be transported around the body, it must combine with haemoglobin first. Chironomus has haemoglobin which is very similar to that of a mammal. It consists of 1 or 2 polypeptide chains of 136 to 151 amino acid length. Each polypeptide is folded into a tertiary structure and has a single haem group. This haemoglobin is, however, not found in cells, but is found in the body cavity in a fluid named haemolymph. The only main difference between the Chironomus haemoglobin and mammalian haemoglobin is that Chironomus haemoglobin has a much higher affinity for oxygen. This signifies that the oxygen will bind to the haem groups at extremely low partial pressures and will be released only when needed. This assists them when burrowing in anoxic conditions, in the sediment on the pool bed, where oxygen is very restricted. The haemoglobin act as an oxygen store and will this can be demonstrated on an oxygen dissociati on graph. As shown, the O2 dissociation curve for the Chironomus haemoglobin is to the left of the mammalian O2 dissociation curve. This means that it has a higher affinity and will bind oxygen at especially low partial pressures. The reason why the Chironomus dissociation curve is straight is due to the fact that it has only two polypeptides so it is extremely easy for the molecules to bind to the haem groups. The mammalian dissociation curve is s-shaped (sigmoid). This is because it has four polypeptides. With the first haem group, it is tough for the O2 molecule to bind to it, but once it has then this makes it easier for the second and third O2 molecule to bind to the haem groups. The reason why the curve lines off is due to the fact that it is harder for oxygen to bind to the fourth haem group. Benefits of living in anoxic sediments: Living in anoxic conditions requires special adaptations which can be found in Chironomus. Examples of why it may be beneficial for the Chironomus to live in anoxic conditions are that it helps them avoid predation from predators such as the stone fly nymphs; Perlodidae. It also helps Chironomus avoid competition such as interspecific competition from other organisms, for example, the shrimp (gammaridae) who are also detritivores. The shrimp will feed on the floating detritus but cannot enter the substrates and feed on any buried detritus as it does not have adaptations for anoxic conditions. The Chironomus, however, will feed on the detritus in the pool bed. It means that the shrimp cannot feed on the lower parts of detritus because of the low amounts of dissolved oxygen, they will not survive. This shows the different niches. Evaluation: Experimental Errors: Limitations in apparatus: The limitations in the apparatus equipment may have had an overall affect on my final results. By discussing the limitations with my apparatus, I can then relate it to the affect it had on my results. The first limitation was with the Surber Sampler we used. In the pools, there is not as much flow as there is originating in the riffles. This can be distinguished on my results table where it illustrates that the mean flow rate for the pools is 0.059m/s in contrast to 0.431m/s found in the riffles. Hence, this signifies that with a low flow rate in the pools, anything disturbed such as Chironomus or other invertebrates which did not get washed into the net could have swum away with ease. In comparison, the riffles had the advantage of having a high flow rate connotating that there was a high chance of invertebrates being washed into the mesh net. This affects the results because it means that there could have been an artificially lower count of Chironomus in the pools. there wasn't and where there should have been a lower, or perhaps a zero count, of Chironomus in the riffles, there were results that showed up to 5 Chironomus being found. The second constraint caused by the Surber Sampler we used was due to the net. The net mesh is 1mm2 and this may have been a problem. Chironomus goes through 8 instar stages where at each stage, they shed their skin and grow bigger. At the first instar stage, the Chironomus is especially minuscule, so when we disturbed the pool or riffle, the small Chironomus will have simply washed straight through the net. This brings us to a conclusion that we could only have possibly trapped Chironomus or other invertebrates exceeding the size of 1mm due to the fact that they would have been rinsed directly through the net if any smaller. This affects the results because it demonstrates that there may have been a significantly higher amount of Chironomus in both pools and riffles although they were not recorded as the net was unsuccessful in detaining them, reason being that their size was too diminutive. Nonetheless, this is not a very significant error as it has an equal effect in both the pool s and the riffles. A third limitation with the Surber Sampler was related to the substrate. More rocks can be found in the riffles, whereas in the pools, more sand and silt can be found. The rocks in the riffles prevented the Surber Sampler from lying flat as the rocks are, all, various sizes. As the Surber Sampler cannot lie flat, Chironomus may have been washed away, underneath the Surber Sampler where it failed to touch the stream bed. The way this has affected the results is obvious. Any Chironomus which failed to wash into the net swam away when disturbed, leaving the Chironomus results lower than they should have been in the riffles. This is an important error as it only effects the riffles. Limitations in method: The method we all took up comprised of each group being assigned to a certain part of the stream. The limitation of this is that when groups further up stepped into the stream; they would have disturbed the streambed. However, samples which they disturbed were not collected. Instead, the invertebrates which were disturbed could have been washed down stream and rinsed into a net belonging to another group downstream. This is called ‘invertebrate drift' and it is caused when a large number of people are sampling all at the same moment. When invertebrate drift takes place, the invertebrates are much more likely to settle in pools as they have a very low flow rate and this causes the Chironomus count to be higher than it should be which is called ‘over sampling'. It influences the results because it means that, theoretically, the Chironomus count which some groups collected is more elevated than supposed to. This is a major error source as its effect is limited to the downstr eam groups and mainly the pool regions. This is linked to the accuracy of our results being affected by the limitations in the method. Another aspect contributing to the accuracy of our results being affected by limitations in the method, is that there was no standard method of disturbing. Individuals, who disturbed for their group, will have done so in a different manner to another individual disturbing the streambed further upstream, or downstream. This affects the results because it means that some groups will have collected more data through unsettling the streambed more thoroughly than other groups. Hence, gives the connotation that more invertebrates and Chironomus were found in their sample, which is evident in the pools results where it shows that group 5 collected 80 Chironomus whereas group 11 only collected 3 Chironomus. This is not a major error source as its effect is likely to be equal in both of the pools and riffles. Anomalous Results: By analyzing my results, I have seen that there are several anomalous results which can be commented on. I will discuss and compare the anomalous results which have arisen in both the pools and riffles; Pools: In my results, by looking at Surber Number's 5 and 9, you can evidently distinguish that the recorded amount of Chironomus established in the pools is '80' and '70'. This is a particularly high amount, even for the pools and it may possibly have been caused by invertebrate drift, as explained above, which would affect the results because it means that the Chironomus was over sampled. This is in contrast to surber sampler's 7 and 8, where a recorded number of zero Chironomus can be recognized. The reason for this may be due to the detritus reading being ‘2' with surber sampler number 7. Chironomus feed and bury themselves underneath this detritus sediment which is possibly why there are no Chironomus found in surber sampler 7. This affects the results here, because it leaves us with a lower recording of Chironomus than we are meant to have. However, this does not explain the findings for surber sampler number 8. The detritus reading here is 4, which may lead us to believe that perhaps the low Chironomus reading is due to predation, being eaten by a fish of some kind preliminary to our sampling. Perhaps also the Chironomus was in its first instar stage, which would mean that they will not have been trapped by the mesh net. Alternatively, the Chironomus might have just developed into an adult midge, and would no longer be found in the water, but in the air. This would affect the results collected because it would leave us the impression that possibly, if we had sampled the stream on an earlier, or later date, then the Chironomus would be at a trappable larva stage. Riffles: Surber sampler's 7, 8 and 12 have high numbers of Chironomus readings despite of the fact that they are not usually found in this area. Possible reasons for this might be due to invertebrate drift from further upstream, or it could be due to the small particles of detritus being found in these riffles. The detritus could have been collected in sheltered areas such as behind large boulders. After being deposited there and this would have developed a micro habitat, with a mini pool being formed in a riffle, which would explain the high number's of Chironomus being found. Another anomalous result which was portrayed in both the riffle and pools results was the dissolved oxygen saturation readings. By observing both of the mean dissolved oxygen percentage saturations, we can see that in the pools it is 63.6% and in the riffles it is 64.1%. This is entirely incorrect due to the fact that in pools, there is supposed to be barely any dissolved oxygen saturated in the water, and in the riffles, there is supposed to be in the vicinity of 100% dissolved oxygen saturated in the water. These erroneous results are down to the oxygen meter being broken. It affected our whole experiment because it meant we were not able to carry out the trial accurately and record correct results which would assist us in our evaluation. Reliability: In my opinion, the 2 central error sources in my experiment were caused by the Surber Sampler and invertebrate drift. Invertebrate drift occurs when large numbers of people are sampling the equivalent lake/stream at the same period in time. It is incurred when someone (upstream) walking through the stream disturbs the streambed, but does not collect the samples with their mesh net, or in other cases it is caused when invertebrates sweep under/ through/ or to the side of the net. Hereafter, any invertebrates disturbed will flow along with the current and settle amid pools (mainly downstream) which affects results because it means that invertebrates and Chironomus have been over sampled. To prevent invertebrate drift, instead of all groups sampling the stream at the same time, we could allow the group furthest downstream (group 14) to do their experiment first, and then work our way upstream, only allowing groups to do their trial once the group further down has finished their experiment. E.g., group 14 will do their experiment initially and once complete, group 13 will do their experiment. Then once group 13 has completed their experiment, group 12 may carry out their experiment and so forth. This method of carrying out the experiments will completely avoid the matter of invertebrate drift which improve the accuracy of results achieved. Another way of shunning invertebrate drift would be to improve apparatus used, which brings me onto the second central error source within the experiment. The Surber Sampler's which we used composed only of a quadrat base and a mesh net attached to the end of the quadrat (see drawing). This basic surber sampler meant that when we positioned the quadrat onto the (riffles) streambed, it would not have been laid flat because of rocks being various contours and masses. This affects the results because it means that with the surber sampler lying at an awkward angle, when disturbing, invertebrates are highly likely to be swept underneath the mesh net, or the side, instead of into it. A way of recuperating this quandary is by utilizing a better surber sampler. One surber sampler which could be used consists of a bottomless box attached to the bottom of the quadrat. This will improve the experiment and results because not only will it avoid invertebrate drift through the way that nothing will be able to escape (because it will enclose everything within the desired sampling area right down to the streambed), but it will also improve accuracy, giving you a set volume of substrate. Another alternative to the surber sampler's which we used is a piece of apparatus called the ‘Eckman Grab'. These ‘grabs' do not have nets attached to the end of them, but instead act as a set of claws. After your sample has been picked up by these ‘grabs', you cleanly drop all of its contents into your tray where after, you can record the results. This will develop the results because one of the core setbacks with surber samplers is that the nets tend to lose samples (through or under), whereas with these ‘grabs' they do not have nets and so keeping all the samples within its hold will assure the results are more accurate and improved. Final Conclusion: As my final conclusion, I will articulate that the trial my group carried out had a quantity of inaccuracies, but not enough for me to completely reject the whole experiment. The results are reasonable as they reflect the way nature works, regardless of the main sources of error. Also, the statistics and chi squared number shows a highly significant difference in the number of Chironomus in the pools and riffles with more found in the pools. The experimental errors are not large enough to cause a 99.9% rejection of the null hypothesis. To determine the whole pattern of invertebrates and Chironomus along the stream, the experiments should have been carried out every month, instead of just one day. By doing the experiments on just one day we are left with results that are only able to give us a general idea and impression of the patterns of the distribution of invertebrates and Chironomus along the stream. I had to reject my null hypothesis, as I was 99.9% confident that there was a difference. In my opinion, if I was to repeat this experiment even with the improvements I have suggested, then the results obtained would still be the same.

Edgar Allen Poe Essays (560 words) - Free Essays, Term Papers

Edgar Allen Poe Essays (560 words) - Free Essays, Term Papers Edgar Allen Poe this is done through his use of setting and narrative style. In many of Poe's works, setting is used to paint a dark and gloomy picture in our minds. I think that this was done deliberatly by Poe so that the reader can make a connection between darkness and death. For example, in the Pit and the Pendulum, the setting is originally pitch black. As the story unfolds, we see how the setting begins to play an important role in how the narrator discovers the many ways he may die. Although he must rely on his senses alone to feel his surroundings, he knows that somewhere in this dark, gloomy room, that death awaits him. Setting is also an important characteristic is Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. The images he gives us such as how both the Usher family and the Usher mansion are crumbling from inside waiting to collapse, help us to connect the background with the story. The Usher mansion appears vacant and barren. The same is true for the narrator. As we picture in our minds the extreme decay and decomposistion, we can feelas though the life around it is also crumbling. Narration is also an element in Poe's short story style that appears to link all of the stories together. He has a type of creativity which lets the reader see into the mind of the narrator or the main character of the story. Many of the characters in Poe's stories seem to be insane. The narrator often seems to have some type of psychological problems. For exapmle, In Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, the story opens with a first person narrator (Montresor) speaking about the planning of Fortunato's death. By the anger and remorse that Montresor has for Fortunato, one might think that this was a recent incident. It is not until the very end of the story that we realize, that the entire event occurred fifty years ago). Poe's stories often have narrators that feel extreme hate or extreme love for another character in the story. Another example of Poe's narrative style is seen in his story entitled, The Black Cat, where the narrator seems to have an obsession with pets. He has one special pet which is a black cat. Although their original relationship with each other is one of respect and love, the situation soon changes. The narrator becomes somewhat possessed with the hate for the car. He turns against his wife and stabs his cat in the eye. By the end of the story, he killed his wife in an attempt to kill the cat. Afterwards, the narrator does not even feel remorse for the wrongful death of his wife. Instead, he is just happy that the cat dissapeared. This is just another instance in which the reader wonders what is the driving force begins the narrator's insanity Even though there are many more elements to Edgar Allan Poe's short stories than just his creative use of narration and setting, these are characteristivs which has attracted the most attention. Poe has a way of writing in which he does not have to reveal too much, or paint a pretty picture for the reader in order to attract his attention ). There is also a prominent distinction between right and wrong in Poe's tories. Viscous characters tend to Bibliography no

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Financial Compensation and Ethical Issues In Healthcare - Essay Example The goal of these restructurings was in the provision of access to high quality and effective health care to all individuals. This goal has however faced challenges from market-driven forces that characterize the healthcare system. Such factors include the reduction in costs, reduced utilization of resources and maximization of revenues. The result has been in the mismanaged care. The American Nurses Association in 1995 released a document that highlighted the ethical issues in healthcare. These issues included lack of coordinated care, misuse of financial incentives and decrease in the number of registered nurses. The association also noted a decline in the American healthcare system in a document published in 1996.Some ethical practices which the associations highlighted include the lack of full disclosure, gag rules and compensation plans that rewarded the withholding of nursing services. The healthcare workforce in the American labor market has grown tremendously in the last ten years. This large workforce is now faced with the market-driven forces that seem beyond their control. These forces threaten the closure of some hospitals and retrenchment of workers. The resulting job insecurity brings forth fear of job changes, losses and increased hiring of unlicensed health personnel. The decrease in demand for registered nurses results in reduced and inequitable financial compensation available for them. Financial compensation, ethical issues, and health care delivery systems are related to resource allocation. Application of ethical methods of resource allocation is, as a result, vital. The utilitarian ethical theory and the moral principles of justice are theories that seek to establish the best fit between the scarce resources and financial compensation. The utilitarian theory advocates for the greatest good, for the greatest number. This approach contrasts the existing situation in the U.S. Despite the healthcare workforce constituting

Strategic Planning for International Tourism (Identify a National Essay

Strategic Planning for International Tourism (Identify a National Tourism Organisation) - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the examination of the effects of strategic planning on international tourism. The case of Visit Britain, a British Tourism Organisation, is used for highlighting the effects of strategic planning on the tourism industry. Particular emphasis is given on the branding choices of Visit Britain as these choices affects the performance of the organization but also of the national economy. 2. Visit tourism – choice of branding 2.1 Branding in international tourism – theory, practical implications In the tourism industry, the context of ‘destination’ is of critical importance for the development of effective branding policies. This means that those involving in the design and development of branding strategies in the tourism industry need to understand the content of ‘destination’, as the term is used in the tourism industry. Pearce (1989) notes that in the tourism industry, destination is a term used in order to describe â₠¬Ëœan amalgam of products and services available in one location that can draw visitors from beyond its spatial confines’ (Pearce 1989 in Keller et al. 2006, p.65). Moreover, the motives that are likely to affect the choices of consumers in the tourism industry – i.e. ... Moreover, the use of effective strategic planning techniques in international tourism can lead to the increase of power of the specific industry as a contributor of the national economy, even if this fact is not always recognized by governments worldwide (Duval 2007, p.39). In accordance with Edgell et al. (2007) the international tourism industry enhances various sectors, such as’ agriculture, accommodation and brewing’ (Edgell et al. 2007, p.11). The use of theories and models, which are already tested through appropriate empirical research, could secure the effectiveness of branding policies in the international tourism industries. Two approaches are most likely to be used for evaluating brands: the ‘plus product’ approach, which considers brand as ‘an addition to the product’ (Cooper et al. 2007, p.229) and the holistic approach, which considers brand as the view of the consumer on a particular product/ service. Cooper et al. (2007) note th at it is the holistic approach on which destination marketing is mainly based. Moreover, tourism products are distinguished by the products of other industries in regards to the following characteristics: ‘intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability’ (Shostack 1977, in McCool et al. 2009, p.133). Furthermore, in the context of tourism industry, branding needs to ‘connect the customer with the destination in the present or in the future’ (Morgan et al. 2000, p.216, in Page et al. 2006, p.335). On the other hand, the development of effective branding policies in international tourism can be a challenging task mostly because of the following reasons: branding in tourism industry has many dimensions, as explained above; the identification