Thursday, October 31, 2019

Integration of the Individual in the Community and Home in Hawthornes Essay

Integration of the Individual in the Community and Home in Hawthornes Roger Malvins Burial and Andersons Mother - Essay Example There are still others who are at odds with the value system of their community and have chosen to be silent outsiders who may have only physical presence in the group. Yet, another type is the rebel who is at loggerheads with the values any systems of the community. Others have realized the futility of the existence of a community to which he or she belongs and may be out to reform it. The possibilities of the patterns of individual's integration to community are many and the study is targeted to examining the integrations of the individual in the community and home in Hawthorne's Roger Nathaniel Hawthorne's works are passionately taken up with moral problems of sin, punishment and atonement. His knowledge of the history of his own ancestors perhaps goaded him to explore these themes of guilt. The 17th century persecutions of the Quakers and the witchcraft trials of Salem troubled him. The insight of Hawthorne into the motivations of behavior and the guilt and anxiety in his characters are the legacy of the past sins to humanity. Hawthorne deliberately manipulated historical data and churned out the moral concerns behind them. The truth of human heart remains a mystery in his characters and his ambivalent approach to what is good and bad, is far ahead of his times. If Hawthorne was obsessed with ethical dilemmas in his works, Anderson Sherwood was concerned with mundane problems that affected the fortunes of the ordinary people. The machine age took away the human factor from work. This dehumanized the American work place in a way. Apart from that, it also threatened the very existence of the workers. In a world of competition many values were lost and in the ruthless drive for individual attainment human beings lost sight of the social and family dimension of their existence. Roger Malvil's Burial, when examined in the backdrop social dimension of man existing in a society reveals that concealment can cut off a person from the social communion with his community and family. Early Christian religious practices insisted on public penances for serious sins. Sin was not merely a matter between God and man; it has a social dimension and hidden crimes can cut him off from society and finally unhinge him. Hidden crimes often produce abnormal behavior in the sinner. Hawthorne in Roger Malvil's Burial reveals that even an apparently harmless act if hidden out of fear, can affect social integration of the individual with the community and family. To him crime itself was not so monstrous as the concealment of it. Roger Malvin's Burial may be called an overture to his grand exploration of this theme in The Scarlet Letter. During military operations, a soldier may have to leave his dying comrade. In such a situation, Reuben is forced to leave his friend, Malvin to di e, as there was no other option for him. However, he had agreed to come and bury him later, after his own wounds are healed. Nevertheless, he lacks the courage to tell Dorcas, who is the daughter of Malvin and his future wife, the fact that her father did not receive a burial in the wilderness. Not burying a fellow soldier in combat conditions is not even a venial sin. However, the hiding of it to his wife and thus to his community prevents him from fulfilling a simple but important social and religious

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Roles Women played in the American Revolution Essay

Roles Women played in the American Revolution - Essay Example Women took up various roles and responsibilities during the revolution to support the cause. The most important is that on the battle field. Many women as soldiers fought the war alongside and as fiercely as men. Women fought the war believing that the only reason that must be considered in serving the country was pure patriotism and not anything else. Nancy Hart, Mary Hays, Margaret Corbin, Deborah Sampson are a few examples. Margaret Corbin fought bravely alongside her husband John Corbin. She was a camp follower and had learnt how to load and fire canons. She was on the frontline along with her husband. When her husband got injured she assumed his duties and got injured too. After the war she served at Corps of Invalids at West Point (Nash & Graves, 2000).. Deborah Sampson is another incredible example of a woman fighting the odds to serve the country. She assumed the identity of a man, namely Timothy Thayer, to enlist herself in the army. Soon her identity was discovered. She again later enlisted as Robert Shirtliffe. As Robert Shirtliffe she fought courageously in various battles. Her identity was again discovered when she got injured and was treated by a physician. Soon after, she was discharged honourably from the army (Shmoop, 2010). Mary Hays was a camp follower serving as a water carrier. She, like Margaret Corbin, assumed the duties of her husband when he got injured. Nancy Hart was known for her sharp shooting skills. She shot at British soldiers with deadly accuracy in the Georgia frontier. She was known by the name â€Å"War Woman† (Nash & Graves, 2000). Apart from actively taking part in the battle as soldiers, women also contributed as camp followers. Many women, mostly wives of soldiers, were allowed to travel with the army. They took part in many activities and served as companions to male soldiers, cooks, nurses, etc. They washed the clothes of the soldiers and cooked food for them. They also took care of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Antarctica and Tourism

Antarctica and Tourism Antarctica and Tourism. On a holiday, people expect to see beaches, enjoy the sun, searching for challenge, education and excitement, including relaxation. Antarctica being exactly the opposite of a fantasy holiday destination, has still managed to capture the attention of tourist. The world’s extreme conditions aren’t usually spots for tourist attraction. Antarctica, with extreme physical conditions is incredibly amazing tourist destination. The polar region being covered with snow, unique wildlife, huge mountains, valleys, ice bergs etc are the factors for the increase in the number of people visiting the Antarctica. The number of tourists to Antarctica has increased quite considerably, during the past decade, according to International Association of Antarctica tour operators (IAATO) in 2002/2003, 13571 tourists visited Antarctica compared to 6000, a decade ago. Antarctica is completely different to any other holiday destination in the world. With no malls, no shopping complexes, no restaur ants, no bar’s. All it has to offer is its amazing scenic beauty and its unique wildlife. The only activity that uses Antarctica commercially is Tourism, mainly concentrated to Antarctic Peninsula and to a lesser extent the Ross Sea. During the year 1950 tourists began entering Antarctica via means of air and ship; and helicopter trips, commercial flights started flying to Antarctica only in the year 1960. Between1977 to around about 1980, there were regular flights that flew to Antarctica, which carried about 11,000 tourists (Bauer, 2001). Flying over Antarctica atmosphere was a major concern, due to lack of radio signals, meteorological services and emergency services. On November 28th, 1979, 257 people were killed, when an Air Zealand flight struck Mt Erebus, due to poor visibility (Bauer, 2001). Which restricted flights to Antarctica for a few years, were people were skeptical of flying over to Antarctica, but in the year 1994 overflights were resumed, by an Australian airline company. The first expedition to Antarctica was an Argentinean vessel, the Les Ecaireurs that carried 100 passengers to the peninsula. In the year 1968, 24 people visited the Ross dependency. Since then on ships have become regular, originating mainly from Chile and Argentina, operating mainly around the Ross sea area, landings for these ships are made in small inflatable rubber boat known as zodiacs at several locations, for example Cape Adare, Scott Base, McMurdo Terra Nova Bay Stations and Possession Island, etc(Bauer, 2001). Helicopters are used to make trips to the Taylor valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Due to no land-based services for tourism, Most of tourism in and around Antarctica, takes place through ships. In 1993/94 the ship Marco Polo carrying four hundred tourists circumnavigated the continent in a record time of twenty-two days. the tour visited places like Cape Adare, Cape Evans and McMurdo Station, huts were spotted which showed evidence of huts left by the early explorer s. These tours offered instructive knowledge about the environment. As Hart states, this area is more for those who seek an informative vacation rather than relaxation and constant comfort Tourism has far less benefits compared to the risks it can cause the Antarctic environment. Tourist’s visiting Antarctica have some guidelines that need to be followed in order to preserve the environment and its fragility. The carbon released from the flights and wastes from the ship could, give rise to the green house effect, causing global impacts, for example due to the rise of carbon dioxide in the air lakes on the Signy island, in maritime Antarctica have increased their temperature by 0.9 degrees Celsius, which could contribute to the loss of ice on the continent, bringing about its decline, global impacts can also have direct impacts on the flora and fauna of Antarctica. But much more than the damage caused by these gases, is the damage caused by men on the land. Most of Antarctica’s terrestrial life is composed of low lying mosses, lichen etc. Mass tourists can exploit the region, the damage of a single footprint can destroy these species, which probably will n ever recover again (Hart, 1988). Until late 1960’s sealing and whaling had become a problem, where penguins, seals and whales, were killed for their oil, skin and blubber, this is now not much of a problem, since their has been a treaty of agreement against these actions. Most of the damage caused, is due to waste disposal caused mainly by the smaller tour ships, accidents have occurred where these small ships have been grounded on uncharted rocks, causing oil spills. Therefore increasing the number of tourists will increase the number of ships, thereby increasing oil spillage, oil doesn’t mix with water, causing a rise of two different fluids, this fluid mechanics is much more complex than just oil and water, causing great danger to the animal life of the continent. Disposal of organic matter by visiting tourists is another threat, for example a plastic bag, disposed, can take years to decay, and could entangle animals, resulting in their death. Tourism in Antarctica is guided and regulated by the International Association of Antarctic tour Operators (IAATO). They set strict guidelines to its members, for example limiting the size of ships that can actually sail Antarctica. Unlike other tourist attractions, Antarctica lacks local inhabitants, mainly people at the science stations that take the advantage and the benefits of tourism. Tourists are considered environmental hazards Antarctica is one of the world’s greatest natural assets, which has been a growing location for tourists. But some set guidelines need to be followed to preserve this continent from declining. Studies indicate that, tourists touring the continent could cause detrimental and physical damage to the continent. Research and studies have shown that Airborne and Seaborne tourists might have low levels of disturbance compared to those on the land. To save Antarctica from these tourism effects, an international convention relating only to tourism and its harmful effects, must be conducted. References: Hart P. D., 1988, The Growth of Antarctic Tourism, Oceanus, summer edition. Bauer, T.G. 2001. Tourism in the Antarctic: Opportunities, constraints and future prospects. The Haworth Press, New York, USA. Hall, C.M and Johnston, M.E. (eds). 1995. Polar Tourism: Tourism in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions.John Wiley Sons Ltd. West Sussex, England. International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators website, www.iaato.org Parker, B. C. (ed.), 1972, Conservation Problems in Antarctica. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. Campbell, I. B. and Claridge, G. G. C., 1989, Antarctica: soils, weathering processes and environment. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 368 p

Friday, October 25, 2019

Made to Order Hero Essay -- essays research papers fc

Made to Order Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many times in life we encounter an individual that touches us in some profound way. The relation of this individual to the person they are influencing is as diverse as the personal experiences that causes this admiration. This individual, or hero, can impact and totally change the direction of someone's life. A hero can be anyone, from a professional athlete, to a public service figure, to a relative or parent. Each hero is defined by an individual's definition of what a hero is and should be. The definition of a hero has not always been this liberal. As time and the world have progressed so has the definition of the word hero. The poems Beowulf and Sir Gawin and the Green Knight are shining examples of how the definition of a hero can change. Using these two poems I will demonstrate the fact that the standards that need to be met, or the heroic code, is an ever-changing definition that evolves and adapts with the progression of time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both considered heroes by their peers, but they must both conform to a different set of standards to maintain their identity as a hero. Each set of standards seems representative of the times in which each story takes place. The story of Beowulf takes place before the story of Gawain, in a time that is more primitive and violent era, a time when manhood and heroism were defined by the way of the sword and not the way of the word. Gawain on the other hand, appears to dwell in a place and time that puts more emphasis on honoring one’s word and not on proving ones self with a weapon. Beowulf can be considered pre-Christian, thus naturally he followed a more barbaric, violent code. Gawain seems to abide by the Christian code of values, possibly influenced by the church and the Bible. Gawain seems to make an effort to be more noble and less like a savage. This is proven throughout the Gawain poem as the setting and attire appear far more sophisticated and proper than in the Beowulf poem. â€Å"Perhaps the repeated emphasis on complex design and lavish display is enough to imply a date towards the end of the century† (Vantuono XVII). The end of the 14th century places Gawain in a time that had been influenced by the Christian belief, therefore explaining why he tends to follow a heroic code that places emphasis on being proper, kno... ...its me here;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So did our covenant stand In Arthur’s court last year- Wherefore, sir, hold your hand! (Longman 2327-2330) Gawian makes his mark as a hero of the Arthurian period by standing by his word even though he had several opportunities to run away and hide from the Green Knight. Gawain knew that dishonor was far more devastating than any death could ever be, thus making Gawain a hero to those around him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Beowulf and Gawain were heroes to those they lived with. Beowulf became a hero by having no fear, facing all adversity without apprehension. Beowulf fights in order to be a hero. Gawain, on the other hand, establishes his place as a hero by living by a more Christlike code. He hunts down the Green Knight in order to fulfill his promise, even though he knows it means his death. This makes him a hero to those in King Arthur’s court. Works Cited Damrosh, David. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 1. â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers. 2003 Vantuono, William. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. University of Notre Dame Press. Notre Dame, IL. 1999 Made to Order Hero Essay -- essays research papers fc Made to Order Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many times in life we encounter an individual that touches us in some profound way. The relation of this individual to the person they are influencing is as diverse as the personal experiences that causes this admiration. This individual, or hero, can impact and totally change the direction of someone's life. A hero can be anyone, from a professional athlete, to a public service figure, to a relative or parent. Each hero is defined by an individual's definition of what a hero is and should be. The definition of a hero has not always been this liberal. As time and the world have progressed so has the definition of the word hero. The poems Beowulf and Sir Gawin and the Green Knight are shining examples of how the definition of a hero can change. Using these two poems I will demonstrate the fact that the standards that need to be met, or the heroic code, is an ever-changing definition that evolves and adapts with the progression of time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both considered heroes by their peers, but they must both conform to a different set of standards to maintain their identity as a hero. Each set of standards seems representative of the times in which each story takes place. The story of Beowulf takes place before the story of Gawain, in a time that is more primitive and violent era, a time when manhood and heroism were defined by the way of the sword and not the way of the word. Gawain on the other hand, appears to dwell in a place and time that puts more emphasis on honoring one’s word and not on proving ones self with a weapon. Beowulf can be considered pre-Christian, thus naturally he followed a more barbaric, violent code. Gawain seems to abide by the Christian code of values, possibly influenced by the church and the Bible. Gawain seems to make an effort to be more noble and less like a savage. This is proven throughout the Gawain poem as the setting and attire appear far more sophisticated and proper than in the Beowulf poem. â€Å"Perhaps the repeated emphasis on complex design and lavish display is enough to imply a date towards the end of the century† (Vantuono XVII). The end of the 14th century places Gawain in a time that had been influenced by the Christian belief, therefore explaining why he tends to follow a heroic code that places emphasis on being proper, kno... ...its me here;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So did our covenant stand In Arthur’s court last year- Wherefore, sir, hold your hand! (Longman 2327-2330) Gawian makes his mark as a hero of the Arthurian period by standing by his word even though he had several opportunities to run away and hide from the Green Knight. Gawain knew that dishonor was far more devastating than any death could ever be, thus making Gawain a hero to those around him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Beowulf and Gawain were heroes to those they lived with. Beowulf became a hero by having no fear, facing all adversity without apprehension. Beowulf fights in order to be a hero. Gawain, on the other hand, establishes his place as a hero by living by a more Christlike code. He hunts down the Green Knight in order to fulfill his promise, even though he knows it means his death. This makes him a hero to those in King Arthur’s court. Works Cited Damrosh, David. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 1. â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers. 2003 Vantuono, William. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. University of Notre Dame Press. Notre Dame, IL. 1999

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Glass Ceiling Topic

INTRODUCTION: The research team has selected the topic of â€Å"Glass ceiling† for the research project. It has been observed that during the last few years a lot of women are going in management field but not a lot of them are getting an opportunity to get into the top management positions. This has got nothing to do with their abilities and dedication to their work, it is clear that glass ceiling is affecting and stopping the women from reaching the top management positions. The problem of glass ceiling persists in the other countries of the world as is clear from the previous researches but this problem is more evident in Pakistan. This is because despite the boom in education sector, the society still remains conservative and negative feelings and stereotypes do exist against women employees. As a result of the glass ceiling, the performance of women employees is also being affected. This is a cause of concern and it is happening because women managers feel that they are not being treated equally. They develop the feelings that their efforts are not being properly rewarded. Due to the presence of pre-defined rules and regulation for promotions women working in public sector are not being affected a great deal by glass ceiling. Thus it is the private sector where the women are facing glass ceiling the most. The significance of this study is that the research team looked into the main problems which are prohibiting the women from going into the top management positions. By identifying the factors causing the problems, the team will be able to judge the reasons and help eradicate them. It is important to look in the organizational factors that would help the women to reach to top management positions as early as they deserve. This study is an effort to not only identify the factors responsible for affecting the performance of women managers through glass ceiling but also to give solutions to over come from this problems. LITERATURE REVIEW The term ‘glass ceiling’ refers to the transparent but real and strong barrier which prevents women from moving up in the management hierarchy in an organization (Morrison & Glinow, 1990). The minority of women in senior management has led many researchers to investigate whether glass ceiling barriers such as sexual discrimination, gender wage gap, gender stereotype, harassment and lack of family-friendly workplace policies in the organizations are at play and how these barriers affect the performance of female employees in the organizations (Jeavons & Sevastos, 2002). The existence of glass ceiling in different organizations, cultures and time span has been confirmed by many researchers. In 1997, Tokunaga & Graham looked at employees in the technical division at one large Fortune 500 corporation and found that female engineers could not advance as far up the corporate hierarchy as did the male engineers, thereby providing evidence for the existence of a â€Å"glass ceiling† against women. A research conducted by Veale & Gold (1998) in Metropolitan District Council situated in Yorkshire, UK also confirmed that a glass ceiling did exist within the council and this inhibited women’s progression into senior management. This existence of a strong glass ceiling effect prevents women to progress in the organizations. A study controlled for previous job experience, education, age, tenure, initial job level and gender showed that even levels of promotions existed for men and women. However, qualitative data showed that women were employed by the organization at a level that was lower than their qualifications, or lower than men doing the same job. Therefore, even with equal rates of promotion, women will not progress as far as men (Jeavons & Sevastos, 2002). There a number of factors that keeps the glass ceiling in effect. One of them is the gender stereotype. Over the last three decades, Schein (2007) found that gender stereotyping of the managerial position has continued to be the major barrier to women’s progress in management, worldwide. He also shown that on international level, the view of women as less likely than men to possess requisite management characteristics is a commonly held belief among male management students in the USA, the UK, Germany, China and Japan. Apart from gender stereotyping, gender wage gap also plays its role in the organizations. Across a sample of eleven European Union countries in 1995–2001 Booth & Bryan (2007) found that women were paid less than men and this wage gap typically widened toward the top of the wage distribution (the â€Å"glass ceiling† effect), and in a few cases it also widened at the bottom (the â€Å"sticky floor† effect). In recent studies of promotion to partner process, Kumra & Vinnicombe (2008) concluded that the disadvantages women face in organizations in relation to the promotion to partner process arise from a combination of firm-based and societal based factors. Discussing the relationship between discrimination, harassment and glass ceiling (Bell, McLaughlin & Sequeira, 2002), glass ceiling was referred as one of the form of sex discrimination. In the study it was concluded that because all three have some common antecedents, steps to reduce one of them will likely affect the others. Apart from that they suggested that measures designed to increase numbers of women in higher level positions will reduce sexual harassment. As a result of this glass ceiling there is an inclination of women to entrepreneurship as a result of barriers to women’s advancements in corporation (Mattis, 2004). Mattis showed that lack of flexibility continued to be a feature of the corporate culture that lead to the attrition of high potential women and contributed to the dramatic increase in entrepreneurship among women in the US Glass ceiling affects the performance of women at managerial posts. Some of the â€Å"masculine† organizational barriers that severely hinder women’s ability to be effective in their role as strategic decision makers include reluctance of male subordinates towards female managers; isolation by male colleagues; exclusion from male-dominated informal networks and the lack of mentorship (Okanlawon, 1994). Exploration of a model of decision making (Large & Saunders, 1995) explains how a combination of both individual choices (employees’ own perceptions, requirements and priorities like family, social life) and organizational blockages (organizational structure, policies and culture) maintains the glass ceiling. Gender related attributes also play their role. An appropriate theoretical foundation for explaining differences between male and female service providers originates in the sociology literature and is referred to as feminist theory. This theory proffers two perspectives regarding gender-related differences in performance. One argues that there are a wide variety of issues that are impacted by society’s attitudes towards women (Hooks, 2000). These attitudes are based in the history and institutional structure of society. As a result, women are treated differently than men, so that the performance of businesses owned by women suffers. Another stream of literature argues that there are innate differences between male and female approaches to issues. These differences lead women to take different actions than males in similar situations (Buttner, 2001; Fletcher, 1998). There is an alternative theoretical perspective that would not accept the arguments advanced by feminist theory. The foundation for most of this research is the rational economic model (Ferber & Nelson, 1993). This theory argues that individuals make rational economic choices and seek to maximize economic benefit to themselves or the firm. Most of these models assume that customers are economically rational and will make their choices based on the benefits gained from the transaction, and not the gender of the service provider. Prior research on whether gender as an impact on the financial performance of professional service providers has not provided clear insights on whether feminist theory or the rational economic model is more valid. Some researchers find that women achieve lower financial performance than men (Hisrich & Brush, 1984; Loscocco, Robinson, Hall, & Allen, 1991; Lustgarten, 1995; Chaganti & Prasuraman, 1997; Fasci & Valdez, 1998), while others argue that there is no performance difference between male & female owned enterprises (Fischer, Reuber & Dyke, 1993; Kalleberg & Leicht, 1991). Davidson & Cooper (1983) found that managerial women experience greater strain and feel more isolated at work than males which in turn affect their performance. There is gender difference in leadership because of negative perception and evaluation of women in leadership (Stelter 2002). Sex role orientation and the stereotype of manager role as masculine construct, along with lack of career planning among women are predominant theme that explains why so few women progress to leadership position (Chugh & Sehgal 2007). Women are not advancing in work place because they did not receive training to perform job moreover manager do not appreciate achievements of their women employee as compare to men (Asplund 1988). RESEARCH QUESTION How glass ceiling affect the job performance of managerial women? THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK There are three variables which are under study. Job performance is dependent variable and it is the variable of primary interest and changes or variations in job performance will be explained by two independent variables (1) gender stereotyping (2) cooperation among colleagues. Gender stereotyping has negative relation with job performance i. e. if there is less gender stereotyping among the members of organization then greater will be the job performance. Cooperation has positive relation with job performance i. e. if there is more cooperation among the employees the greater will be the job performance. Review of past researches shows if there is gender stereotyping female manager can not get the equal opportunities, males are only favoring the males so ultimately it affect the job performance of female employees that’s why there is a negative relation between job performance and gender stereotype. Past researches also shows that the cooperation plays a very important role in increasing the job performance because if there is a cooperation among employees then they can motivate each other and it leads towards increase in job performance. Independent Variable Dependent variable [pic] Independent Variable HYPOTHESES ? If cooperation among the colleagues at work place is increased then the job performance of managerial women will be increased. ? If gender stereotyping is reduced at work place then the job performance of managerial women will be increased. METHODOLOGY Study design In this cross-sectional co-relational field study data on two independent variables (gender stereotype, cooperation among colleagues) and dependent variable(job performance) were collected from both males and females at management level working in private organizations( PIFRA(Project to Improve Financial Reporting and Auditing) World bank, Ittehad airlines,IBM Pakistan) in Islamabad through personally administered questionnaires. Population and Sample Population for the study comprised all men and women at managerial level working in private organizations in Islamabad. Quota sampling method was used to draw sample out of population because it was deemed fit by the researchers on the basis of cost and time considerations. Subjects were chosen in predetermined numbers. The total sample size was n=34 which comprised 14 (41. 2%) males and 20(58. 8%) females. 40 questionnaires were given to both gender and they all were received back within a time period of 2 weeks, resulting in 100% response rate because questionnaires were personally administered and researchers clarify research topic, doubts and assist some of the respondents in understanding some questions. The units of analysis were individuals who responded to the survey. Out of females 8 (40 %) were at low and 12 (60 %) were at middle level management. Out of males 8 (57. 1 %) were at low and 6 (42. 9 %) were at middle level management. During data filtration patterns were observed in 6 out of 40 questionnaires of which 3 were filled by males and rest by females, such questionnaires were set a side and remaining 34 were used for analysis. 7 questionnaires include missing items ranging from 1 to 2 so middle value on the interval scale i. e. 3(unsure) was assigned to them. Variables and Measures Questionnaires include two demographic variables (gender & managerial level), they were tapped by direct single questions. ? Job performance: This dependent variable indicates the extent to which employees of the organization are expected to acquire job knowledge, achieve assigned goals and maintain better work related relations with members of organization at workplace. Researchers develop 5 point interval scale containing 6 items to measure the relationship of this variable with cooperation among colleagues (independent variable). An example item is â€Å"A friendly atmosphere among colleagues at work place leads to better job performance† Reliability of these items checked via SPSS SOFTWARE gave alpha= . 56 Means reliable. Researchers used 8 items scale to measure the relationship of job performance with gender stereotype (independent variable). An example item is â€Å"I feel additional pressure to perform because I am women†. Reliability of these items checked via SPSS SOFTWARE gave alpha= . 6334 ? Gender stereotype: Stereotypes of men and women commonly reflect the distinction made in implicit personality theory between agency and communion (e. . , Rosenberg, Nelson, & Vivekananthan, 1968). This independent variable was measured using 5 point interval scale containing 14 items. An example item is â€Å"a woman’s place is in home† Reliability of these items checked via SPSS SOFTWARE gave alpha= . 636 ? Cooperation among colleagues: †cooperation is a process by which individ uals, groups and organizations come together, interact and form psychological relationships for mutual gain or benefit (Smith et al. , 1995)†. This independent variable was measured using 5 point interval scale containing 10 items. An example item is â€Å"open communication of relevant information occurs between male and female colleagues† Reliability of these items checked via SPSS SOFTWARE gave alpha= . 634 Data collection method Data was collected through personally administered questionnaires because the survey was confined to local area i. e. Islamabad. Moreover, this method was deemed fit in Pakistan as compared to mailed and electronic questionnaires. Method of personally administered questionnaires was adopted to introduce research topic, clarify doubts of respondents and collect all the completed responses within a short span of time. All questionnaires were received back within 2 weeks. 5 point interval scale was used for data collection containing range from â€Å"strongly disagree to strongly agree† RESULTS In order to test the formulated hypotheses, statistical analysis of the responses of the questionnaires was done. The reliability of the four scales is given below: Reliability of Cooperation among colleagues (CAC) scale Table 1 Alpha Reliability Coefficient of CAC for the Main Study (N=34) Scale No. of items Alpha coefficient CAC 10 0. 34 Table 1 shows the alpha reliability (r=0. 634) for the CAC scale. The results in table 1 show that scale has satisfactory reliability. Reliability of Gender stereotyping (GS) scale Table 2 Alpha Reliability Coefficient of SRS for the Main Study (N=34) Scale No. of items Alpha coefficient GS 14 0. 636 Table 2 shows the alpha reliability (r=0. 636) for the SRS scale. The results in table 2 show that scale has satisfactory reliability. Reliability of Cooperation effect on Performance (CEP) scale Table 3 Alpha Reliability Coefficient of CEP for the Main Study (N=34) Scale No. of items Alpha coefficient CEP 6 0. 56 Table 3 shows the alpha reliability (r=0. 56) for the PER scale. The results in table 3 show that scale has satisfactory reliability. Reliability of Stereotyping effect on Performance (SEP) scale Table 4 Alpha Reliability Coefficient of SEP for the Main Study (N=34) Scale No. of items Alpha coefficient SEP 6 0. 633 Table 4 shows the alpha reliability (r=0. 633) for the PER scale. The results in table 4 show that scale has satisfactory reliability. The results are organized under five main headings: 1) Cooperation among colleagues 2) Sex-role stereotype 3) Perception about female managers 4) Effect of cooperation on performance of female managers 5) Effect of stereotyping on performance of female managers Cooperation among colleagues Table 5 GenderMeanNSD Male 3. 45140. 63 Female 3. 39200. 43 Note: Scale: strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) The male respondents think that cooperation does exist in private organizations among male and female colleagues (3. 45). Female respondents also think that cooperation exist between male and female colleagues (3. 39). Sex-role stereotype Table 6 GenderMeanNSD Male 3. 10140. 92 Female 2. 76200. 813 Note: Scale: strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) Sex role stereotyping does exist in male respondents but its very less (3. 1). However it does not exist in female respondents (2. 76). Perception about female managers Table 7 GenderMeanNSD Male 2. 67140. 83 Female 3. 51200. 51 Note: Scale: strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) The male respondents do not think that female managers have to be more competent than males and behave in a typically ‘masculine way’ in order to be noticed and promoted (2. 67). However female respondents think that they are required to be more competent in order to be taken seriously (3. 39). Effect of cooperation on performance of female managers Table 8 Correlation between Cooperation among colleagues and performance of female managers (N=34) Correlation r Correlation between . 286 cooperation among colleagues nd performance of female managers ____________________________________________________________ ____________ p=0. 101 Table 8 shows that the hypothesis assuming that there is a relationship between cooperation among colleagues and performance of female managers is accepted as there is non-significant relationship between these two. Results indicate a weak relationship between cooperation among colleagues a nd performance of female managers. Results also show that only 8% of job performance of female managers is affected by cooperation among colleagues. Effect of stereotyping on performance of female managers Table 9 Correlation between stereotyping and performance of female managers (N=34) Correlation r Correlation between . 117 stereotyping and performance of female managers ____________________________________________________________ ____________ p=0. 510 Table 9 shows that the hypothesis assuming that there is a relationship between stereotyping and performance of female managers is rejected as there is non-significant relationship between these two. Results indicate a weak relationship between stereotyping and performance of female managers. Results also show that only 1% of job performance of female managers is affected by stereotyping. DISCUSSION The purpose of this study was to see the level of cooperation among colleagues and the gender stereotyping in private organizations and then to determine the impact of these two on the performance of female managers in the private organizations. The statistical analysis of the data acquired from the filled questionnaires revealed that both male and female managers at the low and middle level of organization think that there exists a friendly atmosphere among male and female colleagues at work place. They help each other in time of need and in performing work related tasks. Though both male and female agree that cooperation does exist but the interesting finding is that male employees perceive that there is cooperation among colleagues more then female employees do. Another interesting finding is that male employees think that a woman’s place is in home and they are not suited for work outside of the home. According to their point of view traditional husband/wife roles are the best and that it is the job of women to manage the home and men to go out to work. Also, they think that women lack the skills and abilities needed at work. This finding is supported by a study conducted by Schein (2007) who found that on international level, the view of women as less likely than men to possess requisite management characteristics is a commonly held belief among male management students in the USA, the UK, Germany, China and Japan. However, female employees do not think that women lack the managerial skills and that they are not suited for work outside the home. Female employees think that compared to male managers, female managers must continually prove themselves in order to be taken seriously and get promoted. Whereas male managers think that male and female managers are treated equally and in the same fashion as those of male managers. These results are supported by (Jeavons & Sevastos, 2002) who found out that the existence of a strong glass ceiling effect prevents women to progress in the organizations. The researchers also showed that women were employed by the organization at a level that was lower than their qualifications, or lower than men doing the same job It was hypothesized that if the cooperation among colleagues is increased then the performance of female managers will be enhanced. The study results show that there exist a relationship between cooperation among colleagues and the performance of female managers. So the study results show that if the cooperation among colleagues is increased there will be an improvement in the performance of female managers. This finding is also proved by a previous study conducted by (Okanlawon, 1994) that glass ceiling affects the performance of women at managerial posts and a friendly atmosphere among male and female colleagues contributes in the better and improved performance of female managers. Another hypothesis that was formulated was that the reduction in gender stereotyping will result in an improved performance of female managers. This hypothesis has been proved wrong. The study shows that there is a very weak relationship between stereotyping and the performance of female managers. Also these two are weakly correlated in a positive way. The conclusion drawn is that in the private organizations of Pakistan, female employees do not bother about what male think of females as managers. Female managers do not feel discouraged due to stereotyping. Their work activities, abilities and morale is not affected by the stereotyping of male colleagues. CONCLUSION The study aimed at finding either male and female colleagues in organizations cooperate with each other and either gender stereotyping exists among male and female managers. The findings show that both male and female employees at managerial posts of private organizations agree that cooperation does exist but the degree of agreement is higher in male then in female managers. The study was also aimed to see if there exist a relationship between cooperation among colleagues and job performance of female managers. A moderate relationship does exist between cooperation and female managers’ job performance. Hence if the level of comfort and cooperation among male and female colleagues at work is enhanced, female managers’ performance will improve. It is evident from the findings of the study that female managers’ performance is not affected by the gender stereotyping of their male peers. RECOMMENDATIONS Since it has been found that a friendly atmosphere among male and female employees at workplace plays a vital role in the better performance of female managers, the private organizations in Pakistan should figure out ways and make policies to make sure that female employees feel at ease with their male peers and both male and female employees work together and coordinate with each other in order to enhance employees’ performance. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH The generalizability of the results of this study is low since a non-probability sampling technique was used due to lack of time and resources. The sample size is also very small (n=34) which is not suitable for such kind of research. For future research, work which look more directly at these issues taking a larger sample size will be encouraged. Also it is required to see that though gender stereotyping is not affecting the performance of female managers but it is probable that gender stereotyping that is being found in Pakistani organization might be affecting the hiring or/and promotion criterion of female managers. REFERENCES Virginia E. Schein (2007). Women in management: reflections and projections. Women in Management Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 6-18. Camilla Veale, & Jeff Gold (1998). Smashing into the glass ceiling for women managers. Journal of Management Development, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 17-26. Author, Howard Tokunaga & Tracy Graham (1997). The â€Å"glass ceiling† [On-line] Avaialble http://www. Simone Jeavons, & Peter Sevastos (2002). Glass Ceiling Effect or Sticky Floors? [On- line] Avaialble http://www. W iji Arulampalam, Alison L. Booth, & Mark L. Bryan (2007). Is There A Glass Ceiling Over Europe? Exploring The Gender Pay Gap Across The Wage Distribution. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 60, No. 2. Myrtle P. Bell, Mary E. McLaughlin, & Jennifer M. Sequeira (2002). Discrimination, Harassment, and the Glass Ceiling: Women Executives as Change Agents. Journal of Business Ethics, 37, 65–76. Savita Kumra & Susan Vinnicombe (2008). A Study of the Promotion to Partner Process in a Professional Services Firm: How Women are Disadvantaged. British Journal of Management, Vol. 19, S65–S74. Mary C. Mattis (2004). Women entrepreneurs: out from under the glass ceiling. Women in Management Review, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 154-163. Martin Large & Mark N. K. Saunders (1995). A decision-making model for analyzing ow the glass ceiling is maintained: unblocking equal promotion opportunities. The International Journal of Career Management, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 21–28 Gus Okanlawon (1994). Women as Strategic Decision Makers: A Reflection on Organizational Barriers. Women in Management Review, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 25-32 Fletcher, J. 1998. Relational practice: A feminist Reconstruction of work. Journal of Management Inquiry, 7(2): 163-186. Buttner, E. H. 2001. Examining female entrepreneurs’ management style: An application of a relational frame, Journal of Business Ethics, 29: 253-269. Hisrich, R. D. , & Brush, C. G. 1984. The women entrepreneur: Implications of family, educational and occupational experience. Journal of Small Business Management, 22(1), 30-37. Loscocco, K. A. , Robinson, J. , Hall, R. H. , & Allen, J. K. 1991. Gender and small business: An inquiry into women’s relative disadvantage. Social Forces 70, 65-85. Fasci, M. and Valdez, J. 1998. A performance contrast of male- and female-owned small accounting practices. Journal of Small Business Management, Fischer, E. M. , Reuber, A. R. , & Dyke, L. S. 1993. A theoretical overview and extension of research on sex, gender and entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 8, 151-168. Davidson, M. & Cooper, C. (1983). Stress and the Women Manager. Nicole, Z. S. 2002. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN LEADERSHIP. Journal of leadership and organizational studies. Chugh, s. & sahgal, P. (2007) . why do few womens advance to leadership position. Global business review 2007. Asplund, G. (1988). Women managers:Changing organizational cultures, Morrison, A. M. and M. A. Von Glinow (1990). ‘women and minorities in management’, American Psychologist, 45 , pp. 200-208. ———————– Gender Stereotyping Cooperation among colleagues Job Performance

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Quantitative Business Analysis Essay

The Sky Hospital Consortium has 40 hospitals in various parts of the United States. In these hospitals once a patient is discharged they are given a survey to determine if they are satisfied with the overall service. In this report we will be showing dissatisfied patients and complaints for the total of discharges to try and help the management staff try and improve patients overall experience. 1. The probability of a patient responding â€Å"Dissatisfied† in each of the three different regions. In Sky Hospital Consortium there are three regions which are East, Central and West. In the West Region there are 16 hospitals that had 63,791 patients visit it last year. In that year there were 5,316 dissatisfied claims in the region. The probability of patients responding dissatisfied is 5,316/ 63,791=0.08333. In the Central Region they have 4 hospitals which were visited by 18,810 patients which 1,513 of them said they were dissatisfied by their visit. The probability of this happening is 1,513/18,810=.08044. In the East there are 20 hospitals that have been visited by 96,061 and had 6,955 dissatisfied patients. The probability of dissatisfied patients in the east region is 6,955/96,061= .07240 2. The probability of a patient filing a formal complaint in each of the three different regions. The West had over 942 patients file a complaint in that year. The probability of a patient filing a formal complaint is 942/63,791=.01477 For the Central they had over 199 patients filing a formal complaint. The probability of patients having a formal complaint is 199/18,810= .01058. The East had over 1,200 formal complaints. The probability of patients making formal complaints in the East hospitals would be 1,200/96,061=.01249. 3. The probability of a patient filing a formal complaint given a patient response of â€Å"Dissatisfied† in each  of the three different regions. In the West hospitals the probability of a patient filling a formal complaint given a patient response of dissatisfied is 942/5,316=.17720. In the Central hospitals the probability is 199/1513=.13153. In the East the probability is 1,200/6,955= .17254. 4. The probability of a patient responding â€Å"Dissatisfied† for each hospital. The chart below shows the hospital per region individually where the patients are said to be dissatisfied with the service. The ranks of best to worst out of the 16 hospitals in the West are broken down here as well as the 4 hospitals of the Central hospitals and the 20 of the East hospitals. Total After looking at all three regions we are able to see that the East by far had the most visits to its 20 hospitals it had the most patients by probability would be satisfied more often than the Central and West Region. For patients filing complaints we are able to see that the Central region has a less likely probability then the East and West Regions. Looking closely though by the number of patients overall compared to the East and West Regions, the Central region was probably able to fix the issues sooner before they became filed complaints mostly because they had more time to spend individually. This also shows when you take the patients who were more probable to file a complaint who was dissatisfied in the Central region, which is the lowest, compared to the East and West which were much higher. Overall per hospital we are able to see the Central Region again was the  best for Overall ranking between the three regions combined. This shows evidence that the hospitals were able to spend more time with their patients because of less patients being seen. Reference Anderson, Sweeney, Cam, Cochran, & Williams. (2013). Essentials of Statistics for Business and Econonmics (7e. ed.). Cengage Learning

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Example

Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Example Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Introduce: This part of our presentation is focused on Dutch Golden Age landscape and seascape painting. A period in Dutch history generally spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. At that time, the Dutch republic was one of Europe’s most prominent states. It strength was manifest not only in politics and economics but also in the arts and sciences at Europe. II. Land, sea and sky paintings of the 17 century: Landscape painting was a major genre in the 17th century. The Dutch landscape is actually firmly rooted in 16th century Flemish landscape painting. These had been not particularly realistic, having been painted mostly in the studio, partly from imagination, and often still using the semi-aerial view from above typical of earlier Netherlandish landscape painting. A more realistic Dutch landscape style developed, seen from ground level, often based on drawings made outdoors, with lower horizons which made it possible to emphasize the often impressive cloud formations that were (and are) so typical in the climate of the region, and which cast a particular light. Favorite subjects were the dunes along the western sea coast, rivers with their broad adjoining meadows where cattle grazed, often with the silhouette of a city in the distance. Winter landscapes with frozen canals and creeks also abounded. The sea was a favorite topic as well since the Holland depended on it for trade, battled with it for new land, and battled on it with competing nations. A different type of landscape, produced throughout the tonal and classical phases, was the romantic Italianate landscape, typically in more mountainous settings than are found in the Netherlands, with golden light, and sometimes picturesque Mediterranean staff age and ruins. a. Sky painting: Philip Koninck(1619-88) An extensive Landscape with a road by a ruin 1655. Oil on canvas, 137. 4167. 3cm London, National Gallery. Koninck’s landscapes are characterized by a high viewpoint and a sky which occupies at least half of the picture space. They are cloudscapes as much as extensive landscapes. He emphasizes the flatness of Holland, a more realistic approach than, for example, that of Aelbert Cuyp, who attempts to make his landscapes more varied by the inclusion of hills and mountains taken from his imagination rather than from his observation of the Dutch countryside. The landscape with a high sky was particularly in favor in the 1650s and 1660s, not just in the work of Koninck, but also in that of Jacob van Ruisdael and also in the etched landscape of Rembrandt. Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 1628-82) View of Haarlem from the Northwest c. 1670. Oil canvas, 4338 cm Like Koninck, he adopts a high viewpoint, devoting more than half the canvas to a cloud-filled sky. Ruisdael was the first painter to render dutch landscape in this manner. In this bird’s-eye view, the bleaching fields near Haarlem are seen from the dunes in the Northwest. The city in the distance is easily recognizable, its profile dominated by the characteristic tower if the church of St. Bavo in the centre, silhouetted against a mass of clouds. In the area around Haarlem, laundries were a familiar sight, places where hundreds of pieces of linen lay in the water and on the grass. To a large extent the prosperity of the city depended on the textile industry in general, and the bleaching fields in particular. In the first half of the seventh century, about a thousand worker s were employed in the bleaching industry, and the product of their labors was universally acclaimed for it whiteness. This painting is an excellent example of the manner in which landscapes painters in the republic were inspired by their surroundings. Jacobs was a native of Haarlem, and in the 1670, he painted at least fifteen similar panoramic view of his native city, which seventeenth-century inventories referred to as â€Å"Haerlempjes† This work displays the dramatic and ominous atmosphere for which Ruisdael’s lanscapes were famous. An impressive, almost menacing back of clouds hanging over the bleaching fields is only sporadically pierced by the bright sunlight. The light travels across the flat land in long, narrow rays, splendidly highlighting the red roofs of the houses in the foreground and the white line hanging from the washing line. Further away, the sunlight is also reflected in the white canvas sails of the windmills and in the section of the closely packed houses of Haarlem in the distance. b. Sea painting: Ludolf Bakhuizen (1631-1708) The Man-of-War Brielle on the Maas near Rotterdam 1689. Oil on canvas, 130x197cm The first generation of Dutch sea painters concentrated almost exclusively on events happening on water, and approach which was revived by a number of later artists, including Bakhuizen In this monumental seascape, Rotterdam, city of merchants, stands on the horizon, and the bustling river traffic with its countless vessels of all types and sizes occupies the foreground. But most important, here on the Maas below Rotterdam is the Brielle, a man of war of the city’s admiralty, under full sail with it stern to the viewer. The impressive silhouette of the ship, shrouded in the shadows cast by clouds, stand out against an illuminated sky. In the foreground fishermen pull in their nets as all the daily activities continues as usual. In the background, above a phosphorescent strip of water, other sections of Rotterdam are visible, including the two gates at the entrance to the Leuvehaven harbor, the town hall, the marine warehouse†¦ Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91) View of Dordrecht c. 1655. Oil on canvas, 97. 8137. 8 cm London, Kenwood House, Iveagh Bequest. Cuyp never visited Italy but he bathed his very Dutch landscapes in a golden Italian sunlight witch sparkles on the water and warms the stones of the buildings. Because his style does not develop significantly his painting are difficult to date but the view of his native town from the river Maas was probably painted in about 1655. The outline of the city is dominated by the profiles of the Groothooftspoort on the left and the squat tower of the Grote Kerk, a familiar landmark in Cuyp’s many views of his home town, to the right. c. Land painting: Aelbert Cuyp(1629-1691) Fishermen on the Frozen River Panel, 57115 The warm southern light which is such a feature of the Italianates’ are landscapes was never more successfully employed in Dutch winter paintings than by the Dordrecht artist Aelbert Cuyp. Several fishermen seen from a low vantage point are hacking at the ice with poles. On the left is a woman in a sleigh drawn by two horses. The low viewpoint lakes the people and animals stand out as silhouettes against the horizon. In the distance, over the horse’s rumps, in the great Church of Dordrecht, this identifies this stretch of water as the River Merwede. Cuyp was one of the first artists who allowed the reflection of the sky on the mirror-smooth ice to play an important part in the composition. The light falling from the left for foreground reflects of the ice, softening the sharp contours of the shadows. As the result of this rather diffuse lighting, the skaters and the richly decorated sleigh drawn by two horses in the distance are only dimly visible, and the hazy atmosphere seems almost palpable. Nicolaes Berchem(1620-1683) A stag hunt Oil on canvas, 49. 4x 77. 5 cm, London, Royal Academy. The subject illustrates the unusually versatility apparent in the Berchem’s oeuvre and it might perhaps be mentioned that the style is not entirely characteristic. In contrast to the timeless air of his Italianate scenes, Berchem here concentrates on a single moment of violent action. The shot of the huntsman reverberates through the scene and the figures with the excited animals surge forward to light on the terrified deer. The whole composition strains upward in a dramatic diagonal culminating in the sweep of the tress. Flickering brush strokes add to the sense of energy and activity. On the left one glimpses the characteristic golden color of the distant landscape. III. Some Hidden Meanings: There are fewer hidden meanings in landscapes than in other genres of Dutch painting but some symbolism is still apparent. Firstly there is the patriotic connection in many 17th century landscapes with recognizably Dutch places and motifs that show an unmistakable pride in the Republic. The windmill’s sails had been associated with Christ’s cross. And they also been illustrated as emblems of fortune, folly, virtue, etc. As well as the use of the quintessentially Dutch windmill, there was also Aelbert Cuyp’s frequent depiction of cows, a possible reference to the very important and famous Dutch milk and cheese industry, and the references made to the new canal systems in the paintings of the 1630s and 1640s. Religion, despite the Calvinist regime, also played an important part in Dutch landscape painting. As well as the religious paintings of the early century, there is also a connection with God in the slightly later naturalistic landscape in that he is ultimate creator of all nature. Mountains in particular have drawn much attention, representing to Calvinists the beauty of God’s creation, while others saw them as a punishment imposed by God on previously flawless world after the fall of man. They also could represent the laborious struggle of life that had to be overcome. Variety in paintings has also been connected to the divine creation by writers like Van Mander who suggest that by subtly varying subject matter, composition, colour and motifs they are nearing the diverse beauty of God’s creation. Another religious theme that becomes more apparent in the latter half of the century is that of Vanitas and transience. Vanitas emphasizes the fleeting and uncertain nature of human life through motifs connected with death, such as cemeteries and skulls, and motifs connected with change such as the turbulent skies in the paintings of Jacob van Ruisdael and various landscapes that depict trees with both fresh and brown leaves, alluding to the passing of time. It is clear then that there is some element of deeper meaning that can be read into some of these seemingly straightforward works.

Monday, October 21, 2019

How does Shakespeare present relationships Essays

How does Shakespeare present relationships Essays How does Shakespeare present relationships Essay How does Shakespeare present relationships Essay Essay Topic: The Taming Of the Shrew How does Shakespeare present relationships between men and women in The Taming of The Shrew? Shakespeare uses the relationships in the play in order to express his own views of society and the roles of men and women in the Elizabethan era. Through his portrayal of the two genders in the the Taming of the Shrew, in particular Petruchio and Katherina, Shakespeare demonstrates the idea that men are too dominant over the female race, and that women should be given a more contributory, and equal role in society. He does not explicitly show this, because it would have been seen as too diverse for 16th Century literature, but he does show parity as an underlying opinion in the play. A common motif in the play is the idea of money and wealth. This was seen as an important factor in life decisions such as marriage, particularly for men characters because, in the Elizabethan era, they owned all of their wifes belongings, riches and earnings, if any. Consequently marrying into wealth had a key part to play in happiness. In the Taming of the Shrew, this is apparent through Petruchio, and his marriage to Katherina. In the play, he is challenged to tame her, and agrees to it because she is rich enough. Katherina is referred to as shrewd and froward by the men, and is ridiculed by Hortensio who would not wed her for a mine of gold; Petruchio replies thou knowst not golds effect, suggesting that his determination to woo Katherina is not because of his love for her, but his lust of money. Shakespeare reinforces this when Petruchio is discussing his marriage agreement with Baptista, Katherinas father; he is keen to find out what dowry he shall have with her to wife? and by stressing his eagerness to find out, Shakespeare is showing a demonstration of Petruchios greedy character. The way in which Shakespeare has worded the phrase have with her to wife implies that Petruchio is seeing Katherina as a task he must complete and put up with in order to gain a prize. Hortensio is also used to strengthen this idea, as he is quick to give up his pursuit of Bianca for a wealthy widow. By doing this, Shakespeare is stating that men of his society did not value the relationships with their women and had little respect for their existence except for their bringing of wealth. This idea is furthered by Baptistas comment that is, her love, for that is all in all. On the surface he seems to be caring for his daughter and concerned with the fact that she falls in love with Petruchio, however, because he later adds well mayst thou woo, and happy be thy speed! suggests that he wants more for Katherina to be married quickly than to be happily in love, and perhaps Shakespeare may have used the first as a passing comment to appear interested in the well-being of his daughter, while ironically giving the impression that even fathers are uncaring and too concerned with themselves when it comes to relationships with their daughters as he wants to get them married quickly. Wealth imagery is used to present women also, as Bianca is referred to as a treasure, jewel and a prize, suggesting that women were seen as possessions that must be sold to merchants as assets. Baptista displays more of a fondness towards Bianca, the younger of his two daughters, and favours her over Katherina. For example, after breaking up an argument between the two, Baptista calls Katherina a devilish spirit which demonstrates his lack of care for her feelings, whereas Bianca is seen as a poor girl in his eyes as a result of the dispute. This favour is common in the sisters, as Bianca is described as meek and mild, an idyllic woman for men in Shakespeares time, and so people would have been more fond of this character. The contrast Baptista uses for his daughters could be seen as a high criticism of Shakespeares to his society in that they disregard the people, women in particular, that hold a fiery character or are unafraid to express their inner thoughts, but highlight those who comply with the social rules and fit in the boundaries set. He makes this clear toward the end of the play where it is Katherina, once rejected by the community, who is seen as the approving woman. Baptista still upholds his dominative role as a male by not letting Bianca marry until he has a husband for the elder. On the one hand, Baptista could be showing a concern to have both his daughters married because he wants them to both be happy, however, it could also be seen that he understood the importance of having his daughters marry, eldest first, for the sake of his own reputation, and also that it would create a motivation for someone to marry Katherina which looked unlikely otherwise. Shakespeare wants relationships in the play to be presented as important in terms of credibility and reputation, which perhaps is controversial to his own opinions. Shakespeare uses animal imagery, continuously throughout the play. These are mainly used in terms of portraying Katherina through mens eyes. She is viewed as intolerable curst by the people of her society and as a wildcat as Gremio says. In context of the Elizabethan era, women were expected to be polite and meek people who lived to play the role of a serving wife, and in view of Katherinas description, she clearly deviates herself from this norm. In describing her as a wildcat, Shakespeare enforces the idea of her undomesticated character that needs taming. Shakespeare constantly refers to Katherina in animal terms through Petruchio; he asks those who challenge him have I not in my time heard lions roar? This metaphor is used to compare Katherina to a lion, which is known for its danger, signifying again that she is the opposite of her expected role. While other men fear her, Petruchio is seeing her as a task for him to complete, which again implies the idea that men see women as a prize they must accomplish and win. Katherina is also referred to as a falcon, which is again is a fierce animal, however, it is classed as a bird of prey so Shakespeare may have wanted to use this description in order to give Katherina status in the play over the other women. The fact that these ideas of her does not change Petruchios mind implies that he may find it an attraction to her and that he may find it desirable for a woman to have a fiery personality. In which case, Shakespeare may be grounding his own implicit value of how he thinks women should be in a relationship.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

American History Timeline From 1860 to 1870

American History Timeline From 1860 to 1870 1860 February 27, 1860: Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer from Springfield, Illinois, gave a speech at Cooper Union in New York City. Lincoln delivered a forceful and well-reasoned argument against the spread of slavery and became an overnight star and a leading candidate for the upcoming presidential election.March 11, 1860: Abraham Lincoln visited the Five Points, the most notorious slum in America. He spent time with children at a Sunday school, and an account of his visit later appeared in newspapers during his presidential campaign.Summer 1860: Candidates did not actively participate in campaigning in the mid-1800s, though Lincolns campaign used posters and other images to inform and win over voters.July 13, 1860: Albert Hicks, a pirate convicted of murder, was hanged on present-day Liberty Island in New York Harbor before thousands of spectators.August 13, 1860: Annie Oakley, sharpshooter who became an entertainment phenomenon, was born in Ohio.November 6, 1860: Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. December 20, 1860: In response to Lincolns election, the state of South Carolina issued an Ordinance of Secession and declared it is leaving the Union. Other states would follow. 1861 March 4, 1861: Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the president of the United States.April 12, 1861: In the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina, Fort Sumter was attacked by Confederate guns.May 24, 1861: Death of Col. Elmer Ellsworth, an event which energized the North in the war effort.Summer and Fall, 1861: Thaddeus Lowe began the U.S. Army Balloon Corps, in which aeronauts ascended in balloons to view enemy troops.December 13, 1861: Prince Albert, the husband of Britains Queen Victoria, died at the age of 42. 1862 May 2, 1862: Death of writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden.September 17, 1862: The Battle of Antietam  was fought in western Maryland. It becomes known as Americas Bloodiest Day.October 1862: Photographs taken by Alexander Gardner  were put on public display at Mathew Bradys gallery in New York City. The public was shocked by the carnage depicted in the photographic prints. 1863 January 1, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.July 1-3, 1863: The epic Battle of Gettysburg  was fought in Pennsylvania.July 13, 1863: The New York Draft Riots began, and continue for several days.October 3, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring a Day of Thanksgiving to he observed on the last Thursday in November.November 19, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address while dedicating a military cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. 1864 January 3, 1864: Death of Archbishop John Hughes, an immigrant priest who became a political force in New York City.May 13, 1864: The first burial took place at Arlington National Cemetery.November 8, 1864: Abraham Lincoln won a second term as president, defeating General George McClellan in the election of 1864. 1865 January 16, 1865: General William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Orders, No. 15, which was interpreted as a promise to provide forty acres and a mule to each family of freed slaves.January 31, 1865: The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in America, was passed by the United States Congress.March 4, 1865: Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States. Lincolns second inaugural address is remembered as one of his most notable speeches.April 14, 1865: President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Fords Theatre and died the next morning.Summer 1865: The Freedmens Bureau, a new federal agency designed to help the freed slaves, began operation. 1866 Summer 1866: The Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, was formed. 1867 March 17, 1867: The annual parade for St. Patricks Day in New York City was marred by violent clashes. In the following years, the tone of the parade was changed and it became a symbol of the emerging political power of the New York Irish. 1868 March 1868: The Erie Railroad War, a bizarre Wall Street struggle to control shares of a railroad, played out in the newspapers. The protagonists were Jay Gould, Jim Fisk, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.May 30, 1868: The first Decoration Day  was observed in the United States. The graves of Civil War veterans were decorated with flowers at Arlington National Cemetery and other cemeteries.February 1868: Novelist and politician Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of Britain for the first time.Summer, 1868: Writer and naturalist John Muir arrived in Yosemite Valley for the first time. 1869 March 4, 1869: Ulysses S. Grant  was inaugurated as president of the United States of America.September 24, 1869: A scheme by Wall Street operators Jay Gould and Jim Fisk to corner the gold market nearly took down the entire U.S. economy in what became known as Black Friday.October 16, 1869: A weird discovery on an upstate New York farm became a sensation as the Cardiff Giant. The huge stone man turned out to be a hoax, but still fascinated a public which seemed to want a diversion.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Youth sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Youth sports - Essay Example The highlighted that youth sports are very important for the social skills development, where the youngsters interact with other individuals and are the best way to make friends as well as acquaintances. It does not only help them in interacting with other socially, but at the same time gives them a sense of belonging and unity as well. Apart from the social benefits, the physical advantages are also great where the athletic youngsters mature and grow in physique and body composition in a better manner in comparison to the non athletic youngsters. The normal structural growth of the body and the bones has to be supported by the proper physical exerting activities and exercise has proved itself to be the best way for the improvement of the bone width and the mineralization. (Volkwein-Caplan, K. A. E., 2009) Most importantly, the benefits of the youth sports is not only limited to the development of the physique and the social skills, but the physical activities lead to the psychological advantages for the youngsters as well. Sports give these youngsters a sense of accomplishment and achievement where they start believing in their abilities and their talent. Winning is associated with the motivation and even participating at some level gives them a fair opportunity to build confidence. The psychological advantages associated with the youth sports are very important, but at the same time the personality traits and characteristics are also nourished and expanded. The sense of belonging to a team makes the youngsters self disciplined individuals and they do not only commit themselves to a certain team but in order to strive for success, they put in a lot of hard work to practice sessions and then succeed at the end of the day. (Volkwein-Caplan, K. A. E., 2009) The development of confidence plays a vital role and the challenging training sessions is

Friday, October 18, 2019

Feasibility and Research Report--Tax on Cigarette and Demand on Essay

Feasibility and Research Report--Tax on Cigarette and Demand on Cigarette - Essay Example This objective is scheduled to operate within a seven year duration, whereby the expectation will be of high government revenue and a reduced level of smoking. The results of this project will benefit government, society, environment, smokers and non-smokers. Cigarette contains over 4000 chemical compound and 69 of those chemicals cause cancer. Cigarette harms health by causing diseases such as lung cancer or heart diseases. There are numerous organizations that can help smokers to quit smoking and the government work closely with such organizations to create awareness about the effects of smoking. Other than its addictive characteristics, this study sought to actualize the drive to smoking despite the awareness of its effects to health and spending. The outcome of the study is therefore very important to the Federal U.S. government as well as the Anti-Smoking Agencies. The outcome of the study was not intended to please tobacco manufacturers as this would affect their business, and to some extent the some government agencies were expected to reject the outcome of the study as well due to tax revenue they get from tobacco. However, the study was focused in revealing the truth of tobacco in relations to health effects. Many studies have been done on the health and economic effects of smoking tobacco. Such studies, discussions, or journals were limited to finding the real weight on health, spending etc of smoking cigarettes. Micklethwait, (2013) of the Economist Magazine acknowledges the effects of cigarette products affect the whole society in U.S. According to weekly news involving the economy and business within the U.S. and international business, the Smoking Weight, and Micklethwait, (2013) data percentage showing the rational of teenage smokers reveals that there are 46% teen girls and 30% teen boys do not smoke

Understanding Management Information Assignment

Understanding Management Information - Assignment Example This report intends to examine and portray the trend witnessed in the UK Tablet PC market, especially in respect of the preferences deciphered by young students aged between 18 years to 35 years and assist PG Communication LTD, a communication equipment producing company, to develop and launch innovative Tablet PCs in the UK. With enhanced features and operational efficiencies, Tablet PCs have thus emerged in the market segments of the UK and worldwide as dominating technological gadget. There are various factors which include simplicity, battery life and multi-tasking facility on the basis of which Tablet PCs are used for household, business and education purposes. Presently, Tablet PCs are used immensely by students and educational institutes with the objective of improving the education system, being strongly influenced by the notion of real-life learning, rather than focusing on traditional classroom learning merely (Korkmaz & et. al., 2012). Accordingly, the objective of this pa rticular research study is to determine the market conditions for Tablet PCs in the UK and accordingly devise appropriate strategies on the basis of which PG Communication LTD can launch Tablet PCs for students in the UK. Research Method Data for this particular research study were collected from secondary sources primarily. According to the report published by TechSciResearch (2011), the statistical results signified that Tablet PCs are the emerging technological gadgets in the electronic market segments. Tablet PCs have immense demand in the worldwide market segments. ... On the basis of quantitative descriptive research approach, apart from the secondary sources, the research findings have also been postulated on the basis of primary data, collected with the application of a questionnaire survey. The sample size for the questionnaire survey was 100 who were selected from the population comprising UK students aged between 18-35 years, i.e. the targeted customers of PG Communication LTD. To be noted, both the primary and secondary data collection methods used in this study possesses particular advantages and disadvantages which has been depicted in the section below. Secondary Sources Primary Sources Advantages The data collected through secondary method are determined to be cost as well as time efficient Secondary data are readily available which may assist in acquiring adequate information in an efficient manner (Parasuraman & et. al., 2006) Obtained first-hand, the data collected from primary research are more appropriate as well as reliable source of information for research study as compared to the secondary data (Wiid & Diggins, 2010) Disadvantages The data collected from secondary data may be out-of-date (Parasuraman & et. al., 2006) The primary data collection method is time consuming and expensive The researches should be experienced and unbiased while collecting information which requires high interpretive skills within the researcher (Wiid & Diggins, 2010) Analysis Secondary Research According to the report published by TechSciResearch (2011), the statistical results signified that Tablet PCs are the emerging technological gadgets in the electronic market segments. Tablet PCs have immense demand in the worldwide market segments. Moreover, the report states that

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Family Business & Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Family Business & Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example 2.1. Tata Group: In brief, Kuratko describes the Tata Group as â€Å"a well-known and one of the oldest family businesses in India, with its presence in more than 100 countries. Tata Group was founded in 1868 as a family business in textile industry and has expanded into various other sectors such as textiles, communications, software, engineering, materials, services, energy and consumer products†(2013, p.559). Some of Tata companies include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Teleservices, Titan, the Taj group of hotels etc. The total revenues of Tata Group are around $ 80 billion, most of which come from Tata companies outside India. While much can be said about the Tata group, the most noticeable point of argument is its future performance in the native and international markets after the appointment of new Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, who is part of Tata family through marriage and as largest shareholding member. 2.1 Point of study: Within the Tata Group, Tata Motors has been the point of attention both for the company and the media in recent times, especially after their acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) from Ford Motors, under the chairmanship of Mr Ratan Tata, following Ford’s failure to generate profits in the European markets. Reports indicate that Tata Motors, which was running in losses during this acquisition, closed the last quarter of 2013 in impressive profits in their European subsidiaries under the chairmanship of Cyrus Mistry (Sahu, 2014). While this is good news for the Tatas in European markets, their Indian business continued to report losses and weak demand with a 36% fall in volume and 27% fall in revenues. To understand how family members’ commitment to the business translates into growth and profits, it is important to understand the nature of entrepreneurship exercised at the Tatas. This will also probably highlight underlying

SCIE UNIT 5 IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SCIE UNIT 5 IP - Research Paper Example The OPA law was initiated as a remedy to oil spills and in particular following the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill at Alaska Prince William Sound. OPA law was passed to streamline the federal responses in cases of oil spill. Here, the law provides that the federal government direct the oil vessels and storage facilities to make proper plans for spill response and further plan for their rapid implementation. In addition, the OPA law was passed as a measure to amplify Polluters liability with regard to damage and cleanup costs to natural resources. This law also imposes measures like phasing out of single hauler tanker, designed to check tanker safety and mitigate spillage. Tanker vessels thought to exceed 3,000 gross tons have their liability increased to 1200 dollars per gross ton or 10 million dollars. Responsible parties with facilities situated onshore and the deep-water ports carry a liability amounting to about 350 million dollars per spill. This law also provides that holders of permits or leasers for offshore amenities, with the exception of deep-water ports shoulder a liability of up to 75 Million dollars per spill in addition to the removal costs. In all this cases, the federal government maintains the sole authority of making any necessary adjustment to the 350 million dollar liability limit established with regard to onshore facilities but only through regulations (US Environmental Protection Agency). The fine associated with failure to notify relevant federal discharge agency is increased from 10,000 dollars maximum to 250,000 dollars maximum for cases involving individuals and 500,000 dollars for organizations. This law also extends the prison term from a maximum of 1 year to a maximum of five years. Violations is treated under this law is addressed with fine not exceeding 250,000 dollars and a 15 year jail term. Regarding civil penalties, the law authorizes

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Is there a link between volcanic eruption and climate change and what Essay

Is there a link between volcanic eruption and climate change and what the relationship between the two may be - Essay Example A., & Wilson, L. (2008). Donald Rapp in his book about climatic changes states that volcanic eruptions, though minor, are one of the factors for global warming, but injecting radiations into the earth’s atmosphere. Volcanos erupts huge amounts of ash, magma and sulfuric contents that remain in the environment, polluting it. (Rapp, D. (2008) When the issues regarding global warming got into discussions, human activities like the release of gases having CFC’s and burning of fossil fuels were considered as the primary factors for the climatic change. But some people disagree and claim that human activities pose less danger to our environment than natural procedures such as volcanic eruptions. This statement led human to study the affects of volcanic eruptions in detail. (Stenchikov, Georgiy L., Ingo Kirchner, Alan Robock, Hans-F. Graf, Juan Carlos Antuna, R. G. Grainger, Alyn Lambert, and Larry Thomason, 1998) Mount Pinatubo in Philippines got erupted on June 15, 1991, where approximately about 20 million tons of SO2 and ash particles spread into the air for more than 12 miles. The gases and solids that bumped into the atmosphere at the time Mount Pinatubo erupted lasted for 2 weeks in the air. Volcanic outbreak of this scale can shock earth’s climate, dropping the quantity of sun rays getting in the Earths shell, and altering atmospheric activity model. But the degree to which these changes happen, may vary. (Geology, sdsu; climatic effects of volcanic eruptions (2001). Extensive volcanic motion may precede only a couple of days, but the huge out break of solid ash and gases containing high sulfur content, may last for a long period of time. The erupted sulfuric gases convert themselves to â€Å"Sulfate Aerosols†. After the volcanic eruption, these aerosol particles may rest in the Earth’s stratosphere for as long as a

SCIE UNIT 5 IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SCIE UNIT 5 IP - Research Paper Example The OPA law was initiated as a remedy to oil spills and in particular following the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill at Alaska Prince William Sound. OPA law was passed to streamline the federal responses in cases of oil spill. Here, the law provides that the federal government direct the oil vessels and storage facilities to make proper plans for spill response and further plan for their rapid implementation. In addition, the OPA law was passed as a measure to amplify Polluters liability with regard to damage and cleanup costs to natural resources. This law also imposes measures like phasing out of single hauler tanker, designed to check tanker safety and mitigate spillage. Tanker vessels thought to exceed 3,000 gross tons have their liability increased to 1200 dollars per gross ton or 10 million dollars. Responsible parties with facilities situated onshore and the deep-water ports carry a liability amounting to about 350 million dollars per spill. This law also provides that holders of permits or leasers for offshore amenities, with the exception of deep-water ports shoulder a liability of up to 75 Million dollars per spill in addition to the removal costs. In all this cases, the federal government maintains the sole authority of making any necessary adjustment to the 350 million dollar liability limit established with regard to onshore facilities but only through regulations (US Environmental Protection Agency). The fine associated with failure to notify relevant federal discharge agency is increased from 10,000 dollars maximum to 250,000 dollars maximum for cases involving individuals and 500,000 dollars for organizations. This law also extends the prison term from a maximum of 1 year to a maximum of five years. Violations is treated under this law is addressed with fine not exceeding 250,000 dollars and a 15 year jail term. Regarding civil penalties, the law authorizes

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Cather in the Rye Analysis Essay Example for Free

Cather in the Rye Analysis Essay Holden’s childhood, teenage years and transition into adulthood might have been different if he had a parent, teacher, and mentor like Morrie in his life. Cather in the Rye book is quite different than Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie would influence Holden’s life if Morrie teach him a great lesson about life. How life could be different in group of people if people live it different ways. People around Holden always make him think that all people are phony. Holden never got taught life lessons by any his relatives or parents. If Holden gets true tutor who will teach him how life works and how should he has to handle it? Then he might get different experience than now he is getting in his life. According to movie Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie could be a great tutor and teacher in anyone’s life. If Holden got to spend few days with Morrie then he could change his whole life. Morrie had some great experiences while his life that also taught him a big lesson of his own life. He was a teacher and he is a fun guy to be with. He knows how an adult should treat a teenage. He is an experienced man. He was suffering from disease named ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). The disease ravages his body, but, ironically, leaves his mind as lucid as ever. He realizes that his time is running out, and that he must share his wisdom on The Meaning of Life with the world before it is too late to do so. He broadcasted his â€Å"The Meaning of Life† on ABC-TV’s nightline. Holden is teenager, who is irresponsible and immature, having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes in his school. Holden needed to get teach by any experienced tutee and who understands problems in teen’s life. Morrie can give him a big and nice lecture or explanation on how teen’s life should be, Not like Holden’s. Holden never thinks about circumstances in his life. Most teenagers eagerly jump into a more adult role, striving to be seen as independent and mature. However, in the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, at these times, teenagers are so mature than back in the time. Morrie would give him a lesson that could help Holden. Holdens struggle with school is an example of how he struggles to come to terms with the adult world. He sees all the situations that adulthood has when being surrounded by the situations and people in school. He sees pure phoniness, cruelty, and lack of individuality in school life as everyone considers themselves part of a group or else they are worthless, which is the way he sees himself. Holdens lack of emotional strength and immaturity is also part of his struggle with becoming an adult. For example, whenever he feels uncomfortable with a situation or a thought, such as when he talks about his younger brother’s death, when he is feeling lonely such as when hes walking down a lonely street, or when he is surrounded by people he feels uncomfortable with, he puts on his hunting hat, to feel and look different from the rest of the world as he mentioned and maybe also to protect himself in a way from his feelings due to his lack of emotional strength. If anyone gets a mentor or teacher like Morrie, then they will see the different change in their future and their routine life that they never ever think about it. Holden always afraid from being adult or deal with adulthood. He thought that being adult is hardest thing, if you are an adult than you cannot live your life like the way you wanted to. If anyone motivates teenage in their right age where they need to get right kind of education or explanation that all teenagers should live their life like a free bird not like prisoner in prison. Morrie know the meaning of life and he made lots mistake during his teenage years. He did not want any teenager to make mistakes like he made during his teenage years. If Holden got motivate or directed by Morrie, then he would not make some decision that he made without any thinking about which led him to bad circumstance. Holden was so scared to being an adult because he did not want to deal with all situations that all adult has to deal with it. Holden being love little kid because he does not have to deal with the same problems as adult. Sometimes he thinks as an adult, which he should not think like that because he is not going to deal with same problem as an adult. In conclusion, if Morrie get any chance to change Holden’s adulthood or teenager year then he would able to change it. He changed one of his student name Mitch. Mitch was not that bad kid but he was sort of like Holden. Some teen are so afraid from being in adulthood but if they get a true or right mentor or teacher then they would see the big difference in their life.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Liquidity Ratio Analysis

Liquidity Ratio Analysis Liquidity ratio is a measure of the ability of the company to transform immediately of its assets into any other asset and pay their short term obligation due on time. This is among the important measurement which involve planning and controlling the current assets and current liabilities. Cash is among the very liquid assets compare to fixed asset which is illiquid. Liquidity ratio analysis of the company must be done first in analyzing the companys financial position. This is due to the serious problems that might arise such as potential insolvency and mismanagement by the manager. The commonly liquidity ratio used are current ratio and quick ratio for a quick check of liquidity, but there are also another component to have better understanding of companys ability to make payments to other parties such as cash cycle, working capital, accounts receivable, inventories, current liabilities. Besides the use of the liquidity ratio as determinant of firms ability to pay for short term debt, it also can be used to avoid of excessive holding of inventory. The financial analysts commonly used the specific liquidity ratio such as current and quick ratios, which allow them to make temporal or cross sectional comparison which is within the company itself or other companies in the industries. As part of it, another concept that also commonly used to identify the liquidity of the company is working capital which is calculated by deducting the current liabilities of the firm from the current liabilities. The working capital is very important measurement in determining financial stability for the company. It is health for the company to have more current assets over its current liabilities suppose to be practiced by the company. The company needs to stress on the liquidity management because from the previous research on companys balance sheet composition in Spanish found that 69 percent of the assets is current asset and 52 percent of liabilities represent current liabilities (La Porta et al, 1997). According to Petersen and Rajan (1997), the high percentage of current liabilities due to the reason that the current liabilities become one of their main external financial loans because the company failed to obtain the long term fund from the bank and other creditors. This is also supported by other researcher such as Whited (1992), Petersen and Fazzari (1993) that stated that current liabilities become one of resources due to their financial constrain. Also research done in US by Elliehhausen and Wolken (1993), Petersen and Rajan (1997) found that the US small and medium firm size depend on current liabilities when they have financial problems. The efficient liquidity management is particularly important for the big companies as well as small companies. It is rather important in small companies as highlighted by Peel and Wilson (1996). If a companys current liabilities exceed the amount of current assets, the company will face the problems to pay back the creditors in the short term. If this problem persists, the company could end up into bankruptcy. As stated by Nicholas (1991) that companies that did not concern to improve liquidity management until it was too late and reaching crisis conditions or end up on the verge of bankruptcy. Furthermore, it is important to have liquidity management in good times and it takes further importance in troubled times. The useful of liquidity ratio Liquidity ratio as part of accounting ration is important tools in financial analysis. Basically, these ratios used to identify the ability of the firm to pay it debt, to evaluate company performance as well as to access company value. According Palepu et al (2003) analysis done may be within company itself, or for the particular firm but compare for several years, compare the same ratio for the different company in same industry. From previous studies, they found that accounting ratio also useful in providing information for decision making process (Houghton, and Woodliff, 1987, Thomas and Evanson (1987, Lewellen, 2004). For some instant, liquidity ratio also useful in predicting business failures (Beaver, 1966; Altman (1968). The excess in working capital represents a safety cushion for providers of short-term funds of the company such as creditors, bank. This is also viewed positively the availability of excessive levels of working capital and cash. However, from an operating point of view, this excessive of working capital has been looked as a restraint on financial performance because these assets do not contribute to return on equity (Sanger, 2001). A lot of techniques could be applied to improve liquidity and cash positions, at the same time it can increase the efficiency of their management. At the end it would result in high profitability. These include credit insurance (Brealey and Myers, 1996; Unsworth, 2000; and Raspanti, 2000), factoring of receivables (Brealey and Myers, 1996; Summers and Wilson, 2000). The effect of liquidity management The efficiency of liquidity planning and control which include liquidity management, working capital and cash management have significant effect towards the profits. Actually, the most important is to have efficient liquidity management and the next, profitability will follow as well. The important of companys liquidity can be seen from different perspectives. Basically the idea of companys liquidity laid on the going concern concept which not involved any default in near future. The first party who interested on companys liquidity is short term lenders. These lenders interested on payment made on the debt and short term obligation because they can reasonably expected to be paid. For their own security, lenders would prefer the company with a high liquidity as their protection. For the investors and management, holding large cash balances is not the benefit activities in the company. Besides the problem due to the existence of the cash, this cash also become as extra cost to the company. The company actually has forgone the interest income from short term investment if they hold a lot of surplus cash. On the other hand, it is also necessary for company to hold cash to make immediate payments in the case to undertake rapidly the most desirable projects, and to deal without major disruptions with unforeseen problems. The amount of cash depend on expected growth and faces risk, the higher the expectation, the more the company must have a cushion of ready cash. The surplus cash on hand allow company to take advantage of new opportunities quickly. A healthy cash position helps stemming from new products, changing customer tastes or changing market conditions. Another factor to be considered for keeping on hand other liquid assets such as receivables is as a part of sales strategy of the firm. Companies usually offer their customer to take 30, 60, 90 days or more to pay for their purchases. This is to encourage immediate purchase of the customer in the big amount. Account payables are a major element of corporate finance. According to Rajan and Zingales (1995) the aggregate amount of payables in American firms was a significant part (17.8%) of total assets for all in the early 1990s. Other country such as Germany, France and Italy, also shown the very significant amount of payables which represents more than a quarter of total corporate assets, in United Kingdom payable also show significant value which represent 70% of total short-term debt (credit extended) while 55% of total credit received by firms is made up of account payables(Kohler et al., 2000; Guariglia and Mateut, 2006). In fact, payables are also important factor in emerging economies, like China, due to limited support from the banking system. The companies depending more on credit on purchases compared to other forms such as bank loans as highlighted by Ge and Qiu, (2007). Similar to Atanasova and Wilson (2004) find that smaller UK companies tend to increase their reliance on inter-firm credit to avoid bank credit rationing. However, account payable does not need fully attention for the company since it does not consumes resources but serve as short term of source of finance. The benefits arise that it could reduce the cash gap. Previous researchers have viewed the relationship trade-off between inventories and payables such as Nadiri (1969), Schwartz (1974), Ferris (1981) and Emery (1987)). Only Emery (1987) considers explicitly the trade-off between trade credits and inventories but his study does not include the deterministic variable demand framework. More recently, the study from Daripa and Nilsen (2005) has theoretically investigated how this trade-off could affect the terms of credit agreements. In their model, suppliers offer trade credit as an incentive to buyers to hold higher inventories. Normally, managements concerned with liquidity but they cannot only concern liquidity as single element because when there are shortage or excessive in receivables or inventory it usually will reflected to production, sales efforts, fixed assets or other management decision parameters, not liquidity alone. As highlighted before, receivables and inventory reflected to sales and production strategies. Working capital is also important factor in liquidity management due to its effect on the profitability and risk of the firm. Specifically, the investment in working capital is highly related with tradeoff between profitability and risk which means that if the company decides to increase the profit, they have to face the increase in risk as well as stated by Smith (1980). There are a lot of determinants of working capital such as stated by Chiou and Cheng (2006) in their study: 1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations. 2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of. 3. factor influence working capital such as business indicators, industry effect, operating cash flows, growth opportunity for a firm, firm performance and size of firm. The study has clearly identified that determinant of working capital 1. To represent in a picture or sculpture. 2. To represent in words; describe. See Synonyms at represent. consistent results of leverage and operating cash flow Operating cash flow Earnings before depreciation minus taxes. Measures the cash generated from operations, not counting capital spending or working capital requirements. for both net liquid balance and working capital requirements. However, Capital requirements Financing required for the operation of a business, composed of long-term and working capital plus fixed assets. some variables unable to produce consistent conclusions for net liquid balance and working capital requirements of firms like business indicator, industry effect, growth opportunities, performance of firm, and size of firm. Similar study has been done by Nazir and Afza (2008) which have used both external and internal factors to explore the determinants of working capital requirements of a firm. They identified internal factors were operating cycle Operating cycle The average time between the acquisition of materials or services and the final cash realization from that acquisition. operating cycle , operating cash flows, leverage, size, ROA, Tobins q and growth while industry dummy Sham; make-believe; pretended; imitation. Person who serves in place of another, or who serves until the proper person is named or available to take his place (e.g., dummy corporate directors; dummy owners of real estate). and level of economic activity were recognize as external macroeconomic n. (used with a sing. verb) The study of the overall aspects and workings of a national economy, such as income, output, and the interrelationship among diverse economic sectors. factors. From the study, they found that operating cycle, leverage, ROA and q had a significant influence on the working capital requirements. Their finding further revealed that working capital management practices are also have significant related to industry and different industries are following different working capital requirements. Another study has been done on impact of the different variables of working capital management by Rehman (2006). The study have recognize that the variable including Average Collection Period, Inventory Turnover in Days, Average Payment Period and Cash gap on the Net Operating Profitability of firms has a strong negative relationship between above working capital ratios and profitability of firms. Another element of liquidity management that is also important is cash gap which has high relationship with working capital. This is supported by Gitman (1974) that mentioned that cash gap is among important factor in working capital management. Cash gap or cash gap can give significant effect towards companies profitability. The shorter the period, companies could generate high volume of profit. The value of the firm also increase with the reduction on number of days for which the account are outstanding (Teruel and Solaano, 2007). Investment in inventory and trade debtor which customers still owe to the company are not being able to pay off any of the companys obligations. It will affect as an increase in the working capital if a company is not operating in the most efficient manner. The slow collection as cash will affected the cash collection cycle. Uyar (2009) examined the relationship between types of industry with cash gap. The study is done on merchandising and manufacturing companies and found that merchandising industry has shorter CCC than manufacturing industries. He also investigate the relationship between the length of the CCC and the size of the firms and the findings indicated there is a significant negative correlation Noun 1. negative correlation a correlation in which large values of one variable are associated with small values of the other; the correlation coefficient is between 0 and -1 indirect correlation between the length of CCC and the firm size, in terms of both variable net sales Net Sales The amount a seller receives from the buyer after costs associated with the sale are deducted. Notes: This amount is calculated by subtracting the following items from gross sales: merchandise returned for credit, allowances for damaged or missing goods, freight and total assets. Furthermore, the study by Uyar(2009) investigate the correlation between the length of CCC and the profitability of the company. The finding showed there is a significant negative correlation between these two variables. In addition, the study by Rehman (2006) stated that managers can create a positive value for the shareholders by reducing the cash gap up to an optimal level To underline the importance of managing liquidity, Loeser (1988) mentioned the extreme way in order to reduce the cash cycle. Loeser recommended interest to be charged at the prime rate to outstanding accounts receivable and unbilled revenue. This is to encourage responsible employees and particular departments within companies to put every effort necessary to collect receivables, and thus reduce Cash gaps. Similarly, study by Fraser (1998) who argues that liquidity and Cash gap management starts with a simple task for financial managers by making certain that their billings, collections, and payables systems are operating efficiently. Management must be certain with the procedures of collecting the payment so that the cash collecting process will organized eventually. Critics and disadvantages on liquidity ratio Besides the benefit in liquidity management and working capital, it also arise some critics such as stated by Hawawini et al. (1986) argue that in order to get the relevant analysis result, it is a better for the firm to apply the concept of working capital investment in its operating cycle rather than the usage traditional concept of net working capital. This argument also supported by Finnerty (1993) which mentioned that the current ratio and quick ratio calculated in traditional liquidity ratios include both liquid financial assets and operating assets in their formula. This is according an ongoing concern point of view that identified inclusion of operating assets which are tied up in operations is not useful. Subsequently, Kamath (1989) argues that both current and quick ratios are static analysis in nature because the usage of past performance. These two ratios have the lack of information on the future cash flows and liquidity. There was suggestion by Gitman (1974), Richard and Laughlin (1980), Boer (1999), and Gentry et al., (1990) to replace the use of liquidity ratio with cash gap as a measure of available liquidity. This is due to the dynamic nature of cash cycles and also involved tradeoffs. As suggest by Kamath (1989) the Cash gaps (cash gap) can be used to replace or s liquidity ratios in measuring and predicting the nature and pattern of future cash flows. The Cash gap measures the length of time between actual cash payment on productive resources especially from the raw material and actual cash receipts from the sale of products or services. It is good for the company to have a short Cash gap because the longer the gap the longer company has to rely on the external financing. T he result was company will suffer of increasing interest cost. In Saudi Arabia the interest cost is more expensive in due to the absence of tax savings. Instead of paying taxes, national companies incorporated in Saudi Arabia are not required to pay zakat (level or fixed percentage tax required by Islamic shariah). This is due to the characteristic of borrowing cost which is as a cheap basis of financing loses its tax advantage since there is no tax on Saudi companies profits. Likewise, reducing cash gaps by any number of days will add equally to the pretax and after-tax profits. Although the liquidity ratios is a very useful mechanism to analyze financial position of the companies, the usage of these ratio must be with discretion and caution especially in making comparison among company and across industry as mentioned by Abdullah and Ismail (2008) . The reason is because the different of accounting method and treatment used by the different companies, also different in ratio definition. Subsequently the mislead comparison be made. To avoid the mislead use, the standardize guideline is required. According to Gibson and Boyer (1991), without the standardize guideline, companies will only disclose the ratio that only benefit them. Due to the lack of guideline and standard, study done in Malaysia found that only some of the company disclosure a comprehensive of financial ratio. The study also disclosed that there are differences in choice of ratio, method of calculated the ratio among the companies. This situation doesnt allow for any comparison among the company. The researcher also found that the good performance companies tend to disclose more information as signal of their good quality to attract attention of investors. Gibson (1982) the lacks of ratio disclosure discourage the information user to know about the financial position because most of the important financial ratios were not discloses. Furthermore, most companies disclose the ratios that only favorable to benefit their position Liquidity and profitability There are a lot of research done to identify the significant relationship between liquidity management and companies profitability. Evidence from previous studies supported the fact that aggressive working capital policies could increase the profitability of the company. Jose et, al (1996) proved that the US companies incurred high profit which benefit from aggressive working capital policies. In addition, Shin and Soenen (1998) identified that there is strong negative relation between the period of the firms net trade cycle and various measures of profitability. The study was done using a large sample of American firms during 1975-1994, found that reducing the net trade increase companys profitability. The study also includes market measures, such as stock returns, and operating profits. Previous research evidence that aggressive working capital management that heavily invested in high inventory level could enhance profitability of the company as highlighted by Wang (2002) who done the research for Japanese and Taiwan companies and found that the less cash gap period, the better operating performance. The research also had done in any other country such Deloof (2003) in Belgian companies which find the company could improve the profitability by reducing the number of days of account receivable outstanding as well as at the same time reducing their inventories. However, according the study by Uyar (2009) examined the relationship between types of industry with cash gap. The further finding showed there is significant negative correlation between the length of CCC and the profitability. Similar to Ramachandran and Janakiraman (2009) also found negative relationship between Earnings before Interest and tax (EBIT) EBIT See: Earnings Before Interest and Taxes EBIT See earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). and the cash gap. The study revealed that calculation EBIT shows how to manage the working capital of the firm. The negative relationships reflect to the lower gross EBIT was related with an increase in the accounts payable days. Thus the study identify that less profitable company will take advantage to pay for a longer to pay their bills. At the same time company also taking advantage of credit period granted by their suppliers. The study also found that there is the positive relationship between average receivable days and firms EBIT that suggested that less profitable company will try to pursue a decrease of their accounts receivable accounts receivable n. the amounts of money due or owed to a business or professional by customers or clients. Generally, accounts receivable refers to the total amount due and is considered in calculating the value of a business or the business problems in paying days in order to reduce their cash gap. The advantages of high inventory level are reducing in cost of possible interruption in the case of scarcity products. It can overcome the problem of price fluctuation; reduce supply cost (Binder and Maccini, 1991). The other advantages associated with high level inventory that allow trade credit which act as effective price cut (Brennan et. al, 1988; Petersen and Rajan, 1997), also encourage customer to purchase their resources at the lower price. As highlighted by Emery (1997). The company also could benefit long term relationship with the customers as mentioned by Ng et, al (1999). On the other hand there is contrary argument on aggressive policies that minimize on working capital which state that it would affect the profitability of the company as stated by Wang (2002) that if the inventory level is least, the company could face reduction in its sales. Similar to Ganesan (2007) that done the research on relationship of efficient capital management and profitability in telecommunication company that he identified that the efficiency working capital management was negatively associated to the profitability and liquidity. From the finding, it shows that when the working capital management efficiency was improved by decreasing days of working capital, there was improvement in profitability of the firms in terms of profit margin. Padachi (2006) examined the trend in working capital requirement and profitability of firms. This study is done to identify the causes for any significant differences between the industries. The finding reveals that high investment in inventories and receivables was associated with lower profitability. It has a significant negative effect between the inventories investment and profitability. The findings also recognized that an increasing trend in the short-term component in the short-term component of working capital financing. This finding also agreed by Raheman and Nasr (2007) also studied on the effect of working capital on liquidity towards profitability of the company. Further the study done also recognize that there was a negative relationship between liquidity and profitability of the company. Also, they find that there is a positive relationship between size of the company and its profitability and significant negative relationship between debt used by the firm and its profi tability. The similar study also done by Afza and Nazir (2007a) and they also found the same finding as previous research. In line with the study Afza and Nazir (2007b) further investigated the relationship between the aggressive/conservative working capital policies profitability as well as risk of public limited companies. The finding reveals that a negative relationship between the profitability measures of companies and degree of aggressiveness of working capital investment and financing policies. The companies will occur negative returns if they follow an aggressive working capital policy. Another study by Lazaridis and Tryfonidis (2006) that investigated the relationship of profitability which measured through gross operating profit and working capital management. The results of the study showed that there was a negative relationship between profitability and the cash gap which was used as a measure of working capital management efficacy. In order to generate can create profits for their companies, the management must handling correctly the cash gap and keeping each component like accounts receivables, accounts payables, inventory to an optimum level. Samiloglu and Demiraunes (2008) analyzed the effect of working capital management (which highlighted accounts receivable period, inventory period and leverage) on the profitability of the firms. The study depicted working capital has a negative effect on profitability of the companies profitability . Conclusion It is very important and first step taken to study the role of liquidity management policies on profitability of a company. Normally, the company decision whether they can face higher risk due to achieve higher profit. Iif a company desires to absorbed a greater risk for bigger profits and losses, it could reduces the size of its working capital in relation to its sales. If the main interest of the companies is improve its liquidity, it increases the level of its working capital. Therefore, a company should identify a balance between liquidity and profitability (Vishnani . Shah, 2007). . Before the companies adopt any method to increase the profitability, they should evaluate the tradeoff between expected profitability and risk on inventory investment. They have to make sure that the increase in profitability is more than the risk involved.