How does music affect your heart beat? Essay

The heart is a vital organ in the human body. Though only the size of the fist, it pumps blood to the rest of the body by rhythmic expansion and relaxation. The frequency of this cardiac cycle is measured by the term heart rate. The heart rate is the number of contractions (beats) of the heart in a minute. The heart rate tends to increase with response to a wide variety of conditions like vigorous physical activity or according to our hypothesis, music. Music has an arousal effect which is related to its frequency and tempo. Slow or meditative music can induce a relaxing effect and thus put the psychological sense in rest. Music may be used as an alternative technique of relaxation or meditation. Recent research suggests slow music influences a person’s relaxation, and that musical pauses modulate heart rhythms (in a good way). The researchers found that music with faster tempos resulted in increased ventilation, heart rate, and blood pressure. When the music was paused, ventilation, heart rate, and blood pressure decreased, sometimes below the beginning rate. Slower music caused declines in heart rate, with raga music influencing the largest decline. Overall, researchers agreed that the style of music wasn’t as important as its pace. Music has also been shown to reduce stress, benefit athletic performance, and enhance motor function in people with neurological impairments. So turn up the volume and chill out. Listening to music can influence your heart rate and how fast you breathe – especially if you’re a trained musician, a new study indicates. Listening to faster music with a more upbeat tempo has the opposite effect – speeding up respiration and heart rate. The results support a growing body of research on the potential stress-reducing health benefits of music, the researchers say. In the current study, Sleight and colleagues monitored breathing rate, blood  pressure and other heart and respiratory indexes in 24 healthy young men and women, before and while listening to short excerpts of different kinds of music. The music ranged from slow and fast classical compositions of differing complexities to rap. They also monitored the subjects during two minute musical intermissions. Half of the subjects were trained musicians and the other half had no musical training. The investigators report that listening to music initially produces varying levels of arousal – accelerated breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate – that are directly proportional to the tempo of the music and perhaps the complexity of the rhythm. The style of the music or an individual’s music preference appears less important than the tempo of the music. They also found that calm is induced by slower rhythms and by short pauses or intermissions in the music. Pausing the music for two minutes actually induces a condition of relaxation greater than that observed before subjects began listening to the music tracks, the investigators report. Sleight suggests these effects are most striking for people who have musical training because they have learned to synchronise their breathing with the musical segments. â€Å"Musicians breathe faster with faster tempi, and had slower baseline breathing rates than non-musicians,† he says. The researchers speculate that music may give pleasure, and perhaps health  benefits, because it induces a controlled alteration between arousal and relaxation. They say the present study suggests that an appropriate selection of music – alternating fast and slower rhythms interspersed with pauses – can be used to induce relaxation and may therefore be beneficial in heart disease and stroke. References: above background information obtained from:Reader’s Digest December 2006Specific Research DesignWe will be measuring the heart rates of each subject to determine the effect of music on cardiovascular activity. In order to do this, we first must measure, using a heart rate monitor, the resting heart rate of the subject, as the control. Furthermore, the subject will be asked of their physical activity level, as well as to rank, in terms of preference, thefive genres of music to be used for testing. The subject will then be exposed to, sequentially, five genres of music: 20th century classical, ambient electronica, rock, metal, and rap. During each piece of music the heart rate of the subject will be recorded, and following each piece the subject’s heart will be allowed to return to resting heart rate to eliminate any sampling error that might otherwise occur. Which genre has the greatest effect on heart rate?Aim: To find out which genre of music has the greatest effect on heart rate. Hypothesis: I believe – from research, that either house or rock will get the heart rate going the most. Apparatus:Heart-rate Monitor: This object is usually a strap attached to the person’s chest with electrodes in contact with skin, which detects the hearts voltages. Once these are detected, they are then sent to the receiver through radio signals, which is usually around the wrist. The receiver uses these findings to determine the subject’s heart rate. iPod: This device will be used to expose the subject to the 7 different pieces of music throughout the experiment and at the same volume at 2mins  each song. The Human: The people tested are all between the ages of 18-23 and similar physique to keep a somewhat constant. We are also taking into account their favourite type of music based off of the seven choices we give them to see if this affects the way they react to the stimulus of the music. We are also considering their physical condition, for this will influence the heart’s activity. Method:Step 1. The volunteer was allowed to rest for 1 minute while seated. Step 2. The volunteer’s heart rate was measured using the LifeSource heart rate/blood pressure monitor. Step 3. The first music track was played using a CD player. When the track was completed, the volunteer’s heart rate was recorded. Step 4. The volunteer’s heart rate was recorded after playing each of the 7 music tracks. The music tracks were played consecutively, in the same order for each volunteer as follows:a) Acoustic: No Other Way by Jack Johnsonb) Blues/Jazz: Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charlesc) Classical: Leave No Man Behind by Hans Zimmerd) House/Electronica: La Musique by Riot In Belgiume) Hip-Hop: Don’t Matter by Akonf) R&B: Stronger by Kanye Westg) Rock: Start Me Up by the Rolling StonesVariables:Controlled: Ipod, volume, songs, heart rate monitor, time of music play, volunteer’s age bracket and gender. Dependent: Heart rate of volunteers measured in beats per minute. Independent: The songs played, time of play, different volunteer. This shows that the tempo is like the human heart and how it beats. Conclusion:From the experiment, I found that the genre of Dance, House/Electronica had the most affect on heart rate with an average of 69.7 beats per min. The genre of Classical music had the least affect on the heart rate with an average of 57.3 beats per min. Bibliography: Reader’s Digest, sciencebuddies.org, www.uncp.edu, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/, agsci.eliz.tased.edu.au, Encarta, sonybmg.com.au, musiclab.com, Mozart.org/

Credit Default Swaps

Credit Default Swaps Credit default swaps are the transfer of third party credit risk from one party to the other party. The purchaser of the swap must make the payments until it reaches the maturity date of the assigned contract. A better understanding of CDS is â€Å"One party in the swap is a lender and faces credit risk from a third party, and the counterparty in the credit default swap agrees to insure this risk in exchange of regular periodic payments (essentially an insurance premium). If the third party defaults, the party providing insurance will have to purchase from the insured party the defaulted asset.In turn, the insurer pays the insured the remaining interest on the debt, as well as the principal†(Investor Words). The worth of credit default swaps results from whether or not a company fails to pay back the amount. The Washington Post Article â€Å"Credit default swaps are insurance products. It’s time we regulated them as such† by Barry Ritholtz on March 10, 2012 explained that it was time to change the laws regarding Credit Default swaps. The article talked about companies like Enron and AIG took advantage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, that promoted unregualated insurance policies.The CFMA lead to companies wrongly swapping their defaults. The CFMA lead to the 2007-2008 Finanical Crisis that was responsible for the collapse of Lehman Brothers, CitiGroup, Bank of America, Fannie and Freddie. The Telegraph article titled â€Å"JPMorgan losses highlight need for credit default swap regulation† goes into detail about the $17. 5 billion loss JPMorgan experienced due to a series of derivate transactions in 2012. It was first believed that they only lost $2 billion during the first quarter of the year, but by the end it was calculated close to $17. billion. experience. The government is left in a position that they have to help them, in order to prevent another economic depression. Credit Default Swaps need to be either strictly regulated by the governments where these banks are performing these actions or banned all together. These banks are gambling with money that they don’t have to cover their losses. The more the banks can deregulate themselves from the government’s power, the more likely another major economic depression is to happen. Works Cited Blackden, Rick. JPMorgan Losses Highlight Need for Credit Default Swap Regulation. † The Telegraph. N. p. , 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2013 Gandel, Stephen. â€Å"Why It's Time to Outlaw Credit Default Swaps. † CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 18 June 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Ritholtz, Barry. â€Å"Credit Default Swaps Are Insurance Products. It’s Time We Regulated Them as Such. † Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2013 â€Å"What Is Credit Default Swap? † Http://www. investorwords. com/5876/credit_default_swap. html. WebFinance, n. d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013

Introduction to Practical Life Essay

* The purpose of Practical Life is to help the child gain control in the coordination of his movement, especially development of the hand`s coordination. â€Å"The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence†. Maria Montessori- The Absorbent Mind. The fine muscles coordination is closed connected with the child`s conceptual development. As Dr. Montessori quoted it: â€Å"The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself†. Practical Life activities help the child to gain independence and enables him to correlate his own physical, psychic and moral desires: * Physical desire to move and exercise growing limbs * Psychic – to perfect the movements Moral – to become useful and helpful to the other. The area of Practical Life aids the growth and development of the child’s intellect and concentration and will in turn also help the child develop an orderly way of thinking. In addition, Practical Life initiates in the child respect and love for any work, steps for creative art and helps the child to perform the activities of daily life with joy, skill, and grace through which he is attaining perfection. In an ideal situation, Practical Life would be located near the entrance to the classroom, as a link between home and school and a basis for the curriculum. Beautiful area: color coded, beautiful flowers, paintings, vases†¦ to draw child to Practical Life. Concentration: The child will be given uninterrupted work time to help him to develop the ability to concentrate and an opportunity to develop good work habits. He/she will learn to observe, organize, analyze, and problem solve. Concentration leads to normalization, enables the child to focus on work, and increases his attention span. The child who laboriously scrubs a table and attends to the details of their work is laying the foundation for calm effortless concentration levels for creative thought patterns. Coordination: The child will be encouraged to develop and refine large and small muscle control. He/she will be given the opportunity to coordinate bodily movements. Eye-hand coordination will be a major goal in many activities. Attention to movement is not instinctive but planned voluntary actions. Repetition provides the child with opportunities for perfecting these movements. Independence; The children will develop independence through the mastery of themselves and their environment. The skills learned in Practical Life serve as preparation for success in all other areas of the classroom. We all want to be masters of our own fate. The independent activities we adults take for granted are major hurdles in the child’s drive for independence. Order: The Montessori classroom provides the child with real and purposeful work. The environment helps the child to develop a sense of Order. The internal Order is absorbed and learned from the external order. Sequential steps in the work expand the child`s memory. Dr. Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. If not provided during this period the opportunity is foregone. The child is systematically categorizing their world. Thus, a routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place. A sense of calm provides the child an opportunity for orderly self construction. A Positive Self-Concept and Self-Confidence: A child who can do for himself and help others has a good self-concept. The interest work, consistent classroom rules, and respectful teacher responses help the child develop inner discipline and self-control. Practical Life activities encourage the child to develop effective socialization skills. He learns to contribute to the class community and to build friendships. On the other hand, the indirect aim of Practical Life is to develop the child`s fine motor movement, which involves the body, intellect and will. These indirect aims are, for example, eye-hand coordination, pincer grip, whole hand grasp, preparation for writing, exercise and co-ordinate body movement. Movement is so important for the young children; children need to move. â€Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external environment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciousness, since it is the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality. † Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, New York Ballantine Books, 1966. Dr. Montessori believed that the Prepared Environment was integral to a child`s development. The Montessori classroom is a child-centered community, designed to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration. Here, the child experiences the blend of freedom and discipline to act and develop along the lines of his own nner direction- physically, mentally and spiritually. In the Prepared Environment there is a variety of activity as well as a great deal of movement. No object is taught in isolation; the work is interdisciplinary and interactive. The prepared environment has seven basic components: 1) Freedom: within limits, freedom to say â€Å"no thank you†, freedom to talk, to choose, of movement, to be alone, to be with friends. 2) Structure and order: Inherent in environment; fully arranged and proportioned for the child and divide into various areas such as Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, etc. in shelving: left to right, simple to complex, within the tray, etc. ; routine of day. 3) Reality and nature: plants, animals, natural containers. 4) Beauty and atmosphere: calm, beautiful filled with nature. 5) Montessori materials: basis of methodology. 6) Development of community life: part of a group, interacting with others in a peaceful manner, taking responsibility for themselves and each other, respecting each other`s differences, abilities, work and work space, and to treat each other with courtesy and dignity. ) Teacher: children can function independently, if just for a moment. Montessori triad: teacher, child, prepared environment. The classroom needs to be prepared to meet the child`s needs: psychic space which should be clean, uncluttered; small nooks for privacy; must provide space for movement; teacher`s role is to create activities that will be self-teaching for the children (control of error: like using wood before glass); set up for success. In a Prepared Environment, you would notice three main guiding ground rules: respect for self, for others and for the environment. All practical Life Activities are directed to these ground rules; therefore, the numbers of rules should be kept to a minimum, likewise, concise and easy to understand and presented in a positive manner. These ground rules are the criteria needed to maintain freedom for self as well as for others. They promote freedom through independence. In a Montessori classroom, the Practical Life lessons provide to the three year olds the opportunity to spend most of the time to develop skills, concentration, order, and coordination. They prefer to help adults with their activities. They want to use real tools, such as brooms, sponges, brushes, screw drivers, cleaning rags, and other such items. Four years olds will refine their skills and five year olds will be to perfect all the skills learned. Older children are generally in favor for more elaborate activities such as cooking and cross stitching.

Racial Segregation based on Black Boy by Richard Wright Essay

Racial Segregation based on Black Boy by Richard Wright - Essay Example d the Jim Crow laws and the rise of Klu Klux Klan, a white racist group that lynched, kidnapped, beat, or even murdered blacks to prove their supremacy. On the other side African American culture, its literature and arts flourished giving rise to the Harlem Renaissance. Richard Wright fought hard to resist segregation and refused to be forced into subservience as most of the blacks of that period did. As we read about his childhood one can visualise the sufferings and humiliation the African Americans had to endure in the early 1990s. In his book Wright portrays all the violence, brutality, despair and powerlessness that goes with racism. The whites abused him physically and verbally. In the book there is mention of how when he was young he had to suffer regular physical and verbal abuse in his workplace and how his white colleagues even went to the extent of hitting him with a bottle for not addressing a white man as "sir". â€Å"for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a â€Å"white† line and a â€Å"black† line. During my visit at Granny’s a sense of the two races had been born in me with sharp concreteness that would never die until I died." (Wright R, 1945) These lines from Black Boy show that Wright understood what it was to be a black boy right from his childhood days. The fear, the violence the blacks faced everyday is beautifully put forth in the book. Both the blacks and whites resorted to violence whenever they wanted to control or show their power and this show of violence was predominant in the lives of Southerners. Richard turns violent many times like when he rebels against his father and kills the kitten in a fit of rage. Similarly when he burns down the house he gets thoroughly beaten. He overcomes his fear of the gang of boys by attacking them. Racial segregation or racial prejudices also instilled fear and mistrust in the society. This is evident in many of the episodes of the Black Boy. Richard

Answering the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering the questions - Essay Example t even though the tree is dead from the inside and it will only be a matter of time before the leaves fall out and reveal the real nature of the tree (Brown 234). While Christian doctrine offers pardon from sins through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior, secular humanists believe that humans are basically noble and have no need to ask for forgiveness from anyone for their â€Å"sins†. Thus secular humanists cannot discard their guilt and once a human compiles too much guilt, then overtime he becomes accustomed to these feelings of guilt and the signals from the conscience and has no trouble behaving sinfully and immorally (Brown 233-238). Almost all the aspects of the Christian doctrine comply with humanist world views, the doctrine teaches about respect for fellow human beings, sanctity through the unity of a man & woman, staying truthful, and not doing anything that is sinful in nature according to the Bible. More and Erasmus were some of the greatest preachers of Christian Humanism and were considered exceedingly moral and intelligent. Being close friends, More and Erasmus had high respect for one another, Erasmus even talked about More’s sole being â€Å"purer than snow†. While their outlook and views about Christian humanism were analogous, their methods were different in the sense that More was much more radical than Erasmus. (Hauerwas and Wells 142) The Pope was and is a prominent figure all over the world, and believed to be the foremost religious authority and the most righteous man. So when Martin Luther advertised several gross allegations against the Pope and the Church’s officials in his 95 Theses; this immediately gained popularity, as do many scandals in the present day. (Graham 118-119) In less than 2 weeks, the popularity 95 theses had covered all of Germany and within 60 days the publicity reached all over Europe; mostly through word-of-mouth publicity and the scandalous nature of the texts. (Graham 119) The main reason why

The intersection between ethics and politics in ANIMAL RIGHTS about Essay

The intersection between ethics and politics in ANIMAL RIGHTS about Animal Genetic Testing - Essay Example Animal testing is one of the most ethically gray points in society. One can say that it can is a necessary evil as it is an important factor in keeping technology, as in medical technology. We need to know how certain chemicals can work in our body when dispensed, hence animal testing. In short, the development of drugs is one of the reasons why there is animal testing in the midst. However, we are also aware of the fact that animal testing is brutal as it is (most of the time) done without painkillers – meaning, the animals would suffer for the plight of the people, plight of the people that make them miserable and take their services for granted, as they are inferior – animals as they are called. There are about 20 million animals that are killed every year for experiments. 75% of the said figure are killed because of medical testing and that the rest of them are killed to try new products (as in animal testing). Ten percent of the 20 million figure are said to be und ergoing procedure without any pain killers. There are many people, especially the animal rights advocates, who oppose the use of animals in medicine and health services, that is true. They are imposing various government to give restrictions on companies and businesses that do not respect animal rights for research. However, this movement is also taking a call to stop as there are also a growing number of people who do not want to stop experimenting on the animals. This is due to the fact - or fear – that medical research and technology would stop growing at the rate that it is growing now. This means that the stoppage of the use of animals in research would curtail the growth of the knowledge and scientific progress. Pain is an intrinsic evil. Those people who argue that painful experimentation on animals should be avoided, or stopped (in a perfect world), say that, and anything (or anyone) that causes pain to another creature or animal is immoral. Using the words of Jeremy Bentham, one cannot say (or use the argument) that the animals â€Å"can’t talk, or reason† hence they can be used. The real question that should be asked is â€Å"do animals suffer?† The answer is yes. They do suffer because they feel pain. The scientist who conducts research the rat for some new formulation about a new drug knows that the rat feels pain because it needs to know how the human would react if it is subjected to the new drug – will the new drug cause pain to the patient or not? Every writhe and struggle of the anilam is recorded and then will be used to improve and design a new drug. Even the fact that the scientist will have to let the animal choose to what its setup is: to have electric shocks or to have hunger, is immoral. Although the data will be used and collected to know whether ulcers of some kind would be formed, the doctor still uses the animal to know how the human mind works as the rat and humans have the same neural responses. Basically, we are like rats. Pain is an intrinsic evil. It does not matter if it is experienced by a man, child or animal. If it is wrong to inflict pain on a human being, then it is wrong to inflict pain on an animal, or any creature for that matter. Another thing that should be

Financial Performance of The BEST Pty Ltd Research Paper

Financial Performance of The BEST Pty Ltd - Research Paper Example The culprit can be seen to be the ballooning of expenses. It should be noted that depreciation and amortization registers 165% growth while other selling and administration expense records higher growth of 178%. To make matters worse, finance costs more than tripled at 355% from 2003 to 2007. Turning to the balance sheet accounts of the business organization, it should be noted that the mounting finance costs can be traced to the ballooning of assets which is unmatched by the growth in equity. This indicates that the company's acquisition of asset is financed by the more costly liabilities. Logically, when Best resort to its creditors to finance the acquisition of its assets, it incurs the obligation to pay interest at specific intervals thus boosting its finance cost. The company's cash account grew weakly at 18% during the seven-year period. Table 2 highlights the financial ratios of Best from 2003 to 2007 utilizing the selected data provided. In terms of profitability, the year 2007 saw a decline both in return to assets and return to ordinary shareholders. It should be noted that this decline indicates the company's inability to create net income which adds to shareholder wealth and value to its assets. From the high return of shareholder's equity ratio of .25 in 2006, this slumped to .12 in 2007 meaning that for every dollar invested in the company's stocks, a shareholder gets 12 cents in 2007 compared to the 25 cents in 2006. Asset turnover also declined from 0.53 to 0.47 signaling lower asset utilization and possibly an inability to maximize the company's resources. Profit margin ratio is also in decline from .18 to 0.09. The decrease in profitability ratios from the good performance in 2006 can be an indication of company's difficulty of providing profits to its stakeholders. Consistent with the observation above, the company's debt to asset ratio has steadily increased from 2003 to 2007. In fact, during 207 debts finance 65% of the company's assets leaving only 35% to Best's stockholders. Logically, this will mean that the company is paying off higher interest expenses which is also reflected in its dwindling times interest earned ratio. Conclusion The trend analysis and financial ratio analysis brings out problems in profitability together with the company's riskier resource structure which leads to mounting financial costs. It is recommended that the company particular focus in improving in these aspects through more efficient resource management and managing costs effectively. However, since the analysis is only grounded in the selected financial data at hand, it should also be stressed that it does not show the complete picture. For one, the performance of Best should be benchmarked with its competitors in order to know where it stands. The slower performance in 2007 could also be brought be external factors which are beyond the business organization. Thus, understanding the trends in the business environment will also be important as well. In assessing and evaluating the performance of a company, quantitative and qualitative information should always be utilized hand in hand.

Paperless office database - Topic title Coursework

Paperless office database - Topic title - Coursework Example There is also need to reach out to the global market (Digital IEEE Software House Advertisement, 2013).Previously, it was easier due to the geographical region had to cover as compared to currently when there are no boundaries globally, and you want to reach out to them. The way to collect information about the advertisement company is to do document review of journals, books, and articles. The step is very vital because there are many people out there who have carried out research on the topic, and it is necessary to consider their opinions. Further, there would be an interview with experts in the field to get first-hand information on their experiences and trending ways of advertisements (Reeves, 2014). In addition, questionnaires will also be used to reach out to experts who are willing to help but are far thus it is not possible to interview them. There are a lot of data challenges in advertisement companies. First, there is a lot of incoming data from consumers. These data needs to be analyzed, and patterns drawn from it to make projections. The results are important in making decisions in the company. The company also needs to get real-time retrieval of information concerning their customers. It is a significant challenge with traditional means to achieve this. Thus, a relational database management system is required. Handling of varied formats of data is also inevitable (Digital Magazines House Advertisement, 2014). A database system offers a lot of flexibility in storing a lot of data with different formats. They can also handle a lot of data at the same time as compared to any traditional means. Databases further encourage validation of data, segmentation of consumers and proper organization of data in the media industry. The system wishes to achieve a number of milestones. First, is to omit manual handling of data using files and cabins by digitizing content.

The Great Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Great Depression - Essay Example Furthermore, it also includes the response of American government to this economic event. Causes of Great Depression The most fundamental reason behind the great depression was the massive reduction in spending which ultimately led to rise in inventories and decline in production. There are several factors that resulted in the contraction in spending. Such factors include crash of stock market, monetary and banking failure and ‘Gold Standard’ (Berkley University, â€Å"Great Depression†). By the late 1929, prices of various stocks in US reached levels which were not justified by the rational anticipations regarding future earnings. As a consequence, when news like disappointing results of the organizations came out stock prices started to decline in a gradual manner. This led to reduction in confidence of the investors which in turn caused the burst of the stock market bubble. October 24, 1929 which is famous as ‘Black Thursday’ was the day when †˜panic selling’ actually started. By November, share prices were reduced by almost 33%. Such a stock market crash resulted in significant reduction in aggregate demand. Investment and consumer spending, as a result of these, fell sharply (Berkley University, â€Å"Great Depression†). Another crucial reason that caused great depression was lose of confidence of the depositors in the liquidity of the banks. In the late 1930, several depositors demanded their deposits in the form of cash. Situation created a massive panic in the banking sector. The panic was inexplicable and irrational in nature. However, large number of farmers who were unable to repay their huge loans was a reason behind the decline in the liquidity of the banks. Importantly Federal Reserve did not try its best to stem the panic. Absence of Benjamin Strong who was the governor of Federal Reserve Bank of New York is often considered to be the main reason behind such inaction (Berkley University, â€Å" Great Depression†). There are some experts who believe that the central bank of US allowed the huge reduction the money supply for preserving the gold standard. However, it has been a debatable issue over the years (Berkley University, â€Å"Great Depression†). Impact on Society Great depression had tremendous effect on the American society. By 1932 almost 25% of the country’s total workforce became unemployed. Furthermore, the unemployment rate remained almost 20% throughout that decade. In 1932 almost 25000 families and 200,000 young people roamed through the nation searching for clothes, shelter, food and more importantly a job (Oracle Thinkquest Education Foundation, â€Å"The Great Depression†). People took assistance from private charities and public relief systems although they were not able to meet the demand. Rural, migrant and black families were more accustomed with adverse situations. As a result they could manage circumstances more easily as c ompared to their urban counterparts (Ingui, p 108-109). Families had to change their lifestyles as their professions were changed. Many people engaged themselves with home businesses. Women played important part in the process of survival. Millions of people suffered from disease that was the result of malnutrition. Farmers irrespective of the color of their skin had to leave their home so that they could sell their crops. Families who used to stay in Dust Bowl turned into migrant farm-workers. American writers and artists portrayed the pain of common people. Photographers like Dorothea Lange and Roy Stryker captured the lives of the

Financila reporting for Summer bodysuit Ltd (SBL) startup company Essay

Financila reporting for Summer bodysuit Ltd (SBL) startup company - Essay Example This problem is so serious that the bank has requested the company to reduce its overdraft for the next six months, hence worsening its already ailing cash slow. As a member of Drake Management Consultants, who have been mandated to advise the company regarding financial issues, I have undertaken to write this report, citing the key problems and offering some recommendations regarding the problems that the company is undergoing. Analysis of the company’s financial statements Return on capital employed (ROCE) The ROCE for Summer Bodysuit Ltd (SBL) has increased from 15.9% to 23.8%, which is a favorable trend. This shows that the business has efficiently invested its resources to create profits. However, the management should be careful to ensure that this rate is maintained at a higher rate than that of borrowing; otherwise its benefit may not be realised (Baker and Wurgler 30). Year before last Last year Profit before Tax 1,668 3,706 Capital Employed 10,474 15,600 ROCE = ((Pro fit before Tax) / (Capital Employed)) * 100. 15.9% 23.8% Return on Equity (ROE) It is remarkable that ROE has increased from 0.38 to 0.54, because this shows that the company’s profitability is on an upward trend, hence an assurance to the shareholders that their capital is being used efficiently to make profits. This trend should be maintained by continuing to invest in profitable opportunities, though the management should be very careful not to engage in investment decisions that can slow down this positive trend in the future. Net Income 1,248 2,926 Shareholder's Equity 3,274 5,400 ROE = Net Income/Shareholder's Equity 0.38 0.54 Gross Profit Margin The company’s gross profit margin has increased slightly, from 46% to 48%. Although, a slight increase in this ratio is a positive indication of financial health, the management should work hard to ensure the cost of sales is reduced at a more increasing rate so that the company’s growth can be speeded up. Inciden tally, as the company work out on strategies that can increase the firm’s revenue, it should not be forgotten that reducing marginal cost of sales is also very essential. Furthermore, what is left after netting cost of sales from the revenue is used for paying for additional expenses as well as for future savings (Barry 256). Year before last Last Year Revenue 14,006 22,410 COGS 7,496 11,618 0.46 0.48 Net Profit Margin The Net profit Margin has increased from 8.9% to 13%, which is financially very healthy; if this trend continues in the future, the company is likely to grow in leaps and bounds. The management should be on the lookout for the costs that could be increasing at a greater rate than the revenues and control them because this could cause the growth in the net profit margin to decelerate in the future (O’Connor 758). Year before last Last year Net income 1,248 2,926 Revenue 14,006 22,410 Net profit margin = (net income/ revenue)*100 8.9% 13% Inventory Turnove r Ratio The company’s inventory turnover ratio has declined from 5.79 times to 3.85 times. This declined trend can cause alarm if it is as a result of any goods selling slowly. However, if it is caused by a company’s new strategy that has led to increased inventory, and which will lead to overall growth, then this should not be a cause of alarm. However, the management sh

Resume Professional Profile Essay Example for Free

Resume Professional Profile Essay Professional Profile A dedicated professional consultant with experience in management and business organization. Client focused, management driven, goal oriented, a team player, detail and research oriented, enterprising work ethic and solid integrity. Accountable and well organized. Skills and Certifications Primavera Software Complete MS Office package; Including MS Project, WordPerfect, Outlook Calendar, Registrar, Corel Draw, PageMaker,  Calendar Creator Plus E-mail, Internet design programs, SAVRR, CSTX System, Phoenix Typing 110 wpm, 10-key/touch Dbase III, Visio, Training Server Registration TAS Navigator Upgrade MS Access, Viewpoint   Purchasing Plus software, Blue-stake EZ-Trak P3 Scheduling Document Express Documentum Expedition IRMO RMS   Maximo Professional/Interpersonal Skills Asset Recognition Transfer – government to government, contractor to government; received recognition for leading the AFCEE Contractors in top closeouts at PMR Knowledge of Project Management Portals used by various AFCEE contractors (lap. lagunaconstruction; Ecconet; kbrconnect; URSConnect) Primavera Expedition Document Controls Administrator Contract Data Requirement List (CDRL) Experience with: JCCI, NAFVAC, AFCEE, MOE, MOD, DOD, COE Overseas Project Close-out/De-mobilization Plans (JCCI, NAFVAC, AFCEE, MOE, MOD, DOD, COE) close-out and turned over 600 projects totaling over 3 billion in revenue. SOP development and implementation Built and implemented Complete Document Control program (Halliburton ECCI) Catalogue Secure all Design As-Built drawings in accordance with SOP-206 Engineering Assistant Manage Overseas Man Camp/billets; security contracts; life support Team Development and Leadership training for Iraqi Local Nationals Manage Overseas Man Camp/billets; security contracts; life support Government Property Management for all Iraq and U.S. Area (JCCI, AFCEE, COE, PMO, NAVFAC, MNSTC-I) Task Orders, in-depth knowledge of the DD1354 and DD1149, DD250, Property Material Transfer and Supply procedures. International Logistics Manager Petty Cash Management / Payroll (maintain 100k average) Budgeting Skills Procurement Skills Contracts/Subcontracts (FAR) administration skills RFQ (request for quotes) Wrote, implemented, and manage the first AFCEE Warranty Program in Iraq Leasing skills Management and Organizational skills Facilities Management Skills ESL Instruction/Indochinese Refugees International Business Development Support (Proposal Production; Time line scheduling, etc.) Portal Maintenance; development; training and design Professional/Consulting Experience Laguna Construction Company, Baghdad, Iraq Project Manager-Task Order Contract Closeout Identify, perform QC/QA on all Contract Deliverables while interfacing with Client AFCEE/MNSTC-I for transfer of reach back and ongoing Task orders.   SME for JCCI/MNSTCI closeout processes for MoF closure of MoD contracts.   Maintain Company Database; on-site acting Contract Compliance Manager.   Set up and expedite best practices for company.   Other duties as team requires. Berger-URS-JV, PCO-GRD Baghdad, Iraq Closeout Control Manager for Facilities and Transportation Provide lead support role in project closeout activities.   Set metric-based goals, regular tracking and reporting close-out progress using computer applications.   Support transfer of facilities to owner.   Consolidate project files.   Manage electronic files, using Excel and database applications such as Maximo, IRMO, RMS and â€Å"P† drive.   Represent closeout group at weekly meetings and provide verbal and written reports.   Maintain action items and notifies designated managers of overdue items. Kellogg, Brown, and Root Services, CONCAP Program, International Locations Document Controls-Project Closeout Manager Project Closeout Specialist preparing deliverables for NAVFAC and preparing Demobilization and Closure Plan for submission.   Document Closeout – Primavera Expedition.   Implemented Documents Control sub-department and wrote SOP for Documents Control Specialist.   Delivered over 600 million in CONCAP Task Orders from Dec. 2005 thru July 2006. Document Control Manager (Procurement Materials) Serve as document liaison for Regional Baghdad PMP (Property, Materials and Procurement) operations in Taji, Camp Cooke.   Wrote and implemented theatre wide Data base program networked to encompass all PMP operations.   Reported on procurement, and contracting activities to Houston office.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maintained records retention schedules for International/Military Documents.   Monitored quality reporting under Master Agreements as it relates contractually. Managed and reported petty cash funds between Regional offices in Baghdad Taji, Camp Cooke.   Manage logistics of office and field supplies. ECCI, AFCEE Program, Baghdad, Iraq  Ã‚   Administrative Operations Manager, Logistics Manager, Government Property Liaison Currently travel 75% of the time in Theatre, closing out Task Orders and Writing Closure/Demobilization plans for completed projects.  Ã‚   Responsible for preparing CDRL Deliverables in the form of Turnover packages on all Projects to Client.   Work closely with client on Portal management.   Manage the Iraq Post closeout Warranty program.   Tasked to write SOP’s in an effort to standardize practices within theatre. Currently work in Program Controls in a Management Capacity in the areas of International Logistics, Document Control implementation, Government Property Controls and Task Order Operations. When supporting An Numaniyah Military Base as Operations Administrative Manager, duties included the management of day to day Administrative operations. Supervised up to ten employees; maintained payroll; petty cash; timesheet maintenance and distribution for ECCI and private Consultants, set up complete file maintenance system; wrote and implemented Administrative Office procedures.   Acted as liaison between the Client and ECCI; developed and implemented first Document Control Category Classifier for Retention of Records in Iraq, handled Administrative Turn-over of a 58 million dollar project to our client, AFCEE. Implemented and closed-out Project Documents.   Coordinate with Security and Program Managers during development and implementation of the demobilization plan.   Primary point of contact for all incoming and outgoing logistics; including employees; supplies; mail; etc.   Maintained project leave schedule; including processing all forms for leave, expenses, petty cash disbursements, cash advances, and Personnel Change Notifications.   Supported the Project Cost Specialist by expediting invoices during leave; Implemented and delivered a complete inventory of Government Property. Updated six months of post dated Portal data, maintained and QC’d daily maintenance of ANMB Portal.  Ã‚   Worked with Headquarters to improve Portal delivery to AFCEE, and delivered feed-back to enhance Portal friendliness.   Continue to trained   Operations Assistants, Project Managers, and Quality Managers in all duties, focusing on Document Control; Portal Maintenance; petty cash distribution; and coping strategies of living and working in the field.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performed all other duties assigned by Director of Operations and Program Controls. ECCI, UXO-CEA Program, Al-Taji Iraq Financial Specialist/ Logistics Coordinator Served in dual roles managing human resource documentation, employee time sheets, travel reimbursements, document control, and responsible for the following Reporting efforts:   Operations Reporting; SitRep Reporting, Weekly Corps of Engineer Reporting.   Maintained controlled file management for munitions records.   Serve as primary Dispatch for Taji Base operations.   Worked closely with Iraqi Nationals in the capacity of Contract Administrator for the Rafiadian Security force and served as the Local Labor force Liaison.   Attend Base Defense meetings, supervised two Iraqi Interpreters, and coordinated Billeting efforts with Parsons Logistics.   Developed and maintained close contact with Mayor Cell at Camp Cooke. Additional duties needed. Pierson Construction/Engineering Firm, Tempe Arizona Dispatch/Purchasing Agent Supervise company runner; Dispatch, Purchase and Coordinate 12 full crews on 15 open jobs in multi-million dollar Water and Sewer projects.   Managed various logs, purchase order preparations, price-out and award contracts for all materials and equipment.   Developed and maintain systems integrity within Company’s computer tracking system, and all other duties as assigned.   Expedited all below grade piping and aggregate from Suppliers in US and Internationally.    Dell Computer Corporation/Dell University, Austin, TX Administrative Specialist (Promotion w/in Dell Computer Corporation) Project centered position, supporting V.P. of Human Resources  Product Services Group.   Use high level of discernment and confidentiality working with employment, salary and stock option planning.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sr. Administrative Assistant   Support three program managers and one director by managing and coordinating meetings and training events between Suppliers, Executive Offices, and lines of business.   Outlook calendar and e-mail management. Record and distribute minutes for three Global Task Forces. Process and drive Contracts, Statement of Work, Non-disclosure Agreement’s, Purchase Requisitions and Orders, by working closely w/Procurement, Legal and Accounts Payable.   Coordinate all aspects of Inter-National and domestic travel for managers/director.   Utilized Excel to manage department Budget, and monitor metrics in Road mapping projects.   Proficient in Microsoft Access for tracking logistics, confirm training and vendor records. Program Administrator responsible for team of consultants contracted under QSAT.   General Office practices.    Office of the Attorney General, Austin, TX Training Specialist II, (Promotion within Office of the Attorney General) Developed, researched, delivered the following training: Customer Service, Stress Management, Telephone Etiquette, Office Administration, Records Management Retention Scheduling, WP6.1 intro and intermediate, WP5.1, Intro to Olivetti, CPR and First Aide, Financial Collections Procedures, Introduction to logistics, Human Resource, Technical, Safety, Management Training.   Traveled 70%.   Served as a consultant to various departments and field offices to understand specific requirements needs to provide research options and solutions.    Training Media Coordinator/Conference Meeting Planner Planned statewide logistics for conference/training space, food and beverage, vendor hospitality and sleeping rooms.   Handle special conferences as mandated by Director of Child Support.   Negotiated and processed contracts and associated paperwork for out-of-agency training facilities, sleeping rooms and equipment statewide. Developed and maintained a database for statewide training and conference events. Managed and planned build-out specifications and Building Inventory for 15 off-site PC training centers statewide.   Coordinated and maintained all Media.   Designed, coordinated, maintained and distributed training calendar state wide.   Previewing hotels in-state and out-of-state for possible conference sites.   Evaluated software packages for conversion of Training Scheduling and Database.   Systems Administrator-Registrar.    Education Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas Business Administration/Computer Science 1988 Austin Community College, Austin, Texas Accounting 1980 References Letters of Recommendation are available upon request

Advertising on a Global Scale Essay Example for Free

Advertising on a Global Scale Essay When a company, brand, or product is marketed within several countries, a significantly different approach to advertising must be made opposed to if it was only being sold within one country. A company’s awareness of the international advertising can greatly affect how well a product is accepted by its target audience and how well it sells. The most important aspect of global advertising is an understanding of culture. This involves considering the language barriers, the cultural significance of images and signs, and the applicability that a certain product may have within different countries. Addressing these three factors, overall, can help to increase the appeal of a product or service; and it is essential that companies realize that implementing a standardized method of advertising is not always the most effective way to enter a foreign market. There have been several debates in regards to the regulation of global advertising. Two contrasting statements have been made—one that suggests that advertising standardization is the most profitable approach to international marketing, and another that promotes localization. Those who support the standardization method â€Å"†¦argue that standardizing advertising can help maintain a uniform global strategy and image of the firm, maximize the firm’s cost advantage and meet a universal need of people across the world† (Zou and Volz 2010: 57). The adaption method, however, stresses that differences and barriers between cultures, spoken languages, historical contexts, and socio-economic factors between various countries affects the way in which advertising messages are perceived and translated. It is therefore does not make sense to implement only one form of advertisement that is meant to span a variety of countries and cultures, because one single campaign cannot apply and appeal to every market worldwide. Perhaps the arguments in favor of standardizing international campaigns, particularly the language that is being used, stems from the fact that English has become the dominant language in the world. The majority of advertisers and other people who work in the global marketing industry speak English, regardless of what is their country of origin; and it appears as if many advertisers are beginning to apply this theory to the consumers. Despite the widespread use of English and the fact that is the most commonly used language in advertising worldwide, the concept of advertising standardization has been widely criticized in favor of adaptation. It is somewhat hasty to assume, after all, that all people worldwide are fluent in English, simply because most of those working in the business sector happen to speak the language. What about those in smaller towns or non-Western countries such as Cairo, Egypt? Egyptians who work in the tourist or hospitality industry are likely to speak English, but many of the average citizens—who are all potential consumers—will not necessarily speak English or be able to understand the writing. Studies have also shown that the use of a local language tends to appeal more to those who live in the area, especially within countries that perceive their spoken and written language to be a valuable part of their culture. Hornikx, Van Meurs, and De Boer write that â€Å"†¦ads that appeal to important cultural values (such as independence in the United States or loyalty in Mexico) should be more persuasive than ads that appeal to relatively unimportant cultural values (such as loyalty in the United States or independence in Mexico)† (2010: 171). Empirical studies have also proven that ads using the local language and cultural values of a country tend to be favored as opposed to those with a standardized language and advertising message (Hornikx, Van Meurs, and De Boer 2010: 171). Although it is clear that language adaption is important, the preference that locals have for their language does not imply that advertisers should not use English in foreign countries. They simply need to use English in a way that is effective in conveying the message behind a campaign, and have an understanding of how the English language is perceived in each particular market they are trying to enter. Among Chinese consumers who frequently purchase upscale or luxury goods, global advertising, brands, and products tend to be preferred over domestic good. This is because in Chinese culture, in particular, â€Å"†¦global advertising elements are valued as signs or surrogates for status, cosmopolitanism, excitement, modernity, quality, technology, and beauty† (Zou and Belk 2004: 71). If advertisers are going to use English, however, it is crucial that they simplify the language as much as possible in order to minimize the risk of misinterpretation. There is no point in using a standardized advertising campaign in China if nobody is going to understand what it says. In the Netherlands, the use of English slogans in advertising was also preferred to Dutch, so long as the slogans were easy to read and translate (Louhiala-Salminen and Rogerson-Revell 2010: 95). This shows how the use of English, in many countries, could actually be beneficial and profitable for a company; but since not all countries perceive English the same way, it is important for advertisers to understand how and English campaign will be accepted within their target market. English will not necessarily be preferred to the local language, nor will global brands necessarily be favored over domestic products— which proves that language adaptation should still be used in some situations as opposed to absolute language standardization. Along with deciding whether or not the local language should be used in an international advertising campaign, companies need to consider the visuals that they are using. What is the significance of the images within that culture? Could they possibly be negatively misinterpreted? What do the local consumers consider to be visually appealing? All of these factors, of course, differ between countries and cultures. Studies have shown that there is a significant difference between the way in which high-context cultures and low-context cultures interpret ads. These high-context cultures include China, Japan, the Mediterranean, and Arab nations, where a lot of information is left unspoken and messages are often coded. Low-context cultures, however, refer to the United States, Germany, the UK, and other Western European countries. In these countries, everything is relatively straight-forward and messages are made clear (An 2007: 307). An describes the findings from many studies, which all â€Å"†¦imply that the idea of employing advertising visuals that reflect the communication styles of a particular national market appears to be a promising strategy to effectively reach consumers around the world† (2007: 303). This suggests that multinational advertisers should seek to differentiate their visuals between Eastern and Western cultures if they wish to make a product or service appeal to the people. In the United States, for example, celebrities—from singers, to socialites, to athletes—dominate magazine pages, commercials, and billboards as the spokes models for various brands. This tends to attract the attention of the American public, as they recognize the celebrities and typically create a positive association between that celebrity and the product. In the Middle East, however, using a celebrity athlete to represent a box of cereal will not make that cereal appear any more appealing than if the box were blank. Advertisers, instead, must determine what will be visually pleasing to consumers in countries that have different values than those from more Western countries. In addition to finding what a will attract people in terms of advertising visuals, it is essential to be and respectful of cultural beliefs and customs. Consider countries in the Middle East, where Islam is a dominant part of society. This religion stresses modesty, especially amongst women. Kalliny et al describe how in countries such as Saudi Arabia, â€Å"†¦women are not allowed to walk in the streets with their faces uncovered†¦ [and there are] women wearing long clothing in 83 percent of Arabic magazine advertisements showing women, compared to the 29 percent in U. S. advertisements† (2008: 218). With female modesty being so important within certain cultures, it is extremely important that multinational advertisers be cautious about whether their visuals will be appropriate. It would not be a good choice, for example, for an advertiser to market a brand of women’s perfume in Saudi Arabia with an enormous billboard showing Britney Spears wearing a bikini and holding a bottle of perfume. This would be considered offensive and would not be beneficial for the popularity of a product. The Japanese cosmetics industry also presents an interesting example of the importance of visual marketing and how advertisers need to pay attention to what will efficiently sell a product. As the second largest market in the world in terms of cosmetics, it was estimated to be worth roughly 1. trillion yen back in 2003 (Barnes and Yamamoto 2008: 299). Research regarding what type of models Japanese women prefer in beauty campaigns indicated a surprising fact. Although white models are widely used in Japan, because they are considered to be the ideal form of beauty, Japanese women actually preferred to buy cosmetics that used Japanese models in the advertisements. Barnes and Yamamoto discuss how this is due to white models not being applicable to Japanese women in terms of physical beauty. The Japanese, for example, value fair complexions, while Westerners typically prefer tans. Additionally, â€Å"†¦since the Japanese facial structure is different from that of Westerners, they will not become similar in appearance if they use the same make-up as a Western model† (2008: 310). This proves how a choice of visual representation in an advertising campaign can greatly affect how a product is accepted within different countries, and how advertisers must adjust their images or models accordingly. As research within the Japanese beauty industry has shown, applicability is crucial in global advertising. If a product or service has no value, necessity, or appeal in a certain country, hen consumers will not purchase the product. An advertisement’s message and content, therefore, is important and can determine how much interest is generated amongst consumers. In one particular study involving 40 different advertising campaigns and 1200 consumers, the significance of content was examined. Van Den Putte states that the study indicates that â€Å"†¦after controlling for the effect of previous purchase behavior, the effect of message content strategy is generally larger than the effect of advertising expenditure† (2009: 669). This shows how it is not necessarily a campaign’s budget that determines the success of a product, but the message and content that it contains. Alcohol advertisements have been successful in tailoring their ads to suit the requirements of different countries and cultures. One example is the comparison of alcohol advertisements between the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Beefeater Dry Gin, a spirit brand that often appears in GQ magazine, markets their gin in Britain quite minimally. Their ad consists of a lime splashing into a bottle of gin, with the splash pattern forming the British flag. The slogan simply reads â€Å"Refreshingly London†, with one more line that says â€Å"Distilled in London since 1820† (Wolburg and Venger 2009: 15). That is all that is needed in order for British consumers to understand the product and find some sort of value in the liquor. In Ukraine, however, alcohol companies have to take a much different approach. Wolburg and Venger state that, because drinking has not been instilled as a cultural norm in Ukrainian society, â€Å"†¦marketers have had to educate Ukrainians about drinking various alcoholic beverages. Ads, magazine articles, and Web sites must not only teach Ukrainians how these drinks are prepared and consumed; they must also explain what makes certain brands authentic† (2009: 15). This involves the importance of cultural applicability—if alcohol advertisers do not understand the need to educate certain consumer markets about their product in detail, then consumers will not see a need for the product altogether. McDonalds has been one of the most successful companies in terms of launching their fast-food chains globally and adjusting their products and advertising campaigns to appeal to local consumers. In India, for example, many of the people do not eat beef; so to increase its appeal, McDonalds in India sells a lamb burger as part of its menu, and markets its fish fillet sandwich much more than it does in the United States. It also utilizes many small, local farmers and food suppliers in order to make the company seem more localized and appealing to the Indian consumer base (Sarin and Barrows 2005: 23). The original, American version of McDonalds would most likely have been unsuccessful in countries such as India if the company had not made some adjustments. If McDonalds in Indian maintained the same American menu, then the Indian public would undoubtedly not have been as accepting of the brand and its products. Not only was the company culturally sensitive to the dietary restrictions that many Indian people have due to religious meanings, but it also used local suppliers as an acculturation strategy. With a menu that conforms to the eating habits of India, along with the use of their own famers and suppliers, McDonalds has become well-adjusted to the global community and has effectively made itself applicable to a wide variety of cultures and consumers. Culture is the most important factor in any advertising campaign, regardless of its origin. Advertisers cannot simply use one campaign and expect it to be accepted, appealing, and applicable to every country. Standardization also forfeits the competitive edge that one brand may have over another if it is able to successfully integrate its product into a foreign market. Paying attention to the language, visuals, and significance of a product is essential in global advertising, and advertisers must alter their campaign in order to better suit the tastes and values of individual cultures.

British Airways Leadership Style

British Airways Leadership Style Examining Leadership style in British Airways 1. ABSTRACT This is a study which examine the leadership in British airways and also evaluates their leader i.e. Willie Walsh using the relevant theories on leadership. Also critically evaluate the leadership style that is required for the success of British Airways. Reflections on leadership styles used in our previous jobs are also provided below. 2. INTRODUCTION 2(a). LEADERSHIP Leadership has and will always be an important factor in human affairs. In todays time it has become essential for organisations to have a good leader for its success at the same time its becoming challenging to find the right type of leader for the job as mentioned in (Kotler, 1988) Leadership is an activity, that of influencing the behaviour and beliefs and feelings of other group members in an intended direction as mentioned in (wright taylor, 1984). Leadership is only a part of the managers job not the whole thing. According to (Posner Kouzes, 2002, p. 13) 5 common practices of all leaders Model the way Inspire a shared vision Challenge the process Enable others to act Encourage the heart 2(b). BRITISH AIRWAYS British Airways Plc is the UKs biggest international scheduled airlines. They not only have scheduled services but also operation of international and domestic carriage of freight and mail, and ancillary services. British Airways fly to more than 300 destinations. It was established in 1910 it was formed to preserve the records and artefacts of British Airways predecessor companies BOAC, BEA, BSAA and the pre-war Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. BA was the first to launch the worlds first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris. It was a public sector company which in 1981 LordKing was appointed Chairman he was then charged by the SecretaryofStateforTrade to take all necessary steps for privatisation. (Airways) British airway has been known to have problem with its employees, being punctual , and financial losses from a very long time it had major problems in the beginning of 1980 which 2(c). WILLIE WALSH He was born on 25th of October1961 in Dublin, Ireland. In 1979, he joined Aer Lingus as a cadet. During his years as a pilot he was a chief negotiator for the union of pilots. He acquired a Masters degree in management and business administration from Trinity College, Dublin and later became a CEO of Futura in 1998 before he became a CEO of Aer Lingus 2000. Here he turned a loss making organisation into a profit making organisation within 6 months by reducing cost and selling painting and art from their office and also by cutting jobs. In 2005 he resigned from his position as the government refused to privatise the air lines. compiled from the various annual reports of the Aer Lingus Currently he is the CEO of British Airways. In May 2005 Willie Walsh became a Chief Executive Designate, after Rod Eddington as Chief Executive on 1 October 2005. He was hired as British Airways were wanting to reduce cost and make themselves into a low cost airlines. From the annual reports of the British Airways 2(d). FRAMEWORKS USED Trait Theory Michigan and Ohio University Studies Transactional, Transformation and Charismatic Leadership Situational Leadership Theory 3. LITERATURE REVIEW Globalization has made companies compete not only in the domestic but also in the global markets, and the demand for an effective leadership has become highly important. Many studies exist on the subject of leadership; this is mainly due to the fact that leaders are responsible for the main essential task in an organization such as creating, sharing and exploiting organizational knowledge, enabling an organization to grow (Bryant, 2003). There is no specific formula for being a good leader many scholars over the years have debated over the fact what makes a good leader. Earlier scholars believe that leaders were born and the skills to be a good leader cannot be achieved over the years one such theory is The Great Mans Theory other earlier theories such as Trait theory studies the various traits of a good leader and states that only people having such traits can be good leaders. Even this theory believes in leader are by birth. However the more recent theories look at the behaviour and not the traits and personality. Kouzes and Posner state that Leadership is an identifiable set of skills which are available in all men and women not just in a few charismatic and gifted people (Posner Kouzes, 2002) The following theories are used by me to analyse the leadership style of Willie Walsh in context to British Airways Trait Theory By Stogdil (Stogdil, 1974) There are various theories on traits of leaders they all have a few common qualities that are required by a good leader. This theory believes that leaders are born and the skills and traits of a good leader cannot be acquired over a period of time. Stogdil in 1974 identified and suggested the following traits and skills as critical and existent in all leaders TRAITS SKILLS Adaptability to situations Alert to social environment Ambitious and achievement orientated Assertive Cooperative Decisive Dependable Dominant i.e. having a desire to influence others Energetic Persistent Self-confident Tolerant to stress Willing to assume responsibility Clever Conceptually skilled Creative Diplomatic and tactful Fluent in speaking Knowledgeable about group task Organised (administrative ability) Persuasive Socially skilled Michigan Ohio Studies Michigan University had conducted various studies on leadership in the year 1950. There research showed that leaders could be broadly divided into three categories depending on their characteristics. Task oriented behaviour- Leaders would concentrate on task and not on building a relationship with their subordinates. They did not do the same tasks as their subordinates they concentrated more on activities like scheduling planning coordinating and providing the resources for their subordinates to perform their tasks. Relationship oriented behaviour- These leaders not only focused on task oriented but also gave importance to building up relations with their subordinates helping them not only in their careers but also in their personal lives thus forming a bond with their subordinates more than close control. They believe in rewarding their subordinate with both Intrinsic as well as extrinsic ways. They basically provided the goal and left it onto their subordinates to decide the path they wanted to take. Participative leadership- These leaders include their subordinates as team members in their decision making process at the same time their decision is final independent whether it matches with the decision of the subordinates. These leaders are nature good team leaders. Such leaders are more facilitative than directive while solving problems. These leaders are more effective for teams rather than individuals. Transactional, Transformation and Charismatic leadership Transactional leaders believe that people can be motivated either by reward or punishment. They create clear structures as to the requirement of what is expected from the subordinates and what would get them rewards or punishments. the subordinate is fully responsible for the work given to him no matter what ever the circumstance that caused the failure. According to Bass a transactional leader comprised of contingent reward (CRW), active management by exception (MBEA), and passive management by exception (MBEP). (Bass M. B., 1985) Transformational leaders are leaders have a vision of transformation that excites and converts potential followers. These leaders may or may not be aware of the way that leads to fulfilment of the vision. Such a leader comprises of idealized influence (II), individualized consideration (IC), intellectual stimulation (IS), and inspirational motivation (IM). (Bass M. B., 1985). Charismatic leadership are leaders who attract followers using their personality, charm rather than using any form of external power or authority. These leaders while interacting with a person make the person feel extremely important. They spend a lot of time learning their environment Bass mentions that a transformational leader also will emphasize on higher motive development, and arouse followers motivation by means of creating and representing an inspiring vision of the future (Bass B. M., 1997) Situational Leadership Theory- The main school of thought of this theory is that there is no one way of leadership style. It states that a leader who uses different leadership styles dependant on the situation he is in (Hersey Blanchard, 1988). This theory has been proposed by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey. This model allows you to analyse the various needs of the situation a leader may find himself in and suggest the most appropriate leadership style for the situation. source (Hersey Blanchard, 1988) As seen above this theory divides leadership styles into the following categories Directing (S1)- This leaders is a high directive and a low supportive behaviour orientated Coaching (S2)- This leader is high Directive as well as high Supportive behaviour oriented Supporting (S3)- This leader is a high Supportive and low Directive behaviour orientated Delegating (S4)- This leader is low Supportive as well as low Directive behaviour orientated (Huczynsky Buchanan, 2007) For this model to be successful it is extremely important that the leader should accurately judge the confidence and motivation of his followers. From all the above theories we see that there is no one best way to predict a successful leader. All the above theories have different ways of looking at leaders. The best way to examine whether a person is a good leader or not is to study him is comparing him to various theories on leadership. 4. EXAMINING BRITISH AIRWAYS LEADERSHIP STYLE The main reason for British Airways to select Willie Walsh as their CEO was because at that time British Airways was facing stiff competition from low cost airlines. His success as a leader in Aer Lingus an Irish flight carrier which was almost on its way to bankruptcy and then Willie Walsh stepped in not only turning the carrier into a profit making carrier but also one of the most successful carrier of Ireland. During the analysis I found Willie Walsh to have the following characteristic from the various articles written on him. Intimidating- as his peers were afraid to raise question about T5 at Heathrow before it was inaugurated. Peers are not involved in decisions- He was found to seclude himself and his colleagues found it difficult to approach him (Michaels, 2006). He is very strong minded and confident He does what he believes to be correct with or without any fan following (Walsh, 2009) Hugely energetic, Hard worker and a workaholic he has not taken a vacation for the past 3 years (Walsh, 2009) His work is only professional no emotions- This is the main reason as to his success at turning flight carriers profitable as he does this by cutting cost by job cuts. Tuff leader who rules with an iron fist- his peers at Aerlingus use to call him Slasher Walsh. Confrontational- He is always involved in the meeting with the union and management. Now he sits on the managements side but earlier he use to sit on the unions side. He is ruthless in his decision- He fired 2 of the oldest managers of British Airways over the terminal 5 fiasco (Milmo, 2008). He believes in leading by being a role model- He and Keith Williams, finance director of BA worked unpaid and requested the staff also to consider unpaid leave or working part time (Travel Weekly(UK), 2009) Linking Willie Walshs leadership style to Trait Theory From the above table we observe that Willie Walsh has most of the traits and skills that are required by a successful leader Linking Willie Walshs leadership style to Michigan and Ohio University studies Michigan Ohio University studies classify Willie Walsh as a leader with Task oriented behaviour. This is seen as he does not maintain any relationship he is only is interested in work if he feels someone is redundant or not doing his work efficiently he fires them. (Nexis,UK, 2005). He also expects his employees to get the work given to them whether or not they have the resources and capability to do the work given to them. Linking Willie Walshs leadership style to Transactional, Transformation and Charismatic Leadership Willie Walsh follows a transactional style of leadership. As he is task oriented and does not believe in building relations. He believes that the salary given to employee is a reward for their work and in case they dont do their work properly they should be punished. Thus motivation for doing the job is either reward or to avoid punishment. He is not supportive to them in their work or personal lives as a transformational leader would be nor does he have the qualities of a charismatic leader as people do not follow him by choice but by compulsion. He also does not take out time to know his subordinates and what would motivate them. Linking Willie Walshs leadership style to situational leadership Willie Walsh can be placed in the S1 quadrant as he has a high directive and a low supportive oriented behaviour. However the theory states that a leader should be flexible and should change his style from time to time depending on the situation however the data collected on Willie Walsh does not show any signs of flexibility and he follows the same leadership style. Thus we can say that according to this theory Willie Walsh is not a good leader. Evaluation Reflection Critical Conclusion Bibliography Bibliography Airways, b. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 22, 2009, from www.ba.co.uk Bass, B. M. (1997). Does the transactional-transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries? American Psychologist , 52, 130-139. Bass, M. B. (1985). Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations, . New York: Free Press. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H. (1988). Management of Organisational Behaviour: Utilising Human Resources. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Huczynsky, A. A., Buchanan, D. A. (2007). Organisational Behaviour (6 ed.). Pioltello: Rotolito Lombanda SPA. Kotler, J. P. (1988). The Leadership Factor. Free press . Michaels, D. (2006, October 2). British Airs New Challenges; Walsh Must Tackle Rising Pension Deficit, Transition at Heathrow. Walstreet Jornal , p. B.12. Milmo, D. (2008, April 16). Youre fired: T5 fiasco proves terminal for BA bosses as Walsh takes personal charge. The Guardian. Nexis,UK. (2005, December 23). British Airways Walsh step up BA turnaround. Travel Trade Gazette UK Ireland , p. 12. Posner, Kouzes. (2002). leadership the challange. san fransisco: jossey bass. Stogdil, R. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of literature. New York: Free Press . Travel Weekly(UK). (2009). BA bosses to work without pay in July. Travel Weekly(UK) , 7. Walsh, W. (2009, August 27). I Didnt Set out to be a CEO. (T. Independant, Interviewer) wright, p. l., taylor, s. d. (1984). improving leadership performance: a practical approach to leadership. london: prentice-hall international Inc. Bryant S. E. (2003), The role of Transformational and Transactional Leadership in Creating, Sharing and Exploiting Organizational Knowledge, Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 9 (4), pp. 32-44

Hindu Rituals Essay -- Hinduism Hindu Religion Essays

Hindu Rituals The model worshiper for the Hindu religion would be one that expresses one's devotion in every action that they take. Though the this is true in most religion's the Hindu religion is different in that rituals, festivals and other such type of practice are not the same as worship in the Hindu religion. Worship only occurs at a special time, place and occasion. As in the religion's like s worship and ritual are performed mostly at the same time. The Hindu religion has many different types of rituals that are performed for different occasions. Some of the rituals can only be performed by certain social classes. Many of the rituals that take place can be found in the Vedic literature. The majority of the rituals are centered around sacrificial fires which are called yajna. Since the Hindu religion does not have a specific place nor time to worship many of them are done at temporary altars, there are not any types of deities, though there must be Brahmin priests to perform the ceremony. Majority of the rituals only involve the caste system, which is one of the highest social classes. The yajna ritual can be for two purposes, the first type is for the general welfare of a kingdom or for the world as a whole. The second purpose for the yajna is for the good of the household. Though the rituals can also mean different things for example the person who may want the ritual done for the good of his household may also want there to be good for the world as well. The only real difference between these two types of rituals is that the ritual for welfare of the world, or for the general public is more complex, longer and more expensive then that of the good of the household ritual. Another type of ritual that takes ... ...ey need to participate in the sacred power. Hinduism has many different types of rituals that serve for different purposes, social system and occasion. Some rituals like the yajna are for that of the general good of the world or their households. There is the puja in which a devotee finds strength in that of a god or goddess. Others are there to help the deceased get to that of the world of the dead. There are pilgrimages in which worshippers go to a destination and become a being of sacred power or become closer to it. Many Christians do not agree with the Hindu religion though if you look closely at their rituals and belief system it really is not that far off from that of Christianity. Hindu's believe that there should be good for the world, they believe in some form of god and they take pilgrimages just as many Christian people believe or participate in.

Being Mulatto in America Essay -- Race Racial Differences

Circle of Color There are many different races in the United States of America, "mulatto" being just one of them. As a child mixed with both the black and white races, I have a "complete" view of the lives of both cultures; I feel as complete as a circle is in its unending symmetry. I am free from racism and have the power of relating to both races with a sense of belonging. I am aware that I cannot go somewhere and say I am white, but I can relate to whites just as easily as blacks. Color is a fiction, nothing more than a distraction to keep us from noticing how things look in the light. Due to their immensely different pasts, the two races have a hard time relating to one another, which keeps us apart as people. I have had to deal with a lot of racism in my lifetime, more so from my family than anywhere else. I have been disliked and not "accepted" by my grandparents and great aunts and uncles, some of whom I have never met, due to the color of my skin. My first-hand experience with racism and dealing with it effectively has made me a better, more complete person. The point of my writing this essay is to hopefully open one’s eyes to realize EVERYONE is equal. When I was a three-year-old little girl I was removed from the care of my natural mother and given to my stepmother, Dora. Dora was a young, caring woman who gave me the life that any child deserves, a stable life of discipline with a lot of love. The strong-minded, yet loving, personality I have is from being around Dora. She cares for people as a whole; I have never heard a racist remark come from her mouth. Although Dora is a black woman, her raising me could not have been any better. Dora is one of seven children, so "family" surrounded me at al... ...t whole. I mean that if you are white, more than likely you were raised in a white family and the same with any other race. Such an individual would have the disadvantage of not knowing what the next race is truly like and therefore is lacking social "wholeness." In this world of ours, one needs to know how to deal with, talk to, and relate to all races of people. One cannot be intimidated by the next individual because of lack of knowledge of his background. Socially, I have an advantage, I know what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to. No one can be taught how to deal with "different" people. It is through experience and an open mind that one learns their most valuable lesson in life: everyone can encounter the same misfortunes, yet the dignity you display in dealing with them greatly effects the outcome and aids in completing the "circle of color." Being Mulatto in America Essay -- Race Racial Differences Circle of Color There are many different races in the United States of America, "mulatto" being just one of them. As a child mixed with both the black and white races, I have a "complete" view of the lives of both cultures; I feel as complete as a circle is in its unending symmetry. I am free from racism and have the power of relating to both races with a sense of belonging. I am aware that I cannot go somewhere and say I am white, but I can relate to whites just as easily as blacks. Color is a fiction, nothing more than a distraction to keep us from noticing how things look in the light. Due to their immensely different pasts, the two races have a hard time relating to one another, which keeps us apart as people. I have had to deal with a lot of racism in my lifetime, more so from my family than anywhere else. I have been disliked and not "accepted" by my grandparents and great aunts and uncles, some of whom I have never met, due to the color of my skin. My first-hand experience with racism and dealing with it effectively has made me a better, more complete person. The point of my writing this essay is to hopefully open one’s eyes to realize EVERYONE is equal. When I was a three-year-old little girl I was removed from the care of my natural mother and given to my stepmother, Dora. Dora was a young, caring woman who gave me the life that any child deserves, a stable life of discipline with a lot of love. The strong-minded, yet loving, personality I have is from being around Dora. She cares for people as a whole; I have never heard a racist remark come from her mouth. Although Dora is a black woman, her raising me could not have been any better. Dora is one of seven children, so "family" surrounded me at al... ...t whole. I mean that if you are white, more than likely you were raised in a white family and the same with any other race. Such an individual would have the disadvantage of not knowing what the next race is truly like and therefore is lacking social "wholeness." In this world of ours, one needs to know how to deal with, talk to, and relate to all races of people. One cannot be intimidated by the next individual because of lack of knowledge of his background. Socially, I have an advantage, I know what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to. No one can be taught how to deal with "different" people. It is through experience and an open mind that one learns their most valuable lesson in life: everyone can encounter the same misfortunes, yet the dignity you display in dealing with them greatly effects the outcome and aids in completing the "circle of color."

Ghost Stories Essay -- Literary Analysis, Realism and Victimization

Ghost stories are a truly timeless form of literature, the ghost, like death, has no end. Stories of the supernatural date back to early ancient manuscripts involving mythology, legend, and religion. The past few centuries have seen the supernatural flourish in Gothic romanticism through tales of fantastic creatures, demonic forces, and parallel dimensions (Scarborough). Interest in the other-worldly has provoked many stories involving the interaction between the living and the returning dead. The well-engineered ghost stories of M.R. James seem to arouse these eerie skin tingling feelings. Techniques aimed at involving the readers awareness James's narrative and folkloric superstitions in â€Å"the mezzotint† engage the reader's imagination and psyche. The realistic settings, supernatural elements, and sensational fiction that is doused in mystery, builds anticipation. James's clear an intelligent knowledge of human nerves elicits fear, excitement, and curiosity through imag ery, the uncanny, and subtle suggestions that transform into personal supernatural experiences. The oratory nature of James's stories bring the characters and the drama to life and constructs fear in the reader with disembodied texuality; â€Å"fearing that these words on the page might spring to life† (Mulbey-Roberts 236). In contrast to supernatural Gothic tradition, James's short stories shy away from the elaborate romanticism and concentrate on basic elements of fear such as realism and victimization. The narrative style of James's â€Å"The Mezzotint† is similar to the original delivery of his ghost stories. With elements of direct speech and candid conversation the narrator awakens the readers awareness by controlling and regulating the flow of information similar... ...t no man wish's to be buried on the north-east side of a churchyard for it is Hells corner (48). Another popular superstition or tradition that can be found in today's culture is the number three. The number appears several times in the story and James's small attention to detail adds to the mystery. Sayings like â€Å"all things thrive at thrice . . . and encouragement . . . to try the third time . . . will say that the third's a charm† or â€Å"a coroner never comes once but thrice†(Opie,Tatem 403). Gawdy is executed and returns for his persecutors, Francis's, only son. Francis is found dead on the third anniversary of his sons disappearance, having just completed the mezzotint, with all three dead and the climax coming to an end James ensures that a residual effect from the fear continues with the narrator stating that the picture still hangs in Ashliean Museum.

Compare the ways in which crime is presented in Moll Flanders and Roxana?

The eponymous titles Roxana and Moll Flanders, are two of a collection of novels written by Daniel Defoe. Coleridge described these novels as one of ‘the few great novels, which we can call indisputably great'1. This ‘greatness' that Coleridge speaks of is displayed through the way Defoe presents crime in these novels. He explores the lives of women in the early 18th century and how crime was often a woman's key to survival. The novels are set and centred in different locations in the world of the 1720's. The geographical settings and mobility of the characters expresses their personal ambition to be known, respected and to have the finer things in life. First and foremost, before looking into the criminal lives Moll Flanders and Roxana both led, their reasons for engaging into crime have to be considered. Moll was born into poverty, and ironically she was ‘born into a jail cell' in Newgate prison. From this it seems as though Moll was born a criminal and a criminal career was destined for her. She is a street educated woman that thrived upon crime to escape the jagged teeth of poverty and also to live a lavish life. On the contrary Roxana is a well-educated and well-bred woman, however her life of crime begins when she is abandoned by her husband, who has also left her with a handful of children to care for. With the encouragement from her accomplice Amy, can it be argued that Roxana turns from a virtuous woman to an immoral whore? Well, firstly Roxana does sleep with numerous men, without marrying them, which was immoral in an 18th century society and Roxana's sexual behaviour may have been labelled as whoring, because she slept with men and receives payments in the form of fine clothes and ornaments and expensive jewellery. However Roxana does fall in love with every man she sleeps with, so she shouldn't be really referred as a whore. For example in the novel, Roxana admits she fell in love with her landlord ‘I grew to love him'; Roxana loves her landlord besides the comfortable lifestyle she lives. Roxana does commit adultery to an extent, her act as been described as a state of ‘innocent adultery'2: their liaison is as respectable as any marriage, supported as it is by affection and respect, and even by legal settlement. In an contemporary society Roxana's act wouldn't be describe as whoring or prostitution, and adultery wouldn't be a crime in the ‘eyes' of the English law. Also whoring or prostitution is based upon a direct exchange of money for sexual pleasure, no emotions, liking, or loving or relationships are supposed to be formed, whereas Roxana falls in love. Defoe sympathizes with woman in these times, as they were powerless in terms of marriage. Women were condemned if they had children, without being married and more to the point women were neglected and not protected by the government. Therefore it can be argued that women were more likely to engage in criminal activities as a way of escaping poverty, and to an extent improve their quality of living. However women were less likely to commit crime as there movements were isolated especially if they were married they were the property of their husbands they were to do domestic duties and had little time to explore the outdoors. However Moll and Roxana do not have these constraints. It could be inferred Defoe aims to make his two protagonists heroic figures as they manage to succeed against the odds, they're renegades that reject the norms and values of society and do not conform with stereotypical female roles, such as domestic duties, instead they distance themselves from the morals of society and beautify their lives by either using men or stealing valuable objects to fulfil their needs. The novels are written in an autobiographical format, where the protagonist gives a chronological sequence of events in their life. This presentation is highly effective; firstly it is continuous throughout both novels, more importantly a contemporary reader can easily engage with the novels as the lives of Roxana and Moll are often presented like a soap opera. In Roxana the protagonist notices her first husband in a dinner party she tries her best to conceal herself. If she were caught she would have faced public humiliation or possibly death- ‘He had just brushed against me, but didn't notice me'. The close encounter causes tension and the word ‘brush' expresses the danger of the situation. Roxana is an adulteress as; she is sexually involved with the Prince of France while still being legally married. In Moll Flanders, Moll steals a lady's gold watch, Moll is almost caught but she is not suspected of taking the watch. These soap opera like episodes create intimacy between the protagonist and the reader and they have a continuing appeal to a contemporary reader, as they cause excitement, tension and suspense, this again may support Coleridge's statement that these novels are ‘indisputably great'. In both novels, ‘Roxana and Moll Flanders look back on their life of sinfulness and opportunism. It is a life that they must both embrace; it is made them who they are'. However Defoe does make his presences felt in the novels where he expresses his own views towards issues such as marriage; Defoe used the term ‘Matrimonial Whoredom'3 to describe women who married men only for financial gain. From this we are given an insight of the character of Defoe through his protagonists. It can be argued that temptation is without a doubt the reason for Moll and Roxana indulging in crime. There temptations are centred on economic needs and a craving for social status. For example Roxana, with Amy's influence prostitutes herself to her landlord. In the novel Amy says to Roxana in one occasion ‘Dear madam says Amy if I will starve for your sake, I will be a whore'. Here the language is persuasive as Amy's use of reverse psychology persuades and makes Roxana feel guilty. Roxana is clearly tempted because if she gives up her chastity she could restore the comfortable life she once lived. Although Roxana eventually gives in, she still appears to have a little self-respect; this is evident where she says ‘A woman ought rather to die, than to prostitute herself' the tone of language is very bold and convincing that it may contradict my initial argument that Roxana is an immoral whore. However Roxana opposes her own statement as she lets temptation get the better of her. On the other hand Moll excuses herself for her crimes: ‘The silver tankard calls out to her'. A silver tankard would be a large drinking vessel made out of what would have been expensive metal, silver. Metaphorically it expresses pleasure and wealth, the ‘silver tankard' is a vivid use of pathetic fallacy, and it is as though the silver tankard is a person that tempted Moll to committing crimes in order to live well. Moll admits she became ‘more confounded with money', which could give an early indication that her love for money would ultimately lead her to her desperation and further temptations to commit crimes. This in fact is what happens to Moll, in one part of the novel she is in the position where she is so desperate, she contemplates killing a child, This is a turning point as Defoe reveals a dark side of Moll , the reader sees Moll in previous encounters as a thief and whore but contemplating murder shocks the modern day reader. Episodes such as this are intriguing and have continuing appeal because not only does Moll reveal a dark side the reader can easily sympathies with the villain rather than the victim, the phrase ‘the dreadful necessity of circumstances is the cause', express this, the word ‘dreadful' is emotive as the reader pity's Moll's well being, The ‘circumstances' Moll speaks of, are due to many factors such as the absences of any parental figures for example, since her mother is a criminal, the reader may not be surprised that Moll takes a criminal path for her career. In sociological terms a poor level of cultural reproduction, could explain why Moll follows her mothers footsteps. Crime is presented with the association of the devil's works. Firstly it has to be considered that crime in the 18th century was often seen either as the work or the influence of the devil, considering at this period people tended to be very superstitious. In Moll Flanders, Moll believes the crimes she commits are caused by the devil- ‘She had enough to work on but the devil sends her out unto the streets'. This use of imagery is effective because Moll personifies the devil as a person who forcefully dragged her onto the street to steal. Moll also refers to herself as a ‘busy devil'. The language used here is unusual as the word busy often refers to hard work or a dedication to work, whereas the word devil contradicts the word busy, as the devil is associated with evil or negative works, which causes an overall effect of irony. In Roxana, Roxana prostitutes Amy to her landlord; after Roxana realizes that what she did was immoral and indeed a sin she says she is the ‘instrument of the devil's works'. This has a continuing appeal because the reader shocked that Roxana, supposedly a woman of virtue forces Amy, her closest friend, and ‘pimps' her to her landlord. It questionable whether Roxana has an ounce of integrity in left her. Although she admits she was the instrument of the ‘devils works' one still has to be amazed at what people will do just to fulfil their own selfish needs. This is similar in Volpone by Ben Jonson, where the character of Corvino forgets all virtue and decided to pimp his own wife. However can it be argued that Moll and Roxana use notion of the ‘devil' as a way to elevate the blame that they feel is already upon them. Also the actual meaning of the devil has to put into consideration. In the period in which Defoe lived, the devil was often described as a hideous creature with horns and jagged teeth. However in the novels Roxana and Moll Flanders, could the devil represent the poverty that eats away in their society, which ultimately leads them to committing crime? Social pressures and personal circumstances is another way crime is presented. Defoe presents his whores as ordinary people who are normal products of their environment, victims of circumstances which anyone might have experienced. For Roxana the absences of her husband, who left her with the responsibility of caring for five children, leaves Roxana in a difficult situation, so whoring herself at first to her landlord seemed to be the only option for survival as she was on the verge of absolute poverty. In the early stages of the novel Amy presents a strong argument to Roxana. Roxana begins by saying to Amy ‘What consent to lye with him for bread? ‘ Amy replies ‘It would not be lawful for anything else but for bread, Madam, why nobody can starve'. The word ‘lawful' is interesting it may suggest that Roxana somehow has the right to sell her own body in order to survive, or maybe Amy is being ironic as prostitition was against the law. Again Amy's persuasive use of language leaves Roxana, completely convinced – ‘If he should give me an estate to live on, he should lye with me. Roxana thinks about the situation logically and rationally and decides to give up her chastity. It is upsetting that for woman in these times their, bodies were almost the only thing they could offer to a man in return for a stable standard of living, so one has to sympathies with Roxana due to the difficult situation she is in. The reader shouldn't look at her negatively especially when individuals such as Amy point out to her ‘why nobody can starve'. However the reader may view Roxana negatively in certain parts of the novel. For example after the brutal death of her lover, her landlord, Roxana attempts to sell the jewels that he had left with her, one has to question her integrity, but it shows the lengths that people would go to maintain the material goods they possess. Although Roxana is an intelligent woman, and arguably she was more than capable to improve her lifestyle by using legal means, Defoe expresses that women were at a disadvantage in terms of earning a decent living; Moll Flanders quotes ‘The market is against our sex'. Here Defoe expresses his feelings through Moll Flanders, as he was interested in women's oppression, as he believed that women were oppressed, especially in marriage. Roxana refuses to marry the Dutch Merchant on various occasions, as she believed women were at a disadvantage as marriage was more of a patriarchal institution. Like Roxana, Moll Flanders is a victim of society and circumstantial issue. Moll was born into poverty. From an early age, Moll is socially aware of her low status but she refers to herself as a ‘Gentlewoman', which expresses her ambitions to have the fine things in life and to be accepted by society. Here it could be argued that Moll wants the desired social status that Roxana also achieves. Moll Flanders, like Rastigmac and Julien Soreal, is a characteristic product of modern individualism in assuming that she owes it to herself to achieve the highest economic and social rewards and in using every available method to carry out her resolve. Even Moll admits that ‘the dreadful necessity of circumstances is cause', referring to the poverty she lives in is the cause of her thieving; Moll says in her defense ‘ give me poverty lest I steal'. In one occasion Moll begins sewing lace for a particular wealthy woman, however Moll is still relatively poor. The rich woman has two brothers that Moll acquaints herself with; she prostitutes herself to two of them. They both spoil her excessively with fine clothes and ornaments, she says in one occasion; ‘He had furnished me very sufficiently with money for extraordinary express of my lying in I had everything'. One may look down upon Moll as a whore, however ones has to consider she is not educated like Roxana and her ambition to be a ‘gentlewoman' is still at large, so it is either she took this opportunity or not, but Moll admits ‘she had enough to live on' however she still has the urge to commit crimes. To Moll's horror she commits another crime, she later finds out that the two brothers she sleeps with are too her own brothers. This has a continuing appeal to a modern day reader because it I hilarious that Moll prostitutes herself to two brothers who actually are her brothers it is a bizarre experience for Moll. It is engaging for a modern day reader, as incest tends to occur when both relations are aware they are related, whereas Moll isn't aware. Moll indulges in crime not just for survival but to have the fine clothes and ornaments. Moll says ‘ I needed to dress well in order to mingle'. Defoe makes it evident in both novels that society was beginning to be more capitalist, so as times changed Roxana and Moll, too had to modernize in order to be respected and accepted by society. Moll's fine clothes and ornaments and Roxana's expensive Turkish dress are symbolise of the pressure in society to live lavishly. However both Roxana and Moll reasons for indulging in crime are not strong sociological arguments, such as we might make today: they don't ask themselves why a certain percentage of the population is destitute, they just want to make sure they are not one of them. However their determination not to be destitute shows their survival instincts. Also Defoe shows the emergence of an individualistic society where people began to develop their own norms and values and tended not to look at traditional institutions such as the church for guidance and rather they'd take matters into their own hands. The relationship between crime and identity has to be explored. For example Moll is a common slang term in these times for a woman of low repute, often the girlfriend of a professional thief, ‘Flanders' was a term to describe women in prostitution. Roaxna Turkish dress reveals her criminal identity as a courtesan. It interesting as their names are clear indications of their true identities and purposes but none of the characters realize this. In Roxana where Roxana leaves her lavish life momentarily, she takes up Quaker dressing. This way of dressing is a drastic change from her lavish gorgeous dresses, which emphasis the change from her high life and erotic encounters to a simple way of living. Roxana and Moll Flanders hide away behind their names and costumes to protect their identity, their hidden identities explain that they are afraid and do not want to face up to who they and they're afraid of how people will react to them like the character Robinson Crusoe. Defoe creates characters similar to how he felt about himself as he even changed his name from Foe to Defoe, which suggests that Defoe feels the struggle and can sympathise with what his protagonists go through.