Effective Leadership Management Values Essay - 783 Words

Effective Leadership: Management Values in the Latin American Cluster â€Å"A strategy is something like, an innovative new product; globalization, taking your products around the world; be the low-cost producer. A strategy is something you can touch; you can motivate people with; be number one and number two in every business. You can energize people around the message .† Jack Welch In order for a multinational enterprise (MNE) to be successful in infiltrating Brazil’s market, it’s important for leaders to become familiar with the cultural norms before conducting business. There are leadership and cultural information available to assist American leaders in their globalization strategies. The GLOBE leadership study and Greet Hofstede, have researched the cultural dimensions that are relative to the unique management style and/or techniques of leaders within Brazil’s business culture. Although, there are several dimensions this paper will concentrate on the basics of doing business in Brazil. GLOBE Leadership Framework: The GLOBE leadership study has identified Brazil as part of the Latin American culture (Hoppe, 2016). According to the GLOBE leadership study, Brazil is within a cultural cluster that values the following categories: team oriented, performance oriented and group protective. These leadership scales identify a specific managerial style that are preferred in the Latin American cluster. Leaders within this culture are expected to inspire and promoteShow MoreRelatedIlm M3.18943 Words   |  4 PagesILM LEVEL 3 DIPLOMA IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ILM/L3DipLM/0308 Introducing the qualification The ILM Level 3 Diploma in Leadership and Management has been specially designed for first line managers looking to develop a wide range of management and leadership skills suitable for their role. The qualification also develops both understanding and application of leadership skills through the use of action learning. The Diploma consists of six mandatory units ‘Understanding change’, ‘Planning change’Read MoreIlm Leadership859 Words   |  4 Pagesown leadership capability and performance (M5.29) 5 6 Assessment criteria (the learner can) 1.1 Review the prevailing leadership styles in the organisation Assess the impact of the prevailing leadership styles on the organisation’s values and performance Level: Credit value: Learning outcomes (the learner will) 1 Understand leadership styles within an organisation 1.2 2 Be able to review effectiveness of own leadership capability and performance in meeting organisational values andRead MoreSignificance Of Strategic Value Within Organizations Success922 Words   |  4 Pagesthe need of practical and strategic value holds a tremendous weight in organizations. In certain scenarios, improvement within organizations can be undesirable. While examining both, practical and strategic value holds specific requirements ultimately helping product quality results. The significance in both creates necessary guidelines on aligning proper etiquette within organizations. In 2007, the author tom McKaskill defined the significance of strategic value within organizations success. McCaskillRead MoreThe Experience Of Organisational Change Management1707 Words   |  7 Pagesessay is to analyse the experience of organisational change management in relation to applying multiple perspective theories and models which will help critically evaluate and present reasoned arguments of effective change management. In doing so, this paper will be divided into three parts. The first and second part will focus on reviewing my experience of organisational change related to two different themes which are change leadership and organisational culture. The third part of this paper willRead MoreEmergency Management : A Threat Of Public Safety1451 Words   |  6 PagesEmergency Management is an important aspect in our everyday daily lives. Emergencies can arise any place at any time on any day. The nature of any disaster can be unpredictable and may change in scope and impact. When an emergency is encountered there is a threat of public safety, the community, properties, the economy, infrastructure, public health, etc. Disaster Management is not a problem solver it does not avert or eliminate the threats made, it mainly focuses on eradicating the severityRead MoreThe Differences Between Leadership And Management1727 Words   |  7 PagesIn this essay I will be exploring the differences and similarities between leadership and management, looking at the qualities of each of these subjects from my perspective as well as from other materials, and furthermore identifying whether an individual can become better at leadership and management. I will also be discussing the circumstances in which management as well as leadership would be crucial. Leadership can be described as a process of social influence in which one person can enlistRead MoreKey Characteristics Of Transformational Leadership1116 Words   |  5 PagesFurther characteristics of transformational leadership include concern for others, relationship building, communication, innovation, and other positive rapport building, leadership characteristics and values. Relationship building, communication strategies, and innovation have significant meaning for SAHC leadership who has the responsibility to form partnerships and coalitions to advance goals with workers. A leadership style that complements the values and principles of the individual leader andRead MoreMy Position And Responsibilities Of The Long Term Care Community1384 Words   |  6 Pagesresponsibilities in the long-term care community are the motivational factor behind my enrollment back into school. As I reflect throughout the course, I realize that I had the ability and potential to excel in a leader ship role. In module 3, we participated in the MindTools leadership assessment where I scored a 74 of 90. I scored strong on self-confidence and motivating people to deliver the vision. The areas that I needed to work on are: being a good role model, managing performance effectivelyRead MoreLeadership And Management Of Restorative Justice1193 Words   |  5 PagesLeadership and Management of Restorative Justice To address the increasing recidivism rate among offenders in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system, comprehensive restorative justice programs should expand to a much wider faction of the United States criminal justice system. Programs should be implemented on federal, state, and local levels to effectively and efficiently achieve this goal. The goals that should be strived for must be kept in mind so that adequate progress can be made andRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Innovation1370 Words   |  6 Pagesmaximize positive changes†(Porter_ O’Grady Malloch,2016.p.4). It is important for a leader to understand her own philosophy of innovation and leadership to be effective in the workplace. In this course, I learned how to develop my philosophy of innovation and leadership, and how to create my own personal mission based on my ethics and core values to be effective DNP leader in the future. Personal philosophy of innovation â€Å"Innovation is definitely not self-starting or self-perpetuating. People make

Persuasive Essay On Abortion - 1182 Words

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has become a modern life casualty. There might be numerous yes and equivalent number of no, voicing their conclusion over this, hence fortifying the contentions spinning around this issue. The truth is that the vast majority of the insights concerning premature birth dont portray an agreeable picture. Truth be told, premature birth has dependably been a warmed subject among the majority as individuals have their own particular school of contemplations with respect to it. That being stated, there are numerous laws representing the lawfulness of this issue. While in as much as 30 nations, premature birth is†¦show more content†¦But if society operated this way, every killing of a person would be justifiable. The real issue would not be the worth of the person killed, but the free choice of the one doing the killing. If a man doesnt want his wife, h e can think of her as a nonperson. If he chooses to kill her, it would not be ‘moral confusion,’ but ‘choice in action’’’(AbortionFacts.com). People in opposition may say tampering with a life, is acting against the creator of the world. Having a fetus removal done dependably conveys the danger of not having the capacity to wind up noticeably pregnant until the end of time in life. Premature birth can likewise prompt genuine wellbeing inconveniences, and at times the most dire outcome imaginable can be demise. It regularly prompts undesirable recollections, which can come about into incredible anxiety and discouragement. A few ladies encounter a sentiment blame, which goes on for their entire lifetime. So, fetus removal can end up being a lifetime worth of weight. Now and then life can be truly brutal on us. There are times when fetus removal may show up as the main alternative for the improvement. In spite of the fact that a mother may experi ence serious difficulties selecting this alternative, she may in the long run consider this spirit slaughtering choice, remembering every one of the advantages and disadvantages of this choice. By the days end, a mother needs to experience the real work torment and different issues required with childShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay About Abortion993 Words   |  4 Pagesin two peoples perspectives. The story consisted of a daughter (Deb) and mother’s perspective after the death of her father. The purpose of this layout is to show how they are both grieving in individual ways. Writing for the persuasive was presented as an essay on why abortion should be accessible in every country, and to also outline the shame women receive. Purpose Purpose for writing publication- Purpose for writing a real-estate article was to inform a potential buyer on the house showed. AlsoRead MoreAbortion Persuasive Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pages To begin with, there has always been an extensive issue with the topic of abortion, why? Well, it’s a tough subject and can get extremely emotional and very defensive. Honestly, people just need to open up their eye’s and understand that its murder and not just a choice. It is murder because two can create a blessing and the choice of aborting it, is more like a sacrifice for the reason a mother can’t carry a baby for nine months. Whether a person is a minor, young adult, or an adult and is inRead MoreAbortion Persuasive Essay755 Words   |  4 Pagesinstead these babies are torn limb by limb, burned, and many other tortuous methods to end the precious life. Abortion is murder and is not only very cruel to the unborn baby but it also harms the mother. Pro-choice is an escape from the harsh reality that a baby is being murdered, and in my eyes a life should only be terminated if God himself is ready to call them home. One reason why abortion is wrong is because they are many other safe solutions that would give the child a chance at life. AdoptionRead MorePersuasive Essay On Abortion917 Words   |  4 PagesAbortions in Texas consist of ending a pregnancy of an unborn child before it can live out of the mother womb. However if the pregnancy ends not on purpose before the twenty four week mark then technically it would be considered a miscarriage. Though inducing the abortion on purpose has caused a lot of controversy over the past century. Deliberately putting people on one of two sides of this issues, of either being for it, which would be considered Pro Choice. Or in the other category of the ProRead MorePersuasive Essay On Abortion1635 Words   |  7 Pagessolve this issue the option of abortion was brought to the forefront by scientists and advocates such as Dan Savage who mentioned that abortion should be mandatory for the next 30 years in or to control the population. (Ertlet) For countri es such as the U.S. with a growth rate being 1.6%, the proposal of widespread abortion is highly recommended as mentioned by obstetricians and gynecologists. (MumfordKessel) Who now leaves the question as to if the option of abortion should be used as a means ofRead MorePersuasive Essay On Abortion1228 Words   |  5 Pagesmillion pregnancies each year in the United States, 1.6 million end up in abortion† (Hern). Because of the numerous traumatic psychological, physical, and overall irresponsible behavior or actions constantly encouraged due to abortion, it should be banned, and forever illegal. Killing one’s own fetus has been linked to psychological distress which has been channeled into many different cases of substance abuse. â€Å"Induced abortion has been linked to increased rates of substance abuse, especially amongRead MoreAbortion Persuasive Essay804 Words   |  4 Pagesfamily with someone. Often times accidents happen in which people didn’t plan for, and can lead to many financial problems or neglect of one’s child because the parents weren’t prepared to be parents. This is why there should be the option of abortion. Abortion needs to be an option for everyone because it helps from long lasting mental states, infection, economical problems, and or having conceived from a non consensual circumstance. Pregnancy is a hard and unforgiving to the woman’s body. In factRead MorePersuasive Essay On Abortion954 Words   |  4 Pagesand nations who destroy life by abortion and euthanasia are the poorest. I do not say legal or illegal, but I think that no human hand should be raised to kill life, since life is God’s life in us, even in an unborn child.† Do you know what abortion really is? Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing a fetus or embryo before it can survive outside the uterus. Abortion seems to be more common in today’s society. Numerous amounts of individuals support abortion, and do not realize how it affectsRead MoreAbortion Persuasive Essay736 Words   |  3 Pagesfavor of abortion rights. The decision was 7-2, it stated that it showed a â€Å"right of privacy.†Abortions have been performed for thousands of years all around the world, even though many women died from it. Women nowadays have a choice of whether they want to get an abortion. Abortions do come with risk, one of them being death, but women should still have a right and say what they want to do with pregnancy and not be judged by others for doing so. Today the debate across the world is if abortion shouldRead MorePersuasive Essay On Abortion1321 Words   |  6 Pagessomeone who may be suicidal or who is suicidal himself/herself. As for taking away fetus’ lives, the damage that abortion makes on life can be proven with the statistics. According to Casey, â€Å"over the past 44 years, one-sixth (60,000,000) of the American population has been killed by elective abortion. Twenty-five percent of African-Americans are killed in the womb America,† (Should Abortion Be Legal n.p.). The figure 60,000,000 is a depressing number considering that these children could have been future

Professional Identity Nursing Profession

Question: Discuss about theProfessional Identityfor Nursing Profession. Answer: Introduction Professional identity is a fundamental and integral part of understanding the nursing profession (Raeside, 2015). Therefore, the study will provide a detailed understanding of the meaning of professional identity concerning nursing profession and also provide an understanding of some of the factors contributing or affecting the development of professional identity. A major emphasis will be laid in understanding the nursing professional organization, agency or association and how it relates to professional expectations. Finally the essay will examine how the professional organization or agency or association monitor quality control in nursing profession by reviewing some of the guidelines, standards, the codes of conduct(CC) which have been put in place by this partnership. The other purpose of the easy will examine the link between these set standards of practice and the safety of the patients.. Professionalism refers to the conducts, qualities or aims that characterize a professional person (Manley et al. (2011). Professional identity (PI) on the other hand can be defined as the set of values,attributes, beliefs, motives and experiences by which an individual describe themselves in their professional lives (Fredriksson Johansson, 2014). According to the Nurse Practitioner Practice (2012), professional identity is said to be both personal and career development. It, therefore, involves the internalization of core values and perspectives recognized as integral to the practice of a nursing profession. Therefore, nurses embrace and are required to adopt these fundamental values in their practice to promote the ideals of the nursing profession (Caricati et al., 2016). Professionalism is important especially in the nursing profession as it leads to adherence to the code of conduct for nursing professionals. Willetts and Clarke (2016) denote that it also promotes integrity, trust, honesty and ethical behavior. It is also helpful in maintaining a patient confidentiality and fosters a client-centered care as well as owning up to mistakes by the providers of health care. The development of a professional identity (PI) requires the integration of personal values, morals, and attributes with the norms of the profession, in this case, the nursing profession according to Fernandez and Crouch (2016). These may end up forming that primary allegiance of the individual's personal identity (PI) with the occupation (Stuebs, 2017). Some of the factors influence the development of professional identity include; gender, professional socialization, social values and education, the understanding of teamwork and cognitive flexibility (Bain, 2016). Professional socialization is very helpful in the development of professional identity according to Domen et al. (2-17). It can be a process by which a person acquires the skills, knowledge, and sense of professional identity that are evident of a member of that profession. It involves the internalization of the values and norms of the group into the person's behavior and self-conception (Adams et al., 2011; Caricati et al. 2016). Therefore, socialization in this context refers to an individual developing an understanding of what means to be a profession. It suggests that to some extent, their process is dependent on the existence of role models to help the novice find the appropriate identity. Due to their vast experience in practice, these role models or mentors provide great help to young and new health care providers as it builds confidence in their practical skills and moral guidance in their field. Cognitive flexibility is also another factor influencing the development of prof essional identity. It refers to an individuals ability to structure knowledge in response to changing situational demands (Fredriksson Johansson, 2014). It can also be narrowed down to; a persons awareness of options and alternatives available in any given situation and his willingness to be flexible and adapt to the situation. There are also other factors such as the understanding of teamwork and education which also help in the development of professional identity. Team working provides a better platform for learning as once you make a mistake, it is easier to be corrected and guided by the other colleagues unlike working individually. Social values governing the boundaries to what can and cannot be done are also a factor affecting professional identity development. Education accentuates the importance of empathy and self-reflection. The American Association of nurses practitioners was founded in 1985 with a mission of empowering all nurse practitioners to advance quality health care in America and worldwide through practice, education, advocacy, research, and leadership (Blair et al., 2016). It is the largest nursing association in the world. To achieve its mission it has set down some standards of practice which each and every nurse practitioner should adhere to provide quality health care services. One of the criteria laid down are the education qualifications for every nurse practitioner who they must be registered health care providers and have the relevant skills (Fredriksson Johansson, 2014). Only those with relevant skills can be allowed to provide health care services. The second standard is the process of care, whereby the nurse practitioners are required to utilize the scientific process of national standards of care as a framework for managing patient care. The other rule set is regarding care priorities on patient and family education. The nurse practitioner should provide both the patient and his or her family with all relevant information regarding the situation been handled. They should also promote the facilitation of patient participation in self-care, free health and the promotion of a safe environment (Blair et al., 2016). There are also interdisciplinary or collaborative responsibilities. In this case, the nurse practitioners should always act as a team leader and ensure they interact with their professional colleagues within there is, so specialization to provide comprehensive care. They should also provide accurate documentation of patient status and attention. The records should be accurate, legible and confidential. Lastly, they also set standards for adjunct roles of nurses practitioners; in this case, the nurse practitioners should combine the functions of a mentor, educator, provider, manager, researcher, and consultant. They should employ research as the basis for practice. They can promote research through developing clinical research questions, conducting or participating in studies and disseminating findings into practice. The College of Licensed Practical Nurses (CLPN), has been entrusted under the health professional Act, with the responsibility to protect the public. Through regulation of Licensed Practical Nursing, it has provided some of the standards of practice guiding health practitioners to provide comprehensive care. These include; knowledge, whereby the health care providers should integrate knowledge of nursing science, arts, and humanities acquired through first and continuous learning. This is important as it enhances the skills, quality, and competence of the nurse practitioner as well as ensuring the patient gets quality health care. The second standard of practice is accountability, in which the nurse practitioner should demonstrate accountability and become responsible for own nursing actions and professional conduct. They should also maintain appropriate boundaries between professional therapeutic relationships and non-professional personal relationships (Blair et al., 2016). They should also promote the patients safety by acting to prevent or minimize adverse events or occurrences through identification and reporting of situations that are unsafe or potentially unsafe for clients or health workers. Manley et al. (2011) also denote that nurse practitioners should collaborate with clients, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders in the provisions of health care services. All this can only be achieved when health care providers provide an environment that promotes active relationship planning, implementing and coordinating the delivery of nursing care. Therefore this is important as they will all work towards the accomplishment of one goal. And lastly, they should demonstrate leadership skills in own practice as well as in management and supervision of others. By setting these standards of practice and code of conducts the American Association of Nurses Practitioners has provided a benchmark or a tool for enhancing the quality of health care or services rendered. Its against these standards of practice where one can understand whether the needs of their clients are met or not or whether the health practitioners are working towards the same goal or objective according to Manley et al. (2011). So these associations monitor the quality of health care by accessing the indicators from the set standards of practice. When the nurse practitioners work under the guidelines given the, it becomes easy to measure the performance and the quality of services been provide and act accordingly. Conclusion From the study above it can be conclude that professional identity is critical in a nursing profession as it equips the individual with the knowledge, skills, and sense of professional identitythat embracing the fundamental values, code of conduct and set guidelines and standards will promote the idea of the nursing profession. It is found that cognitive flexibility is a major factor contributing or enhancing the development of professional identity. Therefore every nursing practitioner should develop cognitive consciousness or flexibility when it comes to making the decision relating to a particular situation. These decisions should be made to set standards of practice. References Adams, K., Hean, S., Sturgis, P., Clark, J. M. (2011).Investigating the factors influencing professional identity of first-year health and social care students.Learning In Health Social Care, 5(2), 55-68.doi:10 Bain, C. E. (2016). Professionalism in Accounting Graduates: Employers' Preferences and Colleges of Business' Challenges.Journal Of The Academy Of Business Education,17157-171. Blair, W., Kable, A., Courtney-Pratt, H., Doran, E. (2016).Mixed method integrative review exploring nurses' recognition and response to unsafe practice.Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 72(3), 488-500. doi:10.1111/jan.12855 Caricati, L., Mancini, T., Sollami, A., Bianconcini, M., Guidi, C., Prandi, C., ... Artioli, G. (2016).The role of professional and team commitments in nurse-physician collaboration.Journal Of Nursing Management, 24(2), E192-E200. doi:10.1111/jonm.12323 Coram, P. J., Robinson, M. J. (2017). Professionalism and Performance Incentives in Accounting Firms.Accounting Horizons,31(1), 103-123.doi:10.2308/acch-51636 Domen, R. E., Johnson, K., Conran, R. M., Hoffman, R. D., Post, M. D., Steinberg, J. J., ... Powell, S. Z. (2017). Professionalism in Pathology.Archives Of Pathology Laboratory Medicine,141(2), 215-219. doi:10.5858/arpa.2016-0217-CP Fernandez, K. A., Crouch, G. (2016). Defining Medical Professionalism Across the Years of Training and Experience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.Military Medicine,181(10), 1294-1299. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00438 Fernandez, K. A., Crouch, G. (2016). Defining Medical Professionalism Across the Years of Training and Experience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.Military Medicine,181(10), 1294-1299. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00438 Fredriksson, M., Johansson, B. (2014). The Dynamics of Professional Identity.Journalism Practice, 8(5), 585-595. doi:10.1080/17512786.2014.884746.1111/j.1473-6861.2006.00119.x Manley, K., Watts, C., Cunningham, G., Davies, J. (2011). Principles of Nursing Practice: development and implementation. Nursing Standard, 25(27), 35-37. Nurse Practitioner Practice in 2012: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Tomorrow. (2003). Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 15(4), 146 Raeside, R. (2015).Professional role identity in shaping community nurses reactions to nursing policy.Journal Of Nursing Management, 23(4), 459-467. doi:10.1111/jonm.12153 Stuebs, M. M. (2017). Virtuous Professionalism in Accountants to Avoid Fraud and to Restore Financial Reporting.Journal Of Business Ethics,140(4), 687-704. Willetts, G., Clarke, D. (2014).Constructing nurses' professional identity through social identity theory.International Journal Of Nursing Practice, 20(2), 164-169. doi:10.1111/ijn.12108

Short term sensory store Essay Example

Short term sensory store Paper Sensory Memory preserves information in its original sensory form for a brief time, usually only a fraction of a second. Sensory memory allows the sensation of a visual pattern, sound or touch to linger for a brief moment after the sensory stimulation is over. In the case of vision, people really perceive an afterimage rather than the actual stimulus. Short-term Memory is a limited capacity store than can maintain unrehearsed information for about 20 to 30 seconds. In contrast, information stored in long-term memory may last weeks, months or years. Actually, you can maintain information in your short-term memory for longer than 30 seconds. How? Primarily, by engaging in rehearsal the process of verbalizing or thinking about the informationwithout rehearsal, information in short-term memory quickly decays with the passage of time. You can increase the capacity of your short-term memory by combining stimuli into larger, possibly higher-order, units called chunks. A chunk is a group of familiar stimuli stored as a single unit. The two key characteristics that originally defined short-term memory small capacity and short storage duration are still present in the concept of working memory. We will write a custom essay sample on Short term sensory store specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Short term sensory store specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Short term sensory store specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In certain models (Wickens (1992) being one such model), perceptual processes are conceptually separated into two stages: a short term sensory store (STSS) and perception. What these two stages have in common is the role of filtering out unnecessary information. Short Term Sensory Store (STSS) The STSS is a temporary storage mechanism associated with each sensory channel (i.e. the organs of the body responsible for touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing tactile system, eyes, nose, tongue and ears). For example, when you close your eyes an image remains in front of your (closed) eyes for a short period of time. This is referred to as iconic storage (echoic storage would be the same process of temporary storage associated with hearing). The STSS has a number of important characteristics which enable researchers to determine what constitutes temporary early processing versus deeper level processing. Firstly, the STSS is pre-attentive. This means that no conscious attention is required for something to be stored in an STSS, rather the signal/stimulus is stored in a particular STSS automatically. Secondly, the STSS is veridical. This means that the signal/stimulus is preserved in the STSS with all the physical attributes of the actual signal/stimulus. The STSS retains an exact replica of the physical attributes of the signal/stimulus. Finally, the STSS is short duration. The contents of the STSS using decay quite rapidly. The the case of iconic storage, the physical attributes of the stimulus usually decay after approximately one second, while in echoic storage the physical attributes of the signal/stimulus usually decay after approximately three seconds, and kineasthetic storage lasts approximately eight seconds. The STSS is important in cognitive ergonomics because it draws attention to the presence and the limitations of the temporary storage capacity of our sensory organs. Firstly, we must note that our sensory organs retain some memory of the signal/stimulus that enables us to perceive it without actually paying attention to it . Secondly, we must note that that each of the STSS have time-related constraints, and these constraints differ according to the sensory channel. For example, we are able to perceive visual cues from our environment even when we are not directing our conscious attention to those cues, provided that the visual cue enters the iconic storage mechanism and provided that the time interval is relatively short (approximately one second). For the most part though the STSS enables us to retain something of the signal/stimulus to allow further processing (or discarding). Perceptual Encoding Once a signal/stimulus has passed into the STSS it may be processed at progressively higher centres within the central nervous system. One theory contends that once information makes contact with a unique neural node that has previously been learned, is stored or is innate, then this information is perceived. Perception is an early information processing stage that is essentially involved with the recognition of a signal/stimuli and putting it into a category. Theorists and researchers have noted that there are different categories of perception. Absolute Judgement refers to the perceptual classification of a signal/stimulus into a particular categorical level (as is typical in absolute judgement task). This is characterised by people being asked to determine the loudness of a tone, the size of a crowd, or the smoothness of a surface. In such perception tasks, people are required to determine a single attribute. Detection is the simplest form of perception, which in essence is asking the question: is the signal/stimulus/target present or not? Pattern recognition, on the other hand is a more complex task that requires a person to perceive at least two dimensions in order to match a particular stimulus to a category. In the case of pattern recognition there is a great deal of interplay between perception and memory (long term memory in particular). Each of the combinations of the dimensions (usually referred to as features) must be compared to existing categorisations within long term memory. For example, the letters A a A a aA all fall into the category of a single alphabetic letter, despite their (slightly) different appearance. We are able to recognise the pattern and assign these letters to the same category. Finally, analogue perception is the continual perceptual categorisation of a dynamic signal/stimulus. Such perception is required when driving a car, when looking at an action movie or just walking across the street. It is important to note that perception requires some element of conscious attention in order to function. In this way, we are able to separate the roles of STSS and perceptual encoding, even although both processes are involved with the acquisition and filtering of information for higher order cognitive processing. The role of perceptual encoding in cognitive ergonomics is important for a number of reasons. Understanding when people are able to perceive a signal or not is important for many absolute judgement tasks. Whether a Doctor can see a small fracture on an X-ray, whether a security guard can detect a near invisible intruder on security monitor, or whether a quality assurance officer can see the small fault in a beer bottle top or all examples of real-world absolute judgement tasks that can benefit from our understanding of the mechanisms of absolute judgement perception. Pattern recognition can be applied to even more contexts than absolute judgement perception. Our understanding of pattern recognition has been applied to the problems of recognition of pictures, symbols (including letters or the alphabet and numbers) and icons. The large numbers of icons and pictorial symbols in computer software, on microwave ovens, on cellular phone displays and even motor vehicle dashboards demonstrates how prolific pattern recognition is within modern technological society. As these symbols are used more in society, so we are able to develop memory traces that enable us to recognise similar symbols in different situations. However, when we encounter unfamiliar symbols we can become confused and in some cases reluctant to continue.

John F Kennedy Essays (2925 words) - Kennedy Family, Bouvier Family

John F Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy 35th president of the United States, the youngest person ever to be elected president. He was also the first Roman Catholic president and the first president to be born in the 20th century. Kennedy was assassinated before he completed his third year as president. Therefore his achievements were limited. Nevertheless, his influence was worldwide, and his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis may have prevented war. Young people especially liked him. No other president was so popular. He brought to the presidency an awareness of the cultural and historical traditions of the United States. Because Kennedy expressed the values of 20th-century America, his presidency was important beyond its political achievements. John Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children. Kennedy announced his candidacy early in 1960. By the time the Democratic National Convention opened in July, he had won seven primary victories. His most important had been in West Virginia, where he proved that a Roman Catholic could win in a predominantly Protestant state. When the convention opened, it appeared that Kennedy's only serious challenge for the nomination would come from the Senate majority leader, Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas. However, Johnson was strong only among Southern delegates. Kennedy won the nomination on the first ballot and then persuaded Johnson to become his running mate. Two weeks later the Republicans nominated Vice President Richard Nixon for president and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was ambassador to the United Nations and whom Kennedy had defeated for the Senate in 1952, for vice president. In the fast-paced campaign that followed, Kennedy made stops in 46 states and 273 cities and towns, while Nixon visited every state and 170 urban areas. Another important element of the campaign was the support Kennedy received from blacks in important Northern states, especially Illinois and Pennsylvania. They supported him in part because he and Robert Kennedy had tried to get the release of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. King, who had been jailed for taking part in a civil rights demonstration in Georgia, was released soon afterward. The election drew a record 69 million voters to the polls, but Kennedy won by only 113,000 votes. Kennedy was inaugurated on January 20, 1961. In his inaugural address he emphasized America's revolutionary heritage. 2The same ? beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe, Kennedy said. 3Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans?born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage?and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Kennedy challenged Americans to assume the burden of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. The words of his address were, 4Ask not what your country can do for you?ask what you can do for your country. Kennedy sought with considerable success to attract brilliant young people to government service. His hope was to bring new ideas and new methods into the executive branch. As a result many of his advisers were teachers and scholars. Among them were McGeorge Bundy and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., both graduates of Harvard. Kennedy's most influential adviser was Theodore C. Sorenson, a member of Kennedy's staff since his days in the Senate. Sorenson wrote many of Kennedy's speeches and exerted a strong influence on Kennedy's development as a political liberal, 5 a person who believes that the government should directly help people to overcome poverty or social discrimination. The president and Mrs. Kennedy attempted to make the White House the cultural center of the nation. Writers, artists, poets, scientists, and musicians were frequent dinner guests. On one occasion the Kennedy's held a reception for all the American winners of the Nobel Prize, people who made outstanding contributions to their field during the past year. At the party the president suggested that more talent and genius was at the White House that night than

How to Improve and Retain Your German Fluency

How to Improve and Retain Your German Fluency Here are some suggestions to help you with your goal to improve your German.   Surround yourself in German:Label your home, your workplace with German words. And dont label with nouns only. Do colours, verbs (such as à ¶ffnen /open and schließen /close on a door), adjectives (e.g. rauh/rough, weich/soft on different textures).Paste the conjugation of verbs you have difficulties with on your bathroom mirror.Change the settings on your computer to German.Have a German site as your homepage.Learn at least one German word a day: More if you can retain them. Then practice it on someone that day or write it in a sentence, so that it becomes part of your spoken vocabulary and not just your comprehension vocabulary.Write in German every day: Keep a journal or diary, get an e pen-pal or join the one-on-one classes on our forum. Write your to-do lists in German.Read in German every day: Read, read, read!Subscribe to a German newspaper/magazine, a German-American newspaper or read German magazines/newspapers online.Use a German cookbook.Read childrens books. They expo se you to basic vocabulary, dont have much jargon and often use repetition. As your vocabulary increases, try older childrens/youth books.Read dual-language books. They give you the satisfaction of reading more advanced classic books. Listen to German every day: Challenge yourself to watch a German podcast, show etc. or listen to German music every day.Find a German buddy: If there are no Germans near where you live, pair up with someone else who is learning German and commit yourselves to speaking only German with each other.Practice wherever you go: Though limited in a non-German speaking country, with some creativity, you can get some daily German practice. Every little bit helps.Become involved in your local German club: Also try the universitys Kaffeeklatsch, the Goethe-Institute. Depending where you live, you may have the opportunity to attend German festivities, German film screenings, book clubs etc. If no such thing exists in your community, why not create your own German club? Even just a simple evening of German board games with two or three people will enrich your German learning experience.Take a German course: Check out your community college, university or language schools for courses. Study for a German proficiency test this year. Study/Work in Germany: Many German organizations and institutions offer scholarships or grants for a study abroad experience.Most important resolution to always keep: Believe that you can and will learn German.

Computers and Computer Networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Computers and Computer Networks - Essay Example Parameters for this layer are the destination addresses. The Network Layer is associated with routing and directing data to different networks. Likewise, Local area networks, Wide area networks and Metropolitan Area Networks. The Transport layer is associated with check and balance of data packets. It ensures complete delivery of data in terms of files or messages. The Session Layer is associated with maintaining data sessions between different nodes on the network. It also analyzes and prevents collisions between data channels by prioritizing them. The Presentation Layer is associated with presenting the data by converting protocols from data conversion techniques, encryption techniques, binary conversion techniques etc. The Application layer is associated with software including email software, client / server software, FTP software, and much more. Network Components Functionality A simple definition of regenerative repeater is available in network dictionary which states it as â⠂¬Å"a device which regenerates incoming digital signals and then retransmit these signals on an outgoing circuit† The regenerative repeaters are the network devices, installed within the network to regenerate signals that may become weak or unreachable to the destination, due to long distance. These devices are implemented in long distance wired networks for transferring data geographically from one network to the other. As signals, are evolved via network cables, they become weak and attenuated over a certain distance within the same network, resulting in unreachable signals to the destination. This is where regenerative repeaters are useful as they regenerate signals received on their ports and sends the regenerated signals to all the other ports connected on the other end. Moreover, regenerative repeaters do not maintain a database as compare to Ethernet switches and operates on Physical Layer of the OSI model. Furthermore, regenerative repeaters are not compatible for rege nerating signals via two different networks. For instance, the regeneration of signals between a token ring network and Ethernet network is not supported. For example, there are two network locations, where the distance between the two is above 100 meters, repeaters are required to synchronize uninterruptible transmission of data from one network to the other. Otherwise, the attenuation may disturb the digital signals and may not reach the distance, which is above 100 meters. A simplest of definition for a network device known as bridge is as follows â€Å"Local Bridge is a bridge that directly interconnects networks in the same geographical area† (Local Bridge. 2007). Bridge has capabilities to develop network segments. The segments are developed to eliminate unnecessary broadcasting from some workstations or a department on the network. Consequently, the performance of the network will be efficient as bridges can segregate workstation from the network. As these devices oper ate on data link layer of the OSI model, it is implemented to amplify distance between network segments, allowing room for more workstations, to be attached within the same network. Moreover, the segregation of affected workstations from the network, eliminates network congestions and traffic choking. Bridges do not deal with the information available in the higher levels of the

Wall Mart Audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wall Mart Audit - Essay Example John Fleming and Stephen Quinn were associated with the three-year plan proposed by Eduardo Castro-Wright, former president and Chief Executive of Wal-Mart Stores U.S., the objective of the plan was to increase sales and profitability (Andrew, 2007). The authorities own more than fifty percent of the shares. The members and executives are internal, and no external members have remained affiliated with board of directors, however there have been certain exceptions in past. The stocks owned by the directors and executives have been traded privately. The members of the board of directors have contributed in vigilant manner; and have sufficient experience and qualification to execute their respective task. Charles Holley, the Wal-Mart treasurer, commented that the shuffles at managerial levels "had been overplayed in the media", he regarded that shuffles are normal procedure, and adopted in Wal-Mart on routine basis so that management shall carry diversified experience. According to reports, "Wal-Mart has a history of shuffling top executives so they can learn how different parts of the business operate, Cast is moving into a broader role at the retailer that will involve heading business strategy and strategic planning for Wal-Mart Stores, Vazquez will oversee all day-to-day operations at Walmart.com and will also focus on expanding the site's merchandise assortment". The Castro-Wright will supervise the assignments of Cast and Vazquez; both the executive authorities are required to report to Castro-Wright (Philip, 2007). The recent managerial shuffles have kindled the hopes of the shareholders, it is expected that the appointees have experience and qualification to deliver excellenc e and profits. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy: Managerial Changes The management shuffle under taken by the company has been rare in any of the American organization. Eduardo Castro-Wright has taken the charge was CEO of the Wal-Mart Stores Division World Wide (except for United States), whereas Doug McMillon has been appointed as the CEO of the Wal-Mart Stores Division in the United States. Soon after the appointment of John Fleming as Chief Merchandising Officer, he introduced major shuffles in his merchandising leadership team. Lee Scott is the CEO and John Menzer is Vice Chairman of the Wal-Mart America (Grant, 2007). Mr. McMillon, the CEO of the Wal-Mart America, has been admired and respected by the suppliers and others who have remained affiliated with the company. Mr. Castro-Wright has been least popular among the suppliers, he has been credited "for renewed effort to increase inventory turns, which has increased pressure on sales, and is believed to be well-regarded by senior Wal-Mart management and the company's board". Ms. Pat Curaan is expected to succeed Mr. McMillon as CEO of Wal-Mart America, and she'll be the first woman to lead the operating units of Wal-Mart (Emilio, 2007). Mr. John Westling has been promoted as the in-charge of Wal-Mart's inventory-replenishment operations, and it is believed that the "he'll work to expand efforts to reduce the retailer's inventory"; he was previously Senior VP-general manager of consumables. Mr. MCall has been appointed as the senior VP-general manager of consumables. Mr. Gary Severson will remain as Senior Vice President of Entertainment, and will be assisted by Ms. Laura Phillips, Mr. Kevin

No namecan the writer make a name for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marks and Spencer as One of the Biggest Retail Companies - Essay Example In April 2004, the prospect of the company seemed blurred. The brand of the Marks and Spencer got a great push back and lost its confidence due to the consecutive decline in sales and continual negative PR. The company has started to lose public faith and love and the fear has taken over by Philip Green of Arcadia Group was on the threshold. Rejecting the offer of Mr. Green, Mr. Stuart Rose has restructured the company through promoting its brand and has formulated a method of treatment, which worked in a significant way for the M & S to get back its health. (Thompson, Neal, Threadgould and Trillo, June 30, 2006: 3-4) There were different thoughts on the vulnerability of the company. Analysts told that decline of sales of the company in a continuous basis and lack of enthusiasm for change was mainly responsible behind such weakness whereas the journalist reported that the company listed itself in one of the worst performers among the 100 companies. Besides the customers were also not satisfied with the product of the company. The garments of the company were believed to be old-fashioned. People thought the company might have fallen in the vicious circle of loss. Fall in sales of the M & S in one way led to falling in share price and in another way led to negative captions producing the negative impression in the market. These movements caused to loss of confidence over the company by the customers for the purchase and also by the investors to invest. In this situation when Mr. Green came with his proposal to acquire M & S, the senior team of the company including the new Chief Executive of the company, Mr. Stuart Rose and the Executive Director for Marketing, Store design and Development, Mr. Steven Sharp has formed a new plan regarding the business of the company and successfully crush the proposal of Mr. Green.

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic The importance of Tourism and hospitality industry can never be over-emphasized in the development and growth of many nations in the world. As a result of the advancement in technology and globalisation, tourism and hospitality industry serve as a vital driver of job creation as well as being the main source of income for many developed and the less developed countries. Due to the pivotal role of this industry in the creation of wealth for nations, several companies as well as international organisations devise efficient and cost effective operational management methods in order to maximise their profits. A key industry that propel tourism and enables tourism and hospitality industry to its present global height is the aviation industry, which not only transport people from one place to the other, but ensures that places that were deemed unreachable can be discovered, thereby creating wealth for organisations as well as enhancing the geographical prominence of countries in the league of nations. Virgin Atlantic, the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom play an active role in the tourism and hospitality business by ensuring that it provide cost effective and innovative services to its various clients. As a result of keen competition in the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic is renowned to be one of the pioneers of in-flight entertainment as well introducing a premium economy class services for its customers that can not afford to travel on an upper class but still wants to benefit and enjoy some of the privileges of the upper class clients. The global economic recession as well as the harsh business climate has made it imperative for companies to re-evaluate their business models and device strategies to cope with the ever changing macro and micro environmental factors that affect the company. These are made possible by the analysis of the companys Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) it faces while operating in relation to their competitors. Despite the advancement in technology, the three core functions of any organisation i.e. marketing, product and service development, and operation are well guided in order satisfy the ever increasing customer demands. To do these, most organisations align their operation management strategies to the changes in the external and internal forces that affect their operational model. Kim and Olsen (1993) corroborated this by advocating that a balanced approach must be used to monitor the events that occur in the external domain and assessing the potential impact on business and unit level operations. Organisations must focus on their strengths in order to deal with the wide range of external factors in creating opportunities for themselves. On these basis, the identification of the external and internal operational management methods are clearly identified as a tool in increasing productivity ,customer satisfaction as well as promoting their products to their target audience. STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM In every research, there are various problems that are identifiable, but for the purpose of this research, the following questions need investigation. What operational method can organisation adopt? What is the significance of operational management to an organisation? Should organisations in the hospitality industry adopt similar or different operational management? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objective of this research can be summarised as follow; 1. To analyse the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to tourism and hospitality. 2. Establish the impact of internal and external factors that affects Virgin Atlantic operations. 3. How company formulate and adopt strategy. 4. Identifying the strengths and weakness of Virgin Atlantic 5. How the company measures service quality and improvement. 6. To established the best operational management methods for productivity and promotion. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is of great importance because it underlines the understanding of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic which is one of the pioneers in innovation in the tourism and aviation industry. The research highlights the various approaches used by Virgin Atlantic in their daily operations and how it has been able to remain a viable and competitive company LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Due to time constraint, it was not possible to do a comparative study of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other organisations in the aviation industry in relation to hospitality management. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC Summary Virgin Atlantic is the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom that starts operation in 1984.It is headquartered in Crawley near Gatwick airport and owned by Sir Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%).The airline operates between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from its bases at Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport, using a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-bodied jets (web 1). Almost uniquely among major airlines, it operates no short-haul services whatsoever, with its shortest route being from London to Accra (web 2).It offers three classes of travel: Upper, Premium Economy and Economy classes which all bears the hallmark of Virgins award winning inflight entertainment and based on airlines aims of provision of innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers (web 3). Birth and Formation Virgin Atlantic was conceived as result of an idea from Randolph Fields who wanted to be operating flights from London to the Falklands islands after the Falkland war. But due to Logistic and operational cost, the Falklands operation was aborted and an alternative arrangement to have flights operating from London to the United States was agreed upon. Randolph Fields proposed his idea of flights operations to Richard Branson at a party in Central and he agreed to be a partner in the flight business with 25% stake going to Randolph Fields and 75% to Richard Branson (Web 4). Like all Richard Branson businesses, he approaches the partnership as a venture that must succeed within a year or he exits the partnership. The airline was an instant hit in its first year and it was able to lease more planes in the second and subsequent years. Richard Branson eventually bought out Randolph Fields stake in the business in 1997 after disagreement over operations of the airline. After its maiden flight to Newark in the United States on its leased Boeing 747 in 1984, the airline had acquired more aeroplanes to cover different routes and destinations ranging from Tokyo, Boston, Los Angeles, Rolando etc. Despite the apparent success and popularity of the airline, the company faced financial problems in the 1990s due to the recession, the Gulf War and the subsequent collapse of International Leisure Group (ILG), there was need to save Virgin Atlantic from collapse and involves the abolition of the Traffic Distribution Rules (TDRs) which was meant to create equal distribution air traffic between Heathrow and Gatwick airports in order assist Gatwick airport to make profit. The TDRs rule stated that airlines that do not operate international flights from Heathrow airport prior to 1977 would not be permitted operations there, but will instead be using Gatwick airport. The abolition of the rule made it possible for airlines to commence operational flights from Heathrow. This subsequently paved way for Virgin Atlantic to begin operations at Heathrow airport despite opposition from British airways who was the largest operator then. As a result of this move, Virgin Atlantic was able to increase its long-haul flights and survived the recession in the economy. In order to consolidates its position and expand its flight operations, Virgin Group the parent company of Virgin Atlantic, sold 49% stake of the airline to Singapore airlines in year 2000, while Richard Branson retains 51% stake of the airline. This increased the value of the airline  £1.25 billion thereby making it one of the biggest private operated airline in world (Web 5). Rivalry with Competitors The movement of Virgin Atlantic operations to Heathrow signal a rivalry between the airline and British Airways. Amongst the rivalry between both airlines was the famous libel fine of  £500,000 and  £110,000 in 1993,that was awarded out of court to Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic as well as  £3million court charge against British Airways for its dirty tricks campaign on Richard Branson and his airline (Web 6).Subsequently in June 2006, and British Airways was fined  £271 million as a result of a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic after investigation by the US and the British office of fair trading for alleged price-fixing between both airlines (Web 7) . Agreement and Co-operation with Other Airlines Despite Virgin Atlantic fierce rivalry with British Airways, the airline do partners and codeshare agreements with other airline in the world namely; South Africa Airways, Air China, Cyprus Airways, Flybe, Gulf Air, Scandinavian Airlines, US Airways, Malaysian Airways etc. in order to spread its reach across the world (Web 8)(Web 9). Service and Innovation Virgin Atlantic has been a pioneer in services and innovation in the aviation industry through its introduction various services and technology that are used to distinguish itself from other airlines in the in Industry. It operates three-classes (Economy, Premium Economy and Upper Class) of travel in order to cater for the needs of its passengers. The Economy class is the standard class and it provide among other facilities such as free meals, drinks and lumbar support for its passengers. The Premium Economy class provide clients with a wider seat having more leg room, priority boarding as well as separate check in area from the economy class passengers (Web 10). The Upper Class provide the passengers with first class services ranging from larger menu and in-flight bar. It is also equipped with the biggest fully fitted flatbed compared to any other airline business class services. Virgin Atlantic airplanes also are equipped with the state of the art In- flight entertainment system, that provide entertainment to all its passengers in order to ensure that they have a memorable time while flying the airline and maintain their loyalty them. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The aim of any service business organization is to create goods and services that are of high quality, quantity and cost efficient in order to satisfy the consumers needs. This can be achieved by ensuring that detailed attention is devoted in the planning and control of day today running of the business, design of products and creating a competent processes for employees to work. Operation management covers all these essential functions from the top level management to the immediate control of operations in the business. Operations management according to Nigel Slack et al. (2010) is defined as the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services. This system of management relates to the function of any organization responsible for the design, planning and control of resources for the provision of goods and services (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). Operation Management Model Source: Operations Management, 6th edition, Nigel Slack et al (2010, p.25) The Evolution of Operation Managements The history of Operations management can be traced to different projects in the development of human history from the construction of Egyptian pyramid to the building of the Great Wall of China and the industrial revolution that began in England in the 18th century. Before the industrial revolution, production of goods and services are made through custom made products. But as machines were invented, there was an increase in the factory system thereby leading to the specialization of labour as proclaimed by Adam Smith in 1776 in The Wealth of Nations which emphasize the benefit of breaking down production activities to smaller parts and assigned to individual worker through the manufacturing process. This ensures an increase in the production of goods and services through specialization as opposed to the cottage system of manufacturing for individual needs of the consumer. By the mid 19 century, most cottage industries were being replaced by factories which expanded to urban workforce with effective communication thereby paving way for the great output explosion of the 20 century (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). A number of techniques were later introduced during this period among which is the scientific management principle developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) (Taylor, 1911), that was used for the creation factory Ford Rouge plant in which mechanized assembly lines, specialized labour,mass production and interchangeable parts were featured. But with the major studies in the relationship between output production and human motivation by Maslow (1943) and Herzberg (1966), the essence of developing a social as well as a technical system for manufacture processes. The growth in the Asian economic coupled with new manufacturing processes such as Just-in-Time (JIT) principle and Lean Operations in the 1960s brings a different perspective to quality and design management thereby making businesses to improve on their product delivery. Wickham. S (1985) and Terry (1985) also emphasized this in their studies by recognizing that the view that techniques and systems are not the most important part of operation management but taking a more balanced strategic view of management operations. As a result business competitiveness depends not only on low level, limited impact system of operation but on a broader management operational view (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). CHAPTER 3 MACRO AND MICRO ANALYSIS OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC The operation of every business is affected by several internal and external factors which determine the growth and survival of a business organisation. These factors can analysed by looking at the environment in which a business operates otherwise called Environmental Scanning or Macro environment. Macro environment refers to the clients, markets, industries and competitors which an organization interact with during their business operations. These factors are outside the control of an organisation and indirectly affect its activities. Kroon (1995) defined environmental scanning as the study and interpretation of the political, economic, social and technological events and trends which influence a business, an industry or even a total market. Based on this definition, Macro environment can be analysed by six factors or segmentation called PESTEL which is Political.Economical, Social, Technological and Environmental and Legal factors. These are in constant change and organizations must define strategies to meet up with the changes. Holloway (2004) stated that macro business environment is subject to continuous changes and in order for the business to survive, it must learn to adapt to these changes. The Political and Legal factors such as government policies and legislations affect the mode of operation of every business. This factor can encompass political stability and favourable legislations such as tax concessions which encourage and promote the operation of business. Since Virgin Atlantic operate flights to different countries from the United Kingdom, the political environment in which it operates play a long way in the determining its success. The political decision of abolishing the Traffic Distribution Rules enables the airline to expand its operation flights and increase revenue for the company. Furthermore, countries of high political instability in Africa and Asia have a negative impact on the airline because the tourism potential reduces as a result of less people flying to these countries. The Economic factors are significant in determining the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The factors such as inflation rate, recession, spending power, deflation determine the role of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The recent recession as well as the euro zone crisis has deeply affected the tourism and hospitality industry with less people travelling on holidays due to job cuts and ,high inflation rate and redundancies have lead a reduction of flights of Virgin Atlantic thereby affecting its profit. Furthermore, deregulation of the airline industry has created an avenue for Virgin Atlantic to reduce to reduce airline fares. Although financially distressed airlines have cut fares to boost operational profit, Virgin Atlantic operates different incentives for their customers such as discount for senior citizens in the society as well as group travellers in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Social and Environmental factors play a great role in the tourism and hospitality industries because the society demands the services that are rendered by the airline industry. Virgin Atlantic strive in is staff recruitment to employ people that care about the customers and provide their best for the customers by bringing their individual personalities to work while having fun at the same time (Virginatlantic.com, 2011).Consequently, as part of its corporate social responsibilities, Virgin Atlantic allows trained pets that accompanied disable people on its flights as well as providing assistance to unaccompanied children to travel. It also offers its customers complementary limousine pick up and provide in-flight beauty treatment for its business economy passengers. The commitment of Virgin Atlantic to reduce its environmental impacts of its operations was highly lauded by the government for introducing biofuel in to some of its aircrafts in order to reduce emissions to the environment. It has also introduces recycling programme on board of all its aircraft as well companys office in order to reduce the amount of waste generated and become a conscious and cost effective organisation(Virginatlantic.com,2011). Technological factors are important in the provision of highly effective and accident free operation in the hospitality industry. Virgin Atlantic Airways believes in the role of technology in improving services and ensuring that safety of its staffs and passengers. It has been able to accomplish this by ensuring that it acquires new technological advanced aircrafts in order to improve the operation management and safety of the airline. Since flying is an highly dangerous operation if effective checks are not carried on airplanes, Virgin Atlantic have engineers that are highly trained have been researching to improve safety and security of airlines. They also introduce technologies in-flight entertainment to entertain the passengers while waiting for arrival as well while travelling on their flights. MICRO ANALYSIS The micro analysis factors influence the operation of any business organisation. These factors directly affect the operation of an organization and can change in order to align with organisation vision and goals. The micro economic factors that affect the operations of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality business are; Customers, Suppliers, Employees, Competitors and Shareholders. The customers are the main contributor to the survival of any business because they contribute to the revenue in which the business operation is being run. Virgin Atlantic take utmost care in providing a second to known service for its numerous customers, based on the original philosophy of Richard Branson, which is to offer the best possible service to its clients while delivering the best possible value. People also regard Virgin Atlantic as a distinctive, fun-loving and highly innovative brand and one that is admired for its friendliness, intelligence and integrity (Virginatlantic.com, 2011). It also try to retain the patronage of all its customers by operating frequent flyer incentives such as the flying club where points accumulated from previous flights can be redeem later for free flights in the company. The introduction of in-flights entertainments on all is flights is also a ploy to make flying experience with Virgin Atlantic a memorable one. The Virgin Atlantic employees are the assets of the organisation that project the values and culture of the organisation to the outside world. As a result of their importance to the goals and vision of Virgin Atlantic, serious emphases are placed in the recruitment of staffs that care about customers and bring their individual personalities to work in the company. It provide perks for its customers in form of staffs flight discount, excellent retirement benefit as well as good health care entitlement while working for the company. The main suppliers to Virgin Atlantic airlines are Airbus and Boeing; aircraft manufacturers. They play a significant role in the operation of the airline by providing reliable and state of the arts airplanes the company. There are other companies that contribute to the successful operation of the airline such as Fuel companies that supply fuel for the operation of the airplanes, airports staffs that management the successful taking off and landing of the airplanes ,IT companies such as Del,IBM,CSC etc,that provide the hardware and software for the administrative activities of the company. Virgin Atlantic must work harmoniously with all these companies in order to have successful operation management. Since the airline industry is a highly competitive industry different airline devise methods and promotions to lure customers to their airlines. The core competitor of Virgin Atlantic in the United Kingdom is British Airways. There have been several legal as well industrial disputes between both airlines in order to entice customers from each other. Since the reduction in government influence on the aviation industry in the United Kingdom, there have been intense completions between airlines to provide services that are better than its rivals. The core services provided by Virgin Atlantic which differentiate it from competitors are innovative technologies as well cheap and affordable flight tickets in relation to its rivals. The shareholders of any business organisation are the ones that provide the capital for the operation of the business. As a result of this fact, their interest in ensuring that the business runs successfully in order to generate profit is very important. Virgin Atlantic is owned by Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%) which form a global partnership and increase their operation capital for effective operation and to remain completive in the airline industry. SWOT ANALYSIS All businesses must assess and evaluate their positions in terms of where they are at the present and where want to be in future. In order to do this, the SWOT Analysis is carried out whish focus on the companys Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities as well as Threat it faces in relation to its operation and survival. Strengths The strengths of any organisation are toe positive advantages that it possess in relation to other organisations. The strengths of Virgin Atlantic are; Innovative and comprehensive services: Virgin Atlantic has innovative and comprehensive customer services which are designed to meet the ever increasing needs of their customers. The companys passenger services unit arranges check-in facilities, baggage handling, meal catering, and in-flight entertainment. It also provide work in association with special assistance department unit to provide customers with special travel needs such as mobility aids, special meals, health camps at departures and arrivals (Datamonitor, 2011). Association with Singapore Airline: Virgin Atlantic association with Singapore airlines has been highly beneficial to the customers of both airlines which enable them to book their flights through both companies. This association also enables virgin Atlantic to tap into the highly lucrative Asian countries thereby increasing revenue for the company as well as better services for the staffs and customers. Weakness Small Size: The apparent small size of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other big players in the aviation industry makes it difficult to compete fairly in the aviation industry. British Airways and Air France operates flights to about 300 and 244 destinations in the world in comparison to Virgin Atlantic that operates to just 30 destinations in the world. Virgin Atlantic also 38 aircrafts compared to the British airways and Air France with 238 and 558 respectively which also limit their competitiveness. Price Fixing Allegations: The Office for fair Trading (OFT) found Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific guilty of price fixing allegations after a three-year investigation. They were fixing the price for flights between London to Hong Kong route and were likely to face a severe penalty of about  £250 million. Allegations of this type of nature can severely dent brand image and make customers to lose faith in the company for providing competitive price for its services. Opportunities Increase in the Global Freight sector: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasted that aviation will handle 38 million tonnes of air cargo in 2014, up 12.5 million tonnes from the 26 million tonnes carried in 2009. International freight volumes are expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period (Data monitor, 2011).As a result of this promising forecast from IATA, which most of the activities occurring in the Asia pacific routes, Virgin Atlantic will benefit significantly through its association with Singapore Airline. Positive outlook of the Airline market: As a result of the Olympics coming up in the United Kingdom next year, Virgin Atlantic will benefit immensely in the transportation of tourist as well as other participant to the United Kingdom for the games. This will increase the revenue for the company as a result of the prominent position it plays in the United Kingdom aviation industry. Threats Price Discounting from Competitors: The ever increasing discount pricing in the domestic market by close competitors a such as BMI, Ryan Air, British Airways, Air France etc., has made it increasingly difficult made for Virgin Atlantic to have stable pricing structure thereby making it extremely difficult for the domestic operations to be profitable. Consequently, the increase in the size of airlines route system have significantly increase the competition between airlines thereby affecting the profitability as well as impacting on their operations. Natural Disaster: The Volcanic eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajà ¶kul in 2010, created a huge dent in the operation of Virgin Atlantic. The ash from the volcanic eruption disrupts air travel operations across Europe, with flight being grounded several European countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. It was estimated that airlines during this period lost hundreds of millions of pounds due to flights cancellation caused by the volcanic ash. This situation severely affected the operation management of Virgin Atlantic profit. European Union (EU) Regulation: In 2005, an EU regulation came into effect for compensating passengers with valid ticket but which were denied boarding an airplane irrespective of the situation. This law also imposes fixed compensation to passengers for cancelled flights except if the airline can prove that such cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather, air-traffic control delays or safety issues (Datamonitor, 2011).Subsequently, this law makes it to the prerogative of the airlines to provide meals, drinks, and accommodation as well as telephone calls for customers if delayed overnight. The overall expenses created by this law made impacted on the operational profitability of airlines in which Virgin Atlantic were one of the casualties. Jet Fuel Cost: Since the airline operation depend on the jet fuel, the instability the fuel prices has significantly affected the operations of Virgin Atlantic. The volatile price of jet fuel exacerbated by the political uprising in the Middle East has impacted on the profitability of margin of Virgin Atlantic in its operations as result of high cost of buying the fuel for the aircrafts. CHAPTER FOUR CURRENTAND FUTURE OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATION After the SWOT analyses of Virgin Atlantic, it is imperative to take a deeper look into the current objective of the company in relation to its future plans. The current objective of any organization must align with its vision which is reflected in the organisations mission statement. The mission statement of Virgin Atlantic is To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virginatlantic.com, 2012). As result of this statement, the operation management of the organisation was designed to cater for the needs of its customers by providing the best service while delivering it in the best possible values. It also ensures that its workers not only work for the organisation but derive enormous pride, fun and sense of well-being in the course of their services to the clients. Furthermore, in-line with socially and corporate responsibility of Virgin Atlantic, introduced a wide range of environmental initiative that are meant to reduce the amount of waste generated in the company. These initiatives involves the recycling of all waste such as plastic glasses, vending cups, papers aluminum cans which are collected and recycled in order to raise money for the various charity organisations the company supports. Virgin Atlantic is also a trail blazer in the technological innovation by volunteering one of its Boeings 747 for the test of bio-fuels in operating airlines with the hope of reducing the dependency of airlines on jet fuel. As a result of the initiative, the company intends to use biofuels composed of algae as a part supplement to the jet fuel in its flight operations (Airline in first biofuel flight, 2008). The future objective of Virgin Atlantic is to seek ways in order to be competitive in the United Kingdom aviation after the tie-up agreement between British Airways and American Airlines (Sir Richard Branson begins strategic review of Virgin Atlantic, 2011).As a result of this, the company appointed Goldman Sachs to advise them about the potential approach from Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines in order to re-align its business for future challenges (Virgin Atlantic Airways, 2011). CHAPTER 5 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES According to Baines et.al (2008), marketing strategy serves as the basic plan and template in which an organisation commences its operations in order to achieve its goals. The essence of marketing and communication objectives of any organisation enables it to differentiate its products and services from other related organisations. Marketing and communication strategy enables Virgin Atlantic to analyse its opportunities and target customers which it believe are relevant to short and long term goals as well as the objectives of the organisation. These strategies are achieved through various marketing mix i.e. the price, product, place and promotion which are used to communic

Merck’s Risky Bet on Research

While Kenneth Frazier worked liability suits for Merck, he caught the company’s attention and they hired him in 1992. By 1999 Frazier was appointed Merck’s general counsel. Merck saw that Frazier had several good personality traits and values that would benefit their organization. Kenneth Frazier is a very hard-working man and has been taught not to fail and to push himself to excellence. Frazier has always pushed himself to always do better, he has never just settled. Frazier likes to take risks to see how far he can push himself and to see what he can accomplish. Frazier has a very high self-esteem and a need for achievement. Under the five big personality traits, Frazier best fits under openness to experience. He is willing to take risks and is daring and open minded. I believe one of the most important terminal values to Frazier is a sense of accomplishment. Even though, there are several terminal values that I believe are important to Frazier, I feel this is the most important. Frazier lost his mother at a very young age and was raised by his hard-working father. His father taught him to work equally as hard and to always strive for excellence. Frazier believes that at work he should never back down and always strive for more, and that you must work hard to accomplish everything you want. This especially showed when Merck found their drug Vioxx was doubling the risk of heart attach and strokes and Frazier fought each case instead of taking the easy way out and negotiating settlements. Frazier won 11 of the 16 cases. Frazier was determined to win and he did. Frazier gets pleasure from achieving his goals and enjoys the social recognition that he gets by winning his cases. Instrumental values are just as important as terminal values. The most instrumental value that stands out in Frazier is his ambition. Frazier is not only hard working but understands what it takes to achieve his goals. A few of the other instrumental values that I feel are important to Frazier are being responsible, polite, and daring. Working as a litigator or in management you will not always be liked. At times people will go against you and not agree with what you are doing. Frazier is daring as he goes against others but when he must go against others he does it respectfully and politely so he can get others to take his side and agree with him. Frazier has some very important personality traits that will help him influence Merck’s culture in his role as CEO. Frazier’s openness to experience gives him the ability to have an open mind and the ability to take risk that will allow him to move the company forward. Frazier also has the ability as CEO to mentor other managers to achieve the company’s goals. After watching Frazier handle some of Merck’s liability suites, the company decided that Frazier would be a valuable asset. Merck could see that Frazier had some very important personality traits that could benefit their company.

Faulkner’s and Morrison’s Notions of Parenting

In literature of fictional realism, the difficulty of storytelling often lies in creating a believable atmosphere, in order for the reader to identify with the characters and surroundings. The theme and plot may well be stylish and inspirational, but without plausible characters or a practical setting, the atmosphere of suspended belief the author is striving for can be marred by the simple obscurity of the key elements of character development, functional setting, and writing style appropriate to the story itself. If an author is skilled enough to successfully employ these crucial elements, and have a solid story to boot, then great writing is created. Such is the case with William Faulkner and Toni Morrison. Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying and Morrison’s Pulitzer- and Nobel-prize winning novel Beloved express the damage that can be caused through either excess of devotion or indifferent neglect of the respective parent. Both writers maintain focus on the development of the characters, create an active and believable setting, and employ appropriate writing styles to successfully convey their social commentaries. In As I Lay Dying, Faulkner introduces his characters, the Bundren family, as simple country folk faced with grave circumstances. Addie, the mother of the family, is on her deathbed, and not much longer for the world. The household is in a state of despair, performing their perfunctory duties, but with a pronounced lack of enthusiasm. Anse, worrying himself on the front porch, puts it simply after telling his son Vardaman to wash his hands: â€Å"But I just cant seem to get no heart in it,† (Faulkner, 38). Neither Anse nor any other members of the household seem to have any clue as to how to react to the forthcoming tragedy, outside of dispensing their feeble grasp of pathos. Even Tull, the Bundrens’ nearby neighbor, comments on Anse in pity: â€Å"†¦the only burden Anse Bundren’s ever had is himself†¦I think to myself he aint that less of a man or he couldn’t a bore himself this long. † (Faulkner, 73). This simple statement by Tull is a testimony to Anse’s burden as a father and husband. Anse recognizes his failings as both patraiarch and devoted husband; it is that weight that ignites a sudden surge of faithfulness to his wife and urges him upon the journey to respect her last wishes of a burial in Jefferson. Faulkner further establishes the Bundrens as incapable of grasping appropriateness as Cash stands outside of his mother’s window, in her full view, nailing and sawing together the coffin in which she will be laid to rest. The irony is that Addie wants to see it being constructed: â€Å"[Addie was] Lying there with her head propped up so she could watch Cash building the coffin,† (Faulkner, 23). Faulkner is commenting not only on the family’s dim grasp of appropriateness, but on the mother’s part as well, and the reader is left to wonder the reasoning behind Addie’s decision to watch her son build her coffin. In this light, Addie can seem cold towards her children, in that she is looming over Cash’s shoulder as he goes about the grim task of constructing his dying mother’s coffin. In actuality, Addie holds her son in reverence and is transmitting that care using the only method she was taught, by merely paying attention to him. Looking at the characters individually in order to circumscribe a mediocre upbringing, Faulkner’s careful construction of the characters implies the damage the parents have inflicted by their relative indifference. Vardaman remains in a state of reluctance and confusion, simply because no one in the family, least of all the parents, takes the time to fully explain the circumstances. He cannot grasp death’s finality and begins to panic when his mother is placed into the coffin post-mortem: â€Å"Are you going to nail it shut, Cash? Nail it? Nail it? † (Faulkner, 65). His incredulity incites him to action, and the episode spins into Vardaman’s notion to drill holes into the coffin so that she might breathe. Unfortunately, Vardaman misjudges the body’s position and â€Å"When they taken the lid off they found that two of [the drill-holes] had bored on into her face,† (73). The whole of the scene focuses on the fact that Vardaman was acting out of concern and love for his mother, but with disastrous results. This is a vehicle Faulkner employs throughout the novel, that bad ideas are often accompanied by good intentions, which re-emphasizes the tacit misunderstanding of a sound family dynamic. There is an abject, obscure devotion, but the family, including Addie, has had an impossible time of setting that devotion in concrete terms. But it is Faulkner’s use of language to skillfully transition into Addie’s sole monologue that explicates his willingness to peg complex irony into an otherwise straightforward novel. Faulkner utilizes the family’s inability to communicate as a launching point for Addie’s monologue, which centers on the idea that words are often lacking in function. Addie represents Faulkner’s commendable language skills by evoking great sorrow in a single stroke. While previous monologues of other characters create a mosaic of separate sadnesses, it is through Addie that the reader is pulled into pointed and exacted depths of human misery. Moreover, her frank manner of speech serves Faulkner’s purpose of cold accuracy as Addie despairs in her position of responsibility she never wanted nor feel she deserves: â€Å"I knew that that word [love] was like the others; just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn’t need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear†, (Faulkner, 172). Devin Mckernan, in his article Conflict of the Feminine in As I Lay Dying, comments on this move by Faulkner: â€Å"That this would be Faulkner’s take on language is obviously ironic, as he depends on his words to not only live but perpetuate his own concepts and beliefs,† (9). Addie’s statement of words being insufficient to fill a particular void is Faulkner’s method of projecting his own frustration at the feebleness and insubstantiality of words. Addie summarizes the futility of spoken words in situations where speech is neither necessary nor fulfilling of any definitive purpose. So automatically her lack of faith in the communication of words is relayed to her children, whom she neglects to communicate effectively with, and Vardaman’s vacancy, Jewel’s bitterness, and Dewey Dell’s airiness reflect Addie’s poor maternal instincts. Too, she is objecting her husband Anse’s reference to ‘love’. For Addie, as for Faulkner, the conveyance of deep-felt emotions or thoughts or ideas or beliefs cannot be hammered down in such abstract terminology; words such as ‘love’ and ‘pride’ are both ambiguous and subjective, hence meaningless. This outlook proves Addie a failed mother and a bitter wife, which is transmuted upon the family and reflects in their dim sense of family. Faulkner’s tact lies in the brevity of Addie’s monologue to express Addie’s resentment of words of feeling: â€Å"†¦sin and love and fear are just sounds that people who have never sinned nor loved nor feared have for what they never had and cannot have until they forget the words,† (174). Clearly, the language is disparaging of the abstract nature of words, but subtly Faulkner is urging the reader to think for himself and what those abstract words mean to each individual, or if they should have a meaning attached to them in the first place. There still remains the implied love that Anse has for his family. After Cash breaks his leg, Anse comes up with the idea of setting the leg into cement as a remedy. This episode is the most profound example of Anse’s poor fathering yet, and the fact that he does not realize the damage being done until a neighbor points out the worsening injury is further evidence of Faulkner desiring his audience to grasp the absoluteness of parental failing: â€Å"Cash’s leg and foot turned black†¦ ‘Didn’t none of you have more sense than that? ’ Mr. Gillespie said,† (Faulkner, 224). Here is the penultimate example of Anse impacting his children out of ignorance, but not for lack of caring. It must be noted that Faulkner still implies a general air of tenderness warmth as Anse â€Å"just aimed to help [Cash],† (ibid), but without the common sense to do anything but the first hare-brained idea he could muster. This scene is also an example of Faulkner’s use of a dynamic setting to deliver the theme of the husband finally finding devotion enough for his wife, but, like Addie, viewing the children as burdensome. For Faulkner, Yoknapatawpha county and its rural Mississippi surroundings provide the requisite set of trials and misfortunes the Bundrens must overcome to deliver Addie safely to Jefferson. On the way they encounter a fierce river that drowns their mule team, providing the first example of the roughness of the terrain as a force to be reckoned with: â€Å"†¦I see the mules come rolling up slow up out of the water, their legs spraddled stiff like they had balked upside down†¦,† (Faulkner, 154). This episode still outlines a familial love between the characters, because it was Anse’s bull-headed devotion to Addie’s dying wish of burial in Jefferson that made the sojourn necessary in the first place, and come what may he would deliver her no matter how rough the road gets, and in spite of his bitterness towards his family. Faulkner weaves the setting further into his tale by making the novel one of necessary travel. As stated earlier, the primary goal of the Bundrens is to deliver Addie to her final resting place in Jefferson. The gathering rain, the swollen, mule-drowning river, and the instance of Cash’s broken leg all provide Faulkner with ample opportunity to make the setting as threatening as Anse’s stubborn devotion. The risks run by the family are outweighed by Anse’s final attempt to do right by Addie, a fact to which Anse is either oblivious or indifferent. Faulkner succeeds in his goal to incorporate as much of the setting to drive his novel and further express the mishaps of Anse’s bumbling paternal figure. As I Lay Dying is regarded as a giant of literary fiction, encompassing stout and functional characters, a dynamic and threatening setting, and a style of versification as subtle as it is simple to relay the message of parental ignorance and neglect. And Toni Morrison, in her novel Beloved, is equally successful in her characterizations, her setting, and her expressive language, but to deliver a message of hope from the most down-trodden, the ex-slaves of post-Civil war society. Morrison rides the road opposite Faulkner, ensuring the proper level of complexity in her characters, taming her setting to nurture as well as inflict tragedy, and designing her language on a more intricate level. Morrison’s characters are not permitted the lack of intimacy like the Bundren family. Sethe, the matriarchal central figure of the story, operates on a far deeper and more complex level than the sum total of the Bundrens combined. She is strong-willed yet vulnerable, fierce yet devoted, at times simple and straightforward in thought, and at other times profound and insightful. In the opening scene, Paul D comments to himself on the nature of Sethe â€Å"†¦the one with iron eyes and backbone to match,† (Morrison, 9). In Sethe, the reader is given a strong character who is also burdened with her charges, Denver and Beloved. But Sethe differs from Anse in her willingness to accept that burden, accept her children and try to raise them up correctly, insofar as her past and her present will allow her. Morrison takes care to create Sethe as a proper mother figure, weaving into her narrative the harrowing story of Sethe’s escape from Sweet Home, integrating Denver’s birth on a grounded rowboat, and illustrating the automatic response of maternal care for Beloved upon Beloved’s entrance into the novel. These two very human flaws are central for Sethe’s internal struggles. She holds her head high in pride, as an escaped ex-slave who has (mostly) succeeded in putting her grim past behind her: â€Å"No more running-from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth,† (Morrison, 15). This early declaration from Sethe provides the context for the reader to understand her position; that as a mother escaping from slavery’s treachery caused her to duck and run, but as a woman having overcome that trial she is in firm refusal to let any further hardships force her to turn tail and bail. So it is the shame of having to run, as necessary as that escape was, coupled with the pride of having survived the grisly cruelty of slavery that constitutes much of Sethe’s psychological makeup. This past, however, will lead Sethe down a road of what can be viewed as either temporary psychosis or the pinnacle of devoted motherhood. In one of the most crucial scenes of the novel, the slavehunters have discovered Sethe and her children hiding out in a shed at the back of 124. Sethe, well aware of the inhumanity of the men surrounding her, slays her child, cutting its throat. When the men enter, they find Sethe â€Å"holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other,† (Morrison, 149). The other infant is Denver, whom Stamp Paid saves from â€Å"the arch of its mother’s swing,† (ibid). At first glance, this scenario seems strikingly cruel, but Sethe’s personal history as a slave, and therefore her knowledge of its terrors, drives her to commit the unspeakable infanticide: in Sethe’s mind, she had no choice but to save her children from the horrendous fate of slavery by murdering them. This episode portrays the duality of Sethe’s unfortunate past as always having an effect on her well-being and that of her children; she is devoted as a mother, but so much so that she assumes her child’s immediate death is preferable to the inhumanities of slavery. For Morrison, Paul D represents an odd secondary paternal figure, that of the bedraggled former slave male willing to sacrifice his own pride and paset at the chance of a content â€Å"normal† life with Sethe. But this life includes Denver, and from the outset Paul D is aware of Denver’s resentment towards him, not necessarily as a father figure, but as a stranger and a threat to the relationship between Denver and Sethe. Paul D is Morrison’s definintion of an aloof father, aware of his conspicuousness to Denver, and Denver believing that he has no intention of attempting the role of father. Midway through the novel, the reader encounters a crucial moment, as Paul D has been seduced and taken by Beloved, but he is willing to tell Sethe the truth. Paul D finally musters the courage to tell her of his infidelity, and Morrison is sure to highlight Sethe’s courage: â€Å"†¦already ready to accept, release or excuse an in-need-or-trouble man†¦because she didn’t believe any of them†¦ could measure up,† (Morrison, 128). In this statement, Morrison portrays Sethe as she has been from the outset of the story, iron-willed and accustomed well enough to disappointment than to let some wild man from her distant past ruin her by shucking off and discarding her. This outlook is due to Morrison’s extensive development of her character, making Sethe that much more plausible, in the sense that her disturbing past bears down so heavily on her present decision. The established mindset of overcoming any difficulty sets her jaw before she even knows what the issue is that Paul D is referring to. Too, there is an expectant despair in the statement, since Sethe’s past is so loaded with tragedy that she is reluctant to believe anything else is possible. This theme, the inability to completely conquer one’s own past demons, will further define Morrison’s complexity in regard to Sethe and Paul D’s incompatibility as a functional parental pair. Sethe and Paul D are strong central characters but are reluctant to revisit the mutual history that has so bound them, even in the light of a functional and content relationship. As stated by Arlene R. Keizer, â€Å"†¦the knowledge [from Sethe’s and Paul D’s slavery history] that might sustain them spiritually is consigned to the same forbidden area as the knowledge that might destroy them,† (Keizer, 2). Keizer touches on two main points that prove Sethe and Paul D inaccessible as parental figures: one, their shared history is too violent to revisit, hence any former knowledge of upbringing is null and void; and two, this forbidden area constitutes a large portion of their personalities, so any parenting they might attempt would only be a partial reflection of the whole person. Morrison ensures that the past setting of her characters binds them as strong as the present setting. The span of years passed in degradation and submission still wound and hinder both Sethe’s and Paul D’s further attempts to encompass a functional family life. Here a key difference arises between Morrison and Faulkner. Faulkner’s setting is present-focused, concentrating on the immediate actions and linear motion of the story to carry his failed parent theme. His characters can’t see but the road ahead of them, and plod along with a dim view of what is and what still might be, with little to no reference to any previous tragedy. The Bundrens’ past is reflected upon briefly, but merely in passing and without the gravity and great triumph intermingled with tragedy that Morrison employs. Morrison establishes the past as vital to the characters’ growth or retardation, where the strengths and weaknesses are exposed fully in their profound self-reflections, and their past will ultimately haunt them, especially Sethe and Paul D crippling their abilities as parental figures. Often enough, the characters have found methods and means to dissuade the past from surfacing too much, as when Sethe rubs Paul D’s knee, likening the soothing repetitive action to kneading flour into dough: â€Å"Working, working dough. Nothing better than that to start the day’s serious work of beating back the past,† (Morrison, 73). Here, the reader is drawn back to the fact that a collective past such as Sethe’s and Paul D’s must be confronted daily and fiercely, lest the despair it might breed ruin their lives and all that they have worked for. But it is the physical manifestation of Beloved and her move into 124 that wreaks the most havoc, and attempts to crush the semblance of a family Sethe and Paul D were attempting to find. Beloved’s entrance into the novel signifies dual emotions for Sethe, particularly since the longer Beloved lingers, the more willing Sethe is to please and obey her. Beloved completed Sethe in a way that neither Denver nor Paul D could. Sethe becomes doting, gradually sacrificing herself as Beloved grows fatter while â€Å"Sethe pleaded for forgiveness, counting, listing again and again her reasons,† (Morrison, 242). Convinced that Beloved is actually the spirit of her murdered daughter, Sethe is driven to madness by outpouring the devotion she robbed herself of with Beloved’s murder. it is unclear whether or not Beloved is truly the spirit of the child she has slain, but the representation of Sethe’s morbid past is definitely represented. As Jean Wyatt comments, â€Å"Beloved [is] able to articulate infantile feelings that ordinarily remain unspoken,† (Wyatt, 231). Wyatt’s statement encompasses the fullness of the problem. In the literal sense, the reader is drawn to the fact that adult Beloved can speak fully of the murder and articulate her resentment, her bitterness, and demand reasoning from Sethe, which gradually breaks Sethe down into madness. Figuratively, Beloved’s communication serve as a continous reminder of Sethe’s most profound and secret mistake of murdering her daughter. Beloved is a cruel and vindictive spirit, prying Sethe from the care of Denver without Sethe’s full awareness, and capitalizing on Sethe’s regret to the point of Sethe being driven mad. At this point in the novel, a drastic change occurs in Denver. Sethe now dotes upon Beloved incessantly, to the point that Sethe’s health begins to fail and she is driven further into a harmful obsession for Beloved’s well-being. This incites Denver to action, and through her despairing over her mother, Denver dives headlong into maturity, going about town asking for help in the exorcising of Beloved’s malignant spirit. The town gathers and amidst Sethe’s mistaking Mr. Bodwin for Schoolteacher and Sethe’s subsequent attempt to kill him, Beloved vanishes. This episode is Morrison’s most profound irony regarding Sethe as the maternal figure; that by neglecting Denver in favor of Beloved, Denver blooms into a fully grown woman, and succeeds in saving her mother from the terrible spirit of Beloved. The metaphor of the past as a force that requires â€Å"beating back† is crucial also to understanding Morrison’s method of incorporating figurative speech into her novel; the text is rife with similes, metaphors, and euphemisms: â€Å"†¦when trouble rode bareback among them.. or when Amy refers to the whip scars on Sethe’s back as â€Å" a chokecherry tree† (Morrison, 249, 79). These metaphors are Morrison’s most powerful vehicle in delivering her message of hope, where trouble becomes a beast to be tamed and the cruel scars of Sethe’s past are likened to the pleasing image of a tree. It is this language that separates Morrison from Faulkner the most, since Faulkner maintains simple language for a simple people, while Morrison enriches her characters with complex metaphors to fully grasp the potency of those insubstantial words that ever fail to convey a complete meaning. Both Beloved and As I Lay Dying incorporate the three elements of character development, realistic setting, and a sound approach to language use in order to convey their separate messages. Faulkner proves Anse’s and Addie’s failed parenting through his simple-minded but plausible country folks, the fierce and dynamic setting they work within, and the unsophisticated language and writing that epitomizes the questionable decisions and motivations of the parents. Morrison achieves a similar end as her parental characters operate on a more complex thought level, with all the restraints and reassurances of the past. Too, her setting revolves around both the present and the past to create an expansive environment to learn and grow from, and her use of the higher language of metaphor and her final ironic twist implies a mental and spiritual depth that Faulkner’s Bundren family never attains.