Risk And Project Management Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Risk And Project Management - Literature review Example Risk management is â€Å"the process of identifying, analyzing, and responding to business and project risk in order to minimize the consequences of adverse risk-based events† (Barkley, 2004, p. 3). According to Silvers (2010), the management of events is complex and replete with responsibilities. The process of preparing plans and executing them requires the participation of a good number of personnel, equipment and expertise, all of which must be gathered at one location in order to accomplish the set of activities that would complete the planned project. Events may be small in scale and limited in their complexity; others would be substantially more challenging, taking a much longer time to complete, and requiring the collaboration of many other talents working in conjunction with each other, the setting (location, time, weather, etc.) and against the constraints of a budget. Because of the multitude of unknown factors, risks abound in the execution of a project, from the p lanning phase until the last clean-up operation. There are financial risks that pertain to the business side, implying the possibility that the expected returns may not be realized. There are also the real risks of physical injury due to fortuitous events that, despite all precautions, occur unexpectedly. The job of events management is to assess and take cognizance of all these risks, so as to allocate for the possibility that they may happen and to allow the project team to address them. The importance of this topic is attested to by a substantial number of articles and researches that have been undertaken on the topic of project. This chapter shall review the available literature on the subject. Below are two diagrams depicting the risk management process, sequentially and then functionally. Project definition and project life cycle The risks attendant to events management are of the same nature of risks to which all projects are subjected to. A project is â€Å"an activity that has a beginning and an end which is carried out to achieve a particular purpose to a set quality within given time constraints and cost limits† (Chartered Management Institute). Essentially, events are projects with a tangible beginning and end and dedicated to attain one result, and therefore follow the project life cycle development. The project life cycle is a representation of â€Å"the linear progression of a project, from defining the project through making a plan, executing the work, and losing out the project† (Verzuh, 2008, p. 23). There are numerous ways of depicting the life cycle of a project, one of which is presented in the following diagram. http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/century21/figure3.gif The risks of doing business There are many types of projects that have different objectives; whether they are philanthropic or for profit, there is certainly a cost factor involved that places a constraint on the manner the business is run. At best, the project s hould earn a decent return for the organizers where the aim is fund raising or the furtherance of a business. At the least, the costs incurred must be within the limits set by the sponsors. In any case, uncertainties in the events surrounding the project’s execution may impact in the form of higher than expected costs or lower than expected revenues. According to Ibrahim (2010), it is possible to introduce some diversification in order for events

Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cloning - Essay Example By discussing these to the full extent, we will be able to come to a more conclusive and knowledgeable objective on this subject of interest. The aim of this paper is to discuss of this, as well as the other key factors in regards to this issue. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The term cloning is literally referred to as "using specialized DNA technology to produce multiple, exact copies of a single gene or other segment of DNA to obtain enough material for further study." ("CDC", 2006). The process itself is actually referred to as cloning DNA, and the resulting cloned (or copied) collections of DNA molecules are called clone libraries. In more simple terms, cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of something original. In the cloning of a gene, there must be extraction from one gene from an organism and insert that into another organism, where it can then be used and studied. There is also a related technique to this which is called subcloning, which refers to the transferring of a gene from one plasmid into another, again for further study. Cloning is the process of making a genetically identical organism through nonsexual means. Although the idea of cloning may seem rather revolutionary to some, it has in fact been around for some while. It has been used for many years to produce plants (in fact even growing a plant from a cutting is a type of cloning). The terms 'recombinant DNA technology', 'DNA cloning', 'molecular cloning', or 'gene cloning' all refer to the same process: the transfer of a DNA fragment on interest from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such as a bacterial plasmid. "This technology has been around since the 1970s, and it has become a common practice in molecular biology labs today." (Cloning Fact Sheet, 2006). When the media report on cloning in the news, they are usually only talking about one type of cloning, which is called reproductive cloning. However, there are many different forms of cloning, including human cloning, animal cloning, and cellular cloning. As for reproductive cloning, it is a technology which is used to generate an animal that has the same DNA as another currently or previously existing animal. The majority of reproductive cloning has so far been tried and tested on animals, with the modern cloning techniques involving nuclear transfers being successfully performed on several species. These land mark experiments in chronological order are: Tadpole (1952) Carp (1963) Sheep (1986) Rhesus monkey: Tetra (female, January 2000) Cattle: Alpha and Beta (males, 2001) and (2005) Brazil Cat: Copycat "CC" (female, late 2001), Little Nicky (2004) was the first cat cloned for commercial reasons Mule: Idaho Gem (2003) Horse: Prometea (2003) Human (2005) Dog: Snuppy (2005) The recent success in cloning animals has sparked fierce debates among scientists, politicians and the general public about the use and morality of cloning plants, animals and possibly humans. Although some argue that cloning can be used for many positive reasons, such as to preserve and increase the number of various endangered species, others are outraged at the 'misuse and mistreatment of science'. Currently the most successful cloning technique is that of the somatic cell nuclear transfer. This is the same cloning technique which allowed Dolly the sheep to be cloned, is also the same technique used by ACT - the first company to

Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries

Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries To what extent can tourism be  sustainable in developing countries? Introduction Tourism Sustainability Conclusion References Introduction When one looks at monetary flows, along with the creation of jobs, the tourism sector represents one of the largest industries globally[1]. The preceding aspect is an important one, as tourism provides the opportunity for small and medium sized (5 through 500 employees) businesses to form, along with micro enterprises that typical consist of fewer than six people, and usually represent family operations[2]. These types of enterprises create employment opportunities, and in tourism, particularly in developing countries, the influx of tourist money provides openings for street vendors, cart food services, transport, and other self employment[3]. An example of the importance of micro enterprises and SME’s is provided in an International Finance Corporation report authored by Hallberg[4] that states these types of firms represent the majority of employment. She points out that in Ecuador firms with less than 50 employees represents 99 percent of all enterprises in that country, an d 55 percent of employment[5]. In the case of Bangladesh, enterprises with less than 100 employees represented 99 percent of all companies, employing 58 percent of all workers[6]. The preceding has been brought forth to provide the context for this examination in the extent that tourism can be sustainable in developing countries. The point being made is that the hard currency flows represent an economic benefit that is important not only in tourism monies spent, but also as a basis for foreign investment and the creation of opportunities for foreign businesses to set up operations, with tourism as the entree. The foregoing economic benefits represent a critical facet in approaching and understanding the importance of tourism to developing countries. The preceding importance also holds true for developed countries as well. The importance of tourism in developed countries is brought forth by the Assistant Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Geoffrey Lipman, who stated â€Å"Showing the full economic impact of the sector in the Index will enhance travel tourism’s relevance for policy-makers†¦The Index makes clear that, although industrialized states currently dominate, poorer countries have a massive potential to be the leading force in international tourism,[7]. The significance of mentioning this Report in the context of this examination is that it provides an analysis of key drivers regarding competitiveness, which are thirteen pillars, as represented by â€Å"1. policy rules and regulations, 2. environmental regulation, 3. safety and security, 4. health an d hygiene, 5. prioritisation of travel and tourism, 6. air transport infrastructure, 7. ground transport infrastructure, 8. tourism infrastructure, 9. information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, 10. price competitiveness, 11. human capital, 12. national tourism perception, and 13. natural and cultural resources[8]. The benefits to a country and its populace as a result of tourism can have long term implications economically, however, the foundations, as set forth by the foregoing pillars, indicates that attaining such a goal requires commitment and a national plan to achieve. Tourism Sustainability The preceding brought forth the complexities involved in conducting tourism, highlighting that it is not a segment that can be entered into lightly if long term and sustainable results are to be achieved. An example of the Index illustrates the foregoing: Chart 1 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index – Regulatory Framework Segments 1 through 5[9] Pillars 1. Policy 2. Environment 3. Safety 4. Health 5. Priority Rules Sustainability Security Hygiene TT Country Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Albania 104 3.69 93 4.08 71 4.93 59 476 104 3.55 Argentina 91 3.95 107 3.94 98 4.45 40 5.62 70 4.23 Austria 22 5.04 53 4.63 21 5.85 37 5.72 32 4.92 Bangladesh 114 3.31 121 3.71 129 2.83 117 2.11 122 2.77 Bolivia 127 2.88 104 3.98 92 4.53 14 6.51 91 3.81 Botswana 74 4.13 68 4.42 50 5.26 97 3.24 82 3.95 U.K. 5 5.54 10 5.56 65 5.01 41 5.58 43 4.69 U.S. 19 5.22 100 4.02 119 3.75 44 5.50 21 5.26 Chart 2 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index – Regulatory Framework Segments 6 through 10[10] Pillars 6. Air 7. Ground 8. Tourism 9. ICT 10 Price Transport Transport Infrastructure Infrastructure Compettive Country Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Albania 112 2.20 116 2.55 86 2.53 86 2.16 90 4.33 Argentina 67 2.94 90 3.05 53 3.91 54 3.03 41 4.94 Austria 29 4.25 10 6.03 1 7.00 20 4.88 104 4.17 Bangladesh 116 2.12 69 3.56 122 1.29 122 1.52 10 5.44 Bolivia 108 2.25 114 2.59 99 2.21 106 1.81 14 5.32 Botswana 77 2.72 72 3.50 78 2.80 92 2.05 6 5.49 U.K. 4 5.65 11 5.85 16 6.18 9 5.46 127 3.44 U.S. 2 6.34 19 5.45 6 6.74 13 5.23 105 4.18 Chart 3 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index – Regulatory Framework Segments 11 through 14[11] Pillars 11. Human 12. Affinity 13. Natural 14. Cultural Resources Resources Resources Country Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Albania 58 5.03 6 6.32 130 1.87 75 2.17 Argentina 60 5.01 74 4.69 12 5.01 41 3.29 Austria 19 5.62 23 5.45 37 4.00 11 5.59 Bangladesh 107 4.26 125 3.95 100 2.61 109 1.44 Bolivia 98 4.60 116 4.18 15 4.86 62 2.45 Botswana 124 3.36 58 4.85 31 4.20 113 1.37 U.K. 7 5.87 90 4.54 27 4.35 4 6.28 U.S. 5 5.91 114 4.29 2 6.04 7 5.83 The preceding Charts provide a summary look at the varied areas that a country needs to consider in order to make tourism work in the face of the high rate of competitiveness. It points out the comparative facets inherent in generating tourism as well as a basis for understanding areas of deficiency and potential strengths in crafting a plan for sustainability. In order to increase and build the tourism sector, the country, its business community as well as populace need to be able to contribute as well as participate in the process. Britton[12] helps us to understand that tourism entails â€Å"†¦travel flows; microscale spatial structure and land use of tourist places and facilities; economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of tourist activity; impacts of tourism in third world countries; geographic patterns of recreation and leisure pastimes; and the planning implications of all these topics† as vital areas. In order to arrive at the point of sustainability in tourism, third world countries have to have or be in the process of developing the underlying structures that create and generate attraction for potential visits, with the understanding that other locales are engaging in the same objectives[13]. Thus, sustainability means building upon what currently exists via definitive plans to maintain present levels, and of course enhance them in order to compete effectively. Richards and Hall[14] advise that sustainable tourism represents a broad range of issues, which the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index illustrated[15]. It, sustainable tourism, includes cultural facets, social accountability, environmental practices, economic considerations, quality of life, safety and security issues in terms of crime and policing. Universally, there is no agreed upon framework for sustainable tourism as the conditions, circumstances and allied facets for countries differ. However, sustainability in tourism is a real factor, one that demands the coordinated and concerned effort of the government, businesses and populace to work. In understanding the sustainability aspects and why such is important, one needs to be mindful of the economic ramifications that are the foundation for the importan ce attached to tourism by all countries, not just developing ones[16]. Tourism is an economic pursuit, and as such it aids a country, and more specifically city and or region to grow, improve and earn currency from travellers, investment, and new business openings[17]. The importance of tourism as an economic force is evidenced by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which developed the first legally binding multilateral agreement that deals with trade in the tourism sector[18]. Its main provision sets forth the elimination of barriers to prevent foreign service providers and investors from participating in market access[19]. In order to make tourism sustainable, governmental policies, standards and practices need to ensure that there are a series of planned steps to enhance the efforts in the tourist sector, which unfortunately is not usually the case in developing countries[20]. Usually, in developing countries, efforts to promote tourism have been initiated and implemented by the private sector as well as in some cases citizen’s groups[21]. The foregoing represents a core issue in that these types of efforts are doomed to be short term actions based upon surges in popularity of an area generated by avant garde travellers that have discovered a quiet, generally unspoiled location, and other disjointed means that does not have an official plan behind it[22]. As shown by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index[23], competition in the tourism segment is marked by a broad number of underlying foundations that require concerted efforts and involvement on the part of the aforementioned government, private business sector, and community. Obvious facets that require government participation on a defined level represent marketing and promotional activities through an official tourist agency, the long term and consistent development of infrastructure related areas such as airports, transport, roads, and other support factors[24]. The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development[25] points to the importance of national, regional and local governments in planning for sustainable development as the â€Å"†¦providers of social services, builders of economic infrastructure, regulators of economic activity, and managers of the natural environment, local authorities have many direct instruments at their disposal to influence development†. The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development[26] adds to the preceding by telling us that planned tourism activities are essential to ensure that the local communities have a level playing field in terms of inclusion and involvement concerning the economic wealth generated by tourist activities, along with planning to minimise environmental impacts, and improvement of the social welfare. Tourism is an industry that competes with like locations on the international stage, with many developing countries organised for this area in a concerned manner. To compete on this level, sustainable tourism must operate like a business. Place or destination marketing is a hallmark in the process, which Gold and Ward[27] advise â€Å"†¦ is defined as a process whereby local activities are related as closely as possible to the demands of the targeted customer †¦ (with the intention) to maximise the efficient social and economic functioning of the area concerned, in accordance with whatever wider goals have been established†. Each locale has to identify its special features and communicate the advantages that it has to prospective travelers through concerted efforts. Products and services offered by companies are geared toward the long term, noted by their comprehensive marketing, promotional and related plans to seek competitive advantages, and induce consumer trial[28]. To be effective over the long term, sustainable, destinations need to treat their locales in the same manner that companies do. Conclusion Sustainable tourism in developing countries represents an important economic aspect that can help to spur foreign investment in a broader sphere of industrial areas outside of tourism if conducted in a concerted manner. The importance of the preceding is that tourism is an important economic tool that can be utilised for broad range of areas that can benefit a developing country if its government has the vision, commitment and foresight to see the real world implications and demonstrated successes that tourism can bring. As pointed out, tourism represents a commitment to infrastructure, marketing, promotion, and the involvement of the private business sector along with the local communities that will be impacted to set the foundation for programs, facilities, business opportunities and commercial realisations that benefit the locale. Tourism is a means to change external opinions and perceptions of an area through internally directed programs such as place marketing. While some destinations may have been discovered by travellers or writers and became trendy ‘in spots’ that position will dwindle for the next ‘in spot’ unless the government takes notice and seizes the opportunity to make the location one that stays on the tourist radar. In other instances, locales can be put into the tourist arena as a result of their special circumstances and conditions, such as weather, beaches, lakes, snow, forests, wild animals, monuments and ancient cities, cultural festivals and the like , Whatever the nuance, the building of travel requires planned infrastructure to enhance the experience. Easy transport access, rent cars, power, Internet lines, police, etc. Sustainable tourism requires sustainable efforts in order to make it work. References Apostolopoulos, Y., Gayle, D. (2002) Island Tourism and Sustainable Development: Caribbean, Pacific, and Mediterranean Experiences. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT, United States Beirman, D. (2003) Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis: A Strategic Marketing Approach. Allen Unwin. Crows Nest, New South Wales Britton, S. (1991) Tourism, capital and place: towards a critical geography of tourism. Vol. 9. No. 4. Environment and Planning Development Bull, A. (1995) The economics of travel and tourism. Longman Press. Melbourne, Australia Coleman, S., Crang, M. (2002) Tourism: Between Place and Performance. Berghahn Books. New York, New York, United States Duffy-Smith, M. (2003) The Ethics of Tourism Development. Routledge. London, United Kingdom Font, X., Bendell, J. (2002) Standards for Sustainable Tourism for the Purpose of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. World Tourism Organisation. Madrid, Spain Gold, J., Ward, S. (1994) Place Promotion: The Use of Publicity and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. John H. Wiley Sons. New York, New York, United States Hallberg, K. (2001) A Market-Oriented Strategy for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises- International Finance Corporation. Discussion Paper 40. Washington, D.C., United States Mahdi, A., Osman, M. (2000) An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Small and Micro-Enterprise Finance in Employment Creation. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.iceg.org/NE/projects/labor/epicfinal.pdf Mowforth, M., Munt, I. (2003) Tourism Sustainability: Development and Tourism in the Third World. Routledge. London, United Kingdom Richards, G., Hall, D. (2000) Tourism and Sustainable Community Development. Routledge. London, United Kingdom Porter, M. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques of Analysing Industries and Competitors. Free Press. New York, New York, United States The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development (1999) Tourism and Sustainable Development: The Global Importance of Tourism. The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. New York, New York, United States UNCTAD (2002) Growing Micro and Small Enterprises in LDCs. UNCTAD, New York, United States United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (1999) Tourism and Sustainable Development: Sustainable Tourism, A Local Authority Perspective. United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, New York, New York, United States World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease World Travel and Tourism Organisation (1999) The Global Importance of Tourism. Commission on Sustainable Development. World Travel and Tourism Organisation, New York, New York, United States 1 Footnotes [1] World Travel and Tourism Organisation (1999) The Global Importance of Tourism. Commission on Sustainable Development. World Travel and Tourism Organisation, New York, New York, United States [2] UNCTAD (2002) Growing Micro and Small Enterprises in LDCs. UNCTAD, New York, United States [3] Mahdi, A., Osman, M. (2000) An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Small and Micro-Enterprise Finance in Employment Creation. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.iceg.org/NE/projects/labor/epicfinal.pdf [4] Hallberg, K. (2001) A Market-Oriented Strategy for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises- International Finance Corporation. Discussion Paper 40. Washington, D.C., United States [5] Ibid [6] Ibid [7] World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease [8] Ibid [9] World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease [10] World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease [11] World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease [12] Britton, S. (1991) Tourism, capital and place: towards a critical geography of tourism. Vol. 9. No. 4. Environment and Planning Development. p. 451 [13] Mowforth, M., Munt, I. (2003) Tourism Sustainability: Development and Tourism in the Third World. Routledge. London, United Kingdom. p. 6 [14] Richards, G., Hall, D. (2000) Tourism and Sustainable Community Development. Routledge. London, United Kingdom. P. 9 [15] World Travel and Tourism Organisation (1999) The Global Importance of Tourism. Commission on Sustainable Development. World Travel and Tourism Organisation, New York, New York, United States [16] Bull, A. (1995) The economics of travel and tourism. Longman Press. Melbourne, Australia. p. 23 [17] Apostolopoulos, Y., Gayle, D. (2002) Island Tourism and Sustainable Development: Caribbean, Pacific, and Mediterranean Experiences. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT, United States. p. 11 [18] Font, X., Bendell, J. (2002) Standards for Sustainable Tourism for the Purpose of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. World Tourism Organisation. Madrid, Spain [19] Ibid [20] Duffy-Smith, M. (2003) The Ethics of Tourism Development. Routledge. London, United Kingdom. p. 9 [21] Beirman, D. (2003) Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis: A Strategic Marketing Approach. Allen Unwin. Crows Nest, New South Wales. p. 222 [22] Ibid [23] World Economic Forum (2007) The World Economic Forum’s First Ever Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report. 1 March 2007. Retrieved on 6 January 2009 from http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/Tourismpressrelease [24] Coleman, S., Crang, M. (2002) Tourism: Between Place and Performance. Berghahn Books. New York, New York, United States. p. 53 [25] United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (1999) Tourism and Sustainable Development: Sustainable Tourism, A Local Authority Perspective. United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, New York, New York, United States [26] The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development (1999) Tourism and Sustainable Development: The Global Importance of Tourism. The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. New York, New York, United States [27] Gold, J., Ward, S. (1994) Place Promotion: The Use of Publicity and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. John H. Wiley Sons. New York, New York, United States. p. 41 [28] Porter, M. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques of Analysing Industries and Competitors. Free Press. New York, New York, United States. pp. 34-36

The Abnormal and Unusual in Othello :: Othello essays

The Abnormal and Unusual in Othello  Ã‚         In how many Shakespearean tragedies is there a noble hero will falls into an epileptic seizure – as we find in Othello? Let us consider some of the more abnormal occurrences in the drama.    In Act 4 the evil Iago works up Othello into a frenzy regarding the missing kerchief. The resultant illogical, senseless raving by the general is a prelude to an epileptic seizure or entranced state:    Lie with her? lie on her? – We say lie on her when they belie her. – Lie with her! Zounds, that’s fulsome. – Handkerchief – confessions – handkerchief! – To confess, and be hanged for his labor – first to be hanged, and then to confess! I tremble at it. [. . .] (4.1)    Cassio enters right after the general has fallen into the epileptic trance. Iago explains to him:    IAGO. My lord is fall’n into an epilepsy. This is his second fit; he had one yesterday. CASSIO. Rub him about the temples. IAGO. No, forbear. The lethargy must have his quiet course. If not, he foams at mouth, and by and by Breaks out to savage madness. Look, he stirs. Do you withdraw yourself a little while. He will recover straight. (4.1)    Epilepsy on the part of the protagonist is unusual and physically abnormal. But the more serious abnormalities in the play are psychological. Iago is generally recognized as the one character possessing and operating by abnormal psychology. But Lily B. Campbell in Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes tells of the time when the hero himself approached â€Å"madness†:    Othello himself cries:    thou hast set me on the rack. I swear ‘t is better to be much abus’d Than but to know a little.    And then we find him torturing himself with the thoughts of Cassio’s kisses on Desdemona’s lips, and he reiterates the property idea in his talk of being robbed. From this time on, Othello has become the slave of passion. As he cries farewell to the tranquil mind, to content, to war and his occupation, as he demands that Iago prove his love a whore, as he threatens Iago and begs for proof at the same time, he is finally led almost to the verge of madness [. . .] . (165)    Fortunately the protagonist regains his equilibrium, and when he does kill, it is for the noble reason of cleansing the world of a â€Å"strumpet.

Building Rock Types in Nottingham City Centre

The purpose of this investigation is to identify and visually examine the various rock types used in Nottingham city centre buildings.Table 1. General information Question AnswerBriefly explain why the rock types used in the buildings are given specific, local names (e.g. â€Å"Ancaster Stone†, â€Å"Bulwell Stone† and â€Å"Portland Stone† are three different types of limestone used in Nottingham buildings). Rock types used in buildings are given the local name of their origin. Rocks of the same type will have variations depending on their geographical background. Therefore by naming rocks after their origin, it is easy to confirm that they come from the same place and so have less variations.Dolomitic limestone was the most common building stone in Nottingham from Victorian times onwards. Briefly explain what â€Å"dolomitic limestone† is (as distinct from â€Å"limestone†).Dolomitic limestone is limestone that has up to 50% dolomite content. The Kentucky geological survey describes the stone often exhibiting a sugary texture and commonly weathering to a brown colour.Table 2. Nottingham building information & observations Building Feature Notes(1) Arkwright Building Describe the rock material (including the form of the blocks) for the limestone used in the buildingThe limestone used in the Arkwright Building is Ancaster stone. It is a sedimentary rock with a typical layered look. It is a pale yellow and has a medium grain size. The blocks of limestone are roughly 750mm x 250mm.(2) St Andrews Church Describe the rock material (including the form of the blocks) for the limestone used in the buildingThere are mainly two types of limestone used in the church. The first is called Bulwell stone. It is a coarse dolomitic limestone with a honey-brown or red tint. The blocks of stone are approximately 200mm x 150mm. The other type of limestone is Barnstone. It is a grey, fine grained rock with a rough texture.(4) Newton Building Desc ribe the contrasts in appearance of the limestone and sandstone used in the Newton buildingThe limestone (Portland stone) in the newton building is white in colour unlike the sandstone’s golden colour. The limestone has a smooth texture whereas the sandstone has a rough, grainy texture. Grain size is generally bigger in sandstone. Limestone blocks also contain shell debris unlike the sandstone.(5) Guildhall Describe the contrasts in the appearance of the sandstone used on the entrance steps to the sandstone used for the main buildingThe sandstone (Coal Measures Sandstone) used on the entrance steps is a bluish grey compared to the red-tinted sandstone (Millstone Grit) used on the main building. The Millstone Grit has medium grained rock whereas the Coal Measures Sandstone has a fine grain size and a smoother texture. (37) Express ChambersWhat is the name of the architect who designed this building (and when was the building constructed?) The Watson Fothergill website states t he architect who designed the Express Chambers was Watson Fothergill. The construction of the building began in 1875 and was completed in 1876. (30) Nottingham and Notts BankDescribe the rock material (including the form of the blocks) for the larvikite used in the buildingThe Pelham Street frontage is made from Larvikite. It is bluish grey in colour. It has coarse inter-locking grains and a pearly lustre. The sheet used are roughly 1500mm x 1000mm. (29) Nottingham Journal BuildingNot including the flooring, name the different types of rock used to clad the exterior of the ground floor of the buildingThe ground floor faà §ade is clad with three different types of (Igneous) rock. The bottom layer course is a dark grey Gabbro. Next is a thin course of Rapakivi Granite. The main panels are a greenish grey Magmatite. (78) The former Gala Casino buildingA partially resorbed xenolith can be seen in the right front, grey granite panel. What is a â€Å"xenolith†?The National Geograp hic states that a xenolith is a piece of rock embedded in a different type of rock. Xenoliths are usually trapped in cooling magma and so most commonly found in igneous rocks. (68) Enfield ChambersDescribe the rock material (including the form of the blocks) for the limestone used in the exterior of the ground floor of the buildingThe Cross-bedded limestone is a dark yellow colour. The rock consists of fine sized grains and small crystals. The blocks of limestone are approximately 1000mm x 450mm and have a smooth texture. (67) PrezzoThe front columns are a porphyritic type of igneous rock. What does â€Å"porphyritic† mean, and can this feature be seen in the columns?The Geology class website explains that porphyritic means an Igneous rock made up of both large and fine crystals. This texture can be seen in the columns. Larger silver crystals are embedded in the finer black crystals.

Education and Formal Agencies Essay

Education is a process to develop the intellectual faculties of the man. It makes the civilized, refined, cultured and educated. For a civilized and socialized society, education is the only means. It makes a man perfect. It is systematic process through which a child or a man acquires knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. Every society gives importance to education because it is a panacea for all evils. It is the key to solve all problems of life. Derivative Meaning of Education: The word ‘Education’ has been derived from different words. Latin word ‘E’ and ‘Duco’ means to draw out of the inner qualities of the child. Similarly, ‘educare’ means to nurture and to bring up while ‘educare’ means to draw out the qualities of a child to make a complete man. Various educationists have given their views on education. Some important definitions are: Gandhi – â€Å"By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in man – body, mind and spirit. † Tagore – â€Å"Education makes one’s life in harmony with all existence. † Dr. Zakir Husain – â€Å"Education is the process of the individual mind, getting to its full possible development. † Aristotle- â€Å"Education is the creation of sound mind in a sound body. † Rousseau- â€Å"Education is the child’s development from within. † Spencer- â€Å"Education is complete living. † It can be estimated that education is a comprehensive term and it reflects one’s day-to-day life and an essential aspect for perfect balanced personality development. On other hand, the meaning of education can be understood from the narrower and broader point of view. Narrower meaning implies education is limited in educational institutions and broader meaning refers to life-long comprehensive process of education. Nature of Education: As the meaning of education, so its nature which is very complex. The natures of education are: (a) Education is life-long process- Education is life long process because every stage of life of an individual is important from educational point. (b) Education is a systematic process- It refers to transact its activities through a systematic institution and regulation. (c) Education is development of individual and the society- It is called a force for social development, which brings improvement in every aspect in the society. (d) Education is modification of behavior- Human behavior is modified and improved through educational process. (e) Education is a training- Human senses, mind, behavior, activities; skills are trained in a constructive and socially desirable way. (f) Education is instruction and direction- It directs and instructs an individual to fulfill his desires and needs for exaltation of his whole personality. (g) Education is life- Life without education is meaningless and like the life of a beast. Every aspect and incident needs education for its sound development. (h) Education is continuous reconstruction of our experiences- As per the definition of John Dewey education reconstructs and remodels our experiences towards socially desirable way. (i) Education is a power and treasure in human being through which he is entitled as the supreme master on the earth. Therefore, the role of education is countless for a perfect society and man. It is necessary for every society and nation to bring holistic happiness and prosperity to its individuals. Educational agencies are the means to achieve some goal. The role and goal of agencies of education are the impart different types of education. An individual acquires knowledge and experiences through different ways. So these sources and ways of learning take place in different institution which exercise an educational influence on the child. So the agencies of education are called the chief communicating agents between individual and the goal of education. According, to the role, educational agencies are two types- Active and Passive and according to their form they are of three types i. e. formal, informal and non-formal. These types of agencies are explained in the following ways. (1) Active Agencies: Active agencies are those where both educator and educed are active participants. The action and reactions are entertained. The school, home, family are considered as the active agencies of education. Learning is a two-way process. Interaction is lively. (2) Passive agencies: Passive agencies are those which influence the learners but they are not influenced in return. The teaching-learning process is one way. These create public opinion and public control. If the leaner is interested he may learn. Radio, TV, press, Library are the examples of passive agencies. (3) Formal agencies: Formal agencies are more or less deliberately set up by the society. It has specific objectives, curriculum, examination system, etc. These are formal because they are pre-planned. The place and time are fixed. School, college, university are the examples of formal agencies of education. (4) Informal agencies: There are agencies which grow up spontaneously and also dissolve in the same way. They observe no formalities. They indirectly impart education. If one is interested one can learn. They include family, society, playground, professional organizations, youth activity groups, etc. (5) Non-formal agencies: It is the recent concept used in India. It helps the formal agencies of education. Those who are not getting chance in formal agencies of education like schools, colleges and universities may go through the non-formal agencies of education. The programmes are meant for out of school youths, adults, and women. Correspondence course, Open University and adult education include in the non-formal agencies of education.

French Canadians in NE essays

French Canadians in NE essays The French have a lengthy history on this continent. The French became interested in the "New World" in 1524 when King Francois I sought wealth for his European domain (Brown 19). Expeditions were underwritten by the crown. It was eager to compete with other European powers in search for riches. Included in the early voyages were trips by Frenchman Jacques Cartier. Cartier discovered the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534 (Brown 21). He made further excursions toward the heartland of the continent, resulting in vast land claims. Another early visitor to America, Samuel de Champlain, organized colonies on the mouth of the St. Croix River in 1604 and at the present site of Quebec City in 1608 (Brown 78). France quickly spread its influence from Quebec to New Orleans. Though sparsely populated, the land that France claimed was astounding in size. While the English colonies were developing along a strip of the east coast no wider than 210 miles, the French laid claim to much of the territory b etween the colonies and the Mississippi. Trappers, traders, and explorers during the 17th and 18th centuries, the French were present in the new land. The intent of French exploration was the search for riches; gold and silver. However, failing to produce such wealth, France settled for revenues from the fur trade. Although the search for riches was the initial goal of the French in the new world, the main intent became to spread the Catholic faith. In 1642, French missionaries contributed to the founding of Montreal (Brown 72). In the following years the missionaries would spread like wildfire. The devout Catholicism is evident in American French communities even today. King Louis XIV made Canada a royal province in 1663 (Brow The French have a lengthy history on this continent. The French became interested in the "New World" in 1524 when King Francois I sought wealth for his European domain (Brown 19). Expeditions were underwritten by the crown....

ALLEN - Surname Meaning and Origin of Last Name Allen

ALLEN - Surname Meaning and Origin of Last Name Allen The Allen and Allan surname derive from aluinn, meaning fair or handsome. The Allan surname spelled with an a is generally considered to be associated with Scottish clans, including Clan Donald, Clan Grant, Clan MacFarlane, and Clan MacKay. Spelled with an e, however, the Allen surname is generally considered to be English in origin. However, a variety of names from a variety of regions might be anglicized as either Allen or Allan, so the name spelling may not point to your familys origin. Surname Origin ï » ¿Scottish, English Alternate Surname Spellings ï » ¿ALAN, ALLAN Famous People With the Surname ALLEN Ethan Allen - leader of the Green Mountain Boys and an American officer during the Revolutionary WarKris Allen - winner of American Idol, season eightLily Allen - British pop starRichard Allen - minister, educator, writer, and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denominationMarcus Allen - National Football Hall of Fame member, inducted 2003 Genealogy Resources for the Surname ALLEN ï » ¿100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Allen Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Allen surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Allen query. There are also separate forums for the ALLAN and ALAN variations of the Allen surname. FamilySearch - ALLEN GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Allen surname and its variations. DistantCousin.com - ALLEN Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Allen. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.ï » ¿Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

How To Solve Marketing Problems By Thinking Like A Startup

How To Solve Marketing Problems By Thinking Like A Startup You could probably name off a bajillion marketing problems in five minutes if I let you. The thing is,  you can solve a lot of those problems by thinking a little more like a startup and a lot less like a corporate company. Trust me on this. Its been a year and a half now since I became employee #5 at a then-one-year-old startup called . Before that, I was one of 2,000+ employees in a corporate company. Talk about a change of pace. What I used to do in seven  months in a corporate marketing team, I was now doing in three days. Literally. How To Solve Big #Marketing Problems By Thinking Like A StartupLooking back has been super eye-opening. And that curiosity got me  thinking: How is it possible that a startup with way less resources can create effective content more efficiently than a corporate company with seemingly endless resources? Answering  that question led me to analyze some of the biggest marketing problems  behind  prioritizing work, managing projects, and hitting deadlines. So here are the biggest truths corporate marketing teams could learn from a marketer in a startup to: Empower every member of your marketing team to become a rock star. Create content better and faster than ever before. Foster  a disruptive culture that publishes consistently and free of office bureaucracy. Its going to get deep here. Lessons learned from a year and a half of  #startup marketing.Problem #1: You  Need A Documented  Marketing  Strategy  Before You Start The thing that sucks right now:  Without publishing any content in the first place, that documented strategy of yours is just a big huge guess. Thats a lot of effort  you put into an internal document that doesnt  directly reach your audience. And that means theres absolutely no payout from it right now. :/ The  startup solution:  Start with clearly defined goal and a minimum viable plan. Give your team  a purpose and let them loose. Heres something for you to chew on: Some people  have a vested interest in selling you on all the reasons why you need a documented  strategy. Thats because that is the service they sell you through content marketing. Marketing plans are a nice  way to make you  feel like youve accomplished something without actually showing your audience the  value. Theres no way to literally know  if the strategy in your  plan will be successful or not. The truth is that you need to publish, analyze your success, and learn from your mistakes and successes to improve. In Poke The Box, Seth Godin advocates this idea  by writing: If you don’t ship, you actually haven’t started anything at all. At some point, your work has to intersect with the market. At some point, you need feedback as to whether or not it worked. Otherwise, it’s merely a hobby. In reality, you can start now by simply defining your  goal- the purpose- of what youd like to accomplish with content marketing. Then you can simply brainstorm the ways you could accomplish that goal, prioritize your project list, understand how youll measure success, and start creating content. Our co-founder, Garrett, constantly reminds all of us at that: The simplest approach is often the best place to start. So this isnt about creating content without strategy. Its that your strategy can be as simple as  focusing on inbound traffic to start because you cant convert readers who dont exist. You can use  survey data or blog comments to understand your audience without writing formal personas. You can prioritize your projects using an Evernote note and a few bullet points instead of investing in a professionally-designed strategic document that essentially carves your project  roadmap into stone without wiggle room to analyze what works and what doesnt. You can  improve your strategy as you analyze the results from the content you publish. Use the lean startup process to solve your #marketing problems.From there, look at your contents success or failure, learn from the data, and iterate. This concept is an applied theory from Eric Ries, who wrote  The Lean Startup. In that book, Eric mentions that startups can move faster with a simple, iterative process that helps your customers participate in building your product or service. It looks a bit like this: When you apply that concept to managing your marketing, it looks a bit like this: Focus on publishing content and iterating on what you know really works. The best time to start is now. Recommended Reading:  How To Track Your Marketing Objectives To Focus On Success Problem #2: Prevent Fires Instead Of Putting Them Out The thing that sucks right now: You feel like you need to take on every project you get asked to help out with. Its tough to say no to one-off projects when youre seen as a service center instead of a strategic part of your companys growth. In other words, you cant  complete strategic projects because emergencies  consume your work week. The startup solution: Rock an agile scrum and sprint process that prevents your team from being pulled off of your strategic projects because of someone elses lack of planning. Startups are known for being disruptive. One of the ways they make sure theyll ship on time is by following  agile processes that keep them 100% focused on projects that will  make a measurable difference. This process is often sprint planning combined with daily scrum meetings. And you can apply this same approach to your marketing: A scrum master, most likely you, assigns the team the complete list of projects theyll take on in a certain period of time. Thats usually the next two weeks. The team works together to agree on what projects will get done, when theyll be done, and how much  effort it will take. Once the team commits to the projects and deadlines, they will ship on time no matter what. When other hot projects come up, only the scrum master has the ability to stop or change projects in mid-sprint. That means that no one- not even your CEO- can steal time or take your team off the current sprint. That means your team stays focused while you plan the new requests into upcoming sprints.  That helps  everyone focus on  the right projects and gives you time to strategically determine which new projects to take on before you jump into  executing. Theres a saying Ive  seen around that goes something like this: Your lack of planning doesnt mean an emergency for me. Plan your work. Work your plan. Avoid the fire drills. Problem #3: But That Would Never Work Around Here And Projects Get Thrashed The Day Before Launch Heres a two-in-one for ya: The thing that sucks right now: You just read through the solution to problem #2 and you thought to yourself, Yeah, right! If I told our CEO that I wasnt going to complete her project first thing, shed be pissed. So the real problem is that you havent  gotten approval to manage your team your way without exceptions. The startup solution: Thrash your projects before you create them. Then get your sign-off- in writing if you have to- that youll ship  your way and on your deadline. Seth Godin has worked with huge corporate companies and came across this problem  a lot in his early professional life. His solution? Define the day youll ship. Youll publish on this day no matter what happens. Write down every single idea that could possibly funnel into your project. Get anyone involved who wants to be. Seth says, This is their big chance. Thrash and dream. Seth says, People focus on emergencies, not urgencies, and getting yourself (and them) to  stop working on tomorrows deadline and pitch in now isnt easy. Help your team decide what theyll create in the time frame available. Enter all of your ideas into a database. Then let everyone thrash your project before you even begin. Seth says, Make sure everyone understands that this is  the very last chance they have to make the project better. Create a blueprint of all the remaining ideas that will funnel into your project. Show the blueprint to the big wigs and ask, If I deliver what you approved, on budget and on time, will you ship it?' Dont move forward until you get your yes. Once you get your yes, build your project your way and ship on time. This process, as Seth outlines in Linch Pin, works well for both laying out how you want to manage your team (with sprints and the agile scrum process) and for managing single projects. Get approval- even if you have to get  something signed- then build. In their book, Sprint, Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz  explain that getting approval to create projects  that are on point from the start and end with a thrash-free process begin with  approval from a Decider. In this context, the Decider is someone who has  the potential to call shenanigans at the end of a project. So Jake and Co. went so far as to get written confirmation that their project would ship on time: In one sprint, the CEO send the design director an email that read, I hereby grant you all decision-making authority for this project. Absurd? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. This official power transfer added tremendous clarity While the process that Seth follows and the special design sprints that Jake and his team run are dramatically different, they have one thing in common: Get  approval, then work. Ship on time, every time. Problem #4.  Your Team Isnt Focused On The  Projects That Produce Repeatable, Measurable  Results The thing that sucks right now: You have so many things you could do, you have no idea how to prioritize them. To top it off, you have goals- like selling more- but you have no idea what specific projects are producing the best results and which ones you should stop doing. The startup solution: Concentrate  100% of  your resources on your 10x growth projects  and nothing else. I had the opportunity to listen to a  chief financial officer  speak about setting goals.  This guy talked about knowing your number, essentially saying: Everyone on your team should know  your goals and how they contribute to them. The only department  excluded from this is marketing. I remember getting super amped about becoming a data-driven marketer, and then being super disappointed by his last sentence. I even argued with the guy about it after he spoke! Its time to prove that #marketing is a revenue generator instead of a necessary cost center.The truth is, marketing can and should be very data driven. And every project should be measured against a clearly defined goal or you shouldnt do it. The first step is assessing what your gut is telling you is working, and understanding whats just a bunch of busywork. Create a list of all the projects you do on a regular basis, then ask yourself two simple questions: Is this on my to-do list simply because Ive always done it? What would happen if I stopped doing this project? From here, determine which projects are generating the biggest results toward your goals and replicate their success. Set up and track your goals for every project you take on with a tool like Google Analytics. Then simply stop doing the projects that are dead ends. Recommended Reading:  How To Boost Your Efficiency With A Content Strategy That Will Quadruple Your Results Problem #5: Your Content Approval Process  Needs An Approval Process The thing that sucks right now: The content you publish on a regular basis takes forever to finalize because you have too many people involved in your process. The startup solution: Give total publishing authority to your editor. Take everyone  involved in an approval process out of your workflow. Ive been loving a post from Jay Acunzo  ever since he published last year. Jay used to work at Google where he saw a pod structure applied to the sales team, and he  wrote about applying that same idea to a content marketing team. Heres a very memorable quote: team be huge, team be slow, team is gonna totally blow. So Jay advocates removing any unnecessary people from your process and focusing on three  key roles: Strategist: You, the person who has the vision, knows what to measure and how to do it, and plans the sprints your team will take on. Producer: The creative folks who actually make your content a reality. They turn strategy into assets. Marketer: The person who shares your content with the world. While you might have a few producers (lets say a writer, designer, or videographer), youll notice that Google doesnt focus on an approval person. The strategist- or editor- takes on that role by analyzing what works and what doesnt. Approval processes slow you down, make you miss your deadlines, and create a negative culture that feels like, They dont trust me. Use the steps from problem #3 to give yourself 100% control over what you create. Publish now, apologize later. Ask for forgiveness instead of approval.Empower your team to lead, make mistakes, fail fast, learn often, and repeat. Shooting for perfection is imperfect. Recommended Reading:  How To Rock A Content Development Process That Will Save You Tons Of Time Problem #6: Foster A Disruptive, Creative Culture The thing that sucks right now: Your company expects creatives to maintain status quo, work in a drab office, and show up from 8–5. Since youre a creative reading about marketing problems, you probably dont want to be doing whatever you should be doing right now. so does being  physically present in an office from  8–5 really make you more productive? The startup solution: Value diverse experiences and working styles. Look for team members who have more ambition than you. Dont track vacation time. Dont  demand that your team be omnipresent from  8–5 in the office. Jason Fried  gave one of the most popular TED Talks of all time: You know what Jason  found? Being present in an office does not necessarily equate to being productive. Go figure. Instead, look to build a team of people who have never fit in anywhere else. Find the misfits who just may work well together. Theyll be the ones who challenge the status quo to  create something you never thought was possible. So your designer wants to work from a coffee shop once in a while. Great. Your marketer needs to work from home because day care fell through. Fine. 4 p.m. on Friday rolls around and the team wants to share a beer together. Excellent. Thats actually been proven to increase creativity, by the way. Quit thinking theres a difference between work life and personal life. Its just one. And you choose to do what you do every day. Theres no difference between work and personal life. Its just one.Foster an environment that your team will love to come back to every morning. Respect their opinions and let them complete their work  the way that works best for them. After all, does it matter how things get done as long as you reach your goals together? What Are Your Marketing Problems? These were some of the marketing problems Ive experienced in the past and the ways Ive overcome them since joining . Id love to hear more about the challenges youre facing and your plans to resolve them. Let me know in the comments!

Pronouncing the Phoneme for a Foreign Speaker of English Research Paper

Pronouncing the Phoneme for a Foreign Speaker of English - Research Paper Example Roach (1983) describes four functions of intonation as he explains how speakers employ intonation to communicate effectively. The first is the attitudinal function of intonation, which allows people to convey their emotions through a particular tone. For instance, if one can say  ´Good luck’ in such a way as to convey genuine enthusiasm for someone’s prospects, or else utter the same words in a sarcastic way which betrays one’s envy for that other person. Prosodic (loudness, speed, pitch range), sequential (pauses, tonic syllables), and paralinguistic (body language) components play a great part in this function. The accentual function of intonation serves to convey stressed syllables. Usually, tonic syllables are used to convey information. For example, in  ´I’m taking the children to the cinema’, the  ´tonic stress’ (Roach, p. 183) would be on the word  ´cinema’, since it provides information which the speaker needs to stress . The grammatical function of intonation serves to indicate the syntactic aspects of a language and to clarify certain ambiguities. One could ask,  ´The exam’s tomorrow, isn’t it?’ either by employing falling intonation in the tag question (so that the speaker is merely asking for confirmation) or by employing a rising intonation, so that the speaker demonstrates doubt about the statement. The other function Roach describes is the discourse function, where intonation gives indications about the context of an utterance. Stress tends to be placed on words that convey unexpected information, for instance, "He is actually studying".

Working with people and organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Working with people and organisations - Essay Example Furthermore preventative strategies and dilemmas were encountered. When considering student social work one of the overarching aspects is the consideration of the welfare of the individuals involved. Indeed, Ollsen (2008) has indicated the tenuous nature of such circumstances on the children involved, â€Å"Unaccompanied minors often face severe trauma during their preflight lives as well as during the course of their migration. These traumatic experi- ences can have negative psychosocial impacts on the minors† In many instances one understands the cases and the level of support that they require, but still rely heavily on supervision for the best outcome. I have relied on supervision and have found it extremely necessary as working so closely with your cases means one must maintain an appropriate professional boundary. I have found that foster children and their birth families often in conversation slip something to you, hoping that it will not be reported. I am constantly aware of safeguarding and always advise them it must be noted. That information could be apparent later on and could put someone’s life at risk or cause personal danger. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ As a Student Social Worker I have been assigned nine foster children to support. Some foster carers currently have no placements, but still require regular support, advice and training. Unlike working with a local authority, my foster carers could be 60 miles round trip away from our offices. As a lot of our placements are from different local authorities, our foster carer’s home addresses can span all boroughs. I was trained to use social e-care and also carried out general office based duties usually carried out by a duty worker in the day to day processes of dealing with referrals from local authorities in placing looked after children with well matched foster carer’s. I was professional at all times, particularly when taking referrals

Research Method SPSS Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Method SPSS Report - Essay Example Consequently, the employed people are able to visit the gymnasium more than those who are unemployed. This means that the hypothesis was not true. The hypothesis here is that the average customer satisfaction increases with the increase in age groups. We therefore run the linear correlation analysis using Q2 and Q7. The results are as shown below: The coefficient of linear relationship between Q2 and Q7 is - 0.149 by Kendall’s tau_b and -0.172 by Spearman’s Correlation. This means that there is a negative linear correlation between the two variables. It implies that the increase in age groups reduces the level of customer satisfaction. Consequently, the people in the low age group are more satisfied compared to people in the older groups. The hypothesis is not true. The linear regression gives a linear regression value of 0.042. It shows that the willingness to pay increases with the increase in the weekly income in the ratio of 0.042. For a person earning a net income of  £300, he or she falls is willing to pay between 70 and 75 from the reading on the plotted output. The multiple regressions shows that the significance of the weekly income to the willingness to pay is 0.671while the bivariate linear regression shows a lower coefficient of value of 0.042. There is a wide variance between the two

Critical Review of Krochs Research Conducted among the Upper-Class Case Study

Critical Review of Krochs Research Conducted among the Upper-Class Community - Case Study Example Kroch asked the study participants to identify the study participants with the same characteristics under study (Kroch, 1996). Kroch studied the vowel sound pronunciation by following the methods proposed by LCV project to maintain comparison in his study. His research instruments were restrained between 150 and 250 central vowels. His study uses the first inventiveness frequency, and then applied the computerized linear predicate coding algorithm (Kroch, 1996). Labov’s research established the differences in the pronunciation of the vowel /oh/ and /eh/ of American in opposition to New Yorkers. The Americans are more likely to make use of the next variants of /oh/ and Italians are more prone to use the next variants of /eh/ than the other groups. In his interview, Labov states that the Irish derivation features are not up to standard. He further argues that the variation is insignificant and that European American classes communicate in more the same way using the applicable features (Kroch, 1996). Steady sociolinguistic variables have conventionally been identified as individuals that indicated that, no age discrepancy in the approach pattern of language occurrence in the society. There are very few research studies conducted in all the societies concerning any sociolinguistic variables. Though studies of language, removal and gerund form have revealed that young youths tend to repeat the chances of the language differences, and problems recognized in the language structures of their own parents (Labov 1989). This research gives these illustrations, although it directs them in the way of constant dissimilarity for the language users over a given phase of time.  

The Conflict Resolution Process in Teams Research Paper

The Conflict Resolution Process in Teams - Research Paper Example Of all resources an organization has in its disposal none is perhaps as relevant and important to the success of the organization than the human resources. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992) human resources output is higher when the employee's function as a team than it is the case when employees do not work as teams. A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However, creating functional and efficient teams calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and qualification, cultures and business backgrounds. To an organization, this translates into the potential for success. However, as (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992) notes team building process is a challenging process that can present numerous challenges to the management. However, teams have disadvantages such as reduced independence of talented and capable workers, social loafing as well as bureaucracy hence time wastage (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005).      Tajfel and Turner, (1979) classifies teams into functional teams which consist only of members drawn from various departments, self-managed teams which are formed to meet some specific goals and objectives and function with little or no supervision, task forces are teams constituted to oversee completion of specific projects, while process improvement teams are comprised of experts as well as technocrats in a given field. Formation of working teams presents the following challenges to leaders; establishing strong team leadership, difficulty in establishing positive interpersonal relationships, fear of the teams failing to meet set goals which translate to wasted resources as well as the possibility of members of the team failing to adapt well into the team. These challenges lead to conflicts in the group. As (Cote, & Morgan, 2002) notes, conflicts are not necessarily detrimental to the success of the organization. If well-resolved conflicts have numerous advantages and disadvantages alike. If well-managed conflicts serve as a bonding experience and an opportunity for the team members to learn and reunite something which results in the team emerging more strong, and ready for the challenges ahead. According to (Sims, & Manz, 1995) in modern business organizations, teams are indispensable something which explains the reasons for meetings and committees in most modern organizations.   

Hermes financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hermes financial analysis - Essay Example Gucci and Louis Vuitton are seen to embrace modern fashion more than traditional garment and accessory designs. This creates a distinctive advantage for Hermes. The current paper focuses upon analysing the financial ratios. The ratios have been constructed on the basis of the information procured from the company’s financial statements. The analysis reveals whether the company is in a suitable financial position to expand and enhance their activities (Hermes annual report, 2013). The share price of Hermes has been depicting an upward rising trend. Share price can be considered to be an essential indicator of the financial health of a company, the same reason due to which share prices of Hermes has been included in the current study. The company has been seen to invest in profitable expansion and growth projects since the last five years. This has facilitated Hermes to maintain a significantly high share prices, as compared with other close competitors of the firm, especially during the crisis period. During the crisis period many retail firms were seen to face issues with asset management and maintaining adequate cash reserves, as support from external financial institutions was limited. However, the strong operating policies and the adequate financial stability of Hermes had facilitated the company to maintain continuity of operations without being dependent on external finance. The sales volume of Hermes had also not been affected majorly. All such factors facilitated maintaining adequate returns to shareholders and maintain rising share prices. In the following sections of the current paper, in depth analysis has been conducted in respect of the financial condition of the firm, considering the financial years 2012 and 2013. This is expected to give more insight regarding the reasons behind the company’s ability to maintain high share prices. Gross profit ratio measures the amount of profits earned by the company

The Conflict Resolution Process in Teams Research Paper

The Conflict Resolution Process in Teams - Research Paper Example Of all resources an organization has in its disposal none is perhaps as relevant and important to the success of the organization than the human resources. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992) human resources output is higher when the employee's function as a team than it is the case when employees do not work as teams. A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However, creating functional and efficient teams calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and qualification, cultures and business backgrounds. To an organization, this translates into the potential for success. However, as (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992) notes team building process is a challenging process that can present numerous challenges to the management. However, teams have disadvantages such as reduced independence of talented and capable workers, social loafing as well as bureaucracy hence time wastage (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005).      Tajfel and Turner, (1979) classifies teams into functional teams which consist only of members drawn from various departments, self-managed teams which are formed to meet some specific goals and objectives and function with little or no supervision, task forces are teams constituted to oversee completion of specific projects, while process improvement teams are comprised of experts as well as technocrats in a given field. Formation of working teams presents the following challenges to leaders; establishing strong team leadership, difficulty in establishing positive interpersonal relationships, fear of the teams failing to meet set goals which translate to wasted resources as well as the possibility of members of the team failing to adapt well into the team. These challenges lead to conflicts in the group. As (Cote, & Morgan, 2002) notes, conflicts are not necessarily detrimental to the success of the organization. If well-resolved conflicts have numerous advantages and disadvantages alike. If well-managed conflicts serve as a bonding experience and an opportunity for the team members to learn and reunite something which results in the team emerging more strong, and ready for the challenges ahead. According to (Sims, & Manz, 1995) in modern business organizations, teams are indispensable something which explains the reasons for meetings and committees in most modern organizations.   

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay Example for Free

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay The two books have one clear element in common. The two authors, Steinbeck and Hardy, give us a great outlook on loneliness in its many forms. They communicate their ideas and thoughts to us in a very similar manner, despite being from very different times and walks of life. Of Mice and Men, is set and was written during the Great Depression of the United States of America in the early 1930s, in the Salinas Valley of California, tells us the story of George Milton and Lennie Small. The two migrant workers, bound together by an unusual and sure friendship, are in pursuit together of the Great American Dream their dream. They will have their own land, be their own masters and no longer have to answer to anyone, and finally live in peace. On the other hand we have The Withered Arm, set in the early 19th Century as one of Hardys Wessex Tales, where he lived all his life. Hardy tells us the tale of a young woman, Gertrude Lodge, as she begins her new life. However, things are not what they should have been as Gertrude is afflicted with an unknown blight, her happiness both threatened and later destroyed. She is not completely alone her plight is intertwined with that of Rhoda Brook, who carries a great pain in her heart and a great power, or perhaps a curse, that not even she realises. The two texts are each set in the same rural environment as that of their authors, both bringing us the tale of so many people struggling through their lives as best they can. In Of Mice and Men we see that every man, and woman, has their own dreams, their own obsessions to pine away for, to imagine and envisage when they are so often so lonely each has their own thoughts, their method, of escapism from the reality they live in. The Withered Arm, again, in a different manner shows characters angry, obsessed, with lives they could have had and the possibilities that they have lost or had taken away from them. Each are victims of circumstance, each yearn for lives that are no longer theirs, each for a chance now gone. In each difficulty we can see a parallel, and in both books we can see characters sharing the same basic challenges to overcome, and obstacles in their path. Both show us some of the many facets and characteristics of loneliness and trouble in this world no matter how little they look for difficulty and dilemmas, people will always manage to find them, no matter how hard they strive against it. The best laid schemes o mice and men Gang aft agley [Often go wrong] And leave us nought but pain For promised joy Robert Burns As Of Mice and Men begins, we are shown the two migrant farm workers, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job, a new start, bucking barley at a Californian ranch; fleeing much undue upset in their last town, mostly thanks, despite his original intentions, to Lennie. It is late evening and they both spend the night by the Salinas River before continuing on to their new place of work the next morning. It is here that we first discover some of the main personality differences, and conflicts, between the two characters, and learn of their aspirations and their future. We immediately see much of their natures and that of their friendship as Lennie flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green poolsnorting into the water like a horse. Lennie dives headlong, dunking his head into the murky waters of the Salinas like an animal, all for a drink of water; George restrains him, attempting to keep him in line and to keep him safe. George and Lennie have struggled their way through life together, as an inseparable pair, not like all the other hopefuls out there, Because I got you an you got me together they might just get somewhere. The way this particular phrase is repeated so much tells us a lot about their friendship and how they both so desperately need it to survive. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong featuresevery part of him was defined. We see George as the sharp and able leader who gives Lennie his direction, blunt and bitter when it comes to his frustrations. All too often feeling taunted by the world, his life, and the problems they each throw at him no matter how hard he tries and how much he accounts for it. Despite his quick temper and scathing reprisals, he holds a great care and affection for his travel-partner and the companionship he brings him much more than is at first apparent. George feels responsible for Lennie, he has been Lennies guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he always, and always will, feel that Lennies troubles, Lennies mistakes and faults are his own and that which he must resolve and reconcile however much they may cause him yet more problems of his own. George feels a great loneliness inside, believing in his heart himself to be as worthless as every other like him, and as a result of this he gains his purpose to become somebody, and he knows that is something he and Lennie must do and can only do together. Without Lennie he would be nothing, no more than every other man like him alone and without hope. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shouldershe walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his pawshis arms did not swing but hung loosely at his sides. Lennie, we can already see if very different to George, a slow simpleton, likened to an animal on two counts now, expressing his simple personality and impulsive nature. It is thanks to the pairs great bond and need that we see Lennie as such a vital character in the book, for George is not the only man to whom Lennie brings a purpose, it is around him that so much of the story unfolds and revolves about. Despite the simplicity in his manner and unsure path throughout the story, Lennie brings certainty to all those around him. They are drawn to the raw and basic companionship that his presence brings he is both consort and confidant for all their thoughts and feelings. He neither understands nor takes in much of what they say but, rather than wasting their breath, it seems even more a boon unto them. Lennie is like a wandering sheep and it is George that gives him his direction and his purpose, and as he takes his lead from George, Lennie in turn gains his own shape and dream. Lennies simple, cumbersome shape walks always in Georges shadow, always behind him wherever he may go, no matter what. For Lennie life is as simple as he is it is that which seems to create so many problems for them both, in turn presenting the answers to so many others, and it is this which gives Lennie such a lasting effect on all those around him. The two are together in the pursuit of their own dreams, each finding both a purpose and the means in the other. George dreams of his own land, his own life, and it is much the same for Lennie, on his own basic level. Lennie wishes to care for his own creatures, his rabbits. He loves to hear every word of them that he can get, and George loves to tell them to him so obsessed and incensed are they with merely the thought of what lies ahead for them with the success of their great plan. This form of dreaming and hoping that many of the characters of this story holds shows how everyone of them wishes to escape from the present world that they live in, where society demands everything of them when they have nothing to hold as their own, and nothing to give. Together these two continue their journey, their unique bond always apparent as they cross upon the lives of many others, all showing the properties of loneliness and all for different reasons, giving us an outlook on how so many in this world are alone and isolated, and how what George and Lennie have is so valuable. Aint many guys travel togethermaybe everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other. The pressure of the American Dream and the demands of that societys doctrines and social structure to achieve are imposed upon everyone and anyone and this is why it becomes such a great feature and driving force behind so much of the loneliness of this book. Every common man goes to America to succeed and achieve something, but society inflicts quite the opposite upon them projecting, forcing upon them, an image of how people should think and most certainly be resulting in loneliness and isolation, a dissatisfaction of themselves and those around them and the ongoing fear of amounting to absolutely nothing. It is ironic that this very society which sets out to have everyone achieve and succeed does quite the opposite, causing so many problems along the way. The nature of the American Dream that so many in this story hold in their minds is that very thing which isolates every one of them from each other, and dooms them to failure. Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his now old and scrawny dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch, first showing them around and then, as the story progresses, introducing the personalities of the other ranch hands to them. We learn much about Candy himself and who he is, seeing in the second chapter Candy caught listening in on George and Lennies words together, as George attempts to keep Lennie in check and keep him safe. Candy was listening simply to feel as a part of their conversation, to feel involved in something, for Candy craves conversation in any form, so alone does he feel. It can be seen that now for so much of his life Candy has been separated from the other men, isolated from all others. Since Candy lost his hand in an accident upon the farm he has been unable to work with the others, condemned to the menial tasks and solitary life during the day, and now thanks to his advancing years he is even more isolated. His only companion throughout all this time has been his pet dog, a source of consternation for the other men as it nears the end of its days, its presence being an eyesore to them all and odour a cause of much dismay. The animal had been his companion since its birth, and now old and suffering from rheumatism, the men convince Candy to allow them to put it out of its misery for him. As Candy grudgingly agrees, against a great sadness, he loses his oldest and closest friend, and again he feels truly alone. Having no one, he attaches himself to Lennie and George and to the dream they both share and makes himself a part of it, willing to offer all he has, his lifes work and savings, for it to be so. However, as that dream is again jeopardised, perhaps fatally, he still wishes to carry on and fulfil the dream for it is all he has left. It this desperation of Candys to make his new dream, their dream, become so, that yet another man becomes tied up in the illusion and the hope that it brings. Crooks is a fellow worker upon the ranch, a stable buck, working to repair saddles, tools and to look after the horses, unable to do other work since he was crippled, kicked in the back by one of the horses he was working with. We have never heard much of Crooks, only chance phrases from the other men, snatches of comments in the middle of a conversation; he is not often talked about, and never talked to Crooks is a Negro. We do not see him for the majority of the book for he is never with the other men, always separated from everyone, simply because of the discrimination, the ignorance and the prejudices of that time. As the only Negro in the area, he is completely alone, without anyone but himself for so much of his life, but it was not always so. Crooks used to have someone he used to live with his family, they owned a farm, he was with his brothers, his parents his family, and he was counted as someone; now he isnt even counted. The American Dream tells us of equality, of everyone having a chance to attain their dreams, to have something to hold, be proud of and call their own in America everyone and anyone can have just this and be somebody unless, of course, if they are black. This is just a nigger talkinso it dont mean nothing, see? This contradiction and hypocrisy intermittent throughout the dream is that which causes Crooks to be just who he is alone and isolated, helpless and unable to anything about it. When Lennie wanders into Crooks living area simply looking for company as the other men are all away in the town, Crooks shows outrage and indignation that a white man would presume it his right to simply walk into his room without leave. However, Lennies innocence wins through, despite Crooks irritation, Crooks scowled, but Lennies disarming smile defeated him. As Crooks begins to talk to Lennie, and discover the nature of his relationship with George, we see his jealousy that another man could have someone so easy to talk to, such a simple and easy friendship. Such is his bitterness and jealousy over the pairs companionship that Crooks goes on to taunt and tease Lennie with the possibility that George is injured and is no longer going to be there. He tells Lennie that he too is alone and must look after himself and continue life knowing he had someone, had something, and lost it as Crooks did. Crooks wants Lennie to feel what his pain is every day, every hour, and make someone else feel how he does and, in doing so, make himself feel less alone. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobodya guy gets lonely and he gets sick. As Lennies anger flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isnt so malicious after all, for he placates Lennie he wants him to stay, despite him being a white man, one who took his life away from him, an enemy. So alone is he that any company will do, black or white it doesnt matter any more; and so It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger, as Candy joins Lennie. He only has himself and what little company that he can find; he has been separated from others, alone for so long, simply because of the colour of his skin, so isolated thanks to an ignorant and naive prejudice, so much for a dream when Crooks came to America he found an ongoing nightmare. There should be equality, and this is what America shouted aloud to the world everyone in America has a dream to live out, and everyone who comes to America has a chance. However, this is not the case for Crooks despite what people claimed, despite what the American Dream told them, he has nothing but material possessions, and to him they re nothing. Reading books is his only source of company, but Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him. When Crooks first learns of their dream, not quite as they intended for it was their dream and nobody elses, he scoffs for has heard this kind of a story all before he has seen hundreds of other hopefuls come through the ranch and continue on into nothing. He tells them this mockingly, and also to end their hopes for they too are going nowhere. However, as Candy justifies their hopes in defence, he subsides for he sees the possibilities himself, gets caught up in the trios aspirations and dreams, as Candy did, and pleads to be taken along, to join them simply to be somewhere with others who might accept him for who he is and not for what. Crooks begins to open up, he finally believes himself to be an equal and to be counted, and he has been given back both his hope and a real chance. However, things are not to be as they hoped as the wife of Curley, the boss son, enters. As always the men are wary and bid her leave and in response her bitter temper rises. Crooks stands up to her, thinking outside his place in his newfound happiness, and she drills into him, makes him again realise just who he is, how little all he says and thinks is valued and how much power she holds over him. For a moment Crooks had become a man again and believed in his own freedom, but Curleys wife put an end to that, to his open thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again. Crooks stared hopelessly at her, sat downand drew into himselfCrooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no egoEverything that might be hurt drawn ininto the indomitable pride of the Negro. Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curleys wife, to cap all the isolation and rejection from every other person on the ranch. So enraged is she that we see the malicious and bitter side of her nature born out of the oppression, the distress and torment of countless similar situations where no one ever listens, where she is always alone. She gives him no quarter as her scathing, bitter anger lashes into him. This conflict amongst and between the oppressed and repressed first between Candy and Crooks, Crooks believing their dream to be as hopeless as all the rest, so demoralised has he become thanks to the life that American society has put him through, and then between Crooks and Curleys wife, simply leads them in a circle, and right back to square one. Both are without freedom and hold little control over their own rights, and still they are brought into conflict by the ways in which society portrays the world and treats each of them, one putting the others hopes and liberty again into doubt, painting a wholly despondent and bleak future -all the more separated from each other, all the more isolated and alone. Curleys wife always appears as a woman up to no good, spoken of hurriedly in whispered conversations. She is always out looking for trouble with the other men, always holding apparent bad intentions as she flaunts herself in a vain attempt to attract them to her, willing to do anything for companionship, and as a result getting quite the opposite. George had always recognised her danger, but Lennie is blind to every bit of it. However, we begin to see that she isnt up to such wickedness as we are first led to believe, and her bitter tongue is simply born of a life of loneliness. The men always shy away from her fearing blackmail from a work mate or Curleys wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another mans wife. This fear of the bosses authority and their abuse of it is yet another barrier that stands between ever establishing some true ideals of equality. She has been alone and isolated by everyone for so long, not even her husband listens to her, simply telling her what he wants to say and never waiting for a response. Lennie, never vigilant nor wary for he has no reason to be, is the first person that hasnt looked at her with fear in his eyes, for he is different; she has tried everything and seems doomed to failure everyone is repulsed, everyone resists her, everyone bar Lennie, and she latches onto him because of this. One day she catches him on his own and without George always looking over his shoulder. He is like an open book to her, and instantly accepts her for exactly what she is. She delights in finally finding someone who is such a perfect companion, who no longer draws back away from her in fear, but talks to her as he would anyone else. Despite what is first apparent, she simply wants to be with someone who listens. We learn that she once had a life, once had a chance and could have been somebody, been somewhere and just perhaps have got somewhere in life, but had it taken away from her through no fault of her own, but the unjust and unreasonable actions of another her own mother. To escape that, to escape a dead end and lonely life where one that should be so close to her takes her chances and dreams away from her, she married Curley and inadvertently runs into something much worse. She had a dream, found a chance and lost it thanks to a situation entirely out of her control, and things only go down hill from there. She is alone unable to do anything to escape the life that she now leads, no one is willing to talk to her, she is confined to the ranch and no longer has any chance of happiness, or simply of finding a friend. Yet again, a pursuer of the American Dream finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennies companionship, temporarily feeling as if she were no longer alone in the world as Crooks did, and so tells him things that she has told no other, opening herself to him and finding that he accepts all that she says without doubt or uncertainty. However, as she learns of Lennies love for the touch and feel of soft things, she lets him closer without restraint or forethought, lets him touch and hold her hair. As she draws away in worry that her hair (and subsequently her looks) are being dishevelled, the one thing she believes herself to truly hold is mishandled, and so she pulls away, expressing her distress. Lennie panics and does the only thing that his simple mind can think of resist, and so he grips hold of her tighter, unwilling to let go, he is confused and frightened and understands nought of what is happening. He fears that if George were to find out that he had made someone unhappy and done wrong by them he would abandon and discard him, fearing disapproval if his actions were ever discovered; and so he clamps his hand over her mouth, hoping that none would hear the noise. He grips even tighter as she struggles all the more desperately in the pain that his awesome strength is causing her, and he jerks and shakes her body in response, in an attempt to silence her. In this he succeeds, but to an extent that he never intended he unwittingly breaks her neck. Yet again Lennie has caused great harm without ever realising it possible, and this time the outcome is greatly worse. She was always alone, always without somebody, even those closest to her appear to have wished against her happiness; John Steinbeck signifies this to us by never naming Curleys wife she was never important to the person, and the people, that she should have been. As soon as she finds someone that was conceivably different, perhaps wasnt like all the others, she takes it all too far too soon, without thinking of the consequences. As a result she loses everything. The story ends in the pursuit of Lennie, George goes after him with the other men for he cannot let them get to him first and it is here that we are reminded of Candys words upon his own companion, his pet dog, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt have let no stranger shoot my dog. George finally catches up with Lennie at their meeting point where they stayed that first night before making their way onto the ranch. Lennie has been plagued by images and hallucinations from his past and his imagination, so distraught has he become over doing something so wrong and upsetting George in such a huge way, without ever intending to he managed to take away every hope the two had of achieving their dream all thanks to the pressure put upon him to do right by everyone, make no mistakes and allow none to hear of the rest, which leads to him causing more problems than ever before. George has Lennie imagine their dream once more, for that was always how Lennie was happiest imagining his future, escaping from the present. It is in this moment that George puts the gun to the back of Lennies head, and, fighting off his shaking hand, pulls down upon the trigger. He never wanted to, but he had to this was the only possible choice George could have made for the ultimately innocent Lennie, nothing he could do would have been easier, or better, for Lennie. George in doing so loses his one and only companion, every hope he ever had of being somebody and every hope of those around him that became a part of their dream all in that instant every hope was lost. Such is the despair that Candy finds it difficult to let go, he wants to continue the dream and to finish it, despite all which has happened, but he knows that is never possible now. Lennie was the one that held everything, everyone, together and gave them all hope and a chance, and now he was gone. The Withered Arm tells us a story of the ordeal of Rhoda Brook, her son, Farmer Lodge and his newly married wife, Gertrude, as Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly switch your attention, not concentrating on single characters loneliness and hardships, but that of four. We first meet Rhoda Brook working in the cow sheds, a milkmaid, and we instantly recognise how emotionally isolated and detached from others she is. As the other characters about her chat among themselves she chooses to remain apart, and uninvolved, from them all. We see how alone and different from the other simple farm hands she is, He hasnt spoken to her for years, whilst they talk about her and the notorious love affair she had with the Farmer Lodge and his recent marriage to a young lady not from nearby, but the city. She is one apart from the rest, not like them, and no longer does she care or worry over their words and thoughts of her. She remains impassive throughout the conversation and the others comments about her, She knew she had slyly been called a witch. Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as She milked slightly apart from the rest, as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, their course lay apart from the rest. The truth about Rhoda and Farmer Lodges affair, now many years in the past, is widely known in the area. Long ago they were together and for unexplained reasons she was abandoned perhaps upon the realisation of Rhodas pregnancy. The very thing meant to bring a couple closer together and bring with it happiness and companionship may have brought completely the opposite for Rhoda. However, Farmer Lodge has developed very materialistic views, adhering and conforming to those of the society he lives in. Rhoda was below his class, below him, and he could never have been seen in a permanent relationship with her because of that society would never have accepted him. Another possible reason is that of Rhodas advancing years and waning beauty her age is closer to that of Lodges and so his materialism again pushes him away from her as he chooses to marry a young and still beautiful girl not long out of her teen.This is what he feels he must have the best. With the arrival of Gertrude Lodge the final brick is laid in the wall standing between Rhoda and her happiness, between her and Lodge and both of them and their son. We recognise instantly that Gertrude is neither country-born nor country-bred, and knows little of her new life and what lies ahead. From the beginning she is almost completely alone she is a young lady, highborn, and not long out of her teens, lady-like and beautiful, and there are none like her that she can communicate with. Gertrude worries much over others opinions of her, as she desires so much to be readily accepted into her new community. However, things are not to be all she could hope for, as she soon realises how alone she is to be as society separates her from the majority of those around her, thanks to the strict taboos on cross-class relationships and of a lady socialising with those of the lower class. When Rhoda learns of Gertrudes arrival she has her son discover ever detail and feature of the girl, sizing her up and comparing herself to Gertrude in her jealousy, for she believes that it should be she, not Gertrude, that Farmer Lodge should have married and is bitterly angry that he refuses to acknowledge their son and even what they both had between each other as anything but insignificant and irrelevant. The son that Rhoda and Lodge both had together is yet another great example of the loneliness that this story portrays as his mothers loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curleys wife, emphasising how unimportant and worthless he is in the eyes of those that he should mean so much to. His father rejects him outright barely ever acknowledging his presence, He took no outward notice of the boy whatsoever, and when he does it is only as an inferior and one of no consequence as the boy is described as Just one of the neighbourhood. Even his own mother, with whom he has lived for all his years, is unconcerned with him, so obsessed and incensed with her own dilemma that she simply uses him as ammunition, and justification, of her right over others to Lodge. He is used as a spy upon Gertrude and Lodge by his mother, if not that then he is always at work upon one household duty or another, and despite all that he does none of it seems to satisfy his mother. He is barely ever given any affection at all, seemingly only useful for errands and chores that Rhoda cannot bring herself to do. Despite her anger over Farmer Lodges total lack of acceptance of their son, she too does much the same, and never realises the frustrations that he hides underneath as a result of this all, His mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket knife into the beech-backed chair. The son has no father figure to follow, but certainly not a good example, and his mother tries to set him one no better she doesnt even make the effort. Rhoda develops an obsession with Gertrude whom she has neither met nor even seen. Such is her fixation that one night she is visited in a troubled dream by an image, the distorted and repulsive impression of Gertrude that Rhoda has built up in her mind through her bitter jealousy. The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas eyes. This thing that Rhoda believes Gertrude to be taunts her, thrusting the proof of her marriage to Farmer Lodge before her very eyes the thing that Rhoda herself so covets and desires for herself. As the creature draws closer, Rhoda grips its arm in fright and hurls it to the floor. One day Gertrude visits Rhoda in her small house upon the hill, and Rhoda sees her for what she really is. Gertrude, in her loneliness in Lodges great manor house, comes to Rhoda for companionship, and in her she finds a friend. At first Rhoda is unresponsive, but slowly she begins to come round, to see through all the lies she has told herself all too often in her resentment at being alone. However, all is not to be so perfectly resolved, as we learn of Gertrudes arm the strange marks, like as that of fingers, upon the flesh and over time they gradually worsen and deteriorate. It looks almost like finger marksas if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh. Gertrudes other sorrow becomes apparent as she too has realised the faith that the farmer puts into face value and beauty for she believes that he will begin to love her less if the arm does not heal as it should. As a result, over time, Gertrude begins to preoccupy herself and obsess about her arm as Rhoda did over Farmer Lodge and it continues to worsen. No one understands its nature, no one knows of a cure and Gertrude, stricken with worry and concern, turns again to Rhoda, following perhaps a maids, or a workers, advice, and the irony in this is how many would believe Rhoda to be the guilty party, the witch, cursing upon Gertrude and that she of all people would know her adversary best. Rhoda meanwhile says nothing upon the matter of the arm, merely inquiring upon it, hoping that it might recover. For Rhoda neither understands what effect she has had upon Gertrude, nor knows how she caused it much of the time she vainly tells herself that it is nothing but a coincidence. All the same, Rhoda apprehensively leads Gertrude across the hills and fields one day to Conjuror Trendle, a man renowned for powers that other people believe in more than he. He affected not to believe largely in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappearhe would say lightly, Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon emperhaps its all chance, and immediately turn the subject. Trendle lives many miles apart from other men, separated by their views and taboos of that society upon witchcraft and anything related. He has been cast away by their prejudices all because he has a talent that they neither possess nor understand, and they fear him for this. He merely uses what he has to help people as best he can, getting nothing but fear and aversion in return, and this he does for Gertrude too. Despite the rumours and whispers that people speak behind his back, he does what he knows to be best all the same rejecting the constraints of society for his own freedom, and in turn having much of it taken away. He shows to Gertrude the image of an enemy, the only one capable of causing such a blight, and Rhodas fears are to be realised as, despite Gertrude never telling her who the image she saw was, she never spoke to Rhoda again, never mentioned the arm and never called around her house, simply looking for a companion, again for now her unseen assailant had a face, that of Rhoda. Over a very short period their friendship began to break down very quickly, almost instantly as realisation had dawned upon Gertrude, and so she never saw anything of Rhoda, or her son, again for many years and eventually the two both slipped out of the community and were never seen again they were forced out by the fears of others, by Rhodas desires of things that were no longer hers to covet and by the entire community, for none really cared. Gertrude was now truly alone and without a single companion- her husband no longer even looked at her, such was his revulsion of the withering of her arm and displeasure at the fact that she had not even managed to produce him an heir in all their time together. Gertrudes beauty was waning as the full anguish of the arm and being so alone in the world assailed her. She became obsessed with the arm and the search for cures, attempting every crackpot remedy that she could find in her maddened struggle but none ever worked or had any effect. Driven into desperation by her husbands and societys demands for young ladies to be beautiful and perfect always, for Gertrude fears the rejection of her husband as Rhoda was rejected many years ago. In many ways this despair and incensed search for a cure drove even larger a void between Gertrude and her husband, for in the end it was both she and the arm driving him away, so obsessed did she become much thanks to the pressures and expectations of the world around her. Again she goes to visit Trendle in the vain hope that perhaps he will be able to cure her at last, however, this time she makes the journey alone showing just how much more lonely and separated from others she has become. Upon arriving she sees Trendle, now an old man and barely able to even leave his house he has lost even that little bit of freedom that life had allowed him and has absolutely no one but himself to rely on, and no one to be there when he dies. In his last days, Trendle tells her simply what had to be done he was too old to help now, she would have to cope alone with this task as always, but he could point her in the right direction. She agrees to all that he tells her, whatever it may be, such is her desire to again be beautiful for her husband again and to allow her to again conform to the views of those around her much the opposite choice to that of Conjuror Trendle. Gertrude must touch the body of an executed man just cut down from a hanging not dead for more than an instant so as to turn the blood of Gertrude and cure the withering of the arm. Finally, after many weeks wait the chance arrives and Gertrudes prayers, driven to wishing upon the death of a fellow man, are answered and she strikes up a deal with the old, isolated hangman, separated from others by the nature of his trade, who was not wholly unused to requests of her sort. The condemned that is to become Gertrudes saviour is a young man, charged of arson the burning down of an old warehouse. The young man was apparently simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an example had to be made to satisfy the people. On the allotted night, Gertrude goes to the hangman as planned, and he then leads her to the open casket and she pulls back the covering and touches the figure beneath. To her horror she sees it to be Rhodas own son the son of Farmer Lodge. Gertrude backs off in dismay and turns to discover both Rhoda and Lodge standing behind her. Rhoda shouts in anger and pushes Gertrude away from them both, for even now she still stands between the Farmer Lodge and their son once again as always Gertrude comes between Rhoda and Lodge, always in the way of Rhodas hopes, desires and always keeping her completely alone. Gertrude screams in fear and falls to the floor, for the shock and extreme stress, together with the draining nature of the arm finally get the best of her, for she has died. Her blood had been turned, but all too far. Here the story concludes, as Rhoda moves farther away and separates herself from the local community entirely yet again, totally alone thanks to her own bitterness. Even after her son is lost still nobody goes to pay their respects or offer their company she becomes even more alone than ever, all thanks to her own negligence. Farmer Lodge is also alone now, perhaps as he deserved, for his uncaring and selfish ways led to the grief of many and his dishonesty to the death of his wife for he broke his marriage vows that he made before God In sickness and in health. His wife is dead and his son is lost forever and with him any chance of ever having an heir to all his estate. In his despair Lodge sells all his farm and land and moves away only now do we realise how truly alone he has become, and all thanks to him, his materialism and conforming to what society dictates as to how he should live his life. He offers Rhoda an annual income, as an attempt at a final reconciliation but she never accepts it and none see her again. He loses everything and is doomed to die alone, leaving us later to discover that he has left all that is his to a reformatory for boys, showing how he did have thoughts and feelings regarding his son, but never had the strength to show them which is perhaps his greatest sin. Both Lodge and Rhoda isolated themselves from others and both are now even lonelier as a result of this. Gertrudes vanity may have played a part in her own undoing, represented by the extremes to which she was willing to go as she even wished for the death of a fellow man, guilty or innocent alike, but it was Lodge, and those around her, that drove her to such desperation and in the end she dies alone, above all emotionally, as her husband stands apart from her with Rhoda. The young son meanwhile, brought to his end by Gertrudes desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardys novel as the innocent throughout, trapped between his two parents never being truly loved or cared for always alone and always innocent. Towards the end we assume that perhaps he has got involved in a youth gang. This leads to his later arrest at the crime scene showing that no father figure and role model at all would have perhaps been better than that of a bad and unloving one who rejects him outright, he may have been innocent but he never had anyone who would stand up for him. This rejection by his father and ignorant negligence on his mothers part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candys wife who also remains unnamed as they are never important to those that they should be, leaving both of them completely alone and hopeless. The unfortunate tragedy that we see at the end of each novel is but one of the many similarities between these two novels. As we begin, each story features two central characters, George and Lennie, Rhoda and Gertrude, around which the story unfolds. As they live their lives we are introduced to many others, each with their own individual problems and dilemmas besetting them. These unlikely friendships between our central characters ultimately end in a tragedy, first with one unknowingly causing great problems for the other and finally one must put the other out of their misery, and at the same time condemn themselves to loneliness and hopelessness yet again. In Of Mice and Men we see at the root of everyones problems the desperation to achieve and become somebody to find the American Dream. The society in which they have lived tells them that they are nothing without achievement, and they all agree for much of their sadness originates from this feeling of worthlessness. In George and Lennies case it drives them onwards, in search of their dream, but the others do not have the friendship that they each possess and have no hope of getting anywhere. Candy is old, crippled, with no hope of being able to work for something anymore and no hope of ever actually finding a companion as everyone deserts him each day. Crooks has nobody, he lost everything thanks to American society and the fact that the dream doesnt work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time. Curleys wife, a seemingly dangerous character of this story is isolated for just that. She has nobody bar her husband, who neither loves her nor listens, separated from others by both him and other peoples fear of the stigma that would ensure should they become her friend. She had her one chance at achieving something taken away from her many years ago. For Lennie the necessity to conform and do right by people is too much for him he can never understand and in the end this leads to his death. His fear of disapproval forces him to take a life without ever intending to. It is upon Georges shoulders to end the story, for there is only one possibility he must end all his hopes, condemn himself to being alone with his guilt, every chance that they had together and those around them found upon their arrival for he must take Lennies life to save him from misery. This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldnt be causes so much dissatisfaction and unrest, leaving everyone feeling hopeless and alone, that they have been brought up to believe. They thought they had a chance, and they found nothing. The Withered Arm, on the other hand, is set in a world of tradition, of British society and its harsh social structure. In everyones mind there is desperation to conform to the rules and agree that unless you are upper class, or in the case of the women married, you are no one. Rhoda isolates herself from all others in her desperation to become someone, Farmer Lodges wife, and be counted and in doing so sentences herself to a life of loneliness, and starts much more for many others. For Gertrude there is a desperation to be what the materialistic views of those around her tell her to be, and in her search for this she ends up isolating her self even more than before. The young son, who nobody ever really looks to care for, there is isolation of a different kind and through no fault of his own. His parents never truly acknowledge him as their son and this ultimately ends in his tragic death. For Farmer Lodge, it is his materialistic conformism that causes many problems, and he isolates himself from all others in this story until the end, where it is he and Rhoda left and doomed to each be utterly alone for their sins.