Bachelor of Arts Essay Example for Free

Bachelor of Arts Essay 1.1 FedEx Corporation Overview FedEx Corporation provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of US$ 27 billion, the company offers integrated business application through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the worlds most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 250,000 employees and contractors to remain absolutely, positively focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. 1.2 Strategic Initiatives Currently, with its exposure to volatile fuel prices, high capital expenditures, and thin margins, FedEx can not stand up to the rigorous rule maker quantitative criteria, but its brand power is a perfect example of a sustainable competitive advantage. FedEx ships over 3 million packages a day. Along the route, those packages, the planes that carry them, the trucks that deliver them, and the people that handle them leave impressions on customers. FedEx recognizes that with every box it delivers and every person that delivers it, a brand impression is made. Brand equity is certainly significant to FedEx since its products and services are less differentiated in this fast changing dynamic competitive market. To remake the corporate image in order to extend and enhance its brand equity is one of the key strategic initiatives that has initiated by the management of FedEx Corporation recently. Other strategic initiatives are to focus on the growth of core package business and supply chain capabilities, and growth through e-commerce and technology, and new services and alliances. 2. DESIGN OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 2.1 HRMS of FedEx FedEx Human Resources develop policies, programs and procedures that not only attract, but also retain the most qualified, talented and diverse employees. To this end, Human Resources have implemented successful recruitment, development and Employee relation programs. The Corporate HR function consists of 45 employees who provide human resources support for the entire FedEx Organization. The overall headcount for this team has not changed in over four years even though the employee base has grown by greater than 30%. Most key programs are linked to the companys diversity strategy to build value and manage a diverse workforce that reflects the rich mix of persons available in the Communities. The HR team regularly attends diversity recruiting career fairs and supports both local and national organizations committed to the development of women and minorities. HR has sought to automate and introduce electronic processes, in order to streamline its various staff function. These include the introduction of an electronic company wide web based Internal Career Opportunities Program (ICOP), that provides employees anytime/anywhere access to available opportunities within the company. Employees can search, apply and be notified of open positions within the organization by logging on to the site. Managers, can also initiate the employment process and receive approval electronically via an on-line employment requisitioning process. The major obstacle that needed to be addressed in the alignment of these two major programs was accessibility, communication and education. Employees were encouraged to submit their personal profiles so that they could receive automatic notifications from the system when positions for which they qualified became available. FedEx has developed a proactive staffing model for its facilities. This program allows the Field organization to add management staffing before the need exists. Recruiting, sourcing and training are done 20 weeks before the individual is expected to begin their career as a service manager. By accessing the HR website, both employees and Managers can obtain a wide variety of information geared to keep their employment information current, provide easy access to employment information (employee handbook) as well as provide access to benefits information and employee centered programs. Online access to the HR Web is available from home and work to all employees. 2.2 VRIO Framework Analysis Value FedEx managers stress that they are a people-first organization. The corporate philosophy statement sums up their view of the source of competitive advantage: People-Service-Profit. FedEx discovered a long time ago that customer satisfaction really begins with employee satisfaction. In other words, the FedEx philosophy is that people are the primary link in the value chain, and thus, value is created by focusing on employees first. Rareness FedEx value and capitalize on the differences of their employees with diversity education programs such as Gender Speak, Delivering Diversity, Introducing Diversity, and Valuing Differences. One of its most successful programs RESPECT provides a process where employees can work together to resolve their differences. Therefore, it would exercise tremendous potential to exploit the rare characteristics of its employees for competitive advantage. Imitability FedEx worked closely with the University of Memphis, established the FedEx Institute of Technology, a unique public-private collaboration designed to advance world-class interdisciplinary research and introduce a new generation of highly skilled graduates to the workforce. The company has more than 219,000 employees globally and expects the alliance will help develop a highly skilled recruitment pool. Organization FedEx is committed to fostering an employee focused culture. It has a well-developed and thoroughly deployed management evaluation system, which involves a survey of employees, analysis of each work groups results by the work groups manager, and a discussion between the manager and the work group to develop written action plans for the manager to improve and become more effective. Data processed are aggregated at all levels of the organization for use in policymaking. Employees are free to share their opinions with management and in turn, work towards the resolution of internal issues within their department by participating on their action planning teams. 3. EMPLOYEE SKILL, MOTIVATION, JOB DESIGN WORK STRUCTURES FedEx has a clear goal to have people who are committed, motivated and well trained. Here are some of the tools and techniques that they have developed: 3.1 Selection FedEx Corp is proactive targeting of candidate sources leads to a richer pool of applicants and enables company to reach better candidates faster. They worked closely with the University of Memphis, established the FedEx Institute of Technology, a unique public-private collaboration designed to advance world-class interdisciplinary research and introduce a new generation of highly skilled graduates to the workforce. FedEx had created a multi-national, multi-lingual recruitment assessment system in identifying candidates most suited to the jobs on offer and capable of operating to the companys global standards and values. 3.2 FedEx Compensation Rewarding System FedExs bonus program is driven by goal sharing. This program encourages employees to achieve strategic goals by basing individual bonus levels on corporate and business unit goals, up to 10% of an employees total compensation. FedExs formula for calculating bonuses includes corporate variables such as contributed operating margin, corporate ROE, net sales, customer returns, shipped kilometers and total unit cost. Putting people first means that FedEx is dynamic in both reward and recognition. For hourly paid staff the pay is geared to individual performance. However, to encourage good team working, there is also a team based Best Practice Pays element. The pay for performance of salaried staff is based upon measures relating to the companys key philosophy. 3.3 Performance Reviews FedEx is a very performance-based company. Every person knows upfront what his performance objectives are and he also knows upfront what he can earn. So the crux of People Service People is a fairly laborious performance management and compensation system. If a person fails in his performance, then the person does not get disciplined, but he gets pulled into a constructive action plan. Employees are encouraged to identify their weaknesses through a personal development programme (PDP). These could be general things like communication skills or dealing with conflicts in the workplace. FedEx has an online training library with 600 courses on things like leadership, project management skills, even something as basic as presentation skills. Employees can log in and take any course, but need to pass. 3.4 Staff Survey The annual staff survey is considered to be one of FedExs biggest business improvement tools. A total of 32 questions are answered electronically in business time over a period of two weeks and participation has increased from 97% to 98%. 4. PRODUCTIVITY, CREATIVITY DISCRETIONARY EFFORT By competing collectively under the FedEx banner, FedEx in service companies benefit from one of the worlds most documented brands. FedEx is one of the most trusted and a respected brand in the world and its brand name is a powerful sales and marketing tool. Among the many reputation awards FedEx conventional during 2004, FedEx ranked seventh in corporate reputation on The Wall Street Journals Harris Interactive/Reputation Institute RQ Gold Survey, and for the third consecutive year, FedEx ranked in the top ten of FORTUNE magazines Americas Most Admired Companies and Worlds Most Admired Companies lists. FedEx is the only transportation company and one of the very few companies overall to rank this highly in all three reputation surveys. FedEx ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the University of Michigan Business School National Quality Research Centers American Customer Satisfaction Index in the parcel delivery category. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the worlds largest retailer, also selected FedEx as the recipient of its Carrier of the Year award. BusinessWeek recognized FedEx Kinkos in the magazines Web Smart 50 report for the companys innovative use of Internet technology to transform business processes and reduce costs. FedEx is well recognized as a leader, not only in the transportation industry and technological innovation, but also in social and environmental responsibility and corporate governance. Along with a strong reputation among customers and the general public, FedEx is widely acknowledged as a great place to work. In 2004, FedEx was listed among FORTUNEs 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, a list that FedEx have made every year it has been published. It is FedEx people-FedEx greatest asset-that give FedEx it strong reputation. In addition to superior physical and information networks, FedEx has an exemplary human network, with more than 240,000 employees and contractors who are absolutely, positively focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. Through FedEx internal Purple Promise and Humanitarian Award programs, FedEx recognize and reward employees who enhance customer service and promote human welfare. 5. IMPROVED OPERATING PERFORMANCE As discussed previously, new strategic role for HRM is very significant for the organizations advancement. System thinking among the line and HR manger is the first step. The performance management and incentive compensation system must define desire employee behavior and reward those behaviors in meaningful way when goals are achieved. Almost 50% of all FedEx spending goes to employee pay and benefits. Many Special Awards to recognize employees performance: i) Bravo Zulu award for outstanding performance beyond normal job expectations. ii) Golden Falcon award for exceptional customer service. iii) Humanitarian Award recognition for human welfare above and beyond work or community standards. iv) Star/Superstar Award a lump sum merit based award for top performers. v) Five Star Awards the highest award for enhancing service, profitability and the spirit of teamwork. Deadly combination and powerful connection are terms to describe the effects of an organization policy of promotion from within on firm performance. But probably not be present in every firm or even most of firms. So the only way that the organization can hope to identify the HR system properly is to adopt system perspective, which means business priorities drive the development of the HRM system. 6. PROFITS AND GROWTH Base on the FedEx second quarters Fiscal 2005 financial report (six months ended November 2004), it shows that FedEx has adapted an effective and efficient HRM system, which has brought up the corporations profit and growth. This is evidential by the following financial analysis:- i) Revenue There is a 23% Revenue growth compare to the last 2nd quarter fiscal year 2004. The revenue has increased from US$11,607 billion to US$14,309 billions in this 2nd quarter fiscal year 2005. FedEx announced that they would expect to have Group Revenue of US$ 27 billions this fiscal year 2005, which is a 9.5% growth. ii) Salary Employee benefits Cost However, in term of Human Resources cost, we can see from the report that it is only an increase of 14%. Compare to 23% increase in revenue. The increase is justifiable. iii) Net Profit FedEx has shown a 212% increase in the Net Income this fiscal year compare with last 2nd quarter, from US$219 millions to US$684 millions, despite the roaring up of oil price, which is also one of the major operating cost, in this year. Their profit result is definitely considered outstanding. iv) Diluted Earning Per Share Obviously, with the high increase of the net income, the diluted earning per share is automatically increase by 210% compare to last 2nd quarter. It is definitely a kind of the positive effect of the HR- Stakeholders value relationship. v) Revenue generated per Employee Based on the US$27 billions Group Revenue generated by the total 250,000 number of employees in FedEx, we will be able to see that the revenue per employee generated is nearly US$108,000. Which is much higher than the world largest package delivery company UPS, who has an annual turnover of US$30 billions and 370,000 employees worldwide, and the revenue generated per employee is only US$81,081. The productivity is much better. This has shown the efficiency and effectiveness of the HRM system. 7. MARKET VALUE From the study of FedEx Corps HRM system, it is undoubtedly that its HRM has strategically adopted high performance work system that creates real shareholder value. Such system has strengthened FedEx HR to become a strategic core competency and have an economically significant effect on firm performance. This also generates the transformation from HRM to human capital management and hence becomes to be a competitive advantage. The consistent increased profits and growth as shown in the companys financial reports has also proved that FedEx HRM has created value and played an important role in the companys achievement and success. FedEx shareholder market value has increased continuously as shown clearly in its financial statements. However, companys HR market value has never been officially computed and shown in the financial statements. Based on the company productivity, FedExs each employee generates revenue of approximately US$108,000 quarterly, which is much higher than the world largest package delivery company UPS, whose per employee generates revenue of only about US$81,081 quarterly. 8. CONCLUSION For FedEx, timing is everything. Delivery on time is essential, and within FedEx, ensuring this performance every time, has meant the transition to systems that provide online, real-time connectivity, bringing improved business processes and increased productivity. With unrivalled logistics solutions, FedEx turned to its Human Resources function, to leverage its competitive advantage. In such a geographically diverse and disparate region, FedEx strives to manage its human capital by minimizing administrative burden and creating a culture of effective self-management. With employees spread across the Region, and in line with its organizations move to an Internet-centric company, FedEx was continuously looking for ways to empower its employees, and allow them to take control of some of their HR functions. Leveraging on PeopleSoft HRMS solution to effectively manage their human capital, it provided FedEx with the scalability and functionality they needed, to enable FedEx to move towards becoming a Real-Time Enterprise. FedEx employees were fully utilizing their self-service functions, and their HR staffs are now free to deliver a more strategic output to the business. They have increased the visibility of HR information to more effectively manage the enterprises most valuable resource human capital. APPENDIX A: BIBLIOGRAPHY Relevant Reference Sites: * www.fedex.com * www.fedex.com/us/investorrelations/2003annualreport/ * www.fedex.com/us/investorrelations/downloads/ * www.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/2001/rulemaker010502.htm * www.incomesdata.co.uk/studies/hrmansystems.htm * www.stevieawards.com/pubs/awards/70_1438_8395.cfm * www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb001/is_200309/ai_hibm1G1107999043 * healthproject.stanford.edu/koop/Federal%20Express/description.html * www.hoovers.com/fedex-corporation/ID__10552/free-co-factsheet.xhtml * online.wsj.com/ad/fedex/ * moneycentral.msn.com/investor/research/profile.asp?Symbol=fdx * www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/19/0C029319.asp?Type=60Category=1162 * www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2004/08/09/daily3.html * www.quality.nist.gov/FederalExpress_90.htm Evaluation of the Stakeholder Value Relationship Model Assignment BA361 Human Resource Management Page 2 of 12

Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn Essay Example for Free

Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn Essay How does Ayckbourn present the contrast between Susans fantasy family and her real family in Woman in Mind. Explore the importance of this contrast to the plays central theme. In Woman in Mind Ayckbourn uses Susans creation of an idealistic fantasy family and more importantly the contrast of this perfection with her reality to help portray Susans emotional breakdown to the audience. The role of the fantasy family in this play is to emphasise the unhappiness and emotional turmoil in Susan real world as they generally appear at a point where Susan is in a particularly distressing situation with her real family. One of the ways in which Ayckbourn presents the contrast between the two families is with the use of the differing appearances. For example when the audience meets the fantasy family for the first time they are presented as (tall, good looking, athletic), and Lucys clothing is (fresh, summery, rather timeless). This is a complete contrast to the way in which the real family is presented (an unattractive picture, entirely lacking the lightness and ease of her earlier family). Immediately Ayckbourn has shown the fantasy family to be more ideal and suitable for Susan which hints that Susan is not at ease in reality , even though there has not yet been much insight into the causes of Susans breakdown. The setting of Woman in Mind is also essential in the presentation of the contrasting families although it is important for the audience to remember that the play is seen from an entirely subjective viewpoint and that although two settings are implied only one is actually the reality. Ayckbourn uses the lighting and sound effects to accenuate the contrast between the two worlds. For example the stage direction at the beginning of the play suggests the setting to be a (small, tidy, surburban garden) but when members of her fantasy family appear the use of lighting ( The garden grows inperceptibly bigger and lighter) accompanies the changes which Susan herself suggests herb garden, lake and tennis courts. The setting is vital as it shows the fantasy family to be more upper class and perhaps this helps Susan to feel more worthy in her life. The use of simpler contrasts such as food and drink also helps Ayckbourn to display the contrast between the two families and he achieves this with the use of props. For example, Susan is offered champagne and gourmet meals by her fantasy family whereas, in reality she is given the less sophisticated sherry and must put up with Muriels dreadful Earl grey omelette. The actions of Susan show how much more she prefers her fantasy family, which is shown by the stage directions, for example (leaving her sherry glass on the card tableshe comes across her glass of champagne and drinks it). The contrast between the two families is also presented through the use of language. An example of this is the way in which the fantasy family use nicknames for each other, for example Big Sis, Susie which helps to show the happy, friendly relationship they have. The tone of voice is completely different however in her reality situations. For example when Gerald defends Muriel in saying that Susan should be more sympathetic towards her because of her present and past sufferings Susan is extremely sarcastic Sorry, sorry, sorry. The fantasy family is also presented as having completely different attitudes towards Susan and Ayckbourn has used this along with the other techniques to emphasise her emotional turmoil. For example her fantasy family are extremely grateful for her and appreciate her Were all going to have to take extra special care of you Were just all so proud of you. The contrast between the two families is important in showing the insecurities Susan has in her life and her fantasy family is a representation of her dreams which for Susan become confused with reality. One of the main reasons for Susans emotional breakdown is her feeling of not being loved which is mainly a result of her distant unloving relationship with Gerald. Gerald and Susan have conflicting opinions even about small unimportant things for example, they have different opinions over the bush in their garden. Gerald calls it a dead bush whereas Susan claims : Its not dead I planted it yesterday. Gerald is also very unsympathetic towards Susans turmoil, for example when Susan says she is not very happy, Geralds unhelpful viewpoint is well who is? These days. Very few. Gerald seems too interested in the book he is writing which is an important factor in Susans breakdown. The lack of a physical side in their relationship leads Susan into the arms of her imaginary lover Andy, whilst in reality she has burnt Geralds history of the parish All sixty pages blazing away. More importantly Gerald seems very unaware of the change in his relationship with Susan. For example when Susan tells Gerald she does not love him anymore, Geralds response is Im not aware my feelings towards you have altered that much which gives a clear insight into the lack of closeness in their relationship to the audience. Susans emotional breakdown is also caused by her relationship with Rick which Ayckbourn presents as one without the usual mother-son communication. Although Susan seems to be quite light-hearted and sarcastic over the fact that their son does not talk to them All of us miming to each other over the table she is however, very aware and upset at the lack of closeness between them. For example, when Gerald explains to her that Rick wants all of his furniture to be sold Susan replies Well have nothing left of him at all. This display of sudden distress to the audience emphasises strongly the emotional stress Susan is experiencing. A different side to Susan is seen when Rick tells her of his marriage to Tess and explains that he does not want the family to meet her, and Susan believes it is because of Gerald Why? Because of your father?. This shows the distance in her relationship with Rick and Susan becomes distraught when she discovers that Rick has always considered her to be an unfit mother I dont want to hurt you anymore, Mum, but God help any daughter who had you as a mother. This is a complete contrast in Susans fantasy life however, because she does infact have a very close relationship with her fantasy daughter Lucy. An example of the difference between her two children is that whereas Rick was very reluctant to tell Susan about his marriage, Lucy is very eager theres something I desperately want to tell you. Ayckbourn has also used the role of an interfering sister-in-law to enhance the worthlessness Susan is feeling. Muriel constantly insists on providing meals and drinks and criticises Susan always where Gerald can hear. An example of this is when Muriel puts Earl Grey tea in an omelette and says to Susan I do wish youd label things, Susan. Its a very inconvenient kitchen to work in , it really is. All of these aspects in Susans reality lead her to having low self-esteem and the questioning of her role. An example of this is when Susan claims that the thrill of being a housewife has gone I used to be a wife. I used to be a mother. And I loved itThe thrill has gone which is a complete contrast to her fantasy world which shows that she clearly wants to be able to employ staff (Murieldressed in very formal maids black bombazine) . The fantasy family are summoned to help her cope and their words are Susans real thoughts which become forced into reality and help Susan to say what she is really feeling. For example, when Bill comes outside to persuade Susan to eat lunch with them Tony and Lucy tell him to drop dead, these are Susans thoughts articulated by the characters and lead Susan herself to say the same Oh, Bill, do drop dead. Susan does have , at that stage still have some control over her life as she is able to banish her fantasy family whenever she wants. The complete contrast in families is extremely important in showing Susans emotional breakdown because the fantasy family has been perfected down to every last detail in Susans mind and shows the ideal life Susan would love to lead. However because of the idealism the fantasy family provides Susan becomes less and less able to control her own creation. This is shown in act two where her fantasy life and reality become mixed and she has entered a world of madness created by herself (What we see are images remembered by her from films she has seen, books she has read, TV she has watched). By this stage in her breakdown Gerald seems to know the fantasy family and talks to them in the light-hearted language that they used with Susan earlier Tony, you old rascal. Whereas it was only in reality that Susan felt ignored which forced her into an imaginary world where she was loved and treasured, now it seems that neither of her families are taking notice of her: LOOK AT ME AT ONCE, DO YOU HEAR? ALL OF YOU!!!. This is the final point in Susans breakdown.

Dealing with conflicts within a family

Dealing with conflicts within a family Most families in todays society will have to deal with a wide range of conflicts and issues concerning the sociology of the family. The purpose of this is essay is to evaluate the consensus and conflict theories of the family and to analyse the concept of gender roles within the family. It will also focus on the feminist critiques of the traditional approaches to the family, and examine two sociological explanations for domestic violence/ abuse within the family Consensus and conflict theory (Task 1) Consensus can be described as an agreed position or a set of values that stresses the importance of behaviour by learning to adjust to society and conforming to a set of norms and values. Whilst the conflict theory focusses on the uneven sharing of power within society and groups such as the workforce, which are in conflict with each other in terms of status and power. However both theories see the origin of human behaviour as being one that is shaped by structure rather than agency. Therefore it can be argued that consensus is a concept in which a common group is founded, whilst conflict can be said to be a disagreement of ideas and principles between people or society. (Giddens, A, 1997) Functionalism and the Family Consensus theory can be related to functionalism. Functionalism focusses on the need for people to conform to an agreed set of norms and values regardless of wealth, culture, race, sex or religion. This theory is carried through to their view of the family. Functionalism focusses on the Nuclear family which is one whos structure comprises of two generations, those being the parents who are joined in a monogamous marriage, and their children. The Nuclear family which evolved through the need to retain property within the family that could then be passed on to future generations supported an industrialist society as the set up of a two parent house hold would enable the father who is looked upon as the head of the house to go out and support a work industry in order to provide for his family, whilst the mother who remains at home would take care of the house and raise their children. (Giddens, A, 2006) Functionalism sees the family as a harmonious unit with the husband and wife living in agreement, and any future products of this marriage (children) being taught through primary socialisation which takes place within the family, the norms (e.g., accepted forms of behaviour and common culture) and values (e.g., value of life and money) of the society in which they are to grow up in. Moore (2001:324) states that the basic socialisation takes place in the family and it is here, through parents and relatives, that we learn the accepted morality of society. Marxism and the Family Marxism which can be related to the conflict theory, like functionalism views the family as an institution which socialises the children that are born into it. However, unlike functionalism which focuses on the family working to promote a consensus society which works as one to benefit everyone, Marxism has a different view of the family. They believe that opposition between profitable establishments such as manufacturing plants (which form a ruling class through individual possession and finance) and the majority of the population who will provide the labour for these institutions, exists. Marxism views the family (which produces the workers who will provide the labour for these economic institutions) as a unit which enables the class differences between the workers and the ruling class to remain and one which also allows for the exploitation of the workers as the status of the ruling class is maintained through the profit they receive from the products of the workers labour. Harala mbos and Langley(2003:39) states institutions such as the family, the education system and the political system are shaped by the requirements of capitalism and serve to support and maintain it. Marxists are of the opinion that patriarchy (which sees the husband adopting the role of the head of the home) exists within the nuclear family. They believe that patriarchy in the family evolved within a capitalist society due to the ownership of private property. Any of the wifes property once married came under the ownership of her husband and could then be passed on to lawfully-begotten inheritors, leading to the wife having no means of living independently from her husband. As cited in Haralambos and Langley (2003:39) In The Origin of The Family, Private Property and the State, first published in 1884, Friedrich Engels argued that the modern nuclear family developed in a capitalist society. Private property is at the heart of capitalism and it was largely owned by men. Before 1882 in Britain, Married women could not own property- it passed on to their husband on marriage. Patriarchy within the home allowed the husband who feels inferior in the workplace to assert his authority over his wife and family who are dependent on him as the bread winner in the family. He would take out his frustrations of work on the family and used dominance as a means of order and control. Moore (2001 167) states that It is women who have their careers interrupted by childbirth and women who carry the main responsibility for childcare. Women are therefore more likely to be financially dependant on their partners, which gives them less power over decision-making in family matters. Feminism and the Family Feminist Sociology is a controversial subject with wide and difficult boundaries. It is an issue that is not just about women, but one that is for women. It is believed that feminism started in the early19th century due to the increasing perception that women face injustice and inequality in a society they feel is dominated by men, be it the workplace or the home. Feminists are of an opinion that the family is one which allows for the control of women by men, through patriarchy. They believe that the ownership of property that is bestowed to men leads to domination of women within the home. The wife cannot cause conflict within the family unit by having a difference of opinion to that of her husband as she has no means of living independently from him, due to lack of the ownership of assets. Feminism sees the free labour a woman undertakes whilst raising her children as an injustice as a capitalism will gain from the fruits if her labour, due to the belief that her children will be a beneficial asset to a capitalist society as prospective workers. Feminism also argues that the wife will provide support (which is classed as emotional labour) to her husband by Listening to his complaints about work, all the while appearing to be in agreement with him, thus soaking up all of his frustration, which will again allow him to go back to the workplace and provide the labour which benefits a capitalist society. (Scott, J, 1996) Evaluation Although Functionalism, Marxism and feminism are all in agreement in their belief that the family plays a major role in society, each theoretical perspective has an individual perceptions of what the family stands for. Functionalism which focuses on consensus within the nuclear family does not take into account the fact that the structure of the family unit has evolved over time, and in todays society that unit may consist of single parent families and same sex marriages and Marxists would argue that functionalism promotes the sustenance of an unfair system within a capitalist society as they ignore any inequalities that exist in society. Marxists would argue that rather than being a unit of harmony, the family is an institution which exists in a society that consists of conflict due to inequalities of power, class and ownership of property in a capitalist society, and that patriarchy within the family evolved in a capitalist society due to the husbands need to assert control over his family due to his lack of power within the workplace. However Feminists would argue that Marxism accepts the dominance of women within the family, and that patriarchy is an excuse for a husband to have control over his wife. However, although feminism advocates for equal rights of women to men, critics of feminism believe that feminists have a pessimistic view of the family, which does not accept the fact that some women in society embrace their role in the family which enables them to nurture their children and provide moral support to their husband. This critique is evident in Haralambos and Langley (2003:41) which states that Critics argue that feminists are preoccupied with the negative side of the family life. They ignore the possibility that many women enjoy running a home and raising children. Gender Roles (Task 2) Gender roles can be described as cultural and personal. We learn the roles that are deemed as acceptable by society, primarily, from the family and the culture we grow up in and then secondarily from outside influences. Gender roles have a huge impact on behaviour and define the way that both male and females think, speak, dress and communicate within society. Parents tend to treat male and female offspring differently, thus instilling the primary socialisation of gender roles in children from when they are born. where the preference of parents is concerned, male children can be deemed as having an edge over their female siblings as majority of parents (especially fathers) would prefer to have a male child rather than a female child as this allows for the continuance of the family name. Secondary gender socialisation in learned through the influences in society such as peers and the media. This is done through the way the children are spoken to and the toys they are given to play with. Boys will often appear more boisterous when playing will act out scenes related to heroism, whilst girls will often take on a more demure role when playing, seeming to act out roles relating to carrying out domestic chores and childrearing. As sited in Giddens (2006:460-461) The toys, picture books and television programmes experienced by young children all tend to emphasize differences between male and female attributes. Although the situation is changing somewhat, male characters tend to outnumber females in most childrens books, television programmes and films. Male characters tend to play more active, adventurous roles, while females are portrayed as passive, expectant and domestically orientated (Weitzman 1972; zammuner 1987; davies 1991) The gender roles that are embedding into boys and girls through primary and secondary socialisation when young influences the roles they adopt within the family unit. It has been suggested by functionalism that men and womens roles within the family are different. This can be evident in functionalisms view of the family. They focus on the belief that men perform instrumental roles, whilst women play an expressive role, and the fact that the consensus theory of functionalism saw education and professional qualification being afforded to the males within the family as they were to be the providers and would have a superior role which involved making all the decisions within the family, whilst it was deemed that females had no use for education as they were to remain at home and carry out the domestic chores within the house, and nurture and raise the children. Marxism too saw the woman taking on a more domestic and caring role, tending to her husbands needs and rearing their children, whilst the husband who was the patriarchal figure in the family unit who owned all their property, went out to work to provide for his family. However, as a result of the emerging feminist movements, womens roles within the family has taken on a more liberal view. Education and professional qualification are now achieved by both men and women. Things that affect the family unit are now discussed between the man and the woman within the home and decision are made in agreement. Housework is now done on more even terms between men and women, and although women still carry out slightly more household chores than men. As sited in Giddens (2006:760) Surveys have found that women still spend nearly 3 hours a day on average on housework (excluding shopping and childcare). This compares with the 1 hour 40 minutes spent by men. (Office of National Statistics 2003). Domestic Abuse (Task 3) Domestic abuse can be described as the oppression and dominance through threats and acts of physical harm against one family member by another. It is used as a means of control and can be exhibited in a variety of ways ( these being verbal and non verbal) which range from low level acts, e,g, cursing, pushing and continual harrassment for sex, to more physical acts such as, the pulling of hair, punching, kicking and in extreme cases, violence which results in death. Although domestic abuse is said to be a deviant for of behaviour that is majority of the time perpetrated by men against women, domestic abuse of men by their female partners is becoming more recognised even though many cases of male abuse goes unreported due to the fact that men see admission of being a victim of abuse as an a loss of masculinity. Giddens (2006:221) states Most violent episodes between spouses reported to the police involve violence by husbands against their wives. Feminists state that domestic abuse inflicted on women within the home is down to patriarchy. They believe that through patriarchy the man adopts a role within the home that allows him greater status to that of the woman. This is done through the chances, within, what they believe to be a male dominated society which are afforded to him as a man,e,g, ownership of property, the attainment of educational qualifications and wealth. Feminists are of an opinion that men use violence as a means of controlling a womans behaviour in terms of keeping her submissive. Scott (1996:157) states Theorists of patriarchy have directed the subordination of women and found Their explanation for it in the male need to dominate the female. However feminists fail to acknowledge the concept that women are also offenders of abuse against men. Society finds it hard to conceive that men can be a victim of abuse at the hands of a woman as since the beginning of society women have always been observed as the weaker sex. As stated in an article on Elizabethan Women Elizabethan society was patriarchal, meaning that men were considered to be the leaders and women their inferiors. Women were regarded as the weaker sex. (www.elizabethi.org/us/women) However Marxists who also view the man as the main perpetrator of domestic abuse gives a different argument for the cause. They believe that the man who works in a capitalist society uses violences within the home as a means of releasing the stress that surmounts from working in an industrialist society. They also say that the man who is oppressed within the workplace will come home and use violence to assert his authority within the home as unlike the workplace, the family is an institution where he has power. (Giddens,1997) Elder Abuse (Task 3) Abuse of elder members within the family is becoming more general. This type of abuse can be performed through deliberately disregarding the needs of the elderly, e.g., not providing basic care needs to those less able to care for themselves, being verbally abusive towards them or inflicting pain through actual physical violence which include pinching, biting, slapping and punching. It is hard to know just how common elder abuse is as the victims are less likely to report the abuse that they sustain from members of their family unit. (Scott,1996) . In Macionis and Palmers book Sociology, a global introduction (1998) they provide one explanation of elder abuse as being due to the fact that, more families take on the responsibility of caring for elderly members ( which can be stressful in terms of financial burden and increase in labour within the home) alongside going out to work and raising their own children. In their book they ask the question What motivates people to abuse the elderly? and gives the answer as often the cause lies in the stress of caring. Feminist Critiques of the Traditional Family When society talks about the traditional family, they are in fact refering to the Nuclear Family, which is said to be one of harmony. The nuclear familys structure is one that consists of, a father and mother who are joined in a marriage (that practices monogamy) and their children. Conservative thinkers are said observe the family as The Pillar of Society. The family is said to support a capitalist industry by reproducing the individuals who provide the labour for the institutions which are there to make huge profits from the goods that are produced by the workers. Patriarchy exists within the Nuclear family. The Man is said to be The head of the family, and any money that is earned or any property that is inherited or bought by the family is said to be his. He too makes all the decisions that relate to the family unit. The womans role within the family is said to be more of a domesticated one. She will take on majority if not all of the household chores, and this includes the rearing of children. She is said to be the figure in the family who is observed as the carer. Meeting the care and emotional needs of her children and supporting her husband within a capitalist society by ensuring that he arrives home to an environment that is condusive after a hard and stressfull day at work. (Haralambos and Langley, 2003:39). However feminists view the family diferent from that of a conservative, as they view it as one that consists of inequality, opression , patriarchy and violence. Patriarchy: Gender Feminists conceive that the family is the basis for patriarchal capitalism, which gives rise to the subjugation of women. Liberal feminists consider marriage to be a tradition which needs to be reformed as opposed to extinguishing it altogether. This is evident in Betty Friedans book The Feminine Mystique in which she declared that Women in their 60s were enslaved by domesticity because of the roles they played as mothers and wives. She advocated for an improved quality of life for women outside of spousal relationship. Division of labour/ Free labour: Marxists feminists believes that the division of labour that is undertaken within the family unit is an inequality women as they will provide majority of the childcare and carry out a great percentage if not all of the household chores. Feminists see this unpaid work within the home as an unfair as, the woman taking care of the home enables the man to go out to work and earn money to support his family, which reinforces the position he adopts as the head of the family. They are also of an opinion that this responsibility of care in the home reduces the womans ability to go out and work and earn money which would provide her with a means of independence. Feminists also argue the injustice of the domestic abuse that a woman is subjucted to in the home, even though she is the individual who provides the most support to all other members within the family unit. Gender Inequalities: In Feminist perspective on Reproduction and the family,feminist critics such as Susan Okin suggest that For women to have fair equality of oppurtinity the family need to be re-adjusted on gender terms. This is a general view which is taken by most feminists, as most families are based on inequality and oppression. Okin also stated that the family is a linchpin for gender injustice she also argue that, as women depended on men for almost everything due to patriarchy, this allow them to be subjected to physical, sexual or psychological abuse.(www.illc.uva.ni)

The Human Condition: Message Lost in the Capitalist Machine :: Hannah Arendt Human Condition Essays

The Human Condition: Message Lost in the Capitalist Machine In The Human Condition, by Hannah Arendt, the fundamental qualities of human behavior are described and analyzed. These qualities are first described by discussing the different entities present in the lives of Athenian Greeks. This partition of human life into separate units is supposed to be applied to modern American society as well, however, the structure of today's social order differs from that of ancient Greek. These disparities cause the analysis and ideas projected on the human condition to be contrasting as well. Arendt refers to the three elements of the human condition as vita activa: labor, work, and action, which correspond to the reason which humans have been granted life. According to Arendt, labor is the biological functions which define life itself, work is the artificial function of human existence and so defined as "worldliness," and action is activity that goes on between man and matter and leads to the permanence of a particular human's existence. These divisions are important in viewing the human life as a whole, seeing how Arendt divides it into two realms: the private and public. The private realm is where work is executed and labor is present, and a hierarchical family is the basis of activity with the male at the top. Since work and labor are when humans are at their most natural state and in touch with their biological functions, this is the simplest sphere of life. The public realm, which only exists for the dominant figure in the family, is most closely related with action and is where man gains a sense of freedom. This freedom comes from the fact that when humans meet in public, they discuss ideas and exchange views. Through this exchange, thoughts are developed free from the constraints of private life and primordial necessities. In this respect, freedom in the ancient Greek world was defined as the ability to contemplate thoughts and discuss socially. This is where the morals and ideals of society are formed and a common good is derived which creates a social standard. These social standards and their methods of development were valid during the days of ancient Greece, but are not contemporaneous with modern American society. The society of modern America, which coincides closely with the society of the rest of Western Civilization, cannot be analyzed on the same levels that Arendt evaluates ancient Greek culture in respect to her proposed human conditions.

Sports Narrative - Volleyball Tryouts :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Volleyball Tryouts Six long hours after departing Hotchkiss, we finally reached our destination. We pulled into the parking lot of the Super 8 just off Interstate 76 in Sterling, Colorado. Since I had been to this hotel on a previous trip to Sterling, I began wishing I had brought my swimsuit along. Mom and dad went inside and got the keys for room 129. I was so sick of riding in the car that I did not care what the room looked like as long as there was a bed for me to sleep on. As we entered the room, on the left there was the bathroom sink, a mirror, and a place to hang our "good" clothes. To the right, was the miniature bathroom. There was not enough space in there for a midget. Stepping out of the entranceway, there was a wooden dresser with a 27-inch television. By the large window, there was a small table. Two queen size beds sat on either side of the nightstand. The purple patterned quilts were quite shocking compared to everything else in the room. Awaking at 7:00 a.m. on the cool morning of December 7, 2003, I prepare for a long day. I put on the spandex and T-shirt that I will wear during the tryout at Northeastern Junior College. By 7:30 a.m., my family is walking over to the neighboring hotel's restaurant for our breakfast. It did not take long to decide that I wanted two golden-brown, buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup for breakfast. Both of my parents knew what they wanted right away and as usual, we were all waiting for my little sister to decide. Finally, she decided on the pancakes. It took only ten minutes to get our food and what a relief that was considering my stomach sounded like there was a lion inside. The pancakes were delicious, and my dad's biscuits and gravy was yummy. However, the cinnamon roll my mom order was hard as a rock and she had to pour maple syrup over it. That did not help it at all. After breakfast, we returned for some lounge time in the hotel room. My dad and sister watched television, my mom crocheted, and I worked on my Kinderbuch for German class. As usual, everyone but me fell asleep. At 10:30, we packed all of our things into the back of the Tahoe and pulled around to he front to return the keys.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Essay -- Food Drug FDA Essays

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The FDA has many responsibilities which include overseeing the production of safe foods and the manufacture of safe and effective drugs and medical devices. The FDA has responsibility for protecting the rights and safety of patients in the clinical trials of investigation medical products. The FDA also has to review and approve in a timely manner the safety and efficiency of new drugs, biologics, medical devices, and animal drugs. They have to monitor the safety and effectiveness of new medical products after they are marketed and acting on the information collected. The FDA is responsible for seeing that the public has access to truthful and non-misleading product information by: monitoring the promotional activities of drug and device manufacturers, and regulating the labeling of all packaged foods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Science is a big part of the FDA organization. The scientific evidence needed to back up FDAs legal cases is prepared by the agencies 2,100 scientist, including 900 chemist and 300 microbiologist, who work in 40 laboratories in the Washington, D.C., area and around the country. Some of these scientist analyze samples to see, or example if products are contaminated with illegal substances. Other scientist review test results submitted by companies seeking agency approval for drugs, vaccines, food additives, coloring agents and medical devices. The FDA also operates the National Center for Toxicological Research. They investigate the biological effects of widely used chemicals. The agency also runs the Engineering and Analytical Center, which test medical devices, radiation-emitting products, and radioactive drugs. Assessing risk, for drugs and medical devices, weighing risks against benefits is at the core of FDAs public health protection duties. By ensuring that products and producers meet certain standards, FDA protects consumers and enables them to know what they are buying. In deciding whether to approve new drugs, FDA does not itself do research, but rather examines the results of studies done by the manufacturer. The agency must determine that the new drug produces the benefits its supposed to without causing side effects that would outweigh the benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. This legislation provided additional resources ... ...f the drugs should be approved. Once the FDA approves the drug, it does not mean it is perfectly safe. Some medicine may have side effects, but the FDA considers both the benefit and risk of all medication before approval.. In addition, FDA makes the labeling outlines the benefits and risk reported in the tested population. For a drug to be approved by CDER, by current law, all new drugs need proof that they are effective and safe before they can be approved for marketing. CDER decides as quickly as a thorough evaluation allows. When a proposed drug’s benefit outweighs know risk, CDER considers it safe enough to approve. Once a drug gets the CDER approval, the drug is on the market as soon as the firm gets its production distribution system going.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The FDA is prohibited from releasing information on any medicine under development, review or pending approval unless the information has been in the public. The FDA has no legal authority to investigate or control the prices charged for marketed drugs. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers establish these prices. FDA recognizes the other factors beyond its purview, including insurance coverage and drug pricing.

Imagery in Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Effective use of Imagery to Display Powerful Themes â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. † (1. 1. 11-12). This famous chant lies in the opening scene of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, providing dark evil imagery to evoke the senses and set a tone for the play. Images are strong sensory techniques that can be used as a basis for much further development in any piece of literature. A black cat, a dark alley and a stormy night are all modern day symbols of mystery and evil doings.Authors often times use these or similar images to embellish the plot by designing a setting or giving the characters more depth. More significantly, images provide a solid ground which gives underpinning to important themes of the writing. William Shakespeare very skillfully uses imagery to support prevalent themes of his drama Macbeth. Poison of the mind, the power of ones thoughts and hypocrisy are all significant themes carried throughout the play by effective use of imagery in reference to serpents, ghostly visions and ill-fitted clothing.Powerful images creep through the tragedy at every scene to construct a venomous atmosphere of false virtue and self-deceit. To start, Shakespeare effectively uses serpent imagery to illustrate the idea that power may act as a virus that poisons the mind and leads to moral and self-destruction. For instance, the power that Macbeth achieves through the violent act of murdering Duncan acts as a disease embedded into his mind that warps and twists his thinking.His only focus now is what evil acts must be done in order to ensure that his crown is safe. He expresses these poisonous thoughts when speaking to his wife about his idea to exterminate those threatening his title â€Å"O, full of scorpions is my mind. † (3. 2. 36). The powerful image of scorpions crawling through his brain, injecting their venomous thoughts effectively demonstrates how power can act as a poi son that challenges moral thinking and sets people on a wrath of destruction.By providing a very sinister, wicked image of the diseased mind a common theme of the poison in power is successfully illustrated to the reader. Similarly, Lady Macbeth emphasizes the idea that in order to carry out those actions necessary to maintain such power they must possess poisoned blood â€Å"look like the innocent flower/ But be the serpent under’t. † (1. 5. 64-65). This striking image that compares Macbeth to a serpent enhances the suggestion that his strive to maintain authority has transformed him into a toxic creature with venomous blood.Such compelling imagery gives the reader a sense of his sickly soul, thus further amplifying the idea that supremacy acts as a sickness that infects the mind and disrupts moral judgment. In summary, the use of serpent and poison imagery firmly expresses a central idea of the play; power is a virus that contaminates the mind and leads to moral and self-destruction. In the same way that Shakespeare uses imagery to emphasize the idea of power acting as a virus, he also makes use of images to portray the theme that the physical world (reality) is not always as real as the thoughts in one’s mind.First of all, as Macbeth is preparing the murder of King Duncan his innermost thoughts come to life when his anxiety gives rise to the hallucination of a dagger, the handle pointed to him and the blade aimed at Duncan. In a soliloquy, Macbeth expresses his confusion when he is unable to clutch the blade â€Å"Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses, or else worth all the rest. † (2. 1. 43-45). The vision is so strong to him that Macbeth is unable to determine whether his eyes are incorrect or his other senses (such as the sense of touch) are failing him.The ghostly vision and Macbeth’s heavy belief in what clearly isn’t there illustrates the power in one’s thoughts compared to the reality of the universe, further highlighting a key theme of the play. Furthermore, Macbeth experiences an even more passionate response to illusory thoughts when he believes to see the ghost of Banquo sitting at his place the night of his feast. At the sight of the ghost, Macbeth loses all sense of reality and begins speaking to the ghost amid all of his guests; â€Å"Prithee, sit there!Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou cans’t nod speak too. † (3. 4. 69-70). Once again, the way Shakespeare depicts the power of these visions to Macbeth through his ghost imagery better reinforces the strength of our internal thoughts. Shakespeare’s use of ghost imagery, and more notably Macbeth’s strong reaction to them, positively expresses the theme of one’s inner thoughts providing a stronger reality than the physical world.In a similar fashion to the way Shakespeare applies ghost imagery to depict an idea of the strength in one’s innermost thoughts, he effectively constructs the lesson that hypocrisy goes against nature and will not work in the long run with his use of clothing imagery. The clothing imagery is used to demonstrate that the persona Macbeth is attempting to possess is not actually his; the moral standards he claims to have as a loyal King do not match with his actions. For example, when Macbeth is given title Thane of Cawdor, he asks Angus â€Å"Why do you dress me in borrow’d robes? † (1. . 108-109), indicating that they are literally not his, they belong to the current Thane of Cawdor. However on a more symbolic level, the image of these borrowed robes demonstrates that Macbeth’s honors do not really belong to him. They have been borrowed, even stolen and he should not possess such a title. Thus, the clothing image helps to emphasize the idea that false virtue is unjust, further developing a major theme in the drama. Also, the clothing imagery throughout the play aids in revealing this theme by hinting at the idea that Macbeth’s new title does not â€Å"fit† him right.For example, in act 5 when Angus speaks of Macbeth â€Å"Now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe/ Upon a dwarfish theif. † (5. 2. 20-22), the reader is given a very awkward an obscure image, revealing Macbeth as a small, dishonorable man covered in garments that are unsuited to him. This advances the thought of Macbeth standing as a fraud; his clothing is not tailored to his size just as his personality is not tailored to the position he holds.He does not belong in that position of power, he should not be in that position of power and the obscure image if ill-fitted clothing really proves the idea that this is not right, it is unnatural. In short, Shakespeare’s use of clothing imagery helps to develop a central theme that hypocrisy is against nature, further emphasizing his ability to illustrate prevalent themes through images. Evi dently, Shakespeare utilizes a variety of images to effectively illustrate the important themes of Macbeth.His use of poison imagery to display the virus of power, ghostly images to portray strength in one’s innermost thoughts and clothing imagery to demonstrate that hypocrisy goes against nature are all examples of the way Shakespeare employs this technique. This cunning use of words that appear to the senses give the reader a powerful picture to provide further understanding of underlying themes already present in the writing. Such a method of writing has since been used by many other authors to enhance their writing and better depict significant themes.