No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives.

No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives. Free Online Research Papers This essay examines the need for a company to construct a Mission Statement. This statement generally contains the central values and beliefs of the firm and it must be adhered to by all employees. However, the question posed here is that in today’s intensified competitive business world, is there any requirement for such a document. There is no doubt that competition has become the focal point of many businesses’ concentration, with a perceived neglect of these beliefs and values. This is simply a reflection of the market. In saying this, it is still my opinion that there is a place for companies to make and adhere to a Mission Statement. I will further develop my opinion on this. Introduction: â€Å"If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there† Raymond G Viault, CEO, Jacobs Suchard, Switzerland. â€Å"A voyage of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is important that that step is in the right direction.† Old Chinese saying, undated. â€Å"How can we go forward when we don’t know which way we are facing?† John Lennon, 1972. â€Å"Most strategic planning involves preparing dense documents filled with numbers and jargon. But building the process around the picture yields much better results† (Chan Kim and Mauborgne, June 2002,p.77). Mission, vision, values and strategic goals are appropriately called directional strategies because they guide strategists when they make key organisational decisions (Duncan et al, p.1 87). In this paper we examine the key directional strategies of the organisation and their application to real world situations. The mission - providing direction: The mission of an organisation attempts to capture the distinctive purpose or reason for being. Primarily it is a statement of purpose and when clearly understood the complexity of the environment can be reduced and organised in a way that can be analysed in light of the goals the organisation wishes to achieve. Thompson (2002, p.93) suggests that a mission statement should not address what an organisation must do in order to survive, but rather what it has chosen to do in order to thrive. It should be positive, visionary and motivating. Ackoff (1986) proposes that a good mission statement have five characteristics: It will contain a formulation of objectives that enables progress towards them to be measured, It differentiates the company from its competitors, It defines the business that the company wants to be in, not necessarily is in, It is relevant to all stakeholders in the firm, not just shareholders and managers, It is exciting and inspiring. Campbell (1989) argues that to be valuable mission statements must reflect corporate values, and the strategic leader and the organisation as a whole should be visibly pursuing the mission. He takes a wider perspective to include aspects of the corporate vision arguing that there are four issues involved in developing a useful mission. Firstly, it is important to clarify the purpose of the organisation and why it exists. Secondly, the business and its activities should be described and the position that it wants to achieve in its field. Thirdly, the organisation’s values should be stated. How does the company intend to treat its employees, customers and suppliers? Finally, it is important to ensure that the organisation behaves in the way that it promises it will. This is imperative because it can inspire trust in employees and others who significantly influence the organisation. Mission statements can all too easily just state the obvious and as a result have little real valu e. The secret lies in clarifying what makes a company different and a more effective competitor, rather than simply restating those requirements that are essential for meeting key success factors. Companies that succeed long term are those which create competitive advantages and sustain their strong positions with flexibility and improvement. Both the vision and mission should support this. As noted by Thompson (2002, p.94) the principal purpose of these statements is communication, both internally and externally and a major benefit for organisations is the thinking they are forced to do in order to establish sound statements. It is essential that the mission or indeed the vision is more than a plaque on a wall in the foyer; employees have to make the words mean something through their actions. For a mission statement to be a living document, employees must feel that the organisation actually means what it is saying in the mission and vision statements and must develop a sense of ownership, commitment and purpose in its implementation. Critically there must be an element of trust, for without it the desired outcomes will not be achieved. Employees should be involved in the development and communication of the mission and top-level management must be committed including the CEO in mission formulation. The mission clearly should correspond to the basic philosophy or visio n underlying the business, and if there is a sound philosophy, strategies that generate success will be derived from it. In the hierarchy of goals, the mission captures the organisation’s distinctive character. It is not merely an expression of hope but is an attempt to capture the essence of purpose and commit it to writing. In essence, an organisational mission is a broadly defined and enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes a health care organisation from other organisations of its type and identifies the scope of its operations in product, service and market terms (Duncan et al, 2006, p.188). As noted by Duncan et al (2006, p.189) the mission statement is a crucially important part of strategic goal setting. It is the superordinate goal that stands the test of time and assists senior managers and indeed workers in navigating through periods of turbulence and change. It is described as â€Å"the stake in the ground that provides the anchor for strategic planningà ¢â‚¬ . However, mission statements cannot be substituted for well-conceived and carefully formulated strategies. A sense of mission is not a guarantee for success. The organisation has to adhere to the mission and regularly review it to be sure it remains relevant in changing times and should carefully evaluate strategic decisions with the use of its mission statement. When new opportunities present for the organisation, there are three critical questions to be considered such as â€Å"are we not doing some things we should be doing†, are we doing some things we should not be doing? and are we doing some things we should continue to do but in a fundamentally different way?† to determine whether or not the new opportunity is consistent with its essential distinctiveness. As outlined by Duncan et al (2006, p. 193) there is no single way to develop and write mission statements. To define the distinctiveness of an organisation, mission statements must critically emphasise those aspects of the business that make them unique. Mission statements invariably include the target customer and market, they indicate the principal services delivered or provided by the organisation, specify the geographical area within which the organisation intends to concentrate its activities, identifies the organisation’s philosophy, confirms the preferred self-image and desired public image. Components such as organisational philosophy, self-concept and desired public image are particularly associated with higher performing organisations (Bail et al, 1999). Academics and consultants have developed an armoury of tools to help companies understand their strategic positioning. Chan Kim and Mauborgne (2002, p.78) describe the drawing of a strategy canvas as a â€Å"unique tool to mapping strategic direction.. .11 does three things in one picture†. It shows the strategic profile of an industry by depicting very clearly the factors that affect competition among industry players as well as possible future factors, it shows the strategic profile of current and potential competitors, identifying which factors they invest in strategically and finally it draws the company’s strategic profile or value curve, showing how it invests in the factors of competition and how it might invest in them in the future. Southwest Airline’s profile is a perfect example of a good strategy, because it shows the three complementary qualities that characterise an effective strategy: focus, divergence and a compelling tag line â€Å"the speed of a plane at the price of a car whenever you need it†. As noted by Chan Kim and Mauborgne (2002, p. 83) â€Å"Completing the four steps of visualising strategy will put strategy back into strategic planning, and it will greatly improve your chances of coming up with a wining formula. As Aristotle pointed out â€Å"The soul never thinks without an image†. Vision - an expression of hope: Vision is a description of what the organisation will be like and look like when it is fulfilling its purpose. Effective visions possess four important attributes: idealism, uniqueness, future orientation and imagery. Visions are about ideals, standards, and desired future states. Effective visions are statements of destinations that provide a compass heading to where the organisation’ s leadership collectively want to go. Visions are built on images of the future and images motivate people to pursue the seemingly impossible. As aptly put by Gerry M Murphy, CEO, Greencore plc, Ireland â€Å"strategy development is like driving around a roundabout. The signposts are only useful if you know where you want to go. Some exits lead uphill, some downhill - most are one-way streets and some have very heavy traffic indeed. The trick is in picking the journey’s end before you set out - otherwise you go around in circles or pick the wrong road†. The job of building a vision for an organisation is frequently referred to as pathfinding. As noted by Duncan et al, 2006 the goal of the pathfinder is to provide a vision, find the paths the organisation should pursue, and provide a clearly marked trail for those who will follow. A vision-led organisation is guided by a philosophy to which leaders are committed but that has not yet become obvious in the daily life of the organisation. The role of the strategic leader must be the keeper of vision, who holds on to the vision even when others have lost hope. For an organisational vision to be successful it must be clear, coherent, consistent, have communicative power and be flexible. An effective vision must remain open to change as the picture of the future changes and as the strategic capabilities of the organisation emerges and changes over time. Although visions are futuristic and based on hope, they require strategic leaders who can articulate the vision and translate it into term s that everyone in the organisation understands and accepts. It should translate into a common language and ordinary currency. Values what we stand for and believe in: Values are the fundamental principles that organisations stand for and which makes them unique. Ethical behaviour and socially responsible decision making are often associated with organisational values. It is important that managers, employees and key stakeholders understand the values that are expected to drive an organisation. Mission, vision and value statements are tools for â€Å"getting better at what we do†. Framed mission, vision, values and slogans are merely exercises and futile if they are not made real by commitment and action. As noted by Treacy and Wiersema (1993, p.84) â€Å"Companies that have taken leadership positions in their industries in the last decade typically have done so by narrowing their business focus, not broadening it. They have focused on delivering superior customer value in line with one of three value disciplines - operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership†. Dell for instance is a master of operational excellence - providing customers with reliable products or services at competitive prices and delivered with minimal difficulty or inconvenience. Customer intimacy, the second value discipline, is about segmenting and targeting markets precisely and then tailoring offerings to match exactly the demands of those niches. Companies that excel in customer intimacy combine detailed customer knowledge with operational flexibility so they can respond quickly to almost any need, from customising a product to fulfilling special requests. As a consequence these comp anies engender tremendous customer loyalty such as Home Depot which is better than any other company in its market at getting the customer precisely the product or information he/she wants. The key guiding principle of the newly structured Irish health services (Health Service Executive) is that all decisions at the HSE should be measured against what will deliver the best care for patients. â€Å"It is vital that the enthusiasm of our staff is harnessed by working in collaboration and communicating with each other, by building relationships and working as true partners and teams†(p.6). As aptly put by Duncan et al (2006, p. 185) in the health care environment, with its emphasis on cost reduction, consumer loyalty assumes strategic importance because loyal customers enable the organisation to make money, save money and save time. Placing the customer first is an organisational value that must permeate the entire staff at all levels, yet placing the customer first cannot be achieved without also having the organisation value employee loyalty - customer loyalty starts with employee loyalty. Loyalty is a long-term commitment and is dependent on an organisation’s ability to consistently deliver a memorable customer experience that leaves them with an ongoing favourable image, feeling and union with the provider. A memorable customer experience is not from a single event but transcends many differentiating service encounters across a wide spectrum of employee-customer interactions. Customer loyalty is much more fundamental than just customer satisfaction and is c ritical in highly competitive markets, In essence, the organisation that has a value to place customers first and values employees who achieve customer loyalty will have value itself (Duncan et al, 2006, p. 186). Strategic goal setting - towards mission accomplishment: Goal-setting should be focused on those areas that are critical to mission accomplishment. Mission statements and strategic goals should be consistent, compatible and aligned with each other, for instance does the mission provide for the formulation of a set of goals that are specific enough to give guidance to the organisation yet broad enough to provide for the necessary flexibility required? Duncan et al (2006,p. 208) identifies critical success factors as the foundations for strategic goal setting. The strategic goals, in turn, become the anchors for objectives and action plans. Critical success factors are those activities that organisations must engage in and do in order for the organisation to achieve high performance and must be compatible with the mission, vision and values. Leaders must identify a relatively small number of activities that are critical and essential to accomplish the mission aid build momentum to realise the vision Strategic goals provide more specific direction in accomplishing the mission and vision and possess characteristics such as: Activities critical to mission accomplishment, The link between critical success factors and strategic momentum, Formulated by leaders but have a common currency and language throughout the organisation, Limited in number. Evaluating Mission Statements: In managing strategic momentum, managers should continuously assess the performance of the organisation against the mission, vision, values and goals to determine whether they remain appropriate and critically revisiting the road map again. Engaging as many groups and stakeholders as possible throughout the organisation in developing directional strategies is critical in building a successful future for the organisation. In the HSE Corporate Plan Professor Drumm CEO notes â€Å"As this Plan has been framed during a time of transition, we would envisage that we may need to incorporate additional actions, or indeed revisit some actions, during the life of the Plan†(p. 5). It is critical that not just a partial but full evaluation takes place in order that the Irish Health Services, delivered as a single entity continues to strive towards achieving the organisational vision of â€Å"consistently providing equitable services of the highest quality to the population we serve†. We wait to see if the mission statement, as set out in diagrammatic format attached, proves to be â€Å"the stake in the ground that provides the anchor for strategic planning†. All of this evidence can only serve to show the true importance of having a mission statement. I will now discuss the mission statement in terms of the respective schools of strategic management. Prescriptive Emergent Schools There are many ways to think about strategic management in organisations. In fact, Henry Mintzberg identified ten distinct schools of thought concerning organisational strategy. Three of these approaches were prescriptive: the design (conceptual) school, the planning (formal) school and the positioning (analytical) school. Six schools of thought were descriptive (emergent, intuitive) and dealt with philosophical approaches to strategic management: the entrepreneurial school (a visionary process), the cognitive school (a mental process), the learning school (an emergent school), the political school (a power process), the cultural school (an ideological process), and the environmental school (a passive process). The final school of thought, the configurational school, specifies the stages and sequence of the process and attempts to place the findings of the other schools in context. Given the careful reasoning of the proponents of these various approaches to strategic management, it is safe to assume that there is no one best way to think or learn about strategy making in organisations. Prescriptive approaches to strategic management rely on the development of a logical sequence of steps or processes (linear thinking). Emergent models, on the other hand, rely on intuitive thinking, and learning and are viewed as being a part of managing. Both approaches are valid and useful in explaining an organisation’s strategy. However, neither the prescriptive nor the emergent assumption, by itself, is enough. David K. Hurst explained: â€Å"The key question is not under which of these approaches of action is right, or even which is better, but when and under what circumstances they are useful to understand what managers should do. Modern organisational life is characterised by movements between periods of calm, when prospective rationality seems to work, and periods of turmoil, when nothing seems to work. A t some times, analysis is possible: at other times, only on the ground experience will do.† As a result, both approaches are required. It is difficult to initiate and sustain organisational action without some predetermined logical plan. Yet in a dynamic competitive market, managers must expect to learn and establish new directions as they progress. In reality, the methods are both complementary and contradictory- the prescriptive approach is similar to a map, whereas the emergent model is similar to a compass. Both may be used to guide one to a destination but in some cases they may indicate different routes. Maps are better in known worlds – worlds that have been charted before. Compasses are helpful when leaders are not sure where they are and have only a general sense of direction. Therefore, what is needed is some type of model that provides guidance or direction to strategic managers, yet incorporates learning and change. I f strategy making can be approached in a disciplined way, then there will be an increased likelihood of its successful implementation. A model or map of how strategy may be developed will help organisations view their strategies in a cohesive, integrated and systematic way. Models are abstractions that attempt to identify, simplify, and explain processes, patterns, and relationships inherent within certain situations. As a result, models are quite useful because they circumvent the need to store masses of data and allow us to recognise the logic underlying a series of interdependent activities. Without a model or map, managers run the risk of becoming totally incoherent, confused in perception, and muddled in practice. Conclusion: As I have stated during this essay, a mission statement is vital to a company’s success. This still rings true in today’s competitive environment and in the schools of strategic management. The reasons for this have been explored throughout. I hope I have succeeded in proving my point that a mission statement is still an important part of a company’s palns. Bibliography: 1. Chan Kim,W, Mauborgne, R, Charting Your Company’s Future, Harvard Business Review, June 2002. 2. Health Matters, Summer 2006, Volume 2 Issue 2. 3. Swayne, L. E.,Duncan, WJ.,Ginter, P.M. Strategic Management of Health Care Organisations, 2006 Blackwell Publishing, London. 5. Thompson, J.L. Strategic Management, 2002, Gray Pubishing, Tunbridge Wells. 6. Thompson, J.L. Understanding Corporate Strategy, 2001, Gray Publishing, Tunbridge Wells. 7. Treacy,M, Wiersema, F Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines, Harvard Business Review, Jan/Feb 1993, Vol. 71 Issue 1. Research Papers on "No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives.†Open Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMind Travel

Using Quotations in Essays - a Guide

Using Quotations in Essays - a Guide If you want to make an impact on your reader, you can draw on the potential of quotations. The  effective use of quotations  augments the power of your arguments and makes your essays more interesting. But there is a need for caution! Are you convinced that the quotation you have chosen is helping your essay and not hurting it? Here is a checklist to ensure that you are doing the right thing: What Is This Quotation Doing in This Essay? Let us begin at the beginning. You have a chosen a quotation for your essay. But, why that specific quotation? A good quotation should do one or more of the following: make an opening impact on the readerbuild credibility for your essayadd humormake the essay more interestingclose the essay with a point to ponder upon. If the quotation does not meet a few of these objectives, then it is of little value. Merely stuffing a quotation into your essay can do more harm than good. Your Essay Is Your Mouthpiece Should the quotation speak for the essay or should the essay speak for the quotation? Quotations should add impact to the essay and not steal the show. If your quotation has more punch than your essay, then something is seriously wrong. Your essay should be able to stand on its own legs; the quotation should merely make this stand stronger. How Many Quotations Should You Use in Your Essay? Using too many quotations is like having several people shouting hoarse on your behalf. This will drown your voice. Refrain from overcrowding your essay with words of wisdom from famous people. You own the essay, so make sure that you are heard Dont Make it Look Like You Plagiarized Are there any expected standards for using quotations in an essay? Yes, there are. The most important one is that you should not give the impression of being the author of the quotation. That would amount to plagiarism. Here are a set of rules to clearly distinguish your writing from the quotation: Sometimes, you describe the quotation in your own words before using it. In this case, you should use a colon (:) to indicate the beginning of the quotation. Then begin the quotation with a quotation mark (). After you have completed the quotation, close it with a quotation mark (). Here is an example:Sir Winston Churchill made a witty remark on the attitude of a pessimist: A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.Sometimes the sentence in which the quotation is embedded does not describe the quotation, but merely introduces it. In this case, do away with the colon. Simply use the quotation marks. Here is an example:Sir Winston Churchill once said A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.As far as possible, you should mention the author and the source of the quotation. For instance:In Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, Touchstone says to Audrey in the Forest of Arden The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. (Act V, Scene I). Ensure that the source of your quotation is authentic. Also, verify the author of your quotation. You can do so by looking up the quotation on authoritative Web sites, such as this one. But for formal writing, do not rely on just one Web site. Blend Quotations In An essay can seem quite jarring if the quotation does not blend in. The quotation should naturally fit into your essay. No one is interested in reading quotation-stuffed essays. Here are some good tips on blending in your quotations: You can begin your essay with a quotation that sets off the basic idea of the essay. This can have a lasting impact on your reader. In the introductory paragraph of your essay, you can comment on the quotation if you like. In any case, do ensure that the relevance of the quotation is communicated well.Your choice of phrases and adjectives can significantly boost the impact of the quotation in your essay. Do not go with monotonous phrases like:George Washington once said...If your essay merits the use of powerful speech, consider using emphatic expressions like:George Washington rocked the nation by saying ... Using Long Quotations It is usually better to have short and crisp quotations in your essay. However, if you are convinced that a particular long quotation is more effective, make sure that you follow the necessary rules. When is it Appropriate to use Long Quotations in Your Essay?:  It is your judgment call. Let me explain. Long quotations must be used sparingly as they tend to weigh down the reader. However, there are times when your essay has more impact with a longer quotation. If you have decided to use a long quotation, consider paraphrasing, as it usually works better. But, there is a flip side to paraphrasing too. Instead of the paraphrase, if you use a direct quotation, you will avoid misrepresentation. As you can see, the decision of using a long quotation is not trivial. Once again, it is your judgment call. Punctuating Long Quotes:  Long quotations should be set off as block quotations. Formatting block quotations should be as per the guidelines that you might have been provided. If there are no specific guidelines, you can follow the usual standard - if a quotation is more than three lines long, you block it. Blocking implies indenting it about half an inch on the left. Often, setting up a long quotation is warranted. Writing a brief introduction displays your understanding of the subject. In other cases, you might need to provide a complete analysis of the quotation. In this case, it is best to state the quotation and follow it with the analysis, rather than the other way around Using Cute Quotes Some students choose a cute quotation first, and then try to plug it into their essay. As a consequence, such quotations drag the reader away from the essay. Quoting poetry:  Quoting a verse from a poem can add a lot of charm to your essay. I have come across writing that acquires a romantic edge merely by including a poetic quotation. If you are quoting from poetry, keep in mind that: A small extract of a poem, say about two lines long, requires the use of slash marks (/) to indicate line breaks. Here is an example: Charles Lamb has aptly described a child as A childs a plaything for an hour;/ Its pretty tricks we try / For that or for a longer space; / Then tire, and lay it by. (1-4) If you use a single line extract of a poem, punctuate it like any other short quotation without the slashes. Quotation marks are required at the beginning and at the end of the extract. However, if your quotation is more than three lines of poetry, I would suggest that you treat it like you would have treated a long quotation from prose. In this case, you should use the block quote format. Does Your Reader Understand the Quotation? Do you use quotations in your essays? Surely you follow the expected standards. But, that may not be enough. Having followed all the standards and punctuation, you must ask the critical question: Do readers understand the quotation and its relevance to my essay? If the reader is re-reading a quotation, just to understand it, then you are in trouble. So when you choose a quotation for your essay, ask yourself the following questions: Is this too convoluted for my reader?Does this match the tastes of my audience?Is the grammar and vocabulary in this quotation understandable?

Stamp Act Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stamp Act - Term Paper Example Today, Americans may have forgotten this important period on their journey to freedom, but the fact remains that without Stamp Act, the American Sons of Liberty and other freedom-fighters may not have gotten an opportunity to launch attacks against their colonist. The British claimed victory in the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) that was fought against the European powers of those days. It was a typical polarizing war that pitted Great Britain, Prussia and a group of German states (small in size) against nations like Austria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony that formed a staunch military alliance during that period (Morgan et al. 1995, 20-28). However, Britain has spent a lot on this war which seemed to have taken a huge toll on the colonist’s finances. Reportedly, British national debts had doubled by the time the war was concluded (Morgan et al.1995, 21). Apart from this issue, Britain also worried about how to source finances to keep so many soldiers that had fought in the war, many of whom have political links to the parliament. The fears of not wishing to see the soldiers become jobless and not knowing how to fund their continued engagement had forced Britain to come up with a strange method of financial The British Parliament, in 1765 eventually came up with the Stamp Act to source funds to finance the continued existence of its military contingent in North America by imposing taxes on printed materials, which include but not limited to newspapers, legal documents, magazines, and several other papers used in the colonies (Morgan et al. 1995, 80-95). The general acceptance given to this Act by British two arms of Parliament (House of Lords and House of Commons) revealed that Great Britain had seen this Act as the solution to its crippling financial situation at that time (Murrin et al. 2007, 187). The Parliament did not perceive anything wrong in this approach as it deemed it the appropriate way to find the money to solve its

Quantitative Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative Review - Article Example One child from the household was randomly selected. Adolescents fulfilling the diagnostic criteria as well as having number of symptoms one or more standard deviation above mean were entitled to be having a psychiatric disorder. Proportional risks of unfavorable adolescent outcomes and confidence intervals at 95% were calculated for every depressive diagnosis, psychiatric diagnosis, anxiety diagnosis, substance abuse diagnosis and disruptive diagnosis. The outcomes revealed that the adolescents with anxiety, depressive, disruptive and substance abuse disorder were found to be 2.86-2.91 times more likely to experience failure in completing secondary school education as compared with young adults without psychiatric disorders. Young adults with disruptive disorders were found to be 4.04 (1.96–8.32) times more probably to get in difficulty with police during early adulthood as compared to those without disruptive disorders. The positive prognostic value of every psychiatric disorder measure for not completing school was greater in the lowest SES stratum and for adolescents criminal involvement was greater for boys. The combination of age, gender, symptom counts and social class within a logistical regression model conceded 87% specificity and 89% sensitivity at p≠¥0.13 cut off for forecasting succeeding school non-completion. Future criminal involvement on the other hand when tested at the optimum cutoff value yielded 76% specificity and 75% sensitivity (Vander et al., 2002). Going through the given study a novel technique of utilizing various symptoms of psychiatric disorders for predicting not completing school education and the involvement of adolescents in criminal behavior was analyzed. The overall model used was significant and required professional skills to handle as the sample was quite large. However since the study involved two areas of similar geography, it can be expanded to geographical units

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Example for Free

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Conflict Resulting From the Negative Effects of Rigid Societal Expectations in A Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus Everyone has felt the pressure of societal expectations during their lifetime. The negative effects society brings on one’s life can lead to a feeling of rejection towards the people who do not conform to meet those standards. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Albert Camus, author of The Stranger, both construct the external moral conflict of society versus the protagonist in order to critique the way society fails to accept the moral values of the people who differ from the norm. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez emphasizes the central conflict of society versus the protagonist, based on beliefs and values, through the controversy leading up to the murder of Santiago Nasar, which is based on family honor and pre-marital sex. When Pedro and Pablo Vicario ask their sister, Angela Vicario, who had stolen her virginity, her response is described as â€Å"She only took the time necessary to say the name †¦ and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written. ‘Santiago Nasar,’ she said†(47). Describing Angela’s response as â€Å"only took the time necessary† indicates that she is trying to put the blame on Santiago, making him a scapegoat, in order to protect the true man who took her virginity before marriage. In the Latin American society, where the setting of the novella takes place, it is not acceptable for a woman to have pre-marital sex due to the beliefs and morals of Catholics. Santiago is represented as the butterfly â€Å"whose sentence had already been written†. Even though there is no evidence Santiago took Angela’s virginity, it is the twin’s duty to protect their sister. Therefore, Pedro and Pablo Vicario set out to kill the man who had stolen their sister’s virginity, Santiago Nasar, in order to protect their family. The twins tell everyone in town about their plan to murder Santiago, but the people in the community doubt their intentions: â€Å"twenty-two people declared they had heard everything said, and they all coincided in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them†(51). The people in the town who â€Å"[coincide] in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them† shows how oblivious the townspeople act owards a societal member’s life. Society looks past at the fact that a murder is about to occur, but focuses on the purpose; family honor, which is highly respected. Since it is unacceptable for a female to have sex before marriage, Santiago is viewed in a negative light by society because he is accused of taking the virginity of an unmarried woman. The debate surrounding Santiago’s death highlights the conflict between society and the protagonist, where Santiago is a man who is accused of committing an act that society does not accept. Albert Camus, in The Stranger, constructs the protagonist, Monsieur Meursault, as a man who has absurdist morals and values, which society does not accept. Meursault has an intimate relationship with Marie Cardona, a former typist, but the connection does not go beyond a physical attraction; â€Å"she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her† (41). By Meursault stating â€Å"it didn’t mean anything† and â€Å"I probably didn’t love her† highlights his absurdist views on life; he believes life contains no purpose, thus he cannot love Marie because loving Marie would give life a purpose, which Meursault does not believe. He simply associates with Marie, because he likes being around her. There is no need for an emotional connection because the physical appearance of her is satisfying enough. Absurdism is not accepted in society therefore it does not accept Meursault. He is an outsider in a world he did not choose. Meursault is a man who does not show his emotions very well, but instead focuses on his physical need; â€Å"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† (65). Meursault saying â€Å"that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† emphasizes the simplistic life he live—a life without meaning. Showing emotions would signify a life with purpose, which Meursault does not believe. The Algerian society, in which the novella takes place, does not accept the type of lifestyle Meursault lives and believes every life should be lived with a purpose. Society’s expectations clash with Meursault’s values because his beliefs and outlooks on life are not accepted by society, which sets up the external conflict between the two. In the external conflict between society and the protagonist, Garcia Marquez emphasizes the negative effects society has on a person who goes against the social norm by showing the biased opinions towards the Pedro and Pablo Vicario regarding Santiago’s murder. After brutally stabbing Santiago to death, the Vicario twins sprint to the church to inform the priest of their barbaric act; â€Å"Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and still living blood but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity†(49). The priest calling the murder â€Å"an act of great dignity† shows how, in the Latin American society, family honor is highly valued, no matter how far it is taken. Even though the twins have committed the worst crime imaginable, it is acceptable because it was done in order to protect their family. Pedro and Pablo Vicario are viewed as meeting expectations, as opposed to Santiago, who fails to follow them. When the crime was brought to court, the twins had already won before it even started; â€Å"The lawyer stood by the thesis of the homicide in legitimate defense of honor, which was upheld by the court in good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason† (48). The lawyer stating the homicide as a â€Å"legitimate defense of honor† verifies that society values family honor over a man’s life. The court case represents the conflict of society against Santiago and since he goes against society’s values, Santiago ends up dying, indicating society’s victory. The twins do not receive any severe punishment, because of their intentions to protect their family. Through Santiago’s death, Garcia Marquez stresses the harmful effects society can have on someone whose beliefs differ from societal standards. Camus constructs Meursault’s trial to critique society’s lack of acceptance towards the people who do not meet expectations. Throughout the court case, Meursault is quickly judged by the prosecutor due to his actions concerning his mother’s death, â€Å"He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of my moral principles that governs men’s hearts, was within my reach† (101). The prosecutor bluntly stating that Meursault â€Å"didn’t have a soul† and is incapable of having â€Å"moral principles that governs men’s hearts† highlights how society does not understand Meursault’s morals and values, thus critiques his character and neglects him. Meursault is looked down upon because of how he acted on the day of Maman’s funeral. He does not express feelings towards his mother’s death because he is an absurdist and believes death is inevitable. Society believes that there is purpose to every societal member’s life, and since Meursault shares absurdist views, he is not accepted by society. To close his final argument against Meursault, the prosecutor states, â€Å" ‘I ask you for this man’s head†¦never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, light, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster. † (102). The whole trial is based around Meursault’s character, and him being called â€Å"a monster† stresses the fact that society is unwilling to accept anyone who does not follow the expectations. Meursault does not share the same views that society wants, and as a result, he is rejected because of his moral values. By asking â€Å"for this m an’s head† the prosecutor shows how society neglects the people who share different views and therefore want them out of society completely. Camus uses the trial and Meursault’s crime to emphasize the external conflict of society versus the protagonist, Meursault, to demonstrate how society does not accept people who share different moral values. The negative effects society has on the people who do not meet expectations are emphasized through the external conflict, based of moral values, between the protagonist and society in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both novellas show the harmful consequence faced by the protagonist, who do not conform to societal expectations, which evidently resulted in death.

Dawn by Elie Wiesel Essay -- Dawn Elie Wiesel Essays

Dawn by Elie Wiesel In this report you will see the comparisons between the novel Dawn and the life of Elie Wiesel, its author. The comparisons are very visible once you learn about Elie Wiesel’s life. Elie Wiesel was born on September28,1928 in the town of Hungary. Wiesel went through a lot of hard times as a youngster. In 1944, Wiesel was deported by the nazis and taken to the concentration camps. His family was sent to the town of Auschwitz. The father, mother, and sister of Wiesel died in the concentration camps. His older sister and himself were the only to survive in his family. After surviving the concentration camps, Wiesel moved to Paris, where he studied literature at the Sorbonne from 1948-1951. Since 1949 he has worked as a foreign correspondant and journalist at various times for the French, Jewish, periodical, L’Arche, Tel-Aviv newspaper Yediot Ahronot, and the Jewish daily forward in New York City. Francois mauriac the Roman Catholic Nobelest and Nobel Laureate convinced Wie sel to speak about the Holocaust. Wiesel wrote an 800 page memoir which he later edited into a smaller version called "Night". In the mid 60’s Wiesel spoke out a lot about the Holocaust. Later on Wiesel emerged on as an important moral voice on Religious Issues and the Human Rights. Since 1988 Wiesel has been a professor at Boston University. Some of Wiesel’s greatest novels has been "Night", "Dawn", "The Accident", "The Town Beyond The Wall", "The Gates Of The Forest", "The Fifth Son"...

Trial balance

What is a Trial Balance? State its objectives and characteristics. Give some reasons for disagreement of the Trial Balance. A ‘Trial Balance' is a list of all the General ledger accounts (both revenue and capital) contained in the ledger of a business. This list will contain the name of the nominal ledger account and the value of that nominal ledger account. The value of the nominal ledger will hold either a debit balance value or a credit balance value.The debit balance values will be listed in the debit column of the trial balance and the redit value balance will be listed in the credit column. The profit and loss statement and balance sheet and other financial reports can then be produced using the ledger accounts listed on the trial balance. The following are the important objectives of trial balance: 1. To Check The Arithmetical Accuracy Trial balance is based on the double-entry principle of debit equals credit or credit equals debit. As a result, the debit and credit col umns of trial balance must always be equal.If they do, it is assumed that the recordings of financial transactions are ccurate. Conversely, if they do not, it is assumed that they are not arithmetically accurate. Therefore, one important purpose of preparing trial balance is to provide a check on the arithmetical accuracy of the recordings of the financial transactions. 2. To Help Locate Accounting Errors Since the trial balance indicates if there is any error committed in the Journal and the ledger, it helps the accountant to locate the error because the starting point of locating errors is trial balance itself. 3.To Summarize the Financial Transactions A business performs several numbers of financial transactions during a certain period of time. The transactions themselves cannot portray any picture of the financial affairs of the business. For that purpose, a summary of the transactions has to be drawn. The trial balance is prepared with a view to summarize all the financial tran sactions of the business. 4. To Provide the Basis for Preparing Final Accounts Final accounts are prepared to show profit and loss and the financial position of the business at the end of an accounting period.These accounts are prepared by using the debit and credit of all ledger accounts. Therefore, since the trial balance is a statement of the debit and credit balances of the ledger accounts, it provides the basis for the preparation of the final accounts. Characteristics of Trial Balance 1. It is a list of balances of all Ledger accounts and Cash Book 2. It is not a part of the double entry system of book-keeping. It is only a working paper. 3. It can be prepared on any date 4. It verifies the arithmetical accuracy of posting of entries from the Journal to the Ledger. 5.

After the Civil War

After the Civil War, industrialization changed American culture, as railways connected developing urban communities and manufacturing plants pulled in floods of foreign laborers. By the late nineteenth century, numerous reformers looked to enhance the conditions in which numerous Americans worked and lived. Imperialism is the strategy of broadening a country's power over different nations by financial, political or military means. The objective of the Americans for imperialism was for new markets would expand exchange which provided money, military power enhanced control, so it could contend with different nations, and social dominance so it could spread America's way of life like religion, and language. The United States' industrialization was developing so quickly that it was creating a bigger number of products than individuals could consume, and so American Imperialism was justified because of the overabundance of modern merchandise that drove the United States to search for entrance and venture into worldwide markets which were essential in making it a World Power. A U.S. representative' speech had motivations in how the US gained with trades and starting to become wealthy, they still didn't have a strong army nor navy. But it still fought for against the Spanish and fight for the rights of Cubans that suffered under the Spanish empire, even does many Americans didn't support this because many weren't ready for war. However, Albert Beveridge who was running for US Senator in 1898 had motivations to assure that US imperialism was necessary, that it was an ethical commitment to spreading their insight and prevalence of American's religion and government overall less lucky individuals. For McKinley's decision in the early 1900s after the Spanish War ended, with motivations that he pretentiously repudiated the U.S. army accomplishment of the Philippines under their control. The Hawaiian Memorial during 1897, the reason behind this was to remove the US government because they believed their nationality was being extinguished, but the US call to vote for annexation for the need of naval bases to protect the world trade. A letter brought questioning to many Americans if a severe fight between the Philippines and United States was worth the expansion because of the idea of imperialism. Each source shows different points of views on how larger nations gave to the smaller colonies. Social and cultural changes led many in the U.S. to conclude at the time had come for the country to assert its power beyond the borders. American Imperialism was justified because of the overabundance of modern merchandise that drove the United States to search for entrance and venture into worldwide markets which were essential in making it a World Power. As the United States' empire started to be advanced, leaders and officials led the nation in a burst of overseas expansion in which it acquired Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico etc. The way to sustain prosperity was to find foreign markets for U.S. goods. Beveridge compared the Philippines colonization to U.S. westward expansion across North America and argued that Filipinos were a child-like and savage race incapable of self-governance. The American imperialism was important for the urge to fulfill United States' destiny–as a world power by colonizing, looking for fresh land to conquer in which opening new markets, was a favorable balance of trade, and make exports exceed imports, sought to expand foreign markets. Development was the principal center of American Imperialism justification, which ought to enable the United States to pick up much benefit as could reasonably be expected. This brought about the advancement of new items and administrations, as well as in different nations–this had powered financial development. As innovations expanded, the American homesteads and manufacturing plants creations were significantly more than American natives could expand. The government saw the remote exchange as the solution for American over creation. In any case, this thought of exchange likewise brought problems as the main path for trade products among the US and different countries. The larger part through overcoming those countries that were self-administered or even under control by different countries (the Philippines and Spain). However, the Filipinos felt sold out when the U.S. took control of their country and wound up irate. Indeed, regardless of what the Filipinos felt the Americans would not like to abandon them to self-administer, on the grounds that they since a long time after a short time have strife and botch over there more unfortunate than Spain's wars. Concerning numerous Americans, this thought of development brought riches however for a couple brought demise, as wars caused the passing of numerous soldiers in every country. To the extent the entire needs were concerned, they requested that the wrongdoing (mercilessness battling the Philippines) ought to be ceased and that America could wipe out the disgraceful nation. To be a world power, United States needed to have land beyond its borders (expansion) that the Americans could control. On the time whilst in all the different countries the public economic system become subjected to deep changes in the outcome of the warfare, showing itself mainly in the decline of money, excessive cost of residing—America had not the simplest now not suffered from the struggle, but at the opposite the country had gained by way of it and became during that time World Power. Having increase sources, and a few strategic positioning of colonies better exchange and raise the American financial system. Which kind of along the lines takes place the Manifest Destiny, colonizing overseas lands brought about the United States spreading its wealth, have an effect on and lifestyle overseas. Imperialism turned into a key aspect in creating an extra civil overseas human. Even in changes in the recent past events the imperialistic developments likewise had a worldwide effect that emerged between countries like wars that made an endeavor at holding their opportunity. In the long run, these wars were a factor in the foundations for WWI. But this event to the counter colonialist contention that America shouldn't administer individuals without their assent, by expressing that freedom gets its power from the assent of the administered, just by those equipped for self-government. It contrasted with Indians enable Americans to administer without an assent and parents likewise oversee over their youngsters without their assent. America should spare them from countries as opposed to giving them self-run of catastrophe. Much like a youngster who needs direction (government). With conflicts, outside and within the borders of US, imperialism remains justified more than a century later as it could become the World Power in the past and present.

Paper 1 Copy 5

Paper 1 Copy 5 Paper 1 Copy 5 Attorney for W.R. Grace & Co., a California corporation doing business as â€Å"Cryovac Factory† SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA UNLIMITED JURISDICTION ANNE ANDERSON, an individual, AND ANNE ANDERSON as executor of the estate of JAMES ANDERSON Plaintiffs, vs. W.R. GRACE & Co., a California corporation doing business as â€Å"Cryovac Factory†, and DOES ONE THROUGH FIVE Defendants ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Case No,: ANSWER TO VERIFIED COMPLAINT Defendant, W.R. GRACE & Co., a California corporation doing business as â€Å"Cryovac Factory,† answers the complaint of plaintiff Anne Anderson, an individual, and Anne Anderson as executor of the estate of James Anderson. RESPONSE TO PRELIMINARY ALLEGATIONS 1. Defendant W.R. Grace & Co. lacks sufficient information or belief to the truth of the allegations contained in the plaintiffs’ complaint. Based on this lack of information or belief, defendant denies all allegations in the complaint. 2. With respect to paragraphs 1 through 14 of the complaint, defendant denies that it disposed of any toxic chemicals which could have or did contaminate the aquifer. RESPONSE TO FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION 3. With respect to paragraph A though B of the complaint, defendant at all times exercised due care under the circumstances and acted in good faith in accordance with reasonable and customary standards in the industry and in the locality 4. With respect to paragraph C of the complaint, defendant denies the allegations in this paragraph. 5. With respect to paragraph D of the complaint, defendant denies that it had any knowledge that TCE is a dangerous toxin that can cause serious health issues and death. 6. With respect to paragraph E of the complaint, defendant acted reasonably and in good faith with due care for the rights and safety of others. RESPONSE TO SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION 7. With respect to paragraph F of the complaint, defendant realleges and incorporates by reference denials in paragraphs 1 through 6 of this answer. 8. With respect to paragraphs G through I of the complaint, defendant at all times exercised due care and acted in good faith. RESPONSE TO THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION 9. With respect to paragraph J of the complaint, defendant realleges and incorporates by reference denials in paragraphs 1 through 8 of this answer. 10. With respect to paragraphs K through L of the complaint, defendant denies the allegations in these paragraphs. FIRST AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE Statute of limitations The plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the applicable statues of limitations and/or laches. SECOND

Philosophical Quotes on Beauty

Philosophical Quotes on Beauty Beauty is one of the most intricate and fascinating topics of philosophical discussion. It has been taken up in relation to a host of other subjects, such as truth, the good, the sublime, and pleasure. Here is a selection of quotes on beauty, divided into different themes. Beauty and Truth Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all \ Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. (John Keats, One on a Grecian Urn, 1819)Although I am a typical loner in daily life, my consciousness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has preserved me from feeling isolated. (Albert Einstein, My Credo, 1932)The pursuit of beauty is much more dangerous nonsense than the pursuit of truth or goodness because it affords a greater temptation to the ego. (Northrop Frye, Mythical Phase: Symbol as Archetype, 1957)I must not say that she was true |Yet let me say that she was fair |And they, that lovely face who view |They should not ask if truth be there. (Matthew Arnold, Euphrosyne)Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart. (Friedrich Schiller, Don Carlos)O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem| By that sweet ornament which truth doth give! (William Shakespeare, Sonnet LIV)If truth is beauty how come nobody has their hair done in a library? (Lily Tomlin, American comedian) Beauty and Pleasure Tis impious pleasure to delight in harm.And beauty should be kind, as well as charm. (George Granville, To Myra)Beauty is pleasure objectified - pleasure regarded as the quality of an object (George Santayana, The Sense of Beauty)The roses of pleasure seldom last long enough to adorn the brow of him who plucks them; for they are the only roses which do not retain their sweetness after they have lost their beauty. (Hannah More, Essays on Various Subjects, On Dissipation) Beauty and the Sublime Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless, so that the mind in the presence of the sublime, attempting to imagine what it cannot, has pain in the failure but pleasure in contemplating the immensity of the attempt. (Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment)What give all that is tragic, whatever its form, the characteristic of the sublime, is the first inkling of the knowledge that the world and life can give no satisfaction, and are not worth our investment in them. The tragic spirit consists in this. Accordingly, it leads to resignation. (Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation)When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could be neither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be less of both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people were carried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene. (Jane Austen, Mansfield Park)Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible, or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling .... When danger or pain press too nearly, they are incapable of giving any delight, and [yet] with certain modifications, they may be, and they are delightful, as we everyday experience. (Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful)A thing of beauty is a joy forever | Its loveliness increases; it will never |Pass into nothingness; but still will keep | A bower quiet for us, and a sleep |Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. (John Keats)

Evidence based nursing coaching style management Article

Evidence based nursing coaching style management - Article Example This inadvertently has a number of employment policy implications. Replacing and recruiting people to make up for the older nurses who are near retirement age is infact a very significant problem for the health sector. Nursing itself is comprised of several smaller sub-divisons and there is much evidence to reveal that the ratio of the nursing work force is not equally divided within these sub groups. Careful analysis reveals that prison services, the armed forces, local authorities, occupational health nursing and emergency health services are some of the divisons that do not suffer from a shortfall with respect to the workforce number. Interestingly nursing homes for the elderly are increasingly being seen as having fewer and fewer trained nurse practitioners and in many cases even trained personnel. The reason for this anomalous distribution remains largely unclear and it is a problem the health sector is now grappling with. The UK nursing work force in particular provides a very complete picture in this respect. (Buchan 1999). It is a problem which infact has become the subject of much research and study over the last decade. Demographics reveal that the UK population in general is ageing, and the nursing workforce in the region is no exception. It is a growing population with a greater number of elderly people, which is ensured by advances in medical practice and technology which has resulted in increased life span of the population. Consequently a growing challenge for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK is providing adequate nursing facility for its population. The key element of effective nursing coaching in the present scenario is to develop appropriate workforce planning mechanisms that take into account the supply and demand for nursing staff. Quite evidently these should take into account the demographics (i.e the age and type) of the client population and the workforce, and aim to reach a balance of demand and supply as may be the requirement of the market. Infact it can be safely said that the continued prevalence of the shortage of nursing workforce over the past decade could be considered a result of some shortcoming the coaching style for nurses. Both as educators or as nurse practitioners we need to look at the plausible shortcoming of the present coaching style since it is obviously unable to adequately address this problem! Some of the major reasons for people taking up nursing as a career option are because of the opportunities to care for people, to gain some autonomy at the work place and also to be fairly rewarded both financially and emotionally (Irvine and Evans 1995). This has to be taken into account for future training strategies in nursing if the present shortage particularly in geriatric (old age) wards is to be addressed. Coaching styles have to focus on increasing motivation for and clearly elucidating the potential incentives of nursing in general and geriatric nursing in particular. Intervention strategies Nursing and midwifery have traditionally relied on a fairly narrow defined group of school leavers (predominantly female) for recruitment purposes. This population in general is less inclined to work with the elderly population to begin with. In addition geriatric nursing does