Wednesday, September 2, 2020

American Art Education in 1980s Through Today (2012) Research Paper

American Art Education in 1980s Through Today (2012) - Research Paper Example The transition to organize uniform craftsmanship instruction program tended to issues, for example, showing materials, educators preparing, educational program guide, and books among different issues. Beforehand, workmanship instruction in America didn't address issues like educator preparing, which impact the framework received by instructors in showing craftsmanship training. In 1980s, craftsmanship educational program for K-12 concentrated on dynamic instruction and self-articulation. Through this instruction, American innovation training on workmanship was established, which depends on the social mechanical instruction history (Foster 2). This center tended to the need to create craftsmanship ability in youngsters while sustaining their common capacities. Workmanship instructors showed painting, mold, drawing, pottery, and different types of craftsmanship aptitudes. The consequence of this methodology was very amazing. Numerous youngsters had the option to get a handle on the apt itudes and produce tasteful work. Another prominent thing with reconsidering of the craftsmanship training educational program in 1980s is that it renewed workmanship instruction. Craftsmanship instruction took a gander at history, conventional frameworks, and more extensive part of workmanship to make workmanship training intriguing to understudies and the instructors. The 1980s educational plan worried on craftsmanship making while at the same time mixing it with investigations of workmanship history, feel, and analysis. The workmanship instruction educational plan of 1980s stressed on visual craftsmanship training. ... This contention prompted the push for increasingly reasonable investigations in craftsmanship over the conventional framework. Eminently, workmanship training in 1990s has underlined the requirement for visual craftsmanship in all part of workmanship instruction (Mary 5). Educational program created to cook for the necessities of understudies and understudies in post elementary schools address current issues. For example, visual workmanship weights on recent developments or real factors. As it were, the educational program doesn't weight on conceptual craftsmanship. The 1990s workmanship instruction educational program recognized the need to join place based craftsmanship training. This is a change in craftsmanship instruction since it excludes customary part of workmanship training in earlier decades. Another significant perception about workmanship instruction in 1990s is that craftsmanship training fused different teaches, for example, history, current ecological occasions among o thers in the workmanship educational program (Keyon 2). Researchers and admirers of workmanship contended that this methodology enabled the student to utilize craftsmanship to explain ebb and flow issues in the general public. For example, music craftsmanship instruction happens in uncommon classes while tending to recent developments in the general public. In 1990s, craftsmanship educational plan has created different degree programs in workmanship, which address singular needs (Mary 7). Other than proficient improvement programs presented in 1990s, craftsmanship reads have made space for understudies to browse a wide scope of projects. Craftsmanship instruction advancement prompted the visual culture experienced today in workmanship schools. Teachers and partners in workmanship underlined on the utilization of innovation in visual craftsmanship. For example, National Standard, which was presented in 1995 according to the California Teaching Standards has become a top maker in weld wire and a few modern wire

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Thomas Wolsey as the Key Figure in Church Essay

Thomas Wolsey as the Key Figure in Church - Essay Example Wolsey was a lot of a man in the opportune spot at the perfect time. The new King was youthful, carefree and, in all honesty, rather apathetic. His origination of Kingship was typified taking all things together activity saints like King Henry V instead of economical overseers like his own dad, Henry VII. In any case, he was not set up to leave the undertakings of state in the hands of his dad's incredible hirelings, whom he found (normally enough for a youngster) old, exhausting, and outdated. Empson and Dudley, his dad's loathed charge gatherers, were executed; Foxe and Warham were quickly arriving at retirement age and were energized out of court with a progression of wilting affronts by Wolsey. By 1519, the Venetian minister, Giustinian, was summarizing the circumstance well when he revealed to Francis I of France 'that King Henry committed himself to delight and simplicity and left the considerations of the State to the Cardinal'. By and by, it can't be denied that Wolsey benefi ted as much as possible from the open doors given to him. He had the incredible capacity to check his crowd, to compliment and to be engaging. He had a 'unique endowment of characteristic persuasiveness' (Cavendish) which any semblance of Castiglione in the Book of the Courtier had worried as being so significant in the time of Renaissance discretion. Wolsey was a man who delighted in the fine things of life. He was amiable, clever and pleasant, a backer of artists and specialists. Polydore Vergil, the Tudor student of history, gives us a brief look into his strategies when he discloses to us that at whatever point the Cardinal needed something from Henry, he 'drew out some little present or other ... and keeping in mind that the King was respecting it eagerly, Wolsey would skillfully present the undertaking on which his brain was fixed'.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Managing Business Partnerships free essay sample

This paper talks about manners by which organizations can keep up successfully their business associations. This paper presents crafted by Moss-Kanter on overseeing associations. The creator relates that the way to taking care of social contrasts is to anticipate them and to manage them as they happen. She takes note of that associations can't be constrained by formal frameworks. She infers that for a consent to be effective, each side of the understanding must feel as significant as the other. Chapter by chapter list Successful Communication Advantage Control Issues Overabundance Competition Advantage happens when one of the organizations needs more and looks for circumstances that don't include the other organization. One model is if the provider organization made a game plan with another organization as a restrictive provider. This circumstance would leave the buy organization without a provider. One approach to maintain a strategic distance from this is to treat the provider like an accomplice, ensuring that the two gatherings profit by the relationship. We will compose a custom paper test on Overseeing Business Partnerships or on the other hand any comparable subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page

Sunday, May 17, 2020

The Financial Performance Of The Weir Group Plc Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2068 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? 1.1 Company profile The Weir group PLC was founded in 1872, with its headquarters placed at Glasgow, UK. The company along with its subsidiaries delivers specialized mechanical engineering solutions all over globe. Company operates in three different sectors like Minerals, Oil and Gas and power and industrial. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Financial Performance Of The Weir Group Plc Finance Essay" essay for you Create order In minerals sector company is involved in manufacturing wide range of slurry equipment solution, including pump, valves, de-watering products and wear resistant lining. The oil and gas segment provides storage and engineering support for the upstream and downstream offshore, marine, and onshore oil and gas markets along with designing and manufacturing of pumps, valves, and ancillary equipment. The Power Industrial segment designs, manufactures, and provides aftermarket support for rotating and flow control equipment to the nuclear power, fossil fuel, and renewable energy production activities in the power generation and industrial sectors. It also provides specialist technical services. In the fiscal year 2008, Weir acquired Mesa Manufacturing Inc. Financial Performance Through a careful analysis of its financial performance, the Weir group PLC can identify opportunities to improve performance at the department, unit, or organizational level and help them to improve its comp etitive position in the marketplace. Ratio analysis is a financial tool that can help the company to measure its financial performance in comparison to any other company or to itself comparing present performance to last year performance. 2.2 Profitability Ratios Profitability Ratios for Years 2010 2009 Return of Capital Employed 16.45% 14.39% Gross Profit Ratio 32.7% 31.28% Net Profit Ratio % % ROCE should always be higher than the rateÂÂ  at whichÂÂ  the company borrows; otherwise any increase in borrowing will reduce shareholders earnings 3. Working capital management 3.1 Liquidity Ratios Liquidity Ratios for Years 2010 2009 Current Ratio 1.30:1 1.18:1 Acid Test ratio 0.76:1 0.74:1 4. Long term Solvency 4.1 Efficiency:- Efficiency Ratios for Years 2010 2009 Inventory days 92 106 Receivables (Debtors) days 63 83 Payables (Creditors) days 131 138 WC Cycle days 160 161 5. Sector analysis As discussed earlier Weir Group PLC operates in three different sectors, so they have been analyzed separately as follows. 5.1 Minerals While project enquiry levels are up and major miners have announced planned increases in their 2010 capital expenditure levels, we remain cautious as to timing of conversion into original equipment orders. Furthermore, product lead times dictate any flow through to revenues will not be evident until later in 2010. These factors together with our lower opening order book mean that original equipment revenues are likely to be lower through the first part of 2010. Aftermarket sales have now stabilized and we would expect these to grow in line with underlying commodity production trends determined by commodity prices and global economic growth. Aftermarket sales will also benefit from a growing installed base of original equipment. The medium term outlook for the division remains positive reflecting growing emerging market demand for resources. 5.2 Oil and Gas Although forward visibility is still limited, the immediate outlook for upstream business is more positive than at the start of 2009. This is based on increases in rig counts since they bottomed in mid-2009 and higher demand for aftermarket products and services as the industry moves to harsher shale formations. Company expects recovery in their Middle East service operations to be slow. Its downstream order book provides a solid underpinning for 2010, although its anticipated to be a more challenging environment for new orders. The medium term outlook for upstream remains strong, with rig counts forecast to continue to raise, an increasing bias towards unconventional drilling and emerging interest in shale fracturing beyond North America. 5.3 Power and Industrial Entering 2010 with a record order book and the divisions financial performance in 2010 will benefit from a strong nuclear workload. Company is cautious of the speed of recovery in industrial markets; the outlook for the global nuclear power market is becoming more positive, driven by environmental concerns combined with a growing demand for power particularly in Asia. At the same time, the need for life extension and refurbishment of existing power plants in the UK, Europe and North America will continue to grow given lead times for new build in these markets. With its global footprint, tr ack record and nuclear expertise means company has well placed to benefit from these opportunities over the medium term. 6. Agency Theory There are times when there is conflict of interest between contracting parties. In case of public limited company these two parties are share holders and corporate managers. The conflict in the following groups arises as they have to agree to remuneration of corporate executive on common grounds. Each party has their own agenda to achieve shareholders think that the corporate managers have not done their job properly and thus should not be remunerated with huge pay checks. While on other hand corporate managers think in exactly opposite manner. In such cases Agency theory developed both theoretically and empirically helps to conduct detail investigation of the causes of the problem such as divergence of interest between share holders and corporate managers. In greed to pursue their own goals, they bear entire cost of failure because if they achieve their set goal then they are remunerated by just a fraction of benefits, which is insufficient to motivate managers. This makes managers to make decision that are risky and are not in the best interest of the company but them selfs, the loss caused in process is called as residual loss. Agency theory when applied can act as bridge between these two parties, analyzing the company performance and remunerating the managers accordingly and ensure proportionate dividend to share holders. Weir Group PLC deals with the agency problem by setting up remuneration committee along with committees like audit committee and nomination committee. The remuneration committee is appointed by the board and consists of more than three independent non-executive directors. The independent non executive directors make decisions that are in favor of both the parties. The members of the remuneration committee conduct meeting thrice or more as required in a year, coinciding with the key dates in the companies bonus and remuneration cycle. The committee has been authorized to investigate any activity within its terms of reference, this helps them to keep track on directors actions. Members of remuneration committee can seek any information that requires from any employee of the company and employees too are directed to co-operate with any request made by the committee. The committee can get external legal aid or independent professional advice at the companies expense, such advisors are may attend company meetings if necessary. To avoid agency problem Weir Group PLC has appointed remuneration committee with following duties (i) To determine and agree with the Board the framework or broad policy for the remuneration of the Chairman of the Company, the Chief Executive, and the members of the Executive Operations Group (the Executives). The remuneration of Non Executive directors should be a matter for the Chairman and Executive members of the Board. No Director or Exe cutive should be involved in any decisions as to their own remuneration; (ii) In determining such a policy, the Committee will take account of all factors which it deems necessary. The objective of such policy shall be to ensure that the Executives are encouraged to enhance the Companys performance and are, in a fair and responsible manner, rewarded for their individual contribution to the success of the Company; (iii) To review the ongoing appropriateness and relevance of the remuneration policy; (iv) In determining such packages and arrangements to give due regard to the comments and recommendations of the Code as well as the UK Listing Authoritys Listing Rules and associated guidance; (v) To approve the design of, and determine the measures and targets for, any annual performance-related pay schemes operated by the Company for the Executives and the individual payments to Executives; (vi) To approve the design of all share incentive plans and for any such plan, the Committee will determine each year whether awards will be made and, if so, the overall amount of such awards, the individual awards to Executives and any performance measures and targets; (vii) To determine the policy for and scope of pension arrangements for each Executive; (viii) To review the terms of service agreements for each of the Executives from time to time and to ensure that contractual terms on termination, and any payments made, are fair to the individual and the Company and that the duty to mitigate loss is fully recognized; (ix) To review and note annually the remuneration trends across the Company; (x) To be responsible for obtaining reliable, up-to-date information about remuneration in other companies with a view to determining where to position the Company relative to other companies. (xi) within the terms of the agreed policy to determine the total individual remuneration package of each Executive including, where appropriate, bonuses and long ter m incentives; (xii) To ensure that provisions regarding disclosure of remuneration, including pensions, as set out in the Directors Remuneration Report Regulations 2002 and the Code, are fulfilled; (xiii) To be responsible for establishing the selection criteria, selecting, appointing and setting the terms of reference for any remuneration consultants who advise the committee; (xiv) To report the frequency of, and attendance by members at, remuneration committee meetings in the annual report; and (xv) To review the Committees terms of reference annually and where necessary, to update them. Reflective Journal I was a kind of student that had fear about accounting and thought accounting is boring subject with numbers that increase and decrease for no cause, but when I over came my fears and paid attention in class when financial concepts was taught It clicked to me that there is reason for all the changes happening in numbers and how finance serves as nervous system of any business, from that day onwards my interest in field of finance is increasing. The major research work done for the assignment was from library books which helped me to understand the basics of financial analysis and other most important source was internet which enabled me to access news articles published in past. At first calculation part was completed and then accordingly difference between values of both years was considered for the base for research, then I tried finding out the reason for deviation in figures. The research data to be studied was more and time as source was to utilized effectively so first I divided the assignment into different sub topics and completed these topics in set time frame. Competition with my class mates motivated me to complete my assignment in best possible manner. This is the first time I conducted research on the company, so it was hard to find financial information, or published news articles of company and I found it difficult to filter quality information. Now that I have learned to find the information in most effective way next time I can save lot of time and get some quality information. The learning outcomes that I found easiest while completing the assignment was Knowledge as I understood the use of financial statement analysis and the concepts applied to do ratio analysis . The learning outcome that I found most difficult was critical thinking as I often came across situations where a judgment was needed to be made in absence of complete data. Critical thinking on complex unstructured financial problems was tough task for me. RATIO ANALYSIS PROFITABILITY RATIOS Return of capital employed = Operating Profit ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Capital Employed 2010 2009 Capital Employed = Share Capital + Capital Employed = Share Capital + Reserve + Reserve + Non-Current liability Non-Current liability As Total Equity = Share Capital + Reserve as Total Equity = Share Capital + Reserve So Capital employed = Total Equity + So Capital employed = Total Equity + Non-Current liability Non-Current liability = 373.3+742.2 = 442+696.9 = 1115.5 = 1138.9 ROCE = 183.5 ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 ROCE = 163.9 ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 1115.5 1138.9 = 16.45% = 14.39% Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Sales Revenue 2010 2009 GPM = 455.2 ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 GPM = 423.5 ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 1390.2 1353.6 = 32.7% = 31.28% Net Profit Margin = Net Profit ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Sales Revenue 2010 2009 NPM = ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 NPM = ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 1390.2 1353.6 = % = % Current Ratio = Current Assert Current Liabilities 2010 2009 Current Ratio = 569.3 Current Ratio = 732.3 435.8 618.5 = 1.30:1 = 1.18:1 Acid Test Ratio = Current Assert Inventory Current Liability 2010 2009 Acid test Ratio = 569.3 235.3 Acid test Ratio = 732.3-269.6 435.8 618.5 = 0.76:1 = 0.74:1 Inventory Days = Inventory ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Cost of Sales 2010 2009 Inventory Days = 235.3 ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Inventory Days = 269.6ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 935 930.1 = 92days = 106 days Receivable Days = Trade Receivables ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Sales 2010 2009 Receivable Days =240.5 ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Receivable Days = 309.2ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 1390.2 1353.6 = 63 days = 83 days Payable Days = Trade Payable ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Cost of Sales 2008 2009 Payable Days = 336.3 ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 Payable Days = 353.6 ÃÆ'Æ’- 365 935 930.1 = 131 days = 138days Working Cycle Days = Receivable Days + Inventory Days Payable Days 2010 2009 Worki ng Cycle Days = 92+131-63 Working Cycle Days = 106+138-83 = 160 days = 161 days Gearing Ratios = Long Term Debt + Preference Share Capital ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Share Capital + Reserves + Long Term Debt = Debt . ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Total Equity 2010 2009 Gearing Ratios = 174.2 ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 Gearing Ratio = 242.6 . ÃÆ'Æ’- 100 742.4 696.4 = 23.46% = 34.83%

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Childhood of Charles Dickens Essay - 1498 Words

The Childhood of Charles Dickens I do not write resentfully or angrily: for I know all these things have worked together to make me what I am - Charles Dickens Charles Dickenss tumultuous childhood did indeed shape the person he became, as well as have a definite impact on his literary career. There are shades of young Dickens in many of his most beloved characters, including David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and of course, Great Expectations Pip. Like Dickens, all three of these characters came from humble beginnings and were able to rise above their respective circumstances to achieve success. Similarly, Dickens literary success is owed in large part to his unhappy†¦show more content†¦a son (Allen 19). This is a lofty pronouncement coming from a lowly government employee, with neither money nor title to lay claim to. Due to this, Charles considered Friday his lucky day, needing to believe he had been born with great expectations and the talent and will to realize them (Kaplan 19). In January of 1817, the Dickens family was transferred to Chatham, in the county of Kent. It was here that Dickens formed his earliest recollections, residing there from the ages four through ten. The formative years spent at this place would later have an impact on his literary career, resurfacing as the setting for Great Expectations. It was during this time, too, that he first saw Gads Hill Place, what would become his future home. He recalls his father telling him that if he were to be very persevering and were to work hard [he] might some day come to live in it (qtd. in Kaplan 23). He was unaware how prophetic those words would be. He began his education in Chatham, and soon was transferred to a local academy run by a clergyman. According to Kaplan, school fed his aspirations toward gentility . . . his sense that Gads Hill Place and what it represented could be his one day (31-32). Unfortunately for Charles, this peaceful and somewhatShow MoreRelatedPips Childhood in Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesPips Childhood in Charles Dickens Great Expectations In the first five chapters of Charles Dickens Great Expectations, we follow the life of a young boy, Phillip Pirrip - Pip for short, in early nineteenth century England. A time when England was in industrial revolution and when the rapid growth of cities brought social divisions between class - rich and poor. The British government fearing a revolution, maintained a harsh regime. In Great Expectations, DickensRead MoreEssay on Charles Dickens Picture Of Childhood in Victorian Times1117 Words   |  5 PagesCharles Dickens Picture Of Childhood in Victorian Times Great Expectations is set in early Victorian England, a time when great social changes were sweeping the nation. 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It was first published in serial form from 1st December 1860 and then further on was released in book form in August 1861, although was previously issued by David Copperfield in 1849. This novel reworks his own childhood as a first-person narrative; Dickens was fortunate and had an advantage of writing Great Expectations due to him living in the Victorian times, and he related his life experiences with the main character of the play, ‘Pip’. Charles opened the play

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Comparing Gilgamesh And Achilles Essay Example For Students

Comparing Gilgamesh And Achilles Essay Achilles Anophtheis Achilles revisited The director walked onto the stage, gingerly adjusting his radiation mask in order to fit the microphone beneath it. His nervous cough boomed through the hall. After shuffling the papers on the podium before him, he began. Welcome ladies and gentlemen of the Pre-Apocalypse Archaeological Society. We have called this session to impart to you a matter of the utmost importance, a discovery of the highest order. As you are aware, our teams have only recently been able to sift through the debris of the razed cities of our belligerent predecessors, thanks to the efforts of our colleagues at the Physical Research Society who, with the aid of Allah, have made our task infinitely easier with the invention of a radiation suit which allows our field workers to work even in areas of the highest radiation concentration: the cities of what was formerly the United States of America. The discoveries are literally pouring in, and we have our hands full simply cataloguing the numerous finds. Our first find was a small rectangular object, containing a spool of thin ribbon, which one of our historians identified as what was known as a cassette. Simply put, it was a device on which sounds could be recorded. From its small size, our historian conjectured that it was of a type designed for recording the human voice rather than music. Armed with this belief, we managed to convince the Censor Society to allow us to reconstruct the primitive machine to play back the message we hoped it would contain. They agreed; on the condition that we did not do so until they had a chance to screen it for the negative influences that caused the downfall of the last corrupt civilization. They duly approved it and we are now ready for its first public presentation. Before we begin, I would like to explain some of the terms used in the recording, for those of you who lack the benefit of an historical training. The tape is evidently the recording of a psychologist. You are all aware that the sacrilege which led to the destruction of the Nuclear Age was primarily caused by the decline in religious belief and values. A psychologist was the person who supplanted the role of the confessor in this blasphemous time. He labored under the delusion that the immortal soul was accessible on a scientific, human level; and, like most of the scientists of the day, impiously discounted Allah as an unnecessary complication. We found an infamous saying which pervaded much of the Pre- Apocalypse literature: `Religion is the opiate of the people. Well, psychology became the new `opiate of the people. The patient with whom the doctor is dealing with in the recording, has been identified as a prominent businessman of the day. He is what was called an arbitrageur. A man who specialized in dealings on their stock market, a term I am sure all of you are familiar with. In any case, an  arbitrageur bought and sold companies for a profit. In the few pieces of literature we have been able to recover, it seems that such men were regarded as the heroes of their age. I refer of course to the numerous copies we have of the autobiographies of Donald Trump, Robert Campeau and the like. Evidently the culture considered these books to be of great importance, for we found huge amounts of them in large buildings. This was apparently for safekeeping since the storage facilities were located well away from the centres of attack in the event of a nuclear war. The periodicals of the day also reflect the reverence in which these men were held, as they are frequently mentioned. It is another mark of the degradation of the society that the primary estimate of a mans worth became the amount of money he earned. It is difficult in this holy age to conceive of such blasphemy, but it is necessary that we do so in order to avoid the same traps into which they fell. We have managed to reconstruct the scenario as far as was possible, but we endeavored to retain all of the original conversation in addition to our own narration. I dont think that there is anything further that you need to know about the recording, except perhaps that it appears to be incomplete. I would ask that you remain as silent as possible, because the tape is of very low quality and the accent is very difficult to understand. If you are having trouble, I suggest that you follow along in the transcripts with which we have provided you. The Director signaled for the tape to begin, and left the stage. Dr. Zeis loaded the cassette into the machine and tested it. It wouldnt do to have it chew up the tape again, especially not for so important a patient: the sort of patient who could make his career . . . or break it. He knew he couldnt afford to squander his good fortune. As his mind wandered over the seemingly endless ramifications of success, the static crackle of the intercom interrupted his reveries. It was his secretary warning him that Mr. Reussi was on his way in. The doctor rewound the tape and offered up a quick prayer that it would work. The door swung open and one of the worlds richest, most powerful men strode in. Mr. Oswald Achilles Reussi had made his fortune by taking over companies and turning them around. He was able to start at such a high level because of the substantial inheritance he had received from his father. He was rich enough to ensure that he received only the best sort of publicity, and that was why he had been so irate when the media learned that he was in therapy and had printed the story with a glee that only those who made their living from sordid details were capable of acquiring. Dr. Zeis had regretted  his indiscretion, but that sort of publicity was simply too tempting to resist. He had only been able to calm the fuming man by convincing him that it was essential that he not be afraid of the stigma of therapy in order for it to work for him. An old dodge, but it had performed its function and placated the incensed patient. Oswald crossed the room with a gruff greeting Dr. Zeis had learned early that this was not a man to waste time. He took his customary position, sprawled on the couch. Dr. Zeis did not place any value in Freuds theories regarding the merits of the couch, but he didnt have the heart, or the nerve, to object. How does Emily Bronte present Heathcliff in the first seven chapters? EssayThe only way to triumph over the problem is to consciously avoid behaviour that it causes. And the scenario you have just presented to me involving your friend, Mr. Atreides, is just such behaviour. explained the doctor. You mean to say that I am merely acting under a compulsion when I refuse to aid Alexander? asked Oswald dubiously. The doctor nodded. But wouldnt you do the same thing if a friend of yours stabbed you in the back like he has done to me? and stolen my dream? asked Oswald. I anticipated this objection. said the doctor complacently. That is why I have a third reason. Ask yourself, if you were in his position would you have acted similarly? Well . . . hesitated Oswald. You see that such behaviour is common in the business world, and you would probably have done the same had the roles been reversed. said the doctor triumphantly. What you must realize is that all these years of competition have made you unable to accept defeat. The only way you can accept losing to Mr. Atreides without causing yourself considerable mental anguish, is by being a factor in his destruction, taking your revenge. I still dont know, said Oswald doubtfully, I cant- The sound of a telephone ringing broke into the  conversation. A look of anger passed across the doctors face as he stood up to answer it. I apologize Mr. Reussi, he said. I thought I told my receptionist to hold all my calls. No need to apologize, said Oswald, pulling a handsized, rectangular object from his pocket. I believe its my phone. He unfolded the phone and extended a concealed antenna. Yes? he said tersely, and listened for a few seconds, his face growing taut. Are you sure? he asked. After listening for a few more seconds, he folded the phone back up and folded the antenna. That was a friend of mine, he explained, Robert Patrolo, telling me that his company was just taken over by Trojan. Hectors first move upon gaining control was to have him removed from the chairmanship. Hector knew that would get me. He remained seated for a few seconds and then stood up, pulling on his jacket. I believe you are right doctor. he said. I am going to help Mr. Atreides; and when we succeed Im going to throw Hector out like a dog. and so saying, he left the room. The doctor sat down again. He wondered over the mans motives, and came to the conclusion that he had not accomplished very much. All Reussi was doing was transferring his wrath from Mr. Atreides to Hector. Ah well, he thought, I shall have to try a different approach next week. He pressed the stop button on his tape recorder. The Director returned to the stage and signaled for the tape to be stopped. I believe, gentlemen, that you are all aware of the profane theories of Sigmund Freud? he glance around the auditorium observing their nods. Well, for the first time, we are able to see those fanciful theories in actual application, rather than in text. The members of the Censor Society have graciously permitted us to listen to this recording in order to allow us to see the depths to which rationality can plunge. We must remember, as we attempt to rebuild our society, that the only way is Gods way, as specifically set out in our sacred Books. I hope that you have gleaned the dire lesson that this recording has to offer. We must, at all costs, avoid the unplumbable depths of depravity to which the Nuclear Age descended, and construct our Society in accordance with the decrees of God. Praise God! The audience rose and emphatically returned his farewell, well aware that they were being closely observed, and that any failure could result in the severest consequences. Epilogue The first order of business seems to be to acknowledge my debt, both in order to avoid accusations of plagiarism and subsequent litigation. The difficulty is that my debt extends to every book I have read since the age of five. I can, however, endeavor to mention the more obvious ones. The idea of couching the main story in a larger context of a later civilization is borrowed from  Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale, and the main story is an attempt an enormously presumptuous one at that to compress and modernize Homers Iliad. I also owe a great deal to Sigmund Freuds writings, although I am certain that he would not admit to being the source of this perversion of his theories, were he alive to object. All that now remains is to offer a brief explanation of the story itself, perhaps something along the lines of Dantes letter to Can Grande Della Scala. The story is basically a modernization of the themes of the Iliad. In order to retain the father-son theme, I used an unresolved Oedipus complex. Achilles wrath is again shifted from Agamemmnon to Hector, although, as they say, the names have been changed to protect the innocent. I was at a loss to include an invocation to the Muse, but I eventually came up with the idea that a tape recorder might be a solution to the problem. What else is a tape recorder if not an aid to memory? In fulfillment of the will of Zeus is another theme of the Iliad. In order to include it, I interpreted the gods as psychological phenomena, and, therefore, the compulsions of the unresolved complex which affects Achilles behaviour is the re-internalization of Homers externalization of internal psychic activities. I think drawing a diagram may help you decipher that last sentence. The last theme, of corpses being left as carrion for the dogs, was relegated to a minor position: a few gratuitous remarks of Achilles to the way he was going to treat Hector. The task is now complete. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I hated writing it. Before you mark it, allow me to interject a quick quote from Shakespeare: The quality of mercy is not straind. Thanks for an illuminating, enchanting course.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Teenage Suicide Essay Example For Students

Teenage Suicide Essay Book Report SuicideDurkheims intention was to explain the apparently individual act ofsuicide in terms of societys influences. His approach was based on adistinction between individual cases of suicide and societys, or socialgroups, suicide rates. According to Durkheim, the stability andconsistency in suicide rates was an irreducible social fact which couldonly be understood sociologically. Social facts are collective phenomena,which hold back individual behavior. For Durkheim, societies hold backindividuals in two ways. First, by binding them to each other to a greaterextent through shared membership of social institutions (integration). Second, by providing specific goals and means for attaing them(regulation). Durkheim developed four types of suicide from his conception of socialand moral order. Egoistic suicide is the weakening of the ties binding theindividual to society, producing an excess of individualism. Which intimes of crisis, can leave the individual isolated, feeling a lack ofsupport and more vulnerable to depression and ultimately suicide. We will write a custom essay on Teenage Suicide specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Altruistic suicide, which is the opposite of egoistic suicide, theindividuals ego, rather than being to great, is to weak to resist thedemands of social custom to commit suicide. Anomie suicide is a result of apersons activity lacking in regulation. Durkheim distinguished betweenacute and chronic anomie. Acute anomie may be the result of some suddencrisis, such as an economic crisis. Chronic anomie is the result of a moregradual development of modern societies where individuals are increasinglyplaced into situations of competition with each other. Durkheim used similarities between suicide rates and various rates ofexternal association to show the existence of his key causal concepts. Forexample, the statistics showed that Catholic areas had consistently lowersuicide rates than Protestant areas; people who were married with childrenwere less inclined to suicide than the single or childless; and a societyssuicide rate fell in times of war or political upheaval. Durkheim was notarguing that the differences in religion, family life or political activitywere factors influencing suicide. Rather he was saying that therelationship between suicide and religious, domestic and political lifewere the invisible underlying causes of suicide. Durkheim used similarities between increased suicide rates and periodsof economic fluctuation to illustrate the existence of anomic suicide. Intimes of rapid economic change an increasing number of people findthemselves in altered situations where the norms and values by which theyhad previously lived their lives becomes less relevant and the resultingstate of moral deregulation, or anomie, leaves them more vulnerable tosuicide. So, Durkheim was able to argue from his research that, even thoughsuicide appears to be a purely individual phenomenon, its underlying causesare essentially social. As Raymond Aron (1968), summarizing Durkheimsachievement, put it, There are, therefore, specific social phenomena whichgovern individual phenomena. The most impressive, most eloquent example isthat of the social forces which drive individuals to their deaths, each onebelieving they are obeying only themselves (p. 34). Although Durkheims work had a significant influence on futuresociological studies of suicide and the development of sociology generally,it is important to bear in mind the limitations of this influence and themany criticisms that have been made of Suicide (see, e.g. Lester, 1992). Inthe sociology of suicide, as in most areas within the health field, a broaddistinction can be made between positivist studies of social causation andneo-phenomenological studies of social construction. Curiously, neitherperspective accepts Durkheims approach. Positivist researchers, whilegenerally approving of Durkheims attempt to correlate suicide rates withsocial variables, have quite legitimately claimed that Durkheims keyconcepts of social integration and regulation were defined too loosely toallow for proper empirical testing. Therefore, in imperialistic terms, thetheory was not scientific because it could never be refuted by theevidence. .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .postImageUrl , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:hover , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:visited , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:active { border:0!important; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:active , .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u35f894d885fc4d5fac18b800a84357aa:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Beowulf: First Literary Superhero EssayPhenomenologists, questioning the very idea of trying to explainsuicide sociologically, have honed in on Durkheims uncritical acceptanceof official suicide rates. Research by Douglas (1967) and Atkinson (1978)into the social construction of suicide statistics has shown how certaintypes of death (for example hangings and drownings) and certain evidencefrom the deceaseds past (for example, depression, social problems,isolation) act as suicidal cues which, taken together, enable officialsto construct a suicidal biography which would then legitimize a suicideverdict. Atkinson, for example, shows that a death will only be recorded asa suic ide when officials are able to discover evidence consistent withgeneral cultural assumptions in Western societies about why people killthemselves and how they go about doing it. He goes on to argue thatDurkheim and others who use official suicide rates and find themconsistently related to factors such as social isolation and status changemay not in fact be discovering the social causes of suicide. DismissingDurkheims ambition of trying to explain the social basis of suicidescientifically, phenomenologists argue that the most sociology can offer isinterpretations of how suicidal meanings are constructed in givensituations. So what can a book written a century ago widely criticized and basedon suspect 19th century statistics tell us about suicide in contemporarysocieties? One answer might be that Durkheims brilliant theory can stillprovide a basis for theorizing not only about suicide, but also aboutdepression and mental health generally (Brown ; Harris, 1978). Anotheranswer might be that empirically Durkheim was to some extent right aboutthe causes of suicide and that his theoretical concepts of integration andanomie can help to understand a range of self-harming behaviors fromsuicide to self-mutilation and eating disorders. Given the criticisms of Suicide by others and its apparentshortcomings in terms of Durkheims own ambitions, are most commentatorscorrect when they grant the work an honored but essentially historicalclassic status? Have we really progressed beyond Durkheim? I am not surewe have. So in terms of the relation between the individual and society we haveeither biologically orientated theories which depict the person as littlemore than a social organism driven to suicide by internal factors, suchas low levels of serotonin metabolic 5-hydroxindoleacetic acid in thecerebrospinal fluid, or sociological explanations where an entirely socialindividual is somehow pushed towards suicide by various external factorsin much the same way as one billiard ball is pushed towards a pocket byanother. Whether we are studying suicide, other aspects of mortality oranything else, we are inevitably confronted by a series of tensions arisingfrom trying to make sense of the actions of biological organisms which arepartially influenced by their culture, trying to understand through ourexperience and through abstract reason, and trying to make sense of amaterial world where real things happen, like people killing themselves,but which we can only make sense of through various systems of thought. Nowhere, in my view, are the resulting tensions and the brilliant attemptto resolve them more evident than in Suicide. This is what makes thisbrilliant book a classic, and a classic which is just as important tosocial science today as it was 100 years ago. REFERENCESARON, R. (1968). Main currents in sociological thought II. London:Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ATKINSON, J. (1978). Discovering suicide. Basingstoke: Macmillan. BROWN, G. HARRIS, T. (1978). The social origins of depression. London:Tavistock. DOUGLAS, J. (1967). The social meanings of suicide. Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press. LESTER, D. (ed.) (1992). Le suicideone hundred years on suicide. Philadelphia, PA: Charles Press. STENGEL, E. (1973). Suicide and attempted suicide. London: Penguin.