Thursday, September 19, 2019
I Hate Cell Phones :: Personal Narrative Writing
I Hate Cell Phones Let me come right out and say it: You chronic cell phone users, I’m thoroughly sick of you. I’m sick of having to listen to your dumb conversations as I walk down the street or sit in the park or anywhere people used sit in peace. I’m sick of having to be wary of you while you chat away in a car too close to me, especially you vapid girls and young women with your attention far away from moving several tons of metal along a road. I’m sick of having to maneuver my shopping cart around you while you talk to someone at the other end about the goddamn freshness of the cantaloupe or whether to buy Cheerios or Wheaties. I’m sick of hearing your one-sided chit chat while I’m trying to enjoy a meal in a restaurant. Hey, I don’t want to hear about your romantic problems, your job woes, your vasectomies or your yeast infections. I’m sick of the various sounds of your phones’ â€Å"ringing,†all those sounds engineered just for you. I’ve lately preferred the whine of the dentist drill as I wait for my name to be called. Those of you who don’t turn off your cell phones while in a movie and then actually take the callâ€â€if you’re not a surgeon waiting to do a kidney transplant, I think you should be taken out into the street and beaten up by six bikers juiced on amphetamines. Those of you taking classes, try very hard to remember to turn off your cell phones because someday your professor is not going to be able to control himself and is going to take your chirping little device and is going to stomp it into little pieces, then throw sixty dollars at you in three 20s. Those of you who call me on cell phones, let me be frank and say I don’t like it. Unless it’s an extreme emergency or you’re in some quiet place where other people can’t hear youâ€â€because it bugs me that those people might be like me and not appreciate having to become privy to a conversation that has nothing to do with themâ€â€please wait until you get to a â€Å"land line†to call me. And those of you who call me on your cell phone, if at all possible, make sure your batteries are new or your reception is perfect or, if not, that you only call to tell me some simple, brief thing, because trying to hold a normal conversation while your voice comes and goes is pretty irritating to me.
John Steinbecks “The Chrysanthemums†Essay -- Steinbeck Chrysanthemum
John Steinbeck's â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck's strong and somewhat manly description of Elisa while working in the garden, gives the distinct impression that she is not as weak as a stereotypical housewife would be. He writes that "Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with." As evidenced by this excerpt you can see that she has covered up her hair with a "man's hat" and has thrown an apron over her dress in attempts to cover up her femininity. This apron also takes on a similar role as a man's tool belt as he works the land. This initial description lends to the notion that Elisa wants to be stronger as a woman, to stand beyond the stereotype of a housewife. Other phrases used by Steinbeck fu rther the above points. The author mentions that her face was "handsome," her work with the scissors was "over-powerful," and her fingers "destroyed such pests." This description shows an inner strength that Elisa possesses; yet she is unable to bring this out. She also hints to the reader that she would like to take on more masculine responsibilities after her husband Henry comments on the size and beauty of her chrysanthemums. He says that he wishes she'd work out in the orchard and "raise some apples that big." She reacts to this by saying "Maybe I could do it too. I've got a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow.†All of these de... ...sion of Steinbeck's short story, Steinbeck has her fall right back into the rut she so despised. She comes back to reality and "turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old woman."      Elisa’s inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of her working in the garden, the conversation she has with the â€Å"Fixer-Guy†, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner. Steinbeck offers an array of different details concerning the character of Elisa Allen. The main detail being that she is a strong woman on the inside although she seems to struggle in showing it throughout the story. Because of the "Pot Fixer," she is able to act, although for a short time, like that strong woman. Steinbeck unfortunately brings Elisa full-circle, back to where she started. She notices on the way to dinner her chrysanthemum sprouts at the roadside. This, along with her husband’s hesitation to allow her curiosity, puts her back where she started, canceling her emergence. One must ask after reading this short story if Elisa will continue this discontented lifestyle. Or will she be able to blossom beautifully for good, as do her chrysanthemums?
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
A Gap Year: Just Say No Essay -- Education, A Gap Year
You’re coming back from a well needed break from school and you feel invigorated and ready to start. The first few weeks are the hardest to adjust to because your brain hasn’t been used throughout the break. The dilemma with breaks, such as summer break, is that one loses valuable information from past academic courses that are essential to ones progress towards higher education. Imagine a whole year without learning and then coming back to intense rigorous classes at a University. Seniors at high schools over the nation have the opportunity of taking a year off before committing to a college. This is known as a Gap Year; instead of directly enrolling into a University many students feel the need to take a break before starting their education towards their future career. Yes, a Gap Year does sound pleasing and beneficial, but in the long run it can be damaging towards ones future. Students should be aware of the ramification a Gap Year brings, such as, t he possibility for enrolling in a graduate school is lower, academic growth is reduced, and social obstacles become present. Before understanding the consequences of a gap year, it is important to understand why people take a Gap Year. Senior year can be tense and come with several unanswered questions. Seniors are given four options when leaving High School. Those choices are either joining the army, going straight to work, applying to college, or taking a Gap Year. In a journal by Sunny Niu and Marta Tienda, â€Å"Delayed Enrollment and College Plans: Is There a Postponement Penalty?†explains some of the reasons why high school graduates tend to not go directly to a four year university. One of the main reasons high school graduates are hesitant to attend co... ... index.php/considering-a-gap-year/why-take-a-gap-year>. Holmes, Bradford. "Decide If a Gap Year Makes Sense to You." Us News: n. pag. Print. Horn, Laura, Emily Forrest Cataldi, and Anna Sikora. "Waiting to Attend College." National Center of Education Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. . Niu, Sunny, and Marta Tienda. "Delayed Enrollment and College Plans: Is There a Postponement Penalty?" Journal of Higher Education (2013): 1-28. Print. O’Shea, Joseph. "Delaying the Academy: A Gap Year Education." Teaching in Higher Education (2011): 1-14. Print. Wells, Ryan S., and Cassie M. Lynch. "Delayed College Entry and the Socioeconomic Gap: Examining the Roles of Student Plans, Family Income, Parental Education, and Parental Occupation." Journal of Higher Education
Tianjin Industrial Clusters :: essays research papers
Industrial Clusters in Tianjin Area About Industrial Clusters†¦ Nowadays, market competition is gradually changing from comptetition between enterprises to competition between value chains and even competition between industrial clusters. The development of industrial clusters is a social process changing from production of Ford type to specialized production. State owned enterprises cooperate with foreign companies, together to lower costs and improve market reaction to become world wide competitive. Industrial Clusters in Tianjin Factors that have triggered the development Tianjin to become an Industrial Cluster: 1.     Development of state owned enterprises as foundation. 2.     Large number of existent trained skilled industrial technical workers. 3.     Created manufacturing industry culture. 4.     Created industrial atmosphere and institutional environment. Measures that need to be taken to move Tianjin to a better world wide position: 1.     Government should promote research and cooperation with universities and create research institutions. 2.     Improve infrastructure to attract laborforce and international management. 3.     Reform state owned companies, and law frame. 4.     Strive toward a â€Å"Made in China†name. Overview of the 4 main important Industrial Clusters: Electronic Information Remarks:     -High LQ, (LQ =Location Quote, comparative advantage criteria of a certain industry in a certain region)      -Mostly foreign owned. (USA, Korea, Japan Taiwan)                -Very good cooperation between companies along the supply chain. Major Players:          Motorola (63% of sales). Main Problems:     -Mostly foreign companies leads to funds dependency (90% foreign, national average 73%. -State owned companies have small scale, insufficient investment, slow speed development, weak competitive power, brain drain and lack inner motivation force. -R&D interaction between companies, universities and research institutes are not present.                Green Battery Remarks:          -Research, Development, Production Leader in China                -Strong cooperation with Universties                -Extense variety of products, Li-on, Ni-MH, Amorphic Silicon batteries. Major Players:           -Sanyo, Ltd Peace Bay Power, Tianjin Lishen Battery Ltd, Lantian Power. Main Problems:          -Industrial Chain needs further improvement                -Lack of innovation due to inadequate R&D compared worldwide                -High degree of automation, but low degree of flexibility                -Fewer types of products, high costs and slow speed to meet market needs. Automobiles Remarks:     -High Tax rate on imported automobiles has promoted the establishment of Auto Makers.      -Almost 100% dependent on Foreign funds      -Rapid market demand growth leads to push the development of the Auto Industry.      -Since China enter the WTO acquisitions and mergers have been very dynamic in this branch.      -More than 700 foreign funded companies manufacture automobile accessories in China. Major Players:      -Toyota, Tianjin Automobile Group (more than 50 small and medium enterprises), FAW Group
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Leo Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay -- The Death of Ivan Ilyi
Death of Ivan Ilych 1. Characterize the following individuals           Peter Ivanovich           Gerasim           Proskovya Fedorovna           Vasya Indicate, as well, the ways, in which these individuals help or hinder Ivan Ilych’s spiritual growth. 2. How do (a) the stories associated with the Baal Shem Tov and (b) the biblical tale of Elisha in Damascus illustrate the spiritual journey undertaken by Ivan Ilych? 1. Peter Ivanovich (known from now on as PI) was Ivan’s dearest friend. PI and Ivan have known each other all their lives yet at Ivan’s funeral PI shows no deep remorse. All that PI really thinks about is the vacancy that Ivan has left at work. He like other people, thinks that relationships are just about achieving ones own agenda. And such loving and compassionate relationships do not exist. Another situation that PI has is that after his selfish like behavior he is characterized by a desire to avoid the unpleasant. This is shown when PI skirts the topic of Ivan’s death and â€Å"drags his feet†when it comes time to attend the funeral. He has a problem with confronting the aspect of his own mortality. PI never quite makes the transition to the true understanding of the nature of life that Ivan had made and Gerasim as well. Even though upon leaving Ivan’s funeral PI evokes the observation that it is God’s will that everybody dies someday. His receptivity and consciousness make him stand out amongst society. If one looks at PI’s last name of Ivan... Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay -- The Death of Ivan Ilyi Death of Ivan Ilych 1. Characterize the following individuals           Peter Ivanovich           Gerasim           Proskovya Fedorovna           Vasya Indicate, as well, the ways, in which these individuals help or hinder Ivan Ilych’s spiritual growth. 2. How do (a) the stories associated with the Baal Shem Tov and (b) the biblical tale of Elisha in Damascus illustrate the spiritual journey undertaken by Ivan Ilych? 1. Peter Ivanovich (known from now on as PI) was Ivan’s dearest friend. PI and Ivan have known each other all their lives yet at Ivan’s funeral PI shows no deep remorse. All that PI really thinks about is the vacancy that Ivan has left at work. He like other people, thinks that relationships are just about achieving ones own agenda. And such loving and compassionate relationships do not exist. Another situation that PI has is that after his selfish like behavior he is characterized by a desire to avoid the unpleasant. This is shown when PI skirts the topic of Ivan’s death and â€Å"drags his feet†when it comes time to attend the funeral. He has a problem with confronting the aspect of his own mortality. PI never quite makes the transition to the true understanding of the nature of life that Ivan had made and Gerasim as well. Even though upon leaving Ivan’s funeral PI evokes the observation that it is God’s will that everybody dies someday. His receptivity and consciousness make him stand out amongst society. If one looks at PI’s last name of Ivan...
Adoption of HRM Essay
The Strategic Choice model created by Kochan, Katz and Mckersie originated from economics and organisational behaviour is closely associated with human resource management, while the Labour Process approach evolved from Marx’s theoretical works has traits that is closely associated with personnel / industrial relations. From two diverse perspectives, the two models both have indications that they support an adoption for human resource management, provided that personnel / industrial relations is seen as apart of and giving rise to human resource management. Kochan, Katz and McKersie developed their theory of the Strategic Choice model from previous works of Dunlop’s System Theory. The two models had strong emphasis on employment relations being strongly influenced by environmental forces which include: economic forces; technology advancement; political forces; legal and social forces; management’s values, beliefs and philosophies; the outcomes of previous organisational decisions; the distribution of power and structure within the organisation i.e. central or decentralised hierarchy; and the unions’ and government agencies’ values and strategies in creating policies and legislations. Level Employers Unions Governments Long-Term Business Strategies Political Strategies Macroeconomic Strategy and Investment Strategies Representation strategies and social policies Policy Making Organising strategies Collective Personnel policies Collective Bargaining Labour law and Bargaining Negotiation Strategies Strategies administration and Personnel policy Workplace and Worker Participation Contract administration Labour standards Individual/ Job design and Work Worker Participation Worker participation organization Organization Job design and worker Individual rights relationships. participation. (Kochan, Katz and McKersie, 1986, p 17.) The majority of environmental forces influencing employment relations can be explained by three groups: employers, unions and the government which in essence is the three actors from Dunlop’s System Model. In relation to KKM’s Strategic Choice, the three tier model explains why and how the three actors interact and hence explaining the environmental forces. There are three levels of decision making: macro, industrial relations system and the workplace. In the perspective of employers, the top level is where the creation of business strategies and goals for it to be competitive are developed to maximise the value of the organisation. This is usually achieved by satisfying the demands of the environmental forces or eliminating any problems reducing their chances of achieving their goals. The middle level is a representation of the industrial relations where policies and negotiations between all three actors occur. As for the bottom, the policies created in the middle level are implemented upon employees and other parties included in the policies. Thus through this model, it demonstrates that decisions made at the top level will inevitably affect those at the bottom level i.e. policies made at the top level will have some sort of representation in lower level policies. The notion of strategic choice is based on the assumption that the three actors have alternatives and options in the decisions chosen that will inevitably impact on the employment relations and the direction that these will take. Not only does the organisation can make decisions that would affect itself, but also the choices and decisions made on the part of labour, management, and government affect the course and structure of industrial relations systems. Legislations made by the government can restrict or either enhances an organisation’s ability to be competitive, and an example of this is tariffs imposed in countries to protect the internal markets from overseas markets. The Labour Process approach was first theorised by Karl Marx. The theory was not a static, universal theory but a historical theory that was revised in the light of historical change. Such scholars as: Harry Braverman, Stephen Marglin, Stanley Aronowitz, Andre Gorz and Katherine Stone have all created their own theories encompassing Marx’s theory during their times, and hence the many different interpretations of the Labour Process (Gartman 1978, p. 1). In general the core notion of Labour Process is concerned in converting potential into actual labour. An example of this is how to organise and structure employees such that the organisation can make full use of their skills. Though this sounds simple in theory, there is an organisational dilemma in how to reconcile the potential inconsistency between individual needs and interests of different organisational stakeholders on the one hand, and the collective purpose of the organisation on the other. Increase control by the employer over the employees seems to be one solution to the inconsistency of interests and needs. The workplace thus becomes a competition between employees individually and collectively seeking to protect and expand their own interests and needs, but also at the same time trying to resist management’s attempts to control. These activities are closely aligned with actions of industrial relations: conflict of interests that would result in tension and conflict between parties. This approach of increase control was supported by Taylorist approach. Braverman added his thoughts that another form of reconciling the differences was to: de-skill the employees to minimise time lost on context switching; simplify the structure of labour divisions; lower labour cost since the occupation becomes less sophisticated hence maximising output. (Gartman 1978, p. 5) In essence the labour process sees conflict as a fundamental and central dynamic in organisational life that can be used to explain the actual i.e. observed instances of workplace conflict, control, and profit distribution. This can be seen by large organisations performing â€Å"restructuring†of itself in terms of labour management to reduce cost of production (banking sector and motoring industry). Prevention of conflict is not considered in a labour process approach, hence ruling out the requirement of employers to nurture the moral and ethics of employees. Guidelines and procedures are strictly followed, which these features are clear characteristics of industrial relations approach. â€Å"In recent years the distinctions between industrial relations and human resource management have blurred, as the resolution of industrial conflicts has been decentralised and as national policy increased its interests in issues like training and labour productivity, once left to workplace management.†(Gardner & Palmer 1997, p. 7) Human resource management is a managerial perspective, with an aim to establish an integrated series of personnel policies consistent with organisation strategy, thus ensuring the quality of working life, high commitment and performance from employees, and organisational effectiveness and competitive advantage: the management of organisational goals and labour. Thus meaning that industrial relations is another component of human resource management, which allows the comparison and contrasting of Kochan, Katz and McKersie’s Strategic Choice approach, Marxist Labour Process approach to be made possible. One major common approach that there is between the two models is that there is some form of upward movement in opinions and interests by the employees. In the case of strategic choice approach collective bargaining is utilised whereas unions is made use of for the labour process approach to express employees’ interests and needs. As for industrial relations, negotiation is its prized management skill between employer and employee. Both human resource management and the strategic choice approach create their policies based on the interests of the organisation and employees with a slightly more emphasis upon the organisation goals. From the three tier model, policies are made at the top level in the interests of the organisation just as human resource management places the organisation’s ‘customer’ first (Fells 1989, p. 486). Labour process approach is primarily focused upon conflicts and has a less of an emphasis upon organisational strategies. As previously stated the labour process is closely associated with industrial relations, which can also be seen in the middle level in the three tier model in terms of strategic choice approach. For human resource management, industrial relations is melded into its strategies in the form of pre-emptive actions upon conflicts i.e. the managerial task is seen as a nurturing employees’ moral and ethics. Labour process approach can also be viewed as hard human resource management as the employees are seen as any other resources of production by controlling and managing them, while cultivation of employees’ moral and needs is neglected. Soft human resource management is represented by the strategic choice approach as employees are seen as ‘human’ resources that are valuable to the organisation to make full use of. Policies made in the middle level of the three tier model are in consideration of both in the best interests of employees and the organisation itself. Human resource management in recent times has become more strategic; it increasingly scraps developmental aspects and places more focus upon financial aspects. De-skilling of employees has been more emphasised upon more than the structure and organisation of labour, which is quite on the contrary upon the goals of labour process approach where de-skilling of an occupational positions. De-skilling has the effect of either removing or lowering the skill level required from those performing the job and in some cases it will also reduce the price of labour. In conclusion, Kochan, Katz and McKersie’s Strategic Choice approach and the Labour Process approach provide explanations for the adoption of Human Resource Management, since it is more contingent management strategy than Personnel / Industrial relations. Evidence of this is clearly seen in today’s evolving workplace where large organisations include human resource management in its decision making and is no longer neglected as a lower priority department. In addition, both models: strategic choice approach and labour process, have had many radical perspectives added to the theory in the past until recently very little change has been made meaning the end to the two models and the rise of human resource management. As human resource develops, initiatives come and go whereas the focus of financial mechanisms increase and become more sophisticated. References: Bratton J. and Gould J. 1988, Human Resource Management – Theory and Practice Braverman, H. 1974, Labor and monopoly capital: the degradation of work in the twentieth century Clark, I ‘The Budgetary and Financial Basis of HRM in the Large Corporation’, Internet Source: http://panoptic.csustan.edu/cpa99/html/clark.html Fells, R. 1989, The employment relationship, control and strategic choice in the study of industrial relations Gardner, M. & Palmer, G. 1997, Employment Relations: Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in Australia Gartman. D. 1978, Marx and the Labour Process: An Interpretation Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text Kitay, J. 1997 The Labour Process: Still Stuck? Still a Perspective? Still Useful? Kochan, T., Katz H. & McKersie J. 1986, The Transformation of American Industrial Relations
Monday, September 16, 2019
How is love presented in Pride and Prejudice Essay
The theme of love is presented in Pride and Prejudice through three main ways; firstly through the personalities of the characters, for example whether the character in question believes that love should play a larger part in the coming together of two people than the possible benefits, like wealth or societal position. Secondly, how love is presented in the actions of the different characters, this is to show what each of the characters actually does to display the individual opinions of love in the novel. I will show this through key dialogues and actions from the characters. And thirdly, I will comment on the change of the priorities in the mind of Mr. Darcy. Firstly, I will talk about the personalities of the characters. Mrs. Bennet is an obvious place to begin as she holds the most obvious state of mind in the novel. â€Å"And all the others equally well married; I shall have nothing to wish for.†Her clear desperation for the marriage of her daughters is backed up by a motive, that, when her husband dies the Bennet estate will be taken out of her hands because of an absence of a male heir. This gives Mrs Bennet a need for at least one of her daughters to be married.†In the beginning of the book, she is speaking to her husband about the coming of a man to the estate; â€Å"Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!†Her comment on the large fortune does indeed show that she appears more interested in the benefit of his wealth over whether her daughter will be happy. She then mentions beauty, â€Å"I certainly have had my share of beauty,†this shows that Mrs. Bennet may also be slightly swayed by the physical appearance of Mr Bingley’s figure. In the first chapter, there is no mention of his personality at all, showing that Mrs. Bennet falls firmly on the â€Å"wealth†side as opposed to the characters who favour â€Å"love.†Elizabeth, despite being the daughter of Mrs. Bennet, does in fact fall on the â€Å"love†side shown more prominently in her refusal of Mr. Collins’ hand in marriage. â€Å"You are too hasty sir,†she cried. â€Å"You forget that I have made no answer. Let me do it without farther loss of time †¦ but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them (proposals.)†Mr Collins’ is not a good example of an honourable person shown especially in his arrogant persistence to win Elizabeth’s hand. Despite this, Elizabeth remains firm, showing her individuality and self-confidence as she follows through with what she says. â€Å"Really, Mr Collins,†cried Elizabeth with some warmth â€Å"you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as may convince you of its being one.†Secondly, I will talk about the actions of the characters. Mr Collins displays his preference of marriage but not for the usual wealth reason, he wants to marry to make himself seem more important, â€Å"the subject elevated him to more than usual solemnity of manner, and with a most important aspect,†which seems to be his aim throughout most of the novel. We see his clear desperation for marriage when he proposes to Charlotte two days after proposing to Elizabeth. This is not a nice thing to do and it shows that Mr. Collins had no real regard for Elizabeth and is also likely to have limited regard for Charlotte either. Mr Wickham is also an example. He tells Elizabeth a lot about his suitability to marry and also spreads a lot of tales concerning Mr. Darcy which demonstrates that he may not be very concerned with love within a couple. â€Å"I should take him, even on my slight acquaintance, to be an ill-tempered man.†Finally, I will talk about the change in Mr Darcy. Elizabeth first meets Mr Darcy at the ball and because of a poor first impression, she then thinks him to be a rude man who she should not associate with, â€Å"the is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation,†while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s social standing blinds him, for a short while, to her many virtues. Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. The way he dismisses Elizabeth for her social class, â€Å"she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me,†shows that Mr. Darcy does not care much for the personality aspect of different people. However, later in the novel after speaking to her, Mr Darcy recognises her beauty and proposes to her and she rejects him. This shows a huge change in Mr Darcy as he recognises that he must love her to ask her again to marry him. The second time, Elizabeth accepts and the novel reaches its climax when Elizabeth Bennet becomes Elizabeth Darcy. Mr Darcy has married her for her love which shows the change inside him.
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