Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Colonial theory questions and joe turners come and gone Essay

Colonial theory questions and joe turners come and gone - Essay Example The play also chronicles the conflicts of slavery, identity, discrimination and racism and migration that the African-Americans had to deal with during the western colonization. Generally, the events in the play represent the kind of life that Africans were exposed to during the period of western colonization. The three main themes covered by the play are identity, migration and racial segregation. Racial Discrimination During the colonial period, western countries established colonies on other continents with the aim of making profit, expanding their territories and power, and for political and religious reasons. In Africa, the move of the western nations to colonize the continent exposed Africans to slavery, migration, discrimination and loss of African identity (Bloom, 135). Thus, in his play, August Wilson highlights the oppressions that the African people were exposed to during the colonial period. Similar to the period of western colonization, August Wilson, in his play present s African-Americans as being exploited and discriminated against by the whites. And, just as Africans were forced to migrate to other areas due to racial discrimination, August presents the life in the American South as marred with intense discrimination thus forcing some African-Americans such as Martha to migrate to Pennsylvania.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The premier food

The premier food EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report aims to critically appraise various internal and external factors which contributed to the success of Premier Foods grocery division restructuring programme. Examples of effective change management disciplines are integrated throughout the project to achieve a successful business strategy. Although, no matter how effective and efficient you plan for change, risks are inevitable. The report aims to identify the key risks associated with the restructuring plan and identify the possible effects on human, physical and cultural resources. In the latter stages, the report will come to a close, highlighting the main points which the author believes has had an influence on the entire grocery divisions restructuring process. ORGANISATIONAL OVERVIEW Premier Foods has been established as the UKs leading food manufacturer, specialising in many known consumer brands such as OXO, Quorn, Hovis, Batchelors and Branston Pickle. Its estimated that 99.4% of the UK population buy at least one Premier Food product each year and a total of 43 million people, eat a leading brand food product every two weeks. Therefore, current turnover is estimated at  £2.6 billion and the company currently employs 17,000 people at 60 manufacturing sites around the United Kingdom and Ireland. Although, these figures would have been unrealistic without Premier Foods  £460 million acquisition of Campbells UK and Irish market share in August 2006. In March 2007, Premier Foods also captured RHMs market share for  £1.2 billion and therefore, turnover figures increased dramatically from  £760 million to the current turnover figure of  £2.6 billion. In 2008, Premier foods had successfully undertaken a comprehensive restructuring programme, which was deemed extremely complex in the UK. The aim was to radically transform the Grocery Division, which would drive the business through lower costs and higher technical standards. Premier Foods wished to implement the following key changes: The eradication of eight manufacturing sites between September 2007 and December 2008. Five core sites would increase the number of consumer brands manufactured. Capability and capacity are critical. The transfer of more than 1500 consumer brands and 2000 materials (136,700 tonnes). Capital Investment of  £47 million, of which  £19 million would need to be delivered in savings. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PLAN REASONS BEHIND THE CHANGES External Market Pressures The United Kingdom has one of the fastest growing food and drink markets in the world (UK Trade Investment Services, 2009). The food and drink sector alone generates sales estimated at  £70 billion and significant growth areas lie in value added products i.e. ready meals or Non-European recipes. Recent studies had estimated the UKs organic sector at  £1.2 billion a year and the chilled food market a staggering  £7 billion. Therefore this accounts for almost 60% of the overall European chilled food market. However, in the East Midlands, food manufacturing is rapidly expanding. 15.1% of the UKs food produce is manufactured here and over the forthcoming years, this figure is expected to increase by 40%. Food companies such as NOM, an Austrian Diary Producer, have taken decisions with the help of the UK government (Trade and Investment) to expand into the UKs rapidly expanding food markets. Therefore, it was imperative that Premier Foods assess the external market and plan for radical change. Premier foods understood that the UK food market is highly competitive, demanding consistent product quality and reliable supply whilst seeking more competitive pricing and innovative new products (Premier Foods, 2010). The company had a policy to, generate economies of scale to reduce production costs in order to support promotional activity, investment in building brand awareness with the consumer and new product development (Premier Foods, 2010). Over the years, Premier Foods had marginalised its market position through organic and inorganic growth. Through this initiative, the company has strengthened its competitive position by undertaking various initiatives in order to boost efficiencies and minimize costs (Just-Food, 2010). During 2009, Premier Foods excelled it strategy of developing growing branded sales and expanding gross margin through the benefits of consumer scales and insights. The company recognised the need to continually develop this through 2010. In this period, the company wishes to deliver efficiency savings over and above the synergies already delivered in 2009. The benefit strategies of 2009 were particularly absorbed by inflation (Input Costs) and by tougher consumer and trading environments. Therefore, this allowed promotional costs to rise and the company are to remain cautious in the 2010 shortfall. Nevertheless, the company has the desire to challenge market growth rates and developed the strategy of identifying particular categories and brands they can push most. This new strategy splits consumer brands into, Drive, Core and Defend. Premier Foods represent Drive categories as the consumer brands which will inherit the most market investment i.e. Hartleys, Quorn, Ambrosia etc. However, Premier Foods agree that cooking sauces / accompaniments, desserts and cakes would have immediate success rates within the consumer market. A company statement had concluded that although the cake category was in decline over recent years, lunchbox, ready-to-eat sweet snacks or treats are proving extremely popular. In theory, taking advantage of this opportunity would eventually start a trend, where Premier Foods would target other popular categories. In other words there is ample room for additional market growth. Bearing this in mind, the company is still confident in delivering a three year market strategy in demonstrating the company is moving in the right direction, ability to make profits and increases in the UK / Ireland market share. Internal Pressures Organisational Reform By successfully developing an external market strategy plan, Premier Foods needed to radically transform the entire business, which would be a rationale for its success. The first phase was to conduct a review of all the manufacturing sites to identify their capabilities, infrastructure and skill base. This activity was conducted in the first three weeks by a small group of senior management. The site review allowed senior management to develop viable options and allowed the initial steps towards a cost benefit analysis. Once satisfied with this, a presentation was developed for the companies board and an agreement was passed to take the initial work to a full business case. A larger team, comprising representatives from each in scope sites, was formed and a clear consensus regarding the optimum option was quickly reached (Wilkinson, 2010). The agreement of the business case, allowed all main stakeholders to be involved within the development. The main intention was to secure a unanimous agreement on the final proposal. Fortunately, agreement was reached within six-weeks of the business case and provided a solid rationale for delivery of the restructuring programme. However, part of the business case recommended the closure of six manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom and two in Ireland. There would be a period of twenty-one months, in which a mixture of consumer brands would be manufactured over five expanded sites. By now, people including stakeholders, board directors, managers etc knew which consumer brands would move from one manufacturing site to another, the expected costs of the entire restructuring programme, target delivery points and detailing the benefits that would occur across the entire organisation. The output of this work also demonstrated the overall level of benefits that could be achieved and provided a baseline for delivering the programme (Wilkinson, 2010). Therefore, market strategy developments, extensive cost cutting exercises, combined with effective efficiency strategies developed a recipe for success. BUSINESS STRATEGY PLAN Rationale In July 2003, Premier Foods were initially floated on the London Stock Exchange with a business strategy of: Development within consumer focused brands. Development through effective consumer relations. Cost Reduction strategies and business simplification. Parallel to this, there was spotlight within the UK and the desire to acquire Great British brands. The integration of these, would rapidly contribute to further strategies based on scale. However, the main aim was to expand company competitiveness with other British food manufacturers, whilst still improving company returns to the shareholders. Premier Foods anticipated that corporate responsibility is a strategic priority that should be parallel to the overall business objectives. The company ensured that responsible business practice should be a fundamental operation of the business and place in the core of the corporate responsibility strategy of, doing the right thing. Premier Foods adopted a business strategy which analyses current issues and attitudes. This allows the company to anticipate any trends which could hamper the business. This business strategy has been untouched and still currently forms the central core of the companies aspirations. Due to the rapid growth of the company, the individuals and the manufacturing sites involved in the restructuring programme had very different cultures and people who came from different work backgrounds. Therefore, there was different levels of understanding in both project and programme management processes. Although, to implement an effective restructuring process, an effective change management strategy had to come into operation and to get an overview; there are five key principles that are extremely important: (Briggs, M., 1995) Individuals tend to react differently to change. Everyone has a desired need, which should be met. Change tends to involve a loss or reduction in something. Realistic targets and expectations. Fears need to be dealt with. Bearing this in mind, Premier Foods had to be open and honest about the entire restructuring strategy. The company were open and not too overoptimistic in theory. In other words, the company set realistic targets and deliverance dates. Project Management Strategy To improve how the company manages large or small scale projects, Premier Foods embarked on integrating a new project management process. Currently, there were various project management systems integrated across the entire organisation and the proposal was to have one standard system based upon Prince2. Prompt, would be the system which Premier Foods integrated across the entire organisation and benefits in Prompt allowed Premier Foods to manage and initiate projects in each work stream. Work stream managers were responsible for this and would manage project teams, to complete any work as necessary. Resource Management Strategy To increase flexibility and reduce project delivery risk, interdependencies between specific work streams and projects were minimised. Time scales and achieving key delivery dates were crucial in this process. However, to support this, Premier foods ensured a structured organisational programme was in place and at the same time, avoided the utilisation of common resources. On the other hand, the company sourced resources at the work stream level, through process of common procurement approach. This allowed work streams to progress at a constant level, whilst having the ability to maintain an overview of contract resource usage and ability to view potential competing priorities at an early stage. Environmental Strategy Due to recent European legislations in place, there are pressures within industry to curb the amount of carbon dioxide produced in the manufacturing of consumer goods. Premier Foods is committed to supporting the UK Governments position on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol (Premier Foods, 2010). The company has a Five Star Environmental Award Scheme in structure, which was rolled out to all manufacturing sites in 2009. The scheme is a benchmark ensuring energy usage, waste, water usage and carbon dioxide emissions are carefully monitored (Wilkinson, 2010). Scheduling Milestone Management Strategies The original business case recommended a tight delivery timescale and was substantially dictated by the seasonality of transferring food categories. In other words, the transferring of a food line had a set delivery date. If the opportunity was missed then the company would have to wait to the next available opportunity i.e. desserts are more popular in the winter and therefore move production to the summer. At different intervals during the project, there was the requirement to assess the restructuring programmes ability to deliver within the target timescales. Whilst towards completion of the programme, various groups of people needed to be coordinated around specific milestone dates. Therefore, Premier foods had to ensure a sufficient scheduling and milestone management programme was in operation. Programme Assurance, Change Control and Scope Management Strategies The scope of the restructuring programme was controlled within overall programme approvals through the formal initiation of projects and associated funding in each work stream (Wilkinson, 2010). Each element within the restructuring programme had strict parameters to adhere too and were closely monitored i.e. funding and timescale delivery. However, if parameter changes were necessary, agreement would have to be obtained through steering committees, by the change control process. Information Communication Strategies Due to a large number of individuals being involved in the restructuring programme, an effective communication strategy was implemented to ensure information was circulated both internally and externally. Therefore, to ensure employees fully understand the strategic approach, Corporate Responsibility Road shows, were presented at all manufacturing sites to Senior Management teams. This ensured that they were aware of the long term sustainability goals and could effectively brief all employees about the planned changes in the company i.e. maintain involvement and commitment to employees whose job role were becoming redundant. Regular meetings with key external stakeholders ensured that the company advised them on any major changes, ensured the company was on the front foot and most importantly, minimised any potential damage to corporate reputation from any foreseeable redundancies (Wilkinson, 2010). Moving food production from one manufacturing site to another, impacts both the suppliers and customers. Therefore, both had to understand the changes which were being devised and reassured that supplies in a particular food category were managed effectively i.e. there was sufficient stock in the warehouses, while the transfer of a particular food line was being made. Quality Management Strategy Quality Consumer Brands Although moving manufacturing lines from one site another is relatively a straightforward process, ensuring the quality of the produce is critical. The company initiated a quality protocol which ensured that an individual product would move to a new location, meeting all necessary standards. Therefore, ensuring you protected the consumer experience was fundamental to the programme. This operation was strictly controlled and managed centrally. This ensures that the steering committee could monitor the quality control process and highlight any problem areas. Quality Control Premier Foods technical and commercial teams ensured that resources were utilised where required. Food tasting panels were utilised to ensured product matching and consumer testing in more severe cases. This ensured that the companies acquisitions of additional food brands were protected from other manufacturers. Efficient Supply Chain Management Peer review stage gate processes were introduced to ensure decisions were made appropriately. Individual project managers would check a list of criteria leading up to a Go / No Go decision. Review teams were constituted from all areas of business, ensuring there specialist area was implemented to high standards. Supply change management and independent business activities were amalgamated into one process, to ensure risks to the business and customer service levels were understood and managed appropriately. Issue Management Strategy Dealing effectively and efficiently with issues was seen as a competitive advantage for whole organisation. Individuals could identify any issues, at any point with the restructuring programme. Once identified, the responsible manager or line manager would deal with the issue. If required, an issue could be escalated to high level through steering committees for example. Alignments between, operational business, programme delivery and benefit achievement, demonstrated clear ownership and responsibility of the programme (Wilkinson, 2010). Therefore, issue management procedures could be reduced, as the result of effective communication forums and clear governance routes (Wilkinson, 2010). Therefore, the delivery of the restructuring programme within, target timescales, benefits and customer service constraints demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach (Wilkinson, 2010). Health and Safety Strategy Premier Foods, employed 16,000 employees across 60 manufacturing sites and they recognise that our employees are our single most valuable asset and we strive to be an employer of choice in areas which we operate (Premier Foods, 2010). Health and safety was a critical aspect in the programme, ensuring a safer manufacturing environment and safety improvements within plant and machinery. Strict guidelines were put in place and key initiatives were presented to line managers in workshops to ensure that risk assessment and risk management initiatives were enforced throughout the company. Value Engineering Approach The value engineering approach was utilised throughout project delivery dates, operational design and high safety food standards. By scrutinising the entire project build i.e. capital costs, then positive decisions could be made. Likewise, a change control mechanism was in place to acquire a cycle of positive feedback. Therefore, changes could be made prior to management decisions. Feedback from the value engineering approach was shared across the entire restructuring programme, in the ability to deliver efficiencies i.e. value for money. PROJECT RISKS Human Physical Impacts As quoted by the Boston Consulting Group (2010), Premier Foods restructuring strategy was one of the largest and most complex restructuring of food manufacturing in the UK. Risks are inevitable with a restructuring strategy the size of Premier Foods and precautions need to be put in place to counteract any eventualities. To begin, risks begin with the agreement of all the key stakeholders within the company. If by any means the stakeholders were unable to come to a unanimous decision, then the entire restructuring process could be in jeopardy. The key to its success would be to present an excellent business case, identifying the key drivers and reasons behind the change. Whenever there are redundancies, it can be a devastating blow to the surrounding area, local economy and families. It may happen because a work place is closing down or because few employees are needed for work of a particular kind (Holland, et al, 2008). In this instance, part of Premier Foods restructuring programme involved closing eight manufacturing sites and distributing current food categories over five existing sites. Senior Management closed a site based upon a number of factors i.e. site throughput. The aim was to improve productivity, lower costs and increase profits. Nevertheless, redundancies were inevitable at this point and the key was to maintain the companies reputation to avoid scrutiny. A reputation of a company is its important and valuable asset. A positive one may bring many benefits to a company, when a negative one may significantly harm it (Westcott, 2005). Although it was a devastating blow, the company would have to ensure all employees were treated in the best possible interests. Fortunately, the company offered generous redundancy packages and liaised with the local councils to ensure all redundant employees would have help getting back into employment. Once the workforce has been restructured, logistics and the redistribution of resources are crucial. The overall business challenge was to redistribute; 1500 products, 2000 materials, build new facilities, transfer 51 manufacturing lines, put a 2.5 million pallet stock build in place to maintain customer supply and complete 1800 line trial activities (Premier Foods, 2010). Besides this, the company needed to maintain both the company image and the customer service performance of a demanding business. Keeping the consumer supplied was at foremost importance, as there was the possibility of loosing contracts with some of Britains major brand stockists i.e. Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburys. As well as ensuring the survival of major cultural brands that have been produce for generations i.e. Hovis. Likewise, due to the rapid growth of the company, individuals and manufacturing sites that were affected by the restructuring programme had very different cultures. Cultural Impacts Culture, is seen as a pattern of beliefs and expectation that are shared by an organisations members (Schwartz, et al, 1981). These factors tend to produce norms which, powerfully shape the behaviour of individuals and groups in the organisation (Schwartz, et al, 1981). Culture, intends to concentrate upon the nature of these expectations. Taking Premier Foods into context, the individuals involved have been told various incentives which are behind the grocery divisions restructuring process. Therefore, the company have the responsibility to deliver their business strategy and individuals are right to dispute whether company expectations are being met i.e. Do they promise what they wish to deliver in the short-term and long term future? There is the risk that Premier Foods simply do not deliver and again, elements including corporate image could be affected. Likewise, the individual and manufacturing sites involved, originated from different work backgrounds. There were different levels of understanding in both project and programme management processes. Although, its good when an organisation is built around people who have different ethics i.e. the ability to share ideas to improve an organisations structure, the problem is getting everyone to agree upon a particular thing and ensuring people work upon a standard level. The key is to ensure everyone has good understanding of both principles, to ensure the restructuring programme is at minimum risk as possible. If not, then conflicts can arise (behavioural factors) and the restructuring programme could have major issues. Generally, it doesnt work if one individual has a strong understanding in one area and a weak understanding in another. Other Potential Risks The organisational restructuring programme was also surrounded by other critical integration projects, which were being implemented at the same time. Some of these included the integration of key administrative functions i.e. Human Resources and Finance. In the marketplace, the company itself faced soaring food cost inflations, as well as the impact of a major economic recession. Human and physical resources were thinly spread and significantly challenged during this tense period. In other words, it was either make or break time and fortunately, the gamble succeeded in the end. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary On a generic scale, the implementation of the entire restructuring programme was a complete success, taking the size and complexity of the programme into consideration. From research, the author identified the main critical elements for change. To begin, the author believes that Premier Foods wishes to be the leading competitor in the UK food market, to compete with other competitors. Once this is established, there maybe future business development plans to expand and compete with the European Food Market or on an International Scale. However, current infrastructure could not cope with future expansion and therefore, major internal reform was needed to improve the quality of food produced, the quantity of food produced and overall manufacturing costs. Although there were harsh reforms in the workforce for example, this allowed the company to focus on long-term developments and improve profits. In the short-term, this allows major shareholders to gain a healthy return in investments and can continue to provide investments for the future. Recommendations Taking the following into contention, no major improvements are needed. The Premier Foods restructuring programme demonstrates high professionalism, within a large strategic scale. All project delivery points were delivered on time and within budget. Although, a possible thought to consider is cultural differences. Current levels of project and programme management were at different levels between individuals and the manufacturing sites involved. Offering solutions that allow everyone to have the same level of knowledge may be advantageous. Nevertheless, its good when people have different ranges of knowledge and experience. This allows people to express their own interpretations, leading to new ideas. REFERENCES Boston Consulting Group (2010) Premier Foods. Available at: http://www.bcg.com/2010. (Accessed: 15th February 2010). Briggs, M. (1995) Change Management: Five basic principles and how to apply them. Available at http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/changemanagement.html. (Accessed: March 2nd 2010). Holland, J., Burnett, C. (2008) Employment Law. Revised Edition. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Just Foods (2010) Just Foods website. Available at: http://www.just-food.com/store/product.aspx?id=60647. (Accessed: 14th February 2010). Premier Foods (2009) Premier Foods website. Available at: http://www.premierfoods.co.uk. (Accessed: 20th February 2010). Schwartz, H., Davis, S.M. (1981) Organisational Dynamics. 1st Edition. New York. AMACOM UK Trade Investment Services (2009) UK Trade Investment Services website. Available at: http://www.ukinvest.gov.uk/Food--drink/en-GB-list.html. (Accessed: 14th February 2010). Westcott, J (2005) Corporate Image. Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed March 4th 2010). Wilkinson, R. (2010) Premier Foods Guest Lecturer Grocery Manufacturing Consolidation Programme. Available at http://elp.northumbria.ac.uk (Accessed 25th February 2010). BIBOLOGRAPHY Boston Consulting Group (2010) Premier Foods. Available at: http://www.bcg.com/2010. (Accessed: 15th February 2010). Briggs, M. (1995) Change Management: Five basic principles and how to apply them. Available at http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/changemanagement.html. (Accessed: March 2nd 2010). Guardian News (2010) Premier Foods. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/marketforceslive/2010/feb/16/premierfoods (Accessed 15th February 2010). Holland, J., Burnett, C. (2008) Employment Law. Revised Edition. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Just Foods (2010) Just Foods website. Available at: http://www.just-food.com/store/product.aspx?id=60647. (Accessed: 14th February 2010). Kotter, J. (1995 2002) Change Management. Available at http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm. (Accessed March 1st 2010). Premier Foods (2009) Premier Foods website. Available at: http://www.premierfoods.co.uk. (Accessed: 20th February 2010). Schwartz, H., Davis, S.M. (1981) Organisational Dynamics. 1st Edition. New York. AMACOM UK Trade Investment Services (2009) UK Trade Investment Services website. Available at: http://www.ukinvest.gov.uk/Food--drink/en-GB-list.html. (Accessed: 14th February 2010). Westcott, J (2005) Corporate Image. Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed March 4th 2010). Western Mail (2010) High Beam Research, Premier Foods hails sales rise as Hovis takes 25% of market, 1, pp. 1. International Newspapers, Local Markets Li-Z [Online]. Available at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-219048662.html (Accessed March 4th 2010). Wilkinson, R. (2010) Premier Foods Guest Lecturer Grocery Manufacturing Consolidation Programme. Available at http://elp.northumbria.ac.uk (Accessed 25th February 2010).

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay on the Human Spirit in Frankenstein and Picture of Dorian Grey

Similarities of the Human Spirit in Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Grey The human spirit is one of the most beautiful forces in the world, but it is also one of the most vulnerable. In the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, this idea of the human spirit is portrayed clearly. Both novels have similar aspects about the human spirit, but they also have their differences. Both novels have main characters who are influenced greatly by someone that they admire, and they are destroyed by that influence. The difference that these novels have is that in Frankenstein, the main character is influenced and destroyed by something he creates himself, while in The Picture of Dorian Grey, the main character is influenced and destroyed by his friend and mentor. Again, both novels portray the human spirit's motivation and vulnerability. In the novel Frankenstein, Victor, the main character, is driven to insanity and death by his motivation, his own creation. He dedicates all of his time and knowledge to create a living human being from dead tissue. This "monster" becomes his motivation and influence throughout the rest of the novel. Victor blames himself and feels guilt for all of th... ... Dorian converses with Lord Henry, and takes everything that Lord Henry said seriously, even though not everything that Lord Henry said was right. Basically, the difference that these two novels have over the idea that the human spirit is a very strong, but vulnerable force is that a person's motivation to do something great and his infatuation with that great thing will influence the spirit greatly, sometimes totally, and that believing in someone and somebody so much, no matter what they say, you will listen to them and let them have total control over you and your actions, even though that influence probably doesn't know that.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Foucault: History of Sexuality/ A Reading

According to Foucault, power from the 18th century began to be exercised in two dimensions. The first one was formulated by the disciplinary techniques and methods of ‘bio-power', the power over life which increased the capacities of the human body, and at the same time enhanced its economic utility. The second dimension focuses around the exercise of bio-power over the body and its vitality. Foucault focuses on relations of power and knowledge but his immediate object of analysis was sexuality because it concerns with both, the relations of power of the individual as well as the society. Sex was supposed to be located at the centre of the two axes of the development of political technology of life. Sexuality in Foucault's work thus achieved an important means of addressing the question of formation of the subject. The issue of sexuality emerges at several points in Foucault's works but it is only approached in a limited and sustained manner in ‘History and Sexuality'. The essays constitute the central theme of the history of sexual conduct and behaviour, and the analysis of philosophical and religious ideas on sexuality so as to reach an understanding of the formation and the development of the experience of sexuality in modern societies. He keeps shifting from keeping a historical focus to more analytical concerns in his work on sexuality. The Introduction of the essay provides an analysis of sex as an historical theory rather than as the most basic innate human element. Foucault compares and analyses sex and sexuality in relations to power and knowledge and extends the study further to dissect the modes of what he calls the ‘objectification' through which human beings are made into subjects. In the beginning, the historical focus moves from the post-enlightenment period of the 18th and 19th century events to a period encompassing the centuries immediately before and after the death of Christ right up to the middle ages, further onto an analysis of Greek and Christian texts. In the following volumes relations of power, through which individuals form and change themselves through the techniques of the self are focused upon. Foucault begins by analyzing the popular Victorian concept of sexual experience that sex was used as a means of repression and as a symbol of power. He questions the general belief of ‘repressive hypothesis' to reach an understanding of the relations between power and sex. As an effect to that he formulated a set of questions like, why has sexuality been so widely discussed? , what are the links between these discussions and the pleasures and power effects that were caused by them? Etc. This hypothesis describes the history of western societies after the 17th century as a period in which a series of prohibitions laid down on the individuals and their physical behaviour. By the coming of the Victorian age, sexuality was confined and controlled to home and marriage, except for the licensed access to sex in markets and brothels. This prohibition of sexuality is seen by Foucault as having some similarity to the general repression due to capitalism and its class related problems. Foucault argues that another sexual tendancy is also evident in the increase of discourses concerned with sex. There emerged a political, economic and technical incitement to talk about sex. From this point onwards, sex became an object of administration, management and the government. He argues that a proof that sex was implicitly present as an object of inquiry was the government's focus on population. Population became an object of government and administration with the realization that it had its own limitations. The governments became more aware and concerned of the economic, moral, health and political problems of their populations. This in turn lead to a study and a minute analysis of various influences on population like birthrate, legitimacy of births, age of marriage, frequency of sexual relations, fertility etc. Therefore as on one hand, sex became confined to home and the licensed married couple, on the other hand, it also became a governmental matter between the state and the individual. Sex became a public issue open to discourses, analysis and a matter of gaining knowledge in. This resulted in the emergence of the 18th and 19th century discourses on sexuality through the fields of medicine, psychiatry, criminology and social work. Foucault comments that the past three centuries reveal a vast accumulation of endless discourses on sex and sexuality. We can thus say that modern western societies were distinct not for their repression and censor of sex, but rather for their simultaneous subjection of sexuality to never ending discussions and their curiosity for exploring of the secrets of life and birth. We may then conclude that all different legal, medical and moral discussions had in the end, cultivated a reproduction of labour capacity and the preservation of the prevailing form of social relations. Foucault argues that if the increase in these discussions was governed by the intention of eliminating fruitless pleasures, then they had failed as the 19th century saw a bifurcation of sexualities into many perversions. Foucault suggests that power did not prohibit or eradicate extra-conjugal, non-monogamous sexualities, on the contrary they were multiplied. The form of power to which sex was subjected did not set boundaries for sexuality. It extended the various forms of sexuality, pursuing them according to lines of uncertain analysis. It did not exclude sexuality, but rather included it in the body as a mode of specification of individuals. It did not seek to avoid it but attracted its varieties by means of complex gyre like structures in which pleasure and power reinforced one another. Thus the manifold sexualities, sexualities of different ages and those fixated on particular tastes, all formed equations of power. Perverse forms of sexuality are then seen as the effects or the products of the exercise of a type of power over bodies. This extension of power over bodies, conduct and sex, does not produce repression, but an incitement of unorthodox and perverse sexualities. Thus Foucault's argument that we need to abandon the hypothesis of increased sexual repression associated with the development of modern industrial societies. Power in its exercise has not taken the form of law, it has been positive and productive rather than negative, and has ensured an increase of pleasures and a multiplication of sexual perversions. In the 19th century, sexuality was constituted in scientific terms. Within western societies, there developed a ‘scientia sexualis', whose objective was to produce real and honest discourses on sex, the truth on sex to be precise. At its centre was a technique of confession, whose history may be traced back through the middle ages in western Europe to the first centuries of Christianity. From the Christian penance to the psychiatrists couch, sex has been the central theme of confession. Foucault argued that with the rise of protestant religion, anti-reformation and the 19th century medicine, confession spread beyond its traditional Christian usage and entered a diverse range of social relationships, an effect of which was the constitution of archives of the truth of sex inscribed within medical and psychiatric discourses. Within modern societies this intersection of confession with scientific investigation constructed the domain of sexuality as problematic and thus needing interpretation and therapy. In short the object of investigation became to uncover the truth of sex, to reveal its secret and thus to gain knowledge of individuals and their behaviours. As a result of this, sex became not only an object of knowledge, but the focus of our being, our truth. Although the concept of power is central to both the analysis of penal incarceration and the preliminary work on sexuality, in no sense does Foucault's work constitute, or even attempt a formulation of a theory of power. At the most what is presented is the critique of the prevailing formation of the exercise of power which lies at the foundation of both sexual repression and alternative hypothesis in which desire is conceived to be constituted in the form of law like rules. Such a conception of power has structured the analytical field of inquiry in terms of problems of right and violence, freedom and will and the state of sovereignty. According to Foucault's view power is relational. It is not born from a particular site or location. It is a concept which refers to an open, organized, hierarchical group of relations which are both unstable and local and the analysis of sex proceeds by analyzing the complex relations between the discussions on sex and on the multiplicity of power relations associated with them. There emerged four strategic unities associated with the production of the discourses on sexualities in the 19th century. These constituted of the specific mechanisms of knowledge and power, centred on sex and the four sexual subjects. The strategic unities were: a hysterization of womens bodies, a pedagogization of childrens sex, a socialization of procreative behaviour and a psychological analysis of perverse pleasures. And the subjects were hysterical women, a masturbating child, a Malthusian couple and a perverse adult respectively. According to Foucault, these four unities do not represent mechanisms for controlling or regulating pre-existing forms of sexualities, rather they represent the relations of power and knowledge articulated in medical, pedagogical, psychiatric and economic discourses. In Foucault's view, from 19th century onwards the ‘Deployment of Alliance', a system of rules and practices defining the permitted and the forbidden relations between sexual partners, has been paralleled by the development of sexuality operating through techniques of power rather than a system of rules. Whereas the former is concerned with the link between partners, the latter, the deployment of sexuality manifests a different connection to the economy through the cultivation of the body, ‘a body that produces and consumes'. The family gradually became a transmission of the strategies of ‘sexualisation' that emerged in the 19th century. Foucault's theory is that in the first instance, it was in the ‘bourgeois' or the aristocratic family that the sexuality was given a status of a medical problem. The psychological convergence of sex thus began with the bourgeoisie with a sexualisation of the idle and the nervous woman with the self-abusing child. The objective was to constitute a body and a sexual identity for the bourgeoisie to ensure the vigour and longevity of the classes that ruled rather than a repression of the class that was exploited. This new distribution of pleasures had as its initial purpose the self affirmation of the bourgeoisie by a specifically political ordering of life in which a technology of sex was fundamental. Just as the aristocracy constructed a sense of itself, its special qualities and its difference from other social classes in terms of concept , so did the bourgeoisie, through a conception of a sound body and a healthy sexuality articulated in biological and medical discourses, sought to affirm its present and future specificity. Turning to the lower orders, the working classes, Foucault argues that just as the Christian technology of the flesh had exercised a little influence over their rude sensuality, so for a good while they remained untouched by deployment of sexuality. But gradually from the 18th century however, a series of developments like the identification of problems of birth control and the development of juridical and medical measures to protect society from perverse forms of sexuality, precipitated a diffusion of mechanisms of sexualisation throughout the society. This effected in the working class being subject to the deployment of sexuality. However the sexuality of the working class was in no way synonymous to the bourgeoisie, there is no sense in which Foucault's analysis brings us to this interpretation. The practice of sexuality in modern western society is not conceived by Foucault to be either collective or united. On the contrary, the forms taken and instruments employed are conceived to have varied in relation to the social class. The domain of sexuality in Foucault's works is presented as one of the most important concrete arrangements through which power has been exercised over life in modern western societies. It is the key element in the emergence and development of the measures of supervision which have constituted the foundation of forms of public provision and welfare. The exercise of a pastoral or caring power over life in general and in particular is presented as a fundamental or defining characteristic of modern societies and as a necessary precondition for the distribution of capitalist economic relations throughout social life. It is because of this articulation of the phenomenon of human existence that the general social significance of the deployment of sexuality is initially focused on by Foucault. The specificity of modern western societies is associated with a particular historical transformation or shift of the emphasis from exercise of absolute power by or in the name of the sovereign, literally to take life, to the emergence and development of governmental technologies of power directed towards an administration of the processes of life in order to increase their economic utility. The two basic forms in which power began to be exercised over life from the 17th century are: * An anatomo-politics of the human body, * A bio-politics of the population. The first form according to Foucault concerns the exercise of power over the life of the body and is exemplified by the disciplines and techniques directed towards the increase of bodily forces and capacities. The second form in which power has been exercised over life is that of the management and regulation of the population, the body as a species and its mortality and fertility issues. The emergence of the technology of bio-power constituted an important event and signified a shift away from unstable, dramatic and ceremonial exercises of sovereign power towards an investment of the processes of life by an economic and efficient form of power. The emergence of bio-power designated the moment at which the phenomena of human existence were submitted to the calculation and order of knowledge and power. At the intersection of the two axes along which the exercise of power over life developed, namely the disciplines of body and the regulation of populations, lies the political issue of sex. Sex achieved importance as a political issue because it offered access to both life of the body and the life of the species so that we comprehend the pursuit in dreams, behaviour and beyond the truth of sexuality. Foucault deals with various modes of explaining the relations of power and knowledge through which human beings are made subjects. Foucault not only rejected the belief that sexuality is predicated on a biological given sex, but argued that the autonomy given to sex was an effect of the deployment of sexuality. Foucault argued that the category of sex established through the deployment of sexuality in the course of the 19th century performed a number of functions. It offered a principle of unification through which anatomical elements, biological functions, conducts, sensations and pleasures could be presented as the underlying cause of behavioural manifestations, as a secret to be discussed and interpreted. Through such proximity to biology and physiology, the knowledge of sexuality gained a semi-scientific status and contributed to the development of a process of normalization of human sexuality to the determination of normal sex and its various pathological corollaries. The idea of sex as the latent, secret force repressed within us allowed power to be conceptualized solely as law and taboo and thereby hiding the positive relation of power with sexuality. The corollary of this position is of course that it led to the equation of human liberation with the discovery and expression of the secret of sex and sexuality. The final section of the idea of sex outlined by Foucault focuses on the process by which human beings become subjects. It is through the idea of sex that each individual has to pass in order to have access to his own intelligibility, to the whole of his body and to his identity. Thus Foucault's position is that the exercising of power over life has advanced through the deployment of sexuality and its construction of sex as the secret of existence to be discovered and articulated, as a force to be liberated and realized, and be synonymous to our very being. This arises from the fact that in his view sex-drive cannot be free of power. It is an effect of the deployment of sexuality and of the exercise of technologies of power over life. Sex is not the underlying reality beneath the illusory appearance of sexuality, on the contrary, sexuality is a typical historical formation from which the notion of sex emerged as an element central to the operation of bio-power. In western civilization there has been a tendency to associate the theme of sexual austerity with various social or religious taboos and prohibitions. Foucault argues that in fact it seems to have been quite different. To begin with, moral considerations of sexual condition were subject to a fundamental gender dissymmetry. The moral system was produced by and addressed purely to free men, to the exclusion, to the exclusion of women, children and slaves. A second significant feature of the moral system is that it did not form fundamental prohibitions or taboos in relation to forms of sexual austerity, rather it intended to present or propose modes of conduct appropriate and relevant for men in view of their right, power, authority and freedom. Foucault states that in the texts of Greek or Gaeco-Roman antiquity, the emphasis as far as moral considerations are concerned tends to be placed on practices of the ‘self', rather than on codes and conducts in terms of the permitted and the prohibited. I have tried to make a thorough reading of Michael Foucault's essay the ‘History of Sexuality' and found that it effectively establishes that the roots of our modern sexual ethics go back to ‘Antiquity'. Although the emergence of Christianity did not introduce a novel code of sexual behaviour, it did transform people's relationship to their own sexual activity. Although the essays address themselves explicitly to the question of the so called ‘problematization' of sexual activity, they also are important for their implications for an understanding of the art of government which developed in modern western societies.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Programming Language and Real Declare

Identify a task you perform regularly, such as cooking, mowing the lawn, or driving a car. I used driving a car as the example in this checkpoint. Write a short, structured design (pseudocode only) that accomplishes this task. Declare CarDoor as Real Declare Car as Real Declare BrakePedal as Real Declare Reverse as Real Declare SteeringWheel as Real Declare Drive as Real Open CarDoor Sit in Car Close CarDoor Press BrakePedal Start Car Put Car in Reverse Release BrakePedal Turn SteeringWheel Press BrakePedal Put Car in DriveRelease BrakePedal Accelerate Car Straighten SteeringWheel End Program Think about this task in an object-oriented way, and identify the objects involved in the task. The car is an object involved in the task. Properties include: made of metal, plastic, and rubber, has four tires, has a front and back windshield, has driver and passenger windows, has a steering wheel, a shifter, headlights, taillights, an engine, a transmission and a gas tank. Functions include: tr ansports the user to their desired destination.Works on: the road. The car door is an object involved in the task. Properties include: made of metal, has a handle and a lock, encases a window. Functions include: secures passenger into vehicle, housing for window, and mirror attaches to it. Works on: a vehicle. Identify how you can encapsulate the data and processes you identified into an object-oriented design. Class CarOperation Declare Car as Real Declare CarEntry as Real Declare CarDriver as Real Subprogram EnterCar Set EnterCar = Open CarDoorSit in Car Close CarDoor End Subprogram Subprogram DriveCar Set DriveCar = Start Car Put Car in Reverse Release BrakePedal Turn SteeringWheel Press BrakePedal Put Car in Drive Release BrakePedal Accelerate Car Straighten SteeringWheel End Subprogram Function EnterCar() as Real Set EnterCar = CarEntry End Function Function DriveCar() as Real Set DriveCar = CarDriver End Function End Class Describe the architectural differences between the obj ect-oriented and structured designs.Which of the designs makes more sense to you? Why? A programmer using the top-down, modular approach to program design begins by determining fundamental tasks. An object-oriented programmer, on the other hand, determines the fundamental objects associated with a problem. Structured designs make more sense to me because that’s what we have been working with over the past 7 weeks. However, I do see the major advantages of object-oriented programming and wish that we had been able to study it more.Right now I am still a rookie at computer programming and do not mind determining the fundamental tasks of programs, it helps me better understand things; but programmers at advanced levels wouldn’t want to have to break down every fundamental task of each program they write. Over time, and with more teaching, I will become more accustom to object-oriented programming. Once this occurs, I’m sure that I will change the answer to this res ponse. I’m sure over time and experience, object-oriented programming will make more sense to me.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Wine And Tourism Are The Ultimate Experience Of Place

New Zealand is like a world in miniature. Concentrated within its isolated land mass are all the varied features and resources that are found scattered over the earth’s surface. It has alpine districts; snow clad and glistening with glaciers, whose melt-off forms numerous and sometimes considerable rivers; table lands and plains, sometimes flat, sometimes undulating with fertile hills; valleys overspread with rich green, and forests of immense trees, all of which combine to form the unique scenery of New Zealand. Our wide range of topography is contained in such a small area that people can move easily from one type of place to another. It is possible to drive from the mountains to the sea in just a few hours. New Zealand as a country, people and culture is historically linked to the land (Bell 1996), the traditional areas of work, such as agriculture, fishing and horticulture as well as our leisure activities like mountaineering, tramping, boating and swimming all directly involve the natural environment. This involvement with the land has become a component of national identity. The sense of shared purpose, pride in place, national success all combine to provide a sense of belonging. As a â€Å"nation†, New Zealanders have fought on the battlefield, the sports field, on land, on sea, and have won. Market changes in recent years have brought about a shrinking of the planet and the formation of a global village. A sense of â€Å"nation†, of place and locality is becoming harder to define. Many countries have become melting pots of numerous nationalities, so the assumption that everyone shares one cultural language, heritage, and history is much less likely, now days territory is likely to be the only common ground that a countries inhabitants share. Culture The concept of culture became more prominent during the early 1980’s and is defined by Schein (1991) as â€Å"involving a group of people who have a history together, ... Free Essays on Wine And Tourism Are The Ultimate Experience Of Place Free Essays on Wine And Tourism Are The Ultimate Experience Of Place New Zealand is like a world in miniature. Concentrated within its isolated land mass are all the varied features and resources that are found scattered over the earth’s surface. It has alpine districts; snow clad and glistening with glaciers, whose melt-off forms numerous and sometimes considerable rivers; table lands and plains, sometimes flat, sometimes undulating with fertile hills; valleys overspread with rich green, and forests of immense trees, all of which combine to form the unique scenery of New Zealand. Our wide range of topography is contained in such a small area that people can move easily from one type of place to another. It is possible to drive from the mountains to the sea in just a few hours. New Zealand as a country, people and culture is historically linked to the land (Bell 1996), the traditional areas of work, such as agriculture, fishing and horticulture as well as our leisure activities like mountaineering, tramping, boating and swimming all directly involve the natural environment. This involvement with the land has become a component of national identity. The sense of shared purpose, pride in place, national success all combine to provide a sense of belonging. As a â€Å"nation†, New Zealanders have fought on the battlefield, the sports field, on land, on sea, and have won. Market changes in recent years have brought about a shrinking of the planet and the formation of a global village. A sense of â€Å"nation†, of place and locality is becoming harder to define. Many countries have become melting pots of numerous nationalities, so the assumption that everyone shares one cultural language, heritage, and history is much less likely, now days territory is likely to be the only common ground that a countries inhabitants share. Culture The concept of culture became more prominent during the early 1980’s and is defined by Schein (1991) as â€Å"involving a group of people who have a history together, ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Francis Lewis Cardozo

Francis Lewis Cardozo Overview When Francis Lewis Cardozo was elected as South Carolina’s secretary of state in 1868, he became the first African-American to be elected to hold a political position in the state. His work as a clergyman, educator and politician allowed him to fight for the rights of African-Americans during the Reconstruction period.    Key Accomplishments Established Avery Normal Institute, one of the first free secondary schools for African-Americans.Early advocate for school integration in the South.First African-American to hold a statewide office in the United States. Famous Family Members Cardozo’s granddaughter is Eslanda Goode Robeson. Robeson was an actress, anthropologist, writer and civil rights activist. She was married to Paul Robeson.   A distant relative of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo. Early Life and Education Cardozo was born on February 1, 1836, in Charleston. His mother, Lydia Weston was a free African-American woman. His father, Isaac Cardozo, was Portuguese man. After attending schools established for freed blacks, Cardozo worked as a carpenter and shipbuilder. In 1858, Cardozo began attending the University of Glasgow  before becoming a seminarian in Edinburgh and London. Cardozo was ordained a Presbyterian minister and upon his return to the United States, he began working as a pastor. By 1864, Cardozo was working as a pastor at the Temple Street Congregational Church in New Haven, Conn. The following year, Cardozo began working as an agent of the American Missionary Association. His brother, Thomas, had already served as superintendent for the organization’s school and soon Cardozo followed in his footsteps. As superintendent, Cardozo reestablished the school as the Avery Normal Institute. The Avery Normal Institute was a free secondary school for African-Americans. The school’s primary focus was to train educators. Today, Avery Normal Institute is part of the College of Charleston. Politics In 1868, Cardozo served as a delegate at the South Carolina constitutional convention. Serving as the chair of the education committee, Cardozo lobbied for integrated public schools. That same year, Cardozo was elected as secretary of state and became the first African-American to hold such a position. Through his influence, Cardozo was instrumental in reforming the South Carolina Land Commission by distributing land to former enslaved African-Americans. In 1872, Cardozo was elected as state treasurer. However, legislators decided to impeach Cardozo for his refusal to cooperate with corrupt politicians in 1874. Cardozo was reelected to this position twice. Resignation and Conspiracy Charges When federal troops were withdrawn from Southern states in 1877 and the Democrats regained control of state government, Cardozo was pushed to resign from office. That same year Cardozo was prosecuted for conspiracy. Although evidence found was not conclusive, Cardozo was still found guilty. He served almost a year in prison. Two years later, Governor William Dunlap Simpson pardoned Cardozo. Following the pardon, Cardozo relocated to Washington DC where he held a position with the Treasury Department. Educator In 1884, Cardozo became the principal of the Colored Preparatory High School in Washington DC. Under Cardozo’s tutelage, the school instituted a business curriculum and became one of the most outstanding schools for African-American students. Cardozo retired in 1896. Personal Life While serving as pastor of Temple Street Congregational Church, Cardozo married Catherine Rowena Howell. The couple had six children. Death Cardozo died in 1903 in Washington DC. Legacy Cardozo Senior High School in the northwest section of Washington DC is named in Cardozo’s honor.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Visions and Visits

Visions and Visits Visions and Visits Visions and Visits By Mark Nichol Vision and visit both pertain to seeing something, and that’s no coincidence, because they are cognates, both stemming from the Latin verb videre, meaning â€Å"see.† A discussion of the words, their variations, and some related terms follows. The word vision describes the literal ability to see and the figurative sense of something conjured by the imagination as if it is seen or even merely contemplated (the original connotation), as well as the act or power of seeing or imagination. In addition, the word refers to the quality of discernment or foresight, a sense that arose only about a century ago. A vision is also something seen, including a particularly charming or lovely person, place, or thing. Little-used adjectival and adverbial forms are visional and visionally. Someone with discernment or foresight is called a visionary. Other words in the vision family include envision, a verb meaning â€Å"picture.† Something that can be seen is visible (the adverbial form is visibly), and the quality of being able to be seen, whether on a practical level or in the sense of celebrity, is visibility; the antonym is invisibility. The adjective visual refers to the faculty or process of sight, and the adverbial form is visually. Visualize is the verb form, and something visualized is a visualization. (The British English spellings are visualise and visualisation.) Something that does not involve sight is nonvisual. Related compounds are television (a compound of the Greek word tele, meaning â€Å"far off,† and vision), audiovisual (an adjective referring to technology that enables sight and sound), and proper nouns such as VistaVision, the brand name of an obsolete form of wide-screen cinematography. Several words referring to the face include the syllable vis, which stems from videre and refers to one’s appearance or face, including visage, a noun that is a synonym for â€Å"face,† and visor, originally a reference to the part of a helmet covering the entire head that protects the eyes (and later to an eyeshade). Envisage is a synonym for envision. (A related term is the adopted French term visvis, meaning â€Å"face to face,† which in English is a preposition meaning â€Å"face to face with† or â€Å"in relation to† or â€Å"compared with.† Less commonly, it is a noun referring to a counterpart or a person one is on a date with, or an intimate conversation, as well as an adverb meaning â€Å"together.†) Visit began as a verb describing someone attending on another to benefit or comfort and later came to refer to one or more people paying a call to one or more others, as well as the sense of afflicting or coming on to (as in the biblical verse â€Å"The sins of the fathers are visited on the sons†). Later, it became a noun describing the instance of paying a call. One who visits is a visitor (the term, for example, refers to members of a sports team coming from somewhere else to compete with the home team), and a visitation is an instance of an official visit (or is an adjective referring to such a visit). Visit, visitor, and visitation also have a connotation of an examination or inspection of a place of religion. To revisit is to consider something a second time; it is generally not used to mean literally â€Å"visit again.† The verb advise and the noun advice, referring to recommendations given, ultimately derive from videre by way of the Old French term avis, meaning â€Å"idea,† â€Å"judgment,† or â€Å"view.† Advisory is the adjectival form as well as a noun referring to a report that gives advice or suggests a course of action. (Despite that spelling, adviser is favored over advisor to describe someone who does so.) To supervise is literally to look over, to manage or monitor an area or a procedure; the act of doing so is supervision and the actor is a supervisor, and the adjectival form is supervisory. Meanwhile, revise means â€Å"look again† and refers to changing something- generally, something written- that one (or someone else) has produced; the adjective is revised, and the noun for the act is revision. (There is no direct actor noun, although one might be referred to as a reviewer.) To improvise is to do something unprepared or to make something using available resources; the act is improvisation. Words from other languages that stem from videre include visa, from the Modern Latin phrase charta visa, which literally means â€Å"paper that has been seen† and refers to a document or to a sticker or stamp in a passport that confirms authorization to visit a foreign country, and vista, from the Italian word for â€Å"sight† or â€Å"view,† which refers to a prospect or a view of a landscape or seascape. A subsequent post will discuss words stemming from videre that do not include the element vis. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should Know8 Proofreading Tips And TechniquesThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Scandinavian Airlines System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Scandinavian Airlines System - Assignment Example SAS pioneered in the Arctic route in 1954 with flight from Copenhagen to Los Angels. In 1957 with transpolar service to Tokyo. SAS is also Pioneer in using modern technology within Europe or to US reducing travel time and improving quality of flight. There was a boom in terms of profit in 50s, 60s and 70s. The problems started appearing in late 70s and early 80s. There was substantial reduction in the profits. Jan Carlzon accepted Presidency of this Giant in 1981. Looking at the recent reduction in profits Carlzon had take drastic measures for a improving the financial status of the company. He undertook various strategies and was able to achieve sustainable growth rate for SAS. (INSEAD CEDEP 1988) Carlzon being a sharp and intelligent business leader at once noticed that due to stagnation in the market and over capacity company was losing its market share against competitors. He understood that he should chalk out a new business strategy to deal with the situation. The first strategy that proven and tested by him in his previous venture. He decided to reduce the fleet so that the operation costs may be reducing thus increasing the profit. The replacement of large aircraft in smaller ones would be more cost effective and it would be helpful in increasing the frequency of flights on short and busy routes. He also planned to convert the first class to Business class with almost similar facilities but lower rates. Resource-based theories of strategy As discussed earlier the previous management was more interested in acquiring the planes of latest technology and also of larger size. These planes drained the resources of group and also increased the operations costs. He asked the managers to cut those expenses that were not productive but should not hesitate in raising those that may increase the productivity of the company. Administrative costs were reduced by 25% but also good investments were made into new services and facilities and aircraft interiors. Another important step taken by Group was to expand the circle of their services. The group wanted to take care all the needs of customer from buy tickets to going back home. Introducing SAS International Hotels did this. In 1983, SIH became a separate division within SAS group. (INSEAD CEDEP 1988) Human-resource-based theories of strategy As Carlzon believed in quality not quantity, so he brought about wholesale changes in the human resources section of the group. As the size of fleet was reduced, consequently the number of staff was also reduced. But on the other hand, new recruitments were made on smaller scale where the quality was decisive factor not quantity. As he introduced new products so different, type of staff was required for that. In past there was a bureaucratic atmosphere, everybody just sticked to the company policy, there was no personal initiative involved. For

Friday, October 18, 2019

Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Competence Research Paper

Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Competence - Research Paper Example Saarni states that an emotionally competent person is able to perform according to his moral values in â€Å"emotion-eliciting† situations that demand his â€Å"self-efficacy† (1999, p.2). Such a person is aware of his emotional state and of others and is able to work accordingly. Comparison and Contrast EI improves our ability to learn EC. The two concepts cannot be separates. Scholars define EC as a learned ability of an individual resulting from EI which enables him to show outstanding performance in every field of life and, more specifically, job. For example, to show skill in conflict resolution with customers, it is important that the individual knows EI basics like relationship management. However, if he has mastered in EI basics like relationship management, that that does not guarantee that he has also mastered in conflict resolution. He has only gained potential to learn EC by learning EI. To make a contrast, EI involves tackling emotional situations in all wa lks of life while EIs are specially job skills based on EI. References Matthews, G., Zeidner, M., & Roberts, R.D. (2004). Emotional Intelligence: Science and Myth. USA: MIT Press. Saarni, C. (1999). The Development of Emotional Competence. USA: Guilford Press.

Do judges in the Uk made political decisions Outline

Do judges in the Uk made political decisions - Outline Example In the part of the Judiciary, however, its intervention in the legislative is controversial. The participation of the Judiciary branch in political decision-making applies only to the making of a common law, but their primary duty is to interpret the law and make sure that anyone who goes against it will be punished. Separation of Powers The major institutions of the British state would include the executive, the parliament and the judiciary. Each branch works "in the name of the Crown" which is the ruling monarch. Much like the roles of other government types, the branches have the roles of law making, implementation, and evaluation, respectively. However, the influence of a monarch would be the difference. In the Constitutional Fundamentals, the executive "comprises the Crown and the Government, including the Prime Minister and the government" (Anon., n.d). Its duties are to formulate and implement policies that the state and the government itself should abide. The Parliament compr ises of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The members of the House of Lords were unelected and were only appointed by the Crown. The Judiciary, as the term suggests, enacts the law and makes sure that it is properly exercised by every citizen of the nation. The Judiciary is an independent body. The legislature and the parliament should not influence the decisions of the judges and in the same way that the judges are not ought to make political decisions except for common laws. A common law, as the term suggests, comprises of general beliefs of people inspired by tradition, custom, and precedent (Anon., 2008). The status of the U.K. judges nowadays has been vague in terms of enactment of specified roles. As reported by Press Association (2011), former home secretary Lord Michael Howard said that the judges have "too much power" over the ruling of the state. This friction began when the High Court intervened with the Government's plan to pursue the "multibillion-pound secon dary school rebuilding programme." Lord Howard said that the judges are expected to stick to their responsibilities as law interpreters and leave the policy making to the executive (Press Association, 2011). This is the same to what Stevens (2005, p.55) stated that since the judges have taken a "more central role in political decision-making," their role as an independent body which exercises "impartiality" is already unreliable. In this note, the roles of the judges should be clarified. However, Peretti (1999) points out three things about judges and their roles in politics (cited in Cross, 2000, p.18). Peretti (1998) argues that "1) judge makes decisions based on their politics and not on some neutral principles of law; 2) that judges are not particularly independent of the influence of legislatures and hence must tailor their decisions to congressional politics; and 3) that this situation is a very good thing† (cited in Cross, 2000, p.18). Clearly, Peretti (1999) discloses that there should be a point in which the law-making body and the Judiciary could merge. The law states that there is a definite separation of power in all three branches, where the Judiciary acts as an interpreter of the law. Because of this, â€Å"Judges are independent from the police and the government, and cannot be told what to do, or have their decisions changed by ministers† (Directgov, n.d.). In reality, the opposite of expected outcomes persists. The manner of being one of the

Outsourcing Supply Chain Support and its Effectiveness and Implication Dissertation

Outsourcing Supply Chain Support and its Effectiveness and Implication in R&D Environment in Singapore - Dissertation Example and Objectives 1.3 Research Methods 1.4Significance of Research 1.5 Dissertation Outline 1.6 Conclusions Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Information Sharing and Outsourcing 2.3 The importance of Information sharing in Outsourcing 2.4 The risk factors of Information sharing 2.5 How much information can be shared? 2.6 How to ensure effective information-sharing 2.7 Conclusion Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research Approach 3.3 Research Methods 3.4 Research Design 3.4.1 Sample 3.4.2 Method of Data Collection: Interview 3.4.3 Research Instrument 3.4.4 Method of Data Analysis 3.5 Research Validity and Reliability 3.6 Ethical Considerations 3.7 Conclusions Chapter 4: Findings 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Part A: Findings from i3lab 4.2.1 Challenges of Managing the Supply Chain for Support Products for i3lab 4.2.3 Performance Assessment of Outsourcing Partners 4.2.4 Outsourcing Partner Selection Criteria (size, capabilities, and geographical locations) 4.2.5 Outsourcing Partner Trust 4.2.6 Protocol for Sharing Information with Outsourcing Vendors 4.2.7 Channels of Communications Employed 4.2.8 Decisions Regarding Information Sharing 4.2.9 Managing Integrity of Shared Information 4.2.10 Importance of Information sharing and Concerns Regarding Integrity 4.3 PART B: Findings from the Interviews of Outsourcing Partners 4.3.1 Challenges and Problems faced during Supplying Components to Buyers 4.3.2 Channels of Communication Employed Between Outsourcing Partners and Buyers 4.3.3 Information Sharing with Buyers 4.3.4 Adequacy of Information Shared from the Buyer 4.3.5 Buyer Information Security 4.3.6 Suggestions for Buyer Information Security 4.3.7 Differences in Procurement Practices in China and Singapore 4.4 Summary Chapter 5: Discussion and... This paper tells that in the past decades, there has been experienced an acute shortage of supply chain support services, especially for Research and Development (R&D operations), There are multiple reasons for these shortages and these include outsourcing to foreign countries like China and India where cost advantages can be obtained, inflationary pressures on the costs of operations. Indices like the manufacturing unit labour costs have shown an increase of 15% while unit business costs have increase by 7.8% over 2010. In addition, there is also a shift towards knowledge based economy as opposed to manufacturing and engineering, which has led to the government focusing on other sectors. There is a lowering of demand in the ultra-precision engineering segment in Singapore. A recent survey by the Ministry of Trade and Industries (MIT) has revealed that there is a decline of 5.9% in the manufacturing sector in the second quarter of 2011. The Precision Engineering sector comprising of precision modules and components has shown a 10% decrease in 2011 from the year 2007. The above factors have made it lucrative for organizations in the in the ultra-precision engineering R&D activities to follow the path of outsourcing. However, while outsourcing leads to cost cuttings, it may also lead to a loss of control over standardization and problems of product quality. There is therefore a need to share information with the outsourcing partners. The current dissertation is aimed at evaluating how the ultra-precision engineering R&D need to manage their sensitive information while sharing knowledge and practices with their outsourcing partners.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Negative Side of Copyright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Negative Side of Copyright - Essay Example Copyright protection only enables the developer of software to deter the software’s copying or copying of the source code. Software copyright does not provide protection against the copying of any process, method of operation, procedure, system, principle, discovery, or concept in the software. In addition to that, software copyright does not provide any surety against independent development of software of the like. A vast majority of the software products cannot address the variety of requirements set forth to get broad protection that the patent law can afford. Most applications of software patent face problems because of the requirement for the invention to be not obvious and be new. Nevertheless, this requirement helps in the process analyzing if or not an individual should pursue copyright protection or patent. â€Å"because copyrights protect the implementation (the actual code) but not the concept, copyrights do not prevent someone from implementing an algorithm in a different programming language or with a different set of routines, for example, offering almost no protection for something as complex and flexible as software† (Zeidman, 2011, p. 93). The look and feel of software amount to behavior and thus copyright should not be used to protect them in software; the Computer Law Review Committee (CLRC) did not recommend additional protection forms for the displays on screen (Lai, 2000, p. 66). While software copyright has imposed a range of hindrances and hurdles in the way of development and spread of knowledge, free software has generated a lot of benefits. On the technological side, free software sets the stage for open source projects. One of its key examples is the development of Linux as the operating system in which functions of the free software movement serve as pre-requisite for the open source software. Linux could not have been developed and adopted as effectively without free software as it has

Business Management 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Management 2 - Essay Example Considerably, this also includes how leadership style and management skills affect the successful implementation of the four functions of management. In business, Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling, are the four managerial functions vital to the success of every management vision. Management process is a system where the four managerial functions are sought to be very critical; that if one function ceases to be useful, success is difficult to attain (Rothbauer-Wanish, 2009). However, the functionality of the four managerial components is also affected by the type of leadership and the managerial skills the managers possess and exhibit. Planning. The successful execution of the four managerial functions leads to the success of a company. Planning, the fundamental function of management is where business goals and objectives are stated for future operations. It includes the basics of business planning—the business’ objectives and goals—and strategic planning, which includes â€Å"internal and external environmental analyses †¦ and the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis† (Erven, 1999). Furthermore, planning also includes concerns regarding the kind of environment the company is operating (Barnett, 2010). One international company that had successfully executed the planning function of management is Toyota Motors Corporation. Planning, in Toyota, is done prior to the environmental conservation initiative of the company, which is reflected in its statement of corporate responsibility (Toyota, n.d.a). In fact, its motors are designed to foster environmental conservation and sustainable development as well (Toyota, n.d.b). Organizing. Another managerial function important in any organization is organizing. According to Management Study Guide (1998-2009), organizing refers to the coordinating of the different business resources to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Negative Side of Copyright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Negative Side of Copyright - Essay Example Copyright protection only enables the developer of software to deter the software’s copying or copying of the source code. Software copyright does not provide protection against the copying of any process, method of operation, procedure, system, principle, discovery, or concept in the software. In addition to that, software copyright does not provide any surety against independent development of software of the like. A vast majority of the software products cannot address the variety of requirements set forth to get broad protection that the patent law can afford. Most applications of software patent face problems because of the requirement for the invention to be not obvious and be new. Nevertheless, this requirement helps in the process analyzing if or not an individual should pursue copyright protection or patent. â€Å"because copyrights protect the implementation (the actual code) but not the concept, copyrights do not prevent someone from implementing an algorithm in a different programming language or with a different set of routines, for example, offering almost no protection for something as complex and flexible as software† (Zeidman, 2011, p. 93). The look and feel of software amount to behavior and thus copyright should not be used to protect them in software; the Computer Law Review Committee (CLRC) did not recommend additional protection forms for the displays on screen (Lai, 2000, p. 66). While software copyright has imposed a range of hindrances and hurdles in the way of development and spread of knowledge, free software has generated a lot of benefits. On the technological side, free software sets the stage for open source projects. One of its key examples is the development of Linux as the operating system in which functions of the free software movement serve as pre-requisite for the open source software. Linux could not have been developed and adopted as effectively without free software as it has

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Company law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Company law - Essay Example It implies that if somebody starts a business as a limited liability company, the company is regarded as a legal entity with a separate legal personality, which signifies that a company is different from its owners, employees along with shareholders. This in turn assures the advantages of ‘corporate veil’ to the company, wherein the owners, employees and shareholders are directly charged with the damage claims or tort claims caused due to their misconduct or irresponsible conduct with the name of the company. The Salomon principle in this regard emphasises that a company only provides grounds for individuals to act in its behalf and thus, charges in lieu of the tort laws should be treated in a way that makes the decision makers directly, personally and professionally liable for the damages1. In this regard, it has often been argued and has subsequently been under stern arguments that the tort creditors of a subsidiary company holding limited liability shall be deemed as ineligible to obtain the benefits from Salomon principle. It is worth mentioning in this context that because tort creditors are also recognised as involuntary creditors and fall into the classification of unsecured stakeholders2. The case rule in Adams v Cape Industries plc plays an influential role in this context wherein it affirms that employees of subsidiary companies, as involuntary creditors and also as tort creditors should be considered as eligible to demand damage compensations from the parent company. In is in this context that the application of Salomon principle is regarded as unjust in respect to the tort creditors where the parent company bears a rational degree of ‘duty of care’ to protect the interests of its subsidiary tort creditors3. Emphasising this particular issue, the discussion henceforth intends to discuss about the applicability of Salomon principle in the company law. Moreover, the discussion will also emphasize on the various aspects on the basis of which Salomon principle is regarded to be unfair for tort creditors of a subsidiary company. Solomon Principle and Tort Creditors of a Subsidiary Company As mentioned above, the Salomon principle has been developed from the case ‘Salomon v Salomon & Co, Ltd’. The Salomon principle implies that corporate decision makers should be legally entitled to compensate the damages suffered by the stakeholders of the business due to their misconducts or ignorance to ‘duty of care’, as per the relevant tort law. These companies are regarded as private and should be registered under the Companies Act 1862. In this regard, a registered company is determined to possess a separate legal entity as per the Salomon principle, which differentiates the statue of such a company from its shareholders, employees and other individuals associated with it. In this context, a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1862 is treated as an independent individual possessing its own respective rights along with liabilities that are different from the rights and liabilities owned by its decision makers, which further justifies the application of corporate veil in segregating the liabilities of individuals from that of the company as separate entities. There are various instances where the principle of

Monday, October 14, 2019

Ethics of Wikileaks

Ethics of Wikileaks Ethical Dilemma Introduction The present research paper is based on the wikileaks ethical dilemma wherein the moral and ethical substance was derogated. The paper focussed on the key aspects of ethical dilemma and what are the dire consequences of the same. Ethics implies knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do (Potter Stewart). The quote explains the position of ethics in an individual’s life. It explains what a person ought to do and how far he is right in doing so. The individual in their life should always differentiate his actions with the degree of rightness in it. The individual should have a sense of knowledge whether he is doing the said activity in the right manner or not. It’s not compulsion for one professional that what he ought to do is the right thing to be done. There may be situations where a professional may be seek to do something wrong as per his orders and that situation will pose ethical dilemma on him, whether to follow the orders for the mere will of completing the tasks or whether be ethical and judge the situations from others point of view. This is true that whenever we are seeking any ethical situations, it is important to step into the shoes of the com mon person or the person on the other side and then do the act. This always explains us whether the same actions done by others would cause us the same outcome as we are doing so. (Cohen, 2004) Julian Assange the founder of Wikileaks launched the website on 2006 in Iceland; Assange had three friends/colleagues namely Kristinn Hrafnsson, Joseph Farrell and Sarah Harrison along with her. Harrfnsson who was also related to Sunshine production was carrying on the business. With strength of around 800 non paid reporters, the company operates as a non-profit organization worldwide. The company is involved in publishing secret and insight news to the public of the nation. The reason for the same is that the public should be aware of what is happening in their country and what the government is trying to do for the people in reality. Wikileaks has affected the rights of the government in a good manner. The company shows a transparency of news to the public due to which the government is hampered in support manner. Some people on reading the truth and news about the government leave support on the voting rights and are against the government. In the essay below we shall discuss with certain examples how the votes of the government are affected and the legality of wiki leaks from the government point of view and what the overall impact is. The news and transparency of wiki leaks harm the government and support as it is seen that In Kenya during elections in2007 wiki leaks had exposed a government scam of $3,000,000,000 where the scam had resulted to increase in the disease malaria which resulted in 20% death of children below 5 years and after the scam was exposed the news had turned around about 10% of the votes against the government. The two issues involved are: they should have proper and unhampered information on what the governments are trying to do The information which is a clear part of the business of the government must be properly protected so that it allows discussion and helps in proper and good judgments. There is a certain exception where, just to consider that the government is trying to do a secret project and someone from the wiki leak discovers the same, and the project is such that it may cause some significant losses of life. Hence this information sharing with the public shall be totally defensible as it may also be possible that it’s a major sting operation and the full information has not being obtained by the whistle blower. As for publishing the information may save several lives, but if there has been no whistle blowing or like no harm has been prevented. And the information has been actually created and fixed in such manner to against the public for the government. Or even on a worse consideration the operation or project was actually such to put a strategic operation to actually save certain lives of the people and the information could be a compromised leak and may even back fire. SO this manner it harms a lot to the government and it might not prove to be healt hy hence wiki leaks should work in a more refined manner or along with the government so that the support for both are equally mutual. Talking about the liberal rights to the best of my understanding is that the wiki leaks has no authority and permission from the government of the country or any official agreement through which they shall be allowed to share these information to the public or aware the public of the government secret projects of the government. At the same time since every person has rights to freedom and speech it is not anywhere breaking the law and wiki leaks or Assange has also got high support from the reporters and also the general public because via wiki leaks they get to know about news which they shall know or have authority to know being the citizen of that country. Talking about liberal value, then transparency is not only the liberal value but there are other factors also. Value of legitimacy- people who have some public interest should definitely have democratic mandate or some accountability. Legality is another liberal value- the actions that affect others should have some basis in la w. In a liberal society transparency is very important. Privacy to be the third liberal value- in case of the human affairs the people should have the conduct some communication on the basis of confidentiality. If there is no confidence then there shall be no flow of any useful information. Counting on the overall impact is that wiki leaks is at the verge and has public for and against both for them. Though it proves to be very useful and helpful for the general public at the same time it is very harmful or may cause to be very harmful for the government of the country. Wikileaks cal also proves to be a national threat to the country it may harm the peace and harmony of particular countries and their relationships. If Wikileaks had revealed the fact of the US government that the They spent about $300 billion on the war with Afghanistan which was the money of the US taxpayers citizens then the public might react in a negative manner to the government and the other harm would also be that Taliban had been proven stronger than the war of 2001 then this information leak may have resulted to loose credibility of the military troops and the Taliban would have rallied more troops and the war would have been a disaster. So the support of Wikileaks is strong but the overall impact is neutral as there is some information that has to be confidential and wiki leaks may work with the government is such a manner that it shall not hamper the peace and harmony of the country in a negative manner. Ethics when explained is divided into two halves. The first being the descriptive ethics and the other being the prescriptive ethics. The former explains the descriptive behaviours in the ethics whereas the latter explains the normative ethics that is based on the principles of ethics. The descriptive ethics explains about the position of the individual to have a look at the society, their culture, their practices, and might force them to see such number of things as average, height, weight, and other things. These are the things that differentiate people from each other. The above essay we see the liberal rights of wiki leaks as they only not need to count on the liberal part but also on accountability as it is important to have some information as private and confidential, thought the wiki leaks has support from lot of organisations and the general public. The essay also states how the government is affected for votes and election due to the news of wiki leaks and how it may benefit or harm the elections of the country. Wikileaks may continue doing the work as it is not a crime but the legal aspects shall have to be taken into consideration. References US Government Officials Admit That They Lied About Actual Impact Of Wikileaks To Bolster Legal Effort | Techdirt. (n.d.). RetrievedOctober31, 2013, from http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110119/14280012733/us-government-officials-admit-that-they-lied-about-actual-impact-wikileaks-to-bolster-legal-effort.shtml The Wikileaks Party vs The Pirate Party | Election Watch 2013. (n.d.). RetrievedOctober31, 2013, from http://2013electionwatch.com.au/analysis/wikileaks-party-vs-pirate-party Wikileaks release has more benefits than drawbacks. (n.d.). RetrievedOctober31, 2013, from http://alleghenycampus.com/2010/10/28/wikileaks-spread-truth/ WikiLeaks growing impact – This Just In CNN.com Blogs. (n.d.). RetrievedOctober31, 2013, from http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/29/what-is-wikileaks-2/

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Celebrating Nutrition Month at a School :: Health Nutrition Pyramid Diet

Nutrition Month Celebration Last July, Life College has a celebration for Nutrition Month. The program runs like this: In the morning, the students have a food fair, each level decorated their booth and sell cuisines. Elementary students sell nutritious food like fruit salad, pancit, eggs and etc. assisted by their parents. 1st year class was assigned to cook Seafood cuisines, 2nd year for Asia cuisines and 3rd year for World cuisines. While the food fair is on going, chosen grade 1to 4 students participated in Poster Making Contest. It was held in the Library at 9:00 am. The contest was not that easy because they must just used their fingers and natural food color for painting. A Grade 3 Matatag student won the contest. Aside from those activities, some of the students join the parlor games. Their activeness in the games showed that they are healthy and fit. Some of the games are Tug of War, Stop Dance and Pasa Buko. The food cooking competition started an hour and a half before noon. Each level and section are provided a list of ingredients that they must bring and use in making appetizer, main dish, soup, dessert and beverage. When the clock struck at 12:00, the judges start to taste and grade the food that they cooked. 2nd year students got the taste of the judges and won the contest. In the afternoon, the program is held in the Life Church auditorium. They have Quiz Bee about nutrition. You will see that all of the contestants are giving their best. 1st year Dependable got the 1st place, 3rd year A got the 2nd place and 1st year committed got the 3rd place. After few minutes of break, the Search for A1 child 2008 started. 6 children from the Preschool Department joined the contest. They are all smart and talented. The audience cheered when they saw these children dressed with their costumes related to fruits and vegetables, sport wears, and school uniforms. The mass stood up form their chair and clapped their hands when the children showed their talents.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Macbeth: Time And Evil :: essays research papers

The Shakespearean tragedy of Macbeth is one of the shortest of all his plays. The story of one man's determination to secure his position as king has become a literary classic around the world. Many critics have applied their input on what they believe to be the proper analysis of Macbeth. However Phyllis Rackin's interpretation of the play has become the counter balance to which I place my critique. Rackin's criticism of Macbeth employs both the importance of time and the overwhelming power of evil; these ideas are only two of the many themes displayed in Shakespeare's illustrious tragedy. Rackin analyzed that time was a major factor in Macbeth and all his actions were a "race against time"(108). She also noticed that Shakespeare started his play with a question about time, "When shall we three meet again†¦?"(Act I, scene I). Rackin viewed Macbeth's reign at king as a pause in time, at which moment the sun ceases to rise and darkness engulfs Scotland. At the death of Macbeth and the end of his sovereignty, Macduff pronounces, "time is free"(Act V, scene VIII). The issue of time has been strongly supported by Phyllis Rackin, however I view this issue as an insignificant matter in the story of Macbeth. Time is an issue in all plays and would function the same in any other suspenseful thriller. Along with time, Phyllis Rackin critiqued the use of the compelling manipulation of evil. In Macbeth, the main character becomes enraged with an evil urge to maintain his status as king. Macbeth's cravings begin when he is no longer capable of waiting for the witches' prophesies to come true and murders the king. He continues he rampage with the murders of Banquo and Maduff's intermediate family. This can all be foreseen after Macbeth kills Duncan and cries out that "the deed will not be 'done when 'tis done,' that it will be no 'end-all' but instead a beginning"(113). Unlike Rackin's view on time, I agree with her view on Macbeth's evil entrapment. It is apparent that, throughout the progression of the tragedy, Macbeth transforms from the loyal thane into the murderous king.