Dramatic Structure Much Ado About Nothing - 1483 Words

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Exposition: The scene is set in Messina, Italy. In this state there is a wealthy landowner who is also the Governor named Leonato. He is a good natured man that has one child, a daughter named Hero. He also has a niece named Beatrice who is quick witted and, as Don Pedro points out, â€Å"a pleasant spirited lady†, although she is secretly a scorned woman that is bitter at being left by a man named Benedick years before. We learn about Beatrice’s distain and long time feud with Benedick, whom is also a master of prose and banter. There is a very important Nobleman coming to visit his longtime friend Leonato on his way to return home from victory in war. This man is Don Pedro, who is called†¦show more content†¦They all three then go to outside of Hero’s bedroom and see Borachio and the back of Margaret as they are making love. Borachio is screaming out Hero’s name (as they have done in the past to role play) and therefore the Prince and Claudio are convinced that Hero is the woman in the arms of another man. The next day, during the wedding, Claudio denounces Hero’s honor and tells everyone about what he had seen. When it is verified by the Prince and the Bastard that they witnessed the same thing, Hero falls to the ground in a pile of lifelessness and the Prince, the Bastard, and Claudio leave the courtyard. Leonato attacks his daughter for her actions but the Friar and Beatrice stop him from potentially killing her. The Friar and Beatrice know that Hero is innocent and suspect that the Prince and Claudio have been led astray by the jealous Bastard. The Friar points out that Hero was left for dead and suggests that they should let everyone know that Hero died from the stress of the public accusation and humiliation. This way Claudio can truly suffer for what he has done to Hero and also she will be able to get her reputation cleared once the truth is discovered. Leonato and his brother Antonio agree and Hero is taken secretly in to the house of Antonio while the rest get the funeral arrangements started. Benedick tries to comfort Beatrice during this most distressing time and professes his love for her and she vows her love to him if heShow MoreRelatedHow Shakespeare Dramatically Presents Power and Authority in the Relationship Between Men and Women in Much Ado About Nothing1582 Words   |  7 PagesWomen in Much Ado About Nothing One of the key explorations of power and authority in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† is the relationship between Hero and Leonato as father and daughter. The play was written in Elizabethan England, and social attitudes of the period, together with long standing tradition, influence Shakespeare’s portrayal of the â€Å"proper† relationship between father and daughter, and duty they owed to each other. In â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† it is very much a patriarchalRead More Differences between Beatrice and Hero in Much Ado about Nothing1203 Words   |  5 PagesDifferences between Beatrice and Hero in the early scenes of Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ has two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, who are cousins. Both appear to be completely different in the beginning of the play but, as things progress and their characters develop, there are also some very obvious similarities between them. Hero and Beatrice have a very close relationship; they are best friends. Leonato is Hero’s father butRead MoreShakespeares Techniques in Much Ado About Nothing Essay1171 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Techniques in Much Ado About Nothing I am going to describe the techniques used by Shakespeare in Much Ado About Nothing. I am focusing on language, themes, characters, plots and sub plots as well as the play as a whole. I will also be focusing on how the modern day as well as the Elizabethan audience would respond to this play write. Shakespeare is known as one of the worlds best play writers, he has written tragedies, histories, sonnets and comediesRead MoreDiscuss the Differences Between Beatrice and Hero in the Early Scenes of the Play1226 Words   |  5 PagesDiscuss the differences between Beatrice and Hero in the early scenes of the play Shakespeares play ‘Much Ado about Nothing has two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, who are cousins. Both appear to be completely different in the beginning of the play but, as things progress and their characters develop, there are also some very obvious similarities between them. Hero and Beatrice have a very close relationship; they are best friends. Leonato is Heros father but Beatrice has no parentsRead MoreCape Literature Ia Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare2242 Words   |  9 PagesThe 1993 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, by Kenneth Branagh, differs in many aspects from the original script written by Shakespeare. Branagh employs brilliant cinematography, manipulating lighting, camera angles to produce a carefree version to the original text. The soundtrack is dazzling and his interpretation breathes life and vitality into this old world play. According to critic Vincent Canby, â€Å"He has taken a Shakespearean romantic comedy, the sort of thingRead MoreMuch to Do with Deception2356 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"Much To Do With Deception† A Critical Research Paper about William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing, written by William Shakespeare, is a dramatic production that uses the tools of deception and humor under the category of comedy. As defined by Paul N. Siegel, â€Å"A comic play is usually accepted to be a light-hearted play with a happy conclusion.† Yet, Shakespearian tragic plays often use deception as a method to damage the role of the hero. In other Shakespearian tragediesRead MoreMuch Ado About Nothing Essay1839 Words   |  8 Pages‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by William Shakespeare contains many aspects that anchor the Elizabethan conventions of comedy, but allows us to question whether the ending gratifies the audience and does it actually create a satisfactory dramatic catharsis? Aristotle first discussed the concept of catharsis. He believed that â€Å"the poets aim is to produce pleasure in the spectator by eliciting from the representation the emotions of pity (for others) and fear (for oneself)†. I believe ‘Much Ado About Nothing’Read MoreA Spirited Female Lead in Pride and Prejudice by Austen and Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare2137 Words   |  9 PagesA Spirited Female Lead in Pride and Prejudice by Austen and Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare are two of the best known and best loved literary works in history. One of the main reasons for this is the strength and personality of their leading female characters Beatrice, and Elizabeth and the relationships that they form within the books. Beatrice, described as being possessedRead MoreMuch Ado About Nothing, Act 4 Scene 1 Analysis1566 Words   |  7 PagesEssay: Much Ado About Nothing In Act 4 Scene 1, Shakespeare employs numerous dramatic techniques to create a remarkable and memorable moment in the play. The techniques include: the positioning of the scene in the context of the play as a whole; the successful characterization of the key players, including Leonato, Claudio and Hero in particular; and the use of poetic and descriptive language. To begin with the structure of the play as a whole, the audience would already feel tense because ofRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde1407 Words   |  6 Pagesdetrimental to his high status. From this, it could be argued that Wilde uses hyperbole in Algernon’s dismissal to â€Å"see anything romantic† in an act typically passionate to amplify the Comedy of Manners to a Victorian audience as it reinforces the dramatic irony created: the audience is already conscious of the eventual romantic union of Algernon and Cecily, hence reinforcing the comedy created. We also witness the fact that Algernon’s main priorities are not harmonious with the rest of civilization

The State Of Quality Of Primary Education - 1410 Words

The State of Quality of Primary Education in India The key concern about education, in any formal educational system, of all time, has been its quality. Every stake holder, direct or indirect, of education is concerned about its quality. Guardians or parents, irrespective of their socio-economic status, want to educate their children with best quality education which would add better value to the degrees their wards acquire subject to the budget constraints. But what do we mean by ‘quality education? How this quality is being assessed? What is the status of the quality of education in India? This paper seeks to focus on these issues with respect to the quality of primary education in India. There is no universally accepted definition for ‘quality of education’. In education, perception of quality is around students (Mukhopadhyay, 2001). The performance of the students like examination results, learning achievements, ability to apply learned knowledge in practical life-- exhibit the quality of an education. For some, â€Å"Quality of education† means value addition in education (Feigenbaum 1951); excellence in education (Peters and Waterman 1982); for others, fitness of education outcomes and experience for use (Juran and Gryna 1988). For a society, â€Å"excellence† and â€Å"value† are most appropriate indicators for quality education. A generally accepted definition of quality education does not exist and different end users adopt different criteria for determining the quality ofShow MoreRelatedComparing Education Between United States And Nepal1689 Words   |  7 Pages Comparing Education of United States to Nepal The quality of education varies across the countries. The quality of education system of Nepal is different to United States. While comparing the quality of educations between two countries, several factors that caused were examined. These factor show that there is significant difference between the qualities of education between the two countries. Most importantly, the finding in the papers shows that the quality of education are caused due to economicRead MoreEducation Is The Most Powerful Weapon That Can Be Used For Change The World990 Words   |  4 PagesTiara Agee Montgomery English 1101 September 21, 2014 Education in Underprivileged Countries Nelson Mandela once said, â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world.† He was right; an education can provide great opportunities for people. American children have the chance to receive a quality education, but that is not the case in some countries. In underprivileged countries, children may not receive an education. In the natural photograph taken in 2009 by American PressRead MoreNational Mission Of The Sarva Siksha721 Words   |  3 Pagesthe dropout percentage is marginally higher for boys at the primary level (35.85 per cent compared to 33.72 per cent for girls). Enduring explanations for dropout rates have been a shortage of quality instructors, teacher absenteeism, lack of facilities as well as inadequate supervision by local authorities. Since 1994, the National Institute forE ducationaPl lanninga ndA dministration (sN IEPA)D istrict InformationS ystemf or Education( DISE)h as beenm onitoring thee ffectivea llocationa ndi mplementationofRead MoreEducation in Bangladesh707 Words   |  3 PagesEducation in Bangladesh is basically state financed. However, government depend heavily on external aid for financing the educational sector. Government allocate fund for the education sector out of its revenue expenditure amp; development expenditure. Revenue expenditure on educational sector has gradually increased over the year but development expenditure fluctuated. Revenue expenditure on primary and secondary education also constitute major portion of revenue expenditure and it was consistentRead MoreMain Issues That Affect The Quality Of Access Education1688 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper discusses five main issues that affect the quality of and access to education in developing countries, namely; economic barriers, conflict barriers, climate change barriers, gender barriers, and language barriers. Definitions of ‘education’ such as â€Å"the acquisition of the art of the utilisation of knowledge† (Whitehead, 1966), or â€Å"making available to each generation the organised knowledge of the past† (Good, 1959, p191), or â€Å"the means whereby one generation transmits the wisdom, knowledgeRead MoreEssay about The Future of Nursing751 Words   |  4 Pagesin the United States, â€Å"The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.† For two years a committee named Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) worked to study facts, research literature, learn practices across the United States, and understand the reason change needed to happen to nursing in the complex changing healthcare. RWJF’s belief is that nursing is one of the largest portions of healthcare workforce and in partnership, able to actively achieve â€Å"accessible, high-quality healthcare.†Read MoreQuestions On Lack Of Infrastructure1423 Words   |  6 PagesInfrastructure: To provide a quality of education there is need of quality of infrastructure if somebody knows how to play cricket but his potential cannot be utilized unless and until he has been provided with required infrastructure same is the case of every school and colleges where thousands of graduates are coming out without the knowledge of skills and abilities and end result in remaining unemployed. If resources are provided then we can convert them into quality of workforce which is the direRead MoreFuture of Nursing1315 Words   |  6 PagesNursing Education, Nursing Practice, and Nursing Leadership. Nursing Education Nursing education in the United States has long been a controversial issue. With having at least three educational routes to enter the nursing profession, levels of nursing education continue to be a topic of discussion in the health care industry. The IOM recognizes this obstacle in the education of nurses and calls for a transformation in this area in their report. One of their key messages states that NursesRead MoreImproving The Sustainable Development Goals840 Words   |  4 Pagesconflict-affected countries has been increasing. Despite this progress towards universal primary education, far too many children – 58 million – remain out of school globally, and millions are not learning. Over half of the 250 million children who lack foundation skills in reading, writing and numeracy have had at least four years of primary education. Increasing equitable access to quality basic education, especially among the most marginalized children, and improving learning outcomes are keyRead MoreIndia s Second Largest Population1399 Words   |  6 Pageswhich will be the future of India, henceforth quality education, nourishment and exposure right from primary and upper primary. In order to overcome such challenges government of India came up with the scheme of midday meal scheme. Midday meal scheme serves nutritious to the school age children nationwide. The programme supplies free lunch to all students from in government primary, upper primary, local bodies, and Alternate Innovative Education Centres, Madarsa, Maqtabs, supported under Sarva

Penning a legacy Essay Example For Students

Penning a legacy Essay Penning a Legacy is a significant title because the article speaks about William Penn and the lasting legacy of him and the colony that he had started. He is a legacy because he stood up for what he believed in even when he was imprisoned. He started a government from scratch in his colony, which was named after his father. In his colony all faiths were looked at as equal. In this article William Penn is looked at as a legend. He was born on October 14, 1644. His father was an Admiral who was close friends with King Charles II. The King constantly borrowed money from the Admiral. Penn was kicked out of Oxford then sent by his father to Paris to study abroad. When Penn returned he had adopted the lifestyle of a Quaker. He believed that every man was equal. Being well educated and smarter then most he began to write pamphlets and publish them. Penn was ridiculed in the pamphlet, which in turn started verbal attacks. This led to Penns incarceration. He was imprisoned in a tower for nine months. Threatened by life in prison, Penn refused to back down. He was released from jail due to his fathers connection to the King. In 1672 Penn married Gulielma Springett and had seven children. In the 1670s Penn switched his attention to the New World. Penns father died without ever collecting the debt owed to him from the king. In 1680 Penn asked the King for a piece of land in the New World in exchange for a settled debt. The King agreed and named the piece of land Pennsylvania. After Penn moved there he had the unsettling task of establishing a government. He mandated his own constitution having freedom of religion, voting rights, and penal reform. When arriving in the new land, Penn made a treaty with the Indians wishing to live in harmony. After living on the land for two years Penn ran into trouble with neighboring colony Maryland, and retreated back to England. Upon returning home Penn came to the conclusion that his financial advisor defrauded him, therefore leaving Penn with serious debt. At age 63 Penn was imprisoned again in debtors prison. Penn tried to sell Pennsylvania prior to death, but the deal never matured before his demise. Although Penn was in extreme debt, after his death he was and still is looked at as a triumphed individual. I learned in this article that in 1984 almost 300 years after William Penns death the U.S. gave him a citizenship. Penn was a focused man who knew exactly what he wanted and didnt let anyone steer him away from his goals. William Penn is without a doubt an important icon in American history.

The contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the civil rights movement

For the longest time in the history of the American society, black people faced severe discrimination from the white community. They were denied of their basic rights and they faced segregation, marginalization, maltreatment as well as poor working conditions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the civil rights movement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other than these, slave trade which involved the dehumanizing sale of African Americans thrived and black men were also denied the right to vote. This provoked a fight for civil rights through the Civil Rights Movement which fought for the African Americans rights a ccording toFinlayson (11). This essay delves deeply into the contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the Civil Rights Movement which played a great role in redeeming the black people from this discrimination. However, on the ground this was not the case as the African Americans were segregated, marginalized, maltreated, and subjected to poor working conditions. They also lacked opportunities and access to public amenities according to Levy (7-10). This saw the blacks come together in churches through song, literature, businesses, homes, families, poems and books all with the goal to fight against discrimination by the whites. Among these were Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks who used literary works to voice out their displeasure on the discrimination against blacks as well as portray a humanitarian point of view on the plight of the African Americans in the 20th century (Marshall Cavendish Corporation 4). Richard Wright was among the young Americans born in the period when segregation and discrimination was at its peak. During this period, blacks were not supposed to contradict a white person but take in the segregation happily, cheerfully and humbly (Rowley 5).Advertising Looking for essay on ethnici ty studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Wright’s father abandoned their family when he was young and went to a segregated high school and was deeply hurt by the poor conditions that African Americans were living in. He published his first short story in 1924 and during the great depression; he did a variety of jobs and joined the communist party. He also wrote articles for the Daily Worker. He later moved to New York where he wrote a collection known as â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Children† which won him an award whose money he used to finish his famous book, â€Å"The Native Son† (Williams and Beard 358). Wright’s writing was mainly influenced by the prejudice and suffering he saw the black people go through as well as his own personal life. He was very outspoken on the injustices of racism and discrimination. His first book â€Å"Tom’s children† was soft and brought many to tears. To him however this was a failure in conveying his message as he wanted his audience to be shocked by the realities of racism which he was able to do in â€Å"The Native Son†. The book â€Å"Native Son† brought about racism in a very harsh and unmasked manner especially in the last chapter, â€Å"the trial†. It is the story of a man who kills two women; a white woman by accident and his black girlfriend purposely out of frustration and anger. He is caught and taken to trial but he is only convicted of one murder; that of the white girl which he committed accidentally. The murder of his black girlfriend is completely ignored and went unpunished showing the white community’s extent of their racism (Fraile 151). In the â€Å"Native Son†, Wright relies on naturalism and symbolism to bring out his key themes which include injustice, racism, violence and oppression. The bigger one is the representative of America’s racial hatred.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the civil rights movement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The names of the characters also hint at the themes, for example, â€Å"Mr. Max† to represent Marxism and Clara â€Å"Mears† to mean a merely exploited black woman (Nelson 500). Wright also brings light to how discrimination affects black men as providers in their families in his play â€Å"Man of all work†. The play also reflects his experience with his father who was not willing to work hard to provide for the needs of their family. In this play, he uses symbolism and irony to show how black men are forced to do all sorts of work sometimes even having to pretend to be women to provide for their families. In another play called â€Å"Man ain’t God like that†, Wright explores western cultural imperialism. It also explores the effects of merging Christi anity with traditional African beliefs. Also in this play, he uses irony to hold the story and bring out its themes (Nelson 498-500). The other significant writer into the fight for civil rights is Gwendolyn Brooks. Gwendolyn Brooks unlike Richard Wright was a poet cum reporter and thus used poetry in her contributions to the fight for civil rights. Brooks had an eye for the discrimination of the blacks and their oppression by the white people. She saw a world filled with poverty, violence and loyalty. In the midst of this was humanity with a strong prideful persistence that was indifferent to oppression of that other group which surrounded and threatened it. Her poetry therefore not only represented this bleak world but also her personality as a strong black woman. Her books include, â€Å"A Street in Bronzeville† which portrays the frustration of a World War 2 veteran with American racism and the â€Å"Maud Martha†.Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Among her famous poems is â€Å"Annie Allen† a poem on the life of the black woman, â€Å"The Bean eaters† which talks about the civil rights movement and â€Å"In the Mecca†, a poem on the Black Nationalism. Other literary works include â€Å"Man of the middle class†, â€Å"The Chicago defender† and â€Å"The loveliest lyncher is the Lord† which tries to understand and represent the ordinariness of white life (Wright 36). In her poems, Brooks employs various styles to bring out her themes. In her poem â€Å"Annie Allen† for example, Brooks employs a realistic tone. Her tone evokes bitterness without invoking any tendencies towards violence or separatism. The poem follows Annie through different stages that open her eyes to the various realities of life around her. Annie starts her quest in childhood where she desires to break from the norms of her mother in the notes of childhood and girlhood. She is then exposed to the realities of marriage and love in the â€Å"Anniad† and finally chooses her identity in the womanhood. The poem strives to bring out the theme of equality and the demolishing of all forms of racial discrimination. She uses stylistic devices such as a contrast milk- glass, fruit -bowl, jelly- jar, and old peach cans to show different worlds. Also, the juxtaposition between dreams and reality, rhyming couplets, similes such as like a candle and set against the weeds of disappointment among others (Saber 36). In conclusion, both writers made significant contributions to the fight for civil rights. Through their literary works, they were able to bring out the intricacies and suffering that came with racial discrimination. Their blunt depiction of the lives of the African Americans in the 20th century forced the white people to view their actions as they were. This awakened them from their ignorance and showed the world as a whole the plight of the African Americans. Works Cited Finlayson, Reg gie. We shall overcome: The history of the American civil rights movement. USA: Twentieth Century Books, 2003. Print. Fraile, Ana. Richard wrights Native son. London: Rodopi International, 2007. Print. Levy, Peter. The civil rights movement. USA: Green Wood Publishing, 1998. Print. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. America in the 20th century. USA: Marshall Cavendish, 2003. Print. Nelson, Emmanuel. African American Dramatists. UK: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print. Rowley, Hazel. Richard Wright: The life and times. USA: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print. Saber, Yomna. â€Å"Brave to be involved: shifting positions in the poetry of Gwendolyn Books.† Peter Lang Journal (2010): 5-9. Print. Williams, Horace and Ben, Beard. This Day In civil rights history. USA: Newsouth Books, 2009. Print. Wright, Stephen. On Gwendolyn Brooks: Reliant contemplation. USA: University of Michigan Press, 2001. Print. This essay on The contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the civil rights movement was written and submitted by user Soft Deer to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Reflection Questions 2 †Education Essay question and answer (200 Level Course)

Reflection Questions 2 – Education Essay question and answer (200 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Reflection Questions 2 Education Essay question and answer(200 Level Course) Q: Do you think parents should he concerned about the role or lack of it that technology tools play in the education of their children? R: Yes, I think that parents should be concerned about the role that technology tools play in the education of their children. Technology is ever increasing and changing globally. This means that children can access knowledge speedily that can be beneficial for learning and also harmful in terms of psychological effects. It is the responsibility of caring parents to stay abreast of today’s technology tools. Q: Should governments spend billions on technology for schools, should the money be spent differently? R: Yes the governments should spend a proportionate amount of monies on technology for schools. Technology is a fast growing industry that keeps our collective society in a modern trend. We need alarms and camera scanner in our public schools for safety. Yet there must be limit to how much is spent and not in sacrifice for other school necessities. Q: What do you see as the goals of schooling? Are there ways you can use technology to reach those goals? The goal of schooling is to mainly equip and prepare a work force of life long learners. We can utilize technology to reach these goals by training and preparing student for industry and technical jobs. Research Papers on Reflection Questions 2 - Education Essay question and answer (200 Level Course)Standardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of IndiaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesGenetic EngineeringThe Project Managment Office SystemPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

What Literature Can Teach Us

What Literature Can Teach Us Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material. Derived from the Latin word  literature  meaning writing formed with letters, literature most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and song.   What Is Literature? Simply put, literature represents the culture and tradition of a language or a people.  The concept is difficult to precisely define, though many have tried; its clear that the accepted  definition of literature is constantly changing and evolving. For many, the word literature suggests a higher art form; merely putting words on a page doesnt necessarily equate to creating literature. A canon is the accepted body of works for a given author. Some works of literature are considered canonical, that is, culturally representative of a particular genre (poetry, prose, or drama). Literary Fiction vs. Genre Fiction Some definitions also separate literary fiction from so-called genre fiction, which includes types such as mystery, science fiction, western, romance, thriller, and horror. Think mass-market paperback. Genre fiction typically does not have as much character development as literary fiction and is read for entertainment, escapism, and plot, whereas literary fiction explores themes common to the human condition and uses symbolism and other literary devices to convey the authors viewpoint on his or her chosen themes. Literary fiction involves getting into the minds of the characters (or at least the protagonist) and experiencing their relationships with others. The protagonist typically comes to a realization or changes in some way during the course of a literary novel. (The difference in type does not mean that literary writers are better than genre fiction writers, just that they operate differently.) Why Is Literature Important? Works of literature, at their best, provide a kind of blueprint of human society. From the writings of ancient civilizations such as Egypt and China to Greek philosophy and poetry, from the epics of Homer to the plays of William Shakespeare, from Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte to Maya Angelou, works of literature give insight and context to all the worlds societies. In this way, literature is more than just a historical or cultural artifact; it can serve as an introduction to a new world of experience. But what we consider to be literature can vary from one generation to the next.  For instance, Herman Melvilles 1851 novel Moby Dick  was considered a failure by contemporary reviewers. However, it has since been recognized as a masterpiece and is frequently cited as one of the best works of Western literature for its thematic complexity and use of symbolism. By reading Moby Dick in the present day, we can gain a fuller understanding of literary traditions in Melvilles time.   Debating Literature   Ultimately, we may discover  meaning in literature  by looking at what the author writes or says and how he or she says it. We may interpret and debate an authors message by examining the words he or she chooses in a given novel or work or observing which character or voice serves as the connection to the reader. In academia, this decoding of the  text is often carried out through the use of  literary theory using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approaches to better understand the context and depth of a work. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze it, literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us on a deeply personal level.   School Skills Students who study literature and read for pleasure have a higher vocabulary, better reading comprehension, and better communication skills, such as writing ability. Communication skills affect people in every area of their lives, from navigating interpersonal relationships to participating in meetings in the workplace to drafting intraoffice memos or reports. When students analyze literature, they learn to identify cause and effect and are applying critical thinking skills. Without realizing it, they examine the characters psychologically or sociologically. They identify the characters motivations for their actions and see through those actions to any ulterior motives. When planning an essay on a work of literature, students use problem-solving skills to come up with a thesis and follow through on compiling their paper. It takes research skills to dig up evidence for their thesis from the text and scholarly criticism, and it takes organizational skills to present their argument in a coherent, cohesive manner. Empathy and Other Emotions Some studies say that people who read literature have more empathy for others, as literature puts the reader into another persons shoes. Having empathy for others leads people to socialize more effectively, solve conflicts peacefully, collaborate better in the workplace, behave morally, and possibly even become involved in making their community a better place. Other studies note a correlation between readers and empathy but do not find causation. Either way, studies back the need for strong English programs in schools, especially as people spend more and more time looking at screens rather than books. Along with empathy for others, readers can feel a greater connection to humanity and less isolated. Students who read literature can find solace as they realize that others have gone through the same things that they are experiencing or have experienced. This can be a catharsis and relief to them if they feel burdened or alone in their troubles. Quotes About Literature Here are some quotes about literature from literature giants themselves. Robert Louis Stevenson: The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey: The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel,  must be intolerably stupid.William Shakespeare, Henry VI: â€Å"I’ll call for pen and ink and write my mind.†

Personal Statement for the admission of University of California

For the admission of University of California - Personal Statement Example My main motivation behind this application for admission in your University is my keen interest and experience in the field of Economics /Business major. I have completed third year in the Community College. I feel confident to seek admission in your University as the next step of the ladder of education and as the natural progression of my present academic qualifications. I hail from a business family from China. My father owned a factory and he was a watch manufacturer. He handled his business well and possessed good experience in production and marketing but the economic crisis of the 2007 was beyond the control of any prudent businessman. With such a severe jolt to the economy of the country he also suffered heavy losses and had to shut down the factory and our family budget was in shambles. Until then father used to manage everything, I did not have an idea as to what the family budget was, and suddenly we were in dire straits. At that juncture, I realized the value of money. As an inquisitive young man I began to do my own research as to why the country’s economy went haywire affecting thousands of families like us and what preventive or remedial measures would be necessary to challenge such a precarious situation. Each dollar was important, and we learnt how to prune the family budget and how to segregate the luxuries from the necessities. I was still in the high school, and the idea sprouted in my mind that the intricacies of business, the causes for rise and fall in prices and the events that led to the economic crises must be studied with a scientific approach. I broached the subject of economic theories with lots of application and got solution to some of the questions that bothered me. That was the beginning of my interest in the subject of Economics/Business. My next task was to cement my theory knowledge with real life applications. To gain practicalities of market functioning, I did my internship with an insurance company during the summer holidays in Hong Kong. Besides the experience in dealing with insurance related issues I got an opportunity to study the computer applications, as the working of the insurance company was totally computerized. Insurance companies have developed many types of packages depending on the need of various types of customers. Mostly, customers are not aware of the differentiation in different policies. Soon I developed expertise in handing insurance customers and completed the documents as per guidelines provided by my Supervisor. Though insurance business involves lots of discussions and convincing with the customers, I conclude that ultimately the issue is that of faith and mutual trust. Once the customers are convinced about the services and the end results of the products offered, they are willing to buy the policies. This internship completely changed my outlook about the application of technology in office procedures and the enormous advantages the clientele derived out of the same. Business tools and strategies have changed and are continuously on the change with rapid progress that is taking place without intermission in technology. If given an opportunity I will make it a point to make a detailed study of computer and technology applications in the insurance sector and prepare a research paper on the subject. My father was not much educated in the academic sense of the term, but he was a man of practical wisdom. He often used to say, ‘I study in the college of self-education, where my mind

Lifeline Community Fellowship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lifeline Community Fellowship - Assignment Example The church leadership comprises of one senior pastor and three associate pastors †¢ The church ministry is classified into six categories namely: children ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministry, men group, women group, and married couples. †¢ The church has partnered with a number of organizations to spread the gospel as well as provide humanitarian assistance to the needy. Some of these organizations include Outreach to the world, Angels Forgotten, and Global Health Partnership. †¢ Most of the church staffs are volunteers who serve as guest ushers, instrumentalists and cleaners. Other staff members in the church payroll include ministry leaders, security personnel, and accountants. †¢ The church primary source of funds is from members’ contributions, tithes, and donations. Most of these funds are used to support the church internal operations such payment of the staff. †¢ The church also finance their missionaries sent to spread the gospel in other parts of the world such as Haiti, Philippines, Mexico, India, Nicaragua, and El Salvador (Lifeline Community Fellowship). †¢ Lifeline Community Fellowship assets include cars, property, and other assets held by the church’s humanitarian foundations.

The executive branch of the U.S. goverment Essay Example for Free

The executive branch of the U.S. goverment Essay Using specific examples discuss how Madisons observations in Federalist Paper 51 apply to the relationship between the legislative branch and the modern president. In order to keep the government from becoming too powerful and endangering the liberty of its people, the framers of the United States Constitution endorsed the implementation of separation of powers so that the different branches of the government would keep one another in check. In Federalist Paper 51, Madison focused on the crucial relationship between the legislative and executive branches with the use of separation of powers. He stated, In the republican government the legislative authority, necessarily, predominates. The remedy for this inconvenience is, to divide the legislative into different branches[and] the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified. While the separation of powers has successfully protected the liberty of Americas people, it has also caused a continual struggle between the executive and legislative branch to gain power over matters such as the economy, the right to pass legislation, and control over the military. Due to the prevalence of the legislative power severely limiting the authority of the executive, there is a large imbalance between the demands and expectations pressing in upon the President and his capacity to respond to them. The president cannot get his policies adopted by Congress without long delays and much bargaining. However, some fortification of the executive branch has allowed the president overcome some of these limitations in performing roles such as commander in chief, chief diplomat, and chief legislator. The president holds the most authority as commander in chief than in any other role. While the Congress has the sole power to declare war, the president can send armed forces into a country in situations that are the equivalent of war. Numerous presidents in the history of America have exercised this right. McKinley sent troops to Peking after the Boxer Rebellion, while Truman dispatched troops to Korea to take police action. Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon had an entire war in Southeast Asia without Congress approval. In 1973, however, Congress attempted to get some of their military decision-making ability back. By passing the War Powers Act, Congress spelled out the conditions under which the president can dispatch troops without the approval of Congress. If he chooses to send troops, the president must report to Congress within forty-eight hours. Then Congress has the right to pass a declaration of war within sixty days, extend the sixty-day time limit, or withdraw the troops. In 1983, President Reagan tested the War Powers Act when he wanted troops to remain in Lebanon. Congress would only allow him a limited number of troops to stay in the dangerous area. In spite of the War Powers Act, the powers of the president as commander in chief are more extensive today than they were in the past. As chief diplomat the president is granted several powers in dealing with foreign countries and other heads of state that do not require the consent of Congress. The recognition power, which allows the president to recognize, or refuse to recognize, a foreign government, is an important power of the president. In modern times, the simple act of receiving a foreign diplomat has been equivalent to accrediting the diplomat and officially recognizing his or her government. Such recognition is a preliminary step in achieving diplomatic relations or negotiations with another country. The United States, for example, did not recognize the Soviet Union until 1933, sixteen years after the Russian Revolution of 1917. The presidents power as chief diplomat is enhanced greatly by the use of executive agreements also. These agreements made between the president and other heads of state do not require Senate approval because the president cannot go back on his word. The advantages of executive agreements instead of a treaty are speed and secrecy, which are extremely important in some situations. Unlike a treaty however, executive agreements are binding only during the administrating that initiates it, unless approved by the new presidents consent. Despite its lack of interference in approving the agreements, the Senate can refuse to appropriate the funds necessary in implementing them. Franklin Roosevelt used executive agreements to bypass congressional isolationists in trading American destroyers for British Caribbean naval bases and in arranging diplomatic and military affairs with Canada and Latin American nations. As chief legislator, the president can propose legislation; however, the  Congress must review them and is not required to pass any of the administrations bills. To overcome this obstacle the president must have the ability to argue and persuade. According to Richard E. Neustadt, governing rests in the act of persuasion not commands. The president needs to induce them to believe that what he wants of them is what their own appraisal of their own responsibilities requires them to do in their interests. On the other hand, the president must sign all bills accepted by Congress to become a law. If he does not want to make the bill a law, the president has the power to return the unsigned bill to the legislator, in what is called a veto. If the president does send the bill back, Congress can change the bill hoping the president will pass it the next time; otherwise, the Congress can override the presidents veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. If the executive refuses to sign a bill and Congress adjourns within ten working days, the bill is stalled and must be reintroduced next session, in what is known as a pocket veto. Ronald Reagan lobbied for the line-item veto, which would allow a president to veto only specific sections of a bill. In 1996, the line-item veto was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton. The law grants the president the power to rescind any item in an appropriations bill unless Congress passes a disapproval bill, which could be vetoed itself. The veto is a very powerful weapon that helps the executive control legislation and in turn gives the president more authority in making critical decisions. The president is also granted a variety of special powers and privileges not available to the other branches of the U.S. government, which help to fortify the executive. One of these powers is the Presidents ability to use emergency powers. Emergency power is an inherent capability exercised by the president during a period of national crisis, especially pertaining to foreign predicaments, which allows him to make crucial decisions without the approval of Congress. Presidents have used emergency powers since the formation of the United States. For example, President Lincoln suspended the liberties of all citizens at the beginning of the Civil War and called the militia into national service. However, it was not until 1936, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roosevelt in United States v. Curtis-Wright Export Corporation, allowing the president to order an embargo on the  shipment of weapons to two warring South American countries without the consent of Congress, that the executives have been able to initiate emergency powers formally. The right of an executive to use emergency powers has greatly strengthened the position of the president. An executive order is a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the equivalent effect that a law has. These orders can implement treaties, statutes, and provisions in the Constitution. This authority given to the president represents the executives legislative power. The Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 places a single requirement on executive orders; the president must publish the order in the Federal Register. Executive orders have been used in the past to implement national affirmative action regulations, to establish procedures for appointing administrators, to ration consumer goods, and to regulate the export of particular goods. Executive orders give the president the ability to act as a law making body, once again strengthening his position. All presidents have the right of executive privilege, which allows him to refuse to appear before, or withhold information from, the judicial system or Congress. Opponents believe that this privilege only allows the president to hide information from Congress and the American people. In the United States history, the boundaries of executive privilege have only been tested once. During the Watergate Scandal, Nixon claimed, No president could function if the private papers of his office, prepared by his personal staff, were open to public scrutiny. In 1974, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to give all of the tapes of his conversations in the Oval Office to the courts upon their unanimous ruling in United States v. Nixon. Executive privilege helps shield the president from the other two branches of government, giving the modern president even more power. By law, when a president enters office he proposes a budget and the Congress approves it. However, it is not stated clearly that he must spend all of it. Often times the executive chooses not to use all the money congress provides; this is referred to as the impoundment of funds. Jefferson, Grant, Hoover, and Roosevelt all deferred money. Truman did not spend as much money  on the military as Congress granted, while Kennedy refused to put money into weapons systems. The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 changed all this. It came in response to President Nixons refusal to spend funds allotted to him by Congress and was passed over Nixons veto. The law required the executive to spend all money appropriated by Congress with few exceptions. Among the exceptions were if the president did not want to spend the funds, he must notify Congress. However, Congress can override the president if they do not give him consent to withhold the funds within forty-five days. The Budget and Impoundment Control Act puts the executive at a disadvantage, allowing the legislative branch a little control. Despite the restraints put on the power of the executive branch by the separation of powers and the predomination of the legislative branch, the president has successfully surmounted many limitations by bestowing special rights upon the executive. These privileges have increased the power of the president while enabling him to make decision and take action more successfully and efficiently. In the past 60 years, however, the executive branch has gained an extraordinary amount of power, almost allowing the position to rival the authority in all of Congress. However, it is extremely necessary to have a strong executive in the United States.

How Would You Resolve an Ethical Problem at Work? Essay -- Business Et

Describe an ethical problem you have encountered or might encounter in your workplace. How would you approach the problem and reach a decision to solve it?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business ethics defines how a company integrates core values - such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness - into its policies, practices, and decision-making. Business ethics is, in part, the attempt to think clearly and deeply about ethical issues in business and to arrive at conclusions that are supported by the strongest possible arguments. Ethical principles are the rules of conduct that derive from ethical values. For example, honesty is a value that governs behavior in the form of principles such as: tell the truth, don’t deceive, and don’t cheat. In a business the ultimate goal is to achieve maximum profits. There are factors affecting at different levels of the business such as finance, technology, labor, and workflow in order to maintain excellence and growth of the company. In this paper, I want to demonstrate what ethical issues I faced working as a team leader for my company and how I approached the problems in order to solve it and made decisions and solutions without disturbing the environment of the workplace. Team leaders must master a broad range of business talents and also qualities such as team leadership, setting up weekly goals and must provide their organizations with the strategies, structures, and personnel to compete in a constantly changing environment. There can be a number ...

Ethical Health Care Issues Essay

When working with patients and their families, the health care professionals occasionally will face unpopular and difficult decisions that relates to medical treatments which questions moral issues such as religious beliefs and even professional guidelines of ethical or not. Health care ethics is used as a parameter for staff to exemplify the standards of the proper ethics and provide the imaginary ethics road map to success when speaking to patients and families about choices based on beliefs, values, health, and possibly in the end death. When dealing with moral issues in this manner it becomes even more complex. An example of a conflict of interest with a health care employee can exists when an employee is influenced, whether consciously or unconsciously, by some form of financial or personal gain. This proves their self-interest and lack of morals when it comes to the good of the company. With a profit-driven organization the normal motive for the presence of an ethical struggle is generally linked to some practice of individual economic contemplations. A statement made by the American College of Physicians showed that â€Å"physicians meet industry representatives at the office and at professional meetings, collaborate in community-based research, and develop or invest in health-related industries. In all of these spheres, partnered activities often offer important opportunities to advance medical knowledge and patient care, but they also create an opportunity for the introduction of bias† (Mitnick, 2010). Some professionals are granted privileges that include things like the influence to set scholastic and principled standards. This ability permits the preservation of their competence and creates a trustworthy and ethical employee. Now this employee is beneficial to the patients and the society. Dealing with the territory of patient precaution there are hazards to proficiency and in many situations there are the possibilities for a conflict of interest. Sometimes doctors have relationships with outside companies and when this happens these relationships have the chance to create a conflict of interest when a physician decides to accept some kind of gifts, act as a speaker on behalf of an outside company or if they have some kind of interest financially in a product that will be used inside the hospital. A conflict of interest may arise when a doctor has the chance to be paid for their services. These conflicts will arise when dealing with any kind of payment system while each payment system will have a different concern. Avoiding conflicts of interest The prime targets for conflicts of interest are doctors and nurses. They have the opportunity to receive some form of promotion from pharmaceutical companies and companies that make the medical devices. This is the reason why the health care industry has made some efforts to regulate things. This includes the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America who restructured the standards of behavior for collaborations with the health care specialists in 2009 and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies volunteered a code of ethics on their own in 2010 trying to limit the influence of profit organizations. Even with taking these measures it has been found that many physicians have no problems with accepting free samples of drugs from drug companies through an issue of Archives of Surgery from the June 2010 issue. Also reported was a variety of doctors may find it appropriate to receive free meals. Noncompliance Noncompliance in simple terms is rejecting the actions to a rule of necessity. â€Å"In medicine, the term noncompliance is commonly used in regard to a patient who does not take a prescribed medication or follow a prescribed course of treatment. A person who demonstrates noncompliance is said to be noncompliant† (medicinenet, 2011). In this action we can look at the example here, â€Å"As many as half of ‘failures’ of treatment to bring elevated blood pressure down to normal levels may be due to unrecognized lapses in taking antihypertensive drugs as prescribed, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Lausannne, Switzerland.† (Stephenson, 2001). It states in the reading that autonomy is the freedom we have to decide what we want to do. Whether a consent form as been signed or not the patient must be aware that they have the ability to withdraw from what is going on. With beneficence it is simply a person taking an action for the benefit for another person. Beneficent actions are taken for people to help prevent a person from a harmful situation or it can improve a situation for other people. Simply put non-maleficence means to do no harm. With this one it requires doctors to refrain from providing ineffective care or acting with malice. It is not very helpful sometimes because many of the treatments carry some form of risk, it needs to be checked to see if the reward outweighs the risks. Justice in health care is usually defined as a form of fairness. It implies that a fair distribution of services will be provided to society. Conclusion The ethical issues that an individual health care worker has to face will depend on what specialized area the health care professional is staffed. An example would consist of a hospital faced with a patient requesting euthanasia while at the same time a health insurance agent is giving insurance to a patient under the same circumstances and not receiving a clear assessment of the patient’s needs. The author of Ethical Issues in Epidemiologic Research and Public Health practice Steven Coughlin states that all who practice in the field of medicine will experience a level of ethical reasoning during their day to day routine. Whether it’s an non-compliant client or a conflict of interest, both have the opportunity to harm a patient’s health care. Employers try to assure they are able to provide some form of ethical teaching with policies in place for review. Training the training is a program some adopt to ensure the widespread of the information. By training the management responsible for monitoring the work of these employees it consolidates the exepctations of the organization. This level of training allows the trainer to explain the type of ethical issues a health care worker may encounter, why the issue is there and how to deal with the issue. If an employee or the supervisor does not follow these guidelines the penalty can be fierce,. Punishment for the employee could result in suspension, fines or up to and including termination of their position. References Americas. (2009-2010). Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Healthcare &, 1-76. HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT Conference Paper Abstracts. (2010). Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1-38. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2010.54503723 medicinenet. (2011, april 27). Definition of noncompliance. Retrieved from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10159 Mitnick, S., Leffler, C., & Hood, V. (2010). Family caregivers, patients and physicians: ethical guidance to optimize relationships. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 25(3), 255-260. Stephenson, J. (2001). Human biological materials in research: ethical issues and the role of stewardship in minimizing research risks. Advances in Nursing Science, 24(2), 32-46.

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Essay

When an unforeseen tragedy comes into a small community, the devastation can cause havoc. The members of the Chilean society found themselves with more questions than answers when word spread there had been a collapse in a local mine. The families of the trapped mine workers and employees affected were in need of guidance. When communicating the messages to Chilean people, awareness of the audience played an important role in ensuring all measures were being taken to save the miners lives. Trapped Miners in San Jose Mine During the summer of 2010, the San Jose, Chile copper mine collapsed trapping 33 miners inside. The employees of the mine, owned by Minera San Esteban Primera, were informed that the miners were trapped at a depth of approximately 300 meters with little to no food, water and oxygen. In the days that followed the initial collapse, a second collapse occurred leaving both rescuers and spectators wondering if the miners were even alive. (Weik, 2010). Considering the Audience It is important to remember the current state of shock, travesty and unawareness of the receivers within the Chilean community following the mines collapse. The families of the victims as well as the employees of the mine are in desperate need of answers and reassurance that rescuers are doing everything in their power to save the trapped miners. The messages relayed to these individuals need to be calm and collective while providing them with the information and details that are attainable at the current time. Government and mine officials also need to prepare to communicate to the employees and public future actions to be taken to prevent reoccurrence of this disaster. Families Potential Needs At the time of this catastrophe, the families of the trapped miners are in need of the most important thing in their lives at that moment, their trapped loved one. The families will need to be provided with a basic understanding of the factors involved with the collapse and what potential outcomes may occur. They will be in need of reassurance and comfort that all actions are being taken to confirm that a positive result will conclude this horrible misfortune. Lastly, it is important to provide the families with a plan in which rescuers are following and explain how the family member’s roles in saving the trapped miners are clarified. Employees Potential Needs Much like the families potential needs, the employees of the Chilean mine also need reassurance and guidance. It is likely that although the employees are concerned about how this collapse is going to affect them in the future, in the present moment they are concerned about the survival of their coworkers. A clear message will need to be presented to the employees indicating what role they can take in providing the rescuers with details they may need to help assist in the retrieval of the trapped miners. They also may be in need of counseling and other types of treatment as a result of experiencing such horrible events. Necessary Actions Prior to the messages being given, it is vital that the communicator has been provided with as many details as possible. This is important to know information that is both provided and withheld from the public for their safety. The message needs to be reviewed by both the mine company as well as any government officials involved in the incident. After a message has been communicated to the families and employees involved in the mine collapse, the most important actions to be taken is verification and understanding of the message. The communicator can provide these individuals with resources to assist them during this time such as crisis counselors. It will also be beneficial to make available written communication points that the families and employees can reference back to with questions and concerns. Lastly, a plan for continued communication is vital is supporting these individuals. It is important for a communicator to be aware of their audience, especially following a tragedy such as the Chilean mine collapse, when giving the message to the families and employees involved. The proper approach to relaying this message will provide the necessary support to instill the much needed sense of safety and security. Understanding the position of the receiver and their potential needs will assist in communicating the message intended. References Weik, J. (2010). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, (224), 65.

Effects of ww1 essays

Effects of ww1 essays In my opinion, the outcome of World War I harmed the domestic policies and systems of the United States. From the result of the war, there were changes dealing with politics, economics, and public opinions in the United States. Relating to politics, Wilsons goal of the United States becoming part of the League of Nations was an overall negative effect on Wilsons reputation. The constant nagging of Wilson to get the United States to join hurt his reputation by the people and the government. Although the United States did not join, the League of Nations was created but did not live up to the countries expectations. The Treaty of Versailles also a benefactor in contributing negative outcomes from the war. Wilsons struggle to get the Senate to approve the Treaty of Versailles also harmed his relations with the government. Under this agreement, the allies forced Germany to pay a huge war debt. The treaty led to growing resentment and desperation in Germany toward both the allie s and America. This sentiment eventually would lead into World War II. Relating to changes in economics dealt with money. European countries were printing more and more money to pay back their debts. Because of this increase in money production, the countries were brought into periods of inflation. This hurt the economy of the United States because the United States could not perform affairs with the allied countries because of their debts. During the war, the United States spent a lot of money because of the necessity of new weapons and machinery in fighting. Since the major industries that were needed during the war were now insufficient, many Americans were now put of jobs. These debts and unemployment rates brought about the stock market crash of 1929. After the war, disillusionment towards the government spread throughout the world. Towards the end of the war, people had developed a mistrustful opi ...

Cleaning Staff ESL Dialogue

Cleaning Staff ESL Dialogue ​​Jared knocks quietly on the door in response to Ms. Andersons request. He offers help and provides some information about the services offered at the hotel.   Jared: (knocks on the room door) May I come in, madam? Ms. Anderson: Yes, thanks for coming so quickly. Jared: Certainly, madam. How can I help you? Ms. Anderson: Id like some fresh towels in the suite when I get back this evening. Jared: Ill get them immediately. Would you like me to also change the bed sheets? Ms. Anderson: Yes, that would be nice. Could you also turn down the covers? Jared: Is there anything else I can do for you? Perhaps you have some laundry I can take to be cleaned. Ms. Anderson: Now that you mention it, I do have some clothes in the laundry bag. Jared: Very good, madam. Ill have them cleaned and folded when you return. Ms. Anderson: Excellent. You know, it gets stuffy in this room. Jared: Id be happy to open the window while you are away. Ill make sure to close it before you return. Ms. Anderson: †¦ oh, I can never find the light switch when I get back in the evening. Jared: Ill make sure to leave the lamp on the bedside table  on after I finish cleaning up. Ms. Anderson: Are you going to vacuum? Jared: Certainly, madam. We vacuum our rooms every day. Ms. Anderson: Thats good to hear. Well, its time for me to see my friends. Today were visiting a vineyard. Jared: Enjoy your day, madam. Ms. Anderson: Oh, I will†¦ Just a second, could you also take out the trolley with this mornings breakfast? Maria: Yes, madam Ill take it with me when Ive finished tidying up. More Dialogue Practice - Includes level and target structures/language functions for each dialogue.

Leadership Practices at Whole Foods Research Paper

Leadership Practices at Whole Foods - Research Paper Example The company, which entered the stock market in 1992, has undergone numerous tests, including lawsuits and natural disasters but has remained highly competitive. Its distinguishing niche, which also doubles as its competitive edge, is the emphasis on foods, which have not been processed in any way. The company ranks third in terms of preserving the environment. This is due to their concern for a cleaner environment (Edwards 64). This award is among several that the company has received. Despite these accolades, it has faced accusations of using its ‘natural’ slogan just for marketing. Such achievement in a company is because of first-rate leadership by the management and other positive qualities among the management and staff. Leadership styles can affect the working environment, which then affects the efficiency of the business. If the workforce feels that their opinions are of no value or their contribution is insignificant, the jobs may lack satisfaction, and consequen tly, results to poor performance. This and other scenarios are dependent on the style, structure and practice of management (Kouzes and Posner 23). Kouzes & Posner identified five practices of exemplary leadership. These included leading by example, inspiring others, questioning the status, empowering others to do and encouraging the heart. The first practice emphasizes the need for leaders to show the way to the others. It underscores the importance for leaders to portray the values they advocate for, in both word and deeds. They should be at the forefront in the battle they are fighting (Kouzes and Posner 23-42). Inspiring others connote that leaders should light up the passions of their followers. The convictions they have about different issues in the company should be communicated well to the constituents. All means should be used to make sure they hold these convictions as their own. The course of the leader should be the course for all constituents (Kouzes and Posner 43). The y should share in the enthusiasm of the leadership. It is also required of leaders to invent and adopt new strategies for dealing with problems. Great achievements have always followed creative thinkers. Leaders must be innovative in their approaches to problems. Leadership also requires decentralizing of capabilities (Kouzes and Posner 173). The achievement of the goals of the company should be met by involving all the constituents. Everyone should be viewed as part of the future of the company, and everyone’s idea should be acknowledged. Finally, leaders should be able to strengthen the weakening wills. They should instil perseverance and dedication in the face of tough times. They should uplift, for example, by rewarding variant effort (Kouzes and Posner 315). Leadership practice: Empowering people to act Execution The leadership of Whole Foods has employed several of the above leadership practices in different times, and to varied degrees. The most conspicuous of these pr actices is its emphasis on empowering people to act. The employees at whole foods are the main custodians of the company’s processes towards it goals and objectives. The company organises its staff into teams. These teams are responsible for the development of the company (Jones and Hill 288). Each retail outlet has about eight teams on charge of the various departments. The leadership emphasizes this in the process they use to hire new staff. To ensure that the new employees to be hired are of the best quality, they are first

Analysis of Dunkin Donuts Company Research Paper - 1

Analysis of Dunkin Donuts Company - Research Paper Example The franchise system acted as a profitable cooperate management strategy for the company mainly due to benefits gained from the independent restaurants (Whetten and Cameron, 2011). The franchise system has remained operational since 1950 in all Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and it encompasses small and large business associates. However, the franchise system has faced several complaints and court issues. Franchise systems that have existed in Dunkin’ Donuts Company have benefited various foreign business people in the United States. Most of the individuals in franchise system operational under Dunkin’ Donuts network consist of Asians. It is essential to note that nearly 90 percent of all newly established Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants results from the company’s franchisees (Sniegowski, 2014). Most importantly, the growth of Dunkin’ Donuts company remains attributed to the hardworking and determined entrepreneurs that have heavily invested in company restaurant chain. Despite the immeasurable success that the company has realized from its franchise system, various problems have arisen. Dunkin’ Donuts Company plans to out-compete Starbucks, its closest revival in restaurant service by establishing new stores through the United States. However, the fundamental problem remains that Dunkin’ Donuts depends on its franchisee to establish new restaurants. Consequently, the company has decided to form a corporate strategy that would foster its growth with an aim of being at a competitive advantage in the market. According to Gluck, 2008 the company’s adopted cooperate strategy involves eliminating single-store owners while constituting multiunit franchisees that have the potential of fast growth. The cooperate strategy has resulted in various court cases between the company and its franchisees. Apparently, the cooperate strategy aimed at fast expansion favors only the multiunit chain stores.  Ã‚  

Sociology - Final Essay Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociology - Final Essay - Term Paper Example We would think that because of feminism, our society would be aware of the sexist attitudes involved therein and try to get rid of them as soon as it can; however, that is not the case. Families in America are still patriarchal and marriage is similarly male-oriented. To give a few examples, a woman who exerts more control in her marriage is often termed a â€Å"shrew† and is viewed in less esteem than a woman who is submissive to her husband, or always puts the needs of her husband before her own. On the other side, a man who exerts more control in the marriage is not looked down upon, rather he is applauded for taking charge and taking more responsibility, with those men who have handed over the control to their wives judged to be effeminate or meek. The family is a sphere where our society perpetuates constant sexism without it being brought to task, except perhaps by the feminists (who, it may be added, are often looked down upon for this very reason, as this is considered to be an effort of feminists to break down the institution of marriage itself). Much is needed to control the sexist behavior that presents itself in a marriage. For a marriage to be truly equal and free from any sexism, perhaps the best course would be for us, as a society, to come to an agreement that it is just as important for a woman to have her needs fulfilled in a marriage as it is for a man; whether these needs are personal, emotional or professional; a woman has just as much rights to try to get fulfillment as her husband does in the marriage. The feminist approach seems daunting and scary to us, however, upon closer inspection we can easily see that it is not so much as the breakdown of the institution of marriage that is warranted by following the feminist path, but the total emancipation of women in the sphere of marriage, so that they can be on

Causal Judgement and Blocking Experiment

Causal Judgement and Blocking Experiment Michael Arruzza Abstract Recent results of studies which aim to gain a greater understanding of how blocking works and the mechanisms involved have led to some conflicting results. Some research suggest that blocking may be the result of assumptions about the additive nature of outcomes. Others think that it may have more to do with associative learning. This experiment investigates blocking in causal learning with human participants with the aim to addresses two main questions. Is blocking affected by encouraging or discouraging assumptions about the additive nature of the outcome? How do the results differ if we separately measure the memory for specific cue-outcome pairings? Results of the study show that there is evidence for both ideas and they may both contribute to the phenomenon of blocking. Introduction A model of the blocking effect was first developed by Kamin in his work with conditioning animals (Kamin, 1969). Kamin identified that training with one cue considerably reduced performance to another cue that was added to the first cue, in a second phase of training. A typical example of blocking would go something like this. Cue A is paired with an effect (A+). In a second phase a compound of two cues, the former cue A and new cue B is paired with the effect (AB+). Decisions on the strength of cue B are effected or â€Å"blocked† by information about the causal relationship of cue A. This has been described as the blocking effect. He theorised that learning may be driven by surprise, if a cue did not provide new information about the contingency between events and the environment it was ignored. Others researchers more recently such as Lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) have tried to explain blocking in terms of inferential reasoning based upon a relatively simple set of propositions where the observer can deduce though logic that the blocked cue is not a cause of the outcome. Using an allergic reaction to foods as an example this would occur if someone assumed that the patients allergies are additive. When two foods are eaten which cause an allergic reaction they should cause a greater reaction then if only one of the two foods caused a reaction. If one does not observe an increase in the severity of the outcome when B is eaten at the same time as the allergenic food A, then one can deduce that B does not contribute to the allergic reaction. For example if eating a banana causes an allergic reaction rated as 5 and eating a banana and an apple causes a reaction of 5, then the apple has not made the reaction worse and is not the cause of the reaction itself. Lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) and his colleges also observed that pre-training with explicit instructions that encourage outcome additivity assumption enhance the blocking effect. It is possible that the blocking effect is product of deductive reasoning and it sometimes unreliable response might be due to some participants assuming outcome aditivity while others do not. However a statistically robust blocking effect has still been observed even after explicit non-additive pre-training (Mitchell Chris, 2006). But his blocking effect is significantly smaller than after additive pre-training. In this study done by Mitchell et all multiple blocked use and control cues were implemented. The study only used a non-additive pre-training group and did not include an additive group. This would have been beneficial as it would have been great to contrast the two groups. After non additive pre-training participants were worse off at recalling the outcome associated with the blocked cue. Mitchell goes on to suggest from the data that the blocking effect that has previously been observed after non-additive pre-training may be the result of a non-rational process such as a failure to retrieve the outcome associated with the blocked cue. The ‘blocking affect’ may results from a failure to encode the B–outcome relationship during training. This concept tried to explain blocking as an associative learning theory. This research aims to better understand the blocking phenomenon. In particular to reconcile the two somewhat contradicting explanations outlined above that either blocking is the result of deductive reasoning or it is a part of a failure to encode cue-outcome associations. Is it the product of one of these two ways of thinking about blocking, can they co-exist or are they mutually exclusive? Based on previous research: It is hypothesised that both additive and non-additive groups would show reliable blocking in memory for both groups It is also hypothesised that there will be a weaker causal attribution for blocked cues with additive pre-training Method Participants This trial was done by 120 undergraduate university student who were separated into two groups numbering 60 students in each. Of the sample 78 were female and 42 were male. The mean age of students who participated in the study was 21.7 years of age. Procedure All 120 participants sat a computer trial to determine which foods were causing a hypothetical ‘Mr X’s’ allergic reactions. This initially began with a training phase. On a number of trial participant had to predict whether an allergic reaction would occur by click on of two or three options on the screen. Next participants were then told whether an allergic reaction had occurred and how severe the reaction was on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. This was Stage 1 was done by participants 8 times. In stage 2 compounds were also presented 8 times each. Participants could choose from no reaction, or one of two alternative reactions. In stage 2 a reaction occurred could have a severity of either 5 or 10. Next the 20 cues were presented individually and participants were to make two ratings for each cue. First to pair the cue with the allergic reaction that had occurred. The cues A-H were blocked cues, S-Z overshadowed control cues, and K-N no outcome cues. Next they rated their confidence on a scale of 0-100, 0 being not confident at all and 100 very confident. On the same scale they then rated the extent to which that same cue actually caused the reaction on another rating scale. Assumptions on additive logical reasoning were manipulated on two two levels: One group (Additive pre-training) were given training trials before blocking training, which showed the effects of combining to other allergenic food cues. They also received 3 explicit instructions stating that the addition of two causal cues resulted in a more severe outcome. The other Non-additive pre-training group received the same pre-training except that two options that cause and reaction gave the same medium allergic reaction of 5 as each of these options individually. This group also received explicit instructions stating that the addition of two causal cues resulted in an outcome of the same severity. The purpose of this design is to evaluate if scores show a lower causal rating for the blocked cues than the overshadowing cues. Also whether participants were less accurate in recalling the outcome for the blocked cues than for the overshadowed cues. It’s also to understand the effect of pre-training on blocked and control cues. Results The results of the study indicate that some areas of the study produced statistically significant results while when comparing other groups no statically significant data was found. When comparisons across groups were assessed it would appear that cue type had a significant effect on blocking (F (1,118) = 99.596 p Figure 1: mean memory accuracy across groups which show no significant difference of blocking between different groups. Figure 2: mean causal reasoning which show a significant difference between groups in terms of blocking. Discussion Prior to the conduction of these experiments due to the results of previous studies it is hypothesised that both additive and non-additive groups would show reliable blocking in memory for both groups. It is also hypothesised that there will be a weaker causal attribution for blocked cues with additive pre-training. Just like in the research done by lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) pre-training influenced causal reasoning as blocked cues in the experiment were judged as less causal in the additive group. A significant difference in the strength of the blocking effect between groups. This adds evidence to the idea that deductive reasoning about the additive nature of causal events may contribute to the blocking effect as previously thought by other researchers. However the data does still show that even though significant difference in the strength of the blocking effect between groups Blocking still evident after non-additive pre-training, product of associative learning. Another significant result of the experiment was the data showed a strong blocking effect on memory for correct outcome. The outcomes associated with blocked cues were recalled less well than the outcomes associated with the control cues. Pervious idea about the blocking effect (Mitchell Chris, 2006) had proposed that the effect may be due to a failure to encode the B-outcome during training. The fact that data showed a blocking effect for the correct outcome shows that this may be the case. It also helps to explain why it a blocking effect has still been found even though non-additive pre-training had been part of the experiment. Previous research has shown that there are two separate ways of thinking about the blocking, the process as a result of outcome aditivty or a failure to encode the B-outcome. Our research has shown that blocking might be the result of several quite different mental processes. The fact that blocking was still evident after non-additive pre-training suggests that it may be the product of associative learning. Even when measures are taken to discount outcome aditivity a blocking effect it was still present. This means that it is likely that they both contribute to the blocking effect. This experiment needs to be replicate by other studies to ensure this conclusion is valid. It should be extended to different groups of people not just the limited selection of university students in a more scientific setting then a classroom test. It may be that a group of university student with a mean age of 21.7 may not be the best representative same of the population. It may be the lack of scientific setting effected the degree of seriousness when participant undertook the test. It might also be interesting to evaluate something other than blocking to hypothetical allergic reactions as this may in tale different assumptions about food that may have not been controlled for in this study. However students were randomly allocated to different classes for university at the start of semester so that does help with the reliability of the results. Student were also unaware what condition they were in and what was being tested by the experiment which would help prevent a selection bias . Further studies of blocking would be encouraged to eliminate some of the experimental flaws included in this study. This study does show the room needed for further research into the area of blocking as theories of blocking do not appear to be mutually exclusive but underly an associative process that has not yet been discovered. References Dickinson, Anthony. (1984). Judgement of Act-Outcome Contingency: . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 36A 29-50. Evan, L. (2006). The relationship between blocking and inference in causal learning. School of Psychology, University of Sydney. Kamin, L. (1969). Predictability, surprise, attention, and conditioning. Punishment and aversive behavior. Lovibond, P. (2003). Forward and backward blocking of causal judgment is enhanced by additivity. Memory and cognition, 133-142. Mitchell, Chris. (2006). Forward blocking in human learning sometimes reflects the failure to encode a cue–outcome relationship. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 830-844.

Religion Essay -- The Catholic Church

Long believed relationships between society’s culture and the ability to sustain a democratic form; have been evaluated over the years. Other cultures or religions have been proven to exhibit more conduciveness of democracy than others. Persistence of democracy within a religion falls under choice of assumptions, actions and costs toward others. As a religious institution, democracy applies also to cultural perspectives. The American Catholic Church could analyze democracy with ongoing tensions as social competitors of power or resources. Seeking the related aspects of Catholicism and democracy, the actions and words of the clergy directly influence political outcomes. The circumstances of the life of modern man have been so profoundly changed in their social and cultural aspects that we can speak of a new age of human history (Gaudiam ET Spes). Linking democracy and Catholicism, accounts for many elements of valued tensions within its religious system. â€Å"By and large. Catholic cultures have not been leaders in discovering and designing the institution of democracy or the protection of human rights but have come rather late to these traditions. Further, Catholic cultures seem on the whole rather more vulnerable to the traditional style of a single person leadership, as in the monarchies of old and in the dictatorships of today. † Churches deal with different states, but more importantly the churches address the potential shape of public opinion on political matters. Networks such as schools, religious orders, trade unions, political parties have made a force in the world of Catholic democracy. The spirit of democracy unleashed by the revolution inspired individuals to become involved. Emerging from this revolution brought forth a ... ...rch as a big ship on the sea, or a toolbox, continuity with Catholics all over, proves within this paradox, you are never alone. Today, the human race is involved in a new stage of history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by degrees around the whole world. Triggered by the intelligence and creative energies of man, these changes recoil upon him, upon his decisions and desires, both individual and collective, and upon his manner of thinking and acting with respect to things and to people. Hence we can already speak of a true cultural and social transformation, one which has repercussions on man's religious life as well (Gaudium ET Spes). Look at the change over time, what all has happened and the evolution of the church. Reapplied to new situations, it can be said that the church does not change; the church is just refined through changes in the world.

Organizational Objectives and Total Compensation Essay

Compensation laws designed to protect the employees of an organization. A compensation package comprises of monetary and non-monetary benefits to help an organization in retaining the highly qualified, to spark high performance, and to attract quality applicants. Those compensations will vary from industry to industry and from employer to employer within those industries. The size of the organization and the number of employees will dictate how many benefits are offered in a total compensation plan. The list of benefits is too plentiful to mention more than once and are covered later in this paper. This list could go on and on as it continues to grow with the diversity of America’s workforce. One particular item of interest in the biotech industry would be the health coverage portion of the total compensation plan. Laws and Regulations Influencing Total Compensation The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act is one law that companies need to consider in creating a total compensation plan. It was initiated to aid individuals in obtaining healthcare coverage, even those who were unemployed. â€Å"The Affordable Care Act actually refers to two separate pieces of legislation — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) — that, together expand Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income Americans and makes numerous improvements to both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)† (Affordable Care†¦n.d.). There are several laws that relate to compensation plans and the different aspects of pay. The first being The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. â€Å"The Fair Labor Standards Act is responsible for establishing minimum wage, recordkeeping regulations, overtime pay rates and youth employment  standards, which affect employees in both the private sector and in Federal, State and local governments† (What you should†¦n.d.). The Equal Pay Act (1963) was an amendment to the FLSA and restricts any kind of discrimination based on sex for men and women working at similar jobs and in the same workplace.   Another law is â€Å"The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is a federal law that sets minimum standards for most voluntarily established pension and health plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans† (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.). An important thing to remember is that â€Å"Compensation systems must be consistent with the existing legislation in the areas of Labour Standards, equal pay, Human Rights, Employment Insurance, pension or retirement benefits, labor relations and Occupational Health and Safety† (Compensation & Benefits, n.d.). Similarities and Differences in Total Compensation between Organizations Biotechnology in simple terms deals with biology, and as such this industry is at a greater risk for health issues and must take into consideration a compensation plan placing emphasis on health insurance and monetary rewards. These two combined areas will attract better quality applicants and keep those deserving of mention on-board. This company with only 200 employees will begin with a total compensation plan consisting of: competitive pay, health insurance, matching 401(k) contributions, bonus programs based on job performance. Eli Lilly & Company offers their employees so many benefits it makes it easy to choose them as an employer: financial wellness, career development, health insurance, time off, lifecare resource and referral service, on-site child development centers, support groups, no-stress dress code, food services, â€Å"free gym membership, Lilly fitness centers, Lilly recreational park & sports and hobby clubs† (One decision†¦2014) just to name a few. This list is very extensive and far too long to list on this paper. SC Johnson’s total compensation is ever evolving and includes: â€Å"bonuses, long-term incentives and benefits, profit sharing, matching on 401(k) contributions; and potential bonus payments based on job performance, subsidized health care benefits, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, recreation and fitness centers, vacation purchase options, paid sabbaticals, flexible work arrangements, counseling services, child care, onsite training, family-oriented programs, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, child care, and family volunteer events, scholarships for students and more† (Compensation and benefits, n.d.). Conclusion In order to attract â€Å"only the best† it is paramount that any compensation package offered be the deciding factor. The total compensation package being offered is comparative, similar and acceptable in the industry. References: Affordable Care Act. (n.d.). Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from Medicaid.gov: http://www.medicaid.gov/AffordableCareAct/Affordable-Care-Act.html Compensation & Benefits. (n.d.). Compensation & Benefits. Retrieved from hrcouncil.ca: http://www.hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/compensation-systems.cfm Compensation and benefits. (n.d.). Compensations and Benefits. Retrieved from SC Johnson, A Family Company: http://www.scjohnson.com/en/Careers/culture/benefits.aspx One decision†¦many benefits. (2014). One decision-many benefits. Retrieved from Eli Lilly: http://www.lilly.com/Documents/2014-FTE.pdf U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Retirement Plans, Benefits & Savings. Retrieved from United States Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/retirement/erisa.htm What You Know About The Fair Labor Standards Act. (n.d.). What you should know about the Fair Labor Standards Act. Retrieved from: Laws: http//employment.laws.com/fair-labor-standards-act

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods

Research Proposal Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods in Peninsula Malaysia Abstract The aim of this study is to find out the three (3) significant variables forming the positive attitude towards the buying the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia, which eventually lead to the ultimate intention in buying the organically-produced food. The different variables are focused on demographic characteristics on household income, product attributes and lastly the perceived value to the customers. This study shows that the household income is seemingly appeared to be an important predictor among the targeted segmentation in consuming organic food. Organic food attributes such as pricing, availability and environmentally friendliness of such organic food may influence consumer buying decision. Lastly, the perceived value from the customers towards organic food on its health effects, sensory appeal, nutrition-worth and belief of perceived benefits, often play an important role in cultivating the intention towards buying organic food. Introduction and Background of the Study Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for organic-produced food or products. Organic food is often seen and marketed as health-conscious food which contains fewer contaminants, more nutrients and most importantly having a positive effect on the environment. It is known that some of these attributes are difficult to quantify, with the contrary that some of researcher has proved that they may cause such potential harm during the organic production. The organic market back in 80’s, while remaining a niche sector, has grown to be able to grab a share from the total spending on food in some countries in the recent years. Organic fruit and vegetables are amongst the products which have been expanding in the rapid production. The demand for organically-produced meat and dairy products has undergone the same rapid progress, with a corresponding increase in the need for organically grown forage and feed crops. This has led to a fast growth in consumer demand whereby the organic food sales have managed to gain a significant market share in the conventional food industry. The market for organically produced crops and commodities has become more structured, looking at the increased number of countries which have adopted uniform standards for organic food production. The standardization has also applied in the organic certification and labelling. While both the production and the marketing of the organic cultivation of temperate crops have developed, there is a trend to be seen whereby the developing country’s farmers are actively involved in the organic farming. Problem Statement and Importance of the Research Organic agriculture industry, no doubt, has offers most of the developing countries a wide range of economic, environment, social and cultural benefits. Certifies organic products have now been growing fast and in the mist of entering the global market. Malaysia, on the other hand, is still in the starting spark-point in adapting the organic-food consumption while the developed countries such as North America and Europe have already gained the biggest market share in this newest industry. Due to expanding markets and attractive price premiums, Malaysia should invent and invest in organically-produced food, taking into consideration of various significant variables which may form the consumer behaviour towards organic food. We would like to highlight that the ultimate goal of this study is to understand consumer’s motivations behind organic food products purchases in order to enable organic producers to develop a more effective strategic marketing plan. The results could be used for the marketing planning of organic food products to enable proper marketing strategies, a proper sales channel and promotion to be targeted to these groups of consumers. Research Questions The present study aims to answer the following questions: †¢ What are demographic characteristics of organic food buyers? †¢ How do demographic characteristics affect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How product attributes effect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How consumer perceived values influence consumer attitudes towards organic foods? What is the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase? †¢ How can results of the study be applied by managers and marketers? Research Objectives Regarding to the significance of the growing market of organic foods in the world, and to the previous studies on consumer attitudes towards organic foods and its effects on purch ase intentions in several countries (e. g. Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Denmark) we intend to carry out such similar studies in Peninsula Malaysia with objectives as the following: To report the descriptive analysis on the organic buyers’ demographic characteristics †¢ To identify the effects of demographic characteristics (specifically level of households income) on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine effects of product attributes on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To investigate the relation of consumer perceived values to consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase †¢ To clarify implications for managers and marketers Literature Review Demographics Based on findings from previous research, demographic characteristics were evaluated as one of the major predictors in gaining intention to purchase the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia. According to Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), the demographic of consumers consist of various characteristics namely the gender, age, household income and education level. Each element has been contributed in forming the valued attitudes towards buying the organic products. Hence, the demographic characteristics, especially on household income is seemingly significant and being the focus in this research. This will eventually lead to the desired intention in buying such products for daily consumption. Level of Household Income Whilst referring to the studies done in the US, it is seemingly apparent that the demographic variables which herby refer as the income distribution, is significant predictors (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). The research on this particular subject has proven that income positively influenced buying behaviour which in turn may cause the perceived buying behaviour towards the organic food. A same result has shown in Germany as well (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). In Germany, demographic variables such as household income distribution have played an important role in developing significant effect on organic buying behaviour. However, the overall inevitability of the demographic characteristics was relatively different, taking into consideration of research carried in various Western countries. These findings verify the results of earlier studies by Clark & Goldsmith (2006) and Im et al. (2003) proven that the intellectual practice on using the demographic characteristics such as household income distribution and domain specific innovativeness will be seen as strategic tools for market segmentation. In the Western countries, research has identified that the demand and willingness in expenditure on organic goods often affiliated closely with various socioeconomic and demographic variables (Wier et al. , 2008). In addition, Menghi (1997) found that the majority households with middle and higher income levels showed a greater tendency in purchase and consuming organic foods. However, it is shown that almost all of these studies are based upon hypothesized future behaviour rather than observed behaviour in both Denmark and UK. Hence, studies have been carried out by researchers to further invent on the influences of demographic characteristics especially in household income in guiding the intention of buying the organic goods. Through the research it is revealed that higher disposable household income (approximated by total food expenditure) will lead to higher positive intention in purchasing the organic food. Consumers with a lower household income alongside with lower level of education are found to be least likely to have heard of organic agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). On a contrary, those who have a higher income and hold an academic degree are more likely to be the target segmentation in purchasing organic products (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). It is also mentioned that the correlation between the household income level is very much linked to the level of education as well. As mentioned by Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), intended purchases of sustainably produced foods did not differ for demographic characteristics such as household annual income educational attainment. Through the research carried out by Ross NJ. et al. 2000), they have suggested that consumers with a higher earning incomes were more likely to have purchased locally produced food, mainly focus on the organic consumption by various segmentations. Their research and findings were supported earlier by Govindasamy R. and Italia J. (1998) whereby the same results applied. Groups with a higher household income tend to have purchased foods produced with reduced pesticides. In UK particularly, social group is employed as an indicator of income brackets (Wier et al. , 2008). Research has revealed that the tendency in urchase the organic goods seem to increase in accordance to the given social status. However, the highest organic budget shares are observed for middle class households whilst shares in the upper middle class being in fact lower. Quite captivatingly, a similar phenomenon is observed to be happened in Denmark as well. Organic Food Attributes Organic food attributes influence consumer buying decision. Several empirical studies have been performed on customer perceptions of organic food attributes and how they formed the consumer attitudes towards food. In the present research, among different product attributes, we have selected: price of organic food, environmentally friendliness of organic food and organic food availability. Price of Organic Food Organic foods are often of a price premium above conventional products. According to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Thailand the price difference between organic and non-labeled conventional vegetables in Bangkok varied between 50 percent and 170 percent and in some cases even 400 percent. However, in some countries such as Finland there were not significant premium prices for organic foods (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005). As Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) pointed out that despite the price difference of organic and non-organic food, nearly 60% of the ‘organic buyers’ said that the price of organic products was not a problem. In addition, ‘non-organic buyers’ ranked some other items as a reason of not purchasing organic food rather than higher prices. Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) claimed that while 100 percent of people would prefer organic to conventional products with the assumption of similar price, this percentages dropped by only 20 percent when the same question was posed regardless the higher price of organic food. In other words, higher price is an important obstacle for a limited percentage of consumers. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) found out that in Bangkok men were more likely to purchase organic foods than women and concluded that it might be due to the reason of men being willing to pay a higher price premium for organic products than women. Similarly, a study in Klang Valey, Malaysia showed that women werre more likely than men to agree that they would purchase more organic foods if they were less expensive (Ahmed, 2010). Additionally, heavy users were on average stage whereby they are willing to pay higher price premiums than medium and light users (Wier et. al, 2008). Environmentally friendliness of organic food Consumers are getting more conscious and concerned with the consumption of chemical substance used in farming and preserving environment is becoming a strong attitude among consumers. According to Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), subjective norms’ effect on attitudes has been mainly found in behaviors, that involved some kind of ethical decision, and also buying organic food can be seen as ethical decision reflecting environmental concern. In addition, perceived quality is associated with environmentally friendly practices (Ness et. al, 2009). The perception of organic food products as environmentally friendly was a common intuition and has been examined in several studies (Ahmed, 2010; Honkanen et. al, 2006). It is believed that when the consumers have more concern about their health and environmental protection, they will be more likely to have a positive attitude to organic foods (Ness et. al, 2010). Honkanen et. al (2006) found that ecologically oriented consumers were more likely to form intentions to purchase and consume organic food. In other words, the more people are concerned about environment, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food. Organic Food Availability Lack of organic food availability and variety in store is considered as one of the barriers to consumer purchase. Fresh vegetables (which include fresh herbs) were considered the most widely available organic product group rather than other organic foods (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) stated that limited availability was the main factor that hinders organic purchasing. Although according to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008), in Thailand, majority of organic buyers were satisfied with availability of organic products. Most of them reported that they would like to buy more organic products, especially a wider range of vegetables. Value to the Customer In every product that consumer purchased and used, they in turn are expecting value from it. Value can be defined as a benefit that consumer is receiving by using a product. Benefits here mean sensory appeal of the product, taste, fun, freshness, quality and healthiness of the products. These are some main reasons that encouraged consumer to purchase the organic food. The value may vary from one consumer to another; however there will definitely be one value that effect the buying attitude which motivate the buying intention of consumers. Health Effect of Organic Food Several perceptions contributed to health attribute include the reason of being good for health, good for children, not containing pesticides, high in fiber, natural and nutritious and safer to eat (Roitner-Schobesberger, et. al, 2008; Saher et. al 2006; Lockie et. al, 2002; Ness et. al, 2009). The perceived potential hazards of modern agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides and their residues in food were perceived to be associated with long term and unknown effects on health (Miles and Frewer, 2001;Wilkins & Hillers, 1994; Williams & Hammit, 2001). Saher et. al (2006) revealed that there is very little scientific support for the common beliefs that organic food would be more healthy or nutritious than regular foods, but the belief that they have these properties remains quite strong in consumer’s mindset. The claim is debatable whether marketers can use the health claim for marketing purposes because most of the research concluded that there was no evidence that organic food was healthier or more nutritious than conventional food (Honkanen et. al, 2006). However, most studies in this area suggested that consumer’s perception of organic food as a healthy nutrition is one the most significant motives for buyers. Lockie et al. (2002) pointed out that health was the one aspect consumers are least willing to compromise. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Bangkok, Thailand, examined the motives behind organic food purchase and pointed out that the most important motive was the expected positive health effects. Similarly in Malaysia, organic buyers believed that organic food was healthier compared to conventional grown food (Ahmed, 2010). In Thailand, the health aspect was closely associated with the residues from synthetic chemicals used in agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). In fact, organic products often have a lower level of pesticide residues (Baker et al. , 2002). Lockie et. al (2002) revealed that although price was an important factor, organic consumers consider health has appeared as a more significant factor for purchasing organic food in Australia. These organic food consumers also believed that industrial methods of food processing constitute a threat to customer’s health. Another research by Schifferstein & Oude Ophuis (1997) illustrated that well-being was rated among all other motives by organic food buyers. On the other hand, Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) by examining specific organic products (bread and flour) claimed that health consciousness did not explained the general attitudes towards organic food, although they believed this results might be different by examining different organic products. Sensory Appeals Sensory appeals of organic food are part of the factors that provides value to customer. Sensory appeals include the taste, odor and also the texture of the organic product (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sometimes sensory appeals of the organic food need to be combined with the non-sensory factors such as organic food related expectations to create a value to customer which will affect their attitude towards buying organic food (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sensory factors are also influenced by cultures and background of consumers. For example, consumers from Western countries eat less spicy food compared to those from Asia. Spicy organic food might produce high value to consumers in Asian countries compared to Western. Intrinsic cues or sensory appeal that are associated with physical characteristics of the product such as taste, size, color, appearance, smell, feel and flavor were commonly used as indicators of quality on the organic food (Schifferstein et. al,1997). Quality is also value that consumers experiencing by consuming an organic food. Better sensory appeal of organic food will portray a better quality which will influence the attitude of purchasing an organic food and later increase the intention of buying the organic food. One of the most prominent sensory appeals that yield more value to consumer is taste. According to Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008), taste was the third important motives that consumers purchase organic food (Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al, 2008). Others studies also emphasized that many organic food buyers believed that organic food products taste better than conventional food even if sensory evaluations have yielded inconsistent results (Fillion and Arazi,2002; McEachern and McClean,2002; Zhao et al. ,2007). Perceived Value One of the studies conducted in eight countries concluded that individual attitudes towards buying organic food are primarily based on the belief about the benefits (Thogersen, 2000). Benefits or value to consumers such as healthy, taste better and environment friendly supersede all the other factors such as belief about the cost. The same proven in one of the study conducted in Klang Valley. Most of the respondents reported that they choose to buy organic food products because they perceived organic food as very healthy, fresher and natural (Bayaah Ahmad et. ll, 2010). As such, value of organic food towards customers’ effect their attitudes towards buying which will motivates their intention of purchasing the organic product. Consumers also value organic food as nutritional food since it is produced using traditional method whereby the original nutrition from the food is preserved. Nutrition belief was one of the reasons that made people appeared to have different food styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness (Chen, 2007). Organic food adds value to consumers who has such belief and it will influence their intention of consuming it by affecting the buying behavior. Besides, Chen (2007) points out that an individual’s personal interests or traits act a part in establishing personal food choice criteria through the values held by the individual. These values comprise nutrition beliefs, weight control concerns, and so on. For instance, people seem to have different food-styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness. Another important motive to purchase organic food as reported by Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008) is the consumer’s search for new, trendy and attractive food products. Attitudes towards Organic food and Intention to purchase Basically, consumer attitudes are found to be the most important predictor of intention to buy (Honkanen et. al, 2006). Several studies have found that higher perceived product quality leads to more positive re-purchase intentions (Bou-Llusar et. al, 2001; Hult, & Kandemir 2004; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005). Chen (7007) highlighted that if the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s attitude to purchase organic food will be more likely to be positive. This is also consistent with another study performed by Honkanen et. al (2006) indicating that relation between attitude and intention is positive and quite strong, indicating that consumers with positive attitudes towards consumption of organic food are more likely to form intentions to consume such food, therefore converting positive attitudes to intentions. Methodology Theoretical Research Framework [pic] Figure1. Theoretical Research Framework Hypothesis Development: Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between demographic characteristics of consumers and their attitudes towards organic foods. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between organic food attributes and consumer’s attitudes towards the organic food. Hypothesis 3: There is a positive relationship between values of organic food to customer with attitudes towards buying organic foods. Hypothesis 4: When the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s intentions to purchase organic foods will be more likely to be positive. Research Design The questionnaires are only designed in English; since the respondents are assumed to be relatively high educated they will be able to answer the questions without any difficulties. Furthermore it will help to keep the original meaning and understanding that respondents perceived to have towards the questions. Types of questions in questionnaires are mostly closed ended question and only two open ended question. This will only consume little time for the respondent to complete the questionnaire which will encourage them to participate in this study. There are three main categories in the prepared questionnaires. The questions in the first category are more towards understanding demographic details of the respondent such as on the age, income level, ethnicity, religion and educational level. This is useful to confirm the background of the organic food consumers. There are also questions on the product attributes which the respondents are asked to identify what are the main attributes that attract the purchase and also to determine whether this factor have a positive effect towards consumer attitude on organic food. Last part in the questionnaires is designed to understand the value of organic food to customers. All these questions are to test four hypotheses of this study. Data Collection The target population consists of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. In order to carry out the sampling Peninsula Malaysia is divided in to 3 major regions namely Northern, Central and Southern region. Northern region will be represented by Penang, Central region will be Klang Valley and Southern region of Peninsula Malaysia is represented by Johor Bahru. These three areas are chosen based on the economic development and availability of the organic products. From each region shopping complexes and supermarkets that provide organic products are identified. By using random sampling, three shopping complexes and supermarkets in urban areas are selected. Since target respondent with higher educational level and purchasing power are scattered around these urban areas, these will be perfect places to conduct this research. Those three supermarkets and shopping complexes are ensured to be far from each other so that the collected samples will be more accurate in representing the population in each region. Total sample size comprises of 540 individual respondents is collected using convenience sampling and respondents will be approached randomly. Since this study is conducted in large scale, convenient sampling will be more cost effective compared to other types of sampling. Furthermore conducting other types of sampling will be time consuming and the accuracy of the collected samples to represent the actual population will be questionable. In order to collect the data, 60 self-administered consumer questionnaire surveys are distributed in each shopping complexes which will result in 180 uestionnaires from each region. Considering the validity of the data, we are expecting a total of about 500 questionnaires to be usable in the later part of data analysis. Although there is no way of knowing if those included are representative of the overall population, the survey is still expected to give a first overview of relevant issues and to allow to derive insights into the perception of organ ic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. Data Analysis After data is collected, data will be edited and coded. Editing data is very essential part of data analysis especially when researches involve open ended questions. Editing is done immediately after data is collected so that the respondent can be contacted if any clarification needed. The edited data are identified through usage of different fond and colors. Coding is done before data processing is conducted. Since most of the data collected involve ordinal scale, coding becomes prudent. By doing this data accurately keyed in and avoid wrong interpretation of data. Base on the three sections in the questionnaire, data is also coded in three main groups. Data processing is done using a software program called SPSS version 17. First of all the edited and coded data is checked and scanned through. Wrongly entered and coded data will be identified using the software through methods like identification of the maximum value. Values like variance, standard deviation, mean and range are used to understand the effectiveness of the questions asked in the questionnaire and how respondents reacted to the questions. The reliability and validity test is done to check the credibility of the data. The reliability test also conducted to test the relationship of the variables through the reliability coefficient. 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