The Bear A Message of Freedom or Accursed Despair Essay Example For Students

The Bear: A Message of Freedom or Accursed Despair Essay The Bear: A Message of Freedom or Accursed Despair? William Faulkner, in his novela, The Bear, raises several intriguing issues through the use of blood. Is blood simply an internal red liquid, let easily with the blade of a knife? Faulkners use of blood implies a more substantial concept. It is a symbol of the ties that bind a family, something that can not be let so easily. Further, it is incorporated into the definition of who you are, as Sam Fathers is referred to as possessing the blood of a Chickasaw mingled with the blood of a negro. It can be a permanent, definite reference to who you are, from where youve originated. In this sense, Faulkner implies that individuals do not own their own blood, that blood is instead a legacy of those who came before them. This issue of blood comes into focus in Section 4, when Ike attempts to reject the land and holdings of a corrupt grandfather. Ultimately, he repudiates his heritage, his ancestry, his own blood. This urges the reader to ask whether the individual can e! scape the bonds of blood and nullify the actions of preceding generations, or if the individuals identity is to be forever bound to an unalterable past. Stephen M. Ross writes on The Bear, that consciousness itself, like knowledge of the family past can be passed on from generation to generation. (Fictions Inexhaustible Voice 159) Sam Fathers innate knowledge of the old fathers would appear only to strengthen the notion that human identity is forever doomed to be cursed by the improprieties of our predecessors. However, the reader learns through Ikes personal conflict that the individual, although forever defined by the acts of a blood not truly their own can find freedom, ironically, through the one thing that each individual can call their own, the heart. Before Ike even begins his process of self-liberation, the connections between blood, ancestral ties and self identity are clearly drawn. Sam Fathers, the physical manifestation of this inner conflic t is described as, the quarter Indian, grandson of a Chickasaw squaw, who on occasion resented with his hard and furious fists the intimation of one single drop of alien blood and affirmed with the same fists and the same fury that his father had been the full-blood Chickasaw and even a chief and that even his mother had been only half white. (218) The reader knows that his assertions are not entirely complete, that his blood is also that of a black slave. In circumventing the recognition of the presence of alien blood, he further alienates himself from his immutable physical identity. He is truly alone for he had none of his blood anywhere above the earth that he would ever meet again. And even if he were to, he could not have touched it, spoken to it, because for seve! nty years now he had had to be a negro. (206) These facets of his alienation ask the reader if we can escape our heritage, if we can escape who we are, or more concretely, if we can choose our own identity. Sams lif e long struggle to discover who he was shows that the repudiation of our blood is insurmountable. The physical and ancestral components of our identities remain fixed, and that basic truth denies us complete ownership of the self. An individuals blood can never truly belong to that person. It has been handed down generation after generation of people who themselves didnt own it either. I cant repudiate it. It was never mine to repudiate. It was never Fathers and Uncle Buddys to bequeath to me to repudiate because it was never Grandfathers to bequeath them to bequeath me to repudiate (246) Ikes view of the land closely parallels the inability to possess ones blood. Perhaps when Ike repudiates the farm, he is not only attempting to disown the land and his heritage, but in addition, his own blood. In acknowledging that maybe it was more than justice that only the white mans blood was available and capable to raise the white mans curse, he reveals to the reader his attempts to disavow h is ancestors, and in turn, his blood by disclaiming the land that they owned. (248) When he states, Apparently they can remember nothing save when underlined in blood, blood is depicted as a vessel of memory. (273) The connection between his blood and his identity has ingrained upon him not only an unrelinquishable ancestry, but also a vicarious centr! al consciousness (Fictions Inexhaustible Voice 156) bequeathed him by the irrefutable forces of heritage and history. Here it appears that Ikes sense of self dissolves into a physical existence grounded in the implicit memory of his predecessors, and any endeavor to resist would seem hopeless and futile. Is human self-identity merely an indistinct and perhaps trivial illusion? Freedom under this assumption would itself seem even more trivial, if not absurd. What is freedom if it is not to be ones true self?Ike later finds that true freedom is not explicitly found within the confines of the individual being. His discovery is rooted in the fact that the history of the plantation inscribed in the ledgers was a record, not alone of his own flesh and blood but of all his people, not only the whites but the black one too, who were as much a part of his ancestry as his white progenitors, and of the land which they had all held and used in common and fed from and on and would continue to use in common without regard to color or titular ownership (256) Blood is not simply common to the members of an immediate family, but is shared by all of humanity, as is the Earth we live on. He frees himself from the alienation that exists in conjunction with the concept of the self. Blood isnt owned by one person the blood of the individual is the blood of all. The sins of the fathers do not wholly rest on Ike, but are reflected by, and are a reflection of humankind. These connections run deeper as Ike converges on the source of the bloods driving force, if the truth is one thing to me and another thing to you, how will we choose wh ich is truth? You dont need to choose. The heart already knows. Truth is one. It doesnt change. It covers all things which touch the heart (249, 283) Within each human, there is a heart that understands and implicitly knows the truth: honor and pride and pity and justice and courage and love, the complexity of passion and lust and hate and fear which drives the heart. (283, 249) ! But what exactly is it that touches the human heart? Where or what is this truth? The vessel of ancestral memory, the record of the inexplicable human experience, the blood this is what pulses through our veins and flows through our hearts. To apprehend the truth is the experience of the human heart, but to create the truth is the infinitely varied journey of life that all humanity shares. In short, the truth shall set you free. .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .postImageUrl , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:hover , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:visited , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:active { border:0!important; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:active , .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62 .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub0fb92f905168e6ccb28d012eeab9f62:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Christmas Carol Compare And Contrast Essay We will write a custom essay on The Bear: A Message of Freedom or Accursed Despair specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The individual is forever condemned, never to completely own ones self, but instead is marred by the curse of their predecessors existence whose identity will forever remain a fragment of their own. Restrained from existing as a separate, alien being, the person is forced to share the most pertinent parts of their consciousness with numerous others, the human heart, the interpreter of the ultimate meaning, and the blood, the meaning and identity of our physical existence in this world. Ike affirms that the doomed and lowly of the earth have nothing else to read with but the heart, and that the heart knows the truth, the one, the unity. Perhaps it knows because within all its almost incomprehensible complexity, it is the unity that binds us all, not only to each other, but to the infinite possibilities of existence. Robert Hunter, in the song Eyes of the World, relates his perspective on the relationship between the human heart, the truth and the universe that encompasses, or maybe is encompassed by the two. Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world,the heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own. Wake now, discover that you are the song that the mornin brings,But the heart has its seasons, its evenins and songs of its own. `

Hydrochloric Acid Investigation Essays

Hydrochloric Acid Investigation Essays Hydrochloric Acid Investigation Essay Hydrochloric Acid Investigation Essay This is any substance with a pH value less than 7, an example of a strong acid is hydrochloric acid as it has a pH of 1. The solution contains free roaming H+ ions. It usually contains hydrogen ions that dissolve in water to produce hydrogen ions but these do not exist on their own in the solution. ALKALI This again is any substance 3 with a pH value more than 7, an example of a strong alkali is sodium hydroxide as it has pH of 14. Alkalis contain OH- ions that also move around freely in the solution. It is a base normally of a hydroxide of a metal in group 1 or 2 of the periodic table, that is soluble in water and produces hydroxide ions (OH) in solution. These make a solution alkaline. NEUTRALISATION This is the reaction between an acid (hydrochloric acid) and a base (alkali) to produce a salt (sodium chloride) and water only. An equal amount of hydrogen and hydroxide ions react and form together to form a neutral solution. ACID + BASE SALT + WATER (Hydrochloric acid + Sodium hydroxide Sodium chloride + Water) PREDICTION I predict that there must be an equal amount of hydrochloric acid and hydroxide for neutralisation to occur. If this happens sodium chloride will be produced to form a reaction that will be neutralised. EQUIPMENT 50cm3 burettes Conical flask Sodium hydroxide (0.5m) Hydrochloric acid (0.5m) Universal indicator Pipette droppers 25cm3 measuring cylinder Thermometer Safety goggles PICTURE OF EQUIPMENT SET UP PROCEDURE 1. Collect all the necessary equipment and put it together ready for the experiment to begin. 2. Before you begin make sure everyone is wearing safety goggles and that no one is ready to mess around to ruin the experiment or cause any accidents. 3. Measure out 25ml of sodium hydroxide into a measuring cylinder. 4. Now pour the 25ml of sodium hydroxide into the conical flask. 5. Add 12 drops of universal indicator to the sodium hydroxide making sure the substance changes to a pH colour of 14. 6. Now wash the measuring cylinder thoroughly with water to clean it. 7. You can now pour 25ml of hydrochloric acid and pour it into the burette but make sure the tape is closed at the bottom before you do. 8. Make sure you have drawn out a table to collect your results that includes the colour of the solution the pH number, the temperature and the volume of acid in cm3 you have poured into the conical flask. 9. Open the tap of the burette and then close it when 1cm3 has poured out of the tap. 10. Now record the temperature of the liquid inside of the conical flask and check the pH then record it down into your table. 11. Repeat this step until there is no dramatic change in the pH or temperature, if this occurs increase the amount let out of the burette to 2cm3. 12. When you get to around a pH of 10, change the amount of hydrochloric acid let out to 0.2cm3. 13. Once you have reached to a pH of 7 your substance is neutralised and the experiment is over. 14. Clean and wash all the equipment used with water and pack it away. FAIR TESTING 1. Use the same volume of alkali and the same concentration. 2. Always have the same volume of universal indicator. 3. Always rinse through the apparatus thoroughly with water after each trial. 4. Initially add the acid in 2cm3 amounts, through to 1cm3 and then as we approach a weak alkali. OBSERVATIONS Results from experiment 1 Volume of acid cm3 pH number Temperature oC 0 14 28 2 14 28 4 14 28 6 14 28 8 14 29 10 14 29 12 13 29 14 12 29 15 10 29 16 9 29 17 7 29 Results from experiment 2 Volume of acid cm3 Colour pH number temperature oC 2 blue green 14 29 4 blue green 14 29.5 6 blue green 13 30 8 blue green 13 30.25 10 blue green 13 30.5 12 blue green 13 30.75 14 Dark green 12 31 16 Dark green 12 31 17 Green 11 31.25 18 Green 11 31.25 19 Mid Green 10 31.5 19.5 Mid Green 10 31.5 20 Mid Green 9 31.5 20.5 Mid Green 9 31.5 20.9 Mid Green 9 31.5 21.3 Yellow 8 31.5 21.7 Mustard yellow 7 21.5 Results from experiment 3 Volume of acid cm3 Colour pH number Temperature oC 2 Blue green 14 29.5 4 Blue green 14 29.75 6 Blue green 13 30 8 Blue green 13 30.5 10 Dark green 12 30.5 12 Dark green 12 30.5 14 Mid green 11 31 16 Mid green 11 31 17 Green 10 31 18 Green 10 31 19 Green 10 31 21 Light green 9 31.5 21.5 Mustard yellow 7 31.5 CONCLUSION From doing the following experiment I have found out that yes my prediction was correct as you can see from my results. In have found out that as the volume of acid is increased so is the temperature but as the volume of acid is increased the pH number decreases, this is because it is getting a weaker alkali as more acid is poured in. EVALUATION Overall my groups experiment went very successfully, we cleaned all the apparatus thoroughly, we used the same quantity of all the solutions and we added equal accurate amounts of the solutions to make sure that everything was very fair. We carried out the procedure safely without anybody getting hurt or messing around. People made accurate measurements and generally got on with the experiment quickly but thoroughly. The only was I could improve the experiment for next time is to repeat more experiments.

Resume Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Resume - Assignment Example The key strengths that I believe will enhance secure this position includes: With a BS degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology, I have full understanding of the tests as well as the instruments involved in nuclear medicine. I also have experience in excelling in use of new technologies in the field of medicine. I am enclosing my certification credentials, my resume, and two references to enhance you access additional information on my experience. â€Å"The Community Cancer Center (CCC) is one of the private, bountiful, non-profit, community-owned and operated cancer treatment facilities† (Community Cancer Center) that was formed in early 1980. CCC is very unique. This is evidence by its lack of affiliation to governmental, political, or religious organizations. It is also independent of any support from any hospital or medical organization. Additionally, it performs its roles without any support from tax dollars. All these contribute to it working entirely towards enhancing the success of the community. â€Å"The CCC is governed by a voluntary, 30-member Board of Trustees† (Community Cancer Center). Its administrative duties are carried out by an executive director who supervises a staff of 22 as well as part-time employees. Physician services are offered by 2 independently employed oncologists. CCC offers support to those who lack the potential to purchase needed medicines. It also offers nutritional as well as psychosocial counseling to those in need of the service. A van owned by the center as well as the driver employed by the center take part in transporting patients who lack the ability of accessing medical centers. According to Bruce Hanna who was the former president of the Community Cancer Foundation, the philosophy of the CCC is to â€Å"To give hope, when life is challenged by cancer and to care for all who need it in

Personal Development Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Development Portfolio - Essay Example Under the broad topic of organizational change, a presentation was assigned to each group. The presentation discussed the issues of internal and external changes and their influence on organizational change. Our group firstly distributed the work among them and started at an early phase in order to ensure work quality (Anglia Ruskin University, 2013). The major task during the entire preparation of presentation was a collection of the appropriate literature review. In general, the presentation was based on a collection of past evidence in numerous industries, which resulted in organizational change. The first analysis was made on the packaging industry across South East Asia. The market of an aluminum can is extremely competitive and hence, firms operating in this industry, such as Westcan Aluminium, have to keep their prices low as the threat is from both branded and unbranded local firms (Ridgman, 1996). During initial stages of the literature review process, various difficulties arise. A major difficulty was in term of sourcing statistical data for the required industries. PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is a small fragment of the packaging industry. Consequently, it was difficult to find appropriate information on its usage, share among different firms as well as a total number of unidentified or local companies selling the material (Cameron and Mitchell, 1993). The next problem occurred in terms of group management. I realized that some of the team members were less participative compared to others. As such, issues and conflicts began to arise between group members. However, I was able to clear the misunderstandings by assigning each member with the particular task with a fixed deadline. As I took on the most difficult task, I was applauded and immediately positioned as the leader of the group. The next issue that occurred was that of assigning parts during the presentation speec h. Conflicts of interest occurred as two or more members wanted to present on similar topics (Ghaye, 2000).

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Operation Management - Essay Example Indeed recognition of a modern telecommunication infrastructure is very much essential for boosting up the growth of the economy as well as its social well being (U. S. Industrial Outlook, 1994: Business Forecasts for 350 Industries, 1994, p.28). The report deals with a small US based Telecom Company and its application of operation management practices backed with diverse theoretical frameworks of operation management (discussed in the theoretical framework section). The company in application is basically a provider of telecom manufacturing services to various small scale technology companies. The company has employee strength varying between 30 and 35 and is situated in the United States of America. The areas of specialization of the company are circuit cards manufacturing, system level assemblies and precision sheet metal. The company also receives funds from a big telecom company which provides products like metal chassis and assemblies. Coming to the development pattern of the company, the revenues of the company in the fourth quarter of the year 2012 increased by a small percentage compared to the fourth quarter of the fiscal year in 2011 but the net income of the company declined significantly as compared to the previous year. The growth of the company taxed the current operational processes and a necessity for an automated solution was necessary for the purpose of processing as well as analyzing the telecom invoices. There was also an increase in the number of employees by the company for meeting the demands of the customers and also there were escalations in the number of services being purchased by the employees of the company. The cost per employee also increased because the employees used cell phones, pagers and other electronic gadgets without proper oversight. There was also increase in the costs of internet access for the telecommuters. An urge for Total Quality Management procedure was highly felt. There was development in the information techn ology database along with the advancement in the tools. But the development in the IT tools was not properly engaged in streamlining the billing procedure of the company. Data collection in the United States is more or less straightforward but there is a great difference in the billing processes among various countries as various countries using different ledgers and various global solutions and also with respect to the knowledge of global currencies. Variations in vendor commercial performances added layers of intricacies to the billing organization chore. It can be stated that the company’s financial strength is declining a bit but the company also has a potential market presence and directs towards maintaining a strong position for itself. 2. Outline of the purpose of the study The company encountered a bad phase of revenue decline from year 2004 to 2007 during which it served some of the big companies in the telecom industry as its client. The problem was that these were all high volume but low margin accounts and pricing pressure adversely affected the company’s profit portfolio. After that it moved into the domain of military and aerospace industry which escalated the company’s growth to a certain level. But the military and the

Disaster Analysis: Challenger Disaster

Disaster Analysis: Challenger Disaster It was the day in the history of America wherein the people had a great expectation of a mission that would take a civilian for the first time into space. After twenty four successful launches by NASA, the Challenger space shuttle was a test of their experience as an organisation. On January 28th 1986, the shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, claiming the lives of all crew members onboard .The explosion could not be blamed just because of the technical faults but also raised numerous other issues such as organisational and ethical behaviour. It also questioned the leadership skills exhibited by the teams involved during the operation. This report discusses the organisational factors that contributed to the accident and reflects on the aftermath of the disaster explaining about space missions and the organisations associated with it. It also reflects on the role of management in order to manage a complex engineering operation. NASA OPERATION REASONING ITS FAILURE There were many organizational factors which contributed to the accident. To start with, NASA was always a narcissistic kind of organization, which believed in the number one spot. Since it landed the first man on the moon, prior to Russia, its technological ethos took backseat. It was more of an organization, which concentrated on the public display image rather than the true technology. The U.S. government declared to stop supporting the space shuttle programmes and asked NASA to raise their own funds for any further space programme. Also, for any complex engineering project, to be a success, the feedback and recommendations of the engineers and technical staff is considered, as the most mandatory and important requirement. In Challengers case, it was the most neglected aspect and thus leads to a disaster. There were some strong forces of reason and emotions which influenced the decision to proceed with the launch. The highly visible public display of Americas success as a multicultural society was also one of the reason they included many minorities in the group. NASA just wanted to go ahead with the launch as there was one lady school teacher, Christa McAuliffe in the team, which made this space launch a special centre of attraction for the citizens of the U.S. The US president was due with his assembly speech, which also somewhat forced NASA to go ahead with the launch. There was huge media pressure as the launch had been cancelled several times before. There was also the lack of leadership in the organization as there was really no one with the courage to make the right decisions, as it is one of the foremost requirements of a charismatic leadership. The relationship between Morton Thiokol and NASA is one of the strong reasons for the failure of mission. Both organizations managers were over complacent as they looked for evidence to support mission success rather than evidence indicating possible mission failure. The Thiokol management wanted to make sure it received future contracts from NASA. This is clearly evident from the communication, which took place between the two organisations during the teleconferencing. Basically, both the parties were looking and were guided by their own selfish interests. SHUTTLE DISASTER WHO IS TO BE BLAMED? One single entity cannot be held accountable for the challenger disaster. Responsibility falls on the managers at NASA and Thiokol. These are the people who made the decision to launch challenger and where the ones with the authority and power. They did not listen to or take any real notice of the engineers at Thiokol who are the experts in the area and have the knowledge base regarding the rocket boosters. There was a lack of communication and a sense of desperation from the managers to make sure the shuttle launched as they did not want any further delay. The role that the culture at NASA played in this disaster was very important and indeed can be directly attributed to the disaster. Within NASA there had developed a climate where communication was very closed. The culture did not encourage a free flowing exchange of information between departments and people of different levels; there was a concerted effort to discourage creative thinking. This mind set was also transfeered to Thiokol which had a detrimental effect. The mission was the first of its kind to have a non-astronaut aboard, this was done so that the space program would be more widely acknowledged by the public it would capture peoples imaginations again with the possibility that a regular person could go up into space. Although there was a non-astronaut on board the shuttle and a mix of ethnic backgrounds and genders this can in no way have had any bearing on the disaster as none of these people where responsible for giving the mission the go ahead that was purely down to management and once the shuttle was launched those on board would not have been able to do anything differently. The challenger disaster was certainly avoidable, the warning signs were there but the people in charge did not heed them. The engineers knew there was a problem with the O rings and many attempts were made to communicate this but management did not want to listen to the engineers as it was something they did not want to hear as they clearly put financial gains ahead of the safety of the mission and its crew. NASA also could have stopped the launch but because they had already delayed the launch twice management were under pressure to not delay any further. The pressure to meet its targets led NASA to not follow the set down rules it had in place to stop something like this happening. All the pressures put on both NASA and Thiokol led to them taking risks which did not pay off. If the pressure to launch in conjunction with communication breakdowns had not occurred or had been managed better this disaster would not have happened. FACTORS INFLUENCING DISASTER Communication Communication was considered to be an issue since the engineers were not able to convince the management team at NASA to stop the launch of the space shuttle. It was very evident from the initial time that the management at Marshal Space centre contained already known problems and they were trying to resolve them internally instead of communicating them further. During the initial stages of the challenger project, the management of NASA had come up with certain guidelines and rules called the BURDEN OF PROOF wherein the technical team had to come up with exact proof to explain the consequences if there was a failure from their side. Robert Lund, an engineer and manager who played an important role during the challenger launch explained we had to prove to them that we werent ready, and so we got ourselves into the thought process that we are trying to find some way to prove to them it wouldnt work and we were unable to do that . We couldnt prove absolutely that the motor could not work (US Commission 1986) In any organisation communication decisions should not be set as rules and need to be flexible. Leadership Taking leadership into account, according to Max Webers theory of bureaucracy explained the structure of an organisation. NASAs organisation exhibited a rigid organisational structure wherein all the rules and regulations must be strictly adhered to and everyone should perform the role which they were assigned to. In this rigid type of organisation, the leadership exhibited by the NASA was a narcissistic approach. Narcissistic leadership occurs when leaders actions are principally motivated by their own egomaniacal needs and beliefs, superseding the needs and interests of the constituents and institutions they lead (Seth A.R. Todd L.P., 2006) The leader becomes more concerned with public relations thereby concerning a lot about the organisations image and in the process it forgets about the other issues that were equally strong. Behaviour of people Behaviour of people within both organisations with respect to the risk management was unplanned and NASA management had to make a decision at the last moment even when everyone agreed that a catastrophic possibility existed and it was known that responsibilities of the people were clearly defined. Much of the evidence pertaining to the disaster was dismissed. Behaviour of the entire team could be interpreted as group think. The concept of group think was formulated by Janis, according to his theory; the member of the teams worked as cohesive groups and had utmost confidence in their project. During group think, the decision makers get an illusion that they are invulnerable and it makes people take extraordinary risks at crucial moments. (Janis, 1986) There was an illusion of unanimity among the group members. Regarding the judgement made, the individuals in the Thiokol team remained silent and none of them had openly agreed to the launch. The silence from Thiokol was also worsened since it was a teleconference meeting wherein the body language was not noticed even if they had said no. Hence silence meant an agreement which explains the fact that the team were unable to voice their views. The influence of the media The influence of the media played in major role in decisions that were made by NASA. NASA was under tremendous pressure to achieve flight rates and was so pervasive that it was undoubtedly affecting the attitude towards safety. Scheduling pressures were playing a major role in making NASA biased to launch the shuttle and overseeing the risks which were attached to it, it was mainly due to the medias 24/7 coverage on NASA which was putting them under pressure to launch the shuttle on time because they did not want further negative coverage which could harm their public image. SPACE SHUTTLE AFTERMATH OF THE DISASTER All space exploration has a mission with some specific technical objectives. All missions are time bound, it takes years to plan and implement them. Highly motivated people are needed in the workforce. Astronauts are chosen for the specific missions and are trained for the specialised roles. The Rogers commission provided nine recommendations to NASA after the challenger disaster to improve the safety of its shuttles. NASA not only considered these recommendations but also redesigned their space shuttles with new technical modifications including solid rocket boosters which were the primary cause of the disaster. The role of engineering in complex projects could be analysed by studying the Burns and Stalker theory about mechanistic and organic structures. They studied two different organizations- textile and electronics (Gabriel, 2007). The textile company was having more of a hierarchical structure as discussed by Marx Weber, as they were involved in the routine and bureaucratic tasks whereas the electronic company was more concentrated on the engineering work outs and thus were having more of a horizontal structure which demands more of verbal communications and less paper work. The concentration is more on the Innovation and inter-departmental communications. Above all, the employees have more discretion and liberty to suggest changes and chance to come out with productive innovations (Gabriel, 2007). NASA, being an organization, dealing complex engineering projects, should have provided their engineers with much discretion, rather than applying the unsuitable bureaucratic approach. While handling any complex engineering projects, it is thus advisable, to provide more autonomy of power to its ground level staffs. Power and politics in the organizations could be understood by studying the two well known dysfunctions of bureaucracy and they are as follows- Rigidity- It means that bureaucracy is slow to take advantage of opportunities and avoid threats. They are averse to innovation and experimentation. They generally avoid, which is new. This aspect of bureaucracy is not good for the managers who work in the changing environment. NASAs failure as an organization, by not accepting the new engineering recommendations from its engineers and taking the matter lightly, resulted to the disaster. Departmentalization- As per Webers theory, in bureaucracy, there is a strong hierarchical structure, which gets followed. So, the communication is from top to bottom level and never goes across horizontal level and this leads to setting up of different sub goals by different departments. These sub goals are not in good faith of organization as a whole and also leads to clashes and rivalry among departments. MANAGING COMPLEX OPERATIONS It is always very challenging to manage a complex engineering operation in any organisation. Generally complex organisation creates lot of problem and issues in management, so that management should consider the importance of culture, communication and leadership to manage this type of operation. According to our view following are the factors which should be considered while managing a complex engineering operation. Communication framework: Communication plays another key role in managing complex engineering solutions. A framework called as Leadership communication framework is taken into consideration wherein it starts with core communication skills represented in the centre of framework. It eventually expands itself from managerial communication skills which begin with emotional intelligence and cultural literacy. It finally leads to the concept of corporate communication skills where it becomes more complex and the organisation tends to become responsible to all internal and external stakeholders. The leaders who involve themselves within this type of communication model become the companys face and have numerous responsibilities. Therefore in order to effectively get the advantages of this model an improvement plan has to be initiated with self-assessment of the process. SOURCE: Deborah J Barret, 2006 Culture: Culture forms the function, as the linking mechanism by which network of understanding develops among the employees [Trice, 1988]. Culture works as the software of the mind and use of metaphor in the organisation. As especially strong culture became very useful to manage the project because people in strong culture know which things are right to do. In complex engineering situation feedback is often ambiguous and interpretation is the main key. In any organisation culture play a main role in how ambiguity is discussed and resolved in decision making (schien, 1992). Mainly in complex engineering time becomes a very important decision factor so that highly time urgent culture is very important in organisation. Management should consider the importance of culture in any operation. Leadership styles: Leadership style adopted by the management is very crucial in managing complex engineering operation. As Kurt Lewin suggested, there are three major styles of leaderships Authoritarian or autocratic Participative or democratic Delegative or Free Reign In the case of any complex engineering operations, Participative leadership should be the first choice among the management wherein the leaders include one or more of their employees in the decision making process. By doing so, the leaders eventually gain the respect of their employees thus leading to a mutual benefit among them (Robert N, L Christopher F, A, .2010). Leadership is activity of mobilizing people to understand adaptive challenges which cannot be resolved by expert knowledge and daily management. To motivate the people who are working under you is very important in leadership. Motivation plays vital role to boost the confidence of the employee to do challenging task and also gave energy to perform their task better. As complex problems contain multiple system which includes technical analysis, to handle this type of project requires capacity of individual to skilful intervene in complex system. So that adopting proper Leadership approach is very important in organisation to handle any project. CONCLUSION Hence we conclude that there was strong need for leadership in NASA that would have been capable of organisational change. Its culture has always reflected self interested decisions.   NASA would have to flatten its organisational hierarchy; it should be going for rather than having a bureaucratic organisation. There should be a mechanism in place where engineers should be able to bypass the bureaucracy and hierarchy, especially in the pre launch process. There words and ideas should also be respected and given some credence by the upper management.    NASA would have collaborate rather than contracting , its shuttle development and maintenance programs are outsourced to contractors , but it necessary for NASA to form a production and delivery oriented relationships with their subsystem contractors for a better future  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   . There should be a collaborative model of interaction.    NASA is still suffering from technical incompetences and narcissistic management, it has to make an overhaul change in its organisation for its best interests.   It is essential for NASA to be able to use its resources as efficiently as possible to effectively develop, explore and promote space. References: Gabriel,Y., 2007. Leadership and Organizations. University of London press publication Guthrie,R.,2005.The Columbia Disaster: Culture, Communication and change, Journal of cases on Information technology, [Online], 7(3) Available at http://www.infosci-journals.com [Accessed 20 Jan 2010] Moorhead,G.,1991.Group think Fiascoes Continues: Space Shuttle Challenger,available at http://ils.unc.edu/~bwilder/inls500/challengerarticle.pdf Janis,I.L.,1986.Group think,(2nd edition). Boston: Houghton. Mifflin Publication Seth A.R. Todd L.P.,2006. Narcissistic leadership. The Leadership Quarterly,Volume 17, Issue 6,[Online], Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com [Accessed 18 Jan 2010] Bella, D.A., 1987. Organizational Systems and the Burden of Proof. Thomson Publishing Challenger Disaster A NASA Tragedy.[Online]. available at http://space.about.com/cs/challenger/a/challenger.htm [accessed 23 Jan 2010] Deborah, B.,2006.Leadership Communication. NewYork:Tata Mc Graw Hill Publication Deborah,B.,2006.Strong communication skills a must for todays leaders.[online]Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com [accessed 18 jan 2010] Robert.N,L Christopher F.A.,2010.Leadership Theory,Application Skill Development.4th edition. Strategic Leadership and Decision Making.[Online] available at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch16.html [accessed 15 jan 2010] William H.S, Moshe F.,2005.Organization at the limit lessons from the Columbia Disaster, Blackwell Publishing Sharon D.P.,2005.Leadership can be taught : a bold approach for a complex world. Harvard business school publishing

Irresponsibile Biff in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

Irresponsibile Biff in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have you ever felt as if you do not know what to do with your life? Everyone does sometimes, but certain people are like that their whole life. These people are irresponsible and depend on others to survive.   In "Death of a Salesman", Biff is one of these people.   He is irresponsible because he depends on Happy, depends on Willy, and does not know what to do for a living.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biff looks up on Happy as an example of good life.   It seems to him that Happy's life is stable and successful. Even though this is not true, Biff lets it bother him. He wants Happy to get him a job in New York so they could work together.   This shows some of his dependency and irresponsibility.   Biff does not seem as if he could live on his own successfully.   This disappoints both Happy and Willy. But this is not the only problem Biff has.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biff also depends on Willy to get him through life.   Willy's low morals cause Biff to think it's all right to concentrate on football when he was in high school.   Biff does not think he has to work in school. When he flunks math, he does not know what to do and once again turns to Willy.   Now Biff cannot go to college and since he has been concentrating on football, he has little or no skills at anything else.   He depends on Willy's support to help him. But since Willy's expectations of Biff are not met, Biff does not receive the help he needs and moves off on his own.   This leaves Biff to find a goal in life and reach it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, Biff does not know what to do for a living.   He is constantly moving around, unsure of what to do next.   This may be because of his uncertainty of a future. Biff has never held a steady job.   Because of this, he has never held a steady home. This shows a lot of irresponsibility.   Until he knows what he wants to do, Biff cannot settle down and become an adult.   This inconsistency in employment makes Biff irresponsible.

Exam Review Guide

Exam 3 Review Guide This guide lists the areas that you should concentrate on when reviewing for Exam 3. To adequately prepare for the test, you should first read the General Tso, Meet Steven Covey article to get comfortable with it. Then, as you review the items listed below, think in terms of how the theories discussed in class relate to the particular scenario described in the article. The exam will consist of multiple essay questions. Please don’t forget to bring a copy of the article with you, so that you will be able to have it available for your reference.You may highlight the article but you cannot write anything on your copy. Be prepared to identify issues, sources of the issues, and formulate/justify your recommendations. Should you have any questions in the course of your preparation, please do not hesitate to e-mail or call me. Good luck! Language, Culture, and Communication †¢ the context of language-based communication †¢ low-context cultures and explic it communication †¢ high-context cultures favor a more diffuse communication style †¢ communication on the Internet †¢ ethnocentrism †¢ stereotypesIntercultural Marketing Communications I †¢ clarifying the brand identity †¢ achieving visibility through identity-building brand exposure †¢ involving the consumer in brand-building experiences Intercultural Marketing Communications II †¢ service essentials †¢ the five lessons pertaining to services Great Leaps, Persistence, and Innovation: The Evolving Story of Hyundai †¢ Hyundai’s three-fold strategy †¢ the three pillars of Hyundai’s philosophy The Art and Science of Managing the New Global Corporation†¢ Napoleon’s words of wisdom †¢ being part of the solution vs. eing part of the problem †¢ the differences between managing a privately held business and managing a publicly held business †¢ the leadership model of the Carlson Industries (i. e . , the various components of the circle) Marketing the Arts: The Secret Weapon †¢ the importance of mission for not-for-profit organizations †¢ the important issue of economic nature and the influence of innovation on achieving productivity gains †¢ the third challenge in running arts organizations †¢ the mantra of running a successful arts organization †¢ the two types of marketing according to Michael Kaiser †¢ the two audiences that art organizations cater to

A Report on Cloning A Little Biased essays

A Report on Cloning A Little Biased essays Cloning is a new technology that humans have just acquired. Before, cloning was something that you could read about in a science-fiction book for a buck. Now, we have seen proof of cloning with the sheeps called Dolly. The big question is if we should clone humans. There are only two ways this could be possible. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With this technology almost at our fingertips, another huge question is: Would it be ethically right to clone a human or human parts? My answer to this question is maybe. It all depends on what we use this technology for. I would say yes to this scenario: An elderly man develops macular degeneration, a disease that destroys vision. To bolster his failing eyesight, he receives a transplant of healthy retinal tissuecloned from his own cells and cultivated in a lab dish. Some guy uses clone technology to create the perfect solider. With this technology, he destroys the world. Another huge question on peoples mind is: Would it be morally right? My answer is again maybe. If it is being used to benefit someones health, I say yes. If you are creating a whole human, I say no. It is not our job to play God and create humans. God gave us the gift of reproducing to be used between a man and a woman. Not by scientists in a lab. A third question people are wondering about is: What emotional effects would be put on the clone? My answer would be that no emotional stress would be put on the clone. It would survive like a regular person. It would act like a regular human. cwrl.utexas.edu/~mchorost/e306/been/clonin ...

Watson Surname Meaning and Origin

Watson Surname Meaning and Origin Watson is a patronymic surname meaning son of Watt. The popular Middle English given names Wat and Watt were pet forms of the name Walter, meaning powerful ruler or ruler of the army, from the elements wald, meaning rule, and heri, meaning army. Watson is the 19th most common surname in Scotland and the  76th most popular surname in the United States. Watson is also popular in England, coming in as the 44th most common surname. Surname Origin:  Scottish,  English Alternate Surname Spellings:  WATTIS, WATTS, WATTSON, WATS  See also WATT. Where Do People with the WATSON Surname Live The last name Watson is common in Scotland and the Border Country, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler, most especially the northeast English counties of Cumbria, Durham, and Northumberland and the Lowlands and East of Scotland, especially in the area around Aberdeen. Surname distribution data from Forebears concurs, placing the surname at the turn of the 20th century as most common in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Lanarkshire and Midlothian in Scotland, and Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham, Northumberland, and Cumberland (a parent county of present-day Cumbria) in England. Famous People with the WATSON Surname John B. Watson: American psychologist, best known for his role in the development of behaviorismJames Watson: American molecular biologist and geneticist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNAJames Watt: Inventor of the modern steam engineEmma Watson: English actress and feminist advocate, best known for playing the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchiseTom Watson: American professional golfer Clan Watson The crest of Clan Watson is two hands coming from the clouds holding the trunk of a sprouting oak tree.  The Watson clan motto is Insperata floruit which means It has flourished beyond expectation. Sources Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993. Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

U.S. History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. History - Essay Example In the period after the French and Indian war victories, Britain commanded a lot of respect from many countries. This status was to last for a short while since the influence of Britain to its colonies started to wane afterward due to the heavy debt accumulated over the war. The parliament decided to enact the 1765 stamp act, which required the colonies to pay additional tax on British goods. Resistance and boycott of British goods met this move. The events of April 8, 1775, refer to the ride that Paul Revere went to in order to deliver a message to the people of Boston. This happened just within 10 days after a premature ride to Concord. The objective of the rides was to warn the inhabitants the possibility of an impending war. The legend, however, is in the fact that he covered 13 miles within two hours and gathered the Lexington militia. The fundamental principles of the United States government include self-governance, separation of powers and inherent rights. The self-governance principle is important in that it helps people choose their own president. The idea of separation of powers is in the constitution is to ensure that no specific body controls all the powers; instead, the three branches of the government have checks and balances against each other.The first foreign policy failure of John Adam’s administration was the endeavor to gain Texas from Mexico.The other issue he encountered with his foreign policy attempts was to increase the volume of trade with the West Indies.

How a person should be internationlly Research Paper

How a person should be internationlly - Research Paper Example The idea of an international person is derived from international law. In other words, it is a person who is subject to international law. Furthermore, an international person has powers established in international law; they enjoy the rights, duties and powers established in international law. They also have the ability to act on the international plane (definitions.uslegal.com/i/international-person). This is clearly illustrated in the Kiobel v, Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. 2010 as the court described an international person as a person subjected to the international law. A person internationally should be understanding, patience, and accommodative to all the cultures and interests of people (Boas, 155). Other sources imply that to become a person international is more about applying cross-continental wisdom and kindness. It involves the ability to apply basic human goodness on a boarder spectrum, all around the world. Moreover, someone who has travelled to a lot of places has an outl ook, which is not limited by national boundaries, is tolerant and accepting all cultures and is adaptable, to an extent, to many cultural surroundings. Others say one can become a person internationally, by being a person of the people by either being an activist or a leader (roots-int.com/S-T/14/nora-e.html>.) Being an activist of human rights, disabled people or other issues that are sensitive in the world of today. Some of the people who have become person internationally include; Political leaders, some sportsmen and women, some celebrities, human right laws among other professions. The biggest role models internationally include; President Obama, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Micheal Jackson to name just a few. The fact that these people relate to people from all walks of life make them people who are known internationally. Being an international person is beneficial as the idea of internationalizing the world because of unification. Internationalizing promotes world peace, it makes one understand the language, religion and culture of other people thus resulting to a unified group of people (roots-int.com/S-T/14/nora-e.html>). . Ways to become an international person. They are many ways to become an international person; one can be an international student, an international business person, and international programs. Here is a case study of Martin who has become an international person through being a student. Martin joined J.F Oberlin as an exchange student he was interested in Japanese traditional things and culture, he had heard about how great Japan is and this made him curious to know about Japanese culture. Martin’s homeland is Slovakia where he studied Marketing in University of Silesia, he joined Japan as he thought of it as an exotic country and he expected so much difference with Asian countries. For martin, going for studies in Japan would make him an international person as he saw it as a good environment for studying as he would lear n different languages. Being an international person by studying out of the home country has many advantages compared to studying in home universities. First, as an international student Martin is bale to learn about other countries’ culture as well as Japan. At J.F Oberlin martin is able to meet people from other countries like China, Korea, America as