Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Human resource management - Essay Example Hofstede studied the attitudes and working values of more than 116,000 IBM employees working in over 40 countries. Using factor analysis of gathered data, Hofstede shows that there are five dimensions that could not be described with other factors. Based on his results, he argues that national culture has an effect on attitudes and values related to workers or employees. Every country chooses a specific management system; however, it cannot reflect the priorities of a nation. The system may prevail by a powerful subculture due to the ability to locate its staff at the high levels of the organisation. Therefore, a predominant subculture can maintain to create a cultural imperialism. The subject was discussed by cross-cultural researchers only from the perspective of the countrys dominance over the country and not from the perspective of cultures dominance over the other culture (McSweeney, 2002, 56). The issue of choosing appropriate levels of analysis is the most significant challenge facing Hofstede’s theory. McSweeney, (2002, 55) argues that any theory should be based on detailed description levels. Hofstede’s findings describe the features. They clarify some of the cultural and behavioural paradigms in organisation of different countries. Hofstede classified the five cultural dimensions as follows (Hofstede, 2001, 56): Power distance: Based on this dimension, countries are different in terms how they treat inequality. Some countries allow inequality to grow so that there is a difference in power and wealth. In such cultures, there is disagreement between subordinates and authority. Uncertainty avoidance: This is regarded with how society members deal with the future risk possibilities. The dimension describes attempts of society to attain a certain level where they feel they are in a conflicting situation. Cultures with high UAI consist of people who

Monday, October 28, 2019

Associate Level Material Essay Example for Free

Associate Level Material Essay Introduction Due in Week One: Give an overview of the company and the security goals to be achieved. 1 Company overview As relates to your selected scenario, give a brief 100- to 200-word overview of the company. Sunica Music and Movies is a multimedia corporation that currently has four locations. Due to jumbled inventory, no internet commerce, and other factors they have been losing more and more customers. By installing a WAN, they will be able to keep track of their inventory better. They will also be able to keep their finances in order. There are also plans to make it where people can order online. In the end the company is going to make sure that their network is fully functional for all four stores, be secure for their customers, and protect all the assets of the company with a proper plan and proper security. 2 Security policy overview Of the different types of security policies—program-level, program-framework, Issue-specific, and system-specific—briefly cover which type is appropriate to your selected business scenario and why. I feel that issue specific would be the proper system to use for this company. The problems they have are issue specific and can be solved by addressing specific issues. By fixing each issue seprately, they will be able to become the safe and reliable company they want to be. 3 Security policy goals As applies to your selected scenario, explain how the confidentiality, integrity, and availability principles of information security will be addressed by the information security policy. 1 Confidentiality Briefly explain how the policy will protect information. By installing a WAN, Sunica makes sure that the inforamtion stays within the company itself. That make it more difficult for hackers to infiltrate their system. 2 Integrity Give a brief overview of how the policy will provide rules for authentication and verification. Include a description of formal methods and system transactions. This system will make sure that their is no unauthorized access to any of the information. It will also keep logs to where if anything does go wrong they can pinpoint exactly where and when it happened. It will also stay updated to the point where there wont be any unneccesary issues. 3 Availability Briefly describe how the policy will address system back-up and recovery, access control, and quality of service. By having a WAN the company will maintain all control of their system. Which will make backup of the system easier. And it will also allow them to be able to recover anything lost with more ease. And finally it allows tem to make sure that everything stays up to date so that the material will always be accesible and at the highest quality possible. References Cite all your references by adding the pertinent information to this section by following this example. American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Jane Eyre is a typical novel of its time. Discuss. Essay -- English Li

Jane Eyre is a typical novel of its time. Discuss. Discuss this quotation, paying particular attention to the social, cultural and historical context within which it was published. There are a large number of elements in the novel 'Jane Eyre' that are very typical of the way of life in the mid 19th century, and also of other novels at that time. Through the novel Charlotte Bronte puts across exactly the factors which were characteristic of the late 18th and 19th century: class and status – both of women and of poor people; public health and illnesses at the time; religion, as well as the gothic elements which were particularly common in 18th/19th century books. Outside even of the actual story, we see evidence historically of the status of women during the 18th and 19th century through the fact that because Charlotte Bronte was a woman, to get her novel published – regardless of its quality - she was forced to use a male pseudonym, Currer Bell. This is a classic demonstration of how women at the time were seen as inferior to men and the sexist views that restricted them in the mid 19th century. The second example of typicality in the novel is the "Red Room"; Charlotte Bronte uses the room to incorporate into the novel the gothic elements which were popular culturally at that time. Bronte puts the room across as a gothic, sinister omen through Jane's fear of it and the association she makes with it and her uncle's death. Further gothic elements are seen later in the novel through Bertha Mason. Jane's arrival at Lowood introduces the reader to the appalling public health conditions which were customary to Bronte during her lifetime. It's likely that the death of Jane's close friend, Helen Burns i... ... similar to Bronte’s experiences which were characteristic of the time she was alive – public health and illness in the 19th century; social incongruence and status; the importance of religion and the position of the poorer class and of women. What, however, is most definitely not typical of the mid 19th century, is the radical feminism which is expressed through ‘Jane Eyre’. Jane’s belief in herself as an equal individual is arguably the impetus of the questioning of class, status and male superiority that followed the mid 19th century. Subsequent to ‘Jane Eyre’, the late 19th and 20th century saw the disintegration of social segregation. The absolutely unique themes of the novel, in particular the extreme feminism and strength of a woman’s mind confirm that there are aspects of ‘Jane Eyre’ that are most definitely not typical of the time it was written.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Paddle in the River - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

A Paddle in the River - Original Writing Admittedly I was not expecting a stroll along picturesque canyon scenery when the activity of gorge walking was announced, despite the region's hilly nature, but neither had the prospect of preparing for full blown assault down a river in its upper course occurred to me. Snowdonia is abundant with water of all descriptions, from the mists that drift across the mountain tops, to the waterfalls and rivers that forge their way towards the coast. It is safe to declare that not one part of this activity included walking; wading, staggering, stumbling, even plummeting maybe, but definitely not walking. From the moment the coach set off from base camp, and parked on a dusty cobbled road, I was awaiting the activity with anticipation. Then, to my shock, following the inquisitive cries from surrounding pupils, the instructor bluntly likened the activity to a, 'dip in a pond'. A wetsuit has always been an item of clothing designed for reassurance. Whether it be surfing in the Pacific, or even paddling off the coast of Scotland, a wetsuit is made to protect you from bitter waters. Strangely however, the suits flung on a trailer which we were told to wriggle ourselves into left me feeling helplessly exposed. The fluorescent orange shoulder patches were in tatters, and the zips on your back jammed and in some cases were non-existent. In tandem with the mild yet prominent sewerage stench, I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. After grabbing a helmet capable of fitting, and struggling to put on a life jacket, we began an ungainly stagger up to the start of our activity. The ascent proved a challenge, the ... ...sed my numb arm and wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, before loosening my collar. Suddenly my life jacket became a worthless chunk of yellow padding. A cheerful Mr Allen below, perching on a boulder, did little to boost my confidence. Hell's demons were playing cunning tricks on my mind: Is the plunge pool deeper enough? Are you certain you will not scrape your back on the side of the rock face? I was superman, as I teetered nervously off the edge and plunged down. All I could see was a blur of rich green leaves, jagged rocks, and finally Mr Allen's freckled face before I was consumed by the effervescent potion. As I plodded slowly back to the coach I had time to reflect. There was no doubt that the activity has been unusual and exhilarating and, after one sniff, I could safely say it had been a, "dip in the pond".

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Porter’s Five Forces The Threat of New Entrants (Low) Essay

There is a great amount of economies of learning and scale in the oil industry for Example BP has been searching for oil since 1901. They invest a huge amount in up-to-date technologies making it difficult for new entrants to compete. His obviously requires huge capital investments in R&D as well as start-up cost, for example a truck just to carry the oil costs over $1,000,000. There is a lot of regulation in the industry especially with regards to inter-continental politics which further reduces new entrants although in the USA there is less which allows for small firms (under 10 staff) to enter in areas such as Alaska and Texas. There is also a history of incumbent response; BP were fined jointly with TNK $35,200,000 for price fixing. Overall these factors lead to a very low risk of threat of new entrants. Supplier’s Power (High) A lot of oil in the world which is held in countries which are politically unstable and there is a risk that they may seize oil like Iran did to BP in 1951 or more recently Venezulea seized one of Exxon’s major projects. OPEC is a cartel which controls the amount of oil sold and produced. It controls 40% of the world’s supply of oil and holds a lot of power especially as BP also purchases oil from OPEC countries. Buyer Power (Low) As the good is not perishable oil companies do not need to sell it immediately and can therefore influence the flow of oil and also its price. Customers also have few substitutes so there is always a strong demand for the product. Furthermore individual buyer power is low as there are large amounts of customers who purchase low volumes. Demand is set to rise despite a weakening economy, which is shown by rising energy prices. The saving grace for customers is the low switching costs as products are undifferentiated and customers don’t have to sign a contract when they fill up there tank. Overall the buyer power is low because even though there are low switching costs OPEC affectively controls the price of oil so will increase this for the oil suppliers.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How Males Are Socialised Into Traditional Masculinities Essays

How Males Are Socialised Into Traditional Masculinities Essays How Males Are Socialised Into Traditional Masculinities Essay How Males Are Socialised Into Traditional Masculinities Essay Explain and briefly measure how males are socialised into traditional malenesss Hegemonic maleness describes the patriarchal on the job category males. those who have laboring or manual occupations. He has to be physically tough and dominant to asseverate his maleness. He is decidedly heterosexual. technically competent. is sexist and aggressive. Males are socialised into traditional malenesss by a assortment of socialization agents. The school is instrumental in the socialization of males into traditional hegemonic functions. Becky Francis ( 2000 ) found that. although they were more harshly disciplined than the misss. boys’ behavior was tolerated more by the instructors. This encourages the male childs to show the traditional malenesss. Capable pick is besides an of import factor in male socialization as they were traditionally gender biased. This was studied by Grafton in a comprehensive school in which he showed that there were merely a limited figure of arrangements available for those who wanted to analyze non-traditional topics for their gender. This reduces involvement in those topics and ushers males into the more traditional. trade topics. Males are canalized significance they are directed into playing with certain playthings and activities. For illustration. male childs may play football while the misss play house’ . While the instruction system is really of import in the socialization of males into traditional malenesss. the household is the chief socialization agent. Parents may promote and honor behavior that they deem appropriate and discourage that which they think is inappropriate. For illustration. parents may promote their girls to concentrate on their visual aspect and their boies to watch and back up athleticss. Besides. Oakley referred to the labels ( For illustration. princess’ and pretty’ for misss ; and brave soldier’ and strong’ for male childs ) as verbal denomination and says they teach the kids society’s outlooks. Children besides imitate their parents because they are their important others. They learn norms and values through this procedure. In add-on. kids learn of import messages about gender designation through frock up games where they pretend to be their function theoretical accounts. While it is assumed that parents are successful agents in the socialization of kids. non all grownups get the necessary accomplishments for fostering their kids. Palmer ( 2007 ) suggested that childhood socialization is non every bit effectual as it was in the yesteryear. He proposed that this is because parents no longer pass adequate quality clip with their kids and are trusting on electronic babysitters’ . like the telecasting. which produce a toxic ch ildhood’ . The equal group. on the other manus. consist of people of similar position who come into regular contact with one another ( for illustration. groups of friends and school kids in the same twelvemonth ) . It is and agent of secondary socialization and is arguably the most influential for immature people during adolescence. The equal group frequently impact gender-role socialization. Skelton and Francis ( 2003 ) . said that boys dominate resort area infinite playing football while misss are on the borders. skipping or speaking. This encourages boys into the traditional malenesss of noisy. laddish’ behavior. Frosh et Al ( 2002 ) said that male childs identified features such as hardness’ . keeping anti-school values and being clean as those to draw a bead on to. These were features of hegemonic nature that would give them popular position. He besides found that male childs wanted to do their heterosexualism really clear to avoid being teased or bullied. Judith Rich Harris ( 1998 ) said that male childs need to cognize which groups are popular. which are feared. and which are pitied. They need to understand what they can state and how they can move within their group. This shows that maleness has to be carefully negotiated as they can non afford to be excessively different. Each socialization agent can be criticised but they all have a function in the socialization of males into traditional malenesss but it seems they play their portion at different times in the male’s life. Family is the primary socialization agent which affects kids the most at a immature age. The equal group affects males in their adolescence and can frequently be more influential to the males than instruction and household at this clip.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The 13 Best Places to Visit in Paris

The 13 Best Places to Visit in Paris SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You only need a glimpse to know what they are: the barest outline of the Eiffel Tower or a few flying buttresses of Notre Dame are usually enough to identify the most famous Paris attractions. Located in one of the best known and most visited cities in the world, Paris’ top sites are, in fact, so popular and so heavily visited that touring the city can sometimes feel like pushing through a sea of tourists as you each struggle to complete the same sightseeing checklist. It shouldn't feel this way! Paris is a huge city filled with diverse sights, some better known than others. It’s not difficult to step off the tourist trail and find yourself in authentic Paris, surrounded by native Parisians and visiting places that don’t have their images plastered on every dish towel and ashtray filling the tourist shops. However, a desire to see a more unique and realistic view of Paris doesn’t mean you should skip the main attractions. It would be an odd (and likely disappointing) itinerary that didn’t include the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. The key is to find a balance between the popular attractions that define our image of Paris and the lesser-known sights that let you see another side of the city and get a better idea of what Paris is like for locals. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of the top 13 Paris attractions and organized them into four categories: architecture, museums, churches, and parks. Together, these categories make up much of our popular vision of Paris. For each category, the best-known sight (or sights) is listed first, followed by two lesser-known but equally enjoyable options. At the end of the guide, I’ve included a three-day itinerary you can follow on your visit to Paris, along with ways to customize it to your particular interests. This itinerary will introduce you to off-the-radar places rarely visited by tourists as well as give insider tips and guidelines for visiting some of the most popular Paris attractions. The Top 13 Places to Visit in Paris Architecture Eiffel Tower Arc de Triomphe Palais Garnier Museums Louvre Musà ©e d’Orsay Musà ©e Rodin Musà ©e du quai Branly Churches Notre Dame Cathedral Sacrà ©-Coeur Basilica St Denis Basilica Parks Luxembourg Gardens Cimetiere de Pere Lachaise Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Here's a map of 12 of the 13 locations (St. Denis is to the north). You can also view the map online. Architecture Best Known: The Eiffel Tower The worldwide symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is about as â€Å"must-see† as an attraction can get. It hasn't always been so popular though. There’s a legend that famed French writer Guy de Maupassant hated the Eiffel Tower so intensely that every day he’d eat lunch under it because it was the only place in the city where he couldn’t see it. These days it’s quite easy to wander around many parts of Paris without catching a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, so you should try to make your first sight of it memorable. One of the grandest views is at the Trocadà ©ro Metro stop. While there are stops that are closer to the tower, none can match the view of the Eiffel Tower suddenly springing into existence and filling most of the skyline as you step out of the station. The best times for viewing the Eiffel Tower are early in the morning, before most tourists and vendors have gotten up, and at night, when the tower lights up every hour, on the hour. For five minutes the Eiffel Tower is transformed into a sparkling structure that looks almost as if it has been covered with a fine piece of glittery lace. It’s also possible to go up the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower tickets are very popular so, if you choose to do this, be sure to reserve your tickets at least several days ahead of time (particularly in the summer) to avoid long lines. There are three different levels you can stop at, with most people finding the middle level to offer the best photo opportunities. The Eiffel Tower also has two restaurants, Le 58 Tour Eiffel and Le Jules Verne Restaurant. If you're interested in dining at one of them, book several weeks in advance to ensure you get a spot. Arc de Triomphe Another symbol of the city, the Arc de Triomphe is located at the western end of Paris’ most famous street, the Champs-Elysà ©es. Built in honor of those who fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Arc de Triomphe also contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI and an eternal flame in remembrance of those who died in both World Wars. While most people are content to simply take a picture of the Arc de Triomphe and continue on with their shopping (or window shopping) along the Champs-Elysà ©es, this site is in fact my pick for the best attraction in Paris to ascend to the top of. It’s much more popular to travel up the Eiffel Tower, but going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe is cheaper, far less crowded (no need for advance tickets), and, above all, it gives you a better view of Paris. This is because your view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe will include the Eiffel Tower anchoring Paris’ skyline which, as Monsieur Maupassant knew, the view from the Eiffel Tower does not. Palais Garnier Located near two of Paris’ major department stores, the Palais Garnier is a historic opera house and one of the loveliest buildings in Paris. It’s also one of the most famous opera houses in the world and was the setting for the novel and musical Phantom of the Opera. The best way to visit is during one of its evening performances (there are actually more ballet performances here than opera these days) when you can mingle with the hoi polloi of Paris. However, even people with no interest in attending a show will enjoy seeing the building’s opulent interior which is practically dripping with chandeliers and gold leaf. Highlights include the grand staircase, Grand Foyer, Salon de la Lune, and the Auditorium, with its vibrant ceiling painting by Marc Chagall. This architectural sight is a nice contrast to some of Paris’ better known buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, since its interior is the main draw. The Palais Garnier can be visited daily by self-guided tours which allow access to each of the aforementioned sights as well as a small museum. Museums Best Known #1: The Louvre Not only the most visited museum in the world, the Louvre is also the largest, with over 35,000 objects on display, a thought that excites some but causes others to shudder at the idea of shuffling past miles of oil paintings. The trick to the Louvre is to use its size to your advantage; it’s collection is so vast that there’s truly something here to interest everyone. Hit the top attractions first: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo are the three most popular pieces to view. Then, struggle free of the crowds and head to whichever galleries strike your fancy. It’s helpful to review a map of the museum beforehand and arrive at the Louvre museum with a game plan. There are as many paintings as you could ever want to see, and, if you’re interested in something different, there are also galleries devoted to Islamic art, recreations of Napoleon’s apartments, sculpture gardens, and more. You may find the Louvre quieter if you visit right when it opens or in the afternoons (particularly Wednesday when it’s open until 10pm), but, more often than not, there will be a line to purchase Louvre tickets and crowding around the main attractions. Particularly around the Mona Lisa, it’s best to just give in and accept the selfie sticks, then escape to a quieter part of the museum. Best Known #2: Musà ©e d’Orsay A shade less well-known than the Louvre, the Musà ©e d’Orsay is often the preferred museum of travelers who visit both. A main reason for this is because the Musà ©e d’Orsay is often seen as far less overwhelming than the Louvre: its lines are typically much shorter, its galleries less crowded, and it has roughly 4,000 works on display compared to the Louvre’s 35,000. Both museums have top-notch buildings, but people who prefer contemporary architecture may be more drawn to the Musà ©e d’Orsay’s setting in an old railway station. While the Musà ©e d’Orsay doesn’t have any pieces as famous as the Mona Lisa, it houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces in the world, including Monet’s Blue Water Lilies, Renoir’s Montmartre, and Van Gogh’s Church at Auvers. Impressionist pieces are often very popular with visitors due to their bright colors and open composition, and if you are interested in this style of art, you may want to consider visiting the Musà ©e d’Orsay in place of, or in addition to, the Louvre. Musà ©e Rodin Image source: Vincius Pinheiro/Flickr The Musà ©e Rodin is the museum for people who hate museums or are burnt out from museums. It features pieces by Auguste Rodin, one of the world’s most famous sculptures, known for the realism and emotion in his works. The majority of pieces are showcased in the attractive mansion Rodin used to live and work in, but the highlight is the adjacent sculpture garden. Here, visitors can wander through manicured gardens with some of Rodin’s most famous pieces, including The Thinker and The Gates of Hell, lining the paths and tucked into grassy alcoves. Visitors can also take a rest or read the newspaper in one of the chairs situated next to the pond at the edge of garden. Wandering through the museum gardens on a sunny day is one of the most enjoyable ways I know to get a dose of art and culture. It’s possible to visit just the gardens, and, at 4 euros, it’s also one of the best deals in Paris. Musà ©e du quai Branly Image source: Julien Texier/Flickr The Musà ©e du quai Branly is the place to visit for people interested in international art or those who can’t handle looking at one more Renaissance-era painting. Situated close to the Eiffel Tower, the first thing you’ll notice about this museum is the lush vertical gardens covering its outer walls. They’re the first sign that this museum prides itself on its individuality. Inside are art and cultural objects from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. This is one of Paris’ newest museums, opened in 2006, and it makes good use of technological advances and interactive displays. Cutting through the middle of the museum is a winding sculptural â€Å"river’† with interactive panels, meant to connect the different exhibits and guide visitors through the museum. Even people not normally interested in the sort of objects the Musà ©e du quai Branly displays may enjoy visiting if they need a quiet refuge from the Eiffel Tower. There are no individual rooms and few displays to read, so the museum seems airier and less intimidating than most. Musà ©e du quai Branly is also open later than almost all other museums in Paris (until either 7pm or 9pm each night), so it also makes a good option if you’re wondering what to do in Paris at night. Churches Best Known: Notre Dame Cathedral Visiting Notre Dame Cathedral, with its flying buttresses and rose stained-glass windows, is one of the top things to do in Paris, and practically everyone who visits the city makes it to this Gothic masterpiece. There is almost always a line snaking out the doors, but since admission is free and there is no checkpoint to pass, it moves quite quickly, so don’t be daunted. If you’d like to avoid the crowds anyway, try arriving early in the morning, before 10:00am. You can also visit the bell towers (for a fee), but the wait is often several hours due to the limited number of people allowed up at a time. If you’re interested in doing this, try to get in line before doors open at 10:00am to reduce waiting time. Notre Dame is located on the ÃŽle de la Cità ©, a small island in the middle of the Seine River and the historical center of Paris. In addition to Notre Dame, there are two other Medieval buildings on the island which you can visit: the Sainte-Chapelle church and the Conciergerie prison, where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution in 1793. Sacrà ©-Coeur Basilica Despite its relative youth (it was only completed in 1914), Sacrà ©-Coeur is a popular Parisian attraction, though not as highly visited as Notre Dame. Its attractive onion domes look straight out of the Byzantine, but there are a few clues that show Sacre-Coeur’s true age. Once inside, see if you can spot the anachronistic-looking painting of businessmen hidden amongst all the religious figures in the ceiling mural. They were added in recognition of some of the Basilica’s most important donors. Sacre-Coeur was built on the highest point in the city, and reaching the top (either by taking a funicular or climbing a few hundred steps) offers fantastic views of Paris. Surrounding Sacre-Coeur is Montmartre, one of Paris’ most interesting and popular neighborhoods. There are tourists here, but there are also art studios, bistros, and cobblestone streets leading to traditional walled gardens. It’s a great place to feel the bohemian vibe of a bygone Paris. St. Denis Basilica This is the church to visit for people interested in history (or royals or over-the-top tombs). Located just outside the city limits, in a northern suburb, St. Denis Basilica is an easy 20-minute ride on line 13 from the city center. While hardly noticed by tourists, it is here that 43 kings and 32 queens of France, including Marie Antoinette, are buried. The site has been used as a burial place since Roman times, and nearly every French king between the 10th and 18th centuries came to rest here. The building itself is also important. Completed in 1144, it’s often considered the world’s first Gothic church. Parks Best Known: Luxembourg Gardens The wonderful thing about the Luxembourg Gardens is that they are hugely appealing to tourists yet not at all a tourist attraction. These gardens are well-loved and well-frequented by the citizens of Paris, and many Parisians spent their childhood afternoons launching toy sailboats into the ponds or playing games on the lawn. No matter when you visit, even at the height of tourist season in July and August, you can be sure that a fair percentage of the other people enjoying the Luxembourg Gardens are native Parisians, which is not true of many of Paris’ other top attractions. After a day of rushing from one attraction to another, come to these gardens to see how Paris relaxes and join in on the (in)action. Stroll through the gardens, play a game of tennis, admire the fountains, or just pull up a chair (there always seems to be vacant ones) and let the afternoon drift by. Pà ¨re-Lachaise Cemetery Pà ¨re-Lachaise is, in fact, a cemetery rather than just a park, but it includes many walking paths as well as sitting areas within its confines. And this isn’t just any cemetery; Pà ¨re-Lachaise is the place to be buried in Paris. It’s the largest cemetery within the city, with an estimated one million people buried here. Hundreds of famous names, both Parisians and foreigners, have made this their final resting place, and demand is so high for space that plots are often purchased only for 10, 30, or 50 years, to be exhumed when the â€Å"lease† is up and moved to another area. Some of the most famous people to be buried in Pà ¨re-Lachaise include writer Oscar Wilde, singer Edith Piaf, composer Frà ©dà ©ric Chopin, and, most visited of all, American rocker Jim Morrison. Morrison’s grave is, in fact, so popular that it has been fenced off and a guard posted nearby to prevent fans from doing illicit activities near (and on) his grave. Pà ¨re-Lachaise can often feel like a maze with gravestones planted every which way, and finding a particular grave can be challenging. It helps to purchase a map at any of the shops flanking the cemetery before you plunge in. Additionally, the cemetery has been divided into different numbered sections to help you find your way, and there are signs at the main entrances that list where the most famous graves can be found. The catacombs are typically the attraction tourists visit when they want to come face-to-face with death in Paris, but I find them to often be hurried and overly touristic. As an alternative, I recommend Pà ¨re-Lachaise. There are no visible bones to gawk at, but it’s free to visit, you can wander at your own pace, and you’ll likely get a better sense of Paris’ history, the changes the city went through, and the luminaries who made this place their home. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Image source: Ard Hesselink/Flickr For those who like their parks a little wilder (and a lot less populated), Buttes-Chaumont is the place for you. Located in the 19th arrondissement, this park contains the standard flower beds, walking paths, and areas for play. In addition to all that, Buttes-Chaumont also has a collection of waterfalls, cliffs, and grottoes. This spot was formerly a quarry, which accounts for the steep changes in height throughout the park. If you want a bit of a workout, follow the suspension bridges across the artificial lake to the rocky island situated in the middle. Here, you can travel the steep stairway to the island’s highest point, where a miniature Temple to Sybil (a copy of a famous Roman temple) is hidden among the trees. The bustle of Paris may as well be a world away. The Best 3-Day Itinerary for Paris Attractions Three days is a great amount of time to get a taste for the City of Light. Following this itinerary will ensure you hit all the major Paris attractions without getting burned out: you'll hit all of the must-see locations, but there's plenty of flexibility to customize the itinerary to your particular interests and energy level. Day 1 Start your trip on Paris’ most famous street, the Champs-Elysà ©es. At the end stands the Arc de Triomphe. Buy a ticket to climb a few hundred stairs to the top where you can survey the city you’re about to explore. After you’ve gotten glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from afar, it’s time to visit it up close. Take the Metro to the Trocadà ©ro stop where you can choose to go to the top of the tower or simply admire it from the ground. After visiting the Eiffel Tower, visit the Musà ©e du Quai Branly or the Musà ©e de Rodin. After the sun goes down, you can watch the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower easily from either museum. The Musà ©e de Rodin has great views of the Eiffel Tower from the gardens, while the tower is just a short walk from the Musà ©e du Quai Branly. Day 2 On day two, arrive at the Louvre about 30 minutes before doors open at 9am to reduce the chances of crowds and long lines. Once inside, you’re free to spend as much time as you’d like surveying its vast collection. In the afternoon, get some fresh air by wandering the Ile de la Cità © and Notre Dame. Ile de la Cità © and the neighboring Latin Quarter on the left bank of the Seine River are some of the most attractive and historical parts of Paris, so spend some time enjoying the sites. Afterwards, the Luxembourg Gardens are close to the Latin Quarter for a picnic dinner and relaxation, or you could stop by a museum you didn’t get to visit the first day. Day 3 For the third morning, visit either the Musà ©e D’Orsay, or, if you want a smaller and quicker attraction (or just aren’t interested in any more museums), take a self-guided tour of the Palais Garnier. Both are great examples of the beauty of Parisian architecture. Spend the afternoon around the Montmartre area of Paris and visit the Sacrà © Coeur. This is a great area to have lunch and soak in the artistic, bohemian vibe in one of the many small cafes lining the streets. You then have a couple of choices for what to do next. If you want to keep the church theme going, catch a train to the St. Denis Basilica and check out its Gothic architecture and historical tombs. Or, if you’d prefer the graves you visit to be a bit more recent, take a walk through Pà ¨re-Lachaise Cemetery. Finally, if all you’re looking to do is relax, head over to the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and enjoy the natural setting.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Missouri Compromise essays

Missouri Compromise essays The forefathers of our country had many ideals on the inherent inalienable rights of man, although this did not hold true for all peoples. Our country practiced slavery of the African. The agricultural economy of the south required the labor of slaves to complete their work. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 outlawed slavery of the current territory of the United States, but after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory and the settlement to come, the question of slavery was once again forced into the political arena of our country.1 The Missouri Compromise would be an effort to once again silence this issue. The articulate speeches of the 16th congress both north and south showed the strong positions held by each side. The defense of slavery in the 1790 1820 period may be characterized generally as being in a state quiescence, only occasionally roused from a passive condition to become articulate. On the other hand, the idea of slavery in the North was just beginning to become formulated, and many northerners were beginning to see slavery as a threat to their institution of government. Thomas Jefferson, a proponent of the natural rights theory, stated that slavery was a cruel war against human nature itself violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in persons of a distant land.2 While the attitudes of northerners and southerners was not completely one for slavery, and on against, the events of the Missouri debates would bring our country into a new era of a widening schism between North and South with slavery as the main cause. Never before had the South so vigorously defended slavery against the onslaught of northern offense. When the bill was first proposed in 1819 the number of free and slave states was equal at 11. When the debate got underway, Taylor and Tallmadge stated the argument strongly for the restricitonists, and Scott, Missouris territorial delegate, for the right of unq...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example Chinese market offers one of the most lucrative investment avenues owing to the rapid economic progress that it made during the recent past. Etisalat- a UAE based telecom company is planning to make an entry into the Chinese market. Being one of the emerging firms in the world offering telecommunication services, the entry of Etisalat into the Chinese market will mark a new beginning in the history of the firm. However, Chinese market poses different types of risks and offer new and unique opportunities therefore it is necessary that Etisalat must do its homework and assess the situation with the help of different strategic frameworks and models in order to gain significant insight into the Chinese market. Etisalat (firm) started its operations in 1976 and primarily served UAE market by providing telecommunication solutions. Over the period of time, however, it became one of the leading telecom services providers in the Middle East Region and expanded its operations in more than 18 countries of Asia, Africa as well as Middle Eastern countries. Serving a total customer base of 94 million, Etisalat is considered as the 13th largest mobile services provider in the world. Such high level of penetration into the market therefore indicates that the firm has the capability and will to expand into new markets to create further value for its shareholders. The majority shareholder is UAE government. (Huawei) Started as a joint venture between the local partners from UAE and Britain’s International Aeradio Limited, Etisalat is now largely owned by the UAE government with 60% shareholding whereas remaining 40% is publically held. It is also because of this reason that Etisalat held the official patronage of being the only firm in UAE allowed to telecommunication services within the country and outside the country. The official support of the firm therefore further increased its

Friday, October 18, 2019

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 96

Discussion - Essay Example Further, the author provides 7 strategic ways of ensuring professional leadership by maintaining a balanced EQ. These range from developing healthy escapism to preemptive measures in a bid to avoid indecision as a result of emotional instability. While Mulqueen concurs to psychological factors that catalyze emotional aggression and consequent indecisiveness, he maintains that these triggers can be well countered and resolved. His main remedy is to distract the mind from anger by focusing on situations that detract the escalating tension away (Mulqueen). In this feature, Frank Kalman discusses the benefits of planning ahead despite the uncertainties typical to the future. In his submissions, Kalman explains how one can come up with an educated guess by realistically considering each determinant factor. Whereas even the most informed predictions fail occasionally, having a good plan is far much wiser an initiative than lacking plans at all. As Kalman asserts, even senior leaders fail on their predictions from time to time and therefore do not expect their subordinates to make perfect predictions. All that is required is a well researched plan to ensure an organization maintains its focus on success (Kalman). The CLO Media.com is an essential resource centre for all business persons. Besides orienting its users on matters business and empowering many to make smart decisions, the site also features updated business news from around the world. The site’s subscribers enjoy free learning materials such as magazines, which provide detailed reports and articles including those cited in this essay. Another consumer benefit for CLO Media users is that article writers are usually experts in the fields they contribute

Rewriting examples for grammar comments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rewriting examples for grammar comments - Essay Example Example: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence. Revision: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation's expanded international influence. See this website for help: http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm. I noticed the use of some run-on sentences here in your assignment. Avoid those. Add example of run on and correction. See: http://ace.acadiau.ca/english/grammar/runon.htm. This is very well done. I appreciate your hard work, good thoughts, and good contributions. Thanks for the excellent job. I am very impressed with your good work this week. Let me know if you have any questions about the assignment, your grade, or anything else. Wo nderful job. What I need are these examples to be rewritten since I used them over and over again. Using an example a couple of times is OK, and you do not need to rewrite every comment and the whole comment, JUST THE EXAMPLES, because it’s all I can pay for. That’s it, thanks! Comments to Revise: Thanks for the fantastic job here of meeting the assignment objectives. Just a few writing suggestions here: Your assignment is good but could use some transitions to make it flow better. See this website for help: http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm Instead of writing transitions that could connect any paragraph to any other paragraph, write a transition that could only connect one specific paragraph to another specific paragraph. Example: The Renaissance period brought tremendous changes in the artistic approaches based upon the traditional art of Greek and Roman statuary. The Expressionist movement of the 1900s instituted a profound rejection of all the traditional ways of the past and introduced a completely new approach to art. Revision: Although the Renaissance period brought tremendous changes in the artistic approaches based upon the traditional art of Greek and Roman statuary, it was the Expressionist movement of the 1900s that instituted a profound rejection of all the traditional ways of the past and introduced a completely new approach to art. Throughout your project, I noticed the use of some run-on sentences from formally writing. See: http://ace.acadiau.ca/english/grammar/runon.htm. Thanks for the outstanding contributions to the homework thread this week. You did an excellent job. I appreciate how well you participated and expressed yourself. Nice writing. Let me know if you have any questions about the assignment, your grade, or anything else. Wonderful job. You did a nice job of writing and a good job of addressing the assignment goals. Just a few suggestions: I appreciate the work here on your assignment, but it appears that you could use some transitions to help connect your ideas. http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm. Instead of writing transitions that could connect any paragraph to any other paragraph, write a transition that could only connect one specific paragraph to another specific paragraph. Example: Perhaps the most important thing that happened during the mid- to late-nineteenth century was the shift that took place in mankind’s way of thinking. Mankind learned to apply systematic thought processes to explain

Thursday, October 17, 2019

MGMT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

MGMT - Assignment Example I am aware that the base of power of my professor is legitimate and I only have to accept that fact. This knowledge also prompts me to submit to my professor’s demands in the hope that a reward would be given, in my case, good grades. Aside from using rational persuasion, I would also be using consultation since this shows my respect for my professor’s authority. This is the very reason why I intend to make an appointment for consultation so I can relay my case on a personal basis. After the professor agrees, I intend to resort to exchange. I would promise that I would do my best in coming up with a good paper since I was given the extension period. Soft tactics are really better than hard tactics since coercion or threat can result to conflicts especially when both sides have equal power. By using soft tactics, a person can utilize positive values and try to find ways that are creative and considerate to both parties. It must be a win-win situation for both sides. Also the party with less authority must learn to respect a higher authority. Also, a personal base of power presents the interesting personal side of the student that a professor can harness for worthwhile

Aircraft Performance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aircraft Performance - Case Study Example With this said, there are both challenges and opportunities that the industry have faced since the time, some of which are discussed in the case study. The problem is that high demand for innovation and diversity in the industry calls for enhanced designs, performance, materials, development, and production of new high-performance jet aircrafts which must be made available while taking advantage of industry opportunities whiles overcoming industry challenges. For there to be growth in the industry, there must be a clear balance between customer demand and specification, and manufacturing of jet aircrafts. It is only when there is this form of balance that consumers and customers can have a feel of value addition in the jet aircraft industry (Travis, Carleton & Lauritsen, 2002). By exploring the opportunities and challenges that are within the industry therefore, a chance is being created for manufacturers to take advantage of what awaits them in the industry while being enlightened on what to avoid through the challenges. Industry opportunity. Advancement in technology, which has aided in the areas of research and development, designing and creation, production, and evaluation of finished products (Frode & Christos, 2005). Advantages with opportunity . Heightened research in jet engine production due to advancement in technology was the direct result of the three design principles which have been used in the industry since 1965. The three principles are dual-spool layout, variable stators, and the turbofan (Curtis, Rhoades & Waguespack, 2013). Together, these principles have been the basis of achieving high performance. Future utilization of opportunity. The future utilization of the opportunity of technological advancement is expected to focus mainly on durability and portability. That is, jet aircrafts that are produced in the future are expected to last longer and function within a more spacious limit so that a lot more

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

MGMT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

MGMT - Assignment Example I am aware that the base of power of my professor is legitimate and I only have to accept that fact. This knowledge also prompts me to submit to my professor’s demands in the hope that a reward would be given, in my case, good grades. Aside from using rational persuasion, I would also be using consultation since this shows my respect for my professor’s authority. This is the very reason why I intend to make an appointment for consultation so I can relay my case on a personal basis. After the professor agrees, I intend to resort to exchange. I would promise that I would do my best in coming up with a good paper since I was given the extension period. Soft tactics are really better than hard tactics since coercion or threat can result to conflicts especially when both sides have equal power. By using soft tactics, a person can utilize positive values and try to find ways that are creative and considerate to both parties. It must be a win-win situation for both sides. Also the party with less authority must learn to respect a higher authority. Also, a personal base of power presents the interesting personal side of the student that a professor can harness for worthwhile

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Fairytales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fairytales - Essay Example An important theme of Cinderella is male superiority. All men discussed in the story are in dominating and controlling positions and accordingly, the women are shown in submissive positions to the men. There are two men performing main roles in the story i.e. Cinderella’s father and the king’s son. While Cinderella’s father is shown to be a rich man, her mother is said to be old and sick. Death of Cinderella’s mother is an important event in the story as it changes Cinderella’s life. It does not take Cinderella’s father long to get married to another woman, and there is no mention of memories or love of Cinderella’s mother in her father’s mind or heart in the story that follows. This is suggestive of the notion that it is very easy for a man to forget a woman and that a man never falls short of women ready to be his wife, irrespective of his age. While her father happens to be a rich man, this hardly helps Cinderella in any way. Her father does not intervene anywhere as Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters make her their servant. This is suggestive of the ignorance of men toward women even in the position of their children, thus again mentioning the superiority of men over women in a way. Finally, when the king organizes the festival, its main purpose is to provide the prince with an opportunity to have all the beautiful girls in the town right in front of him and select anyone he wants to marry among them as his future wife. Not just this, but also the element that all girls in the town are so eager to be there at the festival, knowing the purpose for which it has been arranged suggests that men are far advanced in terms of power and superiority in comparison to women. It is understood that any girl the prince would pick up would sure be his wife, there is no question of the girl’s readiness for this. Even Cinderella, the main character of the story with whom, children sympathize and wh om they love finds a way to attend the festival. All these elements imprint this fact in the minds of the children that men assume a strange and obvious sort of superiority over the women. Rapunzel Rapunzel is another fairytale that never fails to get admiration from the little readers. There are many elements in the story that spark interest for it in the children. Some of these elements include the long and beautiful hair of Rapunzel, the garden that accommodates all sorts of beautiful flowers, not to mention, the magical rampions in it, use of the long hair of Rapunzel as a rope, and most importantly, her pitiful life. For a fact, a common element between many fairytales is that the main character of girl in the story is always pretty but is in pitiful circumstances, waiting for a prince to come to her rescue. Rapunzel is no different in this sense. Marriage is an important theme of Rapunzel. All couples talked about in the story are married couples. When children read such stori es in their childhood, they are raised with the assumption that marriage is the only way two people can live together and procreate in the society. Such stories lay the foundation of the fundamental status of marriage as the building block of the society and the criticism toward cohabitation and same sex marriage observed in everyday life. The story starts with the depiction of a couple of man and woman that are husband and wife to each other and have a

The Welcome Table Essay Example for Free

The Welcome Table Essay We as humans have learned to be considerate of people and their differences, we have also encouraged the development of all human beings. But many years ago people were not considerate of people of other ethnicities. The possibilities for everyone have become more equal during modern times. I have been intrigued by the racial and ethical dilemmas that most of our ancestors had to endure. The short story that I have chosen to discuss is â€Å"The Welcome Table† By Alice Walker. The human race has come so far since we have had such severe racial discrimination, although it has not disappeared completely. The Welcome Table, along with many other new age stories really have shown the importance of acceptance of many ethnicities. Point of View The theme of a story is a representation of the idea behind the story. (Clugston 2010). â€Å"The Welcome Table† written by Alice Walker, is about an old African American woman who attends a white community church. This story is told in omniscient third person point of view. Third person point of view occurs when the speaker is not the participant in the story. (Clugston 2010). On her way to church, she received looks of horrible disgust. People felt sorry for her, and they feared her. She walked into the church, and she was immediately the center of attention by the congregation. It was made clear to this elderly lady that she was not welcome to worship with this church. She wanted to be in the house of God, she also needed her time with a higher power, and those rights were stripped from her for being from an African American background. She left without a fight; God immediately approached the old lady as she left this church and they walked off together. Walker shows us how important skin color was to people back in this time in history. Not only were they segregated, it was not considered wrong to decline services to those of a different ethnic background. Walker uses a third person point of view in telling the story. She switches points of view throughout the story and really emphasizing the theme of the story. As she walks into to the church Walker is speaking from the congregations point of view, then to the ushers, then to the white congregation. Character She was angular and lean and the color of poor gray. Walker 2003). She was dressed in her Sunday meeting clothes. She wore a long mildewed rusted black dress with missing buttons and a grease-stained scarf covering her pigtails. She has blue-brown eyes, is ashen in appearance and very wrinkled. She is sweating from her walk and is shivering from the cold. She enters the white church and sits, singing in her head. She is physically thrown out of the church. She sees Jesus walking down the highway and is giddy with joy. Jesus tells her to follow him and she does, walking alongside him. He looks just like she thought he would, and he listens to her sing and talk to him. He was wearing immaculate white, long dress trimmed in gold around the neck and hem, and a red, a bright red cape. (Walker 2003) Over his left arm he carried a brilliant blue blanket. He is wearing sandals and a beard and long hair parted on the side. (Walker 2003). She feels great beside him and can walk as long as he wants. She tells him about her hardship works for whites and the injustices that have taken place . She feels his kindness and instantly feels better. The old elderly woman saw Jesus wave to her. He told her to follow him. She broke her silence to tell Jesus how glad she was that he had come, how she had often looked at his picture. They continue to walk together. The ground began to look like clouds. They continued to walk looking straight ahead, she had a smile on her face. Conclusion The Welcome Table is told in omniscient third person and shifts the point of view from which the story is told. The beginning of the story is told from the point of view of the white congregation. They view the elderly black woman as being beneath them. She receives evil stares as she enters the church to seek Jesus. She feels her time on earth is coming to an end. She is treated badly because of her ethnic background. The usher then asks the elderly woman to leave the church. The women in church feel threatened by the aging woman because of the color of her skin view switches to the usher who tells the elderly African American woman to leave. The men in the church carry the elderly woman out of the church. The woman then sees Jesus walking down the highway. She walks along with him and she is never seen again.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Critical Analysis of Leadership Theories and Assessing Links

Critical Analysis of Leadership Theories and Assessing Links An organization is comprised of a large set of individuals, working together to attain a specified common goal. The concrete organisational framework is based upon specified values and positive culture escorted by charismatic leaders that are required to comprehend their roles and responsibilities towards both the employees and the organisation. A positive work environment is comprised of intellectual and enigmatic leaders that believe in empowering employees and appreciate their active participation in the progression of the company (Balain, and Sparrow 2009, p. 227). The concept of leadership is generated to monitor the behavioural patterns of employees including and motivate them to enhance their loyalty towards the organisation. The behavioural patterns of employees greatly vary depending upon their individual circumstances and therefore, it is extremely crucial for the leaders to develop an empathetic approach towards resolving the issues of employees and to inspire them for eff ective contribution to achieve the organisational objectives. It is the responsibility of the organisational leaders to develop challenging but achievable goals and boost the team spirit amongst the employees to achieve maximum organisational productivity (Knight, Durham and Locke 2001, p. 329). There could be diverse range of motivational factors that might influence an individuals conviction and the effective leaders have the ability to single out those factors to persuade the employees to enhance organisational growth and maximise its productivity (Choi 2006, p. 26). This paper is intended to analyse the role of leadership and employee motivation in long term organisational success by critical evaluation of the theoretical underpinnings of the subject. The idea is to reflect the behavioural patterns of both the leaders and employees by recognizing the need for employee motivation and understanding the role of leaders to optimistically incite the employees in the best interest of the organisation (Knight, Durham and Locke 2001, p. 335). The main objective of this paper is to explicate the functional features of an organisation in which the role of leadership becomes extremely significant in order to develop smart employee motivational strategies to ensure their satisfaction and thereby, producing constructive employees attitudes to preserve long term organisational success. ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN ORGANISATIONAL SUCCESS Routine official work environment has several challenges and issues which are required to be sorted with sheer intelligence and determination. Organisational structure is extremely complex including diverse nature of employees and therefore, the role of leader becomes extremely significant to maintain a positive and constructive workplace (Hamlin 2002). The most integral aspect of a leaders personality is the understanding towards responsibilities and willingness to combat with difficulties and challenges. Not all managers can become effective leaders (Knight, Durham and Locke 2001, p. 335) as the complex organisational structure and diversity of employees makes it difficult to realize the dynamics of key motivating factors that facilitate in enhanced organisational productivity. The globalised work environment of today is comprised of organisations having employees coming from different backgrounds, speaking diversified languages and competent in varying range of skills and therefor e, leaders today, are not just required to focus on task accomplishment but must also address the employees expectations by engaging them as effectively contributing member of the organisation. Employees look upon their organisational leaders as a coach who enables them to understand and perform their task in correct manner (Hamlin 2002). Employees expect their leaders to effectively communicate and direct them to prevail over the work-related issues and obstacles by motivational skills. The concept of leadership is based upon the combination of personality, ideologies, intellect, motivation and trust (Balain, and Sparrow 2009, p. 228). Organisations endeavour fiscal growth and productivity which can be achieved by progressive employees followed by a charismatic leader. It is significant for the organisational leaders to recruit maximum number of followers and for that, leaders through their personal charm, ideologies and intellect gain trust of employees and motivate them to accomp lish organisational goals (Kaplan and Norton 2004, p. 37). Long term organisational success is highly dependent upon leadership and employee motivation. It has been studied that, in order to achieve long-term organisational success, leaders are required to gain trust of employees and motivate them (Baldoni, 2005, p. 175). The distinct qualities encompassing excellence in performance and management skills ascertain the organisational leaders. The ability to envision, empathise, and empower are the three core components that determine the charismatic attribute of a leader. Envisioning behaviour of a leader influences other organisational members by stimulating a need to accomplish and the empathic behaviour facilitate the followers to gel with their leader based on ideological affiliations (Choi, 2006, p. 41). ANALYISING THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP Leaders are the symbol of ideologies that are followed by others and organisations acquire tremendous growth and success by integrating charismatic leadership within their work environment. Interaction of leaders with the followers tends to develop a positive and highly motivated work environment which eventually results in the organisational success (Pratti et al, 2003, p. 27). The six most integral leadership theories have been critically analysed to understand the reasons behind advanced performance levels which enhances the economic and organisational strength. Great Man Theory The theoretical model of Great Man theory was based on a belief that the leadership is confine only to the aristocratic people that are destined to escort the rest. Formerly the people belonging to upper-class were treated differently and were looked upon by others due to specific qualities they posses or the exceptional standard of living they enjoyed. It was believed that only a limited number of people were uniquely gifted with certain abilities and traits that made it possible for them to become leaders and the rest are meant to follow them (Pratti et al, 2003, p. 32). The most critical element of the Great Man theory was the blind conviction in the leadership of aristocratic people and firmly believing that the traits of leadership can never be inherited, developed, learnt, or acquired (Baldoni, 2005, p. 179), which limited the scope of leadership. The term Great Man itself has a limited scope as the theoretical model is primarily male, military and west oriented. While analysin g the phenomenon of intrinsic supremacy of the Great Man theory, it is indeed true that there are certain men possessing some congenital power to influence over their contemporaries, substantiating their right to leadership however, the concept of limiting the headship to a group of aristocratic is inequitable (Choi 2006, p. 42). If the Great Man model is applied to the contemporary organisational structure, it might produce unconstructive outcomes as the diversification of employees background, languages, skills and individual circumstance has given rise to a much perplexed work environment where aristocratic aspect of Great Man theory would develop pessimism amongst employees. The globalised nature of work environment has developed a breed of employees that are much more aware, educated, skilful and competent (Hamlin 2002). Employees today do not necessarily be content with handsome remuneration package instead they look forward to professional growth and enhanced opportunities. T he Great Man theoretical model does not address the prospects and expectations of existing organisational workforce as it is confined to offer leadership opportunities to aristocratic group of people only. Followed by the Great Man theoretical model which advocates the innate superiority, the exceptional traits, qualities and attributes of the leaders were explored and as a result of which Trait Theory was developed. Trait Theories The Trait Theories were developed with a purpose of determining the core characteristics of leaders that contributed towards organisational success. The theory was put forward with intent to facilitate the organisations in the identification of key traits, qualities and attributes of leaders so that the correct set of people can be recruited and installed into leadership positions of the organisation. There are a number of leadership traits identified by several studies including adaptability, decisiveness, cooperation, dependability, assertiveness, determination, self confidence (Wheatley 2001, p. 92) however, it has been observed that there is no quantifiable means to identify leadership characteristics and there are no consistent set of qualities that might support the concept of a true leader (Baldoni, 2005, p. 212). Human beings have numerous positive and negative traits that are responsible in shaping up the overall personality of an individual. All leaders posses the universal quality to influence others however, the set of fundamental traits that enables them to dominate over their contemporaries might considerably differ (Pratti et al, 2003, p. 37). It has been studied that the generic qualities of a leader such as charismatic personality, sociability and intelligence are not limited to themselves only instead the most commonly held traits of leaders can also be shared by diverse group of people which do not necessarily become leaders. On the other hand, generic traits of the leaders might be similar however, the absence of some of these generic traits do not make them any less leader. There has been somewhat consistency in the generic traits of leaders that may include administrative skills, decisiveness, responsiveness and astuteness which enables them to ensure enhanced organisational productivity. It has been argued that there is the probability of prominent leaders being gifted by few common traits nevertheless; it is nearly impracticable that all leaders pose a collective set of characteristics (Pratti et al, 2003, p. 39) and hence, the Trait Theory failed to sustain its momentum. It is significant to note that, neither the authoritative traits corroborate the position of a leader and nor the position of leadership can be acquired by the identified authoritative characteristics (Gosling and Mintzberg 2003). Behavioural Theories The contradictory nature of the Trait Theories, lead the researchers to focus on the behavioural aspect of organisational leaders and as a result of which the Behavioural Theories were formulated that are primarily based on studying the varying leadership styles. The McGregors X Y Managers Theory has been widely publicised stating that the leaders assumptions about human nature greatly influences the overall organisational leadership stratagem. In accordance with McGregors theoretical model, the theory X managers deem that there is an intrinsic aversion amongst human beings towards obligations and responsibilities which circumvents their desire to work unless persuaded. Theory X managers are required to consistently direct and control their workforce to achieve organisational objectives. On the other hand, theory Y managers believe that correct work atmosphere combined with employees commitment facilitates people in exercising self-direction and self-control that ultimately aid in a ccomplishing the pre-set organisational goals. By analysing the McGregors theoretical model, it can be observed that the theory X mangers support the domineering style whereas; theory Y managers support a participative approach of leadership. The domineering leaders have strict control over their employees characterised by their decisiveness conversely, the participative leaders are much more considerate and are found to behave sympathetically towards the employees and thereby, develop a sense of affiliation and trust (Pratti et al, 2003, p. 40). While contrasting both the leadership behaviours it can be constituted that the autocratic leaders are strict but disciplined which results in obtaining better results in terms of enhanced fiscal growth conversely, the participative leaders are the preferred choice of the employees but the performance margin is considerably reduced due to their considerate behaviour. The Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid is another behavioural theory focuse s on organisational production and employee orientations by analysing the combinations of concerns between the two extremes. Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid measures the leaders concerns for production on horizontal and concerns for people on the vertical axis by identifying the five key leadership styles. By analysing the Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid, it has been observed that the most crucial aspect of leadership behaviour is to value the collaborative approach and teamwork that eventually results in long-term organisational success. Situational Contingency Theories Depending upon the consistently evolving work environment and inconsistent circumstances, it can be constituted that the leadership styles has to be considerably flexible and adaptive in order to address the underlying organisational issues. After identifying the behavioural aspects of leadership it was inevitable to apply them in varying situations to assess their practicability. Fiedlers Contingency Model was put forward with intent to address workplace issues that are highly reliant upon the impinged situational factors explicating that mechanistic organisational environment may progress well with autocratic leadership style whereas a participative approach is suited to a dynamic work environment having a flexible approach (Heslin, VandeWalle, Latham 2006, p. 882). Fiedler Contingency Model categorised managers in two distinct groups i.e. task and relationship oriented and environment as favourable or unfavourable. This model enables the leaders to manipulate the environmental var iables to match their leadership styles. In accordance with the contingency model the relationship and power positioning of a leader with its team members greatly influences the task structure (Baum and Locke 2004, p. 587) and it has been observed that the favourable work environment characterised by constructive leader-member relationship tends to yield a high task structure where a leader has the power to appreciate or penalize its employees with absolute authority and vice versa. Both the task motivated and relationship motivated leadership styles comes with their relative set of pros and cons as the task-motivated leaders can gain fiscal growth by outperforming the key competitors (Kaplan and Norton 2004, p. 42) whereas, the relationship motivated leaders gain customer satisfaction which establishes the positive image of the organisation which fairly contributes in attaining long-term organisational success. The theoretical grounds of Hersey-Blanchard Model of Leadership are bas ed on assessing the developmental capacity of employees which tends to determine the suitability of a leadership style in a specific situation. The theory is based on the combination of task behaviour and relationship behaviour of a leader depending upon the maturity of its subordinates within a workplace setting. With respect to the situational variables of subordinates maturity levels, the leadership style have been categorised into four kinds out of which two major leadership styles including directive behaviour and supportive behaviours are deemed as the most significant (Perren and Burgoyne 2001). In directive behaviour category the leaders adopt a one-way communication strategy where leaders decide, communicate, direct and closely monitor the performance of the subordinates to achieve the core organisational objectives (Balain, and Sparrow 2009, p. 229). On the other hand, the supportive behaviour of a leader is two-way communication process in which leaders adopt a flexible a pproach by engaging the subordinates in the decision making process, listen to their views, offer support and encourage their contributions in task performance. The most significant aspect of Hersey-Blanchard Model is that, it provides a multi-purpose approach by allowing the leaders to assess the maturity level of their subordinates and thereby, adjust their behaviours accordingly. The theory emphasises on enhancing the maturity level of subordinates by effective coaching techniques, increased support and motivational schemes so that the burden on leadership can be fine-tuned as per the developmental capacity of the employees which not only benefits the leaders but is equally favourable to the organisation in longer run. The Tannenbaum Schmidts Continuum model is an extension of contingency theories suggesting that there are four main leadership behaviours varies along a continuum including autocratic or telling style, persuasive or selling style, consultative or consulting style and democratic or joining style. The continuum model has distinguished the leadership styles and applied them to specified situations as for example telling style is most suited to mature team in an emergency situation, the selling style is applicable to an aggressive work setting where leader is decisive however the enthusiastic participation of the subordinates is equally valued. The consulting and joining leadership is complimentary to somewhat similar situation where collective decision making by both the leaders and subordinates result in enhanced productivity of the organisation (Heslin, VandeWalle, Latham 2006, p. 886). Another significant situational or contingency model is the Adairs Action-Centred leadership which is characterised by a three circle diagram. The situational and contingent elements determine the responsiveness of leader to address the organisational issues and achieve the desired goals. Leaders and Followers Previously the concept of leadership was confined to idealise the solo frontal figures that contributes in achieving organisational objectives. The theories of Leaders and Followers are intended to highlight the interdependency of leaders and their subordinates and reflect the significance of collaborative work environment. The theory of Servant Leadership determines the individual perception to serve first and then lead by encouraging teamwork, prescience and trust within the organisational structure by empowering all and treating them with fairness. Team Leadership is another theoretical approach that is put forward by Meredith Belbin emphasising on the balanced team efforts by proposing a network of individuals working together for a common organisational goal having both individual strengths and weaknesses. Team work is most suited to the complex structure of globalised work environment as the leaders are less interfering and believe in engaging their subordinates as actively par ticipating members of the organisation (Goleman, McKee and Boyatzis 2002, p. 22). The volatile organisational structure of today requires concerted working relationships due to its diverse nature and the leadership style that promotes employees development offers a holistic approach where problem solving and decisiveness of a leader is complimented and supported by the entire team. In addition to this, James MacGregor Burns came up with the Transactional and Transformational Leadership Model which is which enables to develop an understanding of monetary and ethical needs of organisation followed by a leader. The transactional leadership is based on business perspective by relying on short term fiscal benefits to maximise organisational efficiency. The transactional leadership focuses on tactical issues and is hard data orientation by supporting the entrenched structure and systems and is predominantly occupied by power, politics and perks (Baum and Locke 2004, p. 589). On the other hand, the foundation of transformational leadership is has high moral and ethical grounds based on pre-defined purposes. The significance of transformational leadership is the diffusion of duties and responsibilities amongst the team to acquire meaningful and challenging job roles for the subordinates in order to develop a sense of self-worth by acknowledging the human potential (Drach-Zahavy and Erez 2002, p. 668). Transformational leaders work towards acquiring long-term organisational success by prudently aligning the internal structure and systems without comprising the core values and principles. Dispersed Leadership It is an informal leadership style that is significantly dissociated with the organisational hierarchal model. The Dispersed Leadership model is the most contemporary theoretical model which encourages the all individuals within an organisation to contribute their leadership skills without any limitations of hierarchy and positively influence their colleagues to maximise organisational productivity. It has been studied that, by developing leaderful culture and work environment by the help of synchronized, cooperative and empathetic leadership model (Raelin 2003, p. 62), the organisations can become more progressive as the responsibility and commitment of a leader can be extensively entrenched throughout the entire organisation without the limitations imposed by formal chain of commands. The relationship and social behaviour of an individual determines its leadership qualities and the intrinsic characteristics and traits of a leader have the power to influence other by producing follo wers (James and Burgoyne 2001). Hence, the phenomenon of dispersed leadership i.e. encouraging the development of leaders amongst the small groups of same ideologies may also benefit the organisation by the prelude of a modern work environment having shared set of responsibilities. ASSESSING THE LINKAGE BETWEEN LEADERSHIP EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Leaders are expected to generate enthusiasm within their subordinates to maximise their efficiencies and are far-sighted to develop effectual strategies to overcome the obstacles that may hinder in smooth progression of the organisation. The most highly equipped organisational leaders utilise useful tools of communication, problem solving, people management, decision making and motivation to develop a strong bond with their team members and gain their trust to extort utmost output of their organisational performances (James and Burgoyne 2001). Suited to the diverse range of situations and contexts, the organisations put forward effective leadership styles in order to develop affiliations with their employees by exhibiting incredible drive and enthusiasm in order to achieve the desired goals. To acquire the desired results by the enhanced efficiency of their subordinates, leaders are required to stimulate them with the help of numerous motivational tools including incentives, growth o pportunities and rewards (Rodgers, Frearson, Holden and Gold 2003). Leadership theories combined with correct motivational strategies tends to deliver enhanced organisational productivity. Leaders are therefore anticipated to understand the human psychology as the organisational performances are greatly influenced by the psychosocial objectives of an individual (Heslin, VandeWalle, Latham 2006, p. 882). It is extremely significant to acknowledge the substance of human needs while developing organisational objectives as the labour force of the organisation is predominantly humans that are engaged in specific job roles to fulfil their basic needs. Apart from monetary benefits, an individual may also have varying psycho-social needs that develops an individual personality based on a personal belief system (Raelin 2003, p. 65). An organisation can successfully develop a high-performing workforce by addressing the psycho-social needs of its employees through monetary and symbolic rewards that tends to enhance a sense of self-worth and thereby contribute in acquiring the desired organisational goals (Renn 2003, p. 572). Considering the primary human needs and psychosocial necessitates, smart leaders develop effectual strategies to motivate their subordinates by unswervingly stimulating the correct individual motives (Wegge and Haslam 2005, p. 404). The employees of today have tremendously grown in terms of educational qualifications and thrive on knowledge based work environments where they expect to receive the due respect to their ideologies and acknowledgement of their contributions and efforts benefiting the organisation. Leaders are the primary and the most vital connecting point of the workforce with the organisation that enables the workforce to express their views with complete freedom and recognise their organisational contributions Goleman, McKee and Boyatzis 2002, p. 22). The previous methods of managing subordinates through leaders have been replaced by the contemporary techniques of employing personnel-centric strategies within the organisation in order to exceedingly motivate employees to gain competitive advantage in the market. Managers are required to motivate the employees and attain their utmost loyalty and devotion by inspiring them through effective leadership styles. The democratic nature of contemporary organisation supports the idea of empowering their employees and the leaders are now anticipated to produce their followers by adopting a flexible approach and widely accepted leadership style. Today, the products and services offered by the organisations are not the only means to compete in the market but the power of an organisation to retain a highly competitive, loyal and productive workforce determine their market supremacy (Drach-Zahavy and Erez 2002, p. 669). The linkage between true leadership and motivational strategies has been greatly emphasised by the organisations and it has been observed that leaders with their motivational stratagem play an integral role in maximising organisational productivity. The autocratic leadership styles followed by strictly hierarchal organisational structures have been subsided in the contemporary globalised work environment where employees prefer a democratic leadership that is meant to respect their psy cho-social objectives and is fair towards acknowledging their individual contributions in the overall organisational success. It has been identified that the contemporary workforce appreciates leaders that are persuasive and not coercive. Employees have now become more inclined towards professional pragmatism and challenging job roles rather than restricting their growth opportunities to short-term benefits like status and position (Goleman, McKee and Boyatzis 2002, p. 39). Therefore, organisations have also recognised the strong bond between effective leadership and motivational strategies and have put forward their enigmatic leaders that are willing to acclimatize their leadership skills in order to address the psycho-social needs of todays workforce. The long-term organisational success is highly reliant upon its progressive and devoted workforce (Hamlin 2002) that can be achieved by integrating the right set of motivational strategies through the most appropriate leadership styl es. Organisations prudently choose the appropriate leaders that have sufficient proclivity of analysing the core psycho-social needs of the employees and correct knowledge about the organisational environment (Wegge and Haslam 2005, p. 401). The intensity of leaders receptiveness to appropriately retort towards the consistently evolving situations together with their ability to address the unprecedented expectations of employees, ascertains the long-term organisational success. CONCLUSION (250) Peoples attitudes towards their employment have been considerably altered due to a shift from manual to knowledge based work environment in the contemporary globalised organisational structure. The fast-paced work environment combined with highly responsive employees behaviour has enhanced living standards and employees expectations and therefore, effectual and integrated leadership has become indispensible to motivate the organisational workforce of today. Depending upon varying situations, organisations position their best leaders that are required to motivate their subordinates through the most suitable leadership techniques in order to preserve the loyalty and commitment of the employees towards achieving maximum organisational productivity. To conclude, there is a strong relationship between effective leadership and employee motivational strategies that not only generate fiscal benefits by enhanced organisational productivity but also contribute in accomplishing long-term organi sational success.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Comparing the Native Characters in Colonial Literature to the European

When European colonial authors introduced us to the native, they created the native; the native character became more real to European readers than the actual inhabitants of the new world. The natives' overwhelming otherness eclipsed any individuality that might have been found among them. The native was childish, incapable of reason, and savagely unchristian, or as Lord Cromer described him, a being which "generally acts, speaks and thinks in a manner that is exactly opposite to the European" (qtd. in Said 39). The European world was first given Robinson Crusoe's Friday as a native or, more accurately, the native. Friday could easily (and accurately in the European's mind) be substituted for any non-European. Friday, and the native that he represented, continues to exist in post-colonial literature. Part of him, his otherness, is expressed in the new European character. Another part of him, his nativeness, continues to be expressed in the new native. The legacy of the other did not die with colonialism. It continues to be a presence in post-colonial literature, only now the other has white skin. Winterbottom/Clarke/Meers/Pilkings is just one character: the other, the European, the white man. Post-colonial literature's example white man is a reincarnation of Friday; his traits may be slightly different, but he remains the same in that he is overwhelmingly opposite from the important individuals found in the literature. Just as the native and the concept of the native was invented by the Europeans, the European has been invented by the new generation of post-colonial authors. In Arrow of God, Chinua Achebe creates Captain T. K. Winterbottom and Tony Clarke, white officers portrayed as mere unemotional bureaucratic cogs in the co... ...n. The European's once prized light skin has become a sign of illness and he has adopted a stereotypical insensitivity that prevents him from being human. Colonial literature's other, the native, did not end with colonialism. Instead, part of him became the new other, the post-colonial European, while the other part of him remained the native and became the new self. The colonial native is the root of post-colonial characters and, as such, continues to be an integral part of post-colonial literature. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Arrow of God. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. London: Penguin Books, 1985. Emecheta, Buchi. The Joys of Motherhood. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1994. Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Soyinka, Wole. Death and the King's Horseman. New York: Norton, 2003. Comparing the Native Characters in Colonial Literature to the European When European colonial authors introduced us to the native, they created the native; the native character became more real to European readers than the actual inhabitants of the new world. The natives' overwhelming otherness eclipsed any individuality that might have been found among them. The native was childish, incapable of reason, and savagely unchristian, or as Lord Cromer described him, a being which "generally acts, speaks and thinks in a manner that is exactly opposite to the European" (qtd. in Said 39). The European world was first given Robinson Crusoe's Friday as a native or, more accurately, the native. Friday could easily (and accurately in the European's mind) be substituted for any non-European. Friday, and the native that he represented, continues to exist in post-colonial literature. Part of him, his otherness, is expressed in the new European character. Another part of him, his nativeness, continues to be expressed in the new native. The legacy of the other did not die with colonialism. It continues to be a presence in post-colonial literature, only now the other has white skin. Winterbottom/Clarke/Meers/Pilkings is just one character: the other, the European, the white man. Post-colonial literature's example white man is a reincarnation of Friday; his traits may be slightly different, but he remains the same in that he is overwhelmingly opposite from the important individuals found in the literature. Just as the native and the concept of the native was invented by the Europeans, the European has been invented by the new generation of post-colonial authors. In Arrow of God, Chinua Achebe creates Captain T. K. Winterbottom and Tony Clarke, white officers portrayed as mere unemotional bureaucratic cogs in the co... ...n. The European's once prized light skin has become a sign of illness and he has adopted a stereotypical insensitivity that prevents him from being human. Colonial literature's other, the native, did not end with colonialism. Instead, part of him became the new other, the post-colonial European, while the other part of him remained the native and became the new self. The colonial native is the root of post-colonial characters and, as such, continues to be an integral part of post-colonial literature. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Arrow of God. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. London: Penguin Books, 1985. Emecheta, Buchi. The Joys of Motherhood. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1994. Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Soyinka, Wole. Death and the King's Horseman. New York: Norton, 2003.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Argument Against Reality Television Essay -- Persuasive Essays, Argum

What pleasure do you get from watching a group of people humiliate themselves in the name of television? Media both in the UK and around the world seem to have "discovered" that so-called "reality" shows are very profitable, resulting in a growing string of such shows in recent years. Although not all are successful, many do achieve significant popularity and cultural prominence. That does not mean, however, that they are good for society or that they should be aired. Can you honestly say, that after absorbing the reality rubbish, you have learned something? Educational, stimulating, witty, are all adjectives you would not associate with reality television. Reality T.V is a case of vegetating in front of the screen and glazing gormlessly at a group of half-hearted celebrities as they involve themselves inà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a deep philosophical conversation. Not only does Reality Television reflect appallingly on our media culture, but it corrupts the mind of youngsters, giving them twisted views on society. What person are you becoming if you are sitting there daydreaming about who is going to be "evicted" from Big Brother? Well, you're the one the needs a snap back to realityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ One of the attractions of reality television is the supposed "reality" of it - unscripted and unplanned situations and reactions. One of the ethical problems of reality television is the fact that it isn't nearly as "real" as it pretends to be. At least in dramatic shows one can expect the audience to understand that what they see on the screen doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of the actors' lives; the same, however, cannot be said for heavily edited and con... ...tem from the increasing separation we experience from others around us. The more distant we are from each other as individuals, the more readily we can objectify each other and fail to experience sympathy and empathy when others around us suffer. The fact that we are witnessing events not in front of us but rather on television, where everything is has an unreal and fictional air about it, probably aids in this process as well. I'm not saying that you should never watch reality TV programming, but the motivations behind being a viewer are ethically suspect. Instead of passively accepting whatever media companies try to feed you, it would be better to take some time to reflect on why such programming is made and why you feel attracted to it. Perhaps you will find that your motivations themselves are not so attractive.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Filipino Women Writers and Jose Garcia Villa Essay

Estrella D. Alfon (July 18, 1917 – December 28, 1983) was a well-known prolific Filipina author who wrote in English. Because of continued poor health, she could manage only an A. A. degree from the University of the Philippines. She then became a member of the U. P. writers club and earned and was given the privileged post of National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U. P. Creative Writing Center. She died in the year 1983 at the age of 66. Estrella Alfon was born in Cebu City in 1917. Unlike other writers of her time, she did not come from the intelligentsia. Her parents were shopkeepers in Cebu. [1] She attended college, and studied medicine. When she was mistakenly diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a sanitarium, she resigned from her pre-medical education, and left with an Associate of Arts degree. Alfon has several children: Alan Rivera, Esmeralda â€Å"Mimi† Rivera, Brian Alfon, Estrella â€Å"Twinkie† Alfon, and Rita â€Å"Daday† Alfon (deceased). She has 10 grandchildren. Her youngest daughter, was a stewardess for Saudi Arabian Airlines, and was part of the Flight 163 crew on August 19, 1980, when an in-flight fire forced the aircraft to land in Riyadh. A delayed evacuation resulted in the death of everyone aboard the flight. Alfon died on December 28, 1983, following a heart attack suffered on-stage during Awards night of the Manila Film Festival. Professional She was a student in Cebu when she first published her short stories, in periodicals such as Graphic Weekly Magazine, Philippine Magazine, and the Sunday Tribune. She was a storywriter, playwright, and journalist. In spite of being a proud Cebuana, she wrote almost exclusively in English. She published her first story, â€Å"Grey Confetti†, in the Graphic in 1935. She was the only female member of the Veronicans, an avant garde group of writers in the 1930s led by Francisco Arcellana and H. R. Ocampo, she was also regarded as their muse. The Veronicans are recognized as the first group of Filipino writers to write almost exclusively in English and were formed prior to the World War II. She is also reportedly the most prolific Filipina writer prior to World War II. She was a regular contributor to Manila-based national magazines, she had several stories cited in Jose Garcia Villa’s annual honor rolls. Alfon was one writer who unashamedly drew from her own real-life experiences. In some stories, the first-person narrator is â€Å"Estrella† or â€Å"Esther. † She is not just a writer, but one who consciously refers to her act of writing the stories. In other stories, Alfon is still easily identifiable in her first-person reminiscences of the past: evacuation during the Japanese occupation; estrangement from a husband; life after the war. In the Espeleta stories, Alfon uses the editorial â€Å"we† to indicate that as a member of that community, she shares their feelings and responses towards the incidents in the story. But she sometimes slips back to being a first-person narrator. The impression is that although she shares the sentiments of her neighbors, she is still a distinct personality who detaches herself from the scene in order to understand it better. This device of separating herself as narrator from the other characters is contained within the larger strategy of ? distantiation? that of the writer from her strongly autobiographical material. – Thelma E. Arambulo| †| In the 1950s, her short story, â€Å"Fairy Tale for the City†, was condemned by the Catholic League of the Philippines as being â€Å"obscene†. [3] She was even brought to court on these charges. While many of her fellow writers did stand by her, many did not. These events hurt her deeply. [1] In spite of having only an A. A. degree, she was eventually appointed as a professor of Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, Manila. She was a member of the U. P. Writers Club, she held the National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U. P. Creative Writing Center in 1979. [5] She would also serve on the Philippine Board of Tourism in the 1970s. Stories * Magnificence and Other Stories (1960) * Stories of Estrella Alfon (1994) (published posthumously) * Servant Girl (short story) * English Jose Garcia Villa Jose Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973 as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing by Conrad Aiken. He is known to have introduced the â€Å"reversed consonance rime scheme† in writing poetry, as well as the extensive use of punctuation marks—especiallycommas, which made him known as the Comma Poet. He used the penname Doveglion (derived from â€Å"Dove, Eagle, Lion†), based on the characters he derived from himself. These animals were also explored by another poet e. e. cummings in Doveglion, Adventures in Value, a poem dedicated to Villa. Villa was born on August 5, 1908, in Manila’s Singalong district. His parents were Simeon Villa (a personal physician of Emilio Aguinaldo, the founding President of the First Philippine Republic) and Guia Garcia (a wealthy landowner). He graduated from the University of the Philippines Integrated School and the University of the Philippines High School in 1925. Villa enrolled on a Pre-Medical course in the University of the Philippines, but then switched to Pre-Law course. However, he realized that his true passion was in the arts. Villa first tried painting, but then turned into creative writing after reading Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Writing career Villa’s tart poetic style was considered too aggressive at that time. In 1929 he published Man Songs, a series of erotic poems, which the administrators in UP found too bold and was even fined Philippine peso for obscenity by the Manila Court of First Instance. In that same year, Villa won Best Story of the Year from Philippine Free Press magazine for Mir-I-Nisa. He also received P1,000 prize money, which he used to migrate to the United States. He enrolled at the University of New Mexico, wherein he was one of the founders of Clay, a mimeograph literary magazine. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and pursued post-graduate work at Columbia University. Villa had gradually caught the attention of the country’s literary circles, one of the few Asians to do so at that time. After the publication of Footnote to Youth in 1933, Villa switched from writing prose to poetry, and published only a handful of works until 1942. During the release of Have Come, Am Here in 1942, he introduced a new rhyming scheme called â€Å"reversed consonance† wherein, according to Villa: â€Å"The last sounded consonants of the last syllable, or the last principal consonant of a word, are reversed for the corresponding rhyme. Thus, a rhyme for near would be run; or rain, green, reign. † In 1949, Villa presented a poetic style he called â€Å"comma poems†, wherein commas are placed after every word. In the preface of Volume Two, he wrote: â€Å"The commas are an integral and essential part of the medium: regulating the poem’s verbal density and time movement: enabling each word to attain a fuller tonal value, and the line movement to become more measures. Villa worked as an associate editor for New Directions Publishing in New York City between 1949 to 1951, and then became director of poetry workshop at City College of New York from 1952 to 1960. He then left the literary scene and concentrated on teaching, first lecturing in The New School. The New School for Social Research from 1964 to 1973, as well as conducting poetry workshops in his apartment. Villa was also a cultural attache to the Philippine Mission to the United Nations from 1952 to 1963, and an adviser on cultural affairs to the President of the Philippines beginning 1968. Death On February 5, 1997, at the age of 88, Jose was found in a coma in his New York apartment and was rushed to St. Vincent Hospital in the Greenwich area. His death two days later was attributed to â€Å"cerebral stroke and multilobar pneumonia†. He was buried on February 10 in St. John’s Cemetery in New York, wearing a Barong Tagalog. Personal In 1946 Villa married Rosemarie Lamb, with whom he has two sons, Randy and Lance. They annulled ten years later. He also has three grandchildren. Works As an editor, Villa first published Philippine Short Stories: Best 25 Short Stories of 1928 in 1929, an anthology of Filipino short stories written in English literature English that were mostly published in the literary magazine Philippine Free Press for that year. It is the second anthology to have been published in the Philippines, after Philippine Love Stories by editor Paz Marquez-Benitez in 1927. His first collection of short stories that he has written were published under the title Footnote to Youth: Tales of the Philippines and Others in 1933; while in 1939, Villa publishedMany Voices, his first collection poems, followed by Poems by Doveglion in 1941. Other collections of poems include Have Come, Am Here (1942), Volume Two (194 in that year when he edited. The Doveglion Book of Philippine Poetry in English from 1910. Three years later, he released a follow-up for The Portable Villa entitled The Essential Villa. Villa, however, went under â€Å"self-exile† after the 1960s, even though he was nominated for several major literary awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This was perhaps because of oppositions between his formalism (literature)formalist style and the advocates of proletarian literature who misjudged him as a petty bourgeois. Villa only â€Å"resurfaced† in 1993 with an anthology entitled Charlie Chan Is Dead, which was edited by Jessica Hagedorn Several reprints of Villa’s past works were done, including Appasionata: Poems in Praise of Love in 1979, A Parliament of Giraffes (a collection of Villa’s poems for young readers, with Tagalog language Tagalog translation provided by Larry Francia), and The Anchored Angel: Selected Writings by Villa that was edited by Eileen Tabios with a foreword provided by Hagedorn (both in 1999). Among his popular poems include When I Was No Bigger Than A Huge, an example of his â€Å"comma poems†, and The Emperor’s New Sonnet (a part of Have Come, Am Here) which is basically a blank sheet of paper. Paz Marquez Benitez She was Born in 1894 in Lucena City, Quezon. Marquez – Benitez authored the first Filipino modern English language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. Born into the prominent Marquez family of Quezon province, she was among the first generation of Filipino people trained in the American education system which used English as the medium of instruction. She graduated high school in Tayabas High School now, Quezon National High School and college from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912. â€Å"Marquez†Benitez. She was a member of the first freshman class of the University of the Philippines, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912. Two years after graduation, she married UP College of Education Dean Francisco Benitez with whom she had four children. Marquez-Benitez later became a teacher at the University of the Philippines, who taught short-story writing and had become an influential figure to many Filipino writers in the English language, such as Loreto Paras-Sulit, Paz M. Latorena Arturo Belleza Rotor,Bienvenido N. Santos and Francisco Arcellana. The annually held Paz Marquez-Benitez Lectures in the Philippines honors her memory by focusing on the contribution of Filipino women writers to Philippine Literature in the English language. Though she only had one more published short story after â€Å"Dead Stars† entitled â€Å"A Night In The Hills†, she made her mark in Philippine literature because her work is considered the first modern Philippine short story. For Marquez-Benitez, writing was a lifelong occupation. In 1919 she founded â€Å"Woman’s Home Journal†, the first women’s magazine in the country. Also in the same year, she and other six women who were prominent members of Manila’s social elites, namely Clara Aragon, Concepcion Aragon, Francisca Tirona Benitez, Carolina Ocampo Palma, Mercedes Rivera, and Socorro Marquez Zaballero, founded the Philippine Women’s College now Philippine Women’s University. â€Å"Filipino Love Stories†, reportedly the first anthology of Philippine stories in English by Filipinos, was compiled in 1928 by Marquez-Benitez from the works of her students. When her husband died in 1951, she took over as editor of the Philippine Journal of Education at UP. She held the editorial post for over two decades. In 1995, her daughter, Virginia Benitez-Licuanan wrote her biography, â€Å"Paz Marquez-Benitez: One Woman’s Life, Letters, and Writings. â€Å"