Postoperative care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Postoperative care - Essay Example Type of care given to different patients varies with the surgery option that an individual undergoes. The process is, therefore, continuous after surgery throughout the time a patient stays in hospital. The patient is made aware of any potential side effects as well as complications that may arise during postoperative care. Regarding the type of surgery a patient undergoes, respective potential complications occur during the postoperative care period (Beaman, 2011, pg. 24). During the hospital stay, the care continues after the surgery in the patients room. Mostly a patient stays with an IV on the arm. An IV is a device put on the finger that measures oxygen levels in the patients’ blood as well surgical site dressing. Breathing apparatus and other instruments are useful in ensuring continuous monitoring of the patients signs of progress. The paper examines Mrs Violet scenario and the process of postoperative care that she will undergo after going through surgery. The patient has lung cancer with a tumour located in the right lobe; therefore, a right middle lobectomy takes place during the surgery with follow-up chemotherapy procedures to follow later. The patient is aged sixty years with an extended family close to her that remains concerned about her diagnosis as well as the prognosis of her future. A critical evaluation relating to decision-making process as well as the care planning process for Mrs Violet occurs through focusing on three main aspects namely: respiration, pain management, as well as chest drain monitoring. The first focus refers to Respiration care needs that Mrs Violet will need to undergo. A lobectomy procedure occurs in the surgical ward so as to remove one lobe of the lungs. Mrs Violet is suffering from lung cancer; therefore, removal of the portion is essential. After removal of one lobe, the remaining healthy tissue is expected to maintain adequate lung functioning. The

The Merchant of Venice Essay Example for Free

The Merchant of Venice Essay One of the most central issues in The Merchant of Venice is that of the antagonism between the Jews and the Christians. The unconscious, inborn dislike of cultures which jeopardise our way of life. Ever since people have left their homelands to settle in other places there has been conflict between different cultures. So, in the play, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano and many more of the Christians feel resentment towards Shylock the alien. This is partly because of the trap that he has led Antonio into and partly because he is different. This seemingly unaccounted for dislike is shown particularly by Shylock who comments: I hate him for he is a Christian (act 1, scene 3, line 38.) and then later on, in the trial scene itself, when asked to explain his actions he states: I give no reason, nor I will not, more than a lodgd hate and a certain loathing, I bear Antonio (act 4, scene 1, lines 59-61.) This speech shows how even Shylock himself cannot explain his deep-rooted hatred of Antonio (the Christian). The opposite of feuds between cultures, are the bonds which are made between people of the same beliefs and habits. This is shown at the beginning of the Act in the form of a conversation between the Duke and Antonio, both of whom are Christian. In this conversation the Duke reveals his feelings on the matter. I am sorry for thee: thou art come to answer to a stony adversary, an inhuman wretch uncapable of pity, void and empty from any dram of mercy. (act 4, scene 1, lines 3-6.) However, Antonio seems to have no hope, and accepts the law without complaint. This opening view of Antonio portrays his temperament throughout the whole scene, right up until the very end when he is released from the fateful bond. Shortly after this conversation ends Shylock enters. The Duke appeals to Shylock to have mercy upon Antonio, but Shylock is stubborn and sticks with his original decision and intention. Shylock informs the Duke about what will happen if he denies him the due and forfeit of his bond. The consequence of denying the bond would be something that Antonio himself talked about earlier in the play: The Duke cannot deny the course of law: for the commodity that strangers have with us in Venice, if it be denied, will much impeach the justice of the state, since that the trade and profit of the city consisteth of all nations. (act 3, scene 3, lines 26-31.) This means that if the course of law is not permitted, then foreigners will question the integrity and fairness of Venetian justice, which would be fateful for Venice, as the citys wealth depends upon international trade. Venice will also lose its reputation as the centre of international trade if the Duke does not grant Shylock his bond. Yet again, Antonio does not try to excuse himself from the bond, but reminds his friends that they are dealing with a Jew, and of how they will not be able to shift his Jewish Heart. Bassanio proposes to repay Shylock with twice the amount agreed in the bond but, yet again, Shylock is unmoved in his decision. The Duke now realises that there is no way that he can legally save his friends life, but, he states that upon his power he may dismiss the court unless Bellario, a famous lawyer whom he has called to the court  to ask him of his opinion, can attend the hearing. Bassanio sees this as a possibility that his friend may live, but Antonio is not optimistic and says: I am a tainted wether of the flock, meetest for death; the weakest kind of fruit drops earliest to the ground; and so let me. You cannot be better employd, Bassanio, than to live still, and write mine epitaph. (act 4, scene 1, lines 114-118.) He almost feels that he deserves to die, and asks Bassanio to carry on with his own life and write his memoirs for him. The lawyers clerk, who is Nerissa dressed as a man, arrives with a letter from Bellario. The Duke reads the letter and in the meantime Shylock sharpens his knife on the sole of his shoe. Bassanio is upset by this and asks him Why dost thou wet thy knife so earnestly?, and Shylock replies that he intends to take what is rightfully his. At this, Gratiano, who until now has been silent, launches a verbal attack on Shylock, accusing him of having the soul of a man-killing wolf. However, as before, Shylock is unscathed by these insults, and reminds Gratiano that he is only here to uphold the law. After reading the letter the Duke informs the court that Bellario has been taken ill and therefore cannot attend the hearing, but that he has sent a young lawyer in his place, whom he has informed with the details of the case. This lawyer of which the letter speaks is called Balthazar, but when Balthazar enters it becomes apparent to the audience that the lawyer is in fact Portia in disguise. The characters in the play, however, do not know this. Portia attempts to persuade Shylock to have mercy but is unsuccessful. Finally, she agrees that it is lawful that Shylock shall have his bond. Shylock, who is gratified with this judgement, compares Portia to Daniel who, in the Apocrypha, was instructed by God to give a verdict against two elders who had tried to rape the celibate lady Susanna. Portia proceeds to gain Shylocks respect by reminding the court that Antonio must pay the bond with A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off nearest the merchants heart.  Portia asks Shylock whether he has the scales ready to weigh the pound of flesh, to which he replies I have them ready. Portia then feels that she may have found a way to save Antonios life, she asks Shylock: Have by some surgeon, Shylock, on your charge, to stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death. (act 4, scene 1, lines 255-256.) Yet Shylock reminds her that it says nothing about a surgeon in the bond, so her statement is void. Portia accepts this, she then turns to Antonio to ask him if he has anything to say. Antonio speaks to Bassanio to try and console him, concluding with a wry joke about the matter: If the Jew do cut but deep enough, Ill pay it (the debt) instantly with all my heart. (act 4, scene 1, lines 278-279.) Bassanio then comments that he would give up his wife if it would save Antonio, and then Gratiano says that he wishes that his wife were in heaven so that she could stop the proceedings by some divine interception. These comments fracture the tension that has built in the court because, unknown to Bassanio and Gratiano, their wives are there in the court with them. Portia emphasises the irony in this further by saying: Your wife would give you little thanks for that, if she were by to hear you make the offer. (act 4, scene, 1 lines 286-287.) Portia gives permission for Shylock to take his bond, but just as he is preparing to do so she finds a weak link in the bond: Tarry a little: there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood. (act 4, scene 1, lines 303-304.) Meaning that Shylock is entitled to his pound of flesh but not to any of Antonios blood. She then explains that if Shylock does shed one drop of Christian blood then he will have his lands and goods confiscated by the state of Venice. At this decree Gratiano is overjoyed as he can see a way out for his friend. He mocks Shylock by repeating the very praises that Shylock himself had delivered to Portia. The likening of Portia to Daniel is now more fitting because like Portia, Daniel was not anticipated in the court, and the judgement that he gave freed Susanna and condemned her accusers. Shylock is shocked by Portias words, but he is not defeated, he offers to accept triple the original amount, which was offered to him earlier: I take this offer then: pay the bond thrice, and let the Christian go. (act 4, scene 1, lines 316-317.) Bassanio is about to hand over the money when Portia intervenes again. She states that Shylock shall have only his justice, so she instructs him to prepare to cut the pound of flesh, but she warns him, if he should cut any more or less than a pound, even in the estimation of a hair then he shall lose all that he owns. Gratiano jeers at Shylock even further, and yet again Shylock asks for the money, but Portia reminds us that Shylock had refused the money earlier, so now, he shall have merely justice, and his bond. At this, Shylock attempts to leave the court, yet Portia calls him back stating the law hath yet another hold on you. This hold is yet another law of Venice, which states that any alien or foreigner who attempts to take the life of a Venetian shall have all of their possessions confiscated, one half of which shall go to the endangered Venetian, Antonio, and the other half shall go to the privy coffer of the state. This law also states that the life of the alien shall be in the hands of the Duke, and Portia advises Shylock to get down onto his knees and beg mercy of the Duke. The Duke spares Shylocks life, and Antonio, who is now entitled to half of Shylocks wealth, is asked what mercy he can render him? Antonio, despite Gratianos petition, shows his generosity. He offers to take the money on loan, keeping it in confidence for Lorenzo, a Christian who recently ran away with Shylocks daughter, Jessica. However, Antonio puts two conditions on his offer, firstly, that Shylock must become a Christian and, secondly, that he must make a will leaving all that he owns to Jessica and Lorenzo. In doing this, Antonio has struck the  ultimate blow, forcing Shylock to become what he hates and to leave his wealth to someone who has already robbed him of a lot of money and stolen his daughter. Shylock sees that he has been cornered, and asks permission to leave the court. He agrees to conform with Antonios conditions saying: Send the deed after me, and I will sign it. (act 4, scene 1, lines 394-395.) In agreeing to these conditions Shylock has lost his chance for revenge upon the Christians and has had their revenge cast upon himself. Gratiano now makes his feelings apparent, and he declares to Shylock: In Christening shalt thou have two god-fathers; Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more, to bring thee to the gallows, not to the font. (act 4, scene 1, lines 396-398.) This shows that Gratiano feels that Shylock should have been hanged for, in Christianity, when a child is baptised, two god-fathers are appointed to see that the child is properly educated in the Christian faith. However, at the time, god-fathers, was also a nick-name for the members of a jury, a body of twelve men, who would have been needed to pass sentence on Shylock. Gratiano suggests that there should have been ten more god-fathers in order to make up a jury, who he feels would have condemned Shylock to death.  This statement by Gratiano has a double meaning, firstly, that he feels Shylock should have been punished by death and, secondly, that he will be baptised into the Christian faith. The Duke, yet again showing his liking of Antonio, invites Portia to have dinner at his home with him, but Portia declines his offer because she must away this night to Padua. The only thing left to do now is for Bassanio, Antonio and Gratiano to pay the lawyer for his services. Bassanio offers the three thousand ducats which would have been used to pay Shylock, yet Portia refuses payment declaring: He is well paid that is well satisfied, and I, delivering you, am satisfied, and therein do account myself well paid. (act 4, scene 1, lines 413-415.) Suddenly though, the lawyer catches sight of the ring on Bassanios finger, the very ring which Portia gave him at their wedding. She asks for the ring as payment. Bassanio remembers that Portia had told him never to detach himself from the ring for any reason, and, recollecting this, he refuses. Antonio pleads with Bassanio for him to give the ring, and Bassanio, who almost brought about the death of his friend, does not refuse his companions wish. He then sends Gratiano after the lawyer in order to offer Portia the ring.

Moral and Ethical Values in Engineering Industry

Moral and Ethical Values in Engineering Industry MORAL ETHICAL VALUES IN AN INDUSTRY AS AN ENGINEER There are three main Moral Ethical values in an industry, which an engineer is always obliged to obey, these values not only helps the industry but also benefits equally an Engineers personal gain. These three main points are: Professional Duties Ethical Values Human Values An Engineers good conduct (as captured in professional codes of conduct) toward other engineers, toward employers, toward clients, and toward the public is an essential part of the life of a professional engineer while remaining in the industry. As professionals, engineers need to internalize their codes and to realize that they have a personal stake in the application of codes as well as the process of developing the codes As professionals, engineers should try their best to solve every problem. i.e. If a problem situation is related to other engineer field, an engineer should know at least the know-how to solve that problem. Engineers should always respect their field rules as per their fields literature. In industry, an Engineer is responsible to think about the interaction of technology and society, because engineers are the ones who create all of technology. In industry, the central focus of an engineers profession must be on the application of scientific knowledge and creative thinking to meet societal needs. Engineers must bring both the industry name and his profession to the equal level so that there will not be any defaming situation created in any of both cases. In an industry, the purpose of the scientist is to know things, while that of the engineer is to perform on things and invent. The scientist enhances to the stock of confirmed, organized information of the corporal realm while an engineer fetches this information to stand on real-world problems. In an industry, an engineer is not allowed to choose the problem that comforts him; he must resolve problems as they arise. A solution to the given problem by an engineer in an industry must be reliable, cheap and most importantly safe. An engineer should keep paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public. An engineer should always avoid any type deceiving acts. An engineer should do amenities only in the zones of their capability. Engineers should shoulder projects lonely when qualified by schooling or knowledge in the precise technical fields involved. As a professional engineer, he must turn for each employer or customer as faithful agents or representatives. Engineers must conduct themselves morally, dutifully, morally, and legally so as to improve the integrity, standing, and practicality of the occupation. Engineers should support only those engineering forms that are in conformism with appropriate standards. Engineers may show openly practical thoughts that are established upon facts and competency in the topic matter. Engineers should not assist or support the illegal exercise of engineering by an individual or firm. Time is money-that well-known proverb must be every engineers priority working in an industry. An engineer should have human moral awareness (skills in knowing moral glitches in engineering) Forceful moral perceptive (understanding, measuring dissimilar views) An engineer should always keep in the view about the effects on the human health caused due to the industries. An engineer should pay his complete attention to his work especially when working on forums related to human moral values. An engineer must use moral message, to show and upkeep ones technical opinions to others. Moral sensibleness i.e., eager and talented to be ethically technically responsible for human lives. An engineer must respect for people, which shows apprehension for the well-being of humankind. While proposing an idea to an industry, an engineer must keep in mind that his/her project is eco-friendly, that in turn is ultimately beneficial for the mankind. An engineer must keep moral confidence i.e., trust in using lucid discussion for undertaking ethical engagements. Honesty, which incomes moral truthfulness, and assimilating ones proficient life and individual beliefs.

The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun :: A Raisin in the Sun Essays

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The primary focus of the play is the American Dream. The American Dream is one’s conception of a better life. Each of the main characters in the play has their own idea of what they consider to be a better life. A Raisin in the Sun emphasizes the importance of dreams regardless of the various oppressive struggles of life. Primarily, in A Raisin in the Sun Walter is an example of one struggling to achieve their dream or desire. Walter serves as the hero and villain of the play due to the actions he takes revolving his dream. â€Å"Walter, who firmly believes in the American Dream of economic independence, wants to own his own business, and a liquor store, because he despairs over what he perceives to be his inability to support the family and to provide for his son’s future† ( __ __ ). Walter’s dream is to be sole the provider for his household and give his family a better life. He plans by doing this through a liquor store investment with the insurance money given to Mama from Big Walters death. â€Å"In the play Walter loses much of the insurance money that he planned to invest on a liquor store to a con artist† ( ___ ___ ). Walter’s decision on investing in a liquor store turns out to be a horrific choice. In the play although Walter is regretfully deceived and l ooked down upon as a result of the liquor store ambition, he makes up for it by at the end finally reaching his manhood. During the time of the play the husband of the family is mainly the sole provider for the family. In the case of the play, Walters mother is the sole provider for the family. Walter strives to be the â€Å"man† of the house.â€Å"A job. (Looks at her) Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, â€Å"Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?† Mama, that ain’t no kind of job. That ain’t nothing at all. (Very quietly) Mama, I don’t know if I can make you understand† ( Hansberry , Pg.73). â€Å"Walter minimizes the position of a car driver because to him it diminishes his manhood and his sense of individual worth.

Faceless Crimes

Part I. Computer crimes or cybercrimes have been on the rise since the introduction of the Internet. More so with the onset of mobility and the launch of wireless networking, the increase in mischievous computer activities was exponentially high. Since cybercrimes are considered â€Å"faceless crimes† where a criminal hacker can do their misdeeds miles or continents away, or set-up a logic bomb a few hours later, it has been more difficult to trace these malicious acts. In determining specific categories or types of IT-related attacks, it is noteworthy to examine the lists prepared by Mandia et al. (2001) in the book â€Å"Incident Response: investigating Computer Crime: 1.Denial-of-service attacks are some of the easiest incidents to respond to, because they do not involve actual intrusions. 2.Unauthorized uses of resources are typically insiders using their computers in an inappropriate manner. These investigations are often more oriented around personnel rather than technical issues. 3.Theft of information attacks involves unauthorized read-only access to information. While these are typically solved easily through configuration, it is very difficult to tell through an initial investigation if the attacker's access is read-only or actually involved a full-blown computer intrusion. 4.Vandalism is really a subset of computer intrusion, because it is not possible without access to the victim system. 5.Computer intrusions are the â€Å"mother of all incidents,† in that they require the most involved response. The best way to determine unauthorized computer access, downloading, copying and transferring of classified or confidential materials is by examining and evaluating the log files and access control lists. Unless the intruder or attacker is a sophisticated or high-caliber criminal hacker, this is the quickest and simplest method available, otherwise hiring trained professionals who will do computer forensics investigation is necessary to establish criminal liability and culpability. Part II. Depending upon the forensics investigator, there are various techniques or methodologies in investigating cybercrimes. But in general, there are four major steps namely; â€Å"evidence identification, evidence preservation, evidence analysis and evidence presentation (Solomon et al., 2005). There are two major tools required in forensics investigation, the first are the disk imaging and validating tools and the second are the forensics tools. Disk imaging and validating tools basically check the integrity of the hard disks and creates a mirror copy of the hard disk involved in the investigation. Forensics tools are the hardcore equipment that does data analysis, recovery and rebuilding, for deleted files and data. Numerous tools are available commercially on the market. One important note for an aspiring computer forensics investigator is that all tools to be utilized in the course of their trade should be properly licensed and the used is authorized by the vendor otherwise the case might be thrown out of court for using pirated or illegally purchased software. Some of the common disk imaging and validation tools as listed by Solomon et al. (2005) are: ByteBack by Tesch Assist, inc. and used for data recovery; EnCase from Guidance Software is one of the best drive duplicators; and Norton Ghost by Symantec provides the ability to create disk copies that are almost exact copies of the original. Solomon et al. (2005) also listed SMART by ASR Data Acquisition as a suite of forensics examination tool and WinHex ftom X-Ways is a universal hexadecimal editor and disk management utility.

Carroway Clothing Limited Essay

Carroway Clothing Limited (CCL) is a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC) that was incorporated 10 years ago. CCL follows accounting standards for private enterprises (ASPE). It is owned by two brothers, Chip and Charles Carroway, who started the company after identifying an opportunity to design and manufacture clothing with innovative fabric. The Carroway brothers have run the business together and have an equal stake in its equity. You are Rose Reddick, a recently graduated CGA assigned as team leader to complete the March 31, 20X3, financial statement audit of CCL. This is the second year that your firm has done CCL’s audit. The audit planning was completed in early March by Blake Mouton, another CGA in your firm, but he has recently announced he is resigning from the firm. Due to scheduling conflicts and an unusually busy season, he will be unable to continue with the remainder of the audit before he leaves, and you have been asked to take over leadership of the audit team. It is now late April, and the team under Blake’s supervision has completed about two-thirds of the audit field work. The audit is scheduled to be completed by May 15, and realizing that you have a limited amount of time to complete your work on this audit, you immediately begin your review of the work done to date and the available client background information. Client background The Carroway brothers started manufacturing athletic wear, utilizing new techniques in fabric treatments to increase the durability of the fabric. CCL’s range of products includes clothing lines for women and men. The products are, primarily athletic wear, but three years ago they added a line of soil-resistant work clothing. Tax losses have occurred in the early years, but sales have grown each year since the company was started. As sales increased, Chip hired a team of design specialists to create new clothing items with innovative features. This team was hired three years ago to begin the research and development required to bring new products to market. Chip also hired a marketing manager with a degree in fine arts to design the tags attached to each piece of clothing and develop the marketing programs. At the same time, specialized software was implemented to produce tags for the products. Because there are specific requirements for content and format of the tags, the production manager is the only individual with authorized access to the software. In July 20X2, CCL signed a contract to produce a line of athletic wear for Sports Shop, a small chain of sporting goods stores. The line of athletic wear features the chain’s logo and trademark colours. CCL ships product to these stores using a company truck. The contract specifies that Sports Shop is to pay for each shipment within 30 days of signed receipt of delivery. Recently, Sports Shop has disputed some of the amounts owing to CCL, maintaining that there is no proof of receipt of the shipment. When Chip questioned the CCL driver, the driver admitted that when he was running late with his deliveries, he simply dropped the shipment at the store counter and did not wait for the store manager’s signature. Chip has not provided an allowance for these receivables since the delivery was made even though there is no signature. In fact, CCL has never recorded an allowance in any fiscal year and has not had any issues with uncollectible accounts. The research and early stages of development of CCL’s products were financed by a combination of capital invested by the brothers, bank financing, and a government grant (see financial statements, Exhibit 1). Scientific Research  and Experimental Development (SR&ED) credits were received in 20X1 and 20X2 and have been reported as government grants for accounting purposes. The sales volume of the soil-resistant clothing is now great enough to assure the lenders and any potential investors that these products are commercially viable. In fact, based on the 20X1/X2 results, they expect the current product line to become a significant commercial success. The cost of developing this product line, called Walton Work Wear has been deferred and is being amortized (straight-line) at the rate of 10% per year starting in 20X2 (see Deferred Development Schedule, Exhibit 2). Original research costs for the Walton Work Wear products were expensed when incurred, net of grants and SR&ED credits. The prior-year audit file shows that this treatment of SR&ED credits is consistent with CCL’s reporting of all taxes (payable and recoverable), which have been accounted for on a current basis without regard to recognition of the future tax effects of any current transactions. During the past year, the brothers have turned their attention to a moisture management and odourreduction feature for the athletics tops. They are confident that within two years their current research will lead to a product line that keeps the sweat away from the skin and minimizes the impact of perspiration on the clothing. The preliminary prototype works effectively for the first several minutes, but the protection barrier degrades quickly and more work is required. This product line will be called Carroway Cool Top and is currently in the research stage only. The deferred development costs for this product line are $975,000. In order to finance completion of the new research and development of the Carroway Cool Top products, Chip Carroway expects to obtain a long-term bank loan for CCL. He is aware that this long-term bank loan will include a more stringent debt to equity covenant than the existing line of credit. He is also interested in the option of going public and issuing new shares to raise funds for future growth. However, Chip is concerned about the implications of losing some control over CCL so he is leaning towards remaining a CCPC. CCL’s chief financial officer, Jack Lawson, was the original office manager  and bookkeeper when CCL was first established, and although he has no professional accounting credentials, he does have a degree in business administration with a major in finance. He is responsible for the preparation of financial reports and is involved in all of the financing discussions. Jack has always been employed by companies which are private and he has no experience in the requirements of going public, so Chip will require additional information from you in order to be able to make an informed decision between the financing options available. CCL has grown rapidly over the last three years, after implementing its research and development activities. During 20X1, the implementation of the research and development department resulted in the hiring of many new employees in research and development, production, and administration. CCL would like to provide an incentive plan to these new employees, but is not in a position to provide a cash bonus. Therefore, CCL is considering a limited issue of stock options to its employees. The stock options would entitle an employee to acquire equity shares of CCL at $50 per share at any time starting six months after the date of their issue. Some employees are uncertain about the impact of the issue of stock options on their taxable income and are considering disposing of them immediately upon acquisition. Chip has recently been notified about a pending lawsuit and provided Blake with some preliminary details when he was at the office in March. Six months ago, the production process of one of the fabric treatments resulted in an accidental but illegal leak of chemicals into the environment. The local environmental agency objected to such a release of chemicals, and when their objections were ignored they filed a lawsuit against CCL, alleging that CCL was negligent in the release of the chemicals and in violation of environmental regulations. Chip is not concerned about this lawsuit since he notes that the amount of chemicals that leaked from CCL equipment was not significant, but he would like to know whether there are any other risks associated with this issue and how they should be dealt with. Review of audit findings to date The audit-planning file indicates that Blake assessed the inherent risk associated with this audit as low. The reasons for this assessment include the fact that this is the second year of the engagement and no audit or financial reporting problems have been uncovered in the past audit. Blake included a note that the design of the clothing tags is now being handled jointly with the marketing manager, who had persuaded the production manager to give her access to the specialized software while he was away from the office on vacation. During this time, the marketing manager redesigned the tags to include more marketing elements and minimized the font size of the list of additives used in the fabric treatment so that there was more room to describe the innovative features of the clothing. The newly designed tags have been on product for the past two months, and CCL has recently heard some feedback from concerned customers that the information about the additives is difficult to read. These customers have allergies to certain chemicals, so it is imperative they are aware of the chemicals used in the treatment of these fabrics. Another important factor influencing the risk assessment is that, in spite of operating losses in the past, CCL has never had serious cash flow problems, due to Jack’s careful business planning and the good relationship CCL has with its lender. CCL is experiencing growth in profits, indicating that the investment in the research and development department is paying off. The draft financial statements show positive net income and strong revenue, with a portion of this revenue being generated by the Walton Work Wear line of products in 20X3 (see Exhibit 1). Although no misstatements or errors have been documented in the work completed so far, you are not sure if this is because conclusions have not yet been drawn on most sections of the audit file. In addition to evaluating all of the evidence gathered so far, the following audit work still needs to be completed: review of the accounts in Exhibit 2; team leader review of all work done by subordinates; completion of the audit work on unrecorded liabilities, subsequent events, and contingencies; and review of the draft  tax returns. Once all of these steps have been completed and approval of the statements is received from the client, the schedule of unadjusted errors and final review of the financial statements must be completed. The file will then be ready for a final partner review before release of the audit report. You see from the files that Blake has used traditional sampling to sample small amounts of data for the audit and you are not comfortable basing your conclusions on the work done because with the increase in sales this year and the research and development activities, there is a large amount of data to audit. You are considering an appropriate alternative, such as generalized audit software. Upon examining the file, you realize that a number of financial reporting and potential tax issues have arisen this year that were not present in prior years. These issues and other new information have not been adequately addressed in the current-year audit plan. You believe that the client should be informed of your concerns regarding the current year’s issues as well as the implications of the financing options.

The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts

The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts Introduction Structural violence is a fundamental concept in the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. The contents of structural violence include disputes, where comprehension between two parties does not come to a point of consensus because of differences in their social setting. The failure of distinct entities in an ecosystem to comprehend each other acts as an instrument of causing conflicts in the international scope.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The international conflicts arise from societal setting, affecting people around the world. The comprehension of the influence of structural conflict has a rationale of enhancing the analysis, as well the comprehension of the scope of the international conflict. The understanding is also vital in the creation o f a path for strategic implementation of ample methodologies that would prevent or eradicate the conflicts. A vast theoretical literature has also been presented in regards to the importance of structural violence in comprehension enhancement, with some authors arguing that conflicts have been a major drawback to economic, social, and political triumph over the years, owing to the state of misunderstanding distinct takes of different individuals and groups (Burchill, et al, 2005, p. 291). The recent decades have seen researchers, academicians, scholars, as well as psychologists develop enthusiasm in the area of the effects of violence on the international relations. The discussion in this paper seeks to establish the usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts. The comprehension of this is enabled by comprehensively analyzing the concept of structural violence as well as the international conflict. The theoretical approach towards the same is critically discussed, in addition to the provision of rationale and impacts of the study at hand. Analyzing the concept of structural violence The form of violence whose basis is on the social structure or social institution that harms some populace and prevents them from fulfilling their essential needs encompasses structural violence. Structural violence is product of the organization of political, social, and economic settings and systems in ways that have both negative and positive effects on the immediate community. The rationale of the impacts is portrayed when some segments of the population in existence are oppressed, intimidated, and dominated, while other segments are privileged in one way or the other.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conflicts that have their fundamentals on the societal structures deprive part of the population their pea ce, food, security, healthcare etc, while others still enjoy the abundance of the same in similar setting. For instance, movement of large numbers of rich people into a community may lead to the increment of housing costs, affecting people that lived originally in a similar place under low costs. In addition, structural violence is mostly recognized at the level of a society due to life quality shortfalls that occur in certain societal groups. The accomplishment of structural violence mostly occurs via the existence of political repression in a society. This entails the presence of many groups in power concentrating the societal resources for their personal gain in expense of people who are not in power. The most pronounced examples of structural violence are inclusive of racism, elitism, classism, sexism, adultism, ageism, and nationalism in addition to heterosexism and ethnocentrism (Lipsky, 2010, p. 31). Structural violence is characterized by poor societal settings that allow ro om for existence of more than one class and clusters of individuals depending on the societal niche that they hold. An imbalanced state as well as international realm is established when structural violence takes preeminence. This is in regards to unequal resources distribution among the existing populations. Discrimination also finds its way in such a society where some people appear more important than others do, in terms of wealth and health. The systems of structural violence are dominated by numerous justices in all realms, and unjust arguments prevail in place of justice requirement. Oppression of high quality is experienced whenever structural violence is evident, for instance, the deprivation of widows and orphans of the inheritances by corrupt governments. Increased death rates are also associated with those that live at rung positions in any society setting as opposed to low death rates for the higher in a contemporary society with poor settings. Most countries in the have had such structural violent systems, posing great troubles for those living in them. The rationale of these poor structural systems is experienced when considering the rate of international conflict today that has drastically increased.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The understanding of these conflicts is also important in performance of the analysis of the levels of the international conflicts that thrive today. Various pronounced effects are experienced in presence of structural violence, which is inclusive of pain infliction on the victims when war and terror etc incidents occur due to structural distinctions. It is always in the accompaniment of the deprivation of essential needs that are fundamental to the life of an organism in the ecosystem. The freedom of human is ta ken away for there is no room for addressing their grievances in case of the structural problems. Moreover, the creation of non-identity society with racial, material, and all-round differences results from the cultivation for the structural violence (Mansfield and Pollins, 2003, p. 97). An analysis of International conflicts The recent years have seen concerted efforts directed towards international peace relations in a bid to counter the rampant international conflicts. A conflict is regarded as a level of difficulty where parties cannot understand one another, resulting into an avoidable chaotic situation. The accomplishment of a conflict is done via stage performances whose possible outcomes are undesirable, and may not be beneficial to any party. The international conflict describes those critical incidents in which no human entity is exempted from the effect of a particular happening, and every human race is a liable object of experience. The most flabbergasting conflicts in t he worldly realms are inclusive of wars, terrorism, and political clashes among others. The causes of the international conflicts range from human to situational causative factors that become so overwhelming to an extent of causing tremendous outcomes. The outcomes never choose a particular path to follow; rather, they affect a large number in the international realms including fresh waters, oil, other resources and so on (Westing and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and United Nations Environment Programme., 1986, p. 10, 28 and 58).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Johan Galtungs literature classifies conflicts into three categories, which are inclusive of direct conflicts that entail direct pain and suffering infliction on individuals or groups. The second type is indirectly imposed on a group of individuals due to poor structures in the societal set up. International conflicts are mostly caused by structural violence as a result of the instabilities and disorganizations that are caused by their rampancy. The effects of the international conflicts are inclusive of economic inflations due to poor methodologies of spending a country’s resources. The political crises are also experienced everywhere in the international scope due to power wrangles that thrives in the hearts of many. The poor and the oppressed have a tendency to rise up against the unjust regimes and these reactions are transformed into conflicts. Cultural conflicts are also internationally evident due to people’s take of others in regards to their background (Bercov itch, 1996, p. 6). Indeed, cultural conflicts have been known as causative factors to the structural and direct conflicts in many cases since the disregard for one another is a causal factor for promotion of jealousy, as well as the oppressive nature evident in most societies. More over, most social structures in the world have acted as causal factors for international conflicts due to poor organizations and structural arrangements. Political and economic structures are also known to be major causes of conflicts in an international scope. The international conflicts have often led to the prevalence of negative peace; indeed, alleviation of peace on the parties involved in disputes at a particular time is a rationale for international disagreements. The magnitude of international suffering is measured via the impacts in experience to the parties internationally. For instance, massive deaths and concrete conflicts that are not liable for recovery are the extreme magnitudes for interna tional conflicts. In addition, there are incidences of countries fighting against each other due to economic, structural, and cultural failures. In addition, leadership and governance structures are also considered as main causal factors of international conflicts. Major international conflicts have long been portrayed via terrorism attacks, massacres, wars, deprivation of rights, and other methodologies that are deemed crucial in the fulfillment of such laws (Likosky, 2002, p. 393). Usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts Structural violence is an excellently significant tool when it comes to the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. The concept of structural violence explains the fundamentals on which international conflict emerges, as distinct groups interact with others in social setup. The fact that structural violence entails deprivation of people’s rights and freedoms, as others enjoy priv ileges and honors makes this form of violence be considered vital in international violation explanations provision. Theoretical explanations of international conflicts rebuke the violation of social theory via the utilization of structural violence in available human settings. The current world is largely affected by international conflicts that emerge repeatedly, with research findings proving that most of the happenings in the international realms are products of structural violence. This majorly entails social, cultural, political, and economical and the overall human set up within an inclusive ecological system (Ohlson and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1988, p. 7). The concept of structural violence is normally viewed as a hypothetical instrument that provides supposition that is considered tentative, with the intention of gaining comprehension of facts that are legally acceptable. Therefore, it creates a rationale for the understanding and analyzing interna tional laws, as well as being considered a fiction. This implies that structural violence entails making mistakes with a conscious mind in its take that armed conflicts are used in the deprivation of other people’s rights and privileges. Therefore, it gives an ample understanding of the operational international law, as well as a prediction of what just laws would mean in the society. The understanding is also boosted in the fact that individuals or groups affected or infected by structural violence face it indirectly. They therefore advocate for close monitory and supervision in the promotion of the effectiveness of international law (Jacoby, 2008, p. 26). Structural violence is a long-term cause of system’s instability. Instability means that no system can be subject to human trust, since it does not amply cater for the available humanity desired satisfaction. The instability-affected areas are inclusive of political social and economical stands. Normally, the state of instability in any realm leads to the creation of emotions on those affected or infected by the causal factors. The deprivation of privileges from some people, as others enjoy, creates a rationale for the instability complement to act as a stage-setter for international conflicts. Moreover, instability is an ultimate cause of physical, emotional, and psychological wars among people as well as states. The structural instability analysis also proves it as a ground for human suffering, rendering a lot of dissatisfaction among individuals involved (Jacoby, 2008). Additionally, structural violence paves way for undesirable human aspects, which finally lead to conflicts. The aspect of militarily arises from international conflicts due to poor structural settings. For instance, countries from European and American continents have to concentrate on weapon building strategies in a bid to counter any international attack, reason being that the structural setup of every country is a source of structural violence due to poor settings. The understanding of the world wars that took place in the 19th century is enhanced by the presence of people superseded by hunger for power prosperity, in regards to territorial control and proprietorship. The wars created a structural environment that enabled some countries to be in possession of powerful arms and ammunitions, thus looking down upon others. The perception that other countries are weak entities by the American continent, and eventually causing war is a rationale towards understanding international conflicts. The recent rampant terrorist attacks that prevail in the international scope are also as a result of the presence of countries that are more favored in military wealth than others. Moreover, the desire to exercise military power, while ignoring human dignity is a long-term rationale for international conflicts (Lawler, 1995, p. 67). The existence of extreme poverty cases in human life is an indication of the preemine nce of structural violence. In most cases, some countries have a common trend that has rampantly taken preeminence. Every country is marked by an interaction of extremely rich persons, who adversely interact with extremely poor persons, though living in a similar environmental context. Those people associated with the leadership of any country in the international realms are always found in possession of wealth, while those far from power are in most cases poor. A recent environmental scanning study concluded that poverty has become a major problem in the world. Similarly, refugees that move to countries for the sake of their safety are said to suffer due to the fact that host countries do not easily recognize their presence. Those people afflicted with chronic diseases are said to live in chronic poverty due to lack of support from the neighbors as well as the government. Thus, international conflicts are known to occur rampantly, as campaigns for such poverty controversies arise f or the sake of protection of the common person (Waart, et al., 2001, p. 325). Structural conflicts are known to have offered an ample ground for exploitation and oppression, as well as intimidation in every realm of the society. The understanding of these fundamentals is best explained via structural violence existence. The international conflicts have rampantly arisen due to the prevalence of the expletory and oppression nature in human realms. Many countries have been recently faced by rampant pre and post-election violence and conflicts, owing to the existence of unfaithful regimes. The service to the general society by governments has been today converted to the attendance to personal needs since social structures are already paralyzed. This is a causative factor for exploitation and intimidation to most people in a societal setup. The oppression and intimidation factors are known in history as the main causes of societal aggression and ultimately leading to international confli cts (Kent, 1993). Structural violence is also useful as an instrument for indication of difficulties associated with change acquisition. For instance, recent years have experienced dramatic shifts in all reams, and every international entity needs adopting new ideas. However, the employment setup is already violated by poor governance and monitoring of the international structures, leading to aggression. Land disputes have also been sources of international conflicts, where poor ruling structures are in control and denying room for dialog to maintain peace. The effects are peace alleviation and overriding international conflicts. Moreover, poor ruling methodologies that do not provide room for the weak and the oppressed in the society are factors that lead to the structural violence occurrence. However, structural violence resulting form unequal resources distribution provides a better comprehension of international conflicts. The fact that wealthy and prosperous regimes are always entitled to privileges causes international aggression, leading to international conflicts (Kent, 1993). Theoretical approach to international conflicts on the basis of structural violence The recent decades have seen large numbers of theorists arise in their bid to provide explanations of the international conflicts on the ground of structural violence. The main theory that leads to the realization of denial of human satisfaction to some individuals or groups is the human needs theory by John Burton in 1915. The frameworks of the theory advocate for meeting of human needs as an instrument of peaceful human interactions and relations. The conflict theory is also important in explanation provision of international conflicts. This relates to the incompatibility of distinct parties in their presentation as the main causal factor for conflicts. The structural violation in any society leads to a negative interaction nature between the two theories, leading to conflicts between parties. T he structural violence is viewed in disregard for some people in the society, leading to the violation of the requirements of the human needs theory, and paving way for the preeminence of the conflict theory. The correction of situations thus requires the intervention of conflict resolution theoretical approach (Juma, et al., 2002, p. 134). Kurt Lewis model of management plays a vital role in addressing the need for ample societal management strategies as a step towards combating the structural violence extremes. The social theory that was early developed is very crucial in addressing the importance of a good societal interaction. It requires that all social entities in a setting recognize the importance of each other as an ample weapon for fighting societal conflicts. The social theory propositions entail the need for societal construction on the basis of the available entities’ requirements to create a satiable nature. The most recent research has also come up with internat ional relations theory that advocates for compatibles in accordance to the international laws. Compatibles are considered as vital in fighting the spirit of intimidation, oppression, as well as discriminatory societal rules. The international law is useful as a tool for stabilization of structural and physical systems via the application of the best possible ideologies. Therefore, international conflicts solution has long been developed via the requirements of international law. The normative theory is very useful in assisting the execution of international law. It requires that appropriate norms be followed in the understanding and prevention of international conflicts caused by structural violence (McEvoy and Newburn, 2003, pp. 6, 7). The rationale and impacts of Understanding international conflicts and Violence The comprehension of international conflicts and violence creates a ground for the enactment of peaceful attributes. The understanding is especially essential to those in the peace and conflict studies, since a ground for positive peace is easy to establish. It is always considered worthy where prevention takes the first position instead of cure. Whenever this understanding is available, government regimes and policy-makers gain a better understanding of the common structural violence problems that their immediate society is facing. It is therefore easier to address the problems in better ways that can counter international conflicts. The laying of foundation for peace rebuilding is facilitated by the analytical understanding of influences of structural violence on international conflicts. The realization that international conflicts are rampant in the society makes many to rise up in advocating for peace in the society. The campaigns conducted play a pivotal role in societal restoration. The interference of the undesirable human acts that sometimes take preeminence in the society is easy, with the understanding of the paths they take. It is also ea sy to set frameworks that are necessary in addressing diverse magnitudes of international conflicts, as well as violence that may hinder the overall international development (Keenan and McDonagh, 1996). Combating international and local conflicts is possible when there is clear information of the impacts of the structural violence on the society. The effect of the psychological and physical systems of the people that have been deprived of their positive peace by the structural violence is eased when there is understanding. The government systems find it easier to lay grounds for advocating for a hopeful future whenever they analyze possible causes of international conflicts. The balancing of races, and background differences is duly addressed in understanding that races distinctions are major causes of structural violence that cause international conflicts. The comprehension of violence relationship with the international conflict acts as an ample tool for stabilization of the econ omy, politics, as well as the social structures. This is done via the employment of ample strategies that would enhance the compatibility of all systems. Cultural differences can be easily solved with the understanding of the problem that arises from the structural violence. Moreover, the rampancy of issues like sexism, health facility accessibility difficulties, and other impacts of structural violence can be easily addressed in the comprehension of their causal factors. The moderation of the international law above all is enabled through the comprehension of international conflicts on the basis of structural violence (Keenan and McDonagh, 1996). Conclusion Structural violence is a fundamental concept in the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. Structural conflicts arise from the creation of room that benefits and privileges a certain group in the society, while the rest suffer inadequacy for their desires. International conflicts occur due to incompatibility of d ifferent parties in regards to a matter of concern, and at a particular time. The usefulness of the structural violence in the understanding of the international conflicts lies in its comprehensive nature in addressing negative issues that affect the society indirectly. However, the understanding of this usefulness is crucial in the construction of a stable society in all realms of human interaction. Nevertheless, more empirical and theoretical studies should be conducted to enhance the importance of structural violence in understanding the international conflicts scope. List of References Bercovitch, J., 1996. Resolving international conflicts: the theory and practice of mediation. NY: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Burchill, R., et al. 2005. International conflict and security law: essays in memory of Hilaire McCoubrey. NY: Cambridge University Press. Jacoby, T., 2008. Understanding conflict and violence: theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches. London: Taylor Francis. Juma, M, e t al. 2002. Eroding local capacity: international humanitarian action in Africa. Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute. Kent G., 1993. Analyzing conflict and violence. Peace and change, Vol. 18, No 4. Council of peace research in History. Web. Available from:Â  http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kent/analyzing.pdf . Keenan, J and McDonagh, E., 1996. Instability, structural violence and vulnerability: A Christian response to the HIV pandemic. UK, Progression Unit 3. Web. Web. Lawler, P., 1995. A question of values: Johan Galtungs peace research. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Likosky, M., 2002. Transnational legal processes. NY: Cambridge University Press. Lipsky, L., 2010. Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others. NY: https://www.readhowyouwant.com/ Mansfield, E. and Pollins, B., 2003. Economic interdependence and international conflict: new perspectives on an enduring debate. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. McEvoy, K. and Newburn, K., 2003. Cri minology, conflict resolution and restorative justice. New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan. Ohlson, T. and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1988. Arms transfer limitations and Third World security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Waart, P. J. et al. 2001. Reflections on international law from the Low Countries: in honour of Paul de Waart. Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Westing, A., Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and United Nations Environment Programme. 1986. Global resources and international conflict: environmental factors in strategic policy and action. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Poverty Essay Example

Poverty Essay Example Poverty Essay Poverty Essay Poverty does not have one clear definition. It is a complicated, multi-faceted concept. For this essay the term poverty will be used to mean a lack of access to basic resources including food, clean water, sanitation, education and capital. The orthodox approach to development sees poverty as a situation suffered by people who do not have the money to buy food and satisfy other basic material needs. There are many causes and effects of poverty. The most obvious effect of poverty is hunger; however hunger can also be a cause of poverty. This is because hunger deprives those living in absolute poverty of the skill and strength to carry out productive work. Voicelessness/powerlessness is a cause and effect of poverty because people living in absolute poverty often have no political power and are subjected to exploitation by the state. They lack protection, and report widespread corruption within state education and health care systems. Poor people in many countries speak of being kept waiting endlessly while the rich of the country go to the head of the queue. Situations like these create more problems for those already in absolute poverty, and continue to divide the rich from the poor without providing any help. The problem with a lack of voice and power as a cause of poverty is that it enforces a lack of voice and power as an effect of poverty, creating a continuous cycle that deliberately separates the poor of a country from the rich. The last major cause and effect of poverty that is covered in this essay is vulnerability. Natural disasters, economic crises, and conflict leave the poor very vulnerable, with nobody to help and a lack of resources to use to help themselves. This idea is best expressed through the story of a poor villager from Benin, in the World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty. Three years ago was a very bad year. The flood washed away all our crops, and there was a lot of hunger around here, to the point that many people actually died of hunger. They must have been at least a dozen, mostly children and old people. Nobody could help them. Their relatives in the village had no food either; nobody had enough food for his own children, let alone the food for the children of his brother or cousin. And few had a richer relative somewhere else who could help. This is a perfect example of the vulnerability that is both a cause and effect of poverty. The relatively poor can become absolutely poor through disasters, both economic and natural, and conflict, which causes more vulnerability that affects their ability to escape poverty. Poverty and conflict are often closely linked. In many developing countries there are huge contrasts in access to power and control of resources, leading to a sense of voicelessness/powerlessness within the poor of the country. This unfair distribution of wealth, power and often land creates conflict, as those with the advantage battle the disadvantaged in order to maintain their advantages. In El Salvador, during the 1980s, Oxfam worked to alleviate poverty and suffering intensified by years of armed conflict. The roots of this conflict lay in the unequal distribution of power, wealth and resources. Poverty is a complex issue. The key is that we do not ignore those living in poverty but help, in whatever way we believe is best. We are obliged to try our hardest to make circumstances better for them.

Character Analysis Lady Macbeth

Set in 1603, Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, follows the life of what started out to be a normal married couple. When the couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, discover from a prophecy that Macbeth would one day rule the land of Scotland, the two did everything in power to make sure this would come true. The couple devised a plan to murder Duncan, the current king of Scotland; Macbeth carried out this plan. With this newfound immense amount of royal power, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through several challenges in their relationship. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, there are significant changes in the way the audience perceives Lady Macbeth when considering her power, brutality, and physical characteristics. Comparing the beginning to the end of the play, it is apparent that Lady Macbeth is very different when considering her power. In the beginning, it appears as if Lady Macbeth was the superior in her relationship with Macbeth. At this period of time, man being inferior to woman was found to be very unusual. In a sense, Lady Macbeth was the â€Å"man† of the relationship. While debating whether or not Macbeth should kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man† (Shakespeare 43). This line expresses Lady Macbeth’s opinion that Macbeth will only be a true man if he follows through with the murder; until then, Lady Macbeth would question his manhood. By using this line, Lady Macbeth has total control over her husband and can basically get him to do whatever she may ask. On the other hand, Macbeth seemed to turn around and take steps toward being the â€Å"bigger man† in their relationship as the play unfolded. With his immense amount of power, Lady Macbeth had no choice but to go with his superiority. An example of Lady Macbeth’s weakness was when she was conversing with the doctor and said, â€Å"Out, damned spot, out I say! One. Two† (Shakespeare 163). This quote explains how Lady Macbeth was obsessive over washing her hands, in other words, she was trying to get rid of the guilt of Duncan’s Murder. This section of the play shows Lady Macbeth’s significant change of weakness. As a weak woman, she succumbs herself to Macbeth’s power. In sum, Lady Macbeth went from being a powerful wife to a meaningless woman within the play. Another change the audience sees in the play is Lady Macbeth’s brutality. At the beginning of the play, she was the mastermind of Macbeth’s violent endeavors (Duncan’s Murder). When the two were plotting Duncan’s murder, it was Lady Macbeth who conveyed Macbeth to follow through; he was about to back out of the plan, as he did not want to commit such crime. When Macbeth was pondering the idea of failure, Lady Macbeth was quick to respond, â€Å"We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail† (Shakespeare 43). This quote shows that Lady Macbeth was the one with confidence in their situation at hand. Towards the end of the play, it was Macbeth who was the mastermind behind his devious plans. Macbeth develops a sense of anxiety over Banquo, as he was the only one who suspected Macbeth had anything to do with Duncan’s Murder. Macbeth makes plans to kill Banquo, â€Å"Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared† (Shakespeare 85). Macbeth was making these plans with two murders that he hired; not lady Macbeth. With the guilt of Duncan’s murder, it is doubtful that Lady Macbeth would offer support to Macbeth’s plan, given the opportunity, but Macbeth had purposely left her out of his plans. Now that he was king, he no longer needed assistance from his â€Å"housewife†. This just goes to show that Lady Macbeth went from being a brutal organizer of murder to a wife that has no part of her Husband’s secret life. Throughout Macbeth there are several observable changes in the physical being of Lady Macbeth. Though she may appear the same when focusing on her physical appearance, there are several physical changes in her mental health. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth seemed to be a typical put together woman. At the end of the play, she virtually became a psychiatric patient who was in desperate need of mental healthcare. A doctor was consulted, but even the doctor knew there was nothing that could be done to save Lady Macbeth. While the doctor observed Lady Macbeth in her sleep, Lady Macbeth exclaimed â€Å"Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand†¦Wash your hands† (Shakespeare 163-5). The doctor responds to the gentlewoman, â€Å"This disease is beyond my practice†¦So, good night. My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight. I think but dare not speak† (Shakespeare 165). This line shows the astonishment the doctor faces while observing Lady Macbeth. Her illness had reached a level of severity that a doctor could not even fix. Therefore, Lady Macbeth experiences many changes in her physical health throughout Macbeth. Macbeth is a very dense read with a lot of information and different characters. However, the changes in Lady Macbeth were very significant. Though the story concluded with her tragic death, Macbeth put his wife through countless situations that no woman should have to live through. She went from being the brains behind a murder to observing her husband committing several ruthless crimes. She also went from being a strong healthy woman to a woman with severe mental health issues. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, there are significant changes in the way the audience perceives Lady Macbeth when considering her power, brutality, and physical characteristics. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. N. p. : Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992. Print.

Strategic Assessment of Raleigh Cycle Ltd Case Study

Strategic Assessment of Raleigh Cycle Ltd - Case Study Example Business Environment The cycling industry in the United States of America (USA) had generated revenue of 6 billion dollars in 2005 (Wales 2009b). There are countless bicycle manufacturers around the world that compete for sales. A recent report dated 28th October 2009 listed 172 primary bicycle manufacturers (Wikipedia 2009). However the market is huge as stated by a 2009 report by Business Exchange which indicates a growth in the industry with 3.8 million people in the USA riding bicycle daily to work (Rickman 2009). This statistic is also supported by another statistic that indicates there are currently 450 million bicycles in China (Johnson 2007) and 16 million bicycles in Netherlands (Cycling in the Netherlands 2009). Hence capturing a customer would plausibly not be difficult. This notion is also supported by the fact that fuel prices constantly fluctuate (Shanghai Daily 2009) thus cycling offers an alternative mean of transportation. But some manufacturers reported losses. Shimano's net income fel t 58% in 2009 (Le 2009) and Dorel's revenue drop 8% in that same year (Reed Business 2006). These 2 contrasting statistics indicate that the business environment of the cycling industry is mixed. Assessment of Raleigh 2 Past and Current Strategies of Raleigh Cycle Ltd. In 2001 Raleigh's parent company went bankrupt (Teather 2007). But by the year 2004 the company's sales were increasing due to the reintroduction of the 'Chopper' (Teather 2007) but their market shares were decreasing and it was predicted to decrease until the year 2010 (Teather 2007). Different strategies were employed during the 122 years life span of Raleigh. From the period 1887 till 1943, the company employed the strategy of expansion and diversity. This is evidently shown as... This essay assessed the strategy employed by Raleigh Cycle Limited. Not only that the business environment of the company were also analyzed. The researcher of this paper thoroughly dissected the company and mentioned the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the company. Several key factors that affect the growth and profit of the company were outlined. This paper ended with comments upon the sustainability of the current strategy and obstacles and hindrances faced by the company. Raleigh’s current aim is to increase sales and regain the share of the market. Mark Gouldthorp, the Managing Director of Raleigh, in his statement stated that focusing too much upon competitors would make Raleigh’s products similar to the competitor’s products. Thus Raleigh is currently employing a strategy of improving the quality of their products, while not concentrating too much upon their competitors. The researcher stated that in certain cities, there are few or no dedicate lanes for cyclists to commute. This can be denoted as a governmental issue since the government has the authority and initiative to appoint or construct such lanes. This situation exists throughout the world and companies have to be prepared to face these consequences. Even encouragements from companies like Raleigh are insufficient if higher authorities have contrasting policies. According to Kotler, this is a typical company-government relationship that one should take into account before venturing into business

What signals that the quality of supervision is good or bad Essay

What signals that the quality of supervision is good or bad - Essay Example Employees like to be associated with supervisors who listen to issues that are affecting their performance. Therefore, when the supervision is effective and ensures that the working environment is conducive, employees are unlikely to leave the organization because of the uncertainties concerning the next working place. Employees approach towards the supervisor can signal good supervision. Good supervisors have an open-door policy whereby, employees are free to talk to them on any issues that is related to the job without the use of intermediaries. This can be personal or work-related. These are some of the aspects that affect their performance while working in the organization. Therefore, when supervision is good, employees feel free to talk to their supervisors. Employees respect towards the supervisors is a sign of good supervision. Supervisors who integrate with the employees and listen to them earn themselves respect from the subordinates. This is because the employees recognize their effort to make their workplace more comfortable for them. Good balance between work and other activities in the organization is an indication of good supervision. Good supervisors know how to ensure that the work is done effectively and within the timeframe given. This is through encouraging the employees to work as a single team (Cassidy and Robert 31). However, they treat employees as their fellow human beings. This is through interacting with them in order to rectify a problem rather than commanding or yelling at them. Employees trust on their supervisors is an indication of good supervision. Supervisors guide the rest of the employees towards specific objectives. However, when supervisors fail to offer the group with the direction, they lose the trust of the employees. This can be indicated by employees seeking help from the top-level managers, an aspect that involves overlapping the protocols in the organization. Less conflict in a group is a sign of good

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B - Essay Example This paper therefore, shall be focussed on the identification and evaluation of the various dimensions of consumer behaviour and consumer decision making process based on the differences between the B2B and the B2C buying behaviour. Moreover, the paper shall also aim at providing few real life illustrations to demonstrate the major differences between the consumer behaviour in B2B and B2C markets. The paper shall also look into the buying process in the B2C markets. Differences between the Buyer Characteristics of B2B and B2C Customers According to most of the authors, researchers and marketers, the buying behaviour of consumers differs vastly in terms of B2B and B2C markets. The differences can be identified on the ground of various features related to the overall buying behaviour of the targeted customer group. To be precise, the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C consumers largely differs in terms of market structure, buying unit, kind of purchase, nature of the buying process and co mmunication (Dave, 2008). B2B Consumer B2C Consumer Market Structure: The structure of a market refers to the buying capacity of the targeted customers. ... prefer buying in units Kind of Purchase: This particular attribute of the buying behaviour of the targeted customers refers to the reason of purchase. Business or industrial consumers purchase goods or services in order to satisfy their business needs rather than their personal needs In the case of individual customers the reason to purchase a good or service is to satisfy their personal needs or family needs (Pearsoned, 2006) Nature of the Buying Process: The buying decisions of the customers are also considered to be different in the case of a B2B customer and a B2C customer. The buying process is highly formalised and therefore faces major inconvenience as a result of supply failure The buying process is comparatively less formalised and thus creates a minimal amount of inconvenience in the failure of the supply (Pearsoned, 2006) Communication: Communication is the factor which assists the marketer to create an impulse on the targeted customers. In the case of corporate buyers, th e impulse of personal selling is greater than mass media communication In case of the B2C customers, the influence of mass media tends to be much more effective than personal selling (Pearsoned, 2006) Other than these differences the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C customer also varies from several other influences such as the macro and micro environmental fluctuations. For instance, the buying behaviour of a B2B customer in an FMCG company is highly influenced by the fluctuations of the company’s financial stability or other economic trends. Contradictorily, the buying behaviour of a B2C customer does not directly get influenced by the ups and downs of the micro-environment (Barschel, 2007). The differences in the B2B and the B2C consumer buying behaviour can be again identified in the

Staff recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Staff recruitment - Essay Example (2) The employer will give an employee a minimum of two weeks'notice of the date of commencement of duty. one month ofcommencing employment. Junior Employees Liberty is reserved to both parties to apply to make provisions for junior employees. Part-Time Employees 9. - PART TIME EMPLOYEES (1) Part-time employees may be employed on a regular basis for less total hours or weeks in a year than full-time employees but for not less than 3 hours on each day and shall be paid for each hour worked in proportion to the rate of wage prescribed in Clause 5. Hours 10. - HOURS (1) The ordinary hours of duty shall be: (a) Thirty eight hours per week or; (b) An average of 38 hours per week with hours actually worked being 40 hours per week or 80 hours per fortnight; (2) The ordinary hours of duty shall be worked in five days of not more than 8 hours (excluding a meal break) between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm. Provided that the ordinary hours of work performed on any day of late night trading may be worked between 6.00am and 9.00pm. Provided further that the aforementioned spread of hours may be varied by mutual agreement between the employer and employee. 24. - HOURS (1) The ordinary working hours of work shall not exceed 40 in any one week, or eight in any one day, Monday to Friday inclusive. Such hours to be consecutive except for the meal break. (2) In any week in which a public holiday or the day in lieu is observed falls between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 32 hours, and in any week in which two public holidays or the days in lieu are observed fall between Monday to Friday inclusive,... (1) Part-time employees may be employed on a regular basis for less total hours or weeks in a year than full-time employees but for not less than 3 hours on each day and shall be paid for each hour worked in proportion to the rate of wage prescribed in Clause 5. (2) The ordinary hours of duty shall be worked in five days of not more than 8 hours (excluding a meal break) between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm. Provided that the ordinary hours of work performed on any day of late night trading may be worked between 6.00am and 9.00pm. Provided further that the aforementioned spread of hours may be varied by mutual agreement between the employer and employee. (2) In any week in which a public holiday or the day in lieu is observed falls between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 32 hours, and in any week in which two public holidays or the days in lieu are observed fall between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 24 hours. (3) The ordinary starting time shall not be earlier than 5.30 a.m. and the ordinary finishing time shall not be later than 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive, or as otherwise agreed between the parties hereto. (2) All time worked in excess of ordinary hours on a Saturday before 12.00 noon shall be paid for at the rate of time and one half f

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing - Essay Example The Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 has already made privacy and freedom to conduct political manifestations of the Freedom of Speech a thing of yesterday.We have accusations of hate speech and incitement everywhere.. All this has left us wondering whether Freedom can exist with law or Voltaire said we are in the shackles of law,regulations and even democracy everywhere we go.Are we actually free or have we been led to believe that we are free in the trap of the legal norms of this society The so called modern British Citizen is not free from the nuances of being controlled by the Government.Many recent developments would indicate that the modern British citizen despite being domiciled in a free country is still subject to draconian laws like the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 which allows public authorities to access communications data, of British citizens for investigation. Furthermore these public authorities can also obtain communications data from operators of telecommunications or postal services. Therefore now the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and any of the intelligence services all have access to an individual's private information which is indeed a scary prospect.It is also true that the word freedom has become a concept much played by political bias and historical arm twisting.Consider the situation post 9/11 where Mrs M ary Robinson,1 once stated "Unfortunately, what I saw and heard was undemocratic regimes using the tragedy in the United States of 9/11 to pursue their own repressive policies, secure in the belief that their excesses would be ignored. New laws and detention practices were introduced in a significant number of countries, all broadly justified by the new international war on terrorism. The extension of security policies in many countries has been used to suppress political dissent and to stifle expression of opinion of many who have no link to terrorism and are not associated with political violence." Of course then all the atrocities in the Iraq and Afghan war were carried out in the name of Freedom.The media responded by taking "freedom of speech" for granted by showing its own versions to the audience and shamelessly selling its credibility as many "fair and balanced" members of the media chose to become "embedded" journalists. Today there is no concept of paid political advertising on television and radio. This is a flagrant breach of the freedom of speech and expression. Moreover this ban on political advertising does not just apply to political parties, but anyone with political views. All is not lost however. The saving grace comes from the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 which have aided the judiciary in upholding the notions of Freedom of speech and privacy. Taking the example of the Data Protection Act 1998.This act compels data controllers to erase information like patients details or telecoms customers call records etc. Data controllers can be anyone from a doctor to a telecom company. Moreover the Human rights Act 1998 has played a large role in strengthening the

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B - Essay Example This paper therefore, shall be focussed on the identification and evaluation of the various dimensions of consumer behaviour and consumer decision making process based on the differences between the B2B and the B2C buying behaviour. Moreover, the paper shall also aim at providing few real life illustrations to demonstrate the major differences between the consumer behaviour in B2B and B2C markets. The paper shall also look into the buying process in the B2C markets. Differences between the Buyer Characteristics of B2B and B2C Customers According to most of the authors, researchers and marketers, the buying behaviour of consumers differs vastly in terms of B2B and B2C markets. The differences can be identified on the ground of various features related to the overall buying behaviour of the targeted customer group. To be precise, the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C consumers largely differs in terms of market structure, buying unit, kind of purchase, nature of the buying process and co mmunication (Dave, 2008). B2B Consumer B2C Consumer Market Structure: The structure of a market refers to the buying capacity of the targeted customers. ... prefer buying in units Kind of Purchase: This particular attribute of the buying behaviour of the targeted customers refers to the reason of purchase. Business or industrial consumers purchase goods or services in order to satisfy their business needs rather than their personal needs In the case of individual customers the reason to purchase a good or service is to satisfy their personal needs or family needs (Pearsoned, 2006) Nature of the Buying Process: The buying decisions of the customers are also considered to be different in the case of a B2B customer and a B2C customer. The buying process is highly formalised and therefore faces major inconvenience as a result of supply failure The buying process is comparatively less formalised and thus creates a minimal amount of inconvenience in the failure of the supply (Pearsoned, 2006) Communication: Communication is the factor which assists the marketer to create an impulse on the targeted customers. In the case of corporate buyers, th e impulse of personal selling is greater than mass media communication In case of the B2C customers, the influence of mass media tends to be much more effective than personal selling (Pearsoned, 2006) Other than these differences the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C customer also varies from several other influences such as the macro and micro environmental fluctuations. For instance, the buying behaviour of a B2B customer in an FMCG company is highly influenced by the fluctuations of the company’s financial stability or other economic trends. Contradictorily, the buying behaviour of a B2C customer does not directly get influenced by the ups and downs of the micro-environment (Barschel, 2007). The differences in the B2B and the B2C consumer buying behaviour can be again identified in the

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing - Essay Example The Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 has already made privacy and freedom to conduct political manifestations of the Freedom of Speech a thing of yesterday.We have accusations of hate speech and incitement everywhere.. All this has left us wondering whether Freedom can exist with law or Voltaire said we are in the shackles of law,regulations and even democracy everywhere we go.Are we actually free or have we been led to believe that we are free in the trap of the legal norms of this society The so called modern British Citizen is not free from the nuances of being controlled by the Government.Many recent developments would indicate that the modern British citizen despite being domiciled in a free country is still subject to draconian laws like the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 which allows public authorities to access communications data, of British citizens for investigation. Furthermore these public authorities can also obtain communications data from operators of telecommunications or postal services. Therefore now the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and any of the intelligence services all have access to an individual's private information which is indeed a scary prospect.It is also true that the word freedom has become a concept much played by political bias and historical arm twisting.Consider the situation post 9/11 where Mrs M ary Robinson,1 once stated "Unfortunately, what I saw and heard was undemocratic regimes using the tragedy in the United States of 9/11 to pursue their own repressive policies, secure in the belief that their excesses would be ignored. New laws and detention practices were introduced in a significant number of countries, all broadly justified by the new international war on terrorism. The extension of security policies in many countries has been used to suppress political dissent and to stifle expression of opinion of many who have no link to terrorism and are not associated with political violence." Of course then all the atrocities in the Iraq and Afghan war were carried out in the name of Freedom.The media responded by taking "freedom of speech" for granted by showing its own versions to the audience and shamelessly selling its credibility as many "fair and balanced" members of the media chose to become "embedded" journalists. Today there is no concept of paid political advertising on television and radio. This is a flagrant breach of the freedom of speech and expression. Moreover this ban on political advertising does not just apply to political parties, but anyone with political views. All is not lost however. The saving grace comes from the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 which have aided the judiciary in upholding the notions of Freedom of speech and privacy. Taking the example of the Data Protection Act 1998.This act compels data controllers to erase information like patients details or telecoms customers call records etc. Data controllers can be anyone from a doctor to a telecom company. Moreover the Human rights Act 1998 has played a large role in strengthening the

Literary Device Compare and Contrast Essay Essay Example for Free

Literary Device Compare and Contrast Essay Essay Short stories are often the best way to learn about literary terms and their uses. They’re short, as their name depicts, but contain everything that longer stories would have such as the elements of plot, foreshadowing, themes, tone, and other literary devices. The two short stories, The Parsley Garden by William Saroyan and Sweat by Zora Neale Hudson were both amazing to read and offered a lot of insight to American history. The Parsley Garden told the story of an adolescent, named Al, during the depression, who wanted a hammer he saw in a store. Not having a single penny on him, he decided to steal it, getting caught in the action. Lectured and humiliated by the store manager, Mr. Clemmer, he was let go resulting in him plotting his revenge and a way to get his pride back. Sweat was the story of an African-American wash-woman, Delia. She was constantly abused and was trapped under her tyrannical husband, Sykes who openly cheated on her with another woman. Despite all her hardships with her husband, she worked long and hard using her own sweat and blood to clean clothes. As their relationship got even worse, Sykes decided to pull an ugly prank on Delia that would later backfire on him. Both stories had their similarities and differences, but some stood out more than others. The climaxes of the two stories were similar in that they were both turning points in the story, but also different in the way the story was resolved. In Sweat, the resolution is bitter sweet. â€Å"She saw him on his hands and knees as soon as she reached the door†¦she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew. † Delia was emancipated from the abuse of her husband, but she still pitied him and was upset over the death of her Sykes. The Parsley Garden ends in the more typical, happy fashion. Al finally obtains his hammer while regaining his pride. â€Å"His mother went inside and went to bed, but Al Condraj sat on the bench he had made and smelled the parsley garden and didn’t feel humiliated anymore. But nothing could stop him from hating the two men, even though he knew they hadn’t done anything they shouldn’t have†. The differences in the resolution of the two stories are common as resolutions are much more complicated than the fairytale ending these days. Each has its  own unique touch but both resolved the story with the readers in peace. Themes are the morals of the story. Both stories had many themes; some similar, some completely different. In Sweat, some of the themes included oppression, honesty, and determination just to name a few. The Parsley Garden had a few more common ones such as coming of age, honesty, pride, and integrity. The theme that occurred most in Sweat was oppression as it was seen throughout the essay. It was the main theme unlike The Parsley Garden which didn’t have one main theme but many smaller themes spread out evenly. â€Å"She brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh. Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating†. Quotes about Delia getting beat, reoccurred throughout the whole story, compared to The Parsley Garden, where the themes did not reoccur. One aspect of stories in general always intrigues me. The conflicts between the characters or between themselves is what makes up the story, so conflicts are one of the most important literary terms in a story. Both stories contain man vs.  man conflict such as when Delia and Sykes fight â€Å"That night he did not return at all, and the next day being Sunday, Delia was glad she did not have to quarrel before she hitched up her pony and drove the four miles to Woodbridge†, and when Al was grabbed by the young man in the store â€Å"but as he did so a man took him firmly by the arm without a word and pushed him to the back of the store into a small office†. Man vs. man is often the most common type of conflict as there is usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The stories differed in that Sweat also had man vs.  society, where it went against society, for Sykes to beat Delia as aforementioned with the theme, oppression. Sweat and The Parsley Garden were similar in many ways, but they also had more differences than similarities. This just shows the variety of stories there are out there in the world. Comparing two different stories would yield completely different ways of writing. There are just too many ways of writing, but one can bet one thing for sure. There will always be literary devices in a good story and it will always follow a plot.

Classifying Sport As Religious In Postmodern Times

Classifying Sport As Religious In Postmodern Times This paper will examine the question of if sport can be classed as a religion? It will then go on to discuss the implications this could have on religion and societies beliefs, looking specifically at the sporting event of football. Where the paper speaks of religion it will refer to the Christian religions that are widely practiced in the United Kingdom (UK), unless otherwise stated. The paper will explore various definitions of religion, from a traditional and postmodern perspective as well as briefly examining the term postmodern. After this arguments both for and against the notion above and any similarities in the values, rituals, beliefs and practices that football and traditional Christian religions in the UK hold will be explored. It is important to draw comparisons between religious life and that of a supporter of footballs life to fully understand if football is religious. I shall endeavour to examine such notions as does classing football as a religion take away the sacredness of religion or is it positive and progressive that people can choose their own religions rather than simply being lead, or following traditions passed on from generation to generation. There are many definitions of religious. In fact within Sociology it is well known that sociologists cannot agree on a single complete definition. For the benefit of this paper the definitions quoted here shall come from sociological or religious organisations. Below one can reflect on various definitions of religion, even if it is only to gain a sense of how vast and different the interpretations can be. Emile Durkheim defined religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church all those who adhere to them. This statement could be related to traditional belief systems and religions and to sporting events, especially football as will be explored later on in this paper. According to the Oxford English Dictionary postmodernism is described as a late 20th -century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media , and a general distrust of theories. In sociology the term postmodern has been defined as argues against the idea of objective truth So, form this it could be argued that if postmodernism is against the idea of a truth, then religion, as we have known it, can play no part in a post modern society. Religion would, at the very least be individualistic and would give members of society the opportunity to interpret religion as a personal belief system and way of life. Postmodern views on religion are far removed from some of the more traditional views within the UK. Before one can understand ant definition of religion via postmodern terms one must look to outline postmodernism. Again, this is hard to pin down due to the many variations. The post modern era, is for many the period of time post world war two (WW2). Postmodernists would state that society is in a constant state of change, it is ever evolving. Therefore there are no absolute truths, only relative ones. Basically each individual shall choose their own set of beliefs, values and understandings that shall replace religion as it has been known. One could describe it as a pick and mix where an individual takes from each traditional religion what they like, understand or believe and, in effect, create a personal religion that they and they alone are at one with. Where traditional religions would mean the coming together of communities in post modern times if the people are picking and mixin g then there is no formal meeting place for them to worship as they do not fit into one set religion. According to Furlong Cartmel (sociology introductory readings 2001) postmodernists such as Lyotard and Baudrilland argue that recent social changes have been so far-reaching that it is no longer possible to predict individual life chances or patterns of behaviour. Consequently they reject the validity of social science and key concepts such as class and race Religion can be applied to this idea, as religion has always been a key concept in the way one lives their lives, the groups they belong to and the moral and spiritual beliefs that they hold. Parry (2007) argued that, spirituality came about in force during the 20th century. Spirituality was originally associated with a formal religion, but then came postmodernism, and along with it many people developed their own views of religion, which is now more often described as spirituality. Spirituality in sport is different for every individual involved, from the feeling of exhilaration and exhaustion caused pushing the body to its limits, right through to a crowd of supporters who have returned to their own church to support their own religion. Janet Leaver ( Sport culture and society, 2006) states that Sports is one institution that holds together the people of a metropolis and heightens their attachment to a localeThe pomp and pageantry of sport spectacles create excitement and arouse fervour, doing for the people of the metropolis what religious ceremonies do for people in communal societies The sociologist Karl Marx once said, Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of heartless conditions, the soul of a soulless world. It is the opiate of the people. However,as the world evolved and people realised that they had a choice. In turn, Illya McLellan stated in the article named The Cult Of Football: A Religion for the Twentieth Century and Beyond(September 2008) But as the world moved on from this time there arose a new opiate of the people and, in its own way, a new religion. A religion that would in some ways inspire more devotion and fervour than its tired counterparts that were still mired in the doctrines of yesteryear. Briefly moving away from to UK to touch on our neighbours in the United States of America (USA) Harry Edwards (1973) argued that the universal popular religion of the USA is, in fact sports. To be considered a religion, sport must hold a number of characteristics that are also common within religion. Edwards states that there are thirteen factors that sport shares with religion. This paper will now go on to examine some of these thirteen characteristics, as well as other characteristics that this paper holds in high regard when comparing the two subjects, and ultimately show how sport can, at the very least show startling similarities between the two . The research that has been conducted in order to compile this paper has seen many, many similarities between football and religion. Below one can look at what one could argue are the perceived key issues and similarities between the religion and sport specifically football. As one can see the information provided below is quite compelling in answering part of the paper title In postmodern times can sport be classed as religious? Coming together as a community Within traditional Church settings the Church community has always held great importance; this extends to such organisations as the local Church fates, womens church groups and youth clubs that centre on their shared beliefs and faith. Within a football environment these past times have been replaced by the drink down the pub prior to a match, the meeting to organise the away events and such like. The community is centred on their followers beliefs and faith. Places of worship and pilgrimages Within the Church community it is expected that the worshippers have a place they can call their religious home, somewhere they can reflect upon their religion and travel to on a regular basis to hear the word of God. Within football this Church could be substituted for the home ground the football stadium of the followers team where they can attend to worship their team and call their spiritual home. It could be argued that football even has its own Cathedrals in the guise of places such as Wembley stadium, and even for some this could be considered a pilgrimage Belief Systems. Within football belief is an important part of football religion and culture. Every Saturday as the team in top position of the Premier League take on the relegation favourites there are thousands of people willing and believing that, against all odds their team will come through. They hold faith and belief that their team are the best, that their faith will see them through. The atmosphere is made up of the chanting and singing and many other rituals that will, hopefully turn their beliefs into a reality after ninety minutes. Much in the way that a traditional religious person will believe that they go to Church to be close to God, so the football fan believes that by attending week in week out their team will have support and the faith to go on and win the three points each team supporter believes they deserve. Edwards (1973), states that both religion and sport have a formal set of beliefs that its attendees must adhere to. Fans are told to have faith in their team in testing time s, just as Church attendees are expected to look to their faith in times of need. Gods and Saints v managers and players Religions pray to, and believe in their God and Saints, within football the followers idolise, and on occasion, chant and sing songs of praise about their players or managers. This could be seen as a distinct difference between traditional religions and football. However one could argue that followers of traditional faiths can, did, and do sometimes change their beliefs. Examples that spring to mind are when Christianity split between Rome and Constantinople and so formed the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Another example could be when Martin Luther split to form the Protestant Church as a revolt against Catholic Doctrine. However, it must be said that within football splits, changes and opinions do change much quicker than the traditional religious examples cited here. Symbols. The Cross and chain v the replica kit Within traditional religious communities it is common to see Church-goers adorning a cross on a chain and many attendees can be seen to clutch Rosary Beads. Some cross and chain wearers will, at certain times, be seen to kiss their cross as a symbol of faith, or for guidance and re-assurance. Within the religion of football the cross is exchanged for the team colours in the way of scarves, badges, flags and replica shirts.and football fans can often be seen to kiss the crest of their club that appears on the scarves and shirts they wear. Rituals and Hymns v rituals and chants When a football fan enters their home ground they will be welcomed with the familiar chants of their chosen team. Many of such chants will concentrate on club history, great victories, club saints and heroes, the famous pilgrimage to Wembley not to mention the chants they save especially to rejoice when their team scores that all important goal. Within the Church community these chants and songs are replaced by hymns that rejoice in the name of Jesus and God. Football provides a ritualistic weekend gathering for the devoted, as does Church and for the more lax followers they can catch up on match of the day, some may say its the football followers Songs of Praise. This very statement shows that football can be practiced amongst the masses, or more in private like night time prayers for the more traditional religious believers. Festivals. According to Stephen Tompkins in his article Matches made in Heaven he states that September is footballs Christmas, a joyful celebration of new birth after a season of expectant waiting The close of season brings Easters mix of grief and (if you are lucky) triumph, followed by the long Lenten period of summer. As one can see from this citation the similarities between religious festivals and sporting events are evident. Celtic v Glasgow Rangers religion and football can unite and divide It has been said that religion has been the cause of wars throughout the world, due to different peoples ideologies and beliefs. The very same can be said for football if we look at what is the most famous rivalry in the UK Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. Rangers Football club has always been portrayed as a Catholic football club and Celtic have always been portrayed as a Protestant football club. If one was to look at the BBC News website (www.bbc.co.uk/news) they would see that there is an article named A rivalry tied up in religion. This article goes on to state that this is such deeply rooted in supporters that The mutual animosity was outlined four years ago when some Celtic fans began flying Palestinian flags and some Rangers supporters responded by fluttering Israeli flags. Lever comments that a Celtic fan may feel his Catholicism most strongly when he faces a Rangers fan. It is important that this paper highlighted the fact that religion and football are already walking (or batt ling) hand in hand within the UK. Obviously there are groups that will argue what has been divulged so far within this paper is not religion, but a group of people who have a sense of belonging within a community, but that does not make the sport religious in its own right. The Church would be the first to argue that football is not religious as it does not worship God or Jesus. Michael Novak argues a sport is not a religion in the same way that Methodism, Presbyterianism, or Catholicism is a religionthese are not the only kinds of religion. There are secular religions, civil religions (Novak 18). Sports can easily fulfil the role that religion plays in society if the individuals seeking that spiritual influence allow for it. One could even go as far to compare footballs rites of passage to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Such things as baptism could be substituted for the first match, confirmation for the attendance your first match independently of your parents. Confession could be substituted for the after match analysis, where you admit your team could do better and that you feel you start to question your own faith. Indeed, some people are even indoctrinated into football and the following of a certain team from a young age. Followers may also, in extreme circumstances face fear in the thought of informing their parents that they no longer wish to follow their team and wish to follow another, much in the same way some Catholics may feel fear in wishing to turn to the Protestant faith or vice versa. It is clear that the more closely we analyze the mystique of sports, psychologically and functionally, the more we tend to use religious language to describe it. And no wonder: from its beginning athletics was regarded as a religious cultà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦-Cornish Rodgers, The Christian Century As this paper has shown football is indeed a religion to many people around the UK and many similarities can be drawn between sport and religion. They meet in their thousands every week at the 92 football league grounds around the UK to profess their faith and beliefs with their fellow believers . I feel that, the notion that football can be classed as religion is true for all the reasons explored above. Of course there will be people who disagree with my findings, but these people will probably be of a Church community. In the 21st Century, sport does indeed fulfil the most common definition of religion as a system of beliefs and practices by which a group of people struggles with the ultimate problems of human life. Religion does not have clear-cut physical properties, nor are its characters readily ascertained and agreed upon (McGuire 1987, Religion: The social context) Now, what does this mean for religion and beliefs in society? Undoubtedly it means that the traditional norms and values of society have shifted, congregating in Church to pray to God has, for some, been replaced with meeting on the terraces to cheer on their local football teams. Undoubtedly, if sport is a religion it will, for some take away the sacredness that religions have previously held. But, is that due to the fact that religion, as the UK has traditionally known it, is redundant and has moved on to give way to spirituality. The community of religion is similar to that of sport For many, the worry lies in the fact that footballs moral teachings are not in line with what society needs for guidance and reassurance. It is imperative that people do take some moral guidance from the teachings of the Church and the Ten Commandments; however it could be argued that the law within the UK can draw direct comparisons to the Commandments themselves. By making the decision to not abide by the law the individual faces the risk of being held in custody. So, maybe the moral underpinning that the Church teaches can be sought and taught by other mediums? It must be said that although football is, for many, classed as a religion I can see no evidence that sport answers some of the age old questions of what happens to us after death and the likesbut maybe the post-modern society that we now live in makes such ponderings redundant so therefore there is no longer the need answers to such questions? Finally, if I had to categorise sport I would ideally prefer to say that football is more spiritual than religious, but as we have explored that religion does not really fit in with a post modern society. It is up to the individual to find what is for them, a spiritual journey.