Nature †Man Destruction Essay

We as human beings are very fortunate to be living on this planet that we call Earth. We toil over the land, and in return we receive provisions off of which we live. Even though we get all that we need from this bountiful land, we still for some reason feel like we need to alter it. In doing so we also end up ruining the land that we thrive on. We reshape the world to fit our individual needs, and the earth just doesn’t work that way. Everything on this planet has a purpose, from the largest animal to the microscopic bacteria, and without it, it is impossible to live in harmony People have learned how to turn wild natural areas to dram land, how to exploit minerals to adapt their needs, how to build roads and houses to expand their territories. People continuously improve their knowledge and develop technologies to improve their lives. It is undeniable that these activities of human beings make their lives better than ever before. Nevertheless, those activities also cause side-effects to the Earth because of pollution, deforestation, and exaggerated natural resources exploitation. â€Å"As Man progresses scientifically, he has also become more destructive.† Examine the statement with respect to events and happenings around you and giving sufficient examples wherever necessary. Man has, over the ages, been progressively moving towards a world and life of destruction. What most people fail to realise is that this destruction is not only the destruction of the world around us, but also a systematic destruction of the universe inside ourselves. Man has been destroying trees, forests, the birds and the bees, and on a completely different level, he has been destroying himself in terms of his mind, body and soul. forest is asking for help in desperation. For last few decades, the forest areas have been reduced to 50 percent because of human deforestation. Green forestland of the Earth can be compared to the lungs of human. How healthy you are if their lungs are trespassed. I am sure that you will get more difficult with aspiration; as a result your health will be affect badly. From this example, we can infer that how serious problem our Earth has to face with. I wonder how long it can endure. In conclusion, the human beings harm the Earth. Human beings as well as their dear planet, the Earth, have been badly suffered by what caused by humans themselves. I hope that humans are soon aware of those problems so that they can have suitable policies in order to not only improve their lives but also keep and maintain the Earth fresh and green. Science

Life Sentence, Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

Teenagers are always committing petty crimes, and some are more sever then others. Most of the time when juveniles are charged for crimes, they are sent to Juvenile Hall. But what if the crime requires more com/capital-punishment-and-sensitive-societal-issue/">punishment than that? Some teenagers are committing crimes so sever that they’re being tried as adults and serving life in prison without parole. The Supreme Court is now considering whether this sentence constitutes ‘cruel and unusual’ punishment. Teenagers are always doing something illegal because maybe they think it's cool or they’re not thinking properly or whatever it’ll be. But no matter how extensive the crime, teens shouldn’t be imprisoned their whole lives because of one stupid decision or mistake they made at 15 years old. Hopefully some people grow up and out of their old ways and they regret what they had done. But, unfortunately, that’s not enough. Joe Sullivan. 13 years old. Convicted in 1989 for sexually assaulting a 72-year-old woman. Now at 34, Joe is asking the Supreme Court to decide whether his sentence violates the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment ban on â€Å"cruel and unusual punishmentâ€Å". Joe Sullivan is located in Florida – the state holding the highest number of non-homicidal juvenile lifers: 77. Joe’s crime is cruel and unusual but others could and are way worse. According to the reports from the Equal Justice Initiatives, only 8 people in the world, all in the United States, are serving crimes they committed at 13. Prompted by a quick rise in juvenile crimes in the 1990s, Florida and other states have taken a get-tough approach. Which made the punishment much more sever for their crimes. Rebecca Falcon. 5 years old. Convicted on November 19th, 1997 for shooting and killing a cab driver. That night Rebecca was upset over an ex-boyfriend and because of that, she drank a large amount of whiskey. Later on, she and an 18-year-old friend hopped in a cab and within minutes the driver was dead. To this day, the shooter wasn’t identified, however the gun belonged to her friend. Both had put the blame on each other. Now Rebecca is 27 and highly regrets her decisions from night. Some people do mature over time and not everyone deserves to be entenced for life for a crime they committed as teenagers. 2,500 prisoners in the United States are serving life imprisonment for crimes they did as juveniles. 109 people were sentenced for life for crimes that didn’t involve a homicide. Besides Sullivan’s case, there have been only one other case involving teenagers locked away for rape. But the question is, is it right? Obviously putting them in Juvenile Hall will do nothing seeing how they committed the crime a year or two before they would get out if they were put there. But at the same time, life in prison might not be the best thing either. Putting a 13-year-old in jail and telling them they’ll be there for the rest of their lives is somewhat overwhelming. Young teens are more susceptible to peer pressure and easily run off the straight and narrow by the environment around them. Jail is suppose to serve two purposes: Punishment and rehabilitation. However, if teens are being sent to life without parole, they’re only getting the punishment. Not everyone should be giving parole but no one should be denied a chance at another life.

Mama Might Be Better Off Dead Essay

â€Å"Mama Might Be Better off Dead: the Failure of Health Care in Urban America† by Laurie Kaye Abraham, follows a families struggles over the course of three years in a poor Chicago neighborhood. Abraham points out specifically how the health care system in the United States has failed the different members of the poverty stricken Banes family. The main character, Jackie has the responsibility of taking care of her sick and elderly grandmother. Jackie also cares for her three young children with little help from her husband, Robert who also suffers from various illnesses. While, there are some government programs set up to help families like the Banes’, the health care system is certainly lacking. Cora Jackson is an African American woman in her late sixties when the book begins. She suffers from many chronic conditions including high blood pressure and diabetes. Cora had a leg amputated because of complications from her diabetes. Diabetics often have poor circulation in their extremities which hinders wounds from healing properly. Besides being bed-ridden and wheel chair bound, Mrs. Jackson suffers from bed sores and incontinence. She also sufferers from severe depression over losing her leg which is common among many with physical disabilities. Despite, her poor health Cora Jackson remains the matriarch of the family. Mrs. Jackson raised Jackie as a young girl and before becoming ill, had a remarkable relationship with her great-granddaughter Latrice. As time goes on, Mrs. Jackson becomes more ill and Latrice begins to pull away from her great-grandmother. This seems understandable because it must be very difficult for children to understand and deal with the terminally ill. Jackie however, remains warm and caring toward her grandmother. She expresses her frustrations, but few of them are aimed at her grandmother. Most of them are aimed at the doctors and particular government agencies set up to treat and help her grandmother. Obtaining health care services is not an easy task for Cora Jackson. Jackie, the primary caregiver for Mrs. Jackson, experiences struggles on a day to day basis. For example, Mrs. Jackson suffers from incontinence which makes her a candidate for adult diapers. However, Medicare sees adult diapers as more of a convenience item and do not see them as medically necessary.  Medicare also covers a large portion of health visits and treatments but they fail to understand the transportation needs of disadvantaged patients. As a result, Mrs. Jackson is forced to miss many scheduled appointments. She misses out on many treatments that are recommended by her doctors. Consequently, Cora is forced to have her remaining leg removed because of an infection which could have been caught sooner. Jackie resorts to calling an ambulance to transport her grandmother to the hospital. This results in in some problems because the ambulance takes her to the closest hospital which is does not have all of he r medical records. I am puzzled by many of these rules and policies. First off, I do not understand how adult diapers are not deemed medically necessary. Diapers are seemed necessary for infants. Why aren’t they necessary for adults who suffer from incontinence? Also, adult diapers help prevent bed sores which many elderly, bed-ridden patients suffer from. This can prevent future hospitalizations and procedures caused by infection. I also have a problem with Medicaid’s spend down policy. Every month, Mrs. Jackson is required to spend a certain amount on medical needs in order to become eligible for Medicaid. By the time, she meets the requirement, she has to do it all over again. Also, there are some services that the Banes are not aware they are entitled to. For example, Medicare covers home health aides for those sick enough to require visits from a home nurse. Jackie turns down this service because she is mistaken and believes it will cost her 110 dollars a month. No one ever tells her this service is free. There are many changes in the health care delivery system that would have improved the experiences of Mrs. Jackson. First of all, keeping track of a monthly spend down of an elderly, disabled patient is ridiculous. In Mrs. Jackson’s case, she needed Medicaid to cover her transportation needs. Its close to impossible to schedule appointments and procedures if you are not sure how you are going to get there. Other patients use Medicaid for numerous reasons. A better option for Medicaid would be to take an average of a few months expenses and use that to determine eligibility for longer than a month at a time. It is common for patients to spend the same amount on medication each month. They also try to visit doctors on a regular basis. Knowing they are covered by Medicaid for longer than a month, would be a huge relief. The patients could keep their appointments without worrying about transportation costs. Also, medicine could be taken as directed instead of trying to make it last longer in fear of losing coverage the next month. Another area which needs addressing is in the area of medically necessary items. Who determines if adult diapers is necessary or a convenience? For an elderly person who does not want to walk to the wash room after going to the bathroom, I can see how diapers would be convenient. But what about the person with no legs and not adequate enough help to lift them out of bed? I would definitely say adult diapers is medically necessary for this person. As a social worker in health care, I would definitely try to be of assistance to Mrs. Jackson. First of all, I would encourage Jackie to take advantage of the services set up to help her and her family. Then I would make sure she was aware of all they were entitled to. It is very common for poor people not to understand government policies, particularly Medicare and Medicaid. I feel there should be more services to explain and help people understand certain policies. Regular visits from a home health aide could have helped both Jackie and Mrs. Jackson immensely. I would talk to her about the stress of taking care of three children, a sick husband and an elderly, disabled grandmother. Paying attention to Jackie’s needs, as she is the primary caregiver, may give her a more clear mind to make decisions for her grandmother. I would also discuss with Jackie all of her options. Jackie could have put her grandmother into a nursing home but neglected to do so until the very end of her illness. I would weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of Mrs. Jackson living in a home. Jackie was scared that by putting her grandmother into a home, she would feel unloved and neglected. I would explain to Jackie, that the care she would receive would be twenty-four hours a day. This would mean, no more missed doctors appointments, no more missed medication and all of her medical records would be in one place. I feel their would be an increase in her quality of life. Jackie states â€Å"Mama, might be better off Dead†. Why not try putting mama in a nursing home first? In conclusion, â€Å"Mama Might Be Better off Dead: the Failure of Health Care in Urban America† really shows many areas of human suffering. In a country based on freedom and equality for all, the area of health care could not be further from equal in America. Every day we see talks of health care reform in the news. Political candidates form plans in their campaigns. However, this book puts a real face on the failure of health care in America. I hope more people become aware of how badly change is needed and they choose to become actively involved in the reform of the system.

Diesel engine and Petrol engine ( Comparison ) Essay

Diesel engine and Petrol engine ( Comparison ) - Essay Example Despite their derivation from crude oil, the use of petrol or diesel engine varies according to the particular needs of the consumer who will drive the automobile such as fuel prices, fuel efficiency, fuel economy, running cost, taxes, etcetera (â€Å"Choosing between petrol and diesel†, 2013; â€Å"Buying A Car - Do I Choose Petrol Or Diesel?†, 2012; Foxall, 2012; Ottley, 2010; Work Truck Magazine, 2011). In terms of their chemical properties, diesel is denser than petrol and generates more energy upon combustion (Bloom, 2010). By design, a petrol engine consists of connecting rods, brasses, strap, jibs, cotter and set screws (Narayana, Kannaiah and Reddy 2007, 359). The major difference between a diesel engine and a petrol engine, apart from the different fuels, comes from the way in which fuel is combusted inside the piston cylinder. Fuel in the petrol engine is mixed with air, compressed by the pistons and then ignited by the spark provided from the spark plugs. On the other hand, a diesel engine differs in terms of the stage when air is compressed. As opposed to a petrol engine, air in a diesel engine is compressed first after which fuel is injected and ignited as the air heats up after being compressed (Brain, 2014). This essay will present an evaluative comparison of diesel and petrol engines in terms of their design and functioning. The engine’s compression ratio concerns to the amount to which the gasses can be squeezed into the engine’s cylinder. The higher the engine’s compression ratio the more preferable it is because compression generates high amounts of heat (â€Å"Difference between Diesel and Gasoline Engines†, 2012). Compression involves blending and evaporating the fuel and air molecules, which mix with each other appropriately by being thrusted together into a smaller and tighter area. High compression ratio in an engine enables the generation of greater power by burning fuel and

Analysis poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analysis poem - Essay Example The first two sentences of the poem represent the poet’s opinion of love and friendship. â€Å"Love is like the wild rose-briar; / Friendship like the holly-tree† (1-2). The poet uses two similes to describe it love and friendship in a more lively and specific way. The beauty of love is described through the rose-briar and friendship is compared with the holly-tree. (The definition of rose-briar, according to Oxford Dictionary, is a wild bush with thorns, especially a wild rose bush). Bronte thinks love is represented as â€Å"wild rose-briar† (1). This kind of plant is considered to have a beautiful and charming blossom, but its beauty is temporary, unstable and dangerous. (The definition of holly, according to Oxford Dictionary, is â€Å"A widely distributed evergreen shrub, typically having prickly dark green leaves, small white flowers, and red berries†.) Bronte uses a good simile to represent friendship. The holly-tree’s leaves never wilt and i t could signify the characteristic of friendship. It shows that that friendship can be forever and I believe the same A good friend may be an ordinary and inconspicuous person, but is a person who we can rely on and trust in any situation. The relationship between love and friendship could be two parallel lines or two intersecting lines. The poem says â€Å"The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms. / But which will bloom most constantly? † (3-4). These two sentences make people to think about which one of the two might be constant. In my opinion, I cannot say definitely whether it is love or friendship that is constant because people are changeable. In addition, there are also many external factors that affect people’s relationships. People could change their minds due to some specific reasons or specific environmental factors. For example, friends or lovers go to different

Case study 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

3 - Case Study Example However, the private firm failed to deliver what the state expected in a number of ways. For example, the handling of client’s applications was inefficient both in answering the client’s calls and maintaining of clients documents. The contracted firms hired incompetent workers who failed to perform according to state’s expectations. ACS focused on making money hence their service was poor and uncoordinated. American civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the performance of FSSA for misplacing the documents of the patients hence leading to denial of essential services to the applicants. Critics blamed the inefficiency of the private firms as caused by waiver of caseworkers that was present in the state (Alb?k, Eliason & Herman 17). Before privatization, each household had a caseworker who confirmed the qualification of individuals before making an application and also ensured that the applications were submitted in the right procedure. Question 1 Privatization wa s implemented as a cost saving strategy. For example, Governor Mitch Daniels stated that by privatizing the welfare and food programs would enable the state to save up to one billion dollars in a decade (Ricky 619). The state signed a 1.3 billion dollar contract with the private firm. However, one and a half years later the both IBM and Affiliated Computer Services (subcontracted) by to deal with calls of the clients failed to achieve the mission. To improve performance of welfare and food programs delivery. The intention of the state was to delegate functions of welfare and food delivery to private firms because this would reduce the processes of handling applications and attending to the needs of the people (Chu et al.19) This would ensure smooth operations because private firms have appropriate facilities and specialized staff to handle the needs of the people effectively. Question 2 The new system was intended to improve communication between the clients and the service provider s. ACS was hired to manage telephone calls from the clients (Bursi & David 164). This was meant to increase speed of gathering, processing, and storing clients’ data with greater efficiency. Therefore, the new system was meant to

Public speaking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public speaking - Assignment Example This paper analyzes the TV, online and print advertising strategies of the Trojan brand using an argumentative approach divided into the categories of ethos, pathos and logos as aspects of persuasive advertising (John 2004, 107). Print advertising Print advertising refers to advertisements printed on some form of paper handled by the potential customer and includes offers posted in newspapers and sent via mail. A print advertisement can only be said to be a success when people see it and act upon it as it aims to attract people to products as they are reading or probing through publications. People have a tendency to be receptive to new information and observation of matters of interest when looking through publications (Fujishin 2012, 102-105). This strategy of advertising was the first to be utilized by the Trojan brand on a pharmacist magazine that would then stock their drugstores with the product as it continued to gain popularity. In print advertising, the Aristotle principle o f logos means the process of persuading the consumer by use of reasoning. Providing reasons is the foundation of any argumentation enabling the readers to draw a conclusion about the message being put across. Logos refers to the internal clarity of the claim, perception of its reasons and the value of its supporting indication.The argument in logos is to provide the explicit reasons that the writer provides to support his claim (Armstrong 2010, 226).For example, the Trojan brand would be advocating for the practice of safe sex by the sexually active component of the population. The first approach to analyze the supporting reasons provided in an argument is by considering all the premises the author seems to provide. For example, unsafe sex could lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STI). This is a process of judgment in itself. The second step is to question which of the premises identified as objects of agreement, the author consider as given. Objects of value in this case are either facts or values of the author about the product that may not be parallel to the reader’s facts and assumed values.For example, Trojan is a trust brand to provide maximum protection against STI’s and pregnancy. Basically, every print advertisement argument should arrive to certain objects of agreement shared between the author and audience.The use of inductive logic is whereby the advertisement designer provides the readers with several similar examples and allowing then to draw a general conclusion. Deductive logic on the other hand provides the readers with general propositions and then allowing the readers to draw a conclusion from a specific truth. The society has generally favored the use of inductive method of logical appeal following an already established truth as opposed to the deductive approach that allows for every individual to believe in their own opinion which may or may not be true. The influence of an operational print ad i s distant from being extinct although there are more options available following technological advancements. It is clear that while conducting an inventory, the marketing team of the Trojan condom company have to be more creative so that their prints don’t fall behind. Online advertising Online advertisement uses the World Wide Web and internet to promote marketing messages to attract customer.Since the strategy began in 1994, Trojan condoms revenue in the United States increased significantly

Violence in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Violence in the Media - Essay Example "Parental Choice in Television Programming" enumerates well-documented findings on the impact television exerts on a child's impressionable and partial experience, points out the underlying influence that the media exerts on daily family life, and observes that most children absorb up to twenty-five hours of television in a week or even as much as eleven hours a day. The law affirms that comprehensive research has found that children exposed to explicit violence reveal more tendencies to aggressive attitudes as they mature than youngsters not exposed. The legislation notes that rightly-concerned parents ought to have firmer control over harmful material being channeled into their home, while the government has an equal interest in legislation discreetly regulating the accessibility of programs that can be detrimental to its youngest citizens. The legislation enacts measures for the creation of a Television Rating Code, (Sections (b) and (e)(1); and approves the policy that new televi sion sets be required to have content filters known as V-Chips to block violent material (Parental Choice in Television Programming). b) Court Decisions Related to the Topic: In its 1978 decision on the FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726, the Supreme Court ruled that the media admittedly has taken on an intrusive pervasiveness in American life. Explicit and indecent matter reaches citizens over the airwaves in the very seclusion of the home where family privacy should reasonably prevail over the First Amendment civil liberties of outsiders. Through the incursion of the media into the home, adult material is abnormally available to children too young to grasp its full meaning. The facility with which the home has unhealthy exposure to television broadcasts fully warrants specific legislation on the handling of indecent programming with regard to children (FCC v. Pacifica Foundation). In keeping with this line of thought, the Federal Communications Commission has been actively supporting legislation to restrict explicitly violent (as well as indecent) material to the late evening hours, when the majority of children are likely not to be viewing the set (Labaton 2). Even though lower courts have rejected the suggestion that violence is equivalent to obscenity, the question has never been addressed by the Supreme Court (Greiner 1). If effective political action can move the Supreme Court to concur with the argument that violence merits an assessment equivalent to obscenity, legislation may meet the Supreme Court's standard of strict scrutiny and ensure that limits of the sale of graphic video games to children can be upheld as constitutional (Schatz 1). c) The Constitution relates to the topic in that The First Amendment, besides protecting artistic freedom of expression, basically reaffirms equal rights for society, parents and children in the matter. The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." What is at issue here is primarily the right of responsible citizens to petition the government for legislation to protect at-risk and immature young minds from callous exposure

Strategic Choice and Evaluation Research Proposal

Strategic Choice and Evaluation - Research Proposal Example In accordance to this, an evaluation would be made on the new objective conditions as well as the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Value Discipline Every business organization must adhere to a certain value discipline in order to succeed. This is actually a principle that the organization must uphold always as it continues to operate. There are three types of basic value discipline from this business may choose from; namely, operational excellence, product leadership, and customer intimacy. While it does not necessarily disregard the both operational excellence and product leadership, this daycare facility puts heavy emphasis on customer intimacy. The organization managing this believes that it is through being in close contact always with the children and their parents could ideas arise regarding the continuous development of the services being provided. Customer intimacy is â€Å"a value discipline based on development and nurturing of customer relationships and the customized delivery of product and service solutions for those customers† (Marks 2002, p. 14). ... Apparently, by adhering to the value discipline of customer intimacy, this daycare business may also realize the operational excellence. It must be noted that in this particular kind of business, the best gauge for the effectiveness of its operation is through determining the level of satisfaction of the children and parents. Unlike other businesses that produce actual commodities, operational excellence here could not be measured by the quantity and quality of products produced at a short time and at the least cost. If the children learn and enjoy during their stay and if the parents appreciate the work that is being done then the operation of the facility may be considered as satisfactory or even outstanding. This organization does not believe that it should strive to be a leader in the daycare business. It possesses the perspective that daycare businesses should not put a premium on competition because this does not have a good effect on the training of the children in general. Ho wever, by striving to practice customer intimacy, it may also develop operational excellence, which should then result in leadership in this particular field of business. The point, however, is that is focus should be more on customer intimacy and the rest would inevitable follow. Generic Strategies Since the daycare facility to be established and operated is still a business, it must maintain its viability not just to generate the desired target profits but also to continue providing services to the community. As pointed out earlier in the mission and goal of this business, although profit is an important concern, the ability to provide service to the children and their working parents share is also a significant aspect. In order to

Compare and contrast teachers and administrator Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast teachers and administrator Essay During my interviews I realized that being a teacher or an administrator has its ups and downs to it. The teacher answered her questions as someone who deals and interacts with children every day. The administrator answered his questions as someone who deals with more what’s best for the children with little interaction with them. Knowing what I found out about the two professions I would lean more towards as being a teacher because an administrator has too many responbilieties. There are many things that the teacher and the administrator have in common. First off they both are in education and want to help children grow into adults as the graduate. They both try to help educate the children without offending any religion or beliefs that the children may have. The teacher and the administrator both went to college to get a bachelor and master’s degree in education. They both have the similar reasoning for being in education field. Finally both of them share the love of being around children to help them be the best they can. Teachers and administrator have many things that are different from each other as well. They both have different degrees in education. An administrator has a master’s in business and a teacher has bachelors in science childhood education. The administrator went to college longer than the teacher. The teacher is there to have one on one time with the students if they need to stay for help. The administrator does not really have one on one time with the students they are to help keep students in school and any other problems that might occur. When I interviewed the administrator he was calm and very well spoken and knew a lot about running a school. He did not have any teachers in his family. He got his influence from his college English professor named Body The greatest benefit he has as an administrator is having the joy of knowing that he is helping educate and keeping children safe. The administrator does live in the same community has the children do? Yes, he believes that living around them will help to understand where the children come from and what kind of students they want to become. When I asked the administrator if he would recommend the education profession to others he said it is not for everyone. But the ones who do have what it takes to be teacher or work with children will have compassion towards them and understand what they want. So I asked myself is becoming a teacher still what I want and â€Å"yes† it is. To teach early childhood education is what I am called to do. I also learned during this interviewing process is that this job takes a lot patience, courage, and strength to help reach and teach students. I want to get to know each child as individual and what kind of goals they want for themselves. I want to help them reach it. I get closer to reaching my goal even though it has not been an easy road. I have had tons of support to do this. I would say being in administrator or a teacher is a great career a lot of responsibilities go with each one but at the end of the day it is worth it all.

Concepts Of Performance Management In Human Resources

Concepts Of Performance Management In Human Resources Abstract Performance management is becoming increasingly important in the department of Human Resources in recent years. It refers to a systematic instrument for improving the development of individuals, teams and organizations. With the wide acceptance of performance management to the organizations, how can it be understood, accepted and implemented by managers and employees effectively in practice? The paper makes a study on the performance management from the perspective of Human Resources, analyses the definitions and process of performance management and discusses the positive and negative effects of performance management. Overall, it will be argued that the positive effects of performance management outweigh its negative effects, but it is also necessary to pay attention to its disadvantages, such as judgement errors caused by distortion of performance information. Performance Management in HR à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚  . Introduction The concept of performance has been around for more than a hundred years, experiencing some remarkable changes in the process of performance developments and subsequently integrating into the Human Resources Management system. Performance management, as one of the most important parts in these development procedures, has attracted intensifying attention in many organizations. In addition, economical globalization, speedy development of technology and high capitalizations are conspicuous trends in this fast-paced society, people have to promote their performance and become more flexible to satisfy the needs of this fast-changing and competitive society. Hence, how to select employees, who are regarded as an organizations greatest assets, plays a dominant role in avoiding companies to fall behind their competitors. Simultaneously how to keep the talent and how to encourage them to give their maximum ability to improve the competitiveness of company are crucial issues to managers. Effic ient use of performance management can help the company to solve such problems. In this essay, a clear definition of performance and performance management will be given firstly by the analysis of different interpretations put forward by many scholars. Then from four steps, including planning, implementation, appraisal and feedback, it will introduce performance management process. Finally, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the positive effects of performance management are more significant than the negative. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡. Defining the concepts A. What is performance? Performance management is obviously to do with performance, and what is meant by that word? There are two dissimilar views on the definition of performance. One is the outputs and outcomes of activities, Bernadin et al (1995, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) states that performance should be defined as outcomes of work because they provide the strongest linkage to the strategic goals of the organization, customer satisfaction, and economic contributions. An alternative view contends that performance is behaviour, including working proficiency, literacy and efforts. Campell (1900, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) believes that performance is behaviour and should be distinguished from outcomes because they can be contaminated by systems factors. Actually, in the practice of performance management in HR, managers usually intend to use a more comprehensive view of performance, which includes outputs and behaviour, because they have a mutual relationship of complementation, the behaviour is deemed to be one of the indispensable conditions to reach outcomes or outputs of performance. This view is concluded by Brumbrach (1988, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) that performance is composed of behaviour and outcomes or outputs. Performer tries his or her best to turn abstract plans or behaviour into some concrete outcomes. In other words, behaviour is an instrument for gaining results. To summarize, an overall definition of performance should consist of behaviour and results, and these two elements need to be taken into account when measuring the performance of individuals and teams. B. Performance management Performance management is an essential part in HRM, which has become increasingly popular since the 1980s. Dransfield (2000: 69) states that performance management is a process which is designed to improve organizational, team and individual performance and which is owned and driven by line managers. According to Dransfields (2000) definition, currently, there are three different viewpoints on the definition of performance management. The first one is to be understood as organizational performance. It means that the implementation of organization strategies should emphasize on the adjustment of organizational structure, business process, technology and targets. The second viewpoint is that performance management is a means of getting better results from teams. Performance management applies to everyone in the business team, not just managers, but also employees. As stated by Armstrong (2000:5), It rejects the cultural assumption that only managers are responsible for the performance of their teams and replaces it with the belief that responsibility is shared between managers and team members. The third one claims that the core of performance management is developing individuals potential, and after that improving organizational performance through aligning individual and organiza tional targets. This essay is in favour of the third opinion, mainly because the inconsistent or missing information of target content is inevitable during the top-down transmission from organizational targets to individual targets. In order to make sure the staffs activities and outputs are congruent with organizational targets, it is widely believed that performance management should be focused on guiding and helping staffs to fulfil their tasks in the light of organizational target and requirement. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢. The process of performance management In order to ensure the targets can be accomplished effectively and punctually, managers should follow a performance management process in an orderly way. An all-around definition is provided to reflect the performance management process, as a management cycle under which program performance objectives and targets are determined, managers have flexibility to achieve them, actual performance is measured , and this information feeds into decisions about programme funding, design, operations and rewards or penalties'(Curristine, 2005: 131). This section will introduce the standard Deming cycle applied in the performance management context and the Deming cycle refers to PDCA where P for plan ,D for do, C for check and A for action. During plan phase the goals and information are decided for employee or team. The do phase is for the implementation of plan and in check phase, supervisors will review and appraise the performance, then confirm the performance and gives feedback in the stage o f action(Evans Lindsay, 2008). A. Performance planning Performance planning is the starting point of performance management process, including three basic aspects-setting the direction, concluding performance agreements and agreeing personal development plans(Armstrong 2000:17-18). In other words, performance planning is deemed to be an activity of deciding what to do and how to do it. Compared to the other types of planning in traditional process and management activities, performance planning has the following characteristics: (1). The process of performance planning is a bidirectional communication between managers and employees. (2). All members, including managers and employees should be responsible for drawing up plans together. B. performance implementation Performance implementation is one of the most fundamental parts throughout the performance management. Undoubtedly, without this basic guarantee of performance implementation, plans cannot be put into practice. In essence, performance implementation is a process of delivering organizational targets or plans from managers to employees, and then people have flexibility to achieve them. C. Performance appraisal Performance appraisal is the focal part of performance management in which managers give assessment to individuals work and achievements in relation to the organizational targets. A useful definition of performance appraisal is set out by the Adivory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) which states that: appraisals regularly record an assessment of an employees performance, potential and development needs. The appraisal is an opportunity to take an overall view of work content, loads and volume, to look back on what has been achieved during the reporting period and agree objectives for the next'(cited in Dransfield, 2000: 71). Generally speaking, the main task of performance appraisal is to identify what the employee is to do and has it been done well. Hence, it is necessary to establish a standard for performance appraisal. If an employees behaviour can be in accordance with the following criteria, it is deemed that this is an effective performance: 1. Strategic Congruence, 2. Validity, 3. Reliability, 4. Acceptability, 5. Specificity (Baker, 1988). D. Performance feedback After being checked, individuals need to know whether their performance is good or not. So managers should provide feedback which needs to be concerned with actual performance and careful measurement. The good feedback is not simply warning employees what they have done wrong or successful, but also guiding a way for individuals future development and improvement. This feedback information is also the evidence that human resources strategy and feedback improve leadership capability and consequently affect organizational performance (Mabey Martin, 2001). In the practise of feedback, there are a number of methods to give feedbacks; one of the most famous systems is 360-degree feedback, which refers to a process in which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the people who work around them, including managers, peers, subordinates and customers (Tyson Ward, 2004). To sum up, performance feedback can be collected from abundant information channels, ranging from superio rs to subordinates, colleagues to customers, and thereafter this feedback information will flow into decision about strategic adjustment, modification, rethinking operation and rewards or penalties. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ £. Performance management influences the development of HRM With the wide dissemination of performance concept, performance management has attracted intensifying attention in many organizations. Managers have placed a premium on the employees performance in their work. So the adoption of performance management not only can improve organizational performance, but also can be personally fulfilling and skill-enhancing. However, there are still some potential problems existing in performance management, which seems to undermine the organizational and individual development. This section will attempt to demonstrate that the functional effects of performance management are more significant than the dysfunctional. A comprehensive definition is provided to point out the functional effects, as In general term, we define a phenomenon as being functional if its consequences contribute positively to a larger structure (Van Dooren, 2010: 152). Performance management thus would have functional effects when it contributes to the whole target of organization. Firstly, performance management can stimulate learning and innovation among employees and inside the organization. In terms of employees, performance management provides a motivation for encouraging employees to improve their own skills, especially those who perform poorly; they are guided to meditate deeply on their working practice, the defects in particular, which is the pivotal to the improvement of their performance. So only keep learning, can employees ensure that they can hold the job position and follow the best career path for themselves. In terms of the whole organization, performance management may trigger changes and innovation. Accord ing to De Brujin (2004), it is obvious that the yearly growth in the number of employees is steady in a company, this means that the organization accumulate slack resources who do not make any contribution to organization. The managers in department of HR can therefore adjust and improve the standard of choosing and employing persons, and cut off the overstaffed offices. Moreover, performance management can create transparency in the organization. Managers or supervisors, who are used to having a lot of priority, may commit mistakes, such as judgement errors and bias. Performance management can make their performance more visible inside or outside the organizations. It is an effective way to supervise and keep managers from giving others unfair treatment. Despite the functional effects that performance management has, it is impossible to deny its dysfunctional effects, which can undermine the goals of the individuals and organizations. Deming (cited in Evans Lindsay, 2008) holds the view that performance management nourishes short-term performance at the cost of the long-term planning. In order to realize the short-term interests and personal achievement, employees may make a flimsy promises to their customers and overdraw organizational resources, at last, the development of the whole organization will be blocked. What is more, the negative effects of performance management can be often caused by distortion of performance information and outputs. In conclusion, despite the existence of drawbacks, the positive effects of performance management are more significant than the negative. Performance management is thus an evolutionary process in which individuals can obtain many opportunities for career development, such as receiving training and guiding, improving the development of capabilities, even attainment of full potential. Simultaneously, organizations can get generous profits in return from their professional performance management. It is likely that performance management will have a bright future in the department of HR. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¤. Conclusion As mentioned above, this essay has discussed definitions, process and effects of performance management. It has emerged that the functional effects of performance management are more significant, despite the existence of dysfunctional effects as well. According to Hatry (2008, cited in Van Dooren 2010), performance management may not have a bright future, because some challenges remain to a certain degree and its problems are so thorny that can hinder the development of organizations. Nevertheless, now there are increasingly managers using performance management, as stated by Van Dooren (2010:175), practitioners, management consultants as well as academics have sought solutions in response to the paradoxical and often problematic nature of performance management. Accordingly, the foreground of performance management is still optimistic. An efficient way to solve these problems is to improve the quality of performance information, which can guarantee the reliability and equality of pe rformance appraisal and feedback. From the aspect of employees, adequate training and skills development should be applied in the performance management. In a word, performance management is an indispensable part in the department of HR and it is to be hoped that improvements and adjustments should be taken to deal with challenges and ensure to gain the greatest returns on professional performance management.

Canada and Chemical Weapons :: Canadian Canada History

Canada and Chemical Weapons Chemical weapons date back the Peloponnesian war of 428-424 BC when they were used against the Spartans; the chemicals used were incendiary devices and sulfur-based gases that were blown by the wind onto besieged cities. The chemical weapons used then aren't nearly as deadly as those used in more recent times such as mustard gas, they were more to cause there enemies to retreat. There have been many incidents in history in which chemical weapons have been used as I have found in two articles on the history of chemical weapons. The articles I found are "A Short History of Chemical Weapons", and "Creating the Faith: The Canadian Gas Services in the First World War". Chemical weapons have been used in many occasions in war, including Ancient Times, The Middle Ages, World War I, and World War II and so on throughout time. Many kinds of chemical weapons have been used but modern chemical weapons started on April 22, 1915, with the Germans use of Chlorine gas on the Allie troops in WWI. In this incident 6,000 cylinders of the gas were released by 2 battalions along a 6 kilometer of the front, and the wind dispersed the clouds of gas killing 5,000 soldiers and putting 1,500 more out of the war. This caused great panic because nothing like this had happened before and wasn't expected by the allies. Previous to this event in the Middle Ages they used such things as arsenic and more natural things as chemicals which were as powerful as the chlorine gas ended up being in WWI. Chemical weapons were used many times after the Germans used chlorine gas in WWI, chlorine, phosgene, benzyl bromide, hydrogen cyanide, and then mustard gas in 1917. Mustard gas bec ame the worst and most popular chemical weapon used when it came out because of how harmful it was to the enemies; in addition it was figured that 1,300,000 soldiers were killed by the chemical weapons by the end of WWI. This essay stated that: "If the first World War had continued for yet another year it would indeed have been called the first Chemical War" (A Short History of Chemical Weapons) In WWII the use of chemical weapons decreased a lot and was only used in the Far East. Since WWI has really been called the birthplace of chemical weapons Tim Cook starts his article there with the Germans use of chlorine gas and how chemical weapon use escalated from that point.

The Mayans :: essays research papers fc

I heard the familiar sound of the back door closing gently. My father was returning from weeding the vast amounts fields, with is old sickle, and planting more corn crops in one of our fields. He usually starts his day at 5:00 a.m. every morning, he wakes up to the superb aroma of a sweet honey that fills the whole room and which drags him into the kitchen, the smell of hot tortillas. â€Å"Good Morning father† greeted by his beautiful wife and children. They are wearing loose dresses that reached their ankles; his wife’s clothing was embroiled with elegant ornaments, and both females wore stunning necklaces made from the finest green jades in Guatemala. It has been almost 30 minutes since the Komatuk family have been enjoying their tortillas and balche (alcoholic drink). â€Å"Ok dear ones its time to get ready† the lady of the house would exclaim. It was time for the family to pay a visit Jolomk’u. Jolomk'u, according to the stories of the grandparents, was the name of a village situated on a tall ridge among a multitude of hills and mountains. It was a colorful village, woven with the work of men and women, with their lives, illusions and failures. Cold air rode freely among the savage hills, coming face to face with the people of Jolomk'u. The Komatuk family walked down the dusty brown road with his family as the hot bright sun shined on to them. As the enormous temple on top of the great sandy pyramid, they would then climb up the great sandy pyramid to get the sacred temple. When they reach the top of the pyramid they meet hundreds of other Mayans who are waiting in line to get their blessing from the high priest. After waiting in line as the scorching and sizzling sun shined on them. As Mekel and his family enters the sanctified holy temple he prays with the hundreds of Mayans as they worship their god as animals and prisoners of wars were being sacrificed to tribute and honor their great god. The crowd at the base of the enormous blood red pyramid has been standing for hours in the dripping heat of the Guatemalan jungle. No one moves; every eye stays fixed on the building's summit, where the king, his head adorned with feathers, his scepter a two-headed crocodile, is about to emerge from a sacred chamber with instructions from his long-dead ancestors.

death penalty Essay -- essays research papers

Death Penalty Introduction Informed arguments against the death penalty are more persuasive than arguments in favor of it, as the negative affects of the death penalty have become widely publicized and illustrate the ineffectiveness of this cruel punishment. The death penalty is an inefficient form of punishment as innocent offenders may be executed, superior forms of restitution are available, and it fails to deter crime, all of which contribute to informed arguments against it. Deterrence The primary function of the death penalty is to act as deterrence, yet evidence has indicted that this cruel punishment has failed to deter crime. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inconsistent: Any punishment can be an effective deterrent only if it is consistently and promptly employed. The death penalty cannot be administered to meet these conditions as it is never consistent or employed correctly. Only a small proportion of first-degree murderers are sentenced to death, and even fewer are executed. The death penalty fails to deter because it is an inconsistent punishment, which permits offenders to believe that the punishment will not be applied. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Premeditated: Persons who commit murder and other crimes of personal violence either premeditate them or they do not. If the crime is premeditated, the criminal ordinarily concentrates on escaping detection, arrest, and conviction. The threat of even the severest punishment will not deter those who expect to...

The Russian Revolution, c. 1910 – 1924, Sources Question

1) This question is about Russia before 1914. Look carefully at sources (A) to (F) and then answer questions (a) to (d) below. a) Study source A. What can you learn from source A about the situation in Russia before 1914? From source A we can learn that the situation in Russia before 1914 was very alarming. Strikes went up from 2000 in 1912 to 4000 in 1914. Some strikers demanded trade union rights and more and more people were becoming involved with fights with the government. 270 miners were shot dead during the strikes in Lena goldfields. b) Study sources A, B and C. i) Does source C support the evidence of sources A and B about the situation in Russia before 1914? Explain your answer. Source C supports the evidence of source A by saying that there was an increase of tension. This is shown in source a by the increasing amount of strikes and the fact that many people had been shot during the Lena goldfield massacre. Source C also supports source A because it shows that more and more people were involved in fights with the government, as source C says, ‘People can be heard speaking of the government in the sharpest of tones.' Source C supports the evidence of source B because the number of strikes and strikers in factories increased during 1910 and 1914, again, as source C says, ‘People can be heard speaking of the government in the sharpest of tones.' ii) Why were there many strikers in Russia in the years 1910-1914? Use sources A, B and C, and your own knowledge, to explain your answer. There were there many strikers in Russia in the years 1910-1914 because people were firstly becoming less scared of the Okhrana, so they were not very afraid to voice their opinion. A lot of people may not have liked how the government was running Russia; the only way they would be heard would have been through a strike. More people were also coming together, as most of them worked in horrible working conditions, with very little pay, long hours and a disturbing working environment, they must have decided to go on strike. Sales of vodka, food and fuel dropped drastically, this may have also cased many strikes as many people would have needed the money from these sales. Also, from source B we see that in 1910 the number of strikers in factories was 222, in 1914 the number of strikers in factories was 3534. The increase in strikers in factories from 1910 to 1914 may have been caused by the increased size of the factories. The factories must have employed more people thought 1910 and 19 14, so the number of strikers must obviously increase. C) Study sources D and E. How useful are sources D and E as evidence of support for the Russian monarchy? Source D: Source D shows that the ordinary people of Russia supported the Tsar wherever he went, although the public may have been doing this so the Tsar and his people will not give them a hard time, it was dangerous for the public to express their true feelings. The support shown was only a small percentage of the population, it was emotional support. The country saw the monarchy as a religion, so they have always been told to worship it. Source D is a reliable source because firstly the writer is the Tsar's sister, she was an eyewitness. Secondly, she was writing in her private diary, there would be no reason for her to lie or exaggerate anything. Also, she would have written about these events a night (after they had happened) and so she may have only been picking out the good bits and forgetting the bad bits. Source E: Source E is useful in showing support for the Russian monarchy. It shows that faith in the government is decreasing and that a revolution is becoming more likely. The writer of this source, Alexander Guchkov was the leader of the Octobrists, a party basically loyal to the Tsar and his government. If the leader of a loyal party to the Tsar and his government saw and said that faith in the government was decreasing and revolution was very likely, then it would have been true. Source E's writer, Alexander Guchkov is a more objective person than the writer of source D, the Tsar's sister who was sheltered in Russian courts and biased in the Tsar's favor. d) Study all the sources. ‘There was widespread support in Russia for the Tsar before 1914.' Use the sources, and your own knowledge, to explain whether you agree with this view. Sources A and B show that there was an increase in strikes and strikes in factories during 1910 to 1914. However, it gives a limited answer to the statement above as it mainly looks at the industrial sector. Sources C and E show that even a reporter of the Okhrana and a leader of the Octobrists (both loyal parties to the Tsar) think that the support for the Tsar is decreasing. This makes a revolution more and more likely. Sources D and F show that many people came out to see the Tsar, however, they may have done this out of curiosity as the Tsar would have been something to see, not because they supported the Tsar. They also may have come out to see the Tsar because they were scared that if they did not come out to see and appear to be supporting the Tsar, they might get into trouble with the government. Sometimes people feel loyalty to the institution, but the may not like how the government was running the country, a lot of people would have been in this possession during this time. I do not think there was widespread support in Russia for the Tsar before 1914. This is because as sources D and F shows that the ordinary people of Russia appeared supported the Tsar wherever he went, although I think that the public may have been doing this so the Tsar and his people will not give them a hard time, I believe that it was dangerous for the public to express their true feelings. Sources D and E also only a small percentage of the population of Russia, it cannot be mistaken for the majority of the Russian population. The Tsar also failed to face the peasants, poverty and workers. As the 3 categories were fitted by most of Russia's population, the Tsar was not very popular. The Tsar mainly supported the rich landowning class that was a very small percentage of the Russian population who did not need the Tsar very much. The people who needed the Tsar were the poor peasants with large hungry families (most of the Russian population), however the Tsar did not help them. This made a lot of people not to want to support the Tsar as he did not help the people in need. The Tsar was a autocratic ruler, this meant that he had complete and absolute power of Russia. A lot of people would not have liked this so the would not have really supported the Tsar.

Explain the Role of the First World War in the Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty

Explain the role of the First World War in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty The role of the first world in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty has been contended debated. Russia’s lack of resources and preparation can be seen to attribute to the fall of the dynasty as lack of items such as bread and coal ked to contention amongst Russia’s people. Also contributing was Tsar Nicholas II’s lack of military experience and ability to use military force to crush the civilian protests that were occurring in Petrograd, Russia’s capital city. The generals of the military along with the Duma used the protests to their advantage to force the abdication of the Tsar and strengthen Russia’s’ war effort. However, Russia’s turbulent past of political and social turmoil also contributed to the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. The lack of preparation on Russia’s behalf before the First World War began was an integral factor leading to the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. For a war on a large scale, that being the First World War Russia’s lack of preparation severely crippled its efforts in the war with as many of 1 million of its soldiers departing for the eastern front without necessities such as Rifles or boots. In the circumstances when soldiers were equipped with weapons they were often stuck without the necessary ammunition to fire them, this would foreshadow the humiliating losses Russia would suffer in the months to come with battles such as Tannenburg costing the Russian army as many as 230,000 dead soldiers and many more captured by the forces of the Kaiser. Russia’s second army under the command of General Rennenkampf executed a retreat after the demise of the other half of Russian forces and whilst this was skilful 1. million men met death on the eastern front, if not from the enemy then the crippling lack of food and starvation that faced most soldiers of the Russian army. The news of these defeats did not fall on deaf ears back in the cities of Russia causing great discontent amongst the proletariat and intelligentsia alike, Russia already had a poor war records with a humiliation during the Crimean war at the hands of the Turkish and the recent Russo-Japanese war in 1905 b oth disgraceful defeats on Russia’s behalf. With news now that these losses were being bettered on the eastern front it caused a questioning of Russia’s autocracy, the Dynasty of the Romanov family. The liberal school of thought on the fall of the Romanovs greatly highlights the significance of the First World War on the fall of the autocracy and believe if the war was averted so to would be the fall of the Romanovs. Therefore it can be safely asserted that the liberal school of thought elucidates that the lack of preparation by Russia in response to the First World War contributed greatly to the eclectic nature of the Romanov Dynasty and its eventual decline and fall. The lack of military experience by Tsar Nicholas II as well as the disobedience of the Russian military is more or less of significant importance to the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. From an early age Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov was not groomed to be a traditional Tsar, his father Alexander III saw his son as a weak link to the Dynasty and unfit to rule because of his weak personality and mind, those of the liberal school of thought agree entirely with this stating â€Å"the weakness in the character of Nicholas†¦ ontributing to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty. † With little to no training in being the supreme autocrat of Russia it is a wonder that Tsar Nicholas thought it wise to personally take the role of the commader in chief with no military experience as well, for the Russian people this was a risky move seeing as how the last war Nicholas had spear-headed led to a loss of hundreds of kilometres of trans-siberian railway and the colony of Korea in the R usso-Japanese war. Thus upon the start of the First World War despite a surge of patriotism from the Russian people when the Russian Army performed consistently badly Tsar Nicholas was seen to be the cause. Already being investigated as a potential spy due to his marriage to the tsarina who hailed from Germany , the poor performance of Russia during the World War which was under Tsar Nicholas’ command is seen by the Liberal School as crippling to the intergrity and upkeep of Russias’ Autocracy and the Dynasty of the Romanov Family. Worse still was Nicholas’ leadership of Russia during the time of the war, being unable to disband civilian riots in the capital of Petrograd and by refusing offers from the Duma at first during the February/March revolution secured his abdication which was forced upon him by the military and the Duma cementing the lack of loyalty Nicholas’ cabinet had to him as a result of his poor leadership and military inexperience, which can be attributed to the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. Furthermore the civilian protests in Russia as a reaction to the catalyst of the First World War were yet another reason as to the fall of the Romanov Family and their dynasty. Russias history of disgruntled peasants and proletariat provides a bleak foreshadow to the reaction the general public had towards the poor performance Russia turned in during the First World War and the lack of necessities such as food and coal that they had to fore-go due to poor preparation. It cannot be denied the crucial role that civilian riots had in the fall of the Romanov Dynasty, these riots can be traced to the 23rd of February 1917 as an English woman named Sybil Grey described the riots start as â€Å"a poor woman entered a bread shop†¦ and asked for bread. She was told there was none. On leaving the shop, seeing bread in the window she broke the window and took it. This simple act of taking bread was the turning point in civilian protests and the birth itself of the Russian Revolution, soon the streets of Petrograd were littered with protestors and the Duma refused the Tsar’s orders to disband the protests via the military, many of whom defected to the protestors to avoid being sent to the Eastern front. The food supplies in most cities were dire and the Russian economy was inflated to the point that most farmers refused to sell their wares in exchange for money. Prominent Russian industry such as the Pulitov Steelworks also closed due to a lack of finance and raw materials meaning 90,000 proletariat now had no jobs and no direction in society, which inevitably leads to protesting. Therefore it can be easily drawn that the protests that occurred with the civilians in Russia played an integral role in the decline and fall of teh Romanov Dynasty. Moreover Russia’s parliament, the Duma in conjunction with the Russian military officials many of whom were related to Tsar Nicholas himself used the First World War as a medium to force the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and attempt to govern Russia as a democracy. After the events of bloody Sunday in 1905 Tsar Nicholas II faced a dilemma, millions of Russians crying for change and challenging his power and the power of the autocracy. It was in these circumstances the ‘October Manifesto’ was issued to the people in hopes of tying down threats of insurrection amongst the people, the manifesto granted Russia a parliament that was so closely linked with the Tsar it had no purpose essentially. However, during the failures that followed Nicholas in the First World War the Duma was essentially in power in the capital city of Petrograd with the Tsar stranded at a military base in Tsarkoe Selo, finally reaching the peak of insurrection the Duma with the support of the Tsar’s trusted generals established a provisional government that attempted to repair the damage the war and Nicholas had caused. To the tsar this was an ct of insubordination and military force was demanded to shut the Duma down, this was not the case. The military had lost faith in Nicholas, fearing he was disadvantaging Russia in their efforts against germany, it was then clear what must be done; under desperation from the war and the people the Duma and the military requested Tsar Nicholas abdicate his power from the throne, in its stead would be a government running on elections in replica of England. Another role the Duma played was their facilitation in the civilian riots occurring with some Cossacks, guards supposedly loyal to the tsar assuring protestors â€Å"don’t worry we won’t shoot you† and the guard of the royal family abandoning their posts. The quintessential role then of the Duma and Military as a result of the first world war in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty cannot be denied. However, when studying the decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty other schools of thought have differing opinions as to the significance of the War in the fall of the Romanovs. The revisionist school argues that the pre-existing and unresolved issues of Russia’s past greatly contributed to the decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty. Historian Sheila Fitzpatrick believes that even prior to the war Russia was in an unstable place, both socially and politically as she states â€Å"The autocracy’s situation was precarious on the eve of the First World War. Issues such as the massacre of bloody Sunday were still contemporary issues for the Tsar and the autocracy, with labels such as ‘Bloody Nicholas’ becoming household names, the activities of various revolutionary groups such as Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik party and the opposing Mensheviks of Leon Trotsky whilst fore-runners for change in Russian society both set a precarious scene during 20th century Russia, often trying to ignite crowds or events into protests or revolutions. These often took the form of Assassinations with targets including Prime Minister Petr Stolypin often upsetting the established order and descending society into complete chaos. It can be seen then that the revisionists make a strong argument as to why the Romanovs would have fallen even in the absence of the First World War. The contention does not rest there though, the living conditions of a vast majority of Russian society was also believed to be a contributing factor as to the decline and fall of the Romanovs, during the industrial revolution the conditions faced by the new class; ‘the proletariat’ or workers were seen to be inhumane, they were cramped into mall living areas, malnourished, exposed to dangerous work, shot at and payed incredibly poor amounts of money to ensure this cycle continued, they also made up over 90% of Russia’s population. It is easy to see then that a large amount of society exposed to these conditions for the betterment of others would eventually lead to a revolution en mass which is what revisionists, amongst other things believe would have been equally if not more significant than the First World War in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. All in all despite contention the role of the First World War in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty can be seen as pivotal to some as Russia’s lack of preparation, poor leadership, riots and leaders were all influenced by the great war but is debated amongst others due to other factors such as; conditions faced by the working class, the autcracys weakened position and revolutionary groups.

Automobile Industry of Pakistan †an Overview Essay

The automotive industry rightly prides itself on being recognized as the â€Å"mother of all industries. † In its folds it carries many different kinds of vehicles to provide mobility to people and goods. While they may appear to be simple machines, their design and manufacturing have much deeper roots in all the known technologies. In-depth knowledge and skillful application of mechanical, electrical, electronics, chemical and a host of other technologies culminate in achievement and improvement of the manufacturing base of a country, by focusing on a single product â€Å"the automobile. † This then provides an opportunity to produce a large number of goods and services for consumption of the entire international community. Use of the word â€Å"mother† for automotive industry is therefore the most appropriate description to define the nature and importance of the industry. In recent years, we have witnessed that the industrialization of South East Asian countries greatly depend on the development of their automotive industry. Similarly, automotive industry acted as a catalyst in the overall growth of the industry in Japan and Koreas and the consequent wellbeing of their citizens. It is indeed heartening that the mother has once again smiled at Pakistan. Fortunately the last 3 years have witnessed phenomenal growth in the industry in terms of technological advancements and production/sale volumes with the local contents rising as high as 90%. The industry is already employing 120,000 people, contributing more than 12 billion rupees to GDP, contributing more than Rs. 30 billion to the national exchequer in terms of duties and taxes, attracted investment worth Rs. 52 billion including a substantial foreign investment. Today the customers have choice to pick from a wide range of products including motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars of premier Japanese and Korean brands at internationally competitive prices which has only become possible due to local contents and availability of highly productive and inexpensive human resources. An automobile has over 2000 components and parts out of which the assemblers usually concentrate on the manufacturing of small but critical parts while the remaining parts are supplied by the vendors and the subcontractors. In Pakistan the automobile component manufacturing industry consists of mainly units producing original components for assembly under delegation program and units producing reconditioned and original components for local use. These units are in three types which include the original equipment manufacturers, independent equipment manufacturers and the ancillary (auxiliary) industry producing small parts and non-automotive items. There are more than 800 vendors in the country with a total investment of over Rs.8 billion; they are engaged in the manufacturing of original components for the assembly operation under the delegation program as well as producing reconditioned and original components for sale in the local market. They manufacture and supply the local car assemblers with auto parts such as pistons, engine valves, gaskets, camshafts, shock-absorbers, struts, steering mechanism, cylinder heads, wheel hubs, brake drums, wheels, bumpers, instruments and instrument panels, gears of all types, radiators, cylinder liners, blinkers, lights, doors and door locks as well as auto air conditioners. Critics say that the local vendor industry though still in the process of development, have not achieved the delegation targets by producing low quality components which are not acceptable by the local assemblers, it is said that the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories – which represents the auto parts manufacturers – have not in a way been fully able to contribute its share to the development of this sector. The vendors on their part however put the blame on the policy makers and partly on the assemblers who have not been encouraging the local vendors as such. On the other hand it is said that the foreign car principals have no justification for their complaints because of the level of their participation in the local vendor industry. Hino trucks, as it was pointed out, have started manufacturing wheel drums locally while Suzuki is still complaining about the quality of silencer it received from the local vendors. In the world trade, Automobile Sector is one of the largest segments. It is the major driver of economic growth and business activities in a country. It puts multiplier impacts on the economy. Day-in, day-out around 200,000 vehicles roll off the world’s assembly lines with car as the dominant segment of the industry. Evolution of Automobile Industry in Pakistan Automotive industry in Pakistan started in the 1950 and has gone through different phases from being a private sector industry in 1950 – 60s, and becoming a government controlled industry in the 1970s – thanks to Mr. Bhutto’s Nationalization policy, and then reverting back to the private sector from 1980 onward. Currently in Pakistan we have a total of 67 Automobile Manufacturing Units (A. M. U) which include: o7 Car A. M. Us o7 Light Commercial Vehicle A. M. Us o2 Jeep A. M. Us o5 Truck and Bus A. M. Us o4 Tractor A. M. Us o42 Motorcycle A. M. Us There are approximately 400 vendors doing businesses in the automobile sector. All the Automobile Manufacturing Units in Pakistan are operating under agreement and licensing from countries like Japan, Korea, China and some from the European Union. Pakistan’s automobile sector has been registering high growth rates for the last four to five years due to the country’s business friendly policies along with lower tariff rates, persistent growth in GDP, and per capita income. Globally considered as the mother of all industries, the automobile industry in Pakistan is fast evolving as a robust industry. Some sub-sectors of this fast growing industry, like motorcycle production, have already achieved economies of scale. The level of motorization in the country has also been rising over the years. In 1998-99, it was three cars per 1000 persons, which has significantly increased to 11 cars per 1000 persons in year 2005-06. The indigenous growth in production of motorcycles increased by 25 per cent during year 2005-06, reaching to an all-time high of 520,124 as compared to 106,797 units in the year 1996-97, which accounts for around 380 per cent increase in motorcycle production during the last nine years. Similarly the production of trucks as well as that of buses also saw sufficient increase during the last 10 years. Some 2,994 units of trucks were being produced in the country in 1995-96 which, over the years, have increased to 4,518 units, recording 51 per cent increase in production. In the case of buses, the rise in production is more pronounced as compared to that of trucks as their production augmented by around 74 per cent during the last decade or so. The industry has achieved a phenomenal growth of 50. 2 percent in Fiscal Year 2004-05 and increased competition has led to the introduction of innovative products as well as a decline in financing costs. Compared with Pakistan, India has a strong engineering base and has successfully created a sizable capacity for production of vehicles. It enjoys a clear edge over Pakistan in the automobile sector. Indian auto companies are highly cost competitive due to appropriate levels of automation and low cost automation and have achieved a high level of productivity by embracing Japanese concepts and best practices. India is already the second largest two wheeler manufacturer, second largest tractor manufacturer, and fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world and has the fourth largest car market in Asia. The automobile industry in India is now gradually evolving to replicate those of developed countries. Pakistan can import automotive components and spare parts from India at a lower price as presently these items are being imported from the Far East at higher prices. On the other hand, India is expected to benefit from free trade due to its low raw material, electric and labor costs. The two segments of the industry namely; Car and Motorcycles have shown remarkable growth over the last five years. The growth in domestic market of cars has risen from 40,601 in year 2001-02 to 126,817 in year 2004-05, which is expected to cross 150,000 units during year 2005-06. This growth is attributed mainly by car financing schemes, improved liquidity position of certain class as a result of economic growth indicators and other monetary measures. The motorcycles have also shown marvelous growth due to new entrants. The new entrants with fair competition have brought about the availability of cheaper vehicles in the domestic market. Vendor Industry This industry has the potential for development of entire engineering sector. Development of vendor industries in return assures transfer of technologies in nearly all spheres of engineering, specifically, metallurgy, plastics and glass. Technology exists for major engine, suspension and transmission components but due to limited market, prospective entrepreneurs shy away from investment. Over 400 vendors are engaged in the production of auto parts locally including tires, sheet metal parts, mirrors, gaskets, engine valves, camshafts, oil pump gears, pistons, radiators, seats, dashboard, and axles. The Beginning of Pakistan’s Automobile Industry When Pakistan came appeared on the map of the world, there were neither any automobile assembly plants nor were any industrial capabilities available for this sector. However, the development of this industrial sector started soon after the independence. Peace in the country and development planning by government resulted in increased economic growth that sequentially laid the foundation of industry. First Period 1950 – 1964 (Start from the Scratch) First serious effort by government to develop the industry and engineering sector in particularly was observed in 1950s when a six-year plan (First Development Plan) was drafted to guide government investment in developing the infrastructure. For auto industry, to overcome the initial difficulties, the government, besides developing infrastructural facilities established the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) in 1950. The main objective of PIDC was to play the pioneering role of establishing such industries which the private enterprise was unable to undertake either because they were technologically complex, needed large capital, or were less profitable. These steps resulted in growth of the industrial sector recording 56. 62 % growth of the manufacturing sector from year 1949 to 1955. Investment in the automobile industry in Pakistan started in the mid 1950’s when Kandawalla Industries established its units for assembling buses and trucks, the company’s name was later changed to NayaDaur Motors. National Motors took the indigenization when it came out in the 1960’s and was said to have reached above 80% delegation of the Bedford lorries and trucks before it closed down. Kandawalla Motors on its part came up with ‘Nishan’ , a jeep copied on the pattern of Willeys Jeep of USA by the Pakistan Army, it was said that the project was successful but was killed before the commercial production could begin. It may be worth mentioning here that the same blueprint is said to still be in use in Iran till today but under their own brand name. Second Period 1964 – 1972 (Progressive Manufacturing) Potential of the industry and high demand of the products attracted new entrants whereas the existing players started producing in mass quantities. This mass production that started in 1964 resulted in the first ever period of progressive manufacturing in the history of Pakistan. The idea of progressive manufacturing was first mooted by the Ghandhara Industries and Mack Trucks. The idea was to start local manufacturing with simple and non-functional parts and to add more and more complicated parts in small steps. According to the planning then done 100% local manufacturing was to be achieved in seven to ten years. Unfortunately, this period did not last long as the projects undertaken proved to be over ambitious that eventually failed. Clearly the concept of progressive manufacturing has not added much to technology, self-reliance or economy. For example, as against the targets set of manufacturing 100% of local contents in maximum 10 years, actually achieved delegation in eighteen years is 45. 78% for trucks & buses, 43. 17% for trucks & buses engines, 16. 50% for 4Ãâ€"4 jeeps and zero percent for cars. Furthermore, no new units for manufacturing passenger cars, 4Ãâ€"4 vehicles, LCVs, buses and trucks were established under this concept, but still few new units for producing tractors, jeeps and specialized vehicle were established. New units established were Atlas Honda, Khawaja Autos, Rana Tractors, Jaffar Industries, and Bela Engineers. A more market oriented approach was adapted by Honda motorcycles and Vespa scooters during this period, as they introduced light motorcycles for the first time in a market dominated by heavy motor bikes like BSA, Triumph and Lamberetta scooters. Third Period 1973 – 1987 (Nationalization of Industries) Following the progressive manufacturing period, nationalization of industries under Economic Reforms order had a profound impact on automobile industry in Pakistan. In early 1972 under Martial Law Regulation, the Government took over the control of 32 industrial units, including eight automobile plants, under the officially appointed Board of Industrial Management with the Minister for Production as its Chairman. The units taken over by the Government were iron and steel, heavy engineering, heavy chemicals, assembly and manufacturers of motor vehicles. The companies gone under nationalization included: oWazir Ali Engineering oSind Engineering oHyesons Mack Trucks oAli Autos oAwami Autos oRana Tractors oMillat Tractors oHaroonInd/Karachi Autos oRepublic Motors oJaffer Trailer Developers oGhandhara National Motors oKandawala Industries oNayaDaur Initially, the management of these industries was taken over by the government, but in August 1973, the President promulgated the Economic Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance after which the Federal Government acquired majority ownership of shares of these industrial units. After nationalization, these units were renamed, their functions were redefined, and Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO) was created in 1973 as a holding corporation under the administrative control of the Federal Ministry of Production. Formation of PACO In order to manage the automobile units and to advise the Government (in developing policy guidelines for growth and development of auto industry), Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO) was formed in 1973 under the administrative control of the Federal Ministry of Production. It was a major public industrial conglomerate of 15 companies including four joint ventures. For the first time in Pakistan emphasis was given to develop the nationalized units under local manufacturing facilities and the development of parts in an organized manner and the system of standardization, regulations and monitoring was established. This required the industry to assemble from Complete Knock Down (CKD) and then go on to manufacture components and to achieve a local content of 75% over a five year period. A number of small and large industrial units that were mostly functioning in the unorganized sector were channelized into a more formal pattern of production management under the PACO control. The direction for achieving quality standards as laid down by the â€Å"Principals† was also established. The MOI was entrusted the responsibility of allowing any waiver for non-performance, and was applicable if CBR also concurred. Performance under Government Control According to the government resources, the nationalized industries made progress on a wide front. During the year 1973-74, large scale manufacturing sector achieved a growth rate of 7% as compared to 11. 8% achieved during year 1972-73. The performance of automobile and farm equipment group was the best with production recording an increase of 78. 6%, followed by chemicals (30%) and steel and engineering (15. 1%). It can be observed that number of units in almost all areas of automobiles developed in this phase. The distinctive feature of after nationalization period is the assembly of Suzuki range of vehicles (Cars, Pick-up, Vans and Jeeps) and Isuzu Trucks & Buses in the public sector. Awami Autos signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Suzuki Motor Co. of Japan and a new company by the Name of Pak Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd was established in 1982 to produce Suzuki range of vehicles at the existing facilities of Awami Autos. PACO also established two units in the public sector namely Baluchistan Wheels and Bolan castings. The performance of PIDC was also excellent under the nationalization reform and it also contributed towards the progressive manufacturing. The performance of PIDC can be evaluated from the fact that by the end of December 1973, PIDC was successful in completing 62 projects at a capital cost of Rs 1,242. 6 million. In March 1974, 16 industrial projects were transferred to the respective 12 corporations set up by the Federal Government. Including in these projects were Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, Heavy Mechanical Complex and Heavy Foundry and Forge Projects. Subsequently, the remaining 10 projects under the PIDC’s control were also transferred to the Mineral Development Corporation. During the year 1972-73, the PIDC-managed projects and companies produced goods worth Rs. 470. 5 million as compared to Rs. 446. 6 million in 1971-72. Fourth Period 1987-95 (Privatization on Industries) The policy of de-nationalizing public sector units was adopted once the change in government took place. Privatization brought in foreign companies. This resulted in a number of joint ventures. Due to these ventures, Pakistan auto industry entered into assembly/progressive manufacturing of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. Once the new management of cars and motorcycle assemblers took over the control they entered into joint ventures with foreign companies mostly Japanese, for further development. Most important joint venture that took place was of Atlas with Honda and Indus Motor with Toyota. Similarly, NayaDaur which after discontinuation of AMC-Jeep franchise had become a mere vendor to Pak Suzuki (assembling Suzuki Jeeps) was sold to Tawakal group. Under the Government de-nationalization policy NayaDaur entered into Joint Venture with Kia Motors of Korea and started assembling Kia Ceres Pickups and Kia Pride Cars. The process of privatization is still on and fortunately every government has adopted the policy of privatization and opening of the markets to foreign investment. Although, process is on but still many object that this process is not crystal clear and has many short comings. Major Players in Pakistan’s Automobile Industry oPak Suzuki Company Ltd. oSuzuki Motorcycles Pakistan Ltd. oAtlas Honda Ltd. oIndus Motors Compay Ltd. oDewan Farooque Motors Ltd. oDawood Yamaha Ltd. oSigma Motors (Pvt. ) Ltd. oHinoPak Motors Ltd. oGhandhara Industries Ltd. oSind Engineering Ltd. oVPL Limited. oMaster Motor Corporation Ltd. oAl-Ghazi Tractors Ltd. oMillat Tractors Ltd.

Jane Austen’s Novels Plot-Construction

In contrast to the simplicity of her style, Jane Austen's plots are unexpectedly complex. She is not content to simply draw two or three characters in isolation. She prefers a family, with their many friends and acquaintances and she tries within her limited range to make things as difficult as possible. SETTINGS OF HER NOVELS Jane Austen's field of study is man. She is, therefore, more preoccupied with human nature than nature in the nineteenth century usage of the word. The background and the scenery of the provincial town is rich in its beauty and grandeur. But there is no attempt to look into the spirit of this country. Thus although, she has some sense of locality yet she does not paint an English community like the other writers of her time. She rather avoids those very elements of the population in which the local flavour, the breath of the soil is most pronounced. She is further incapable of evoking a scene or a landscape and cannot conjure up the spirit of Bath as Emile Bronte could conjure up the spirit of the Moorlands or Hardy that of Wessex. All this, one may say, would be fatal to her dramatic quality of construction. In all her novels, we see only a limited range of human society. Most of her characters are the kind of people she knew intimately, the landed gentry, the upper class, the lower edge of the nobility, the lower clergy, the officer corps of the military. Her novels exclude the lower classes-both the industrial masses of the big cities and the agricultural labourers in the countryside. Three or four families in the country village is the very thing to work on. She does not show any of the great agonies or darker side of human experience. There is no hunger, poverty, misery or terrible vices and very little of the spiritual sphere of experience. Nor do we see any political dimension or even discussions regarding major political happenings in any of her novels. Nature too, is rarely described and her characters are usually presented indoors with an occasional expedition or picnic thrown in. According to Andrew H. Wright, the novels of Jane Austen can be considered on three levels of meaning: first, the purely local-illustrative of country life among the upper middle-classes at the end of eighteenth century in Southern England. Second, they can be taken as broad allegories in which Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and a number of other virtues and defects are set forth in narrative form and commented on in this way. Third is the ironic level whereby the incidents, situations and characters in a novel imply something more than what they seem. PLOT-CONSTRUCTION IN SENSE AND SENSIBILITY It is one of Austen's simplest novels. The story deals with two sisters Elinor -the heroine represents a woman of sense, while Marianne, her foolish foil represents a woman of sensibility. The first volume of the book has a symmetrical pattern and a clear parallel is drawn between the two romances-Edward Ferrars and Elinor, John Willoughby and Marianne. True to Elinor's cool, sensible nature the relationship between Edward Farrar's is conducted on the level of the mind, with both displaying hardly an emotion. The theme of sense is thus exemplified through their relationship. On the other hand Willoughby who enters Marianne's life as a true romantic hero having carried her home when she sprained her ankle, exemplifies the theme of sensibility in his relationship with Marianne. While the moral seems to illustrate the superiority of sense over sensibility there is an ironic twist in the plot whereby Elinor and Marianne virtually interchange their positions PLOT-CONSTRUCTION IN EMMA The plot of Emma can be said to have an ‘inward' and an ‘outward' movement. The inward deal with Emma's self-deception- with what she thinks is happening while the outward deals with what actually is happening and this brings to light her mistakes. It is through a series of humiliations and self reproach that Emma finally awakens to self-knowledge. The reader's enjoyment stems from an awareness that Emma is wrong. From chapter 1 to 15, Emma thinks that Mr. Elton is in love with Harriet only to discover to her horror that Elton loves her. From chapter 18 to 30, Emma thinks herself to be in love with Frank and Jane Fairfax to be associated with Mr. Dixon. From chapter 31 to 46, Emma is convinced that Harriet and Frank Churchill are interested in one another. Towards the end of the novel, from chapter 46, Emma's theories about Frank and Harriet are about Jane Faifax and Dixon are destroyed and she has to face the possibility of Mr. Knightley being in love with Harriet. It is only after Knightley's proposals in the shrubbery that â€Å"what is happening† and â€Å"what Emma thinks is happening† converge and Emma's progress from self-delusion to knowledge is complete. By analyzing the plots of ‘Sense and Sensibility', ‘Emma' and ‘Pride and Prejudice', we observe that Austen's theme-her subject matter revolves round courtship and marriage in each of her novels. By the time we have reached the end of any of her novels, not only the hero and heroine but most of the other people in the story have succeeded in pairing off in marriage. And it is from the courtship of the hero and heroine that the story derives much of their tension. PLOT-CONSTRUCTION IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE The main plot of Pride and Prejudice presents the story of the misunderstanding, estrangement and union in the lives of two people-Elizabeth and Darcy. The novel begins with the flutter and eager expectation in the Bennet family at the arrival of the young â€Å"single man of large fortune†, Mr. Charles Bingley. The sub-plot of the Jane-Bingley relationship attracts greater interest for some time. They meet at a ball, are attracted towards each other and their intimacy grows through dinner-parties, balls, etc. All this while, however, the events of the main plot also gather interest. Darcy and Elizabeth are present at the same ball. Darcy is looked at with great admiration for about half the evening and is soon ‘discovered to be proud', and when Bingley persuades him to dance with Elizabeth, he says that she is ‘tolerable' but not handsome enough to tempt him. Elizabeth developed ‘no very cordial feelings towards him'. This prejudice forms in the very first m eeting and is intensified by various other factors. Miss Caroline Bingley's designs on Darcy and her efforts to reprobate Elizabeth during her stay at Netherfield are so persistent that inspite of his being attracted by Elizabeth's pair of fine eyes, he realizes that it is dangerous to pay too much attention to Elizabeth and observes a studied reticence. Mrs. Bennet's silly remarks, Mary's all too quick consent to sing at a party, Mr. Collin's sycophancy, Mr. Bennet's want of propriety and Lydia's shallowness—infact everything that the Bennet family did is enough to alienate anybody and Darcy's poor opinion of the whole set urges him to avoid closer connections with Elizabeth. When Elizabeth meets Wickham, his winning manners grow on her good-will, and the altogether false reports of his victimization by Darcy intensify her prejudice far too much. Later, when she naturally suspects that Darcy plays a prominent part in ruining the prospects of her sister's marriage with Bingley, she feels an almost irrevocably strong prejudice a gainst him. From chapter 3 to 33, the prejudice grows in better strength and so when Darcy proposes to her, she bluntly rejects him. In reply to his enquiry about why she refused, she lays the charges at his door without any apology. The first stage in the history of their relationship is convincingly developed. Chapters 35 and 36 mark the climax in this development. Darcy's letter to her marks the beginning of the second stage. Every event occurring subsequent to this helps to reverse Elizabeth's conception of him, undo all the knots of prejudice and reveal the sterling qualities that he possesses. Even at the end of the first stage, his repulsive pride completely dominates all his thought and action, but the citadel staggers at the first rude shock Elizabeth gives him. ‘She showed him how insufficient were all his pretentions to please a woman worthy of being pleased', and even though he was angry at first, he soon realized that the lesson she taught was ‘hard indeed at first but most advantageous'. When they met most unexpectedly at Pemberley, he ‘showed her by every civility in his power that he hoped to obtain her forgiveness and lessen her ill opinion, ‘Darcy's excessive pride is dec reased and Elizabeth becomes proportionately less prejudiced. Many events in the second stage quicken this cleansing process. Even in the offending remarks about her family there is an admission that Elizabeth could inspire in Darcy a strong feeling of love capable of overcoming his strong scruple of family pride; and her vanity is touched. Darcy's narration in the letter makes it clear to her that if he found Jane's behavior ‘without any symptom of peculiar regard for Bingley', it was a pardonable, even justifiable, error of judgment and the motives were certainly unchallengeable. The baselessness of her violent charge of ruining Wickham's career becomes all clear to her. Colonel Fitzwilliam's report about him is also creditable to Darcy. All these events make her conscious that she had acted despicably and that her certainty about her discernment was most unjustifiable. Her visit to Pemberley brings another surprise. His housekeeper, Mrs. Reynold's, is genuinely proud of Darcy, who is ‘the best landlord and the best master', ‘affable to the poor', ‘an entirely good brother': and she is sure to know better. Darcy's unexpected meeting at Pemberley is still more effective: he impresses her aunt and uncle by his excellent manners, and Elizabeth has to admit that her prejudice was ill founded. Finally, Darcy's most invaluable help in the eprisode of Lydia's elopement with Wickham sweeps off all her objections. And so when Darcy's second, and most polite proposal is made, her attitude has changed as much as his. The first minor eprisode is the Jane-Bingley relationship. It can be treated as an independent event, but Jane Austen has woven it well with the main theme. Jane and Elizabeth are sisters who share each other's secrets, hopes and fears and it is the simplest connection. But on the strength of Darcy's regard, Bingley has the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion, and so when Darcy suspected that Jane did not love Bingley as fervently as Bingley loved her, and found that her family had all vulgar manners and shallow tastes, he ‘readily engaged in the office of pointing out to him the certain evils of such a choice'. This was one of the very important reasons of Elizabeth's strong prejudice, and thus it is connected with the main theme. The Wickham-Lydia eprisode and the Collins-Charolette relationship is equally well connected with it. While Elizabeth has developed a prejudice against Darcy, she is strongly attracted towards Wickham— and it is very long before she knows what his real character is. One of the two strong charges she levels against Darcy is the ruining of Wickham's prospects. Darcy reveals the truth to her later, but because of her silence on this point, she cannot stop her sister's elopement and the slander on her family. It is this catastrophe, however, that brings Darcy closest to her because it is his love for her that he finds out the fugitives and makes a successful effort to bring about a marriage between Lydia and Wickham, neglecting the thought of the loss to him. Mr. Collins proposes to her, and later marries her best friend Charolette. All the threads are thus connected. Wickham and Charolette also serve as a comment on Elizabeth and Darcy. â€Å"The Darcy-Elizabeth couple is flanked on one side by the unexceptionable Bingley and Jane, it is flanked on the other by Charolette and Wickham†. The last two have the cleverness of the two main characters, but they are time-servers. The structure is therefore, most cleverly unifying. The precision, simplicity and symmetry of ‘Pride and Prejudice' evoke instinctive appreciation. So well it is constructed that the action proceeds logically from exposition, complication and climax to the denouncement and finally the resolution. The sub-plots are also thematically unified. The theme of love and marriage is exemplified through the plot and the sub-plots. Jane Austen uses the dramatic narrative mode and irony so effectively to build her complex plot that it would not be amiss to say that she â€Å"is the most perfect dramatist who never wrote a play†. Furthermore, all Jane Austen plots are characterized by a unity of tone and are compact and well- knit. There are no loose ands anywhere, no event conceived outside the actual plot and nothing usually hampers the progress of the story. JANE AUSTEN'S COMEDY OF MANNERS  IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE â€Å"The wisest and the best of men-nay, the wisest and best of their actions – may he rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke. â€Å"Certainly†, he replied Elizabeth-â€Å"there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule that is wiser or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.† This brief dialogue between Darcy and Elizabeth throws distinct light upon Jane Austen's purpose and programme in her novels. For once it be supposed that Miss Bennet's point of view is but a projection of her creator's. Her intention in these novels is to present a comedy of manners – to present the follies and vices of men and to expose them to general ridicule by employing the devices of comedy, parody, burlesque, irony, wit, satire, each one of them as is suitable for the occasion and need. THE UNITY OF TONE Hence, her plots are characterized by a singular unity of tone and she often achieves it by focusing our attention at it from more than one angle. In Pride and Prejudice alone the unity of plot has been achieved from as many as three angles. We can view the novel first, as Elizabeth Bennet sees everything; secondly, by assigning to Elizabeth and Darcy a prominent place into the novel and by centering the higher and nobler comedy around these two figures; and thirdly by making the whole story a study in Pride— pride of place and responsibility in some, pride in the form of social snobbery in others and also either a perverted pride or the lack of pride in the rest. However, the unity is therefore very essential in imparting coherence and shape to her design. Thus, the structure of Jane Austen's novel is perfect and is ideally suited for the material she wanted to embody and the outlook she wished to present.