Preoccupation with Death in Hamlet Essay

â€Å"Hamlet† is a play permeated with death. Right from the opening scene of the play death is introduced, where the ghost of Hamlet’s father introduces the idea of death and its consequences. Preoccupation with death is a major theme in this play as shown in the numerous deaths of the main characters of Hamlet, Polonius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Claudius and Laertes. Taken off the web accurate definitions of â€Å"preoccupation† are the following: 1)a state in which you think about something so much that you do not think about other things; 2)something that you think about and want to do because it is important. This is exactly what the main characters are preoccupied by-death. An example would be that Hamlet is preoccupied by death throughout the story. It is apparent that Hamlet is haunted by his father’s death. When Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father, their conversation raises all kinds of unthinkable questions, for example murder by a brother, an unfaithful mother, that triggers Hamlet’s obsession. He feels compelled to determine the reliability of the ghost’s statements so that he can determine how he must act. Ultimately, it is his obsession with death that leads to Hamlet avenging the death of his father by killing Claudius. Although Hamlet’s preoccupation is deeply rooted in his character’s fascination with death, it could be a product of his grief. Hamlet’s most potent consideration of death comes in Act 4, Scene 3. His almost gruesome fixation with the idea of death is revealed by his mockery and such when asked by Claudius where he has hidden Polonius’ body. Hamlet’s answers seem to reveal an extremely morbid state of mind. Hamlet exclaimed how once the body dies, it goes through a cycle where it is eaten by worms, these worms are used to get food for another person therefore, that person digests the dead body. Finally, the graveyard scene shows how Hamlet views death and that he fears how no matter who you were or what you did that someday you too, will be at one with the earth and dirt only to become decayed, fed upon and then nothing. â€Å"No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough and likelihood to lead it; as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was uried, Alexander returned into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam: and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop at a beer-barrel? † (Act 5, Scene 1 Lines 201-206) As Hamlet continuously postponed the death of Claudius he became more preoccupied with the various ways he could have his revenge. Hamlet has completed his transformation from an unhappy young man to a hardened killer. He has no hope and despite Horatio’s praise, by this time he would not have made a good king.

Person centred planning Essay

It is important that a person is always the centre of planning there decisions and wishes for the future and you should always use a person centred approach when dealing with an individual. For example if a doctor was explaining a course of treatment to a certain individual and you could see that the individual did not understand what the doctor was telling them but the carer assumed it would be OK to let the doctor carry on and just explain the the individual later on. Where in fact you should of stopped to ask that individual if the understood and if not then ask the doctor to explain himself in a different way were they may understand more. This then includes the individual and gives them the ability to ask questions and decided what decisions they may want because they would be in the centre of their own care. If you was to wait until the individual was home to explain what the doctor was saying then they may of made the wrong choices in which path they wanted to go in simply because they did not realise what the doctor was saying and could therefore become distressed by this. For example if the individual was to agree to a type of treatment which goes against there values and beliefs but because the carer did not explain what the doctor meant they may not of known what they were agreeing to. where as by getting the doctor the explain in a understanding form for them means that they could find out all the information they need to make decisions and come away happy knowing that they fully understand what they have chosen to do. This is why person centred planning is so important because it means the individual is in charged of what they want and it makes them less distress knowing that they can make their own choices and they are being listened too and they are valued as a person.

The Virtuous Character of Desdemona

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as is virtue. Such is the case of the virtue of the character Desdemona, from the play The Tragedy of Othello, by William Shakespeare. Desdemona was shown as a low moral, virtue less female in the essay The Character of Desdemona by John Quincy Adams. Contrary to this, the modern reader can see that Shakespeare actually showed her to be a virtuous and loving person, whose own innocence lead to her demise. Is Desdemona a virtuous character? Is there anyone who can be so self-sacrificing? Shakespeare is careful to give her a few minor flaws- her treatment of Brabantio, her stubborn persistence about Cassio, her lie about the handkerchief- to make her realistic. But the overall character of Desdemona is of high stature, it is her very innocence that makes her a victim of circumstance. As a young Venetian woman, Desdemona has lived a sheltered life in her father's home. This sheltering gave her an innate passion for all the things that she was denied. She was denied all things that a modern day women would be allowed to do, including the right to fall in love with someone free of social status, age or race. She then falls in love, probably for the first time, with a man several years older than herself, from a faraway land, and of a different race. She is captivated by the man's stories and wishes she were a man so that she might also have an exciting life, the very life she was denied because of her being a women. Knowing that her father would disapprove of her marriage to such a man, she elopes with Othello. Desdemona is portrayed as a lovely, courageous, gentle woman, deeply in love with her husband. However, she is not a perfect character but her morals, and her virtues are still there. In the play Desdemona says to her father Brabantio, â€Å"(I,iii;180) My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you; you are the lord of duty†. No matter what the circumstances may be, she never stopped respecting her father. Though still she had to follow her heart. Her lover Othello says of her, â€Å"She gave me for my pains a world of sighs† (I,iii;168) However one person in time may see an event or character, another person in another time can perceive the same to be of completely different meanings. John Quincy Adams says that Desdemona lacks virtues and all she does is cause her father grief to his dying bed. He says that â€Å"the passion of Desdemona for Othello is unnatural, solely and exclusively because of his color. † Which if looked at by today†s standards would hold of no significance what the persons skin color is. Second he says that her elopement to him, and secret marriage with him, indicate a personal character not only very deficient in delicacy, but totally regardless of filial duty, of female modesty, and of ingenuous shame. Third he states, â€Å"her deficiency in delicacy is discernible in her conduct and discourse throughout the play. † Altogether he thinks that she has done nothing but wrong when she ran away for her love, and that she has low morals and no virtues because she has wronged her father. In contrast to what John Quincy Adams said of the character of Desdemona, proof from the play itself states otherwise. â€Å"If virtue no delighted beauty lack, Your son-in-law is far more fair than black†, John Quincy Adams uses that quote to illustrate how the skin color love affair had shown Desdemona to be of low morals, and that she had committed an unnatural thing. When as seen by today†s standards it is perfectly all right for two people of different races, ages, sexes, nationality and religions to be in love and to wed. Another quote from the play used by John Q. Adams is, â€Å"With the Moor, say'st thou? –Who would be a father? † that quote helps to illustrate how the father was hurt by the actions of his daughter. When in fact Desdemona meant no harm to her father, she simply wanted to do what†s right as is said by Iago, â€Å"She that was ever fair and never proud, Had tongue at will and yet was never loud†¦ (II,i;158). Also shown to us by Desdemona herself is how she felt towards her father all along, again proving wrong the portrayal of her by John Q. Adams, â€Å"(I,iii;180) My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you; you are the lord of duty†. Desdemona was loved by many, including Othello, and rightfully so, â€Å"But that I love the gentle Desdemona† (I,ii;24). Even John Q. Adams is quoted saying himself in his essay, â€Å"Desdemona, †¦ is amiable and lovely,† towards the top of his last paragraph. Even he in the end admitted to the fact that Desdemona's character is amiable, lovely, virtuous, and still retains its morals. Many people from separate time periods can look at Desdemona in different ways. The modern reader will apply the modern aspects of life to the story and look at it from that perspective, while someone like John Quincy Adams looks at it from the vision of the time period he lived in.

Week4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week4 - Essay Example The above firms’ intellectual properties are patents, trademarks and other trade secrets like product design more so in relation to Covidien. These go a long way in protecting the companies’ production and innovations. BioMarin is heavily guarded by these intellectual properties as it deals with a tighter environment which is about chemical compositions, discoveries and developments. Factors considered in determining intellectual properties range from the type of products or services that the firms deal in and the nature of the industry according to Lindberg (2008). As earlier mentioned BioMarin is in the drug manufacturing arena which has stiff intellectual property rules and regulations. Each brand’s trademark needs to be well guarded as well as its chemical composition. For Covidien, the design of the surgical products is more important to patent. This is because a design is there for all to see and another firm may adopt it altogether if not lawfully guarded. Intellectual properties are quite expensive to acquire and maintain. This is more so in respect to health related products. Lindberg (2008) states that huge amount of time and resources are poured into research so as to come up with a unique product and to have such a product patented and inserted as a trademark. In the current global market place and intensified competition, stiffer environment is in the offing for entrepreneurs wishing to start operations. Firms are facing challenges which there before were not as huge as today making the contemporary market place a huge challenge to overcome. One of these is stiffer laws on copyrights, patenting and other intellectual property factors says Reynolds (2007). Due to increased competition firms are finding it prudent to have their products protected and this has become a huge requirement. As mentioned earlier, the entrepreneur will need to cough more and spend more time in these

Participate in a Research Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Participate in a Research Study - Essay Example Many of the questions were asking about current situations as well as one that the participant remembered from their past. The strengths of this study were that it only took about 15 minutes and it was done online. This way, the study could be random and they could take as many participants as possible. Because it was online, they were able to take people from all over the world. They also provided links to therapists that could help if the participants had any challenges with their feelings after the study as well as the email of one of the researchers. The only weakness of the study I felt was that the sections were too long in some situations. There were several times that I felt like I just wanted to stop instead of going all the way through to the end. In the initial page of the study, the researchers gave information about any ethical considerations. The study had been approved by their ethical committee and they said participants could leave a study blank if it made them feel uncomfortable. They also gave links to counselors because they said that it could be that one would feel some anxiety or distress in answering some of the questions. They said that the survey was voluntary and that the participant had the right to withdraw participation at any time.

France and The European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

France and The European Union - Essay Example French used twentieth-century phenomenon, in which it claims to be a monopoly of political, intellectual and moral leadership of European integration. In fact, by the 21st century political leadership of France seemed to be short in supply of European question, in difference with the demands from various sources - not necessarily aggregated or organized demands - for more, different Europe. The political system that France used to helped bring into being, the European Union poses challenges of many orders to all its member states; it is more than the sum of its parts. Where as France is concerned membership of the EU derives from a strong and invasive sense of imperative, or lack of alternative, that dates back to the Fourth Republic (1946-1958) and the foundations of what we know today as the EU. In fact, Parsons has demonstrated that in those years, the 'community' option for building Europe was not the only possible means of reaching France's primary foreign policy objective -national security via reconciliation with Germany - than more 'traditional' methods of European cooperation; but it had the most supporters, fewest opponents, and the best luck. Once France had embarked upon European community-building, the leaders of the Fifth Republic, de Gaulle included, turned France's European commitment into a virtue and a vehicle for its additional foreign policy objecti ves of rank and greatness, via defiant shows of national sovereignty and independence, and a constant balancing act between integration and autonomy; although De Gaulle, it must be said, set European integration on a new course: the sovereignty of the states and the Inter-governmental nature of the institutions was to be emphasized. French Relationship with European Union For many years it was more accurate to describe French relations with the European Union as a division of French foreign policy, this remains true to an imperative extent. In other terms, the French foundation for tying itself to the 1950s experiment in institution-building was borrowed from the vocabulary of international power relations, la construction European providing first and foremost a buffer between France and potential international aggression played out on its territory. Over time, the consequences of the commitment to ever closer union had the effect of creating its own domestic rationale. From de Gaulle to Chirac, via, crucially, Franois Mitterrand, Europe has taken on its own momentum, in the guise of processes of 'Europeanization', as an opportunity for domestic reform and a crutch for apparently ailing traditional ideologies (socialism, communism) - but against a backdrop where 'Europe' continues to have low salience in the French electorate. Since the early 1950s, France has embarked on a process of Europeanization, thereby accepting the unacceptable: the primacy of EU law, the entanglement of European and French organizational structures, and a new and reduced France as part of some larger entity. However, anti-international anarchy explanation for building Europe still holds for French decision-makers today, usually caricatured in the expression Europe puissance. France would cooperate with its European neighbours as a means of imposing French designs on the Cold War order, and of imparting a sense of national identity to the French. Though to a extensive

Structural engineering Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Structural engineering Class - Essay Example The house was designed by Spanish architects Sola-Morales and Cadaval (dezeen). It can be seen in the picture that a major portion of the house is built in cantilever. It not only obviates the need to provide structural members at the base to support the overhanging portion, but also provides the inhabitants of the house with more space to live in without consuming any space at the base. Houses with cantilever portions can have large areas for gardening or verandahs. Why is the cantilever principle an important factor in structural work? Cantilever principle is widely employed in all sorts of construction works. The biggest advantage it offers to the constructor is that it obviates the need to provide one of the two main supports at the free end of the structural member. This results not only in decreasing the amount of material needed for the construction of structure, but also makes the structure look quite elegant. The free hanging portion of the structural member lends it a beaut iful dramatic look, that adds a lot to the overall beauty of the whole structure. In the contemporary age where look of the structure is considered of prime importance, cantilever principle helps the constructor achieve the very purpose without having to compromise upon the safety of the structure.

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Criminology - Essay Example It familiarizes students with the techniques, strategies and forms of writing used in the professional world. This course will increase students’ knowledge of organizational writing and communications, including case analysis, data interpretation, problem solving and report writing. This also covers basic police correspondence, and regular police work requiring oral and written reports, investigation and interrogation, and many other police duties and responsibilities. Course Overview Welcome to CRJ302 Effective Professional Communications. The main purpose of this course is to improve communications skills, both oral and written. The secondary purpose is to improve the officer's ability to complete the reports and forms commonly used in the criminal justice system. The best way to improve communication skills is by practicing these skills correctly. Throughout the course are opportunities to do this. English grammar rules are covered and other writing improvement tips includi ng how to improve improper English and how to refine present skills. The communication process begins with the four regions of knowledge and basic type of communication patterns, special communications issues such as dealing with those in other language and culture groups that a street cop especially, might encounter along with public speaking, communicating with the media, and questioning and interviewing techniques for suspects. Finally, a section on active listening skills and hostage negotiations are explored along with law enforcement records that are used in the criminal justice system and the critical need of officers to understand how to use, fill in, and disperse appropriate records. Course Objectives   Upon completion of this course, you should be able to: Identify the basic communication process, and the concepts and rules in the law enforcers’ oral and written communication. Recognize proper usage of words and sentences in police correspondence. Recall the forma ts and templates used in reports, affidavits, search warrants and warrants of arrest. Name the barriers to communication and special communication issues. Specify the ultimate questions used in investigation and interrogation, and how to be an effective hostage negotiator. Course Schedule and Topics This course will cover the following topics in eight modules: Week 1: Module 1: Basic Communication in Law Enforcement Week 2: Module 2: Barriers to communication Week 3: Module 3: Special Communication Issues Week 4: Module 4: Communicating in Public Week 5: Module 5: Police Reporting Week 6: Module 6: Reports, Affidavits, Warrants, & Search Warrants Week 7: Module 7: Investigation and Interrogation Week 8: Module 8: Hostage Negotiations Study Guide COURSE - The course is divided into eight topic-related modules.  In general, each module’s concepts and material build cumulatively so a best approach to successful completion of the course is to study these modules in the same ord er as they appear in the Course Schedule and Topics.   Study any supplemental resources provided with your course to give you greater depth of understanding of the subject matter.   The course content is available to you at all times so that you may read ahead, and review assignments.   This will help you anticipate your work load and to understand how the course concepts are integrated and built upon one another.   TEXTBOOK - Your textbook may be in the form of hard copy or e-text. E-text means your textbook is accessed online. Some

Phinney's theory Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Phinney's theory - Case Study Example this phase, several individuals may experience either dissemination or a foreclosure, lack of attention in ethnicity or the wide-ranging acceptance of others opinions (Evans, 2009). This might apply more to the African Americans who lack recognition from most of the other white individuals. Amongst the red Indians or the Native Americans, these phase will is directed to them because they are no longer recognized and their culture too (Ortiz. 2009). The second phase of the replica is Ethnic character Search or suspension; it combines the ideas of bump into and discovery (Ortiz. 2009). The individual starts to develop their ethnic identity during this stage which is often initiated by an indirect or harsh event. For example, the Africans Americans were normally treated as slaves before the declaration of independence. The concluding phase of this replica is Ethnic Identity accomplishment. Individuals at this phase will tend to have a sense that is clear of their ethnic distinctiveness, and they are able to navigate productively their identity biculturalism (Ortiz. 2009). It is vital to note that Phinney developed the three phase model based on her explore with teenagers and college students comprise of a dissimilar situate of support and challenges that might have an effect on the theory’s applicability. In this phase, both Africans Americans and Native Americans are able to perform their culture more peacefully (Ortiz. 2 009). Higher education is capable of find value in Phinney’s three phase model as it can be utilized while working in the company of students on or after a variety of background that are ethnic (Ortiz. 2009).  Ã‚  Higher education can utilize this model on the road to create surroundings that encourages journeying of and pledge to a person’s personal ethnic identity (T, 1996). Campuses will subsidize actions so as to shore up the ethnic identity seek phase by providing an artistic opportunity, open dialogues, and ethnics study courses that

Employee Rewards Essay Example for Free

Employee Rewards Essay Introduction The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the processes used by Scotia Learning and identify if their rewards are appropriate to those of the market. The report will begin by discussing the background of Scotia Learning and follow on to define reward management highlighting the objective and constraints within the reward strategy. We will then consider the legal framework and examine why there are variations in pay and how job evaluation can ensure equity and fairness is achieved. Finally we will discuss the concept of motivation and the implications of pay for performance within the reward strategy. The report ends with an analysis of the key issues of the topic. Scotia Learning is the case study for this essay and is one of a network of university-based study centres offering preparation for students wishing to study undergraduate and postgraduate degrees for progression into university degree courses. The company has joint venture partnerships with top universities throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and United States of America. â€Å"Reward management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the organisation† (Armstrong Murlis, 2007, p3). Research by Redman Wilkinson (2009) indicates that reward is an enormously complex issue and has to take account of three fundamental principles in determining systems and structures: internal equity, external equity and business strategy. In addition Thorpe Homan (2000) state that the organisation should identify what objectives and behaviours the payment system should have for example, labour market competitiveness and management skills whilst Perkins White (2009) highlight the importance of legal regulations that can put constraints on organisations, for example minimum wage (legal), collective bargaining (trade unions), and the external labour markets. Scotia Learning does not recognise a trade union however it does recognise that collective bargaining has been influential in discussing and setting pay arrangement due to internal and external rates of pay not being equal. Within the employment legislation pay has always been an area of controversy especially when one considers employee’s collective concerns (Brown et al., 2003). The introduction of The Equal Pay Act 1970 outlawing unequal pay for men and women having since evolved into equal pay for equal work and the Equal Pay (Amendment) Regulations 1983 after the UK joined the EU in 1973 (Perkins White, 2009), now gives employees a certain degree of protection in their employment relationship. To strengthen current legislation The Equality Act 2010 was introduced highlighting human rights and discriminatory factors, such as equal pay, sex discrimination, race, disability and equality (religion, sexual orientation, and age) (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2012). In response to this Scotia Learning are aware that they have a ‘duty of care’ to all employees and comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy by ensuring the relevant training is undertaken by managers and employees ensuring everyone understands the importance of and their responsibilities under this Policy. This is also promoted in all recruitment documents, ensuring that wording of job advertisements does not discriminate against any potential applicants. As part of this legislation, employers are legally required to ensure their pay structures are not discriminatory against men and women in terms of valuing work between them in their employment and in order to defend themselves against equal pay claims, organisations must be able to prove that the jobs within their grading system are valued according to the job rather than the gender of the person doing the job. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in a tribunal claim and if proven the organisation will have to pay all money accrued which can be backdated six years in England and five years in Scotland. In the case of (Birmingham City Council v Abdulla and others [2012] UKSC 47), the Supreme Court ruled that equal pay claims brought in the High Court more than six months after the end of the claimants employment, which would have been out of time in an employment tribunal, should not be struck out under section 2(3) of the Equal Pay Act 1970. The reasons for a claimants failure to bring a timely claim in a tribunal are not relevant in any way to the notion of convenience under section 2(3). (PLC Employment Law Weekly email). Within Scotia Learning pay and benefits are provided on the basis of objective criteria, free from discrimination taking into account the principle of equal pay for equivalent work or work of equal value. In addition we ensure transparency within the reward system is clear to all employees in that they understand how their pay is worked out and what is required from them to achieve this. Job profiles and person specifications for each new vacancy are drawn up in keeping with other jobs of a similar size and responsibility which focus on the skills, experience and qualifications that are directly relevant to the job. Armstrong Murlis (2007, p115) state that â€Å"the payment system is important as it not only conveys a signal to the employees what the organisational priorities are but also acts as a catalyst for wider organisational change† a view reiterated by Armstrong (1996) in which he proposes that the foundations of reward management are to achieve the individual and organisational behaviour that a company needs if the business goals are to be met. Therefore the term ‘employees are the key to enhanced organisational performance’ becomes relevant with links to Kessler and Purcell (1994) where they emphasise that payment systems are related to recruitment, retention and motivation of staff and that the determination of pay is not only the interaction of market forces but also employers. It is also acknowledged that variations in pay can occur for a variety of reasons and from a legal perspective it is important to understand why (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Firstly the power scenario, in that if labour is scarce, employees will have more power and hence may be able to demand higher pay, in contrast with an over-supply of labour employers have the power and hence may be able to hold pay at lower rates (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Secondly, it has been acknowledged that ‘the rate for the job’ should be the same for employees doing the same job but considering organisational performance is reliant on the employ ee’s effort, skills and competencies, it is not logical to assume that effort should be rewarded and pay should vary accordingly. A view shared by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p161) who advocate that â€Å"variable pay schemes (VPS) are said to hold out the promise towards the creation of internal labour market that is fairer in rewarding people as it is only ‘fair’ that rewards should have a direct link with effort†. The argument with this theory is that ‘risk adverse’ workers will be less willing to ‘gamble’ on pay related performance than a set amount of pay. Thirdly, we should also take into consideration the external market rate of pay and uneven market pressures such as differing regional or occupational rates of pay as Kessler (2007, p167) states â€Å"external equity is an organisational imperative as failure to respond the labour market changes will leave organisations at a disadvantage competitively†. Scotia Learning responds to these challenges by regularly benchmarking and studying the market rate of pay within the educational sector. Data collected i s beneficial in determining pay to ensure pay scales are in line with and competitive with similar jobs. For example, when recruiting teaching staff, the use of organisations such as SATEFL and other educational websites are particularly useful, for administration staff we would use S1jobs.com and jobseeker.gov.uk website and with management we would use agencies. However, although the aforesaid strategy is very useful, Scotia Learning is a relatively large organisation with Centres worldwide and other factors have to be taken into consideration, such as location and cost of living. In determining the value of jobs within our organisation, although we consider the external market pay rates, decisions concerning pay are done through a coherent wage and career structure internal to our organisation which ensures consistency and fairness in our reward systems. It has been reported that issues with this reward system have arisen within the banking sector resulting in Government intervention to deal with inequalities of pay setting at senior management/director level and low pay via the nati onal minimum wage. This is not an area of concern for Scotia Learning as the annual salary increase is a % rate consistent throughout the organisation and our pay structure process involves a job evaluation â€Å"a systematic process for establishing the relative worth of jobs within an organisation† Redman Wilkinson (2009, p141). In addition Scotia Learning is accredited to the British Council and British Accreditation Council and all HR policies and personnel files are properly documented and filed. Our job evaluation comprises of an analytical (i.e., jobs are broken down into individual components) broad-band pay structure with a range of factors such as knowledge and skills, problem solving, decision making and then allocating points to them. It is interesting to note that research by IRS (2007) showed that an average of 86% of organisations use this form of job evaluation. Within this broad-band pay structure we have 6 wide overlapping salary bands made up of management, HR, teaching staff , finance, student services and cleaning staff with a salary range for each bank of at least 75%. Progression up the bands will be by skills and qualifications, performance and competence enhanced through individual career development thus supplying the motivation for continuous learning. To support this, the annual performance review takes place, however it is not linked to pay or rewards and is based on the objectives of skills and competence which are linked to organisational performance. In terms of equity and fairness the rate of pay for full-time and part-time teaching staff is calculated on the same hourly rate therefore ensuring consistency and fairness within the system. It is interesting to note that research by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p139) argues that by paying an hourly rate â€Å"employers control over pace and performance is reliant on either direct supervision or the willingness of employees to engage with the task† synonymous with the argument surrounding ‘risk adverse’ workers. This point of view may be viable in organisations such as ‘call centres’ where technology enables the monitoring and regulating of work by measuring output and input and within the customer service industry where we have the ‘secret shopper’, but within the education sector autonomy is part of the job as is their professional code of ethics which includes commitment, motivation and discretionary behaviour which is contradictory to the argument by Thorpe Homan (2000) who suggest that non-financial aspects are secondary and rarely given the same prominence in the design of payment systems. Managing rewards is largely about managing employee expectations linking to their psychological contract which is concerned with pay, performance and the development of skills (Armstrong Murlis, 2007). The argument then becomes, if reactions to rewards depend on the psychological makeup, values and needs of individual, one cannot wholly rely on performance related pay schemes to enhance all employees’ performance as not everyone is motivated by money. Motivation only takes place if rewards are worthwhile to the individual and if the process is seen to be fair, therefore, it would require to be customised for every individual in the organisation (Armstrong Murlis, 2007). For example, an employee nearing the end of their career may be more interested in job satisfaction (intrinsic reward), whereas a graduate beginning their career may be more interested in training and development (extrinsic reward). For that reason it can be argued that both intrinsic rewards such as respect, recognition, job satisfaction and responsibility are just as important as extrinsic rewards such as pay rises, bonuses, training and development opportunities and benefits such as annual holidays, company sick pay and company pension. This highlights the importance of implementing an equitable and fair reward strategy in that by incorporating financial and non-financial rewards is that they can be used as a tool to enhance employee motivation resulting in improved organisational performance. Finally the importance of management skills cannot be undermined as they are a fundamental element of human resource management. The management strategy within Scotia Learning is based on autonomy, communication and high levels of trust between management and employees. Evidence to support this is the turnover rate of staff with one employee resigning over the past two years and the annual absence levels within Scotia L earning for all staff inclusive stands at 0.1% of working hours, which is the lowest in the entire organisation. Conclusion This objective of the report was to establish the processes that ensure equity and fairness in the reward systems. We have covered the legal aspects, strategies, market awareness, motivation, job evaluation and performance appraisal and it has become evident that Scotia Learning complies with all legal legislation, and displays equity and fairness within the reward systems. However there was an air of negativity surrounding performance and reward as within Scotia Learning the annual appraisal is not yet connected to pay for performance. It is possible that issues could arise if this was implemented, namely, it could seriously affect the dynamics of the office environment between a very closely-nit team of employees, managers and directors in that, how does the manager justify their decision in the event of a low reward without affecting the equilibrium of the office environment and within a unionised organisation all trade unions argue against performance linked to pay. Schemes relating pay to performance, although generating a tremendous amount of interest have very little in the way of conclusive evidence concerning their effects on performance (Redman Wilkinson, (2009). This echoes Thompson (1992) findings in which he states, â€Å"research fails to provide convincing evidence of a link between individual performance-related pay schemes and improvements in productivity†. The evidence supports that other approaches should be considered in rewarding employees, for example a one-off bonus payment which would not affect the employees’ annual salary. References Armstrong, M. (1996) Employee Reward, London: Kogan Page/IPD Armstrong, M., and Murlis, H. (2007) Reward Management. 5thedn. London: Hay Group Brown, W., Marginson, P., and Walsh, J. (2003) The management of pay as the influence of collective bargaining diminishes. In: P.K. Edwards, Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice, Oxford: Blackwell IRS (2007) Job evaluation is thriving, survey finds: Employment Review, 667 Kessler, I. (2007) Reward Choices: strategy and equity. In: Storey, J. HRM: a critical text 3rd edition, London: Thomson Learning Kessler, I., and Purcell, J. (1994) Performance Related Pay: Objectives and application, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol.2, No.3 Perkins, S. J., and White, G. (2009) Employee Reward: Alternatives, consequences and contexts, 2nd edn. London: Chartered Institute Of Personnel and Development, Redman, T., and Wilkinson, A. (2009) Contemporary Human Resource Management: Text Cases, 3rd edn. London: Prentice Hall, Thompson, M. (1992) Pay for Performance: The employers experience, Brighton, Institute of Manpower Studies Thorpe, R., and Homan, G (2000) Strategic Reward Systems, Harlow: Financial Times Williams, S., and Adam-Smith, D. (2006) Contemporary Employment Relations: A critical introduction, Oxford: University Press Equality of Human Rights Commission, available from: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/human-rights/ date accessed 23/10/12 PLC Employment Law, available from: [emailprotected] – date accessed 26/10/12

Female Participation in the Sri Lanka Tourist Industry

Female Participation in the Sri Lanka Tourist Industry RESTRICTED CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS INTRODUCTION 1.Sri Lanka has a growing tourism industry. After independence in 1948 Sri Lanka Continues to attract foreign investors and tourist to the island. The hospitality is one of the main parts of the tourism industry. It includes hospitality unit such as restaurant, hotels, parks there servers, house keepers, porters, kitchen workers,, management, marketing and human resources, person who is working in this field is very much important and working in direct contact with customer. Now tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Presently tourism is a major income source for many countries. Sri Lanka is the 6 th largest foreign exchange earning country to the economy. 2.Present scenario in Sri Lanka is that female contribution approximately half of the population of Sri Lanka. Female play a vital role in the Sri Lanka economy and those economy sectors are the backbone of the important secretors of the economy such as plantation, garment, manufacture industry and migrant workers. As a whole unemployment rate is higher in females than males. According to work force with university degrees is concerned 48% of them were female in 2012. Those with the advance level qualification also same. 2.In Sri Lanka employment of female in tourism industry is very less. There are many reasons which have effected. to less participation in tourism industry. CONCLUTION 16.Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the economy in Sri Lanka. It has an aim reach its target of 2.5 million tourist arrival by 2016. Tourism industry has witnessed a rapid growth after 30 years civil war in north and east. Tourist arrival has doubled during the period and to expanding tourism industry. 17.To achieve the expected achievement the industry may face many challenges such as improved service standards, increasing room capacity including conditions of the room, more qualified trained staff, the number of trained hospitality staff. They are inadequate to meet the needs of a growing industry. Because of that there is an urgent requeipment to establish new training school, encourage current employs to obtain higher certification multi skill development. By doing so those would increase the skilled workers, there by improving the service standards in the industry. MAIN REASONS FOR LAW LEVEL OF LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION OF FEMALE 18.There are some significant reasons which affect to the less female participation in the tourism industry: a.Social and cultural situation in Sri Lanka. b.Limited range of skills that acquired by females and it has lead to law skilled occupations in tourism industry. c.Lack of knowle of handling of foreign language d.lack of professional knowledge which required for tourism industry. e.In the labor market there is inequitable gender division. This inequitable situation still represent in the labor market. f.In some occasion the demand for law cost female labor. g.Multiple or duel work of the female, family responsibility and reproductive role h.In Sri Lanka there is a tendency to law participations in decision making process. iIn tourism industry discrimination in the work environment may be one of the reason for less participation. j. No flexible hours has allocated for female. 18.On going mega project in the hotel sector will expecte to raise to achieve the targeted tourist arrivals. The continuing collaboration between the state and private sector would be necessary for the sustainable development of the tourism industry. 19.Tourism industry provides formal and informal opportunities for females. It can significantly impact on poverty reduction in rural community. 19.Employment of female in the various sectors in the Sri Lanka it is more similar to male and female. When it come to the tourism industry there is a less female participation. It was fund that reasons of this situation are social and cultural situation in Sri Lanka, professional qualification , language problem. 20.Tourism presents borth opportunities and challengers for gender equality and women empowerment. How ever less attention has been paid to the unequal ways in which the benefits of tourism are distributed between men and female particularly in the developing world. In the present world it is indicating to assess the extent to which tourism is advancing the needs of women in the developing world. Now a day it has potential to be a vehicle for the empowerment of female in developing region. 21.In order to support the development of tourism industry it is clear that female can contribute more. There should have professional female to perform such a job in tourism industry effectively. 22.There are some challengers female are facing in tourism. Female are often law status law paid and precious job in tourism industry . Women manly tend to perform job such as cooking, clearing and hospitality . much tourist employment is seasonal and fluctuates. According to volatile nature of the industry. In some destinations the links have been found between tourism and the sex industry which could make women more vulnerable to sexual exploitation. 23.In the world we have many examples and experiences for female employment in tourism industry. Country like Malaysia, Singapore, Maldives, Turkey, those countries have more employment of female in the tourism field and those countries have more development on tourism industry. 22.Though present condition of the female employment in tourism industry is less, employment of the female can enhance a better development of the tourism industry. There are many vacancies for female to perform in this industry. Employment of more female in tourism industry can be develop the industry as well as development of economy. RECOMANDATION 1.Increasing of formal training. 2. It is clear that there is no that much of female has involved in management level for that it should have same programs to get involve female to tourism industry and aggressive recruitment of women at the management level. 3.There are some organizations which have influenced with same barrier and should make it as a flexible way and rules and regulation of union also should be very flexible. 4.There are many circumstances that women are not able to perform their job at any time for that Flexible hours and scheduling should be imposed for women. 5.Allowing more autonomy in the integration of work and home obligation. 6.Many tourism related occupation are not allowed pension because of that Pensions after retirement should be implemented. 7.Increase awareness of the important economic role that women play in the tourism industry. 8.Strengthen legal protection for women in tourism employment such protection include minimum wage regulations and equal pay laws. 9.Improve maternity leave requirement, flexile houses, work from options and arrangement for childcare. 10.Providing appropriate training and resources to support women’s enterprises. 11.Promote women’s participation in tourism education and training and improve the educational level of women already working in different areas of the industry through a targeted and strategic program of action. 12.Support women’s tourism leadership at all levels public sector private sector and community management by establishing leadership programs at the national level and in large and small scale tourism industries. 13Ensure that women’s contribution to the community development is properly recognized and work by monitoring tourism activities carried out in the house hold and in the community. 14.Call on the government, the international community civil society organizations and the private sector to project women’s rights in tourism and to monitor progress in the employment of women through tourism. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION 15.Researcher suggests to implement following for the government in order to develop tourism in Sri Lanka. a.Action should be taken to encourage female to employ in tourism industry to better contribution to industry. b.Introduce some effective courses to enhance professional knowledge of employees in various field in tourism industry. c. Government should implement law with refer to tourism industry specially for employees. d.Encourage small industry to create effective enterprise to create indirect job opportunity . 6- 1 RESTRICTED

Wealth and How Money Influences Peoples Lives Essay -- Wealth Money F

Wealth and How Money Influences People's Lives Some people generate an adequate living working for others, some do quite well, while many people don’t do well. It is estimated that less than 16% of Canadians have more than $100,000 in their retirement funds while 38% have less than $10,000. Using money to make money is more likely to generate success. Using assets to generate wealth is likely to generate financial success. This is the principle in whihc my group is is based upon. Kiyosaki explains money does not calm your fears when desire forces you to spend. You have to avoid the trap. Rich people often have a fear of losing it all. A job is a short term solution to a long term problem. You must master the power of money. When the donkey drags the cart with the carrot on a stick in front of him, the driver is getting where he wants. For the donkey it’s an illusion. What intensifies fear and desire is ignorance. To spend your life in fear and never exploring your dreams is cruel. Just as in my business of MJM Productions. Instead of looking at how much certain ventures will cost, we must look at the posibilities which will occur as a result of that venture. Money does not calm your fears when desire forces you to spend. You have to avoid the trap. Rich people often have a fear of losing it all. A job is a short term solution to a long term problem. You must master the power of money. When the donkey drags the cart with the carrot on a stick in front of him, the driver is getting where he wants. For the donkey it’s an illusion. What intensifies fear and desire is ignorance. To spend your life in fear and never exploring your dreams is cruel. Just as in my business of MJM Productions. Instead of looking at how much certain ventures will cost, we must look at the posibilities which will occur as a result of that venture. Therefore it is essential that the accumulation of money does not blind me and my cohorts from our prime objective of empowering ourselves. Choose your thoughts. Think long-term and ask yourself: "Is this the best possible solution to my problem?" There is an old expression that "I am too busy working to make money." When you are too busy, you miss many opportunities. You often go into a restaurant and see a lot of things done wrong. Why can’t the manager see these things? Because he is too busy working IN the business ... ...before you pay any other bills. Then you will be motivated to find the money to pay all the other bills. Look after number one. Choose friends carefully. The power of association. Learn from all of them, whether they have money or not. When I seek out people who have money, I am not after their money but their ideas. Don’t listen to poor or frightened people. Wise investors buy an investment when it’s not popular. They know their profits are made when they buy, not when they sell. You become what you study. So, if you are tired of what you are doing and not making enough money, change the formula. This was a key factor in creating a sucessful business. Only by having co-workers which are dependable will ones business flourish. Be an "Indian Giver". Put your money into an investment and when it goes up, take your money back out and do the same again. If you buy some stocks and they go up in price, sell enough to get your original investment back and repeat the process. Assets buy luxuries. When the asset is generating surplus cash flow, then you use that surplus to buy the luxuries. Or in terms of this project, 50% goin towards a college education instead of luxuries.

Love in John Donnes A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Andrew Marv

Love in John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress" both talk about love but has different views about it, one talks about physical love and the other talks about spiritual love. John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" compared love to a circle while Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" compared love to a straight line. Both poems are act of persuasions. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is persuading the reader that true love is eternal while "To His Coy Mistress" the speaker is persuading the mistress to make passionate sex with him. Therefore, with all of these similarities and differences, it's commendable to compare the two works of literature. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" has a subtle theme of religion in itself particularly, Christianity in relation to life after death. The main theme of the poem is true love will continue on, even after death. Lines one through two illustrate the notion of afterlife. "As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go..." Essentially, it implies that we have souls, and souls are the immortal part of men (human beings). John Donne's notion that we have souls and there's life after death are presumably based on his Christian beliefs. Donne was born in England and raised by a prosperous Roman Catholic family. At the age of 42, Donne accepted ordination in the Angelican Church. He, then, became and earned a reputation as one of the greatest preachers (Abcarian and Klotz 1121). Donne was 60 years of age when he wrote the poem; presumably, he was still a preacher at the time. Therefore, his poem can be suggested as... ...ourning." Although the main central theme of the poems were directly opposite of each other, we can relate that physical love and spiritual love has a connection to each other. Physical love can turn to spiritual love or perhaps spiritual love can turn to physical love.   At one point or another, we have experienced both physical and spiritual love. On the surface, we can say that spiritual love is a cut above physical love. However, it's hypocritical to say that we do not come into contact with emotions such as desire or lust. Therefore, physical love is at the same level as spiritual love. It is merely difficult to admit that we do experience lust because it is not something to be proud about. Social convention dictates that we should not feel lust. Moreover, lust is one of the seven sins. However, lust is a valid emotion that every one experience once in a while.

The Power of Language in Shakespeares Othello Essay examples -- GCSE

The Power of Language in Othello      Ã‚   In Othello, Shakespeare explores the relationship between words and events. Spoken thought, in the play, has all the power of action; speaking about an event will make that event become reality for those who hear - it will affect reality as if that event had taken place. Shakespeare demonstrates the power of words poignantly through Othello's monologues. Othello struggles with the reality that Iago creates for him. When Othello speaks, he reveals that he is unable to stop himself from carrying out acts that Iago's and his own words have prophesied and initiated. Othello's monologues further demonstrate that even the knowledge of the power of words cannot protect the characters from the consequences which the words demand. Speaking about an event is prophecy in Othello, but it is more than just an objective foretelling of the future. Words become the all powerful initiators of action, once spoken they cannot be counter-acted , they alone determine the course of the future. Othello's monologue before he murders Desdemona is an excellent passage to study Shakespeare's thesis of how words relate to action. 7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put out the light, and then put out the light! 8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, 9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I can again thy former light restore 10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Should I repent me.   But once put out thy light, 11   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, 12   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I know not where is that Promethean heat 13   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That can thy former light relume: when I have plucked the 14  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     rose 15  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I cannot give it vital growth again, 16   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It needs must wither. Ãâ€"   (Othello, 5.2.7-... ...d the destinies of others. Shakespeare's language in all of his writing is incredibly forceful, but in Othello he makes a statement about the powerful impact the spoken word has on reality. It is a message of responsibility and warning, Othello is a tragedy of powerful words spoken wantonly. Works Cited and Consulted Campbell, Lily B. Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1970. Di Yanni, Robert. â€Å"Character Revealed Through Dialogue.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Literature. N. p.: Random House, 1986. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

Is inverting in CSR profitable or not

Is Investing in CARS profitable to business? At any juncture when an organization goes past simply legitimate compliances and emphatically engages in activities that seem to more extensive social good which is for the most part outside the diversions of the firm and is more customized towards the more extensive social responsibility, the firm Is said to have embraced the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CARS) (McMillan et al. 2006). The terms corporate social responsibility (CARS), corporate governance (CGI corporate sustainability (CSS), corporate citizenship and triple bottom line (TAB) are all being seed synonymously with each other and all these terms fall Into the broader concept of â€Å"ethical business† (Cast et al. , 2004). CARS Is taking the responsibility to empower people both socially and economically (Albuquerque, 2010).Holmes and Watts (1999) suggest that â€Å"CARS Is a duty of every corporate body to protect the Interest of society at large and alt hough every business's mall motive Is to earn profit, corporate should take the initiative for welfare of the society and should perform Its satellites accordingly†. CARS includes elements such as environmental protection, social equity ND economic growth and has a strong empathy with the founding principles of quality management (Leonard and Macadam, 2003).A fundamental belief among business and society scholars is that CARS ‘pays off for the organization as well as for the stakeholders and the society in general (Burke and Logon, 1996). The concept of CARS contrasts the classic economic argument that management has only one responsibility which is the wealth minimization of its owners. Classical economist Milton Friedman argued that the main aim of management is â€Å"to make as much money as possible while conforming to the basic rules of the society, both those embodied in the law and those embodied in ethical custom† (Friedman, 2007).Even economists such as F riedman, who had previously suggested that social matters were not the concerns of business people and that these problems had to be resolved by unrestricted workings of the free market system, had to change their views regarding corporate social responsibility (Carroll, 1991). A theory called the agency theory exists which suggests that CARS is a complete misuse of corporate resources that could have been spent on value-added internal projects or even have been returned to the shareholders (McMillan et al. 006). Alexander and Buckshot (1978) and Bowman and Hair (1975) have contrasting views suggesting that stakeholders might have a positive view when managers implement CARS and might consider that to be a standout management skill because a firm that Invests In the society Increases It's perceived social reputation which In turn helps build the company's Image whereas companies that do not contribute to the society might not reap equal benefits.Mousse's and Evans (1986) suggest tha t socially responsible activities have a significant Impact on firm's standing especially with such Important areas such as inkers, Investors, the government and engaging In social satellites Is a pivotal part of decision makings In banks and other Institutions these days. A direct Implication of this might be that the businesses can secure more capital from Investors Just because of their perceived social reputation. Investors are only drawn in generally if the profitability then obviously investors would not be interested.There are many organizations embracing the concept of CARS and there are many examples which show significant relationship between CARS and profitability. There have been other retinues too who have suggested a negative relation between social responsibility and profitability and have in fact argued that engaging in socially responsible activities are an added cost to the business that puts the firm at an economic loss compared to firms that are less socially res ponsible (Brandon and Merlin, 1985).However, this traditional concept of cost increment has been downplayed by many organizations that have adopted the concept and the results are quite promising too. One such organization is Timberland which has provided employees the opportunity o take significant amounts of paid time off to volunteer for social causes of their choosing (Peppier, 2003). Louis Button has been introducing CEO-friendly products and has been actively supporting environmental causes which could in turn entice customers to purchase the company's luxury items (Does and Schooner, 2009).Wall-Mart reduced transportation costs by $3. 5 million, saved 3,424 tons of corrugated materials, 1,358 barrels of oil, 5,190 trees and 727 shipping containers through their CARS initiative (Hampton et al. ). Ecology and Environment Inc. (2008) reported an 80% deduction in its annual carbon emissions from its headquarters noting that the efficiency gains resulted giving the company an esti mated net savings of approximately $232,000 from 1998 to 2008 (Sprinkle and Amines, 2010).Another prime example is Body Shop which generates so much profit because it advertises itself as being ethical as it bans animal testing and considers effect on endangered species when choosing ingredients for the company's products (Dennis et al. , 1998). Companies that engage in social performance by adapting CARS as a concept have often increased their ability to entice and to retain employees which in turn leads to owe turnover and significantly less training and recruitment costs (Turban and Greening, 1997). Merck has donated more than 2. Billion tablets of drug Emaciate (vermilion) to help eradicate river blindness in parts of Africa, Latin America, and the Middle easy and some observers noted that there were few financial benefits to Merck (Dick, 2009). Organizational culture is equally important at the workplace because it is directly related to ethical principles. A manager might prom ote unethical practices so as to achieve targets or higher profits causing fear among employees of the company's practices which might be detriment to their own good in the long run (Ross and Perry, 1999).Cornell and Shapiro (1987) induced a new theory whereby they claim that firms with a perceived social image might discover to have substantially lower cost than those of competitors which means they have a better financial performance. Even multinationals have engaged in socially responsible activities abroad. An example is Shell, an oil company based in London that came under intense criticism from various group over their drilling operations in Nigeria ND to compensate that Shell invested over $50 million in health, education, agriculture, Job creation, women's programmer, youth training and sponsorship (Eagleburger, 2003).The need for CARS emerged as it goes beyond Just the legal framework and various attempt have been made by governments of various countries to try and blend th e concept with existing legal paradigms. An example has nothing at all for the wide range of stakeholders that could be affected by the company's decisions such as consumers, employees or the local communities (Frankest, 2001). In the I-J, a number of commissions have been setup since the sass like the Hamper Commission (Committee on Corporate Governance, 1998) which rejected the idea quoting the fact that â€Å"accountability to many is accountability to none† (Frankest, 2001).Being socially responsible has many positive effects for the business. Socially responsible companies not only Just enjoy the benefits of brand image and reputation but also have less risk of negative risk events such as bribery, corruption, child labor scandals and sweatshops which could damage their reputation and cost millions of dollars in information and advertising campaigns Outsource, 2004). Marigold et al(2007) studied the empirical link between corporate social performance and corporate financ ial performance and found out that the overall correlation was positive.They also found that the association was strongest for specific dimension of charitable contributions, revealed misdeeds, and environmental performance. While selecting normal business rules and especially when it comes to selecting a profitable outcome, companies select CARS activities which yield the highest total payoffs in terms of collective benefits to the firm and its takeovers and which fall within the range indicated for strategic CARS of a firm as suggested by (Burke and Logon, 1996).Companies that adopt the CARS principles in the product industry run less risk of having to recall defective product lines and pay heavy fines for excessive pollution which means consumers can trust the companies that are seen to be investing heavily in CARS activities (Outsource, 2004). While helping reduce staff turnover, if CARS activity can hold one highly trained specialist who earns $100,000 this can translate into a $400,000 benefit for the company as the cost of employee turnover can range from 50% to 400% base salary (Sprinkle and Amines, 2010).According to Martin(2002), â€Å"Corporations often willingly engage in socially responsible behavior precisely because it enhances shareholder value†. Academic researchers face difficulty in measuring the relation between social and financial performance. Business students and business faculty members and even fortune rankings have been found to have used subjective indicators (Outsource, 2004).Other researchers have however used survey instruments, behavioral and recapture measures, rating seems, combination of surveys: financial statements, articles on companies in press, academic Journals and government reports to asses profitability against various dimensions (Outsource, 2004). The problem with academicians and researchers is that it is hard to measure profitability Just on one dimension of the broad dimensions that corporate social respon sibility has to offer.Another problem underlying the concept of corporate social responsibility is that it can only come into reality if managers adopting it become moral instead of amoral or amoral (Carroll, 1991). The philanthropic functions and ethical functions (Carroll, 1991) have taken a significant place in recent years making it even difficult for any measurement as such.Other variables can be measured through statistical tools and dependent and independent variables analysis can also be done. Burke and Longed (1996) suggest that there are five strategic dimensions which help firm assess the value created for the firm by CARS programmer: centrality, specificity, their strategic proposition can expect really good results compared to the ones that just eliminate CARS activities.Caravan and McGuire(2010) suggest that ‘increasingly, human resource development (HARD) is viewed as having a role in helping organizations achieve societal, environmental and economic goals'. CAR S as previously mentioned by the author is linked to other departments too. Companies engaging in CARS can actually produce efficient results such as helping to raise awareness among employees, developing potential attitudes towards sustainability, environmental awareness and corporate citizenship.CARS is interrelated with other components of management science. For example, Press et al (2009) suggest that HARD investment as been found to be associated with a positive impact on the triple bottom line of business, social and economic performance and various other literatures aforementioned have suggested how CARS has contributed to reducing staff turnovers hence contributing to a better organizational performance in all sects of the firm itself.There is an argument that exists between business students on how CARS has become a part of business and management courses worldwide and the fundamental aim of business is to make profit; the students deduce the fact that if CARS was not prof itable why would it even be considered as a feature in the study of equines and management as suggested by (Mullions, 2007). There are a few organizations that have adopted CARS and used it as a marketing tool.Tell bank was a bank which was successful because it marketed itself as an ethical bank and other Islamic banks which have tailored their services to meet the religious and cultural needs of the local people are found to have done relatively well (Wilson, 2005). Many organizations have adapted to the concept of implementing CARS activities and even gone on to using it for strategic purposes and almost all of the time to increase their revenues (Wilson, 2005).Classic literatures in business and society proclaimed that while CARS might have short term costs, it actually pays off in the long run as suggested by (Davis K, 1997 and Steiner G. C (1980). Burke and Logon (1996) suggest that companies should carry out the following analysis while implementing CARS so as to increase the ir profits: Firms need to identify the stakeholders which are vital for achieving the firm's mission, aims or strategic objectives. Firms need to find out policies that are relevant to CARS, programmer and related activities which tailors to the wide range of stakeholders. Firms need to access the opportunities that offered by implementing CARS project so as to attain their strategic objectives or so as to solve problems and threats facing the problem (certainty). Firms need to access the cost benefit analysis of CARS projects which can be captured or internalized by a firm opposed to other firms in the same industry especially the competitors (Specificity). Firms need to anticipate future changes in the organizations environment and changes in the needs of key stakeholders which could be addressed through proactive CARS policies and activities (Proactively). Firms need to determine the starting point of mandated requirements in order to find out the opportunities for voluntary acti vities (voluntarism). Firms need to identify opportunities so as to create positive visibility with relevant internal or external stakeholders from CARS activities (Visibility). Finally, firms need to measure and associate the value or future value that is expected from various CARS projects various countries bringing out new legislations and have recognized environment, employees and consumers to be significant and legitimate stakeholders of business. Carroll (1991) suggest that â€Å"corporate executives have had to wrestle with how they balance their commitments to the corporation's owners with their obligations to an ever-broadening group of stakeholders who claim both legal and ethical rights†.Various literatures have suggested both positive and negative correlation between profitability and corporate social responsibility. However, there is no compelling evidence from literature to suggest that there is negative correlation between the two. Organizations that have adapt ed the concept of CARS and have made it part of heir strategy have found to have done well (see examples above) (Albuquerque, 2010). It might be the prime reason why various organization in different parts of the world have used the concept of CARS in their strategic decision making phase.There might be some organizations which have embraced the concept of social responsibility as a voluntary activity but research literatures show that organizations that have used and tailored programmer to social good have in fact benefited in terms of financial performance too. Companies and board of directors now discuss he term CARS in their annual general meetings and are seen to be keen on engaging in these activities and even go as far as advertising what they did in their brochures which are generally released in various Scams.This paper recommends the use of CARS by businesses and there are academic and research evidences to suggest that engaging in these activities will help increase profi t levels for different organizations but Outsource(2004) views suggests that extensive studies are needed to explore the casual mechanism linking CARS to profitability and to determine whether or not those relationships hold consistently over time.

Accountability Memo

MEMORANDUM Subject: Increasing of public scrutiny on not-for-profit reporting requirements The purpose of this memo is to explain why increasing scrutiny and demand for accountability by the public has influenced reporting for not-for-profit and governmental entities. State and federal regulators are reviewing, audit reports of agencies like ours that receive federal grants and loan monies. Their purpose is to â€Å"ensure that independent audit firms are in compliance with Generally Accepted Audit Standards (GAAS) and recently added requirements under Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) or yellow book standards†.The reporting requirements that the auditor's require to be able to prepare a statement of understanding of internal control structure is of particular interest. Because we are a not-for-profit company, the auditors have to report what certain members have the clearance to report cash donations and make deposits directly to the companies bank acco unt. The auditors also need to evaluate the internal controls we have in place to prevent theft, and report the strengths and weaknesses of our system. As a result, we need to provide the auditors with access to our computer transactions for all finance members.Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in this matter and being in compliance will the auditors will help protect our interest in continuing to receive federal monies as part of our operating budget. Sincerely, References: Williams , J L (Summer 1992 . New audit standards for audits of entities receiving federal financial help . Outlook , 60 , n2 .. 51 (1 . Retrieved August 5, 2012 General One via Gale : HYPERLINK http /find . galegroup . com /ips /start . do ? prodId IPS http /find . galegroup . com /ips /start . do ? prodId IPS Steinberg , R M Johnson , R N (August 1991 . Implementing SAS no . 55

Cultural Context Essay

Even though construction is usually considered as originally the activity of men and machines in digging, moving, shaping, erecting, and so forth, the relative use of building materials by the construction industry far exceeds its share in the gross domestic product. Specifically is construction of great significance for that special class of materials – sometimes called as the â€Å"physical-structure† materials, which made major things of human civilization. Out of these â€Å"physical-structure† materials the more or less long-lasting and reliably shaped are wood and concrete. They are basic building materials for thin-shell roof construction, walls, tanks, large-diameter pipes, runways, highway bridges and many other structures. Main Body Concrete is related to the most significant building technologies in twentieth and the early twenty first century. However, other important building materials, such as wood, also figure in the construction picture. The poured method of concrete building has been so improved that buildings of this material are now erected as rapidly as a wood structure. Engineering departments all over the world are now prepared to assist engineers, architects and builders to apply concrete and wood to their construction work. Increasingly in the beginning of the twentieth century, when builders were asked how they should build the foundation possessing good physical strength, their answer was – concrete. Either by placing the steel frame upon concrete foundations or by placing it upon a more spacious concrete raft foundation, architectural constructors in most cases complement steel with concrete as a problem-solving building material. By reinforcing concrete with steel rods, or by using steel machinery to form concrete blocks as prefabricated building blocks, builders further diversified their architectural techniques. The most approved composition of concrete for general construction consists of a mixture of broken limestone, granite or clean screened mixture of rock fragments, clean coarse sand and cement, in such proportions that the voids between the stone are completely filled by the sand and the voids in the sand completely filled with cement, with a slight excess of cement to guarantee a perfect connection with the stone. To create top-quality concrete, manufacturers need equally high-grade cement. By 1900 approximately three-quarters of that material was Portland cement, named after the tiny island of Portland in the U. K. where a desirable limestone used in its manufacture was descovered. In 1824 Joseph Aspdin, from Leeds, was the first to provide the world with Portland cement, but after 1872 the material was produced in the United States and its popularity spread rapidly (Collins, 1998). At the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition, American Portland cement was displayed to the public as a useful and practical building material, but production only began in earnest in 1880 and domestic cement only began to overtake European imports in 1897, by which time American machinery for crushing aggregate and making concrete had also begun to substitute European machines, even in Europe itself (American Exporter, 1906, 58 (3), pp. 79-87). Wood structures can be constructed more quickly and inexpensively than other kinds. Wood still is used for finish flooring in the living areas of about four out of five homes, although plastic tiles and other materials are gaining ground. Flooring generally involves both the visible flooring and a subflooring. Most frame houses utilize boards for subflooring, but plywood is gaining ground. In buildings which use concrete beams, concrete flooring slabs are generally poured right along with the beams. Steel structures may be floored with poured concrete or with precast concrete or gypsum slabs. Roofs of houses, which have a timber framework and cladding, are likely to have as the foundation wooden board, plywood, or composition planking. However, the current general tendency in home building toward flat, or low-pitched, roofs has led to a partial shift from tile, wood, and asbestos tiles to concrete materials and poured concrete. Because of its important role in residential buildings, wood does only slightly less well than concrete. Although its relative cost has increased with time, it is still the most popular building material all over the world. The open-grained wood of any of numerous coniferous trees, such as pine and cedar, as distinguished from that of a dicotyledonous tree, enters the English home as framing, siding, shingles, finishing panels, sash, millwork, and boarding, used to cover the wall studding or roof joists of a timber frame; the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc. – principally as flooring, material used for making panels, and trim. In non-residential buildings, wood is put to practice as the most widely used building material for concrete formwork, railroad ties, telephone poles, railings, fences, and many other purposes (BLAIRSLTD). The chief advantages of wood in construction industry include its ease of production and of process by which wood is packaged and transported, its low thermal conductivity, and its strength-to-weight ratio (which is greater than that of cast iron and is identical to that of the stronger concretes) (Rowell 9). Yet, because of its peculiar weaknesses as an organic material, such as vulnerability to fungi and various insects, its relative lack of versatility in terms of design, and its long-term rise in price in comparison with concrete, the relative role of wood as a building material may to some degree decrease in the future, and further replacement may be projected. If considered as a structural material in large building construction, wood has already been largely replaced by concrete framing, brick or concrete walls, and concrete floors. This trend will probably continue in the future. On the other part, wood framing probably will retain its dominating position in the residential building, although giving way a bit to steel, concrete, perhaps aluminium, and sandwich panel method of building. The advantages of metal roof frameworks are gradually reducing the amount of wood required for roof structures. Moreover, for exterior trimming wood is being increasingly substituted by brick exterior and by panels of such building materials as asbestos, metal, and organic materials with a polymeric structure. Dry wall building and the utilisation of gypsum plasterboard and of metal lath are also considerably lessening the need for wood. The most important role for wood is probably in finished flooring, but there are modern trends toward replacement of composition and various types of synthetic materials even in living areas. Wood, like steel, is yielding to aluminum as the leading building material for window frames, door frames, doorways, trim, and other such purposes. In concrete building the formwork is tending change from wood to steel and plywood and also to plastics. Growing popularity of plywood and of laminated structural members may slow down the trend away from wood. Laminated wood arches, structural frameworks of wood, and roof systems have proved appropriate for spanning distances up to 120 feet, and, because of their attractive and pleasant appearance, are today in frequent use in the building of churches and temples, buildings for public gatherings or meetings, shopping areas, and the similar places. Plywood, which to some degree possesses more physical strength than lumber, may replace lumber in almost any of its uses; it is already extensively used in subflooring, boarding, interior panelling, concrete forms, and so forth. Thus, it may be expected to grow in total use at almost twice the rate predicted for lumber. Use of concrete in building is constantly increasing today. It is a changeable mixture of portland cement, fine aggregates (almost always sand), and coarse aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, cinder, slag, or whatever else is available within a particular area). The proportions of these ingredients are influenced by the particular use to which the concrete is to be intended, but they are at most times 1:2:4. As can be seen, cement is the minor component in this mixture. The fact that concrete is the most extensively used building material can be explained by its advantages related to wood among which are versatility, its high breaking strength relative to bricks and other kinds of masonry materials, the low price which makes it comparatively inexpensive material relative to structural steel, and in essence the presence of concrete components almost in all areas (Classic Encyclopaedia). The main uses of concrete in England are in dams, water tanks, pipes and sewers, heavy walls, piers, caissons, columns, and road and sidewalk pavements. In addition, concrete is utilised in the form of units cast in a particular form before being used in building, such as concrete blocks and cast stone, whose principal advantage over wood, brick, and structural tile is that they are costing relatively little. Because of the low flexural strength of concrete, it is combined with steel in most of its construction applications (Classic Encyclopaedia). This combination is made possible by the match of coefficients of thermal expansion of these materials. The amount of reinforcing steel – rods, wire, wire-mesh, and so forth – needed for a concrete structure is only one-third to one-half the amount needed for a similar completely steel structure. In England, the possibilities of this technique of construction are just beginning to extend its use beyond massive complex constructions. The chief disadvantages of reinforced concrete (also known as ferroconcrete or armoured concrete) in comparison with structural steel are the time and costs of construction, even if one takes account of the applying paints to the surface of steel members and their trimming. It is costly to build and remove forms, shores, and temporary metal or wooden frameworks. Most of the developments, which been made not long ago, in methods of concrete building are somehow related to reducing expense on forms, First, as an alternative to the traditional lumber and plywood, steel – and more recently, plastic with fibrous matter to confer additional strength – forms have been experimented. Plastics are especially showing great promise, in view of the fact that they are smooth and easily utilised, able to keep water, may be given extraordinary shapes, and may be use again and again from fifteen to twenty times. Second, â€Å"slip-form† pavers have been successfully employed in laying road pavements (Green 1-2). Third, precasting of concrete members has been used as a mass production technique and to provide solid and robust in construction, more unchanging in form concrete, but presents some transportation problems. Fourthly, so-called tilt-up construction and lift-slab construction has permitted walls, floors, and columns to be poured on a horizontal surface and then either tilted or lifted into place. Finally, able to be used more than once, adjustable length steel trusses have removed the need for the multiple strengthening which differently has to be placed under the conventional built-up forms. The faster such form-saving processes are improved and used by engineers and constructors, the faster steel concrete is likely to be used as a structural material. One more limitation of usual concrete is its low heat insulation value. That is why concrete walls are occasionally of a non-load bearing, sandwich type, being composed of a layer of insulating material cast between two concrete slabs. In this application, concrete is to a serious degree threatened by other types of curtain walls, including various types of sandwiches. Alternative way to give concrete protecting properties is to make it with relatively light weight aggregates – such as vermiculite, expanded clay, and so forth. In this form, it not any more has sufficient quality of being physically strong to be used for load bearing purposes, although it has been very well utilised in long-span roof building. Prestressed concrete has gotten great significance as a building material. The basic characteristic of prestressed concrete is that, by compressing concrete and keeping it under compression, the tensile stresses caused by loads are neutralized (CEMENT). The compression is accomplished by casting the concrete around stretched rods or cables, the tension on which is released as the concrete sets. A prestressed beam needs only one-fourth the weight of the steel and one-half the weight of concrete which is needed to support the same load by a usual reinforced concrete member. Although it was patented by a San Francisco engineer in 1886, prestressed concrete did not emerge as an accepted and effective building material until a half-century later. Since then it had been intensively used in Europe for structural purposes. Up to the present moment, prestressed concrete’s applications have been limited mostly to pipes, tanks, runways, and from time to time highway bridges. As engineers and constructors gain experience and manage to reduce the manufacturing expenses, prestressing may become competitive with steel and with reinforced concrete building. After weighing up all the factors, the trend is more toward a substitution of concrete for other building materials than of other building materials for concrete. The use of portland cement which is made by heating a slurry of clay and crushed chalk should more than double in the next decades, may presumably triple, and at its lowest is expected to become greater by at least one-third.

Homework on essay Essay

1. What is the new concept of education? For more than decades now, our constant contact with the Americans transformed us and led us to the evolution of our public schools and democratic institutions which then, in turn, developed in us our national consciousness in strength and in solidarity. It gave rise to a new concept of education which is deemed as the training of an individual for the duties and privileges of a citizen not only for his own happiness and efficiency, but also for his contribution to the national sphere at large. As the State’s primary responsibility is to provide for the education of every member of the society, it follows that an educated Filipino must possess three characteristics as enumerated by Francisco Benitez in his essay â€Å"What is an Educated Filipino? † 2. According to the author, what is the first quality should distinguish the educated Filipino? First is the power to do which embraces not only the ability of the Filipinos to produce material goods but also the valuable services rendered to society through institutions such as the home, the school, the church and the government. This is best exemplified by a mother who takes good care of her family. 3. What should be the second quality of an educated Filipino? Second, a Filipino is one who is distinguished not only by one’s knowledge of the world’s progress but also and more importantly by one’s understanding of one’s race, people and country – the ideals and morals that are cherished herein. How can a Filipino claim to call himself educated when he has conquered the world yet he is ignorant of his own culture and origin? 4. What should be the third quality of an educated Filipino? The third is that the educated Filipino is one who is deep-rooted in one’s speech and conduct. One must put into practice those elements recognized as concomitant to culture and morality. Hence, one makes use of such elements for one’s growth as an individual and for a nation’s development as a whole. 5. Which of the three qualities do you consider the most important? The third quality, because the Filipino must have ingrained in his speech and conduct those elements that are everywhere recognized as accompaniments of culture andmorality, so that, possessing the capacity for self-entertainment and study, he may not be at the mercy of the pleasure of the senses or a burden to himself when alone. 6. What are the other qualities would you like to add for the betterment of the Filipinos today?

5)'If anything is central to the creation and maintenance of a Essay

5)'If anything is central to the creation and maintenance of a unified Chinese culture, it is the standardization of ritual.' (Watson) Discuss - Essay Example Further research into how the Chinese have been able to create and maintain a unified culture has provided varying results. According to James Watson and Evelyn Rawski’s book Death Ritual in Late Imperial and Modern China, the creation and maintenance of a unified Chinese culture were enabled by the standardization of rituals. The following study will provide evidence to justify this statement by evaluating several depictions of ancient and modern Chinese culture. Watson and Rawski (1988, p. 4) define [Chinese] cultural unification as the acceptance and adherence to set ritual routines by ordinary citizens. Standardization on its part, was the way in which these cultures were made known, proper and acceptable. They further reveal that standardization, which contributed to cultural unification, was in most cases voluntarily taken up by citizens without the use of force. As such, any Chinese aspects seen in the world today are by-products of the ancient processes of ritual standardization. Ritual in Watson and Rawski’s case is defined an active process of transforming something from one state into another wherein â€Å"something† could refer to things, people, or other beings. Again, rituals have a transformative power (4). Funerals had a uniform structure of rites that were practiced all over China, and particularly during the Late Imperial Era. Although it is not widely practiced in China today, some areas such as Hong Kong and Taiwan still practice them. Watson and Rawski (1988, p.7) state that the rites were standardized and practiced all over China, and they in turn played the role of â€Å"cultural† cement that bound the Chinese community together. In standardizing burial rituals, the Chinese believed that in death, the body and soul should not be allowed to separate before a ritual was done. It was said that if this happened, the community would experience some form of disaster. Again, they standardized the belief that death should not separate couples

Political science Political culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political science Political culture - Essay Example (Miller 2008) This is the Newsweek cover story for the December 15, 2008 issue. An examination in regard to how Miller has written the piece would demonstrate how the story could be classified not strictly as a news story owing to the biased reportage – one undertaken to advance the liberal view on the subject. Miller wrote and investigated an outline of the reasons why the religious arguments in opposing gay marriage are unfounded and unreasonable. The author’s involvement in the story underscores how this issue has divided American society, rousing the active political participation of stakeholders from both sides of the political spectrum in political debates and other initiatives so as to influence legislations in this area. The conservatives are rallying against gay marriage while the liberals are mustering its force to support it. The intensity of the debate is essentially driven by the fact that gay marriage concern two fundamental American values that are protected by the Co nstitution – family and freedom. Conservatives want to uphold the traditional concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. For this sector, allowing gay marriage is tantamount to redefining family and violating its function of procreation. Needless to say, much of the rationale behind their position is rooted on moral arguments and religious beliefs and doctrines, reasoning that the preservation of the traditional family is important in the stability and health of the society. With this, the liberals, such as the case of Miller’s article, are quick to refer to several passages of the Scripture that encourages inclusion, regardless of age, sex, race, etc. Furthermore, the liberals are emboldened by the recent favorable court rulings that put significant weight on freedom, choice, right and equality rather than the strict and conservative doctrines that may have been founded on religion. A specific legal foundation of

A Short Story of Dr. Hillary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

A Short Story of Dr. Hillary - Essay Example Dr. Hillary nodded and left the room, making his way back to the fourth floor to do his duties.He stepped into the sterile, stainless steel elevator and pushed the button marked â€Å"four†, he was alone. â€Å"Alone,† he thought mournfully to himself. â€Å"I’m always alone.† Emily’s mother, Robin, had died from cancer that had been induced by a fertility drug called DZT, which had been taken off the market due to lawsuits that proved it caused female cancer. She was convinced that she could both carry the baby and beat cancer, but she was wrong. Brad had tried desperately to talk his wife, into terminating the pregnancy and save her own life. But she would hear nothing of the sort. â€Å"Catholics,† he thought to himself vehemently. â€Å"What kind of religion tells people to die instead of losing a baby when they have cancer?† They had had so many dreams, so many plans when they had first met in undergraduate school. He wanted to be a good husband and father, as well as a prominent physician. He had planned to do this with Robin, back home in Brettsburg, Indiana. However, after struggling through years of med-school and reaching many of his goals, Brad still wanted more. He wanted to move to Chicago or New York and accept one of the lucrative offers he had received to practice there. He even had an offer from Sloane – Kettering, one of the finest cancer hospitals in the world. However, he had promised Robin they would stay in Brettsburg and serve in a small rural hospital in the community where they had both grown up. â€Å"What was I thinking?†... â€Å"Catholics,† he thought to himself vehemently. â€Å"What kind of religion tells people to die instead of losing a baby when they have cancer?† They had had so many dreams, so many plans when they had first met in undergraduate school. He wanted to be a good husband and father, as well as a prominent physician. He had planned to do this with Robin, back home in Brettsburg, Indiana. However, after struggling through years of med-school and reaching many of his goals, Brad still wanted more. He wanted to move to Chicago or New York and accept one of the lucrative offers he had received to practice there. He even had an offer from Sloane – Kettering, one of the finest cancer hospitals in the world. However, he had promised Robin they would stay in Brettsburg and serve in a small rural hospital in the community where they had both grown up. â€Å"What was I thinking?† He thought to himself. Stuck in this one horse town with a first-rate education and clos e to half a million dollars in student loans. But he had kept his promise and worked at Brettsburg General in this crappy, little town as he had promised. It all changed when Robin died. Brad found himself a single parent, stuck in a nowhere town with an infant doomed to die. On reaching his office, Brad sat down and continued recounting his years of dealing with this debacle of a life, at least his student loans were paid off he thought to himself and at least he had sued the drug bastards for millions and won. Yet he still felt empty, bitter and alone. What did three million dollars mean without his Robin? Years had gone by slowly with his daughter Emily and himself. He thought about the string of girlfriends he had trifled through; he never wanted to feel that pain again, of deep