Examining Social Structure Theory Essay

For the purpose of this paper in examining theories, I have chosen to view the Tent City, AZ video. â€Å"Located in the desert near downtown Phoenix, Tent City houses 2,000 inmates in canvas tents† (Films Media Group, 2007). Conditions are difficult for the inmates, and since there are no prison bars, maintaining control over the inmates is a constant concern for the guards (Films Media Group, 2007). I will show that the content of the video should be appropriately acknowledged as well as studied using a social structure theoretical application. I will review the social disorganization theory, the strain theory, and the culture conflict theory, and how they supported the social structure theory in relation to Tent City. I will identify the primary subjects of the video, and the social issues that are raised for the inmates in the Tent City facility. Additionally, I will examine the major principles of sociological theories and the ramifications of social process change. Letâ €™s begin with an explanation of the social structure theory and some examples from the video that supports these theories. Supporting Social Structure Theory In watching the Tent City video, it is apparent that it follows the social structure theory. The subcultures that are created by dividing the inmates into racial groups comes with some protection for the inmates from those in their racial group, but this protection can come with a price (Films Media Group, 2007). According to the text, there are three major types of theories that support the social structure theories. They include the social disorganization theory, strain theory, and culture conflict theory (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Types of Social Structure Theories†). The text goes on to explain that the â€Å"Social disorganization theory (which depicts social change, social conflict and lack of social  consensus as the root causes of crime and deviance)† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Social Disorganization Theory†). The strain theory is defined â€Å"as the pressure that individuals feel to reach socially d etermined goals† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Strain Theory†). The culture conflict theory â€Å"suggests that the root cause of criminality can be found in a clash of values between differently socialized groups over what is acceptable or proper behavior† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Culture Conflict Theory†). The social disorganization theory, the strain theory, and the culture conflict theory are supported in this video by the following examples. The social disorganization theory is supported in the Tent City video by the segregation of inmates being housed with their same racial group. This causes the groups to stick to themselves for reasons of safety and protection from other racial groups and gives each group a sense of belonging and fitting in. The inmates are expected to follow the rules that include avoidance of involvement with contraband. The contraband is used by the inmates to get things such as money, commissary items, and power or status within their racial group as well as to the other racial groups. The strain theory is supported in the video because the restrictions of inmate belongings are enormous. The inmates are deprived of many things including condiments, tobacco, drugs, and anything that can be used to construct weapons. The inmates are subjected to frequent but random searches by the guards and the Special Response Team (SRT). They are often stripped down to their under ware during the searches, which gives the inmates negative feelings, and reduces their self-esteem as they are forced to cower to the guards. Additionally, the restrictions put strain on the inmates, causing some to disobey the rules, which puts them in a position of acting deviant to gain the things they desire. While, to some degree the inmates must depend on other inmates for safety, protection, and contraband items, they each know that they are on their own. The culture conflict theory is supported in the video in the aspect of racial segregation. This causes power and status struggles between the racial groups as they are struggling to survive their incarceration while attempting to maintain some form of self-worth. Primary Subject of Video The primary subject of this video is keeping control of the facility with the use of zero tolerance policies for the inmates of Tent City. It focuses on a new inmate named Ryan Merlina, who was â€Å"convicted of forgery, burglary, and most recently, possession of methamphetamine† (Films Media Group, 2007). Merlina, who has a long history of drug use and has been in and out of the juvenile system for a considerable amount of his teen years, at age nineteen came to Tent City, an adult facility (Films Media Group, 2007). In addition to the videos depiction of the circumstances faced by staff and inmates, it chronicles Merlinas’ personal struggles with his journey through incarceration at Tent City. On an Internet video, Films Media Group (2007) states that, the court offered Merlina a reduced sentence in exchange for him pleading guilty. â€Å"If he behaves himself, he’ll serve just six months at Tent City. But if he messes up, he’ll get 12 years in state prison† (Films Media Group, 2007). At Tent City, the inmates are not allowed to have certain things such as sugar, tobacco, drugs, and weapons. The prison system employs the Special Response Team (SRT), who conducts random and frequent searches to stay ahead of the inmate’s attempts to control and distribute contraband items. This is done to catch the inmates off guard, seize contraband, and find out who is responsible for the contraband, and hold that inmate accountable through punishments such as solitary confinement and in some cases the implementation of maximum sentences (Films Media Group, 2007). In a setting such as the one of Tent City, the inmates face social issues of their confinement. Social Issues Raised The social issues raised in the video relate to the subcultures created within the Tent City facility. The inmates are separated into racial groups. The newly arriving inmates are assigned to a tent that they share with twenty-one other inmates, all who are felons (Films Media Group, 2007). According to the video one guard stated, â€Å"Unfortunately, everything out here is organized by race. And when a new inmates comes into our system, they’ll be approached by someone from their race who will explain to them what the rules and expectations are out here† (Films Media Group, 2007). â€Å"Rule number one, stick to your own race. Each group has its own seating area and name† (Films Media Group, 2007). Because the inmates stick with their own racial group, this creates social issues amongst all inmates. â€Å"The groups claim  they exist to provide protection. Officers say their purpose is controlling inmates and contraband† (Films Media Group, 2007). Each racial group has leaders that generally involve themselves in contraband. It becomes a struggle for the inmates to try to control contraband while also trying to stay under the radar of the guards. â€Å"In this hostile environment, tensions run high and chaos is always just around the corner† (Films Media Group, 2007). New inmates quickly learn that, â€Å"sometimes it’s not a rival group inmates have to worry about, it’s their own† (Films Media Groups, 2007). â€Å"The DOs have ways of turning us against each other if we mess up. That’s their way of punishing us. They’ll make you look like a bad guy and get your tent tossed on you. Then it’s going to make everybody in your tent mad at you† (Films Media Group, 2007). For those inmates that break the rules of their group, they suffer punishments that are swift and painful (Films Media Group, 2007). The punishment for minor infractions such as a verbal insult will result in a punch in the jaw, but for major ones, such as not paying a debt, the inmate will receive a beating by three or more inmates of their racial group (Films Media Group, 2007). Due to the social issues tha t arise from incarceration, principles of the sociological theories are evident. Major Principles of Sociological Theory According to the text, social structure â€Å"theories look at the formal and informal economic and social arrangements (or structure) of society as the root causes of crime and deviance† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Definition of Social Structure Theories†). In addition, the social structure theories look at the negative aspects of society’s structure, such as disorganization, poverty, and disadvantages associated with lack of educational success as the cause of criminal behavior (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Definition of Social Structure Theories†). The major principles of the sociological theory that are addressed in the video are Tent City’s social group arrangements of society that provides focus for study, group dynamics and subgroup relationships from which crime develops, society’s structure and degree of organization/disorganization, and specific behaviors that can statistically estimat e characteristics to engage in crime. The social groups formed in Tent City are racially motivated, meaning that each inmate is segregated to their own racial group to keep the  different racial groups separated from each other. The group dynamics in a population of criminals that are divided into subgroups by race offers two examples the major principles. One example relates to the group being made up of all criminals, and the second example relates to the racially segregated subgroups that keep the inmates with their own race. This can lead to struggles related to status amongst their own racial group, and to the other racial groups. Society’s structure, being a prison that is run under zero tolerance rules (organization), and the conflicting disorganization of the inmates and their desire for obtaining contraband, while they struggle to complete their sentence without getting into trouble. Additionally, the specific behaviors that each inmate possesses that brought them to commit crimes that resulted in their incarceration is a major principle of sociological theories. Criminal behaviors by individuals, grouped with the criminal behaviors of the other inmates, can be a cause for additional criminal behavior. Possible Ramifications for Social Process Change While integrating the inmates together and removing the racially segregated groups may seem like the appropriate thing to do, there are possible ramifications of changes in their social processes that need to be addressed. For the inmates, these racially segregated groups offer some form of protection. By removing the built in sense of protection, it can cause additional stress and anxiety for the inmates. The inmates are deprived of many â€Å"luxuries†, and tend to look to their fellow inmates to receive some creature comforts of home. Although the inmates can only depend on themselves, the racially segregated groups offer the inmates a sense of support by belonging to a group. Removing that element can open the door for cultural clashes. According to the text, the â€Å"Social process theories draw their explanatory power from the process of interaction between individuals and society† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Theories of Social Process and Social Development/The S ocial Process Perspective†). Social process changes within the Tent City facility can weaken the inmates established social bonds, which could result in them turning on each other because of different cultural practices and beliefs. According to the text, criminal behaviors are learned through the interaction with others  (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Theories of Social Process and Social Development/The Social Process Perspective†). And social process â€Å"is seen as the primary route through which learning occurs† (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Theories of Social Process and Social Development/Summary†). If changes are to be made, they have to be enacted in society during a person’s learning process, only then can it make positive change. Conclusion As you can see, the content of the video should be appropriately acknowledged and studied using a social structure theoretical application. I have shown how the subcultures created by dividing the inmates into racial groups comes with some protection for the inmates from those in their racial group, but this protection comes with a price (Films Media Group, 2007). The three major types of theories that support the social structure theories include the social disorganization theory, strain theory, and culture conflict theory. All of these theories are supported in the video by the conditions and circumstances presented to the inmates of Tent City both current and in the past. The primary subjects addressed in the video include the zero tolerance practices of the guards and its focus on the inmate named Ryan Merlina. For Merlina, it’s a daily struggle to do his time quickly by avoiding deviant behavior while for the guards it’s a constant struggle to maintain control over the inmates. This leads to how the social structure theories look at the negative aspects of society’s structure like disorganization, poverty, and disadvantages that cause criminal behavior (Schmalleger, 2012, â€Å"Social Structures Theories/Definition of Social Structure Theories†). The ramifications for social policy change discussed show that any changes to the current situational practices of the Tent City facility would cause problems for the inmates, and possibly create cultural clashes amongst the inmates. Since the inmates are deprived of â€Å"luxuries† and comforts, they depend on the friendships of other inmates for support and protection. By removing a built in sense of protection, it can cause additional stress and anxiety for the inmates. While it is obvious that the inmates can only depend on themselves, the racially segregated groups do offer the inmates a sense of belonging. To conclude, it is apparent to me that this video does provide some important facto rs that can be appropriately acknowledged and studied using a social structure theoretical  application. References Films Media Group (2007). Lockdown: Tent City [Video file]. Retrieved from Films on Demand website: http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=7967&xtid=40796 Schmalleger, F. (2012). Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction (6th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection Database

Art History Midterm Essay

The tomb painters were more of artisans than they were artists in ancient Egypt. The reason for this is they didn’t typically come up with the ideas for what they were painting in the tombs; they were told what to paint and painted it. Artists would have had free range on what to paint rather than being told what to paint exactly. Artisans are more the people who can actually paint someone’s idea who might not be able to design or paint the idea given. 2. One rationale reason for cave paintings in prehistoric times, that I have heard and agree with is that they painted these things on the walls in hope that the creatures would come so they would have food among other things. One particular example would be all the paintings in the Las Caux cave in France; it is a cave entirely full of images of bulls. Bulls or bison were a source of not only food but probably clothing and they could use other parts of the body for various things. These animals were extremely important for their culture to survive. I believe they painted them on the walls not only to honor the creatures for all they did to help their people but also as wishful thinking. It’s the whole â€Å"if you build it they will come† idea, if the people painted these animals maybe something miraculously would help their hunting season better. This theory helps show how they believed in gods and looked for help from a higher being just like we do now. 3. During ancient times goddess statues were extremely popular all over the then world. One of the most famous goddess statues is the Venus of Willendorf. She is the very first goddess statue that has been found and dates back to 24,000 bce. She is a very small pudgy statue with and large female areas; her face is not there and is replaces with grooves. The statue has no feet and cannot stand on its own. The way that the statue was created shows the importance of fertility and women by not only the enlarged breast but the wide hips that would be of assistance when it comes to giving birth. They most likely used this little statue to wish new couples luck when it comes to reproducing and it was a fertility statue. Modern day has a much different view on our â€Å"goddess† culture. People nowadays look up to Barbie dolls and stick thin models and celebrities. So much has changed since then. The prehistoric times and even up until more recent times believed that fuller women were beautiful and even that it showed wealth. I think that our culture looks up to the wrong people when it comes to our versions of a â€Å"goddess culture†. One Mesopotamian civilization that I like is Babylon. It was a land in the Fertile Crescent between the rivers like most civilizations in that time period. They had one of the most influential and important leaders, Hammurabi, who came up with one of the most well known set of laws or Hammurabi’s code. Babylon also was the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Babylon was a very well set up society and really changed the way people governed their civilizations. They were one of the first cultures to write down their set of rules and stick by them through thick and thin and that was entirely new. Question 1: When it comes to restoring artwork it is a tricky subject. I think that they should restore art but not add anything to it because it makes it a different then it was originally portrayed. I think restoring the art so it is in full form is ideally good because we want future generations to see the pieces of art the way they were meant to be viewed. I mean yes, it is using a lot of time and a lot of hours to be fixing something that is broken and old, but it’s our history. If these artifacts were not there we would have no look into our past and how people lived. People should fix up old paintings, statues and buildings because not only is it part of history but it’s incredible to see how people could build such magnificent things without the technology we have today. It makes people appreciate what they have now and all the advances we have gone through. When it is 300,000 years from now and out pictures and buildings are slowly falling apart we would want someone to take their time and interest to fix up something that we once held as a huge part of our lives and our society. If the paintings, statues and buildings were built and built so beautifully they were made that way for a reason. Art is art and I think we should do everything humanly possible to keep this world as beautiful through the decades as it was meant to be when they first were displayed.

International Business Finance Issues in IBF Supplies Plc and Joe Research Paper

International Business Finance Issues in IBF Supplies Plc and Joe Company - Research Paper Example Multinational vs. domestic capital budgeting project: consideration of additional factors 9 Characteristics of multinational companies (MNCs) affecting the cost of capital 10 Ram plc and Pram plc: Benefits from economies of scale 10 Theory of Comparative Advantage as a motive for international trade: Usefulness 11 Reference 13 1. IBF Supplies Plc: Financial and non-financial factors influencing the proposal of establishing subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, Africa as well as Asia IBF Supplies Plc is one of the leading companies in the UK market in supplying office items to its clients. The company holds a competitive edge over its competitors as it supplies the office items at a competitive price and also the time of delivery of IBF Supplies Plc is comparatively low. The management of the company has assessed that there would be a decrease in demand in the domestic markets in future for which the Director has envisaged the expansion of the company into foreign markets. IBF Supplies Plc found there is an increasing demand for the supply of its products in the markets of Eastern Europe, Africa as well as Asia. The financial factors to be considered in the proposal of establishing foreign subsidiaries of IBF Supplies Plc in Eastern Europe, Africa as well as Asia includes assessment of the economy of the respective local markets, the costs involved in the foreign investments which ranges from the cost of raising of capital, cost for working capital, financing costs, etc. The financial factors also include assessment of financial risks, benefits and disadvantages associated with the foreign investments of IBF Supplies Plc. The non-financial factors to be considered which influences the foreign investment proposal of IBF Supplies Plc are the social factors, political factors, technological factors and the legal factors of the foreign land that has an impact on the business of IBF Supplies Plc.  

Information Studies on Volkswagen Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Studies on Volkswagen - Case Study Example Concluding that the key goal of making mass customized products is to provide a product that customers wanted and when they wanted to use it. The advantage of manufacturing a product such as a Volkswagen from a customer’s perspective is that a customer enjoys the product of their choice for a long time. The other advantage is that there are no surprise prices for the customer while buying. Lastly, customers also get to buy cars that meet their needs. The downside is that the company has to sell it at higher prices which are expensive for customers. The car may at the time not be customized the way a customer wants and one has to pay for charges for having the car delivered to your destination. VW’s mass customization approach faces problems from other competitors because of the dealer because the dealer can replicate the approach used by VW to offer their own way of â€Å"designing and building your own car†. In addition, VW mass customization technique also requires the integration of information systems. Information systems at the tactical and operational level in selling play a major role on e-commerce websites because the systems allow customers to submit their selection and options through the site. The e-commerce website also contains an application where all calculations are made and sent to the client. When it comes to the role of the information system at a tactical and operational level the application and business decisions integrated at the e-commerce website are based on the profile analysis of client. The profile analysis is only enabled through customer relationship management. Prior to the implementation of the CRM, SCM and e-commerce system, I would have suggested 3 main benefits to the CIO at VW.

School Appeal Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

School Appeal Letter - Essay Example Am ready and willing to re-sit the course next time it is offered. Following the notification on my grades, I did book for an appointment with both of my dental hygiene instructors and I verbally notified them of my disgraceful score. Additionally, I notified the dean for the dental hygiene department of the same within forty eight hours upon receipt of my grade notification. Dr. Issie advised me on various options available to me as to how I could handle my grade and maintain in the program. I opted to appeal to you since this was the superlative choice instead of retaking each and every class all over again. At the onset of past semester, I struggled with my periodontal and seminar classes, but as we progressed I adopted a new study skill which yielded an improvement in my studies. Also, I utilized the UNT library fully for all my classes and thus I was fully confident that I was to pass all of my dental hygiene courses. Unfortunately, I was hit by a number of unanticipated interferences during my final week: I failed one of my full mouth radiology (FMR) patient; I also had another Full Mouth Radiology patient on the same day, however, this patient provided the wrong contact information and was speaking in a Spanish accent. Sincerely I had a rough time looking for the patient's correct contact information of which I finally got. After I got the patient's correct information, I asked him to come back on the reappointment week; also on the last day of clinic, I had an extra Class One patient. The patient was not hard to clean but process did not go well. I started but failed to finish on my patient and I had to re-schedule him on the reappointment week as my second patient. I prepared myself but the patient failed to show up. I had a clinical duty on Tuesday of the last week and in addition I had to redo my radiology project which I had earlier misunderstood and hence not graded. All these unexpected and unlucky happenings really affected my performance negatively. Of all the subjects that I sat for, Dental community was my favorite. This was catalyzed by my passion to work in the public health service and I am still very enthusiastic to work in the Indian public heath in future. The materials for this subject though voluminous to learn were not hard at all to comprehend. I devoted all my energy to my studies so as to earn myself an extra credit in all the projects and my grades were close all along. I persistently made an effort to improve my grades both on the quizzes and on the tests and eventually I managed to improve my exams grade above B's until my final. I managed to pass the class until my final exam when everything surprisingly seemed to work against me and I was so stressed such that I could not concentrate for a healthy study. Dental preventive was one of the most interesting subjects for me to learn since I learnt the procedure and measures to help the patient on how to prevent early dental diseases such as smoking, trauma, malnutrition and oral hygiene instructions. I practically applied this knowledge, whilst attending one of my patients at the TWU clinic. It was very satisfying to me to have helped a patient better his dental health. I have

ARE HERBAL REMEDIES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE Research Paper

ARE HERBAL REMEDIES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE - Research Paper Example A herbal remedy that relieves inflammation and pain called Chinese Thunder God Vine weakens the immune system. The remedy is famous in for causing osteoporosis. Most of the herbs are ineffective unless their maintenance is in small quantities such as nutmeg and its cooking properties. When the nutmeg herbal is in large quantities, it cause liver failure and can at times lead to death. Many types of herbal remedies line the shelves of health food stores and pharmacies. Most people consider that any drug having the label â€Å"natural† as effective and safe. Herbal remedies have been in existence for a long time. Some of the remedies, even those carrying the natural label, can have serious and powerful negative drug effects in the body. The FDA regulates herbal supplements though not in the same manner it does with medicine of food. Herbal remedies form part of the dietary supplements. Regulations that apply to dietary supplements are not strict as those of drugs and food. Manufacturers of herbal drugs, for example, do no need the approval of the FDA before availing them to the markets. When the herbal remedy gets to the market, it is the duty of FDA to ensure its safety. FDA, however, lacks the capacity and funding to check the standards of the many new drugs. When FDA finds an herbal remedy that is not safe, it issues some requirements or orders to the distributor or manufacturer to remove it from the market (Harte 2-3). Soy provides dietary phytoestrogens that possess weak estrogenic activities. The soy herb treats menopausal symptoms and reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body. A review on the Soy’s effectiveness was done on nine clinical trials to examine the impacts of increasing dietary soy. Nine more trials were done to determine the efficiency of Soy extracts. The review gave a conclusion that neither Soy extracts nor increased Soy

How to Use your Facebook Homepage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to Use your Facebook Homepage - Assignment Example Add friends-before beginning the process of creating your profile, Facebook will make a suggestion of individuals you would want to add as friends. If you do not recognize any of them, you can skip the step and proceed to the next. You will then be asked whether you want to scan your email accounts for other recognizable users. If you like you can also leave out this step and add friends via Facebook itself. 6. Verifying your account on completion of the account creation process, a newsfeed will appear at the top of the page. Then you have a view of a message notification that an activation email has actually been sent to the email address you signed up with. 7. Finish up filling the rest of the profile-click the link on ‘Edit profile’ that is below your picture in the top-left corner. You can add the information you want to share. Some of the profile options consist of the following: relationship status, hometown, current home, favorite quotes, religious views, and political views. 8. You can also set the privacy options for each piece of information added above on the profile. This is done by clicking the privacy button on the top right corner. This tool permits you to select the individuals to view what you have shared. You can choose to share with friends, the public or a specific group of people (Schenk).

Does Free Trade Exist in Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Does Free Trade Exist in Reality - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that as the world rotates, the flow of trade among nations also circles around those that are involved in it. Basically, these nations engage in trade for the benefit of the economy and the establishment of alliances. The common perception of many regarding the concept of free trade based on the word itself is that it is a free form of trade and that anybody or any nation may enter any marketplace without having to deal with any complexities because certainly, it is free. This conventional idea of free trade is to some degree justifiable; however, the non-vulnerability of free trade to any complexities is something that needs a more concise explanation. Because if one will consider free trade as trade without complexities, then the entrance of illegal objects from one nation to another is possible, but if a free trade will become subject to a particular number of restrictions, then its administration becomes less complicated. According to C olton, free trade is an influential phrase. It leads many people to believe that commerce means freedom, that ports are open to all traders, and trade can be done anywhere to anyone. He further argued that these notions may seem reasonable enough with reference to the meaning of the word free, but the enchanting character of these phrases is actually misleading. Because of the true definition behind the phrase â€Å"free trade,† lies in the opposite of the obvious meaning that it expresses. Therefore, Colton justifies the idea that free trade is not inherently free; that it is subject to laws and regulations, which impedes the assumption of its being free. Rather than formulate a concise definition of free trade, scholars opted to assume that free trade has an understandable (yet vague) definition. Driesen has stated that in academic writings and in the interpreted decisions of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GAAT), vague terms such as trade barriers and trade res trictions are being used to exemplify the things that trade must become the free form of. However, the presence of these terms still does not help in the formulation of an exact definition of free trade. It goes to show that, in spite of free trade’s long existence, its concept has remained broad and ill-defined. Baggini and Fost have taken as an example "the justice of free trade." They have stated that when it comes to providing a definition of free trade, many do consider it as trade, which is not disrupted by any local or international trade restrictions. This meaning according to some philosophers refers to a fixed definition of free trade based on the thought of the words itself; however, with this definition, many people will argue that they have a precise or more appropriate definition of the term. These arguments will eventually result in varied justifications of free trade leading to contrasting conclusions in due regard to its justice. Creating clear definitions of difficult concepts as claimed by Baggini and Fost is crucial to refrain from having further discussions with its definition. The development of a single definition of free trade is still at the stage of discussions; therefore, its definition may vary and is still unfixed. Thus, a clear definition of free trade has to be developed not based on the term itself but based on its application in the world of trade, to put an end to this confusion. Hence, it can be said that "free trade refers to" the omission "of barriers to international trade", barriers that hinder its smooth sailing entrance to the international market.

Construction Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Construction Management - Coursework Example ce management theory, move on to discuss the changing patterns of human resource management within the construction industry, and focus definitively upon a specific dimension of the human resource management process; taking special time and consideration in terms of providing a discussion on the merits and limitations of the dimension in question. Through such an examination and discussion, it is the hope of this particular student that the reader will gain a more warmed understanding with respect to the subject matter and further grasp upon the realm of human resource management as it relates to the construction industry. Likewise, before delving directly into a discussion of unique changes in terms of the construction industry as it relates to human resource management, this particular section will tell into some of the overarching human resource management theories that have been promoted and employed throughout organizations around the globe - over the past several decades (Roberts, 2013). The first of these is with respect to what is known as the vertical integration approach. Within this particular paradigm of human resource management, individual stakeholders within leadership and management are of the understanding that unique metrics and guidelines for the way in which employees and the employer should relate with one another are best relayed from the top down. Within this clearly structured approach, other management utilizes and leverages middle management and subsequent supervisors as a means of relating their overall goals and expectations to stakeholders within the very bottom layers of the organizational structure (Fong et al., 2011). Whereas this particular approach can be useful in terms of defining a company culture in a rapid manner, the ultimate level to which it can â€Å"stick† is oftentimes somewhat limited. Furthermore, as will be discussed at further death laser within the analysis, this particular approach does not necessarily lend itself

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Example for Free

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Conflict Resulting From the Negative Effects of Rigid Societal Expectations in A Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus Everyone has felt the pressure of societal expectations during their lifetime. The negative effects society brings on one’s life can lead to a feeling of rejection towards the people who do not conform to meet those standards. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Albert Camus, author of The Stranger, both construct the external moral conflict of society versus the protagonist in order to critique the way society fails to accept the moral values of the people who differ from the norm. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez emphasizes the central conflict of society versus the protagonist, based on beliefs and values, through the controversy leading up to the murder of Santiago Nasar, which is based on family honor and pre-marital sex. When Pedro and Pablo Vicario ask their sister, Angela Vicario, who had stolen her virginity, her response is described as â€Å"She only took the time necessary to say the name †¦ and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written. ‘Santiago Nasar,’ she said†(47). Describing Angela’s response as â€Å"only took the time necessary† indicates that she is trying to put the blame on Santiago, making him a scapegoat, in order to protect the true man who took her virginity before marriage. In the Latin American society, where the setting of the novella takes place, it is not acceptable for a woman to have pre-marital sex due to the beliefs and morals of Catholics. Santiago is represented as the butterfly â€Å"whose sentence had already been written†. Even though there is no evidence Santiago took Angela’s virginity, it is the twin’s duty to protect their sister. Therefore, Pedro and Pablo Vicario set out to kill the man who had stolen their sister’s virginity, Santiago Nasar, in order to protect their family. The twins tell everyone in town about their plan to murder Santiago, but the people in the community doubt their intentions: â€Å"twenty-two people declared they had heard everything said, and they all coincided in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them†(51). The people in the town who â€Å"[coincide] in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them† shows how oblivious the townspeople act owards a societal member’s life. Society looks past at the fact that a murder is about to occur, but focuses on the purpose; family honor, which is highly respected. Since it is unacceptable for a female to have sex before marriage, Santiago is viewed in a negative light by society because he is accused of taking the virginity of an unmarried woman. The debate surrounding Santiago’s death highlights the conflict between society and the protagonist, where Santiago is a man who is accused of committing an act that society does not accept. Albert Camus, in The Stranger, constructs the protagonist, Monsieur Meursault, as a man who has absurdist morals and values, which society does not accept. Meursault has an intimate relationship with Marie Cardona, a former typist, but the connection does not go beyond a physical attraction; â€Å"she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her† (41). By Meursault stating â€Å"it didn’t mean anything† and â€Å"I probably didn’t love her† highlights his absurdist views on life; he believes life contains no purpose, thus he cannot love Marie because loving Marie would give life a purpose, which Meursault does not believe. He simply associates with Marie, because he likes being around her. There is no need for an emotional connection because the physical appearance of her is satisfying enough. Absurdism is not accepted in society therefore it does not accept Meursault. He is an outsider in a world he did not choose. Meursault is a man who does not show his emotions very well, but instead focuses on his physical need; â€Å"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† (65). Meursault saying â€Å"that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† emphasizes the simplistic life he live—a life without meaning. Showing emotions would signify a life with purpose, which Meursault does not believe. The Algerian society, in which the novella takes place, does not accept the type of lifestyle Meursault lives and believes every life should be lived with a purpose. Society’s expectations clash with Meursault’s values because his beliefs and outlooks on life are not accepted by society, which sets up the external conflict between the two. In the external conflict between society and the protagonist, Garcia Marquez emphasizes the negative effects society has on a person who goes against the social norm by showing the biased opinions towards the Pedro and Pablo Vicario regarding Santiago’s murder. After brutally stabbing Santiago to death, the Vicario twins sprint to the church to inform the priest of their barbaric act; â€Å"Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and still living blood but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity†(49). The priest calling the murder â€Å"an act of great dignity† shows how, in the Latin American society, family honor is highly valued, no matter how far it is taken. Even though the twins have committed the worst crime imaginable, it is acceptable because it was done in order to protect their family. Pedro and Pablo Vicario are viewed as meeting expectations, as opposed to Santiago, who fails to follow them. When the crime was brought to court, the twins had already won before it even started; â€Å"The lawyer stood by the thesis of the homicide in legitimate defense of honor, which was upheld by the court in good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason† (48). The lawyer stating the homicide as a â€Å"legitimate defense of honor† verifies that society values family honor over a man’s life. The court case represents the conflict of society against Santiago and since he goes against society’s values, Santiago ends up dying, indicating society’s victory. The twins do not receive any severe punishment, because of their intentions to protect their family. Through Santiago’s death, Garcia Marquez stresses the harmful effects society can have on someone whose beliefs differ from societal standards. Camus constructs Meursault’s trial to critique society’s lack of acceptance towards the people who do not meet expectations. Throughout the court case, Meursault is quickly judged by the prosecutor due to his actions concerning his mother’s death, â€Å"He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of my moral principles that governs men’s hearts, was within my reach† (101). The prosecutor bluntly stating that Meursault â€Å"didn’t have a soul† and is incapable of having â€Å"moral principles that governs men’s hearts† highlights how society does not understand Meursault’s morals and values, thus critiques his character and neglects him. Meursault is looked down upon because of how he acted on the day of Maman’s funeral. He does not express feelings towards his mother’s death because he is an absurdist and believes death is inevitable. Society believes that there is purpose to every societal member’s life, and since Meursault shares absurdist views, he is not accepted by society. To close his final argument against Meursault, the prosecutor states, â€Å" ‘I ask you for this man’s head†¦never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, light, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster. † (102). The whole trial is based around Meursault’s character, and him being called â€Å"a monster† stresses the fact that society is unwilling to accept anyone who does not follow the expectations. Meursault does not share the same views that society wants, and as a result, he is rejected because of his moral values. By asking â€Å"for this m an’s head† the prosecutor shows how society neglects the people who share different views and therefore want them out of society completely. Camus uses the trial and Meursault’s crime to emphasize the external conflict of society versus the protagonist, Meursault, to demonstrate how society does not accept people who share different moral values. The negative effects society has on the people who do not meet expectations are emphasized through the external conflict, based of moral values, between the protagonist and society in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both novellas show the harmful consequence faced by the protagonist, who do not conform to societal expectations, which evidently resulted in death.

Platos Theory Of Forms

Platos Theory Of Forms State Of Thesis: Knowledge is power. Without knowledge a person is nothing. One has nothing to talk about or argue if a person has knowledge with him. And knowledge should be about something or nothing. Introduction: It took 40 years of his career to write about this theory. The theory was re- written various times in this time of span but the theory was never written in a proper manner and the arguments never came to a conclusion. According to Plato knowledge exists and knowledge exists for something or nothing. But if knowledge was about nothing then it would not be knowledge. Knowledge is always about something because one cannot argue about something which has no worth or is nothing for someone. Always a person argues ort talk about something which is worth of something or has some background to talk on. Plato also argued about what knowledge is all about, it should be physical or non physical. For physical things there is no knowledge because physical things change where as knowledge never changes. Knowledge never changes where as the ways to deliver can change. So the nature of knowledge should be non physical and long lasting because knowledge never fades away. So knowledge e xists and because knowledge exists so do Platos forms of theory exist, because the forms are the only thing which justify and have knowledge about. Reincarnation And The Theory Of Recollection It is not frequently observed in this connection, but Plato has come up with another argument related to the existence of the forms. The existence of the forms (and the preexistence of the soul) offer the best way out of the dilemma of the Meno and the best explanation of how an uneducated farm boy could solve a difficult problem in geometry. In this scenario called Meno, there are two statements and the statements are as following. To search for knowledge is futile because either: A. You know what you are looking for (so you already know). B. You dont know what you are looking for (so you cant know if you have found it). In the above scenarios, in scenario A its useless to find knowledge because you know about it and in scenario B its useless to find knowledge because the search of knowledge is useless because knowledge is wide and vast that a person will never stop searching about it. So the search for knowledge is totally pointless. Platos answer to this scenario is to say that knowledge is all about remembering things, keepin things in mind. That is to say we do already know things but they are like being on the tip of your tongue. You wont search forever because you will remember it explicitly when you come across it or your memory is aided by a few hints. Arguments On Platos Theory Of Forms. There are many arguments on the forms and they are stated as following. The argument from Trivial or Unworthy Forms. This is the disagreement from Trivial or Unworthy Forms. The fundamental principle is for every predicate there is a corresponding form. Platos clarification of why something is a dog, say, is because it participates in the form of dog or doges. This would seem to imply that whatever we have a general term there must be a corresponding form for it in Platonic heaven. But there is a worse problem deriving from self -predication. For Plato the good should be good and the truth should be true and things like that. The One Over Many Argument. Parmenides then zeroes in on the relation between particulars and forms. The One over Many Arguments If a form is in each particular, then: A: The whole of the form is contained in each of the parts (The form of dog is in each dog) B: Only part of the form is in each particular. (Only part of the dog is contained in each dog) If A, then no harmony of the structure, it is many not one. If B, then it becomes many by division, therefore there will be no unity again. The Third Man Argument. The objection arises on the basis of the following principal. If two objects have a particular property, then they are so in virtue of their participating in a form (a third form for example a man). Socrates then suggests that the relation between forms to particulars is like patterns (models, archetypes) to copies. It is a relation of likeness. Parmenides: The relation of A to B (likeness) is symmetrical, i.e. A to B to A But the third man is reinstituted. If object A is like B due to its likeness to form, then the likeness of B to form à ¸ must be explained by its likeness to some third, so on ad infinitum. Objections to the theory: The objections to the forms are that they are moral and use words like just beautiful and goo. Another objection is on natural things such as human being and natural stuffs and undignified things like hair, mud and dirt. Platos respond to objections: To the mud criticismHe might maintain that mud is made up of other forms (earth, fire, water, air, etc.). If he did this, he would have to abandon the every predicate has a form principle. To the one over the many criticism there doesnt seem to be a reply. Plato describes this relation as largely a metaphor, but this will not do. It leaves things unexplained. Conclusion: Knowledge is everything. One should have enough knowledge to know about things. Knowing everything is not possible. Every person knows different things its just the matter of fact to remember those things the right time and one needs some hints to remember things. If we dont know the forms, we know nothing. But we do know something, therefore we know the forms.

An Overview of McCarthyism and the McCarthy Era Essay example -- Essay

An Overview of McCarthyism and the McCarthy Era This is the first definition ever of the word McCarthyism, first published in 1954. The basis of this definition is the life of lawyer, judge, and senator of the United States of America, Joseph R. McCarthy. If one takes a look at the actions of this man, it is not very hard to understand where this definition comes from. Joeseph McCarthy was a master of media and public manipulation for the purpose of his own notoriety. Throughout his career as a politician, he used many issues to gain him attention, the most well known, of course, being his anti-communist crusade/witch hunt during the early 1950, of which he was the leading spokesperson. McCarthy’s record at every stagae of his life and career has been one of failure and ridicule, of lies and half-truths, yet somehow he managed to pull enough media strings to gain him a positive reputation with the American people through his antics. McCarthy’s first political position was as judge of the tenth circuit court. While he was in this position, he was cited numerous times for â€Å"highly improper† behavior, such as destroying records and rushing through cases just to clear the backlog, with no particular regard to seeing that actual justice was done. He also destroyed records of cases that could show him as negligent for the purpose of destroying evidence that could be used against him. Ironically enough, the slogan under which McCarthy won this position was â€Å"Justice is Truth in Action.† The next step for Joseph was his short war career. Although he saw almost no real battle time, he did not allow this to keep him out of the media. He went so far to attract attention as to unnecessarily fire of... ... Senate, and on December 2, 1954, the state voted to remove McCarthy for abuse of power and contempt. This was the end of McCarthy’s luck. The McCarthy era, as this period in time is referred to, is a very good example of how an individual relates to a society. Joseph R. McCarthy singlehandedly occupied the whole nation and the government with his accusations. It has been said that his lies and destructive antics had more impact upon American political affairs in the 1950's that any other public figure. One man or woman can make a difference, be it for better or worse, and Joseph R. McCarthy is a perfect example of one man influencing the policies of a whole nation for the worse. Works Cited 1. Klingman, William K. Encyclopedia of the McCarthy Era. New York: Facts on File, 1996 2. "McCarthy, Joseph." Encyclopedia Brittanica. 1993

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Since elementary school I have wanted to be a teacher. My mom is a teacher and my dad taught school for three years. I have been involved in school functions with them for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed going to various activities and helping to do whatever I was allowed. The only decision I had to make was whether I want to be: an elementary teacher or a secondary teacher. Since I love sports, I have decided to be a Physical Education and Health teacher. I would also like to be a coach since I have been in sports since middle school. The nature of each student is different. There are no two students the same and therefore, you have to teach each as an individual. Some students will catch on to a concept easily, while another student will have trouble. Some students are in school to get an education and do wellfor themselves, while others are in school because it's the law they have to attend until they are16 years old. The students that want to be in school will not cause as much trouble as the onesthat are there because they have to be there. Some students will always have their homework, while others won't do it at all. Some students need to know that someone cares about them enough to "push" them to do better. Many students today experience some type of family problem that they bring to school with them. The purpose of public education is to prepare students for the rest of their life. Education should help mold a child's life and show them opportunities for the future. Sports, tests, and papers are a few tools that help prepare students to become better people. Parents don't take time to teach their children things they should, so it's up to the school to do the job of both family and schools. As a teacher I will be a progressivism and social reconstructions type teacher. I will let the students have a say in what goes on in the classroom. My classroom will be an active classroom so all students can participate. Students that do not participate do not learn.

Jimi Hendrix Essay -- History

Jimi Hendrix A legend was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle with the conception of James Allen Hendrix. He was a true American of Black, White and Cherokee blood. As a child, James who later changed his name to Jimi, was very shy and was introverted to friends and family. He grew up in different homes that ranged from city life to living on the Cherokee reservation with his grandmother. With all of the difficulties that he struggled with in his early life he found refuge in music. His father bought him a guitar at the age of 13 and his love for music had begun. He grew up he listening to the music of the 40's and 50's and became well aquatinted with the sounds of other eras preserved in his father's record collection. There was a great influence of blues as well of R&B music that influenced his style and play. He spent what free time he had on the guitar and dropped out of school in 1959 so he would be able to further pursue his dreams. After he dropped out he enlisted in the army and! spent t his time trying to figure out who he really was. He followed his dreams and after his discharge from the army he became a musician. For the next ten years Hendrix played with a countless number of bands on the way to his notoriety. His greatest success occurred when he formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 66'. With this he exposed to America who he was and what he stood for. During his reign he confidently rose to success with powerful and inspiring music. He was, "a prolific and profligate creator who left almost everyone who heard or saw him with the distinct impression that the heartcenter of his work remained tantalizingly out of reach."1 Jimi Hendrix remains an enigma, an innovator that remains unparalleled in what he brought... ... believed was right. He knew no other way, but maintained his integrity. "A musician, if he's a messenger, is like a child who hasn't been handled too many times by man, hasn't had too many fingerprints across his brain. That's why music is so much heavier than anything you've ever felt."7 As stated by Hendrix in 69'. In life, Hendrix wanted the same thing as everyone else. He wanted to enjoy life and his occupation and he wanted to do something which added something positive to the world. He wanted to live life to the fullest and at the same time he wanted to have peace, an open mind, the freedom to be creative and the ability to make the world a better place for the next generations. Jimi Hendrix exemplified the Jesuit philosophy of being a man for others through his religious freedom, his opinionated political views and his positive influence on the community.

Caribbean Music

Music of the Caribbean region differs from island to island. The Caribbean got its name from the term â€Å"Carib†, which is the name of an old Native American ethnic group. Today the region is divided into four different parts: Spanish, French, Dutch, and British Caribbean. The Spanish Caribbean consists of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic; the French Caribbean consists of Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana; the Dutch Caribbean contains Suriname, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Maarteen, and St.  Eustatius; and the British Caribbean is the largest and consists of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, British Virgin Islands, U. S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Turks and Caicos Islands. (CLASS NOTES) The Caribbean has a variety of different instruments and genres that make up its music and dancing culture. Caribbean music has several distinctive characteristics to both its sound and its dancing styles. Their techniques are not predetermined and the musicians improvise as they make their music. Dancers typically do not have a lot of body contact and the waist and pelvic region are the main body of center of attention. Fast rhythmic dancing is a big part of Caribbean dancing. Both music and dancing are influenced from a variety of other worldwide cultures, including African, European, and later Asian. (CLASS NOTES) Caribbean music features complex short combinations of rhythmic patterns. This is demonstrated in video ML 3475 . J88 1995 Vol. 4 : The Caribbean.  One of the most prominent instruments within Caribbean music is the large array of drums, including Steel, Conga, Timbales and Bongo Drums. All these types of drums distribute very different kinds of sounds. The steel pan, also known as a steel drum, is made from oil drums heated and hammered into an instrument with multiple pitches played with rubber-headed mallets (Mahabir). Today, the steel drum is a very sophisticated musical instrument. It is a unique instrument with origins in colonial Trinidad. The steel drum was used as communication for African slaves (Idaho State University). Turns out the steel drum doesn’t only evoke images of beaches and pina coladas. The drums haunting and echoing sound means so much more. The Congo drum is a Cuban barrel-shaped, one-headed hand drum. This instrument is played in sets of two or four. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which mean each drum possesses its own unique sound. (Demonstrated on CD-2260, Drums defiance) The smallest Congo drum is called Nino and the largest tumba. This type of drum is played by striking the drumhead with one’s fingertips or palms instead of a mallet. The Bongo is a set of small one-headed drums that is held between the musician’s knees and is played by hand like the Congo drum. These drums are also important in Latin music, particularly music deriving from Cuba. (The Bongo Page) Bongo drums usually have a wooden or metal base, and can be tuned by tightening the skin over the drum. The sizes of these drums also vary according to the musician’s preferences. The drums are each named hembra for the larger drum and macho for the smaller drum. These are Spanish words meaning female and male, respectively. Hembra has a much lower tone then macho. The Bongo Page) However, both drums are significantly higher then the Congo drums. Reggae genre was first formed in Jamaica in the 1960’s. This genre of music is based on a rhythmic style, with spurs of off-beats. Typically it is a slower beat, with the guitar, and other instruments such as the drums influencing the sound. It is very similar to â€Å"rock steady† but the use of complex bass line and speed is what separates the two (Bradley). The reggae vocals are less dramatic then the influence from the instruments. It is very common to hear dialects, which could sound slang to some Americans. Something different from most singers is, reggae singers use tremolo (volume oscillation) instead of vibrato (pitch oscillation) (Bradley). The Calypso genre music was started on the Island of Trinidad (Dudley). This genre is also rooted in West African traditional music like Reggae. It was used for different aspects of life, such as communication and also for entertainment. Calypso is generally played on folk instruments such as the guitar, banjo, and other percussions. It is typically heavily rhythmic but still melodic. Since the genre was often used for communication the lyrics were often political in nature, but often masked.

A Woman Of No Importance Essay

‘A Woman of No Importance’ was written in 1892 by Oscar Wilde. In the play Wilde shows the hypocrisy that permeated through the 19th century and he expresses his views on a parochial society. The exposition of the play is pivotal in Wilde’s craft as he establishes characters and lays the foundations of the play. The play shows how 19th century, upper-class societies functioned. With hindsight, we can reflect upon Wilde’s use of suggestion as he radically expresses his views on the society in which he lived in. Wilde successfully introduces the characters within the exposition and the subtext allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the true nature of all the characters. Wilde immediately introduces us t the character of Lady Caroline, a woman who has been married four times herself, a trait that would be highly disapproved of in the 19th century. Her opinions seem to echo what many women of her status may have thought about the goings on in a 19th century society. She is persistent in patronising Miss Worsley and takes amusement in insulting her about her American heritage. ‘I am not sure Miss Worsley, that foreigners like you should cultivate likes or dislikes’. This statement shows that Lady Caroline places herself above Miss Worsley in society, although she is a Lady, and Hester has no title. Lady Caroline clearly thinks that everything she says is correct, as in conversation with Lord Kevil she comments that she is ‘usually right’, even though she refers to Lord Kelvil as Kettle, and she has to be corrected by her passive husband, Sir John. ‘You believe good of everyone Jane. It is a great fault’, although this is a virtue, Lady Caroline is clearly a pessimist, and her statement is a paradox. The statement shows that Lady Caroline has warped morals and is greatly unaware of her own nature. Through Wilde’s presentation of Lady Caroline we are shown how we cannot believe the surface appearance of characters in the play, deepening our knowledge of a 19th century culture was truly like. Wilde reinforces the hypocrisy of Lady Caroline, creating the impression that her knowledge is purely based upon gossip. ‘It’s said, of course, that she ran away twice before she was married’. This is an aspect to Lady Caroline that is key in understanding her nature; her egotistical vanity creates a particularly bad impression of 19th century upper-classes, as her views almost mirror modern day celebrities. Wilde portrays Hester as a stark contrast to the malicious character of Lady Caroline; Hester has a nonchalant manner and speaks in long, meaningful dialect, whereas Lady Caroline’s dialect is shorter and far more aggressive. Through Hester we can see Wilde’s possible true intentions, as he is perhaps suggesting that an American society far exceeds the British way of life. ‘In America those are the people that we respect the most’, Hester says this to Lady Caroline when she is being informed that Lady Caroline is disdainful towards people that have to work for a living. Hester is clearly an independent woman, and like the Suffragette movement during the 19th century, she represents the ‘new woman’; she is very clear about what she wants and is able to make her own decisions. In the 19th century the Suffragettes battled for the rights for women to vote and were very forward in their thinking, much in the same way as Wilde and Orwell (1984). When Hester comments on her thoughts and feelings towards Gerald Arbuthnot many of the characters disapprove of her speech, as she is breaking the stereotypical expectations of a woman in the 19th century. ‘He has one of the most beautiful natures I have ever come across’. Although Hester is the most isolated and vulnerable, due to her being from America, the audience seem to her like her the most out of all the characters, as she appears to be the most honest and likeable, she also has a witty sense of humour.

Tata Motors – Macro Environment

For financial year 2008, the TATA motors reported the consolidated revenues (net of excise) at Rs. 356. 51 bn posted a growth of 10. 2% over Rs. 323. 61 bn in the previous year. The Consolidated Profit after tax (PAT) for the year was Rs. 21. 67 bn, a marginal decrease over Rs. 21. 69 bn in the previous year. Standalone EBITDA impacted by 6. 6% to Rs. 30. 92 bn in FY08 from Rs 33. 12 bn in FY07; EBITDA margin stood at 10. 76% in FY08 as compared to 12. 06% in the previous financial year. Following are the main macro environmental factors from FY08 that had direct bearing on the company’s revenue and profitability figures: GDP Growth Encouraged by the continuing thrust in investments which grew by 31. 6%, the GDP growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 came in at 8. 4% compared to 9. 1% in the same quarter last year. A good kharif season supported growth of 3. 2% in agriculture while Industry and services grew at a moderated level of 8. 4% and 10. 5% respectively. CSO’s advance estimates projects the overall GDP at 8. 7% in the full year 2008. While the sequential decline in the GDP growth (9. 3% and 8. 9% in the first two quarters of the current year) indicates moderation of growth, it is expected that the growth momentum would continue, led by investments. Risk to growth going forward is expected to come from worsening inflation, increasing interest rates and weak global cues. Infrastructure Index The growth in the infrastructure industries for the period Apr – Feb’08 was subdued with all sectors, except coal , witnessed a lower growth on a y-o-y basis. Crude oil saw the least growth of 0. % followed by Finished steel (5%), Coal (5. 6%), Petroleum products (7. 2%) and cement(7. 5%) during this period. Index of Industrial Production IIP growth for the period Apr-Mar’08 is 8. 1% over the corresponding period of last year. On a sectoral basis, manufacturing showed the largest decline in growth from 12. 5% to 8. 6% followed by electricity (7. 2% to 6. 4%) and mining (5. 4% to 5%). A look at the use-based data indicates that while capital goods have shown a robust growth at 16. 5%, consumer goods decelerated mainly due to decline of 1% in consumer durables. Inflation The headline inflation, which declined from 6. 4% at the beginning of the fiscal year to a low of 3. 1% on October 13, 2007, has seen significant increase in the later half of fiscal year 2008. For the week ended may 10th, the headline inflation had moved to 7. 82%,largely due to the rising global food and oil prices. This has instigated government to take stringent measures such as restricting exports of select products, lowering of excise duties and dissuading domestic manufacturers such as steel and cement companies from undertaking price increases. Prices of key raw materials used in the auto industry have also increased significantly. This is exerting pressure on the input costs of the auto manufacturers. Interest rates In response to the high inflation, RBI increased the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 50 bps to 8% before the scheduled policy meeting and further by 25 bps at the policy meeting on April 29th 2008. With high global commodity prices and ample liquidity in the system indicating significant risk to inflation, it may be expected that RBI will continue to take stringent steps to check the inflationary pressures in the economy. Any move to increase the interest rate would further impact industrial growth and investment momentum in the economy. Freight Rates The benchmark freight rate index registered a moderate 1. 1% y-o-y increase over the last one year while the diesel price index has increased by 3. 2% over the same period. The financing costs also increased during the year, putting up moderate pressure on the truck operators’ profitability position. The Government raised the prices of most widely used automotive fuel products, petrol and diesel, by Rs 2 per litre and Re 1 per litre respectively on February 14, 2008. Since then the global oil prices have moved up significantly crossing $135 per barrel, hence further fuel price hike cannot be ruled out, despite ongoing inflationary pressures on the economy. National Highway Development Project (NHDP) With substantial portion of the GQ having been completed and a significant portion of the NSEW corridor under implementation, the focus is now moved to Phase IIIA and Phase V

Experiencing Cities Essay

The text â€Å"Experiencing Cities† by Mark Hutter deals with micro sociology and symbolic interaction theory. This means the way people experience the urban world in relationship to their everyday lives. This would include the interaction with others that would create meaning for them from the physical and human environment of the city. The exercise was to pick up certain aspects of micro sociology and use my life experiences as examples to show my understanding of this theory. The text uses perspectives from other social science disciplines in studying the city. Some of these included urban history, art, architectural history, urban geography and environmental psychology. Global urbanization is discussed in the last chapter, which to me helped me to understand where I am in the context of the world. I am a twenty-one year old, female student. I attend college full-time, work full-time and live with my parents in New York City. I am single and have no children and hope to obtain my degree in Social Sciences. First I would like to discuss symbolic interactionism and the self in society. Functionalism, conflict theory and evolutionism tend to be macrotheories that direct the sociologist toward large-scale phenomena, their relationships and changes in them. To use an example from my life would be the terrorist acts that happen on 911. This is a macrosocial phenomenon but at the micro level it affected me and my family, the family members of the victims and New York City. On the Macro level it affected the United States, and on a wider picture it also affected the globe. Symbolic interactionism, like exchange theory, is a micro orientation. It is a theoretical map that directs the sociologist in quests to understand how individuals interact in face to face relationships, relationships that are the foundation of social life. Unlike exchange theory, symbolic interactionism does not stress concepts of rewards and costs. Instead it is an emphasis on the human self, symbolic communications and interaction between persons based upon symbolic communication. The self is the process that is made up of the interaction of two self-aspects. These are â€Å"I† and â€Å"Me†. This is the knowing of self, the self asking and revising questions in the present or the â€Å"I†. Then there is the self-aspect composed of past experiences and conscious identity, the â€Å"Me†. The â€Å"I† is the self-aspect that exists in the present, which notes the world around it, that questions, that is impulsive, and that suggests my behavior. The â€Å"me† is based on past experience and is judgmental of my impulses. The â€Å"I† is my creative self; the â€Å"me† is my social self. For example I am basically a night person; I am working on this exercise at midnight. Being a night person I believe that the best way to be sure to have a good morning is to sleep through most of it. Because of this I have always tried to have my classes scheduled for afternoon or evenings, when possible. But last quarter I found to my horror, that due to a series of circumstances, I was forced to take a course that met on Monday’s at 8 a. m. This is a time of day I have rarely seen and when I have seen it, it was not because I was up very early, but because I was up very late. When the alarm clock rang at 6:15, the immediate impulsive action of my self arising in my â€Å"I† was to pull the plug on the alarm and go back to sleep. I would have done so, had not the â€Å"me† aspect of my self reminded me that would be a bad idea. As the socially aware, judgmental self-aspect, it reinforced me of the need to get up, shower, and eat so I could meet my responsibilities as a student and my goals. But I was still very tired and my â€Å"I† suggested that I sleep another half hour. My judgmental â€Å"me† aspect suggested twenty minutes more was the maximum time I could sleep if I was to meet my responsibilities. I proceeded to go back to sleep for twenty minutes and at 8:00 a. m. I went to my economics’ class ready to absorb the knowledge. Society is created by interactions between persons first with their selves that allow them to plan and coordinate their own behaviors. But social interaction first requires more than selves and it depends on symbolic communication through language. A verbal symbol is a sound which indicates some object. The spoken word say for example chair means something to sit on. People who are born in the same society learn more or less the same symbols. For example, I went to Ohio once to visit a friend I asked for a soda and was told that she didn’t have soda but she had Pepsi. That’s what I wanted, but in Ohio they ask for a pop. People born in the same society that pick up the same symbols helps conversations between persons in which joint plans are made and communicated. So the existence of the self and symbolic communication makes group interaction possible. Because I have self and can communicate symbolically I can form groups such as my family, my college and my religion. These are the foundation of social life. People will think of the world in terms of symbols that represent objects and these objects can be physical like chairs and books, social like teachers or sisters, and abstract such as truth, liberty, or evil. To understand cities and the development of cities I thought of looking at urbanization first. Urbanization refers to masses of people moving to cities and to these cities having a growing influence on society. Urbanization is worldwide. To understand the city’s attraction the first thing to consider is the pull of urban life. New York City offers an incredible variety of social events such as music ranging from rock to classic, architectural history, and cultural diversity. It also offers anonymity, which I find so much better than the scrutiny and restriction my friend had in her small town in Ohio. But probably the most important factor would be the opportunities in jobs. There are three types that life in cities by choice the cosmopolites, which I fall into, are students, intellectuals, professionals, artists, and entertainers. We are pulled to the city because of the conveniences and cultural beliefs. The single, another group I can associate with, are young unmarried people that are staying in the city because of the job and entertainment. Staying in the city reflects a stage in my life course, because after I marry and have children I have thought of moving to the suburbs. Then there are the ethnic villagers that are united by race-ethnicity and social class. These people live in tightly knit neighborhoods that resemble villages and small towns around New York City. Moving within a close circle of family and friends trying to isolate them from what they view as the harmful effects of city life. There are two groups that have little choice about where they live; they are the deprived and the trapped. Symbolic interactionism focuses on society as an outcome of persons with self-identities interacting with one another. An example of how symbolic interactionism can be applied to me by how I view myself as say; a drinker I have been taught about drinking through interaction with my friends. The learning requires interaction in a number of steps. This process is often accompanied by learning to explain away some unpleasant sensations caused by drinking in excess. Once drinking begins individuals will change their self-concept and thoughts of themselves as an occasional or to regular use of alcohol. So major changes made by alcohol were not caused by the alcohol but by learned changes in self identity. So in addition to other theories critical theory, phenomenology and ehtnomehtodology are also important to experiencing cities. Critical theory focuses on alienation and social contradictions and how they are overcome. Phenomenology focuses on how claims to knowledge about society are constructed. Ethnomethodology looks at how social actors make sense of their own actions and all of these are used to understand society.

Popular Resistance to Peter's Reforms (Peter the Great) Essay

Popular Resistance to Peter's Reforms (Peter the Great) - Essay Example Furthermore effect of these measures widened the gap between the peasant masses and propertied classes that had already appeared in the previous century, and would surely lead to the upper classes’ entire isolation and social outburst. Russian society of that time was grounded on the contract of service. Noblemen and the church had right to own the serfs and land. In turn they owed service to the state in the person of the Tsar. Initially there had been two groups of them. The first one comprised those who held their land possessions in perpetuity while those of another group held lands on a service basis. Nevertheless by the beginning of the eighteenth century hardly all of estates had become hereditary. In 1714 Peter recognized this change legally however required all entitled to serve. (Grey 356) To the propertied classes service meant first of all military service. However they had hated the old-fashion militia from which they used to be dispersed to their homes as soon as a campaign was over, they disliked the new regular army, because in it their duties proved to be much heavier. The only way to from the newly imposed service was injury or old age. Moreover Peter established the rule that no more than one third of the members of any noble family was allowed to serve in lucrative and relatively quite civil service while the others were compelled to serve either in the navy or in the army. Although many noblemen fit for military service did their best to evade military service, the summary enrollments and service registers were constantly being revised so such evasions were increasingly difficult. Being aware of the propertied classes’ ability to render state service effectively, Peter also paid close attention to the peasantry who bore the greater portion of his fundamental reforms’ burden. The peasantry provided recruits, paid taxes and the most of the labor. Having subjugated landowners to the military supervision, Peter thus increas ed their powers making the peasants’ escape more difficult and extending their bondage. In accordance with imperial ukase (edict) of November 26, 1718 the army in addition to its military duties was charged with the policing ones as well. Army officers became responsible thus for supervising local officials, pursuing of vagabonds and robber bands and for catching runaway peasants. The latter suffered most. They were forbidden to move without approval of army authorities and written permission of their immediate masters. Although the officers acted cruelly ordering executions and knouting for failure to pay there were not too many of peasants who fled or dared revolt against their masters or against the military. As a whole Russian peasantry went on serving and laboring with inconceivable fortitude Hardly the only escape for peasants from hard labour, recruiting and from taxes was flight. Although tolerant to inhuman oppressive policies Russian peasantry had an instinctive urg e to roam and to seek new lands free from oppression. The vast underpopulated expanse of Russia has always offered plenty of opportunities for the wanderer and colonizer yet made the labor force extremely unreliable and successive Russian governments have passed measures tying the peasants to the soil they tilled. It is no wonder that the number of escapes increased dramatically during Petrian reforms. In 1699 over 300 families from Voronezh

Monitoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Monitoring - Essay Example It may be legal for an employee to make negative comments about their employer over the internet. However, the employer might decide to discipline the employee if they directly post the negative comments in reference to them. Such discipline could amount to the termination of employment and other opportunities in the working environment (Online Privacy: Using the Internet Safely). If the employee defies the ethical concern on confidentiality and discloses confidential information about the employer over the internet, then the employer has a right to terminate their employment. Employers ask for private information about the social web pages of their employees. This is an ethical concern that affects businesses because it amounts to the infringement of the employees’ privacy rights. Such practices might affect the society in a negative manner, as the employers would practice discriminatory recruitment practices. The development of peer-to-peer sharing of files has led to a concern in business ethics (Business & Entrepreneurship). It has led to the illegal transfer of copyrighted content, for instance, the free sharing of software among users. The owners of such software could sue the business as they have defied the terms and conditions stipulated in the usage agreement. "Can My Employer Discipline Me for My Comments Posted on Facebook, MySpace, or My Blog?" - LawInfo. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.

Black Holes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Black Holes - Essay Example Based on this concept of black hole, scientists have tried to describe unseen surface of the black hole as ‘event sphere’ that at a conflict, does not allow any particle or object to return and thus scientists explain event sphere as the point of no return. The scientists named black hole as black because of its properties that mainly include absorbing everything that comes into its reach resulting in everything disappearing, thus black. Quantum physics and mechanics have contributed significantly in understanding of black holes that indicate that although black holes absorb everything that comes in its reach, however, there have been observations of a very weak emission from the black holes that has a temperature, which is inversely proportional to the mass of the black hole (Taylor & Wheeler, 2000). Scientists believe that every galaxy has these black holes at their cores, which absorb all the left-out energies of these galaxies and thus they are denser and heavier than even the sun, which is a theoretical assumption and thus, has been criticised by many experts in the field who even do not believe in the existence of black holes. However, scientists who believe in black holes indicate that with their characteristic of absorbing everything, the black hole creates a spinning disk that confine nearby particles in the space. Few scientists have been successful in observing this accumulation-spinning disk on radio, x-ray, and gamma ray bands since emissions of black holes often become very warm and thus, come on the x-ray bands (Susskind & Lindesay, 2004). With these observations, a huge number of scientists have now proofs of real black hole at the core of Milky Way galaxy that is heavier than the four million solar masses, and it is assumed that this black hole has maintained its gravitational field and absorbing everything that comes in its vicinity. Due to this ability of black

Civil Rights Movement and Marine Force Recon in Vietnam Research Paper

Civil Rights Movement and Marine Force Recon in Vietnam - Research Paper Example Most of them joined the marine forces at eighteen. Into the training, they carried along all the prejudices they had experienced in their earlier life. In such critical times, training played a great role in transforming these individuals into a unified marine force reconnaissance. As this essay brings out, racial relations in the marine were not good at the time and many African Americans had to face these setbacks. 1962 was the year when the then American president granted equal opportunity to people from all races to join the American forces. The African Americans were facing challenges because of their color (Shaw and Donelly 70). In many sectors of the marine forces, discrimination existed and the status of African Americans was bad. Race was a key barrier for them and they lacked easy access to opportunities compared to the whites. These are the reasons why the president saw the essence of a committee that would investigate into the issue. Increased segregation existed in the marine forces. The investigation of the matter was taking place in the 1960’s when a high racial tension existed in America (Shaw and Donelly 82). At the same time, the situation in Vietnam was worsening. At the time, joining the marine force was voluntary and individuals taking up the responsibility understood the risk involved. Due to the rising racial tension, civil rights movements rose up to champion for t he rights of black marines. The African American marines lacked equal opportunities in promotions, job assignments, and military justice. In addition, it was evident that the organization and involving of blacks in public events had a lot of racial influence. There were different camps of the marines in different regions. The camps at Vietnam reported incidences that resulted from the existing racial indifferences. The white-black relations were falling apart in the 1960’s. The blacks who had been the subject of discrimination for a long time now stood up in

The Diverse Nature of Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Diverse Nature of Counseling - Essay Example Psychoanalytic therapy was the first to develop in the area of counseling. It was created by an Austrian doctor by the name of Sigmund Freud. He wrote many aspects of the personality such as the id, ego, and superego. He also came up with the idea of reaction mechanisms in response to anxiety as well as thoughts of the consciousness and unconsciousness. In regards to therapy, the goal of therapy in psychotherapy is to bring the unconscious into the conscious realm through dream interpretation and talking therapy. In addition, it focuses on the strengthening of the ego so that the person becomes more integrated with reality. This was the foundation for all of the other therapies in psychology. The next major form of therapy to develop in counseling was Alderian therapy. It was started by Alfred Adler, who was a student of Freud’s, so there is some psychoanalytical influence on this theory. His basis for this therapy was that people are strongly influenced by the events of the p ast in which they either witnessed or experienced. Unlike in psychoanalysis which is purely deterministic, Alderian therapy acknowledges that both biological and environmental factors can impact a person. Many times, Alderian therapy is used in family and child therapy due to the emphasis on birth order and family constellations. Many times the goal in therapy is helping the person overcome inferiority and modifying faulty lifestyles and motivation. (Rule, & Bishop, 2006). Existential therapy is one of the theories which is more derived from philosophy rather than the behavioral sciences. It was created and supported by Victor Frankl and Rollo May. They reject the deterministic behavior of psychoanalysis in favor of the idea that we have the freedom to choose who and what we want to be. It is in this attempt to find oneself in which the therapy is developed. Logotherapy, the search for meaning, was created using this philosophy on counseling. The goal in counseling is helping the in dividual discover themselves and allowing them to redefine themselves through personal expression and genuineness expressed by the therapist (Yalom, 1980). Person-centered therapy was started by Carol Rogers. Again, rather than the purely biological nature of psychoanalysis, person centered therapy relies on concepts from the humanistic psychology. The main aspects of person centered therapy, as a therapist, are to have unconditional positive regard for a person, congruence, and be able to be empathetic towards the individual. The idea behind person centered therapy is that growth in the client is attained by the genuineness of the client-therapist relationship. This was unlike many of the prior therapy philosophies in that the main goal of therapy is based on the client-therapist relationship (Tudor, & Worrall, 2006). Gestalt therapy is the based on the here and now. According to Fritz Pearls, the goal in helping the client overcome neuroticism is by making them experience their pa st emotions and experiences as if they are a current feeling. Some of the principles of Gestalt therapy included

Sikh Gurus, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Institutions Research Paper

Sikh Gurus, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Institutions - Research Paper Example All Sikhs are deeply connected to the Guru Granth, and it is considered to be the Guru, and thus to be the immediate revelation and manifestation of God (Mann 41). How scripture became the Guru and how each Guru participated in scripture, and the institutions that resulted from this process, is a very interesting story. The way God spoke to the Sikhs was through their Gurus. The Gurus wrote songs and recitations of devotion and supplication, in poetic form, and these were passed on to subsequent Gurus of the lineage. The Guru Granth is comprised of the collection of poetry and songs, dating all the way back to the respected Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs (Mann). The scripture is an active part of daily living, for the Sikhs, and is the center for rites of passage in Sikh family celebrations (Mann 42) Guru Nanak taught an emancipator path of liberation from the cycle of rebirth, based upon the humble and joyous adoration of God. God was macrocosm and microcosm, and could not be fully known nor manipulated, but might freely bestow his grace. Guru Nanak, glimpsing the transcendent, sang poetry to God: I would still not be able to measure your greatness, nor signify the glory of your name. Another example is: To you belong my breath, to you my flesh. You the True One are my Beloved (Singh 34). Guru Nanak’s 500 devotional songs (Mann 44) address the problem of Indian society’s brokenness and fragmentation into the many pieces of caste, class, religion, language, social structure and cultural paradigms (Muthumohan 8). In the 1500’s, the Punjab was ruled by Muslims, using the Q’uran, and society also under the influence of Brahman priests who excluded women and all lower castes from much of the religious worship experience, and who kept an oral tradition of scripture, so that accessibility was controlled (Mann 43). The Jains responded to India’s fragmentation by honoring multiplicity. Vedanta reduced everything into OM, outs ide of which everything else is illusion. Buddhism constructed relationality. Sikh musical devotion mediates between the dilemma of one and many through â€Å"musical cementing and construction of consent† (Muthumohan 8). Music is a fluid signifier, to Guru Nanak’s way of thinking, and very unlike the rigid deity signifiers of other religious approaches, which created division, not unity (Muthumohan 8). Guru Nanak’s God is nameless, formless and eternal, cannot be precisely known, so this God does not divide into inflexible social and philosophical segments, but unites what is broken. The universality of God was reflected in the teachings and practice of caste and gender equality (Grewel 15). This view of equality is reflected now in the way every Sikh, irrespective of caste, class, gender, age, or status is equally welcome to handle the Guru Granth, to read it and listen to it and sing it and respond to it (Mann 44). There is no priest in charge but each person can access the scripture, and therefore God, directly. This view of equality is reflected in Guru Nanak’s institution of congregational worship. He sat with his followers, who were not distinguished from each other in practice, and sang praises to God together, at the same time, in the same place, with the same status, all having in common their loyalty to the Guru. This became known as â€Å"

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World Research Paper

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to establish the origins and evolution of the major divisions in Islam, and identify their ideologies and historical significance until the period of the Mongol Conquests. The paper argues that the major divisions of Islam were caused by struggles for power and authority, and evolved over a long period of time starting in the eighth century after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The major Islamic divisions include: Sunni, Shiite, Wahhabis, and Suffis. As the discussion stresses Prophet Muhammad had predicted in his ruling time that the Islamic religion would divide into seventy-three sects, which would all go to hell except himself and his true followers. The Islam divisions are now up to 150. The first Islamic group which was a successor of Prophet Muhammad was formed immediately after the death of the prophet in the seventh century. This division is known as the Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims in the world, and they follow the four Khalifs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad – Hanifa, Hannibal, Malik and Shafi. This group has evolved to pursue their religion alongside secular societies. Ansary suggests that â€Å"they have followed the three Islamic sources of law namely, Hadith, Quran and Muslim consensus†. They consider themselves as those who have been saved by Allah; hence deriving the title of Najiyah.  

Representations of Women in Early Irish and Welsh Literature Essay Example for Free

Representations of Women in Early Irish and Welsh Literature Essay Although there are parallels between Irish and Welsh sagas of elopement, the powerful self confident women depicted in these narratives do not represent the real women of Medieval Ireland and Wales. Proinsias Mac Cana has suggested that the dominant roles of Deirdre and Grainne in their respective tales (Longes mac nUislenn and Toruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghrainne) are ‘literary variations on the exemplar of the sovereignty goddess’ (Doan, 1985: 90). Bitel (1996: 2) asserts that Celticists have been seduced by these dominant female characters viewing them as representative of real women with considerable power over men, a depiction which if true should be reflected in the law tracts or ‘custom in action’(Stacey, 2002: 1107). This paper will argue that the ecclesiastical and legal tracts of both Ireland and Wales offer many images of women, judgements about women, and regulations for women. They do not however present the stereotypical medieval woman as the sovereignty goddess depicted in the secular sagas. Because women left no written records, we are dependent on male literature (probably all of the texts written in early Ireland and Wales) for a definition of woman and her cultural role. These male authors wrote of women in: ‘saint’s lives; poems; sagas and myths; gnomic texts; histories; chronicles; genealogies; folktales; theological tracts; and extensive ecclesiastical tracts; and secular laws’ (Bitel, 1996: 12). Although these texts offer insights on women they must be viewed through the hermeneutical lens of the socio-historical context of the era in which they were written. Early medieval Ireland was a patriarchal society and a woman’s role and identity was determined by patriarchal norms and conventions. The literati of this era did not define woman as an independent individual. Women existed only in relation to men and therefore their representation in literature was not entirely objective or according to Bitel consistent. Tensions exist between various texts. The portrayal of women as ‘capricious beasts’ (Bitel, 1995:137) presented in the eighth century wisdom text Tecosca Cormaic contrasts sharply with the recognition of a woman as home-maker and wife with limited recourse to the law depicted in Cain Lanamna or the law of couples (O Croinin, 1995: 127) . The majority of the extant Irish law books were composed between the seventh and ninth centuries. At this stage the Irish literati were members of the nobility educated in monastic communities. Many were monks but this elite group also included jurists, historians, poets and story tellers. Mc Cone has suggested that these learned elite produced literature for the monastery which was heavily influenced by Biblical texts (Bitel, 1996: 14). Donnchadh O Corrain, Liam Breatnach and Aidan Breen have argued that there exists a close connection between ecclesiastical law and Irish vernacular law (Stacey, 2002: 1108). Stacey asserts that although the legal sources from Wales (compiled in the twelfth and thirteen centuries) are later than the Irish sources there is also a significant link between ‘legal, poetic and ecclesiastical learning’ (2002: 1108). The Irish penitential books written between the sixth and the ninth centuries reveal conflict between the ideals of Christian leaders and the customs of early Irish communities. These penitentials were designed as moral guides for confessors in attributing penance in the rite of confession (Gula, 1989: 25). According to Bitel, Christian clergy were intent on transferring social control of sex from the kin group to the individual Christian (1987: 67). Fox concurs with Bitel, asserting that by liberating the individual from the bonds of clan and family, the church was attempting to reduce kinship to ‘its lowest common denominator [the nuclear family: the lowest kinship group that is compatible with reproduction] while appearing to support basic kinship values’ (1993: 109-110). The Clergy in promoting Christian morality for the individual attempted to reorganize Early Irish society. According to Bitel, the kin group were influential in controlling sexual activity. This was necessary to ensure the survival of the community as an interdependent group. Archaeological evidence suggests that houses consisted of one room. This allowed for little individual privacy and sex was a natural and visible part of family life. Illicit encounters had to take place outside of the home, and even then they were monitored by the community. Any kind of sexual relationship that had to be conducted in secrecy was considered dangerous. The survival and welfare of the clan depended on social stability and this principle determined the attitude of the pre-Christian Irish toward sexuality. Sex in itself however was not considered immoral. Celibacy was not portrayed as a virtue in the secular literature. Cu Chulainn’s sexual exploits are recorded in the sagas; however his casual encounters did not threaten the community (Bitel, 1987: 70-71). Bitel asserts that ‘the tension between individual desire and community need had always to be resolved in favour of the community’ (1987: 72), and herefore marriage was a contractual arrangement determined not by romance or love but by the necessity of producing children and the survival of the kin group. Woman’s reproductive capacities themselves are integrated into the economic life of the society. The image of woman depicted in Cain Lanamna is a woman whose social emotional and economic orientation is directed towards the family and home. Early Irish Law, commonly known as Brehon Law was a series of civil laws which governed every aspect of daily life including marriage and divorce. Marriage and divorce were interlinked by virtue of a contract agreed and a contract dissolved. Under the Brehon system, women were free to marry in one of nine ways, although the primary type of marriage, lanamnas comthinchuir was the most common. Both partners enter this marriage with equal financial resources. In the second type of marriage, lanamnas for ferthinchur, the woman contributes little or no financial assets to the marriage. In the third category, lanamnas for bantinchur, the woman contributes the greater share of the marriage assets. These three categories required formal pre-nuptial agreements. With the remaining six types of marital union (including cohabitation with a woman with family consent, voluntary eloping without family consent, voluntary abduction without family consent, illicit rendezvous, marriage by rape and marriage of two insane people) marriage entailed the assumption of financial responsibility for child rearing (O Croinin, 1995: 128). Corresponding to the wide variety of marriages recognized by law, there were many grounds for divorce. A woman might divorce a man who failed to satisfy her sexual needs because he was sterile, impotent, bisexual or homosexual. In this instance she was entitled to be paid her coibche in addition to a fine in compensation. A woman could divorce her husband on the grounds of indiscretion should he discuss intimate details of their marriage outside of the home. A woman could also divorce her husband should he abandon her either for the church or for a life on the road as he would no longer be in a position to maintain her. Physical abuse was also considered legitimate grounds for divorce. Even if the original blemish disappeared, a woman was entitled to the equivalent of her bride price as compensation. The laws are quite clear about the validity of female testimony in matters concerning consummation of marriage. This testimony is verified by a physical examination of the woman by female dignitaries. In a case where a woman refuses her husband his conjugal rights either because of a problem pregnancy or her menstrual cycle, the law regarded her objections as valid. A woman could also choose to divorce on grounds of infidelity although extra marital relations were recognized by law (O Croinin, 1995: 129). O Croinin suggests that in general terms many women were recognized by the law in ‘their capacity as wives and in their own right as individuals’ (1995: 133) Law texts are clear that a woman’s rights in divorce are specific to each type of marriage and related marriage contract. Lanamnas Comthinchuir was regarded as the most common type of marriage at this time. It was a dignified state for the wife, she was known as a be cuitchernsa, literally ‘a woman of joint dominion, a woman of equal lordship’ (O Croinin. 1995: 128). If this category of marriage ended in divorce, the woman received what she had initially contributed to the marriage in addition to a share of the profit accrued from the couple’s joint activities during the marriage period. O Croinin records that the division of property was in accordance with fixed proportions: ‘one third went to the partner who provided the land; one third to the partner who provided the stock; and one third to the partner who provided the labour’ (1995: 128). This last provision recognized the woman’s work in the home and on the farm. The second type of marriage lanamnas for ferthinchur represented a different kind of divorce settlement. Since the woman provided neither land nor stock, she was entitled to half of her own handiwork and one sixth of the dairy produce in store. If she had worked diligently on the farm and in the home she took one ninth of the corn and cured meat in store. She also received a sack of corn for a specified time. Divorce in the third category of marriage, lanamnas for bantinchur, ensured that the woman retained a life interest in the farm. She could not however transfer any rights to the estate to her children. She could however marry one of the heirs to the property and preserve her children’s right to inherit. Although the Irish lawyers appealed to Scripture, particularly to Leviticus to justify parallel cousin marriages, church law declared parallel cousin marriages incestuous (O Corrain, 1985). The Welsh tractate ‘the laws of women’ contains rules governing marriage and division of property in medieval Wales. There are four redactions of Welsh law manuscripts: the Cyfnerth and the Blegywryd redactions both derive from south Wales; Iorwerth is classed as a north Wales redaction; and finally the Latin manuscripts (there are similarities between the Latin laws and the Welsh redactions). Although the sources from Wales are dated to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, women in the Welsh tractate like women in Cain Lanamna are portrayed as wives and home-makers (Roberts, 2008: 58-59). Stacey asserts that the most ‘striking’ passage of the ‘Laws of Women’ outlines the domestic and agricultural goods granted to each partner in cases where the marriage had lasted longer than seven years (2002: 1109). This passage is common to each of the Welsh redactions of the law books and can also be found in four of the five Latin compilations. The couple must divide their possessions equally, the pigs become the property of the man and the woman takes ownership of the sheep. If there are only sheep and goats, the sheep go to the man and the goats to the woman. The children are also divided between the couple ‘two parts go to the father, the eldest and the youngest, and the middle to the mother’ (Stacey, 2002: 1111). The division of household goods is itemised: all milk vessels, except for one pail and one dish becomes the property of the woman. The man is entitled to all of the drinking vessels and the riddle while the woman is entitled to the sieve. The man is entitled to the upper stone of the quern and the woman to the lower stone. The bed clothes which cover the couple becomes the property of the woman while the clothes which they lay on belong to the man. The man receives the cauldron and the blanket and the pillows from the bed together with the wood axe, coulter and all the sickles except for one which the woman obtains. The woman is granted the pan, the broad axe, the bill hook and all of the flax, linseed and wool. She also receives the plowshare. Any gold or silver is divided equally between the couple. The man is entitled to the corn above and below the ground, all of the hens and one cat. The remaining cats become the property of the woman. The woman receives the salted meat but if it is hung it becomes the property of the man. The woman is also granted as much flour as she can carry along with the cut meat and the partly used cheese. They each retain their own clothes except for their cloaks which must be divided equally. Any balls of wool in stock become the property of the sons (Stacey, 2002: 1111). Like Irish Marriage Law, the Welsh Laws of Women attempted to secure a measure of financial independence for each partner in the event of divorce . Unlike Irish marriage law however which divided property according to specific marriage contracts, some rovisions in the Welsh divorce law appear illogical. Jenkins suggests that the Welsh division of property on divorce, attempts to ensure that each partner has the necessary provisions to survive but he asserts that the division of the quern stones is ‘curious’ since they cannot be used independently (Stacey, 2002: 1111). Similarly the coulter is granted to the man while the plowshare is received by the woman. Since both blades would have been required for planting this division appears to make little logical or practical sense. Stacey also points out that the man receives all of the corn and hens but only one cat to protect them from vermin while the woman receives the remaining cats although she has no grain or hens to protect (Stacey, 2002: 1113-1116). Welsh divorce law does not seem to be based on the wealth brought to the marriage by each party or indeed on the status of the marriage. In Irish Law the apportionment of property is determined by both of these factors (Stacey, 2002: 1113). Stacey suggests that the division of property in a Welsh divorce is symbolic of the destructiveness of divorce and failed marriage. He asserts that this was a secular ‘homily’ on the improvident nature of divorce (2002: 1124). Although the marriage property is divided the woman ultimately is disadvantaged because under Welsh Law, she has no claim to land and must be satisfied with portable goods. Although women under Welsh law were afforded the opportunity to divorce their husbands due to his impotency, leprosy or bad breath (Roberts, 2008: 63), Nerys Patterson suggests that the woman was further disadvantaged in the wake of marital separation: female virginity was highly valued and her loss of virginity would affect her chances of remarriage (2002: 1121). These medieval divorce laws clearly situate the woman in the home, rearing children, cooking, spinning wool and working on the farm. It is tempting to view these laws as depictions of a progressive egalitarian society, however the political and social realities of a woman’s life suggest otherwise. A woman’s legal definition derived from that of her father, brother or her legal husband. A legal tract on honour price (dire) defined women’s legal and social position ‘her father had charge over her when she is a girl, her husband when she is a wife, her sons when she is a [widowed] woman with children . . the Church when she is a woman of the Church [i. e. , a nun]. She is not capable of sale or purchase or contract or transaction without the authorization of one of her superiors’ (Bitel, 1996: 8). According to Bitel, these legally and socially incapacitated women were the real Medbs of medieval Ireland. When measuring a woman’s status, the laws measured women against the legal norm of the free adult male and as such a woman’s worth remained only half that of her male guardians honour price. The Irish literati along with many medieval authors considered female bodies as ‘less valuable copies of mens’ (Bitel, 1996: 19). This principle is reflected in the only extant Irish medico-legal tracts namely Bretha Crolige and Bretha Dein Checht which accorded women less medical attention and food rations than men (Bitel, 1996: 21). Women therefore were considered physically and psychologically less than man, less than human (Bitel, 1996: 23). The ninth century Triads text, Trecheng Breth Fene unveiled some basic assumptions about the nature of woman. The Triads suggested that ‘the three drops of a wedded woman’ were drops of blood (a good wife was a virgin at marriage); sweat; and tears (a good wife should be willing to suffer hardship to support her husband and children). One of the three misfortunes of a man was proposing marriage to a bad woman. According to the Triads, women were their husband’s property and were akin to animals. ‘When a man loaned either a woman or a horse, he had to expect it to be used by the borrower’ (Bitel, 1996: 23). The wisdom text also suggested that ‘like a cow’s udder, women through her womb, was one of the three renovators of the world’ (Bitel, 1996: 24). Another wisdom text Tecosca Cormaic suggested that women ‘should be feared like beasts’ because they were ‘capricious beasts’ (Bitel, 1996: 24). A woman’s physical characteristics and fertility therefore were animal like and unreliable. The eighth or ninth-century wisdom text Senbriathra Fithail considered the characteristics of ‘a good wife’ (Bitel, 1996: 27). Advising his pupil Cormac mac Airt, Fithal (a druid) asserted that a good woman had ‘common sense, prudence, modesty, excellent Irish, delicacy, mildness, honesty, wisdom, purity and intelligence’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). All of these attributes according to Fithal were necessary for a woman to become a desirable wife. A bad wife on the other hand was characterised by ‘wretchedness, stinginess, vanity, talkativeness, laziness, indolence, noisiness, hatefulness avarice, visiting, thieving, keeping trysts, lustfulness, folly and treachery’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal asserted that it was possible to detect a woman’s character based on her physical appearance. He suggested that Cormac should avoid: ‘the fat short one’; ‘the slender short one with curling hair’; the fair tall one’; ‘the dark-limbed, unmanageable one’; ‘the dun coloured yellow one’; and ‘the slender prolific one who was lewd and jealous’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal determined that the worst wife was a be cairn or a whore. A successful marriage however could be assured by a union with the ‘tall, fair, very slender ones’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal admitted to Cormac however that the ideal woman may not exist and that most women had character flaws. The author of Tecosca Cormaic was adamant that all women were ‘chronically dissatisfied, bad tempered, untrustworthy, wanton, manipulative, ambitious, greedy, arrogant whiners’ (Bitel, 1996: 29). Bitel suggests that the real problem with women is that they were not men and the writers of the gnomic tracts could only define them by their many indefinable natures: they had similar physical bodies to men but were not men; they had reproductive characteristics and temperaments similar to animals but were not animals. The only certainty appeared to be was that women must be controlled and her inferior position in society maintained (Bitel, 1996: 30). The writers of ecclesiastical canons suggested that women could only be redeemed by denying their female characteristics and their female sexuality. Bitel argues that canonists established a ‘gender hierarchy’ (Bitel, 1996: 32). Unlike the typologies found in secular and wisdom texts, the cannon scribes attributed a moral value to virginity and abstinence. Nuns were accorded a high moral value as were ‘widows who took the veil’ (Bitel, 1996: 32). Thomas O’ Loughlin suggests that the Collectio canonum hibernesis, a systematic collection of law, codified certain patristic theories producing an understanding of marriage ‘as a state secondary to virginity’ (1997: 188). The canonists justify their position by quoting Jerome who asserts that ‘virginity follows the lamb wherever he goes’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 192). Jerome expands on this theme suggesting that ‘earth is populated by marriage, so heaven is by virginity’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 192). The underlying concept is clear, virginity is exemplified and sexuality creates problems. According to O’Loughlin this principle was the basis of ecclesiastical thinking on marriage throughout the middle ages and Jerome’s opinion that sexual activity was ‘inferior and earthy’ in comparison to virginity which was ‘noble and superior’ has been held responsible for the cult of virginity and celibacy in the Latin church (O’Loughlin, 1997: 193). Augustine also considered sexuality dangerous but (quoting Paul in 1 Corinthians 7) asserted that while celibacy was the desired state, ‘lawful marriage is to be preferred to burning with desire and fornication’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 193). The dangers of sexuality therefore were to be contained within the institution of marriage. Although canonists admitted that clerics could fall to sexual temptation, the general consensus was that women as the weaker sex were more likely to succumb to sexual temptation.