Ratio Analysis Essay Example for Free

Ratio Analysis Essay The aims and objectives of this report are to compare the two companies, Kingfisher Plc. and Home Retail Group Plc., using their annual report published for the year 2011. With the help of the financial statements, it will be possible to calculate different ratios that are relevant to the comparison between the two businesses. Through this comments can then be made on the performance of both companies for the year, stating some of the possible factors that could have made affected this. Comparison will be on a year-to-year basis and then between the two companies as a whole. When comparing two companies like Kingfisher and the Home Retail Group, there are a few limitations needed to be considered before this is possible. The first would be the different accounting policies that each corporation have chosen to adapt to their financial statements; this could be in regards of the depreciation or inventory valuation method used for the preparation of relevant statements. Another important point to note is that financial statements are based on historical information and therefore this would not be as objective to when we come to use them for the comparison. Expanding on this, the closing balances on the statement may make the ratios appear misleading when comparing the two companies for the period, i.e. seasonal sale boost; Christmas and New Year promotion. The main issue that should be considered is the date that they have published their account Kingfisher being 31st January 2011 and Home Retail Group at 28th February 2011. So it would not be possible to make a more accurate comparison, as the economic conditions may have changed for that one month Kingfisher did not trade. Although it would suggest comparing the two businesses is not ideal, the two companies are somewhat similar. Therefore this should make the approximation more accurate and thus the comparison more meaningful. Kingfisher PLC Kingfisher is a company that focuses on mainly offering its customers home improvements products for DIY and such likes. Its main retail brand in the UK is BQ with a market share of 14% and they are currently top of the market. They are also making a respectable breakthrough in France with their brands, Castorama and Brico Depot taking 21% of the market share with the top place. Moreover they have expanded to Germany, Turkey, Spain, China, Poland and Russia

Aesthetic Labour Within The United Kingdom

Aesthetic Labour Within The United Kingdom Within recent years it has been found emotions play a large part in todays work place, with the same now being said in regards to aesthetic labour. Postrell (2003) even suggests that we are on verge of entering an aesthetic economy, bring forth an era of appearance and feel. With the fundamental feature of this economy predominately being employees appearance developing the notion that style is strategy, Postrell also suggests that the look of employees can also determine the ambience of a room as much as the furnishings or decor. Aesthetic labour itself is a modern term in regards to recruiting staff whom look the part (Witz et al, 2003). The concept of aesthetic labour was developed based on employers impression that parts of the service industries were portrayed as the style labour market this includes the following service areas; bars, hotels, events and retailers, who require aesthetic skills in addition to social and technical skills from employees (Nickson et al, 2004, p.3). Todays research shows that within the UK, service jobs now accommodate around three-quarters of all jobs, with them predominantly coming from the retail and hospitality sectors. With a 17 percent growth between 1979 and 2003 within these sectors alone it can be seen from current examination of employers trends that the selections of employees with self presentation skills have a higher preference than experience or technical skills. For example a current survey of one hundred human resource experts within the United States of America accountable for employing hospitality industry employees publicized that their top two criterias were pride in appearance and a good attitude (Martin and Grove, 2002), the hospitality training foundation (2001) also confirmed that these top criterias are also shared by the industries within the UK. Once again both within the UK and USA it has been found that once employees have been employed their appearance continues to influence and help them, with sug gestion that service, profession and pay are all subjective to employees appearance. Within the UK this is most prominent in the service sector however it can be seen in most areas (Harper, 2000). Nick et al (2004, p.3) argues that aesthetics within interactive service work is also becoming a major input however this trend has not yet been confirmed by policy markers. Other authors also suggest that the aesthetics within interactive service work is extremely significant with trends coming from interrelationships as well as from human and non human elements that are found with the workplace itself. In which aestheticization process can present them through fundamental actor network theory, these are transitions of redevelopment identifying how systems come together to act as a whole (Deepdyve Beta 2010). In particular in many customer facing jobs a large amount of importance is placed on a persons characteristics to a degree in which employers specifically look for people who are passionate, stylish, confident, tasty, clever, successful and well travelled (Warhurst and Nickson, 2001, p.14). It is essentially that all employees portray the right image for the company, irrespective of the skills they possess. Grugulis et al (2004) argues that many managers may try to control how their employees feel and look, as well as how they behave, so that they can expose the correct emotions, aesthetics and productivity needed within a specific working environment. Moulding employees appearance is a very well known process used by employers to maintain a business like image; this includes the use of uniforms and dress codes. In a recent survey it was found eighty percent of organisations surveyed enforced a uniform policy or dress code, principally to keep up a corporate image. Due to employee ap pearance and aesthetic appeal being considered an essential part of any companies branding or competitive approach (Grugulis et al, (2004). In addition another survey within the UK based around the retail sector detailed that ninety percent of employers rated appearance as a crucial recruitment and selection process, with sixty one percent of them subsequently offering training in dress sense and style (Nickson et al, 2005). This is also true for emotional labour, Hochschild (1983, p.7) explains how emotions manages the feelings of employees to create the right visual appearance from their facial and body expressions. However other authors have observed that image is theoretically becoming stopped due to the lack of up to date research and debate (Witz et al 2003). It has been thought that aesthetic labour is opening a new kind of discrimination based around people being turned down or employed for different jobs solely because of their looks. Oaff (2003, p.7) stated if your gender and your race havent kept you off the short list, your physical appearance still might. Aesthetic labour has also been seen to have neglect on gender, with an acknowledgment of body work within the service industry (Adkins 2000). Adkin reports that there is a large attention placed on gender and sexuality within the origins of the aesthetic components of labour. Many authors feel there is a thin line between sexuality and gender within a job role. For example research has shown within the service industry there is a 63 to 37 percent female to male split and within the hospitality sector there is a 59 to 41 percent female to male split. Kerfoot and Korcznski (2005, p.388) identifies that the majority of service jobs have female based employees whose jobs are linked to low wages and less to none job prospects. From this it has also been found when advertising for jobs many companies purposely gender stereotype their adverts to list soft skills that are exclusively feminine based. The gender stereotyping of jobs also links to the thought that customers in particular males prefer the female touch that is brought to the initial meeting. Aesthetic labour has led to large social changes within the majority of sectors leading to an increase in seasonal, part time and temporary job openings, allowing a high level of younger workers to gain experience especially those within the tourism industry. The main reason for this is younger people are often aesthetically closer to consumers customers. Baum (2008, p.81) explains this by saying the sector seeks to attract employees who..(deliver) aesthetic labour(so are in) much closer proximity with their customers. These types of people are known as style workers, they are those who physically and emotionally match their working environment and therefore closely identify with the products, being able to understand their customers needs and wants. In a previous Singaporean context a process was referred to in which service workers are highly brand conscious, Gurrier et al (1998, p.34) states the modern young Singaporean is disinclined to work in service unless the image of the pro duct accords with their own sense of fashion. Working in Gucci means that the product becomes part of her own accessory range. Within todays hospitality sector it is easy to see the vast social different between the employee and consumer it is understandable why employers employ the correct type of people for their organisations that matches their emotion and the aesthetic requirements. The term aesthetic labour first appeared in 1999 when Chris Warhurst and a team at the University of Strathclyde compared the term to an older medieval Italian term called sprezzatura. This has since become a fundamentally piece of research in terms of human resource management or hrm. With people such as Mulford et al (1998, p.1585) making claims that the attractiveness of people is dependent on their opportunities to develop socially and cooperate with others. Making it is easy to see where the pressures of recruitment and retention of employees based on their image has affected hrm. The idea of aesthetic labour may cause conflict within the sense that ethnical problems may arise if someone is employed solely on how they look. This has since developed tension based on what people feel management ought to or should do. The ethics of aesthetic compare this to management viewing us up against a framework allowing them to judge right and wrong. The ethics and morality of aesthetic has been address by many authors for example it is suggested that the business background produces its own unique moral standard (Nash 1990, p.5). However Fisher and Lovell (2006, p.42) feel that ethics is based around doing well, in which wrongs are prevented or masked if done. With a variety of different views in the air, for hrm the challenge to retain professionalism is key due to the thought and actions of aesthetics causing pain and worry to their organisations employees. Emotional labour has a direct link to aesthetics the term emotional labour was first identified by Hochschild in 1983 and is used to depict the actions of service workers that goes beyond their usual physical and mental roles. In which the employees show actual worry for the customers needs. Examples of this include customer facing roles in which employees use the term service with a smile, they help solve complaints and change the customers mood. Hochschild (1983) uses the term management of feeling to create a publicly facial and bodily display. The use of emotional labour is a good practice especially used in the face of angry or unhappy customers when employees may need to hide their really emotions. It has been found that organisation have since place a large amount of strategic orientation on this, so that employees know how to handle themselves not only in front of customers but also other employees and internal customers. It is easy to see how emotional skills will also place any potential employee further up the recruitment ladder. Having both emotional and aesthetic skills will help employers complete their aim to have oven ready employees which are ready to go straight into the job with little training. This strategy is extremely useful in minimising costs, but employing these types of people based solely on these particular skills also places knowledge by the employer that the characteristic of the employee cannot be necessarily trained. Looking directly within the service based sectors the importance of aesthetics as well as self presentation skills is effortlessly demonstrated. However the problems caused is also very noticeable. Although many businesses strive to maintain competitive advantage, the evidence from many forms of research places this dependency on the new style driven niche in which many managements attempts of controlling their employees expands beyond the usual aspects. Nevertheless the positives and the potential of aesthetics on an employee to customer based ratio evidently are flourishing, unlike that of the employer to employee ratio within any organisation which is under strain with new forms of discrimination being found. Although academic skills are clearly not a major part of any recruitment or selection processes, the aesthetic skills are now becoming a requirement do help the utilisation of any organisation. Furthermore it can be seen the large difference between aestheticised labour and a esthetic labour, in which employees have preserved certain characteristics and appearance to both maintain and secure their employment. With reference to a employees specific wage being dependent on the employees gender/sexuality or image there is little evidence to completely agree with this however it can be seen that employees do receive other kinds of payback in the form of benefits such free clothing or make overs. It can also be found that the emotional skills work particularly well along side aesthesis, helping organisations gain oven ready customers who will fulfil the companies needs to place the employee straight into the heart of the business. At present self presentation skills is not currently predominant in the learning market, due to the shortage of approval by the policy makers. This may be because of the concerns of moulding employees appearance or because they are unsure how to integrate it into the training agendas. Whichever it may be it is easy to see the impact it will and is already having on organisations human resource management team, as there are so many different points of views on the right and wrong ways to go about aesthetics when recruiting and maintaining employees.

Health care in the Amish culture

Health care in the Amish culture The religious and cultural beliefs of the Amish culture have led to variations in health care practices that are different from main stream American culture. The Amish have a health care belief system that includes traditional remedies passed from one generation to the next. Amish families are without health insurance and though concerned about paying medical expenses, most of the time the extended family, friends, and the church help pay for the expenses. For example if a female infant of the Amish family is in the hospital for an extended period of time the biological and extended family visit frequently and bring in their own food in bags. The grandmother and neighbors would gather the children in the hospital waiting room to feed and entertain them while the mother would visit her baby daughter in the neonatal care unit. The father would most likely visit on weekends. The family would speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves but use English in speaking with the health care provi ders. The children in the family are dressed like undersized replicas of their parents. They are in distinctive clothing that is subdued and devoid of any designs of flowers, figures or animals on the material. The little girls wear long dresses and head coverings, while the little boys wear trousers with suspenders. Some of the older boys wear broad-brimmed hats. All are very polite and well mannered. This Amish family appears to come from another time, another place. In an instant the Amish family came into another world, the world of high tech health care. One may well surmise the cultural shock of this encounter. AMISH HERITAGE The Amish are a conservative Protestant group who emerged after 1693 as a descendent of the Anabaptist movement that originated from Switzerland and spread to neighboring Germany. The Amish parted ways with the larger Anabaptist group, now known as the Mennonites, over a doctrinal dispute, (Hostetler 1993) and immigrated to America in the 17th 18th century after experiencing religious persecution in Europe. The diverse subgroups of the Amish Culture have distinctive beliefs, values, and behaviors). Today the Amish stand somewhere between the parent body, the Mennonites, and the four groups of Amish: Swartzentruber (ultra conservative), Andy Weaver (conservative), Old Order (conservative), and the New Order (less conservative). The New Order leads a more progressive path that diverged from the Old Order in 1968 (Blair Hurst 1997). The New Order of Amish attempts to balance distinctive rituals and practices against accommodations. Over time the Amish have adapted to some change but at their own pace. In various rural regions of the United States, especially in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, there are large settlements or communities of Amish families. About 75% of the estimated Amish total population of over 130,000 is concentrated in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In these areas good farmland can be purchased reasonably as agriculture is the main stay of their economy. Holmes County in Millersburg, Ohio has the largest population of Amish in the United States as compared to the more widely known areas of Amish settlements in Lancaster, Pennsylvania or Elkart, Indiana. The population in Holmes county is 38, 943 and about 18,000 of that are of Amish descent (Holmes County Chamber of Commerce 2002). Amish Mutual Network The Amish community has a very strong network of mutual support and assistance for its families. Amish barn raising is one example where several hundred men from many church districts gather to build a new barn. The Amish women plan and prepare the meals for the workers and take the food to the site. Smaller networks with projects called frolics occur when several neighbors and extended families and friends gather to help build a small building such as a shed or corn crib. Another example of Amish mutual aid is the harvesting of crops. A serious illness or accident brings an immediate response of both emotional and financial support from their community. In Holmes County, Ohio, for example, a cooperative effort by both Amish and non-Amish people resulted in the formation of the Rainbow of Hope Foundation. This foundation assists all families in the area with health care costs affecting infants and children. Bake sales, benefit auctions, and private donations assist in raising the needed funds. There is a genuine ritualistic response to human troubles in the Amish close knit family environment. Family Roles The Amish father is responsible for providing for his family through farm work or by employment in the local community. Many Amish men are working away from the farm with the declining availability of farmland. Many Amish men work as carpenters, masons or laborers in factories. Some have home based businesses such as furniture making, harness repair or the shoeing of horses. Amish culture teaches girls to serve and please others such as their parents, husbands and relatives. An Amish wife is identified by using her husbands name, eg. Eli Katie means Elis wife, Katie. The social life for an Amish woman is centered around church, funerals, quilting bees, baking, barn raising and frolics. Amish families usually have many children. Amish women raise on average seven children. On the family farm, parents and older siblings model work roles for the younger siblings. Children are an economic asset to the family as they assist with farm chores, gardening, mowing of lawns, housework or work i n a small family business. These activities involving children serve to strengthen family ties and promote survival of the Amish life-style. Genetics Intermarriage among the Amish culture has resulted in the presence of a large number of recessive disorders, many of which are unrecognized outside of the Amish population. Consanguinity (relatives marrying relatives) accounts for the transmission of these various disorders. When a group of individuals mates only among themselves allele (alternate form of a gene) frequencies may change as a result of chance sampling from a small pocket of a population. This change of allele frequency is termed genetic drift. The founder effect is a common type of this genetic drift. A founder effect is when a community of people have descended from a few founders and have their own collection of inherited disorders that are rare in other areas (Lewis 2001). Amish couples are not deterred from having more children when they have a child with a hereditary defect. An abnormal child is referred to as a special child and is accepted as Gods will (Julia 1996). http://dw.com.com/redir?tag=rbxira.2.a.10destU rl=http://www.cnet.com/b.gif CONCEPTION, PRENATAL CARE, AND BIRTH Babies are a welcomed gift in the Amish culture and are viewed as a gift from God. The Amish view fertility as a family and community gift. They nurture these children in preparation for eternal life (Purnell 1998). Most Amish couples do not use birth control to limit their family size, since it is believed that use of birth control would be interfering with Gods will. Therapeutic abortions, amniocentesis and other invasive prenatal diagnostic testing are also not acceptable. Amish folk wisdom is an integral part of their prenatal practices, for example: walking under a clothesline will result in a stillbirth or crawling through a window or under a table will cause the umbilical cord to be wrapped around the babys neck. Lamaze classes are usually held in a church close to the Amish community to ease transportation barriers. Prenatal care is started in the first trimester for a first pregnancy and much later for subsequent pregnancies if the mother has no problems. The distance to the doctor and cost of care can influence the number of prenatal visits and how soon prenatal care is started. Complications such as pregnancy induced hypertension and diabetes is low in the Amish culture most likely due to the well nourished state of the mother (Julia, 1996). Typically prenatal visits are scheduled every eight weeks, rather than every 4 weeks, during the first two trimesters to reduce the expenditures of money and time for prenatal care. Amish express their preference for prenatal care that promotes the use of nurse midwives, lay midwives, home deliveries, and limited use of high technology. The Amish desire culturally congruent and safe health care services. In preparation for childbirth a five week formula (5-W) is sometimes used in the last five weeks of pregnancy. It is thought that the herbs in this formula tone and calm the uterus, quiet the nerves, ease pain, and help make labor easier and on time. In addition, it has been known to help with menstrual disorders, morning sickness and hot flashes. The herbs included in this formula are: Red Rasberry Leaves: This herb has been used as an old friend to treat diarrhea, vomiting and the flu. It is used for similar purposes of relieving nausea and pain in labor. Red raspberry capsules and red raspberry teas are also used. Butchers Broom Root: This herb is used for hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and thrombosis. In addition, it is a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and improves circulation. This herb contains pseudo steroidal saponins which cause blood vessels to constrict and blood to thin. During the final months of pregnancy women may have circulatory problems such as varicose veins; therefore this herb is considered important. Black Cohosh Root: This is a hormonal herb. It has an estrogenic effect because it contains compounds which mimic the effects of estrogen; therefore it is contraindicated in the early stages of pregnancy as it could bring on premature labor. This herb has a nervine effect which relieves spastic muscles, dilates peripheral blood vessels and helps reduce blood pressure. These actions aid the uterus and other muscles during labor. The anti-cramping effect of black cohosh is thought to help reduce pain during delivery. Black cohosh is also used to treat menopausal and PMS symptoms and menstrual cramps. Because black cohosh may minimic the action of estrogen, anyone who has had a cancer thats estrogen sensitive, such as breast, endometrial or ovarian, should avoid using it. Since this root contains a blood-thinner, it should not be taken with bloodthinning medications (such as coumadin or heparin). Dong Quai Root: The anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect of this herb is used for treating swelling prior to labor. During labor it eases smooth muscle contractions and gives a general sedative effect. This herb, in Chinese medicine, is considered a blood building tonic as it is high in iron, magnesium, and niacin. This Chinese herb is sometimes referred to as a female ginseng and is used extensively in China as a postpartum tonic. Squaw Vine Root: This herb is used to prepare the uterus for childbirth and is also used to speed up delivery and encourage regular contractions. It has an antispasmodic action. (Pederson, 1987; Willard, 1991; Tarr, 1984, Block, 1984). The Amish have no major taboos or requirements for labor and delivery. The women labor in soft pastel colored gowns. Men may be present and most husbands choose to be involved. Delivery may be at home with a midwife, at the birthing center, or at a hospital. VISITING THE AMISH COMMUNITY Their simple life style practices numerous social controls to avoid modernization. However, interaction with the outside world often occurs in the health care arena when an Amish person requires hospitalization for medical care. To better understand the Amish culture related to obstetrical care several nursing faculty visited an Amish Birthing Center in Indiana called the New Eden Care Center which is located in the beautiful countryside of Topeka, Indiana. An adaptation by the Amish to modern medical and nursing practices are the Amish Birthing Centers (Kreps Kreps 1997). This Amish Birthing Center was built in 1997, not from local, state, or federal government funds but from private subscriptions and donations mainly from the surrounding community. This facility is designed to be an alternative for those who prefer not going to the hospital for the delivery of their babies but who recognize the need for skilled care before, during, and after delivery. New Eden Care Center is a place where the physician or midwife can bring their patient for delivery in a more relaxed, home-like environment (Philosophy of New Eden Care Center). Since this facility provides services for the low risk population, all women are screened by their physician or nurse midwife before their arrival. Admission to the facility is opened to anyone upon recommendation and approval of their physician or nurse midwife. The need for this birthing center came from the fact that many of the people in the area are Amish and do not have commercial insurance or coverage for obstetrical car e. Thus the Amish prefer not to go to the hospital with its high cost. This center features a plain relaxing decor with no television sets or phones in the patients rooms, and no separate nursery or delivery room. Labor, delivery and postpartum care are all given in the patients room, better known as LDRP rooms. Newborn babies stay in the room with the mothers. Fees for the use of the New Eden Care Center cover current expenses, repairs, and maintenance of this facility. A flat fee is charged for the birth itself and 72 hours of care starting from the time of admission. There are additional fees for extra supplies such as PKU screening, intravenous solutions, and medications. The nurse midwives and physicians fees are separate from the birthing center fees. At times the fees are bartered for. For example, one of the nurse midwives had a new front porch put on her home to cover for her fee. In addition meats have been given for payments. Services of the birthing center included general nursing care, housekeeping, and meals brought in during the patients stay. Families bring in food for the delivering mother and often eat together in the large home-like kitchen area provided at the birthing center. The center includes 3 MSN prepared nurse midwives and 9 physicians. No prenatal classes are offered by the center but the classes are provided by a staff RN from the center at a nearby church. Prenatal care is provided by the midwives either at their offices, located at the center, or in the homes of their patients. Many of the mothers prefer coming to the midwives offices for the prenatal classes as they enjoy the private and quiet time. The care center provides hitching posts with special parking areas for the traditional horse and buggy as well as a barn for overnight lodging of the Amish horses. Since there are no phones in Amish homes, a red bag tied to a large hook placed on the top of the barn is used to signal neigh bors whenever additional help is needed in the center (cleaning and laundry). All of the midwives, upon request, will do home deliveries. Suction, oxygen, and IV equipment are a few of the supplies they routinely take with them. One of the midwives described her experience following a home delivery. It was a very foggy night and it took me awhile to get to the Amish home. It was well worth the difficult drive when following the delivery a great peace seemed to take over in the still of the night as I listened to the singing of the dad to the newborn, the creaking of the dads rocking chair, and the hum from the kerosene lantern. Where else could one hear such beautiful, peaceful sounds. Culture exerts a great influence on the prenatal family and determines the appropriate interventions to be given to provide competent nursing care. It is increasingly necessary to understand the cultural and behavioral patterns of the individuals whom we serve in our practices. Rapid growth of the Amish population and diverse geographical locations augment the probability that health care practitioners may care for Amish families. Health care practitioners can tailor their delivery of care for Amish families if they understand the Amish cultural practices and modify their services to keep it simple. This Amish Birthing Facility, New Eden Care Center, is an example of wonderful adaptation by the Amish people to modern nursing and medical practices while at the same time maintaining their values of simplicity, low cost and accommodation to the use of their horse and buggy. Here the Amish can remain separate from the wider English society while still interfacing with it when health care is involved in birthing babies. Obstetrical Amish health care can be of excellent quality, with licensed medical and nursing personnel, at a reduced cost to both the Amish and the English society. This is an important consideration in todays ever increasing health care costs.

Euthanasia Essay - Mercy Killing Not Necessary :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia Essay - Mercy Killing Not Necessary "Mercy Killing" as Euthanasia is also known, has been outlawed within the United States. The definition of mercy killing is where someone is terminally ill with a disease, and an accomplice helps to end the misery of that victim's life. In my opinion, this decision should be a live and let live decision. If and only if the victim agrees ahead of time before the pain starts to end it, then they should live their life the way they want to; if that includes ending it the way they want to, so be it. Atop this highly controversial topic are many illnesses which have led to the popularity of Euthanasia. Among those are Cancer, Aids, and Alzheimer's. There is a very slim need for the use of Euthanasia today in my opinion. Supporters to full-fledged euthanasia often point out that they are carrying out the last wishes of the damned. One doctor has said that "Our ability to end pain is more powerful than at any time in the history of human experience" (Hanson). The key word of Euthanasia is "intentional," if death is not intended it is not an act of Euthanasia. The debate rages today about this very controversial idea. Doctors' code of ethics will not allow this practice in general, yet it still remains such a hot topic which no doctor is able to set this conflict aside. By withdrawing treatment that would not provide a benefit to the patient, or withdrawing treatment that has shown to be ineffective, too burdensome, or is unwanted, and giving the high doses of pain killers, that may endanger life when they have shown to be necessary are all part of good medical practice, but only when they are properly carried out. The concept of human rights were derived from considerations of the nature of mankind, originated when a political context. "Natural Rights," as they are called, were developed as a proclamation of liberty to be used to guarantee freedom from attack on one's life, dignity, or property. There were considered to apply equally to each individual, or to equivalent groups, there were unconditional and imposed on others a duty to respect them. These "natural rights" were also joined by welfare rights, even though grounded in nature and reason, these are not universally applicable and many would be thought absurd or unattainable in many cul tures.

English Essay -- English Literature

English The Crucible Essay The Crucible, a tale of superstition and tyrannical oppression set to shake our complacency and make us think. Arthur Miller, the author of this compelling play, deals with controversial issues and subjects which could be classed as taboo such as infidelity and witchcraft. He has a rare talent when it comes to writing and conveying human emotions to his audience. Act 2 opens in the ‘common room’ of Proctor’s house. John Proctor arrives later than usual after a hard days work. Carrying his gun he enters the â€Å"low, dark and rather long living-room†. The stage directions not only suggest he is displeased with his food upon tasting it - he meddles with the pot situated on the fire: â€Å"Then he lifts out the ladle and tastes. He is not quite pleased†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - but also suggest that the setting in which this takes place is depressing and lifeless, symbolising the feelings that are conjured up in John when entering his ‘home’. The first words spoken between husband and wife are Elizabeth questioning his whereabouts in a very accusational way ‘What keeps you so late? It’s dark.’. There is no reaction from John just an honest reply as if Elizabeth had no double meaning to her inquiry, no Hi or Hello in sight. From then onwards basic chit-chat such as the farm and the weather ‘Pray now for a fair summer’ fill their conversation. The little conversation that they manage to force feels stunted and false as both John and Elizabeth are being too polite - not as man and wife should behave. John manages to eat a whole meal but they only speak six or more times leaving much of the time to be filled by uncomfortable silence. Elizabeth watches the reaction of her husband when he tastes her .. ... utter despair. The confession of John’s left her feeling vulnerable and alone. Her suspicion of her husband is so strong because of her low self-esteem and insecurities. Abigail threatens her. What is she to do? Everyday she is faced with the reminder that she wasn’t enough for the love of her life but she has no choice - she cannot leave. Society had not yet accepted even the concept of divorce, especially Practising Catholics like themselves. People judged their neighbours and it mattered about keeping up appearances. There would be no way Elizabeth could have confided in a ‘friend’ about her husband’s infidelity and there was absolutely no way she could walk out on her marriage - divorce was out of the question. Though it may be all dead and buried and laid to rest in John’s mind, for Elizabeth the wounds are just as deep as the day they were made.

Dream Psychology- Sigmund Freud

Dreams and the Sub-Conscious Mind The definition of a dream is a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. It is believed that dreams have always existed in human society and have been shared among members of societies dating back to 3000-4000 BC. In various societies dreams held a number of meanings and significance.Throughout history dreams have been recognized as significant symbols or signs, warnings of the future, connections between living and the dead, capable of diagnosing illness and predicting onset of diseases, temptations of the devil, and numerous other possible things. Dream interpretations, or attempts made to understand a person’s dream, date back to 3000-4000 B. C. , where they were documented on clay tablets. For as long as man has been able to talk about dreams, humans have been fascinated with them and have strived to understand them, though this is challenging because dreams are often so easily forgotten.Througho ut the history of the study of dreams, famous theorists have presented their own dream philosophies and theories, developed eight specific categories of dream types, and presented many dreams found commonly among people which represent common aspects of life, all of these things have been developed in trying to answer one question: Do dreams reflect, or relate to, a person’s sub-conscious state of mind? First, the most famous of all dream theorists is a man named Sigmund Freud, who lived from 1856-1939 and is considered to be â€Å"the father of psychoanalysis† (Dream Moods). evolutionizes the study of dreams with his work The Interpretation Of Dreams. Freud begins to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology, or the science of causes and effects of diseases. He believes that nothing one does occurs by chance; every action and thought is motivated by the unconscious  at some level. In  order to live in a civilized soci ety, humans have a tendency to hold  back  urges and repress impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way; they have a way of coming to the surface in ambiguous forms. Read also Memory – ForgettingFreud believes that one way these urges and impulses are released is through dreams. Because the content of the unconscious may be extremely disturbing or harmful, Freud believes that the unconscious expresses itself in a symbolic language. To explain this symbolic language, Freud categorizes aspects of the mind into three parts. These parts include the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. Id, which is centered around primal impulses, pleasures, desires, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment.Ego, which is concerned with the conscious, the rational, the moral and the self-aware aspect of the mind. Superego, which is considered to be the sort of â€Å"censor† for the id, which is also responsible for enforcing the moral codes of the ego. When one is awake,   the impulses and desires of the id are suppressed by the superego. Through dreams, one is able to get a glimpse into the unconscious, or the id. Because one’s guards are down during the dream state, the unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.However, the desires of the id can, at times, can be so disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a â€Å"censor† comes into play and  translates the id's disturbing content into a more acceptable symbolic form. This helps to preserve sleep and prevent one from waking up shocked at the images. As a result, confusing and often cryptic dream images occur. According to Freud, the reason one struggles to remember their dreams, is because the superego is at work. It is doing its job by protecting the conscious mind from the disturbing images and desires conjured by the unconscious.According to Freud, dreams always have what he called a â€Å"manifest and latent content† (qtd. in moods). The manifest content is what the dream seems to be saying. It is often bizarre and seemingly nonsense. On the contrary, the latent content is what the dream is really trying to say. Dreams give one a look into the unconscious. Freud believes that it is possible to chip through the dream's manifest content to reveal the underlying significance and its latent by utilizing the technique of â€Å"free association†.Using this technique, one must start with one dream symbol and then follow with what automatically comes to the mind first. One must continue in this manner and essentially see where it leads. In order to interpret the cryptic images of dreams, Freud divided the images into five major categories, or processes. The first being displacement which occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else. The second, projection which happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person.The third being symbolization which is characterized when the dreamer's repressed urges or suppressed desires are acted out metaphorically. Fourth, condensation which is the process in which the dreamer hides t heir feelings or urges by contracting it or underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. Thus the meaning of this dream imagery may not be apparent or obvious. Lastly, rationalization which is regarded as the final stage of dreamwork. The dreaming mind organizes an incoherent dream into one that is far more understandable and logical.This is also known as secondary revision. Essentially this is Freud’s basic explanation of what dreams are and how one is to interpret them. Freud’s dream psychology is heavily based on psychoanalysis and is centered on the fact that dreams do in fact reflect the sub-conscious mind of the dreamer. Another dream theorist, who lived during the time of Freud, Alfred Adler (1870-1937), believed the importance of dreams to be a little different than Freud’s beliefs. Essentially, Adler believed that dreams are an important tool to mastering control over waking lives.They are problem-solving devices. Dreams need to be brought to the conscious and interpreted so that better understanding can be shed on one’s problems. Adler believes it is important to learn from dreams and incorporate them into waking life. Adler believes that there is a correlation between dreams and the problems in daily life. The more dreams one has, the more problems one is likely to have. Adler believes that dreams are an open pathway toward one’s true thoughts, emotions and actions. In dreams, one clearly sees one’s aggressive impulses and desires.Dreams are also a way of overcompensating for the shortcomings in waking life. For example, if one is unable to stand up to a boss in waking life, then one may find it easier to lash out at the boss within the comfort and safety of a dream. Dreams offer some sort of satisfaction that is more socially acceptable. So, though Adler does not entirely agree with Freud’s views of the subconscious controlling the dream, he does in fact believe that one’s subconscious d esires and drive are released through a dream.A third dream theorist, Carl Jung, who was considered to be a mentor of Freud’s also believed in the existence of the unconscious. However, he did not see the unconscious as animalistic, instinctual, or  sexual; he saw it as more  spiritual. Eventually, Jung split with Freud due to their differing views on dreams. According to Jung, dreams are a way of communicating and acquainting oneself with the unconscious. Dreams are not attempts to conceal one’s true feelings from the waking mind, but rather they are a window to the unconscious.They serve to guide the waking self to achieve wholeness and offer a solution to a problem one is facing in waking life. Jung views the ego as one’s sense of self and how one portrays oneself to the world. Part of Jung's theory is that all   things can be viewed as paired opposites: good/evil, male/female, or love/hate. So working in opposition to the ego, is the â€Å"counteregoà ¢â‚¬  or what he refers to as the shadow. The shadow represents the rejected aspects of oneself that one does not wish to acknowledge. The shadow is more primitive, somewhat uncultured,   and a little awkward.As dreams are a way of communicating with the unconscious, Jung believed that dream images reveal something about oneself, one’s relationships with others, and situations in one’s waking life. Dreams guide one’s personal growth and  help in achieving full potential. Jung also believes that the dream's manifest content is just as significant  and revealing as the  latent content. By simply discussing what is currently going on in one’s life, it can help one interpret and unlock the cryptic images of one’s  dreams. Jung's method of dream interpretation is placed more confidently on the dreamer.He believes that all dreamers possess the necessary tools to interpret their own dreams. The meaning of one’s dreams is a personal judgm ent and is up to the dreamer on how to interpret them. Jung noted certain dream symbols that possess the same universal meaning for all men and women. He terms this phenomenon the â€Å"collective unconscious†. While dreams are personal, one’s personal experiences often touch on universal themes and symbols. These symbols are believed to occur in every culture throughout history. Jung identifies seven such symbols in what is referred to as the major archetypal characters: 1.The Persona is the image one presents to the world in  waking life. It is similar to a public mask. In the dream world, the persona is represented by the Self. 2. The Shadow is the rejected and repressed aspects of oneself. It is the part of oneself that one does not want the world to see because it is ugly or unappealing. It symbolizes weakness, fear, or anger. In dreams, this figure is represented by a stalker, murderer, a bully, or pursuer. It can be a frightening figure or even a close friend or relative. Their appearance often makes one angry or leaves one scared.They force one to confront things that one doesn't want to see or hear. 3. The Anima / Animus is the female and male aspects of oneself. Everyone possess both feminine and masculine qualities. In dreams, the anima appears as a highly feminized figure, while the animus appears as a hyper masculine form. These dream imageries appear depending on how well one is able to integrate the feminine and masculine qualities within oneself. They serve as a reminder that one must learn to acknowledge or express a masculine (be more assertive) or feminine side (be more emotional). . The Divine Child is one’s true self in its purest form. It not only symbolizes innocence, vulnerability, and helplessness, but it represents one’s aspirations and full potential. One is open to all possibilities. In the dreamscape, this figure is represented by a baby or young child. 5. The Wise Old Man /Woman is the helper in dream s. Represented by a teacher, father, doctor, priest or some other unknown authority figure, they serve to offer guidance and words of wisdom. They appear in the dream to steer and guide the dreamer into the right direction. 6.The Great Mother is the nurturer. The Great Mother appears in dreams as ones own mother, grandmother, or other nurturing figure. She provides one with positive reassurance. Negatively, they may be depicted as a witch or old bag lady in which case they can be associated with seduction, dominance and death. This juxtaposition is rooted in the belief by some experts that the real mother who is the giver of life is also at the same time jealous of ones growth away from her. 7. The Trickster, as the name implies, plays jokes to keep one from taking oneself too seriously.The trickster may appear in ones dream when one has overreached or misjudged a situation. Or he could find himself in the dream when one is uncertain about a decision or about where to go in life. Th e trickster often makes one feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, sometimes mocking or exposing  one to personal vulnerabilities. He may take on subtle forms, sometimes even changing its shape. Overall, Jund seemed to be influenced by both Freud and Adler in his belief of the dream yet he presented common dreams symbols which further explained the manifestation of one’s sub-conscious mind within the dream.Next, research and records of dreams further progressed it was discovered that there are essentially eight major categories which all dreams fall into. These categories being: daydreams, lucid dreams, nightmares, recurring dreams, healing dreams, signal dreams, and epic dreams. Daydreams are often viewed as light-hearted in nature. They are silly fantasies and wishful thinking. Actually, even worrying over things can be classified as a form of daydreaming. When one worries, one is visualizing an unwanted or negative outcome to a situation.By repeating these negative images in one’s mind, one is more likely to make them happen. Daydreaming is believed to occur when one is only semi-awake and it is essentially running away with ones imagination, or the take over one’s thoughts by wandering sub-conscious mind. Next is the Lucid dream. Lucid dreams give the ability to control one’s own dreams and steer them toward the direction the dreamer wants. In the lucid state, one is more willing to confront threats and as a result, become more self confident.When one achieves lucidity, one can use it as a tool to improve one’s sports game, to rehearse for a speech, to fulfill your fantasies, or to solve a problem in your waking life. Though lucid dreams often give one the power to face the things in the forefronts of one’s mind, it is believed that the unconscious is what triggers a lucid dream and encourages one to assume this power. Third, is nightmares which are a subcategory of dreams. The distinction of a nightmare is its frigh tening and/or emotional content. One tends to wake up in fear in the midst of a nightmare.Because of its frightening nature, one is more likely to remember nightmares and the vivid details. Nightmares are almost always believed to be caused by the sub-conscious mind as it the sub-conscious’ way to get your attention about a situation or problem that one has been avoiding, warning of a health issue, or nightmares may stem from a deeper level indicating that something is troubling you from within your subconscious. Next, is recurring dreams, which are quite common and are often triggered by a certain life situation, transitional phase in life or a problem that keeps coming back again and again.These dreams may recur daily, once a week, or once a month. Whatever the frequency, there is little variation in the dream content itself. Such dreams are often a message from the subconscious highlighting a personal weakness, fear, or inability to cope with something in one’s life . Fourth, is Healing dreams are often dreams which tell the dreamer that he or she needs to go to the dentist or doctor. These dreams are often communication between mind and body that something is not quite right. Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive or psychic dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future.One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that one’s dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that one may normally overlook or that one does not seriously consider. In other words, one’s sub-conscious mind knows what is coming before one consciously pieces together the same information. Signal dreams, are similar to healing dreams, in that they are essentially a warning. Signal dreams are considered to be a sub-conscious warning or problem solving method to help the dreamer deal with situations in life.Lastly, Epic dreams are so huge, so compelling, and so vivid that one cannot ignore them. The detail s of such dreams often remain with one for years. These dreams possess much beauty and contain many archetypal symbology. When one wakes up from such a dream, one feels that they have discovered something profound or amazing about oneself or about the world. These dreams are also often future telling or even present revealing messages from the subconscious mind. Overall, each of these categories or types of dreams are the development which has resulted from the theories of the above dream theorists.Each type of dream is related to an archetype or belief of one, two, or even all three of the above theorists which reveals the large influence of the subconscious mind on dreams. Overall, it can be concluded that dreams are quite often reflecting of, or related to, the subconscious mind of the dreamer. This can be seen in all three of the major theories presented and through the eight major types of dreams which have been determined through said theories. For example, In Freud’s t heory, he states his belief that dreams are the subconscious mind’s release of suppressed desires and ambitions of the dreamer.Freud believes these suppressed desires must be released, so the mind releases them in the form of a dream, which can often be incredibly disturbing. That is, until the subconscious mind intervenes, turning these disturbing dreams into cryptic and symbolic images which can really only be understood through psychoanalysis of the mind of the dreamer. Adler’s theory, similar to Freudian theory, but not entirely the same claims that dreams are essentially problem solving devices. Adler believes that through dreams the subconscious mind of the dreamer brings forward waking life desires the dreamer may not even realizes exist yet.Adler states that the dream is used to make the conscious mind aware of what to do in waking life as it presents lessons to be learned from. Freud and Adler differ in that Freud believes the dream comes from the conscious mi nd and is edited and controlled by the subconscious, whereas Adler believes the dream comes from the subconscious and is to teach the conscious, and make it more aware. Lastly is Jung who believes all dreams share in a number of specific archetypes and are a way of communicating and acquainting oneself with the subconscious.Jung’s theory differs the greatest from Freudian theory and Adler’s theory as Jung believes the conscious and subconscious mind come together in a dream, and work together to create images which express the psychological state, and views of the dreamer. Overall, each of these three theorists and the eight categories of dreams which resulted from their studies have revealed that the subconscious mind of the dreamer has great influence on dreams and that the subconscious, no matter what the dream, plays a major role in some aspect of the creation or portrayal of the dream.

My Finished Career Portfolio Essay

1. Introduction–state your industry and what value you anticipate the portfolio will be of to you. The industry that I am most interested in is the Business Administration industry. In interviews, my portfolio will show potential employers the proof of my skills, education, work experience, references, career goals, and works in progress. By providing a career portfolio and highlighting my positives, employers will take me more seriously and know that I take my career seriously. 2. Describe in a two-page paper what exact documents you have in your career portfolio. List them one-by-one. State how it looks to you and how effective you believe this will be. The documents I have in my career portfolio are: Statement of originality and confidentiality Work philosophy My career goals for the next five years My resume, cover letter and reference list with permission from each reference that I may use them for job hunting. I have tabbed sections for the skills that I want to promote such as management, training and communications. I have several letters of recommendation requested from professors and former employers I am working on skill sets lists of the critical skills I have that relate to the jobs I am looking for. This I think is going to be an on the job process when I get hired on by an employer. I have a list of projects and activities that I have in progress in my career portfolio as well. I have official transcripts from obtaining my GED and an unofficial transcript for Everest University to be replaced with the official transcript upon completion of my degree. 3. Have you utilized this as yet during an Interview? I have not had the experience of using my career portfolio in an interview as of yet. 4. Have you also assembled an electronic portfolio?  I have not assembled an electronic career portfolio as of yet. I plan on doing that as soon as I possibly can so that I can utilize that as well when looking for a job in my degree field.