Saturday, August 31, 2019
Christmas Carol Essay
 But overall when it comes to the characters in the story, it would have been for the older audience, mainly because, many of the characters aren’t suitable for children, fortunatley the media and industry have transformed the original characters into the more child friendly characters which can be seen in the modern films of a Christmas carol. The gothic genre of stories was favored in the Victorian era so Dickens tried to add some of his gothic conventions to his novella. At the time, children and adults loved the gothic genre so the novella was then most likely to be suitable for all ages. Dickens places in a Christmas carol some of the basic conventions of a gothic story such as the several ghosts and the mystery and suspense in the atmosphere with the ghost of Christmas future. He also sets the first chapter of Marley’s ghost in his old, dark and gloomy home, the atmosphere becomes mysterious at the time with the constant sound heard and supernatural event, like When Marley appears in his room. There are also many more of these gothic conventions used like the mysterious weather, the rain makes creates a more gothic atmosphere, also with the ghost of Christmas future and a very important convention used in many gothic movies and books, justice-it is present in the novella, like how Scrooge’s actions means that if any positive change is not present in him he could suffer from a hellish afterlife and how tiny Tim would die without his help. And I think that the final convention of the gothic which is present in the story is the idea of Scrooge’ heroine in distress, this creates even more tension into the story. In the novella, many different themes are used , for example, coldness and darkness in the first chapter, then once the ghost of Christmas past arrives and takes scrooge to places like Fizziwigg’s home, a theme of happiness is placed to calm the audience and allow their minds to escape from total darkness and to lighten up the story, this method is also commonly used in many gothic stories, basically something scary happens and the audience experience a very intense atmosphere, this intensity is then relieved from the audience by the next scene being a bit brighter or happier. After the Fizziwigg party, the atmosphere becomes saddened and brings the audience back the gloom of the story. And after that the main themes involved in the upcoming chapters happiness with the kind hearted ghost of Christmas present, misery and happiness with Scrooge’s life before and after him changing into a business obsessed old man, life and death with Tiny Tim, darkness with the ghost of Christmas future and not to mention redemption with involving Scrooge and the Ghosts, and finishes the story off with a happy ending with the much kinder Ebenezer Scrooge. The happy theme at the end of the novella also makes the story more suitable for children as most children stories include happy endings. A Christmas Carol has changed its audience since the story was published, it was initially written for the rich, and to be specific adults, but over time it has been slowly transformed into something many children will be interested in watching, a family classic which is usually enjoyed many Christmas’. During this time, the characters have been changed to suit the audience and to allow them to appeal to a children as well as adults, for example, the ghosts have become less gothic, like the ghost of Christmas future and other characters in comparison to the first book or film. My opinion about the audience for a Christmas carol is that it was initially targeted at families; I think this mainly because children would love to have a gothic twist to their Christmas classic and not completely a children’s movie so the adults can enjoy it too. To conclude to my essay I personally think that the book was initially written to be suitable for all ages, it is more of a family story, especially considering at the time that all age groups loved gothic stories, both children and adults, making it enjoyable for them both. But at the same time some scenes of the novella may be unsuitable for younger children, especially the scene involving the ghost of Christmas past. Choose either one of the last two.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Accomplished Senior Level Accountant Resume Essay
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT / AUDITOR Accomplished Senior Level Accountant with exceptional analytical skills and in-depth knowledge of internal controls concepts. Expertise in conducting operational and financial audits and identifies and implements business process improvements.  Effectively writes recommendations to strengthen internal controls resulting in improved operational efficiencies. Excellent communication skills. Fluent in English & Chinese                CORE KNOWLEDGE AREAS à ¼Ã‚ Internal Controls à ¼Ã‚ Superb Organizational /Analysis Skills à ¼Ã‚ Staff Development & Training à ¼Ã‚ Policies / Procedures à ¼Ã‚ Operational / Financial Audits à ¼Ã‚ Team Leadership RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, Chicago, IL                                                              2001-Present Auditor-in-Charge (2006-Present) Staff Auditor (2001-2006) As Auditor-in-Charge, conducts audits through formal walkthroughs of accounting processes, internal control evaluation and testing, risk assessments high level analytical review, business organization and strategy analysis, and consideration of fraud. Develops audit procedures. Developed and maintains the audit budget, tracking any deviation and reporting it to the Supervisor. Prepares audit summary reports with documented audit findings and recommendations. Facilitate information requests from audit team members to accounting personnel ensuring a smooth workflow process. Mentors new hires on career development through on-the-job training. In the capacity of Staff Auditor, conducted financial audits of large insurance companies such as Allstate Insurance Company, Zurich Life Insurance Company and Country Insurance Company. Successfully audited over 30 various companies and performed substantive audit procedures to test the validity of financial information. Documented audit procedures and testing conclusions. Analyzed/validated financial data regarding material assets, net worth, liabilities, income and expenses. Verified large amounts of asset and liability account balances in excess of $1 billion. Provided corrective actions for companies to avoid fines and license suspensions. ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC PROGRESS, (City/State)                                                                     2003-Present Voluntary Tax Preparer Prepared federal and state income tax returns using TaxWise for hundreds of low income families. COMPUTER SKILLS Microsoft Word  ¨ Excel  ¨Ã‚ ACL   ¨ TeamMate Audit Management System EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHAMPAIGN, Champaign, Illinois Bachelor of Science, Accounting, 2001 CERTIFICATIONS Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), 2005 Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), 2004 Certified Financial Examiner (CFE), 2004 Certified Public Accountant (CPA), 2003
Thursday, August 29, 2019
The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Sixteen
Jack did not sleep well that night, which left him irritable and out of sorts, so he dispensed with breakfast, where he was sure to run into persons with whom he might be expected to converse, and instead went directly outside for his now customary morning ride. It was one of the finest things about horses – they never expected conversation. He had no idea what he was meant to say to Grace once he saw her again. Lovely kissing you. Wish we'd done more. It was the truth, even if he'd been the one to cut them off. He'd been aching for her all night. He might have to marry this one. Jack stopped cold. Where had that come from? From your conscience, a niggling little voice – probably his conscience – told him. Damn. He really needed to get a better night's sleep. His conscience was never this loud. But could he? Marry her? It was certainly the only way he'd ever be able to bed her. Grace was not the sort of woman one dallied with. It wasn't a question of her birth, although that certainly was a factor. It was just†¦ her. The way she was. Her uncommon dignity, her quiet and sly humor. Marriage. What a curious notion. It wasn't that he'd been avoiding it. It was just that he'd never considered it. He was rarely in one place for long enough to form a lasting attachment. And his income was, by nature of his profession, sporadic. He wouldn't have dreamed of asking a woman to make a life with a highwayman. Except he wasn't a highwayman. Not any longer. The dowager had seen to that. â€Å"Lovely Lucy,†Jack murmured, patting his gelding on the neck before dismounting at the stables. He supposed he ought to give the poor thing a man's name. They'd been together for so long, though. It'd be hard to make the change. â€Å"My longest lasting attachment,†Jack murmured to himself as he walked back to the house. â€Å"Now that's pathetic.†Lucy was a prince, as far as horses went, but still, he was a horse. What did he have to offer Grace? He looked up at Belgrave, looming over him like a stone monster, and almost laughed. A dukedom, possibly. Good Lord, but he didn't want the thing. It was too much. And what if he wasn't the duke? He knew that he was, of course. His parents had been married; he was quite certain of that. But what if there was no proof? What if there had been a church fire? Or a flood? Or mice? Didn't mice nibble at paper? What if a mouse – no, what if an entire legion of mice had chewed through the vicarage register? It could happen. But what did he have to offer her if he was not the duke? Nothing. Nothing at all. A horse named Lucy, and a grandmother who, he was growing increasingly convinced, was the spawn of Satan. He had no skills to speak of – it was difficult to imagine parlaying his talents at highway thievery into any sort of honest employment. And he would not go back into the army. Even if it was respectable, it would take him away from his wife, and wasn't that the entire point? He supposed that Wyndham would pension him off with some cozy little rural property, as far away from Belgrave as possible. He would take it, of course; he'd never been one for misplaced pride. But what did he know about cozy little rural properties? He'd grown up in one but never bothered to pay attention to how it was run. He knew how to muck out a stall and flirt with the maids, but he was quite certain there was more to it than that, if one wanted to make a decent go of it. And then there was Belgrave, still looming over him, still blotting out the sun. Good Lord, if he did not think he could properly manage a small rural property, what the devil would he do with this? Not to mention the dozen or so other holdings in the Wyndham portfolio. The dowager had listed them one night at supper. He couldn't begin to imagine the paperwork he'd be required to review. Mounds of contracts, and ledgers, and proposals, and letters – his brain hurt just thinking of it. And yet, if he did not take the dukedom, if he somehow found a way to stop it all before it engulfed him – what would he have to offer Grace? His stomach was protesting his skipped breakfast, so he made haste up the steps to the castle's entrance and went inside. The hall was quite busy, with servants moving through, carrying out their myriad tasks, and his entrance went mostly unnoticed, which he did not mind. He pulled off his gloves and was rubbing his hands together to warm them back up when he glimpsed Grace at the other end of the hall. He did not think she'd seen him, and he started to go to her, but as he passed one of the drawing rooms, he heard an odd collection of voices and could not contain his curiosity. Pausing, he peeked in. â€Å"Lady Amelia,†he said with surprise. She was standing rather stiffly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. He could not blame her. He was sure he'd feel tense and pinched if he were engaged to marry Wyndham. He entered the room to greet her. â€Å"I did not realize you had graced us with your lovely presence.†It was then that he noticed Wyndham. He couldn't not, really. The duke was emitting a rather macabre sound. Almost like laughter. Standing next to him was an older gentleman of middling height and paunch. He looked every inch the aristocrat, but his complexion was tanned and wind-worn, hinting at time spent out of doors. Lady Amelia coughed and swallowed, looking rather queasy. â€Å"Er, Father,†she said to the older man, â€Å"may I present Mr. Audley? He is a houseguest at Belgrave. I made his acquaintance the other day when I was here visiting Grace.†â€Å"Where is Grace?†Wyndham said. Something about his tone struck Jack as off, but nonetheless he said, â€Å"Just down the hall, actually. I was walking – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sure you were,†Wyndham snapped, not even looking at him. Then, to Lord Crowland: â€Å"Right. You wished to know my intentions.†Intentions? Jack stepped farther into the room. This could be nothing but interesting. â€Å"This might not be the best time,†Lady Amelia said. â€Å"No,†said Wyndham, his manner uncharacteristically grand. â€Å"This might be our only time.†While Jack was deciding what to make of that, Grace arrived. â€Å"You wished to see me, your grace?†For a moment Wyndham was nonplussed. â€Å"Was I that loud?†Graced motioned back toward the hall. â€Å"The footman heard you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ah yes, footmen abounded at Belgrave. It did make one wonder why the dowager thought she might actually be able to keep the journey to Ireland a secret. But if Wyndham minded, he did not show it. â€Å"Do come in, Miss Eversleigh,†he said, sweeping his arm in welcome. â€Å"You might as well have a seat at this farce.†Jack began to feel uneasy. He did not know his newfound cousin well, nor did he wish to, but this was not his customary behavior. Wyndham was too dramatic, too grand. He was a man pushed to the edge and teetering badly. Jack recognized the signs. He had been there himself. Should he intercede? He could make some sort of inane comment to pierce the tension. It might help, and it would certainly affirm what Wyndham already thought of him – rootless joker, not to be taken seriously. Jack decided to hold his tongue. He watched as Grace entered the room, taking a spot near the window. He was able to catch her eye, but only briefly. She looked just as puzzled as he, and a good deal more concerned. â€Å"I demand to know what is going on,†Lord Crowland said. â€Å"Of course,†Wyndham said. â€Å"How rude of me. Where are my manners?†Jack looked over at Grace. She had her hand over her mouth. â€Å"We've had quite an exciting week at Belgrave,†Wyndham continued. â€Å"Quite beyond my wildest imaginings.†â€Å"Your meaning?†Lord Crowland said curtly. â€Å"Ah, yes. You probably should know – this man, right here†– Thomas flicked a wrist toward Jack – â€Å"is my cousin. He might even be the duke.†He looked at Lord Crowland and shrugged. â€Å"We're not sure.†Silence. And then: â€Å"Oh dear God.†Jack looked sharply over to Lady Amelia. She'd gone white. He could not imagine what she must be thinking. â€Å"The trip to Ireland†¦Ã¢â‚¬ her father was saying. â€Å"Is to determine his legitimacy,†Wyndham confirmed. And then, with a morbidly jolly expression, he continued, â€Å"It's going to be quite a party. Even my grandmother is going.†Jack fought to keep the shock off his face, then looked over at Grace. She, too, was staring at the duke in horror. Lord Crowland's countenance, on the other hand, was nothing but grim. â€Å"We will join you,†he said. Lady Amelia lurched forward. â€Å"Father?†Her father didn't even turn around. â€Å"Stay out of this, Amelia.†â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"I assure you,†Wyndham cut in, â€Å"we will make our determinations with all possible haste and report back to you immediately.†â€Å"My daughter's future hangs in the balance,†Crowland returned hotly. â€Å"I will be there to examine the papers.†Wyndham's expression grew lethal, and his voice dangerously low. â€Å"Do you think we try to deceive you?†â€Å"I only look out for my daughter's rights.†â€Å"Father, please.†Amelia had come up to Crowland and placed her hand on his sleeve. â€Å"Please, just a moment.†â€Å"I said stay out of this!†her father yelled, and he shook her from his arm with enough force to cause her to stumble. Jack stepped forward to aid her, but Wyndham was there before he could blink. â€Å"Apologize to your daughter,†Wyndham said. Crowland sputtered in confusion. â€Å"What the devil are you talking about?†â€Å"Apologize to her!†Wyndham roared. â€Å"Your grace,†Amelia said, trying to insinuate herself between the two men. â€Å"Please, do not judge my father too harshly. These are exceptional circumstances.†â€Å"No one knows that more clearly than I.†But Wyndham wasn't looking at her as he said it, nor did he remove his eyes from her father's face when he added, â€Å"Apologize to Amelia or I will have you removed from the estate.†And for the first time, Jack admired him. He had already realized that he respected him, but that was not the same thing. Wyndham was a bore, in his humble opinion, but everything he did, every last decision and action – they were for others. It was all for Wyndham – the heritage, not the person. It was impossible not to respect such a man. But this was different. The duke wasn't standing up for his people, he was standing up for one person. It was a far more difficult thing to do. And yet, looking at Wyndham now, he would say that it had come as naturally as breathing. â€Å"I'm sorry,†Lord Crowland finally said, looking as if he was not quite certain what had just happened. â€Å"Amelia, you know I – â€Å" â€Å"I know,†she said, cutting him off. And then finally Jack found himself at center stage. â€Å"Who is this man?†Lord Crowland asked, thrusting an arm in his direction. Jack turned to Wyndham and quirked a brow, allowing him to answer. â€Å"He is the son of my father's elder brother,†Wyndham told Lord Crowland. â€Å"Charles?†Amelia asked. â€Å"John.†Lord Crowland nodded, still directing his questions to Wyndham. â€Å"Are you certain of this?†Thomas only shrugged. â€Å"You may look at the portrait yourself.†â€Å"But his name – â€Å" â€Å"Was Cavendish at birth,†Jack cut in. If he was going to be the subject of the discussion, he would bloody well be given a place in it. â€Å"I went by Cavendish-Audley at school. You may check the records, should you wish.†â€Å"Here?†Crowland asked. â€Å"In Enniskillen. I only came to England after serving in the army.†â€Å"I am satisfied that he is a blood relation,†Wyndham said quietly. â€Å"All that remains is to determine whether he is also one by law.†Jack looked to him in surprise. It was the first time he had publicly acknowledged him aloud as a relative. The earl did not comment. Not directly, at least. He just muttered, â€Å"This is a disaster,†and walked over to the window. And said nothing. Nor did anyone else. And then, in a voice low and furious, came the earl's comment. â€Å"I signed the contract in good faith,†he said, still staring out over the lawn. â€Å"Twenty years ago, I signed the contract.†Still no one spoke. Abruptly, he turned around. â€Å"Do you understand?†he demanded, glaring at Wyndham. â€Å"Your father came to me with his plans, and I agreed to them, believing you to be the rightful heir to the dukedom. She was to be a duchess. A duchess! Do you think I would have signed away my daughter had I known you were nothing but†¦but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ But one such as me, Jack wanted to say. But for once it did not seem the time or the place for a light, sly quip. And then Wyndham – Thomas, Jack suddenly decided he wished to call him – stared the earl down and said, â€Å"You may call me Mr. Cavendish, if you so desire. If you think it might help you to accustom yourself to the idea.†It was exactly what Jack would have wanted to say. If he'd been in Thomas's shoes. If he'd thought of it. But the earl was not cowed by the sarcastic rebuke. He glared at Thomas, practically shaking as he hissed, â€Å"I will not allow my daughter to be cheated. If you do not prove to be the right and lawful Duke of Wyndham, you may consider the betrothal null and void.†â€Å"As you wish,†Thomas said curtly. He made no argument, no indication that he might wish to fight for his betrothed. Jack looked over at Lady Amelia, then looked away. There were some things, some emotions, a gentleman could not watch. But when he turned back, he found himself face-to-face with the earl. Her father. And the man's finger was pointed at his chest. â€Å"If that is the case,†he said, â€Å"if you are the Duke of Wyndham, then you will marry her.†It took a great deal to render Jack Audley speechless. This, however, had done it. When he regained his voice, after a rather unattractive choking sound he assumed had come from his throat, he managed the following: â€Å"Oh. No.†â€Å"Oh, you will,†Crowland warned him. â€Å"You will marry her if I have to march you to the altar with my blunderbuss at your back.†â€Å"Father,†Lady Amelia cried out, â€Å"you cannot do this.†Crowland ignored his daughter completely. â€Å"My daughter is betrothed to the Duke of Wyndham, and the Duke of Wyndham she will marry.†â€Å"I am not the Duke of Wyndham,†Jack said, recovering some of his composure. â€Å"Not yet. Perhaps not ever. But I will be present when the truth comes out. And I will make sure she marries the right man.†Jack took his measure. Lord Crowland was not a feeble man, and although he did not exude quite the same haughty power as Wyndham, he clearly knew his worth and his place in society. He would not allow his daughter to be wronged. Jack respected that. If he had a daughter, he supposed he'd do the same. But not, he hoped, at the expense of an innocent man. He looked at Grace. Just for a moment. Fleeting, but he caught the expression in her eyes, the subdued horror at the unfolding scene. He would not give her up. Not for any bloody title, and certainly not to honor someone else's betrothal contract. â€Å"This is madness,†Jack said, looking around the room, unable to believe that he was the only one speaking in his defense. â€Å"I do not even know her.†â€Å"That is hardly a concern,†Crowland said gruffly. â€Å"You are mad,†Jack exclaimed. â€Å"I am not going to marry her.†He looked quickly at Amelia, then wished he hadn't. â€Å"My pardons, my lady,†he practically mumbled. â€Å"It is not personal.†Her head jerked a bit, fast and pained. It wasn't a yes, or a no, but more of a stricken acknowledgment, the sort of motion one made when it was all one was capable of. It ripped Jack straight through his gut. No, he told himself. This is not your responsibility. You do not have to make it right. And all around him, no one said a word in his defense. Grace, he understood, since it was not her position to do so, but by God, what about Wyndham? Didn't he care that Crowland was trying to give his fiancee away? But the duke just stood there, still as a stone, his eyes burning with something Jack could not identify. â€Å"I did not agree to this,†Jack said. â€Å"I signed no contract.†Surely that had to mean something. â€Å"Neither did he,†Crowland responded, with a shrug in Wyndham's direction. â€Å"His father did it.†â€Å"In his name,†Jack fairly yelled. â€Å"That is where you are wrong, Mr. Audley. It did not specify his name at all. My daughter, Amelia Honoria Rose, was to marry the seventh Duke of Wyndham.†â€Å"Really?†This, finally, from Thomas. â€Å"Have you not looked at the papers?†Jack demanded. â€Å"No,†Thomas said simply. â€Å"I never saw the need.†â€Å"Good God,†Jack swore, â€Å"I have fallen in with a band of bloody idiots.†No one contradicted him, he noticed. He looked desperately to Grace, who had to be the one sane member of humanity left in the building. But she would not meet his eyes. That was enough. He had to put an end to this. He stood straight and looked hard into Lord Crowland's face. â€Å"Sir,†he said, â€Å"I will not marry your daughter.†â€Å"Oh, you will.†But this was not said by Crowland. It was Thomas, stalking across the room, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. He did not stop until they were nearly nose-to-nose. â€Å"What did you say?†Jack asked, certain he'd heard incorrectly. From all he had seen, which, admittedly, wasn't much, Thomas rather liked his little fiancee. â€Å"This woman,†Thomas said, motioning back to Amelia, â€Å"has spent her entire life preparing to be the Duchess of Wyndham. I will not permit you to leave her life in shambles.†Around them the room went utterly still. Except for Amelia, who looked ready to crumble. â€Å"Do you understand me?†And Jack†¦Well, he was Jack, and so he simply lifted his brows, and he didn't quite smirk, but he was quite certain that his smile clearly lacked sincerity. He looked Thomas in the eye. â€Å"No.†Thomas said nothing. â€Å"No, I don't understand.†Jack shrugged. â€Å"Sorry.†Thomas looked at him. And then: â€Å"I believe I will kill you.†Lady Amelia let out a shriek and leapt forward, grabbing onto Thomas seconds before he could attack Jack. â€Å"You may steal my life away,†Thomas growled, just barely allowing her to subdue him. â€Å"You may steal my very name, but by God you will not steal hers.†â€Å"She has a name,†Jack said. â€Å"It's Willoughby. And for the love of God, she's the daughter of an earl. She'll find someone else.†â€Å"If you are the Duke of Wyndham,†Thomas said furiously, â€Å"you will honor your commitments.†â€Å"If I'm the Duke of Wyndham, then you can't tell me what to do.†â€Å"Amelia,†Thomas said with deadly calm, â€Å"release my arm.†If anything, she pulled him back. â€Å"I don't think that's a good idea.†Lord Crowland chose that moment to step between them. â€Å"Er, gentlemen, this is all hypothetical at this point. Perhaps we should wait until – â€Å" And then Jack saw his escape. â€Å"I wouldn't be the seventh duke, anyway,†he said. â€Å"I beg your pardon?†Crowland said, as if Jack were some irritant and not the man he was attempting to bludgeon into marrying his daughter. â€Å"I wouldn't.†Jack thought furiously, trying to put together all the details of the family history he'd learned in the past few days. He looked at Thomas. â€Å"Would I? Because your father was the sixth duke. Except he wasn't. Would he have been? If I was?†â€Å"What the devil are you talking about?†Crowland demanded. But Jack saw that Thomas understood his point precisely. And indeed, he said, â€Å"Your father died before his own father. If your parents were married, then you would have inherited upon the fifth duke's death, eliminating my father – and myself – from the succession entirely.†â€Å"Which makes me number six,†Jack said quietly. â€Å"Indeed.†â€Å"Then I am not bound to honor the contract,†Jack declared. â€Å"No court in the land would hold me to it. I doubt they'd do so even if I were the seventh duke.†â€Å"It is not to a legal court you must appeal,†Thomas said, â€Å"but to the court of your own moral responsibility.†â€Å"I did not ask for this,†Jack said. â€Å"Neither,†Thomas said softly, â€Å"did I.†Jack said nothing. His voice felt like it was trapped in his chest, pounding and rumbling and squeezing out the air. The room was growing hot, and his cravat felt tight, and in that moment, as his life was flipping and spiraling out of his control, he knew only one thing for certain. He had to get out. He looked over for Grace, but she'd moved. She was standing now by Amelia, holding her hand. He would not give her up. He could not. For the first time in his life he'd found someone who filled all the empty spaces in his heart. He did not know who he would be, once they went to Ireland and found whatever it was they all thought they were looking for. But whoever he was – duke, highwayman, soldier, rogue – he wanted her by his side. He loved her. He loved her. There were a million reasons he did not deserve her, but he loved her. And he was a selfish bastard, but he was going to marry her. He'd find a way. No matter who he was or what he owned. Maybe he was engaged to Amelia. He probably wasn't smart enough to understand the legalities of it all – certainly not without the contract in hand and someone to translate the legalspeak for him. He would marry Grace. He would. But first he had to go to Ireland. He couldn't marry Grace until he knew what he was, but more than that – he could not marry her until he'd atoned for his sins. And that could only be done in Ireland.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
The French government remains a good European. However, French voters Essay
The French government remains a good European. However, French voters have become increasingly Eurosceptic. Discuss - Essay Example A soft Eurosceptism can be explained as where activists are not against European assimilation or membership in EU and would advocate that national interest should be given primary priority. (Taggart and Szczerbiak 2002:7). The word â€Å"skeptic â€Å"originates from the â€Å"skeptikos†Greek word which connotes inquiring and thoughtful in a normal sense, as contrasted to easy acknowledgement of debates by others. According to Webster’s dictionary, the word ‘skeptic†refers to an individual who normally questions, doubts or argue against the judgment on issues normally accepted. In other words, skepticism reminds of a philosophical canon that the truth of all wisdom must always be in doubt and that post-mortem or inquiry must be a process of doubting. Hence, Euro-skepticism or Eurosceptic can be explained as an everlasting suspicion of â€Å"Europe†as a great project, an opposition about integration of Europe, which is visualised as construction of a powerful and new political mediator in the global arena, a European Europe â€Å"that would establish a new power in a multipolar world as contrasted to the contemporary American- overshadowed unipolar setup. It is to be noted that Eurosceptic concept is not against what they visualise as pragmatic advantageous cooperation among various interests of European nations for greater prosperity and peace. However, mainstream Eurosceptic is antagonistic to the concept of attempting to establish a European –level power, i.e. a â€Å"European Europe â€Å"that would have its own provincial interests. (Tiersky 2001: 3). European Community came into the existence with France being one of the founding members of that community, and it is difficult to visulaise European integration without the presence of France and its leadership. However, France is a nation with vibrant nationalistic feelings, with long annals of
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
The Impacts of International Expansion by Foreign Direct Investment in Essay
The Impacts of International Expansion by Foreign Direct Investment in European Countries - Essay Example Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended; Signed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Date †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Date †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Abstract Prior to the 1960s, it was generally perceived that international expansion would flow primarily from countries with capital abundance into countries with little capital. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the 195 0s were primarily occurring among businesses in Western Europe and North America. The result was international expansion was limited to the extent that capital was not shared globally (Oxelheim and Ghauri 2004, p. 323). Essentially, developed countries dominated both the source and host venues for FDI flows. Significant changes occurred in the 1990s that would have profound consequences for international expansion through FDIs in Europe. ... Even so, the international expansion of Europe by FDIs has not developed as expected. With the expectation that a number of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries will eventually become members of the European Union, several questions relative to the impacts of international expansion in Europe arise. The first question is whether or not this prospect will contribute to European internationalization via FDIs. This paper investigates this question since Europe represents a unique conglomeration of developed and developing countries, an essential feature of the internationalization. The main objective is to ensure that developing countries share in international capital flows. Another relevant question for investigation is whether or not FDIs will introduce the skill and capital necessary for modernizing CEEs in Europe or will it encourage monopolies and rent-seeking practices. If the FDI can be beneficial in terms of internationalization in Europe, what factors are essentially fue ling its development and growth and what can European countries do to make the FDI more appealing? Ideally, the impact of internationalization by FDIs in Europe should be the supply of cheap labor with a reciprocal infusion of capital for the funding of privatization and industrialization (Morgan, Kristensen and Whitley 2003, pp.43-44). In this regard, Western European and other foreign companies would assist in the transitioning of these socialist states to open-market economies by not only providing investment capital, but by virtue of technology and management transfers. This is the intended consequence of economic integration under the auspices of internationalization. More importantly, this is the way forward if Europe intends to achieve its goal of
Module review questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2
Module review questions - Coursework Example I would like to point out that several developments would be made in this sector. Among the most significant trends in the peripheral devices I expect to see in the next ten years is the adoption of a touch screen, wireless mouse and video cards. These are very powerful devices that would enable a computer to produce a more efficient, faster, accurate and high quality work. Basically, a computer system can be classified into supercomputers, mainframe computers and personal computers. The changes in the modern technology have greatly transformed the use of the desktops, laptops, Netbooks, Tablet PCs and Smart Phones. These are the different types of computer systems that are popularly used in the society today. For instance, whereas the desktops are shifting to the use of TFT Monitors, the laptops, Netbooks and the Tablets are becoming more portable and lighter than they used to be before (Ceruzzi, 2000). Besides, the Smart Phones are now able to access the internet and be used in browsing, sending and receiving mails. Application software refers to a set of programs which are exclusively designed to perform a specific application. Even if there is lots of application software, there are certain packages that should be known and thoroughly comprehended by the business and end users. These include, but not limited to accounting software, graphic software and enterprise software. They deal with documentation. So, everyone should know how to effectively operate them. Today, there are so much changes occurring in the software development. A lot of improvements have been made to increase the functionality and effectiveness of the Information Worker Software, Educational Software and Entertainment Software. In future, I would like to see the sophistication of Product Engineering Software and Enterprise Infrastructure Software. This would make them more efficient in their output. The operating system is necessary because it manages both the software
Monday, August 26, 2019
How to Reduce the Radiation Risk in CT Scan through Various Methods Essay
How to Reduce the Radiation Risk in CT Scan through Various Methods - Essay Example After attending classes at the university, I will get an opportunity of observing and practicing in CT scan at Perth Metropolitan Hospital. Perhaps, the most important advance in diagnostic radiology over the years has been the use of CT. However, when as compared to conventional radiography, CT involves much higher doses. The widely prevalent practice of using CT as a screening technique even for minor complaints like a headache has added to the controversy. Due to all these concerns, there is a pressing concern to incorporate various safety measures and techniques to avoid excess radiation dose from CT scanning. This is one of the reasons that I am composing this reflective journal, which would explore the methods to reduce radiation risk from CT scans. It is a well-known fact that the CT equipment produces radiation doses that are higher than those of conventional x-ray types of equipment. Since the CT scan operator directly controls technical factors such as x-ray tube voltage, the tube current, and rotation time, which directly affect the radiation dose, the scan operator plays an important role in the whole process. Radiation exposure (expressed in coulombs per kilogram) is defined as the total charge produced in dry air when all electrons liberated by photons in a unit mass of air are completely stopped in air. The absorbed dose, effective dose, and CT dose index (CTDI) are some of the measures, which are used to describe the radiation dose delivered by CT scanning. The absorbed dose is the energy absorbed per unit of mass and is measured in grays (Gy). One gray equals 1 joule of radiation energy absorbed per kilogram. The level of risk to an organ in the body from radiation is determined mainly by the organ dose (or distribution of dose in the organ). The effective dose is expressed in sieverts (Sv).
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Pharm assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Pharm - Assignment Example This type of disorder results to hyperglycemia, a state where the body glucose level rises above normal. According to (Derrick, 2010) the past five years researches have been conducted on how to control hyperglycemia in T2DM. He argued, Pharmacotherapeutic agents that were previously used were proving to be inefficient e.g. Sulfonylurea. In the late 2009 a new pharmacotherapeutic agent, Bromocriptine mesylat was approved after a series of research to verify its efficiency. Example of drug that has Bromocriptine mesylat as active ingredient is Parlodel. Bromocriptine lowers the level of glucose concentration in the blood. Researchers had a thought the Pharmacotherapeutic agent uses a mechanism that resets the body’s circadian clock through enhancing dopaminergic. This agent’s dosage is unique from other T2DM dosages. For a start a T2DM patients are advised to take 0.8mg of the drug containing the agent with food once per day, taken along with food it will enhance bioavailability. The dosage should be taken during bedtime. The dose can be increased at a weekly interval. For instance, if a T2DM patient takes a dose of 0.8mg per day this week next he/she can increase it to 1.6mg per day. However, this can only be increased up to a limit of 4.8mg per day (â€Å"Bromocriptine mesylate†, 2009). Increasing the dose will increase the efficiency of the agent in controlling hyperglycemia. Precaution should be taken when using Pharmacotherapeutic agent. A T2DB patient, who is breastfeeding, should not use it because it suppresses lactation process. If you happen to experience uncontrolled high blood pressure, this agent is not advisable for you since this will make it to be inefficient. While using this agent you will experience some side-effects as a result of your body reacting to the introduction of a â€Å"foreign agent†. Some of the side-effects include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, vision, and chest
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Camille Saint Saens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Camille Saint Saens - Essay Example His intelligence wasn’t just limited to music, for he excelled in such fields as geology, astronomy, and mathematics. Some of Saint-Saens famous works include the â€Å"Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 3 ("Organ"), and most noteworthy The Carnival of The Animals which he dedicated to close friend Franz Liszt (Cummings). Throughout his life, he produced a variety of expressive and dramatic works including poems, operas, and symphonies. In 1908 Saint-Saens had the honor of being the first composer to write a musical piece for the motion picture The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (Cummings). Inspired by French Classicism, he was especially brilliant at composing piano music like the Variations on a Theme by Beethoven and the Scherzo. His married life proved to be a great tragedy with the death of both of his children. During this lonesome period he produced some of his best works like Danse macabre in 1875 and Samson et Dalila in 1878 (Cummings). Saint-Saens was also very close to his mother and upon her death succumbed to an even lonelier and depressed stage of his life. After this he took to traveling and writing music about exotic places like Algeria and Egypt producing works like Africa and his Piano Concerto No. 5, the "Egyptian" (Cummings).
Friday, August 23, 2019
Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4
Annotated Bibliography Example This post is about core training. In exercising, core means the part of one’s body which includes the pelvis, hips, spine and rib cage. The 29 muscles found in the core region are divided into two categories: stabilization and movement. The article shares that the core region is important because the efficient performance of our daily activities depends on the muscles found in this area. Compared to the other sources, this article is more concise and easier to understand. It provides important information. I think this article is useful and the writer is credible because the site is affiliated with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Sharecare and the writers are certified trainers. The book contains a lot of information about nutritious foods around the world. The items are grouped into categories such as vegetables and salads, fruits, grains, beans and legumes, etc. There is also a frequently asked questions page, recipes and nutritional information about the 100 food items. I think this book is very helpful. It same with the other sources I found because it talks about healthy foods for the body. The information is easy to understand. I think the author is credible because he is the founder of Health Valley Foods. Raisanen, Ulla. â€Å"What health professionals should know about eating disorders.†The Guardian- Healthcare Professionals Network. Guardian News and Media Limited. 12 February 2013. Web. 11 February 2013. The article is about people with eating disorders and how medical professionals should relate to these patients. The author says medical professionals should know that anyone can have an eating disorder and first contact is important. Also, early intervention is the key and emotions and behaviors influence the condition. The health professional should also focus on the person and respect the individual, taking time to find out about the condition from the person
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Integrated Marketing Communications Essay Example for Free
Integrated Marketing Communications Essay Definition: Integrated Marketing Communication Definition: IMC is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines – for example, general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations – and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact by The American Association of Advertising Agencies (the 4A’s) The Emergence of IMC The Market revolution forcing a movement towards IMC: †¢ †¢ A shift of marketing dollars from media advertising to other forms of promotion, particularly consumer and trade oriented sales promotions A movement away from relying on advertising-focused approaches, which emphasize mass media such as television and national magazines, to solve communication problems A shift in marketplace power from the manufacturer to the retailer The rapid growth and development of database marketing Demands for greater accountability from advertising agencies and changes in the way agencies are compensated The rapid growth of the Internet, which is changing the very nature of how companies do business and the ways they communicate and interact with consumers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The Role of Marketing Communication Marketing communication performs several functions for consumers: †¢ Consumers are told how the product is used, by what kind of person, and where and when †¢ Consumers learn about who makes the product and what the company and the brand stand for †¢ It allows companies to link their brands to other people, places, events, brands, experiences, feelings, and things †¢ It also contributed to brand equity by establishing the brand in memory and crafting a brand image Marketing communication contributes specifically to brand equity in the following ways: †¢ By creating awareness of the brand †¢ Linking the right associations to the brand image in the consumer’s memory †¢ Eliciting positive brand judgments or feelings †¢ Facilitating a stronger consumer-brand connection Marketing Communication Forms Marketing communication consists of 6 major modes of communication: Advertising: Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor Sales Promotion: A variety of short-term incentives to encourage trial or purchase of a product or a service Events and Experiences: Company sponsored activities and programs designed to create daily or special brandrelated interactions Public relations and publicity A variety of programs designed to promote or protect a company’s image or its individual products Direct marketing: Use of mail, telephone, fax, e-mail, or internet to communicate directly with or solicit response or dialogue from specific customers or prospects Personal selling: Face-to-face interaction with one or more prospective purchasers for the purpose of making presentations, answering questions, and procuring orders Advertising Sales Promotion Events
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Islam Definition Essay Example for Free
Islam Definition Essay For the past few months I have been overseas working in the wonderful country of India. I’ve observed many different things; many unusual things about this country. India has a wide variety of cultures and religions. The holiday I have learned about is called Hajj. Hajj means ‘to set out for a place’. Hajj is the pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah or also called Mecca , Saudi Arabia, and is one of the five basic requirements of Islam. It is a religious high point of a Muslim’s life and is an event that every Muslim dreams of being part of. Hajj is a religious obligation to be fulfilled at least once in the course of the life of each Muslim law grants, and is a series of detailed rituals. It is a Muslims obligation to be mindful of their friends and family and to all humans whatsoever. Islamic followers believe that every nation should have a unity so they can all worship God. They believe that through culture people will come together as a whole to praise God, and learn each other’s difficulties. All official duties are suppose to be completed between the ninth and thirteenth day of Hajj. There are three main pillars that are to be performed during Hajj. The first pillar is to get into a state of â€Å"Ihram†and intend to perform the pilgrimage. The second pillar is to stay at the field of â€Å"Arafat†on the ninth day of Hajj. If the person cannot complete the pilgrimage then he/she will have to try to complete it the following year. The third pillar is additional circling of the â€Å"Ka’ba†which is done after the first pillar and is performed from the tenth day of Hajj till the end of the month. These past couple months in India have been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot of new things, which has been something different for me. I would love to come back and visit all of the people that I have met, because everyone was so nice. Learning about the Hajj was very interesting to me, and I will go back and share all of my experiences with everyone back home.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Personal Development Plan And Evaluation Of Skills
Personal Development Plan And Evaluation Of Skills In this assignment Im going to discuss my personal development plan n how I will develop my personal skills which will help me in my current situation and also for my feature roles and my responsibilities and I am also going to check what will I be the needs to develop my self and how will I learn to improve my self and I am also going to identify my target dates for review and I will explain how these needs will be met. Lets have a brief introduction about personal development plan and also its importance. DEFINATION OF (PDP) Personal development planning is a structure which is made by an individual to improve his learning style and performance and made a planning how to develop there educational and personal carrier and how to achieve n the goals and objective in feature. IMPORTANCE OF (PDP) It helps to increase the ability of person to understand and learn and to set there goals and objectives and gives the proper way to make a progress by leaps and bounds. We discuss the importance of personal development planning. Now I am going to extend my personal development plan. Here I gave some introduction and important of personal development plan now I m going to extend my personal development plan and I also review my self which skills I have required in my current and feature roles and responsibilities. CURRENT SKILLS Fallowing are some of my current personal and professional skills. Time management Time management is very important skill for any human being who wants to be a successful in his life and want to get something in feature because now a days we are living in globalized world so you have to be able to manage your time in any circumstances to meet with the demands of this modern world so this is one of my very important skill and Im very sufficient to manage my time but I still think that I have to learn more to improve my time management skill. LEADERSHIP SKILL Leadership skill is ability to motivate and inspire the group of people or a member of your organization towards the goals and objectives which you are looking to achieve. This skill helps the leader to give inspiration to his followers and get a more results to achieve the aims and objectives of an organization. Leaders can see the problems in any organization which needs to be fixed and he can set the goals that needs to be achieved it may be something that no any other person can see or on the other hand no else want to tackle whatever it is, it is the focus of leader attention and they come up with is single minded determination so this is the most important thing in leadership skill. This is one of the very important skill which I have and play a vital role in my life to make progress by leaps and bounds but whatever skill I have but as a human being I always try to learn and improve my personal development. COMMUNICATION SKILL Communication means to communicate with other people and that is a very important thing for any person who wants to be a successful because now a days we all are living in globalized world and we have to meet with the people from different part of world with a different languages so in this case you have to be able to communicate with others this is also one of my very important skill which helps me to make progress but I still want to improve my this skill for my current and as well as my feature roles and responsibilities.so because of its importance I want to improve myself in this skill to achieve my aim and objectives of life. DECISION MAKING SKILL Decision making skill is a vital skill for any human being. A person who is able to make a quick decision in any type of situation will get success. Decision making skill is very important in your professional life as compare to personal life because in professional life some time you have to make very hard decision for the betterment of your organization and only this skill will helps you to make a decision. This skill helps me allot in my professional and personal life and I always try to improve my decision making power. SELF MANAGEMENT SKILL Self-management means to manage our self-reactions and emotions against the challenges in any circumstances and also understand the challenges and responsibilities in personal and also in professional life .self-management play an important role to be successful in any field of life and provide you a sufficient chance to get full control on your emotions. This is also an important skill of my life and I really want to improve my skill because I need this skill for my feature roles and responsibilities. SKILLS REQUIRED FOR FUTURE Following are some skills which I need in my future roles and responsibilities. LEADING AND CHEARING MEATINGS Leading and cheering meetings is also an important skill for any leader or any person who is leading any organization or a group of certain People. Leading and cheering meeting means to lead and arrange meetings after certain time to check how the organization is working and where the organization is week and where organization needs any kind of improvement in simple words to make check and balance of organization this is a very important skill but I fell myself that I do not have this skill In my professional life so I need to learn this skill for my personal development. DELIVERING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS As we all knows that it is very important to deliver effective presentation it means the way you convey your message to your followers or your subordinates in a proper way which will be easily understandable for them and this thing give a boost for the development of any organization this skill also help you in your personal life so I fell myself that I am not good in delivering effective presentation so I really have to learn this skill for my future roles and responsibilities. PLANNING Planning means to make a proper way towards your goals and objectives.it also means to plan that when , where and how you are going to achieve your goals and objectives. Planning is not only the skill which only helps you in your professional life it is also a skill which helps you even more in your personal life. By making a proper planinig in your life you will always be successful in your personal and professional life. This is also an important skill which I need in my future roles and responsibilities. SELF MANAGEMENT A person who is able to manage a personal reaction to challenges and also the responsibilities in personal and professional life is called self-management. In self-management you should be able manage a time and also change your self-according to the current situation and circumstances. Following are some factors of self-management. PLANNING You should make a feature planning towards your goals and objective and how you will achieve. SELF AWARENESS You must have exact awareness about your current situation and circumstances TIME MANAGEMENT You should be able to complete your work with in the time that is very important in self-management. MONITORING You must have ability to monitor all the things which are happening around you wither it is your personal life are professional. These are some of the skills which I need in my future roles and responsibilities and while discussing my current skills and skills which I need in my future roles and responsibilities and know I am going discuss my learning and development needs. IDENTIFYING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS Know I am going to discuss my learning and development needs. LEARNING Learning is a very important process for achieving the business aims and objectives and it also play a vital role in personal development and it is also very essential to improving the organizational performance. LEARNING NEEDS FROM MY POINT OF VIEW From my point of view learning needs is to make people able to add the stock of personal competences and also gave them a boost to develop their potential. Learning needs means a gape in between the current and required performance of the person. Learning is also very important from business point of view because in business you always have to learn a lot of things so it is also very essential in business to learn. Learning is important more than the training because in training you just train yourself for a appropriate work but when you start learn something you learn a lot of things around yourself and it helps you to improve your personal development and you will make success day by day Learning is what happens after the person received the training and is much more self-directed Learning cans only effects when the person has ability to apply the knowledge and skill on his work place which he learns. Here I discuss what is learning and I also identify what is learning needs and what its importance now I am going to discuss my learning and development needs for my personal development plan MY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS As I gave you introduction about learning and I also tell you the importance of this and know I am going to reflect my personal and professional learning and development needs which will helps me to extend my personal development plan. By doing this I will make progress in my personal and professional life by leaps and bounds. As I discuss all my current skills and also I discuss all those skills which I need in my feature so to meet these skills I need to learn a lot because I am not too much strong in my these skills so I need to improve myself so I can improve my learning by using my preferred learning style. My preferred learning style is reflectors because: Reflectors can learn best when they have time to think about these activities and also have time to think before doing anything. They take some time to check and revive what they have to learn. Learn least from being forced to give instant reactions without planning time or are force into the limelight. Now I am going to discuss how I increase my current skills and those skills which are required in my future roles and responsibilities and I am also going to identify the target dates for review by using my preferred learning style I will explain this by showing you the tables. TARGET DATES FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TIME MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION I want to be a better in management. To manage my time in any situation I will study books management related I will complete it buy doing 6 moths study In time management my objectives are to be able to manage my time and I will fell myself successful when I manage my time in any situation and any circumstances to achieve this I will study books because thats the best way I think to improve my time management skill and it will take about six months to achieve my this aim. COMMUNICATION SKILLS OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION To communicate with any level of people with confident When people start well understanding when I communicate with them Try to communicate with the people of my upper level and also increasing the communication There is no time duration in this skill improvement because I will learn more as much I communicate with people In order to improve this skill my objective is to easily and confidently communicate with any level of people and my success criteria will be when I built up my confidence and people start understanding me easily to achieve this objective I will try to increase the communication and also I will try to communicate with the people of my upper level there is no time duration in this skill because it depends the way I learn. SELF MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION To manage personal reaction in any circumstances When fell myself relax in any type of situation Try to involving myself in different and difficult situations and by working with my seniors If I keep working it will take 1 year to improve my skill. In this skill my objective is to manage my personal reaction in any circumstances my success criteria will be the situation when I fell myself relax and I can handle any type of situation without any problem I will improve it by involving myself in different type of difficult situations and also try to work with my seniors according to my observation it will take 1 year time to improve my this skill. PLANNING OBJECTIVES To make proper planning towards my goals and objectives SUCCESS CRITERIA When I get success by my planning ACTION By getting a knowledge how to do proper planning TIME DURATION It can be done within 3 months My objective is to increase this skill to make a proper planning towards the goals and objectives my success criteria will when I get success by my planning I will improve this skill by getting knowledge to that how I will do proper planning and it will take three months to improve my self iin this skill DECISION MAKING SKILL OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION LEADING AND CHEARING MEATINGS OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION DELIVERING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS OBJECTIVES SUCCESS CRITERIA ACTION TIME DURATION
American Pie :: essays research papers
"American Pie" by Don McLean, is a very interesting song. After listening to the lyrics and the song itself, there is a meaning to this song. Each line of the lyrics has a special meaning to what Don McLean wanted to say, but in his own special way. If one was to look at each lyrics one by one, they will be able to find out the big picture of the whole song. It tells a story of Mclean's favorite performers, Buddy HOlly. American Pie was rumoured to be the name of the plane that BUddy Holly died in. In the begining of the song, he starts out saying, "A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music made me smile. ANd i knew if I had a chance, that i could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while." THis line is talking about how when he was a child he listened to great performers of his time and how he could do the same and make other teenagers happy with his song and make them want to dance and be merry. "But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver, bad news on the doorstep. I couldnt take one more step, I can't remember if I cried when i read about his widowed bride. But something touched me deep inside, the day the music died." This line is the day back in February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash. As a child, McLean was a paper boy and the news papers that were being passed that day was spreading "bad" news to everyones' doorstep and Buddy Holly's wife was pregnent when he died and later she had a miscarage. That date, was also refered to the "day music died." "Bye bye Miss American Pie, I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, SIgning This'll be the day that i die. THis'll be the day that i die." This is the chorus line. Miss American Pie was someone McLean had dated as a teenager. It was rumoured he was dating a Miss American candidate at the time. It is also refering to saying good by to the plane that had all three performers. The levee refers to a Movie called MIssissippi Burning, which was about three college students registering to vote as black voters, but were killded and dragged to a levee.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Gay Marriage Essay -- Same-Sex Marriage Essays
A large majority of people in the United States will say that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They will all agree that homosexuals should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, and other rights granted to US citizens. However, when the topic of marriage arises, all the talk of equality ceases. Over fifty percent of all people in the United States oppose homosexual marriage, despite the fact that most are otherwise supportive of homosexual rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of homosexual rights oppose homosexuals on this one issue. This is because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what homosexuality really is, as well as the erroneous assumption that homosexual people enjoy the same civil rights protections as everyone else. For the reasons of ending social injustice, the economic and social benefits of allo wing homosexuals to marry, and the constitution, homosexual marriages should be a legalized institution.      Homosexuals are often treated unjustly socially. Homosexual people and couples are treated as inferior to that of heterosexuals. The values that homosexual couples exhibit in their daily lives are often indistinguishable from those of their straight neighbors. They're loyal to their mates, and are devoted partners. Many of the reasons offered for opposing homosexual marriage are based on the assumption that homosexuals have a choice in which they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that homosexuals could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few do have a choice; any more than very few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find them attracted to. Additionally, many people continue to believe the propaganda from right-wing religious organizations that homosexuality is about nothing but sex, considering it to be merely a sexual perversion. Homosexual relationships are just like heterosexual ones, and are much more about love and affection than they are about sex. And this is what homosexual relationships are based on: mutual attraction, love and affection. Sex, in a committed homosexual relationship, is merely a means of expressing that love, just the same ... ...o deny that the right to marriage whomever you may choose is constitutionally guaranteed. Homosexuals, targets of discrimination and social injustice, deserve to have equal opportunities and rights as every other person in America, homosexual or straight. Homosexual marriages are accepted already by the Constitution, and they offer nothing but economic and social benefits if legalized, therefore there is no real reason as to why homosexual marriages should not be legalized. Legg, Joshua. Interview. 17 May 2004. 23 Nov. 2004 . Cooperman, Alan. â€Å"Christian Groups Say They Won't Give Up.†The Washington Post. Jul. 15, 2004. . â€Å"Q&A: Same-Sex Marriage.†The Washington Post. Mar. 10, 2004. . Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage : Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America. New York: Times Books, 2004. 1-224. Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum. Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 1997. 1-242. Nieves, Evelyn. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage Issue Fires Up Gays.†The Washington Post. Nov. 1, 2004. . Civil Rights: Brown v. Board of Education I (1954). 12 Jan. 2005. National Center for Public Policy Research. 24 Jan. 2005 .
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Linear Time Structure of the Western World Essays -- Sociology, Cultur
Thanks to the linear time structure of the western world, time is no longer infinite. People of our culture constantly have to stress over rushing to arrive at an appointment on time, turning in an assignment by a particular day, or having a prepared meal on the table at 5 o’clock on the dot. As days are filled with schedules dictated by time, the time itself just seems to slip away. This passing of linear time creates the worry that life is too short and this generates the concern about death, especially about what happens when one dies. In the western world, we as a people are highly conscious of milestones measuring passing time as these marks signal the approach of the enigmatic death and remind us that our time is limited. Before diving into this argument, it is interesting to understand the origin of this time structure in our society. The western world’s idea of linear time comes from the Hebraic influence on the culture. Outside of the Judeo-Christian sphere many cultures developed abiding by circular time which is based on natural cycles and happenings, such as the movement of planets. Circular time embeds people into the natural world -- linear time allows people to follow their separate path and with this comes the ability to dominate. By following this time structure people can be free to understand history and progress (â€Å"Chapter VII: Western Culture and Its Sources†). It is quite ironic, then, that a structure that was once meant to liberate people has caused suffocation. This linear time structure has made time no longer seem infinite. This framework emphasizes a chronological order -- with time, of course, neatly organized into little intervals. This is drastically different from circular time which never ends ... ...intless if we do not know what the unavoidable death will bring. In the western society, our linear time structure has caused us to habitually separate time into intervals that consistently continue. The pressure these milestones place on people is enormous -- we are demanded to live life a certain way as there is always a time limit, even on the length of time we have in this world. Although these constraints tend to create the worry that life may not have meaning and bring with them the mystery of death, one must learn to emotionally separate oneself from this structure. Time as we have defined it is merely a human invention; aging and curiousness about the future are natural human instincts but when a man-made structure begins to cast a shadow of doubt on life’s meaning one must take a step back a realize that there is more to life than the ticking of a clock.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
A Strategy To Reach The Unchurced Essay
Jesus commanded us to go and tell. The passage in Matthew 10 gives us words of conviction, instruction, preparation and finally expectation. We need to absorb this and as we do I believe that it will become clear what we are to do. And ways to reach the unchurch is making strategy. There are many church now answering the call to reach the Unchurch but to how to reach it we will find in the next paragraph. Giving Time The strategy of Sunset Presbyterian Church take the time needed to keep their circle of unchurch friends. Feil states, â€Å"I think everyone on our pastoral staff places a high priority on giving our people the time and the freedom to maintain their connections with their workplace, their marketplace, with nonchurched neighbors and friends. That is a high priority for us. They have to keep that circle of influence, that network of friends. We try to communicate clearly that we want to partner with them in reaching those people for Christ. And the primary way we want to partner with them is make our church a place where those people can come. Not just for some special evangelistic event but any Sunday and to any program or ministry. †(Feil, 2001). Start New Ministry The American Missionary Fellowship(2006) develop new ministries in every community possible using our new evangelistic tool, the Learning Community. A Learning Community is an evangelistic effort to bring together unchurched people with common interests in order to study the Bible and to equip lay teachers/leaders. Start New Bible Study Groups The LifeWay Church Resources ( 2005) Churches will be able to accommodate new people and the return of non-attending members primarily by enlarging the tent (Isaiah 54:2-3) of its open groups strategy through the expansion of its Sunday School ministry. These groups and classes usually are designed to target persons who ordinarily do not participate in church; many of these new units become the entry point for unchurched persons into the church and a relationship with Jesus Christ. This training will also help focus on the need and opportunities to start new churches in locations where people are not being reached by existing churches. Reaching people in crisis One factor is certain about the leaders of these churches that reach the unchurched: they are highly creative in their attempts to reach the unchurched. A Baptist church in West Virginia has a hospital ministry to new mothers, an attempt to reach these young families in their â€Å"positive crisis. †A West Coast Evangelical Free Church has reached more unchurched through its crisis pregnancy ministry than any another approach. And a Wesleyan church in the Midwest offers its beautiful sanctuary to prospective newlyweds at a very modest fee  but only if they agree to four sessions of premarital counseling. The lesson is clear: the unchurched are more likely to seek a church at a point of crisis. Innovative churches have discovered ways to have a presence in these crisis moments. ( Rainer,Thom S. ) Welcoming Atmosphere Creating a welcoming atmosphere by encouraging everyone, including the pastoral staff, to wear â€Å"stick on†name tags. They also pass a â€Å"Friendship Register†down the aisle each week, allowing members and visitors to sign in. Visitors usually sign-in this way, first, in order to let themselves be known. Visitors are also invited to identify themselves in the public worship services by simply raising their hand so that the ushers can give them a tape and brochure. â€Å"Our regular people know that the reason we are asking people to raise their hands is so they can identify them,†explains Pastor Feil. â€Å"I have had many first time visitors tell me that when they raised their hand three or four people around them said ‘hello, I’m so and so, who are you and welcome, we’re glad you are here, can I answer any questions. ’ So, they have been greeted as a result of that. That has worked for us. †(Barbara Feil. 2001). Reaching the unchurched through quality childcare â€Å"Parents today want the best for their children,†said an independent Baptist pastor from Louisiana. â€Å"It is amazing how much they care for the spiritual well-being of their children but neglect themselves in this area,†he said. â€Å"We decided to allocate heavy dollar resources into updating our preschool and children’s wing. Boy, has it paid off! We’re now reaching many of these young families who have no church background,†he exclaimed. ( Rainer,Thom S. ) Reaching through Shepherding and Discipleship Throughout all the ministries the focus is on shepherding and discipleshipâ€â€the whole culture is aimed at this process. Feil states, â€Å"From the time someone becomes a believer here at Sunset the rest of what we do is aimed at that, to help them grow in their faith. That’s what we are concerned about, that everyone grows in his or her faith. So the purpose of every ministry, across the board, is to help disciple people. †(Barbara Feil. 2001). Focus Evangelistic Efforts on Children and Youth The Central Church †don’t neglect the adults,†said a nondenominational church pastor from Minnesota, â€Å"but we have seven specific ministries a year designed to reach teens and children. †More than one-half of the pastors indicated that their churches had specific strategies to reach children and youth, the largest unchurched group in America. ( Rainer,Thom S. )
Friday, August 16, 2019
Who I am
As I scroll through the unknown hallways of high school for the first time, anxious and worried of the unexpected I was about to anticipate, my palms start the tip of shaking heavily and sweating uncontrollably. Thinking to It, I knew It was a start, a new start of life as a beginning, new chapter of not just believing in finding myself, challenging more to my limitations, setting high bars, letting myself free to the world of judgments and doubts of others around me, and showing my heart to the world in the creation I knew was forming â€Å"my future†already.As in the future I knew would be he outcome of the things that old chosen to follow or present of today, I knew I would want to become and be the things that I desired or worked for. I was the kind of average teenager that was very practical and simple to my own age, as they describe it. In someone who was Just rousing around life and just living to the very last purpose, but that wasn't the person I wanted to be identif ied as.I was the kind of grown girl that was more prone than to Just being there for living, I was living it to the very Max of how I wanted to create an life that I took advantage of shaping It successfully, happily, and valued more than Just to myself. I am the kind of person who takes a stand in my life and to the opponents of speaking up for what I believe in strongly in whatever take in I have to, whether for the sake of my good, to speak out, or against an disagreement or for someone of any kind who struggles without an example of following, or helped along the way.I am the girl who finds more than an example of following someone In their steps to accomplish, like my mom, and using a motivation and dedication towards life of my own to fully provide the example to the environment and people around of everything I do or am. I am the girl who desires a accomplishment and long and short term goal, and challenge to be overcome and expected a lesson or outcome out of it to allow mys elf to keep improving whether I was defeated by those or won them, I would still keep pressuring myself to doing more each day.I am the girl that fully improves myself to keep understanding and lack of communicating skills, even for the times that many might not understand me in a way, but I am different. Deferent in a sense that nobody will be completely be eke the way I was or Is created today, in the sense of my doing, humor, personality, thinking, writing/ clothing style, or especially the person I made it to be remembered But before beginning.. I was Borneo in a family of strict, traditional, hard workers from Tray Blah, Vietnam. I was raised on books and the Asian doctrine that education Is the only way to success.Shortly being as an elite kid with so much fun filled childhood, life as I knew was going to drastically change. I started school as soon as I arrived at the beginning of second grade. I didn't know any English, I had no friends, and I was constantly picked on for th e way I dressed and talked. I could not complete any of my schoolwork because I didn't understand anything but aside that, my parents got divorced. I was so ashamed of the life I was living with. Worse, I was lonely and overwhelmed, and I felt so utterly lost.I knew In the example that my dad, a new life to provide her children, new house, and transportation, but she made it happen. Meanwhile at home my mom was pushing me to learn English, bringing mom worksheets and books to help me. My shame became my source of motivation, forcing me to work and relearn the basics until I mastered the language. As I began to grasp the mechanics of English, I made friends and my school life greatly improved. With my moms' encouragement and my own perseverance, within a year, by the end of third grade, I was getting straight As and even surpassing many of my classmates.From that day on, the language barrier became nonexistent. Looking back now, I fully appreciate everything that my mom did for me th ose first few months. While I was struggling to learn a language and to fit in, my mom was working even harder to learn a new lifestyle of her past struggle and to assimilate to a country whose values and culture are so drastically different from her own in which she didn't know how to handle individually living out alone. For her, her entire live were in Vietnam. She had grown up in that land, established successful career, and made a name for herself.In moving on to a new beginning, she gave all that up in the hopes that I, and my brother would have a chance at a better life. In which my mom sacrificed so much for me and my brother, she continued to put aside her own interests and wants, to provide for the two of us. She allowed me to live the life of comfort that I do today. From my mom, I have learned the meaning of hard work, integrity, and compassion. I truly believe that my drive, determination, and dedication in everything I do come from my mom, because I see it in her every single day. I respect my mom tremendously and I work hard to become successful to repay her for all she done.Of course, our relationship is not perfect. I am always frustrated and angry with her unreasonably high expectations, endless comparisons, and overbearing protectiveness. However, I have learned to fuel that anger into motivation to try harder and prove to her that I am good enough. Today, I work for my dreams, to provide for myself as an independent woman, and to travel the world and get lost in the chaos of busy cities. I work to give back to my family, to my friends, to my community around me, of all which have made me the person I am. I want to leave my mark on this world, to make a name for myself, and to become a somebody.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Huckelberry Finn Essay
I have decided to analyze three different journal articles related to the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, written by Mark Twain in 1884. I chose this topic because the novel is widely considered a masterpiece. In fact, Ernest Hemingway described its importance with the following sentence: â€Å"All modern American literature comes from a book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’. In addition, the topic has a great interest because the novel has always been a subject of controversy due to racial issues and the alleged praise of juvenile delinquency that it portrays. The three articles that and I am going to comment on are the following: 1) Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002) 2) Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011) 3) Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). Look more: satirical play essay In order to compare and analyse these three articles, I am going to focus on two main points: the overall opinion that the authors of the different articles have about the book (which is usually very good) and what they comment on the controversial matters that novel deals with. First of all, I will concentrate on the overall opinion that the authors express regarding ‘Huckleberry Finn’. On article 1, the author (whose name is not revealed) defines the novel in the following terms: ‘Few books in the U. S history have been as influentialâ€â€or as controversialâ€â€as â€Å"Huckleberry Finn††¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Furthermore, he added: ‘ â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†not only has survived the efforts to bury it, it has thrived and it has grown as a teaching tool’. As we could see, the author praises the novel strongly. In addition, he rejects the most critical opinions and defends Twain’s intentions (†¦Twain was skewering hatred and racism, intolerance and religious bigotry, royalty and imperialism’). In the case of article 2, the author, Delia Lloyd, does not express a clear opinion about the novel itself. However, she declares herself as â€Å"a devotee of Mark Twain’, so it is likely to think that he has quite a positive opinion about the novel. Regarding article 3, its author, Michiko Kakutani, quotes Hemingway’s famous sentence about Twain at the beginning of the article. Apart from that, there are not any more explicit opinions about the novel itself. However, a thorough reading of the article evidences a strong defence of it, and the author shows a very defiant attitude with those who criticize it. In terms of controversy, the articles express different opinions and ideas, and the authors make clear what they think about the nature and the novel and the convenience of altering it. For instance, it is important to point out the different dates in which the articles were written. Whereas article 1 was written in 2002, articles 2 & 3 were written the very same day (January 6, 2011) and were triggered by the same cause (a university professor, Alan Gribben, had written a new version of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ replacing controversial words such as ‘nigger’ or ‘injun’ for more neutral, inoffensive terms). The author of article 1 is very critical with those who aim to disapprove the novel. In fact, he stated: ‘Twain wrote satire, and there are glorious lessons in his books even if they ruffle readers or appear, simply in the telling of the unvarnished truth, to somehow glorify injustice and racism’. In addition, he ends the article with a sentence that leaves no doubt about his opinion regarding racial and social controversy arisen by the novel. (‘Huckleberry Finn is a glorious celebration of friendship and tolerance triumphing over the racism and hypocrisy of the day. That is why it’s a hard book to readâ€â€and why it is one of the greatest works of American Literature’). Delia Lloyd express a somehow ambiguous opinion about whether is convenient or not to introduce changes in the novel. On the one hand, she says to be ‘sympathetic’ with several authors quoted in her article, who are in clear contrast with Gribben’s version of the novel (for instance, Matt Blum is quoted as saying ‘How can we expect children to learn real history if we sanitize it for them? ’, whereas Elon James White argues that ‘the only way to get Americans to deal openly and honestly with prejudice is to force students to be uncomfortable with terms thatâ€â€unpleasant though they may beâ€â€are part and parcel of our country’s blatantly racist past’). On the other hand, Delia Lloyd also makes some positive remarks about Gribben’s ideas later on in the article, probably based upon her experience as a mother (‘As a parent, however, I’m less sympathetic to Gribben’s critics’, or ‘†¦there are more practical reasons to think that having a cleaned-up version of â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†isn’t, as Salon’s. Mary Elizabeth Williams’ puts it, â€Å"the worst thing in the world†‘). Finally, article 3 is opposed to change the original version of the novel. This could already be implied from the title, which misspells the word ‘civilize’. This is a clear reference to the tendency of some characters of the book to pronounce words wrongly. Michiko Kakutani develops this idea throughout the article, refuting Grribben with subtleness and irony. As a result, he sometimes describes Grubbin labour with adjectives in inverted commas (‘improved’) or using aggressive ones to refer to him and his work. (‘Being an iconic classic, however, hasn’t protected the novel from being banned, bowdlerized and bleeped’). To conclude, I must say that, after reading the novel and several articles related to it, I think that the novel should be preserved in its original state. As far as I’m concerned, such a masterpiece deserves to be respected and remain unaltered. In addition, teachers should be very careful when explaining it to children, and try to transmit them the real (and benevolent) intentions of Mark Twain. Bibliography -Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002). An article written in the scope of the PBS series directed by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, which appeared shortly after the article. -Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011). It is an ambiguous article about the necessity of changing ‘Huckleberry Finn’’s most controversial parts. -Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). A strong defence of the novel and fierce critic of those who intend to change it. -Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (Toni Morrison, 1992).
Leaders Are Born Not Made
ESSAY TITLE: LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE AUTHOR: AYODELE OLATOYE SUMMARY: The essay refutes the viewpoint that leaders are born not made, and seeks to establish through valid arguments, illustrations and documented evidence that leaders are actually made and not born WORD COUNT: 1920 LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE Folklore has lulled us into believing that some people are born leaders while others are not.Regardless of tribe, ethnicity or race, most people can trace their origins back to a monarchical or feudal system where the offspring of the reigning family found themselves thrust into leadership positions regardless of their inclinations to rule or not. To further impress this upon our collective psyches, the legends of such royal ancestors are interwoven with thrilling notions of romantic adventure and grandeur, and we unwittingly find ourselves mentally acquiescing to the untruth that some people are born to lead while others are destined to merely follow.History has however proven ot herwise; leaders are made not born. The fall of monarchical systems of government occurred slowly but surely over centuries, as it became apparent to all that leadership is to be earned, and is not a birthright. Nobility was no longer a question of bloodline but of courage, strength of character and the ability to motivate your peers to follow you in achieving a common goal. Some critics would argue that the most prominent features of leaders such as courage, charisma and strength are personality traits which are inherited and cannot be taught (Colleen 2012).Research has however shown that the human personality is extremely malleable, and under the right tutelage and exposure to carefully calibrated exercises, leadership attributes can be developed by anyone who is willing to invest the required amount of time and energy to achieve these results (Parks 2005). It has also been argued that another key requirement for leadership is pleasant good looks which are an inherited feature (Co lleen 2012).This is however an unsubstantiated assumption and perhaps is only relevant in the realm of politics where the ability to assume an office is often indicative of a strong political machinery backing you, and not your ability to lead and motivate. True leadership is not an office but a lifestyle. Mahatma Ghandi may not have qualified as a prospect for GQ’s cover page but he is undisputedly one of the most influential leaders in modern history. Perhaps it would be instructive to clarify who a leader is before proceeding further. ‘A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a certain goal’ (Merriam-Webster n. . ). Leaders exist in almost every facet and sphere of life we may choose to examine; the family unit, schools, religious organisations, business institutions and states. The manner in which they influence people varies from individual to individual. One of the areas which has witnessed the most review and analysi s is the business environment, where the efficacy of a leader could determine whether an organisation thrives or goes under, and with it the fates of staff, shareholders and other stakeholders whose livelihoods are inexorably linked to the business.We will therefore restrict our review to the attributes of a successful business leader and an analysis of whether such traits are inherited or cultivated. One key trait which most of the literature written on great business leaders agree on as a required characteristic is excellent communication skills. A leader must be able to clearly communicate his vision in compelling terms that will motivate his team to follow him into the thick of the fray, be it the floor of the New York Stock exchange or into the last quarter of the year where the sales figures will determine whether the organisation sinks or swims.Is the ability to communicate convincingly an inborn trait? History would lead us to believe otherwise. According to folklore, Demost henes was the most famed of Greek orators whose first attempt at public speaking earned him the derision of his peers for his efforts (Horne 2007). Through dedication and the proper tutelage, he overcame a speech handicap and eventually became a voice that all of Greece respected. In the modern world, the abundance of voice coaches and public speaking training material points to the fact that excellent communication skills can be learnt.In addition, as organisations continue to grow in size and staffing, an increasing amount of the intra-organisational communication is written and no longer verbal. CEOs communicate their vision and the company’s direction to the entire staff via written emails. Though some critics may maintain that good communication skills are inherited, it is unlikely that even the strongest proponents of this view will believe that the ability to type concise emails is an inborn talent. Another important leadership trait is passion; passion is infectious n d galvanises those around you into pouring their energy into the goals you have set. It is obviously apparent that some people are naturally more passionate than others and this is inarguably an inborn personality trait. As a leader however, you are not required to be passionate about every single thing; you however must be passionate about your job, your organisation and the objectives you have set. In the book ‘Who Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneurial Identity’, Charles Y. Murnieks states ‘†¦ ntrepreneurial passion is significantly related to the setting of proximal goals’ (Murnieks 2008). This suggests that any leader who is fiercely committed to a goal inadvertently becomes passionate about it. Goal setting and focus is a trait which can definitely be taught and are the precursors to the passion that a great leader needs. On the other hand, being a passionate person in a general sense is no guarantee of great leadership. On the contrary, passion tha t is not built on predetermined goals may lead to emotional decisions which could destroy an organisation.A third important leadership trait is courage. In the course of running an organisation, a leader must have the courage to take decisions which could either make or break that organisation. Whether it is choosing the sectors to invest businesses capital in or selling off an ailing subsidiary, his courage will constantly be put to test. He must also have the courage to face his staff with candour and give unpleasant feedback to an employee who may not be pulling his weight.A study by Daniel Goleman surprisingly revealed that fearlessness, amongst others, is often an inherited trait (Goleman 1986). It appears that some children are born with a higher threshold of fear and risk aversion than others. An insensitivity to fear however does not necessarily make a courageous leader. In the article ‘The Meaning of Courage’, Richard Zinbarg states ‘In my view, however, we cannot be courageous or strong in situations in which we have no fear or anxiety whatsoever’ (Zinbarg 2010). Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. despite anxiety or fear’ (Rachman 1978). This thus means that the quality of courage which one needs to have to be an effective leader is not ingrained at birth, but rather is developed over time by the habit of constantly facing ones fears. Many leadership training organisations teach this trait with rock climbing or mountain climbing exercises, which will gradually help the students face down their fears and take challenges head on.The military also recruit young men and women into their ranks and through trainings, exercises and exposure to real armed conflict situations, gradually shape them into courageous combat ready soldiers. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the American people had until recently only voted ex-military political candidates into office; they naturally believed that these men would have cultivated the traits of strength and fearlessness during their time in the military. Integrity is another important attribute of a good leader.The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as the ‘firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values (Merriam-Webster n. d. ). Are some people born with integrity whilst others are born with a propensity for deceit and inconsistency? Research shows that children growing up are prone to adopt the moral code and values which their models exhibit from birth to about the age of 7, when they begin to observe and appraise the results of actions on subjects as well as the attendant repercussions.They then begin to form their own value system which continues to be shaped throughout their lives (Thomas 1993). Integrity is a learned attribute and leaders can therefore not be born with it; it is an acquired trait. A review of the biographies of great leaders often refer to defining moments in their lives where experiences occurred that shaped and defined their moral codes for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest examples of this is the story of President Abraham Lincoln, fondly known as ‘Honest Abe’ by the people of America.He exposed himself at a very early age to character moulding literature that extolled the virtues of integrity and individual struggle, thereby internalising the accounts of other great men and consciously adopting their moral codes (Carwardine 2003). The mere fact that peer pressure, lack of a proper family structure and environmental/ community factors have been identified as three of the main contributing factors to teen crime (Muhammad 2008) establish that integrity or the lack of it is a learned behaviour and not an inherited trait.This is one of the reasons why juvenile corrective authorities always seek foster parents for adolescents whom they perceive to be in danger of being corrupted by their soci ety. The human race has made exceptional leaps in the past century on numerous frontiers; medicine, law, science, technology, and most of the other endeavours we have focused our mental energy and resources on. In the business world, the number of registered companies (either with physical or virtual offices) is rising quickly and with it the portfolio and profile of its owners and managers.The leaders of these advancements and breakthroughs did not let questions of their genetic predisposition to leadership deter them from achieving the feats they have accomplished. Proposing that leadership is a birthright and therefore the exclusive right of a privileged few would be encouraging scores of people to abdicate their natural duty of being the best version of themselves they possibly can, encouraging them to ignore the plethora of opportunities to lead and make a difference, encouraging them to give up at the first sign of difficulty.The last and arguably the most important trait of a great leader is faith; faith in his ability to lead his team and actually make a difference. It is only by understanding that great leaders are made and not born that we can have the faith to put ourselves through the gruelling process it takes to shape our minds and bodies, and thereby become the exceptional leaders that we all can be.Bibliography Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln. London, 2003. Colleen, Sharen. â€Å"Leaders are Born not Made. †Thinking is Hard Work, 2012. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"New York Times. †New York Times, 2 December 1986. Horne, C. F. Heritage History. History Curriculum Homeschool, 2007. Merriam-Webster. â€Å"Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. †http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/integrity. Muhammad, Ali. Youth Crime; Causes and Remedies. 2008. Murnieks, Charles Y. Whom Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneural Identity. 2008. Parks, Sharon Daloz. â€Å"Leadership Can Be Taught: A Bold Approach for a Complex World. †2005: 5-6. Rachman, Stanley. Fear and Courage. 1978. Thomas, Laurence. Morality and Psychological Development. Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1993. Zinbarg, Richard. The Meaning of Courage. 2010. Leaders Are Born Not Made ESSAY TITLE: LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE AUTHOR: AYODELE OLATOYE SUMMARY: The essay refutes the viewpoint that leaders are born not made, and seeks to establish through valid arguments, illustrations and documented evidence that leaders are actually made and not born WORD COUNT: 1920 LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE Folklore has lulled us into believing that some people are born leaders while others are not.Regardless of tribe, ethnicity or race, most people can trace their origins back to a monarchical or feudal system where the offspring of the reigning family found themselves thrust into leadership positions regardless of their inclinations to rule or not. To further impress this upon our collective psyches, the legends of such royal ancestors are interwoven with thrilling notions of romantic adventure and grandeur, and we unwittingly find ourselves mentally acquiescing to the untruth that some people are born to lead while others are destined to merely follow.History has however proven ot herwise; leaders are made not born. The fall of monarchical systems of government occurred slowly but surely over centuries, as it became apparent to all that leadership is to be earned, and is not a birthright. Nobility was no longer a question of bloodline but of courage, strength of character and the ability to motivate your peers to follow you in achieving a common goal. Some critics would argue that the most prominent features of leaders such as courage, charisma and strength are personality traits which are inherited and cannot be taught (Colleen 2012).Research has however shown that the human personality is extremely malleable, and under the right tutelage and exposure to carefully calibrated exercises, leadership attributes can be developed by anyone who is willing to invest the required amount of time and energy to achieve these results (Parks 2005). It has also been argued that another key requirement for leadership is pleasant good looks which are an inherited feature (Co lleen 2012).This is however an unsubstantiated assumption and perhaps is only relevant in the realm of politics where the ability to assume an office is often indicative of a strong political machinery backing you, and not your ability to lead and motivate. True leadership is not an office but a lifestyle. Mahatma Ghandi may not have qualified as a prospect for GQ’s cover page but he is undisputedly one of the most influential leaders in modern history. Perhaps it would be instructive to clarify who a leader is before proceeding further. ‘A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a certain goal’ (Merriam-Webster n. . ). Leaders exist in almost every facet and sphere of life we may choose to examine; the family unit, schools, religious organisations, business institutions and states. The manner in which they influence people varies from individual to individual. One of the areas which has witnessed the most review and analysi s is the business environment, where the efficacy of a leader could determine whether an organisation thrives or goes under, and with it the fates of staff, shareholders and other stakeholders whose livelihoods are inexorably linked to the business.We will therefore restrict our review to the attributes of a successful business leader and an analysis of whether such traits are inherited or cultivated. One key trait which most of the literature written on great business leaders agree on as a required characteristic is excellent communication skills. A leader must be able to clearly communicate his vision in compelling terms that will motivate his team to follow him into the thick of the fray, be it the floor of the New York Stock exchange or into the last quarter of the year where the sales figures will determine whether the organisation sinks or swims.Is the ability to communicate convincingly an inborn trait? History would lead us to believe otherwise. According to folklore, Demost henes was the most famed of Greek orators whose first attempt at public speaking earned him the derision of his peers for his efforts (Horne 2007). Through dedication and the proper tutelage, he overcame a speech handicap and eventually became a voice that all of Greece respected. In the modern world, the abundance of voice coaches and public speaking training material points to the fact that excellent communication skills can be learnt.In addition, as organisations continue to grow in size and staffing, an increasing amount of the intra-organisational communication is written and no longer verbal. CEOs communicate their vision and the company’s direction to the entire staff via written emails. Though some critics may maintain that good communication skills are inherited, it is unlikely that even the strongest proponents of this view will believe that the ability to type concise emails is an inborn talent. Another important leadership trait is passion; passion is infectious n d galvanises those around you into pouring their energy into the goals you have set. It is obviously apparent that some people are naturally more passionate than others and this is inarguably an inborn personality trait. As a leader however, you are not required to be passionate about every single thing; you however must be passionate about your job, your organisation and the objectives you have set. In the book ‘Who Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneurial Identity’, Charles Y. Murnieks states ‘†¦ ntrepreneurial passion is significantly related to the setting of proximal goals’ (Murnieks 2008). This suggests that any leader who is fiercely committed to a goal inadvertently becomes passionate about it. Goal setting and focus is a trait which can definitely be taught and are the precursors to the passion that a great leader needs. On the other hand, being a passionate person in a general sense is no guarantee of great leadership. On the contrary, passion tha t is not built on predetermined goals may lead to emotional decisions which could destroy an organisation.A third important leadership trait is courage. In the course of running an organisation, a leader must have the courage to take decisions which could either make or break that organisation. Whether it is choosing the sectors to invest businesses capital in or selling off an ailing subsidiary, his courage will constantly be put to test. He must also have the courage to face his staff with candour and give unpleasant feedback to an employee who may not be pulling his weight.A study by Daniel Goleman surprisingly revealed that fearlessness, amongst others, is often an inherited trait (Goleman 1986). It appears that some children are born with a higher threshold of fear and risk aversion than others. An insensitivity to fear however does not necessarily make a courageous leader. In the article ‘The Meaning of Courage’, Richard Zinbarg states ‘In my view, however, we cannot be courageous or strong in situations in which we have no fear or anxiety whatsoever’ (Zinbarg 2010). Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. despite anxiety or fear’ (Rachman 1978). This thus means that the quality of courage which one needs to have to be an effective leader is not ingrained at birth, but rather is developed over time by the habit of constantly facing ones fears. Many leadership training organisations teach this trait with rock climbing or mountain climbing exercises, which will gradually help the students face down their fears and take challenges head on.The military also recruit young men and women into their ranks and through trainings, exercises and exposure to real armed conflict situations, gradually shape them into courageous combat ready soldiers. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the American people had until recently only voted ex-military political candidates into office; they naturally believed that these men would have cultivated the traits of strength and fearlessness during their time in the military. Integrity is another important attribute of a good leader.The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as the ‘firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values (Merriam-Webster n. d. ). Are some people born with integrity whilst others are born with a propensity for deceit and inconsistency? Research shows that children growing up are prone to adopt the moral code and values which their models exhibit from birth to about the age of 7, when they begin to observe and appraise the results of actions on subjects as well as the attendant repercussions.They then begin to form their own value system which continues to be shaped throughout their lives (Thomas 1993). Integrity is a learned attribute and leaders can therefore not be born with it; it is an acquired trait. A review of the biographies of great leaders often refer to defining moments in their lives where experiences occurred that shaped and defined their moral codes for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest examples of this is the story of President Abraham Lincoln, fondly known as ‘Honest Abe’ by the people of America.He exposed himself at a very early age to character moulding literature that extolled the virtues of integrity and individual struggle, thereby internalising the accounts of other great men and consciously adopting their moral codes (Carwardine 2003). The mere fact that peer pressure, lack of a proper family structure and environmental/ community factors have been identified as three of the main contributing factors to teen crime (Muhammad 2008) establish that integrity or the lack of it is a learned behaviour and not an inherited trait.This is one of the reasons why juvenile corrective authorities always seek foster parents for adolescents whom they perceive to be in danger of being corrupted by their soci ety. The human race has made exceptional leaps in the past century on numerous frontiers; medicine, law, science, technology, and most of the other endeavours we have focused our mental energy and resources on. In the business world, the number of registered companies (either with physical or virtual offices) is rising quickly and with it the portfolio and profile of its owners and managers.The leaders of these advancements and breakthroughs did not let questions of their genetic predisposition to leadership deter them from achieving the feats they have accomplished. Proposing that leadership is a birthright and therefore the exclusive right of a privileged few would be encouraging scores of people to abdicate their natural duty of being the best version of themselves they possibly can, encouraging them to ignore the plethora of opportunities to lead and make a difference, encouraging them to give up at the first sign of difficulty.The last and arguably the most important trait of a great leader is faith; faith in his ability to lead his team and actually make a difference. It is only by understanding that great leaders are made and not born that we can have the faith to put ourselves through the gruelling process it takes to shape our minds and bodies, and thereby become the exceptional leaders that we all can be.Bibliography Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln. London, 2003. Colleen, Sharen. â€Å"Leaders are Born not Made. †Thinking is Hard Work, 2012. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"New York Times. †New York Times, 2 December 1986. Horne, C. F. Heritage History. History Curriculum Homeschool, 2007. Merriam-Webster. â€Å"Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. †http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/integrity. Muhammad, Ali. Youth Crime; Causes and Remedies. 2008. Murnieks, Charles Y. Whom Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneural Identity. 2008. Parks, Sharon Daloz. â€Å"Leadership Can Be Taught: A Bold Approach for a Complex World. †2005: 5-6. Rachman, Stanley. Fear and Courage. 1978. Thomas, Laurence. Morality and Psychological Development. Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1993. Zinbarg, Richard. The Meaning of Courage. 2010.
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