Similarities Between Christianity And Hinduism - 1166 Words

By definition, religion is considered as, â€Å" the belief in and worship of a god or group of gods.† Various religions can be found internationally and many are practiced worldwide. Both Christianity and Hinduism are very popular religions, and have a substantial amount of followers. In fact, Christianity and Hinduism are the largest, and third largest religions of the world, respectively. They have been tremendously influential on the world and have, arguably, shaped it into what it is today. Despite many differences between the two religions, Christianity and Hinduism have quite a few fascinating similarities. Not only do they have similar views on how the universe came into being, but they also agree on the fact that the â€Å"truth† can, and will only be revealed to humans by God himself. Christianity and Hinduism contain both similar and contrasting practices and have greatly impacted the lives of their followers for centuries. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ approximately 2,000 years ago in Judea, which was under the reign of Roman emperors at the time. Today, Judea is located in Israel. The key belief of Christianity is that there is only one God, and His son is Jesus Christ. God is one in three; the Holy Trinity consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christians have been taught to call God â€Å"Father,† by Jesus. They believe that Jesus’ life on earth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are all examples of how God loved the world and the humanShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Hinduism And Christianity1763 Words   |  8 Pages Hinduism and Christianity Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. Both religions since creation has developed philosophies on certain subjects that can be compared and contrasted, to show the similarities and differences within Hinduism and Christianity. Key subjects that can be analyzed after reviewing the history and foundation of these religions are their: paths to enlightenment/salvationRead MoreSimilarities Between Hinduism And Christianity1852 Words   |  8 PagesHinduism and Christianity are two religions with different virtues and teachings. Various things differ among these two religions. For example, in Hinduism there is an aspect of enlightenment whereas in Christianity there is baptism. Each of the two religions emphasize that the followers must stick to the teachings. The followers are taught the ways of the religion and believe that the teachings that they receive are the best. Each of the two religions emphasizes that the way they lookRead MoreSimilarities and Differences Between Christianity Hinduism1635 Words   |  7 PagesExamine and comment on contrasting standpoints about God and/or existence in relation to the topic you have investigated. Christianity and Hinduism seem to have profoundly different views in relation to God and/or existence. For example, creation within Christian belief is primarily ex-nihilo (out of nothing). God created everything in 7 days from the light and darkness, to the day of rest. This can be illustrated by reference to Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens andRead MoreDifference and Similarities Between Christianity and Four (4) World Religion, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Muslims and Hinduism.2305 Words   |  10 Pages Title: Difference and Similarities between Christianity and Four (4) World Religion, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Muslims and Hinduism. Introduction: In the world today there are many religions of different beliefs with vast numbers of followers. However, some of these religions turn to have similarities and differences which defer them from each another. The following report briefly talks about the differences and similarities between Christianity and other four (4) major world religions and theyRead MoreChristianity And Hinduism .According To The Human Truth1601 Words   |  7 PagesChristianity and Hinduism According to the human truth foundation (2017) â€Å"religions are shared collection of transcendental beliefs that have been passed on from believers to converts, which are held by adherents to be actively meaningful and serious and either based on formally documented doctrine or established cultural practices.† There are many religions in the world some are old as the beginning of time and some are newer. Hinduism is one of the oldest organized religion in the world. Read MoreChristianity And Hinduism : A Theological Perspective1391 Words   |  6 PagesWhen looking at Christianity and Hinduism there are many ways to look at each religion from a theological perspective. This is why the best way to look at the broad view of these religions would be to analyze each by comparing and contrasting what each religion is about. The first point to look at would be at how Hinduism and Christianity are very similar in how they view the world. This can be seen in how they both s trive to achieve a state of higher being whether it be with the eternal stateRead MoreChristianity, Hinduism, And Islam1054 Words   |  5 PagesEvery religion has its own goal, and their own believes, however there are also many similarities in their believes. Although the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may see things differently, they basically hold the same values and codes. To Islam, the Prophet Mohammad’s teaching is a â€Å"complete and final revelation†. On the other hand, according to the bible, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the true lord and savior will grant you the access to heaven in the afterlife. JudaismRead MoreComparison And Contrast Of World Religions1194 Words   |  5 PagesReligions The religions of the world, while differing greatly in their specifics, are surprisingly similar. The three most prevalent religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, in that order. All believe in a higher power that presides over and created man. Islam originated in approximately 609 C.E., or Common Era, and Christianity originated around 33 C.E. which is supposedly when Jesus Christ was crucified. The main prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is supposedly of the lineage of Jesus ChristRead MoreChristianity And Buddhism And Christianity1468 Words   |  6 PagesChristianity and Buddhism exist as two of the predominant religions throughout the world. While Buddhism ranks around fifth in number of followers of religions, it is the third most widespread religion behind Christianity and Islam. Buddhism and Christianity are arrantly distinct in their principle standpoints: Buddhism rejects the existence of a greater being and Christianity proudly professes the power of a univ ersal God. However, despite this rigid dissimilarity, both religions developed and spreadRead MoreSimilarities Between Hinduism And Hinduism Essay902 Words   |  4 PagesChristianity Versus Hinduism Christianity and Hinduism, are two of the worlds oldest religions. Although they are very different religions they share one main goal; salvation. However, their idea of salvation and what they have to do ,and what must be done to attain salvation are very different. Two main similarities between the Hindu religion and Christian religion are referred to by different titles; nevertheless they are represented by the same action. One example of these similarities would

The Host Chapter 24 Tolerated Free Essays

string(53) " his tone if he was surprised or annoyed that I did\." It was true that I did not smell good. I’d lost count of how many days I’d spent here-was it more than a week now? more than two?-and all of them sweating into the same clothes I’d worn on my disastrous desert trek. So much salt had dried into my cotton shirt that it was creased into rigid accordion wrinkles. We will write a custom essay sample on The Host Chapter 24: Tolerated or any similar topic only for you Order Now It used to be pale yellow; now it was a splotchy, diseased-looking print in the same dark purple color as the cave floor. My short hair was crunchy and gritty; I could feel it standing out in wild tangles around my head, with a stiff crest on top, like a cockatoo’s. I hadn’t seen my face recently, but I imagined it in two shades of purple: cave-dirt purple and healing-bruise purple. So I could understand Jeb’s point-yes, I needed a bath. And a change of clothes as well, to make the bath worth the effort. Jeb offered me some of Jamie’s clothes to wear while mine dried, but I didn’t want to ruin Jamie’s few things by stretching them. Thankfully, he didn’t try to offer me anything of Jared’s. I ended up with an old but clean flannel shirt of Jeb’s that had the sleeves ripped off, and a pair of faded, holey cutoff sweatpants that had gone unclaimed for months. These were draped over my arm-and a bumpy mound of vile-smelling, loosely molded chunks that Jeb claimed was homemade cactus soap was in my hand-as I followed Jeb to the room with the two rivers. Again we were not alone, and again I was miserably disappointed that this was the case. Three men and one woman-the salt-and-pepper braid-were filling buckets with water from the smaller stream. A loud splashing and laughing echoed from the bathing room. â€Å"We’ll just wait our turn,† Jeb told me. He leaned against the wall. I stood stiffly beside him, uncomfortably conscious of the four pairs of eyes on me, though I kept my own on the dark hot spring rushing by underneath the porous floor. After a short wait, three women exited the bathing room, their wet hair dripping down the backs of their shirts-the athletic caramel-skinned woman, a young blonde I didn’t remember seeing before, and Melanie’s cousin Sharon. Their laughter stopped abruptly as soon as they caught sight of us. â€Å"Afternoon, ladies,† Jeb said, touching his forehead as if it were the brim of a hat. â€Å"Jeb,† the caramel woman acknowledged dryly. Sharon and the other girl ignored us. â€Å"Okay, Wanda,† he said when they’d passed. â€Å"It’s all yours.† I gave him a glum look, then made my way carefully into the black room. I tried to remember how the floor went-I was sure I had a few feet before the edge of the water. I took off my shoes first, so that I could feel for the water with my toes. It was just so dark. I remembered the inky appearance of the pool-ripe with suggestions of what might lurk beneath its opaque surface-and shuddered. But the longer I waited, the longer I would have to be here, so I put the clean clothes next to my shoes, kept the smelly soap, and shuffled forward carefully until I found the lip of the pool. The water was cool compared to the steamy air of the outer cavern. It felt nice. That didn’t keep me from being terrified, but I could still appreciate the sensation. It had been a long time since anything had been cool. Still fully dressed in my dirty clothes, I waded in waist deep. I could feel the stream’s current swirl around my ankles, hugging the rock. I was glad the water was not stagnant-it would be upsetting to sully it, filthy as I was, if that were the case. I crouched down into the ink until I was immersed to my shoulders. I ran the coarse soap over my clothes, thinking this would be the easiest way to make sure they were clean. Where the soap touched my skin, it burned mildly. I took off the soapy clothes and scrubbed them under the water. Then I rinsed them again and again until there was no way any of my sweat or tears could have survived, wrung them out, and laid them on the floor beside where I thought my shoes were. The soap burned more strongly against my bare skin, but the sting was bearable because it meant I could be clean again. When I was done lathering, my skin prickled everywhere and my scalp felt scalded. It seemed as if the places where the bruises had formed were more sensitive than the rest of me-they must still have been there. I was happy to put the acidic soap on the rock floor and rinse my body again and again, the way I had my clothes. It was with a strange mingling of relief and regret that I sloshed my way out of the pool. The water was very pleasant, as was the feeling of clean, if prickling, skin. But I’d had quite enough of the blindness and the things I could imagine into the darkness. I felt around until I found the dry clothes, then I pulled them quickly on and shoved my water-wrinkled feet into my shoes. I carried my wet clothes in one hand and the soap gingerly between two fingers of the other. Jeb laughed when I emerged; his eyes were on the soap in my cautious grasp. â€Å"Smarts a bit, don’t it? We’re trying to fix that.† He held out his hand, protected by the tail of his shirt, and I placed the soap in it. I didn’t answer his question because we weren’t alone; there was a line waiting silently behind him-five people, all of them from the field turning. Ian was first in line. â€Å"You look better,† he told me, but I couldn’t tell from his tone if he was surprised or annoyed that I did. You read "The Host Chapter 24: Tolerated" in category "Essay examples" He raised one arm, extending his long, pale fingers toward my neck. I flinched away, and he dropped his hand quickly. â€Å"Sorry about that,† he muttered. Did he mean for scaring me now or for marking up my neck in the first place? I couldn’t imagine that he was apologizing for trying to kill me. Surely he still wanted me dead. But I wasn’t going to ask. I started walking, and Jeb fell into step behind me. â€Å"So, today wasn’t that bad,† Jeb said as we walked through the dark corridor. â€Å"Not that bad,† I murmured. After all, I hadn’t been murdered. That was always a plus. â€Å"Tomorrow will be even better,† he promised. â€Å"I always enjoy planting-seeing the miracle of the little dead-looking seeds having so much life in them. Makes me feel like a withered old guy might have some potential left in him. Even if it’s only to be fertilizer.† Jeb laughed at his joke. When we got to the big garden cavern, Jeb took my elbow and steered me east rather than west. â€Å"Don’t try to tell me you’re not hungry after all that digging,† he said. â€Å"It’s not my job to provide room service. You’re just going to have to eat where everyone else eats.† I grimaced at the floor but let him lead me to the kitchen. It was a good thing the food was exactly the same thing as always, because if, miraculously, a filet mignon or a bag of Cheetos had materialized, I wouldn’t have been able to taste a thing. It took all my concentration just to make myself swallow-I hated to make even that small sound in the dead silence that followed my appearance. The kitchen wasn’t crowded, just ten people lounging against the counters, eating their tough rolls and drinking their watery soup. But I killed all conversation again. I wondered how long things could last like this. The answer was exactly four days. It also took me that long to understand what Jeb was up to, what the motivation was behind his switch from the courteous host to the curmudgeonly taskmaster. The day after turning the soil I spent seeding and irrigating the same field. It was a different group of people than the day before; I imagined there was some kind of rotation of the chores here. Maggie was in this group, and the caramel-skinned woman, but I didn’t learn her name. Mostly everyone worked in silence. The silence felt unnatural-a protest against my presence. Ian worked with us, when it was clearly not his turn, and this bothered me. I had to eat in the kitchen again. Jamie was there, and he kept the room from total silence. I knew he was too sensitive not to notice the awkward hush, but he deliberately ignored it, seeming to pretend that he and Jeb and I were the only people in the room. He chattered about his day in Sharon’s class, bragging a little about some trouble he’d gotten into for speaking out of turn, and complaining about the chores she’d given him as punishment. Jeb chastised him halfheartedly. They both did a very good job of acting normal. I had no acting ability. When Jamie asked me about my day, the best I could do was stare intently at my food and mumble one-word answers. This seemed to make him sad, but he didn’t push me. At night it was a different story-he wouldn’t let me stop talking until I begged to be allowed to sleep. Jamie had reclaimed his room, taking Jared’s side of the bed and insisting that I take his. This was very much as Melanie remembered things, and she approved of the arrangement. Jeb did, too. â€Å"Saves me the trouble of finding someone to play guard. Keep the gun close and don’t forget it’s there,† he told Jamie. I protested again, but both the man and the boy refused to listen to me. So Jamie slept with the gun on the other side of his body from me, and I fretted and had nightmares about it. The third day of chores, I worked in the kitchen. Jeb taught me how to knead the coarse bread dough, how to lay it out in round lumps and let it rise, and, later on, how to feed the fire in the bottom of the big stone oven when it was dark enough to let the smoke out. In the middle of the afternoon, Jeb left. â€Å"I’m gonna get some more flour,† he muttered, playing with the strap that held the gun to his waist. The three silent women who kneaded alongside us didn’t look up. I was up to my elbows in the sticky dough, but I started to scrape it off so I could follow him. Jeb grinned, flashed a look at the unobserving women, and shook his head at me. Then he spun around and dashed out of the room before I could free myself. I froze there, no longer breathing. I stared at the three women-the young blonde from the bathing room, the salt-and-pepper braid, and the heavy-lidded mother-waiting for them to realize that they could kill me now. No Jeb, no gun, my hands trapped in the gluey dough-nothing to stop them. But the women kept on kneading and shaping, not seeming to realize this glaring truth. After a long, breathless moment, I started kneading again, too. My stillness would probably alert them to the situation sooner than if I kept working. Jeb was gone for an eternity. Perhaps he had meant that he needed to grind more flour. That seemed like the only explanation for his endless absence. â€Å"Took you long enough,† the salt-and-pepper-braid woman said when he got back, so I knew it wasn’t just my imagination. Jeb dropped a heavy burlap sack to the floor with a deep thud. â€Å"That’s a lot of flour there. You try carryin’ it, Trudy.† Trudy snorted. â€Å"I imagine it took a lot of rest stops to get it this far.† Jeb grinned at her. â€Å"It sure did.† My heart, which had been thrumming like a bird’s for the entire episode, settled into a less frantic rhythm. The next day we were cleaning mirrors in the room that housed the cornfield. Jeb told me this was something they had to do routinely, as the combination of humidity and dust caked the mirrors until the light was too dim to feed the plants. It was Ian, working with us again, who scaled the rickety wooden ladder while Jeb and I tried to keep the base steady. It was a difficult task, given Ian’s weight and the homemade ladder’s poor balance. By the end of the day, my arms were limp and aching. I didn’t even notice until we were done and heading for the kitchen that the improvised holster Jeb always wore was empty. I gasped out loud, my knees locking like a startled colt’s. My body tottered to a halt. â€Å"What’s wrong, Wanda?† Jeb asked, too innocent. I would have answered if Ian hadn’t been right beside him, watching my strange behavior with fascination in his vivid blue eyes. So I just gave Jeb a wide-eyed look of mingled disbelief and reproach, and then slowly began walking beside him again, shaking my head. Jeb chuckled. â€Å"What’s that about?† Ian muttered to Jeb, as if I were deaf. â€Å"Beats me,† Jeb said; he lied as only a human could, smooth and guileless. He was a good liar, and I began to wonder if leaving the gun behind today, and leaving me alone yesterday, and all this effort forcing me into human company was his way of getting me killed without doing the job himself. Was the friendship all in my head? Another lie? This was my fourth day eating in the kitchen. Jeb, Ian, and I walked into the long, hot room-into a crowd of humans chatting in low voices about the day’s events-and nothing happened. Nothing happened. There was no sudden silence. No one paused to stare daggers at me. No one seemed to notice us at all. Jeb steered me to an empty counter and then went to get enough bread for three. Ian lounged next to me, casually turning to the girl on his other side. It was the young blonde-he called her Paige. â€Å"How are things going? How are you holding up with Andy gone?† he asked her. â€Å"I’d be fine if I weren’t so worried,† she told him, biting her lip. â€Å"He’ll be home soon,† Ian assured her. â€Å"Jared always brings everyone home. He’s got a real talent. We’ve had no accidents, no problems since he showed up. Andy will be fine.† My interest sparked when he mentioned Jared-and Melanie, so somnolent these days, stirred-but Ian didn’t say anything else. He just patted Paige’s shoulder and turned to take his food from Jeb. Jeb sat next to me and surveyed the room with a deep sense of satisfaction plain on his face. I looked around the room, too, trying to see what he saw. This must have been what it was usually like here, when I wasn’t around. Only today I didn’t seem to bother them. They must have been tired of letting me interrupt their lives. â€Å"Things are settling down,† Ian commented to Jeb. â€Å"Knew they would. We’re all reasonable folks here.† I frowned to myself. â€Å"That’s true, at the moment,† Ian said, laughing. â€Å"My brother’s not around.† â€Å"Exactly,† Jeb agreed. It was interesting to me that Ian counted himself among the reasonable folks. Had he noticed that Jeb was unarmed? I was burning with curiosity, but I couldn’t risk pointing it out in case he hadn’t. The meal continued as it had begun. My novelty had apparently worn off. When the meal was over, Jeb said I deserved a rest. He walked me all the way to my door, playing the gentleman again. â€Å"Afternoon, Wanda,† he said, tipping his imaginary hat. I took a deep breath for bravery. â€Å"Jeb, wait.† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Jeb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, trying to find a polite way to put it. â€Å"I†¦ well, maybe it’s stupid of me, but I sort of thought we were friends.† I scrutinized his face, looking for any change that might indicate that he was about to lie to me. He only looked kind, but what did I know of a liar’s tells? â€Å"Of course we are, Wanda.† â€Å"Then why are you trying to get me killed?† His furry brows pulled together in surprise. â€Å"Now, why would you think that, honey?† I listed my evidence. â€Å"You didn’t take the gun today. And yesterday you left me alone.† Jeb grinned. â€Å"I thought you hated that gun.† I waited for an answer. â€Å"Wanda, if I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have lasted that first day.† â€Å"I know,† I muttered, starting to feel embarrassed without understanding why. â€Å"That’s why it’s all so confusing.† Jeb laughed cheerfully. â€Å"No, I don’t want you dead! That’s the whole point, kid. I’ve been getting them all used to seeing you around, getting them to accept the situation without realizing it. It’s like boiling a frog.† My forehead creased at the eccentric comparison. Jeb explained. â€Å"If you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will hop right out. But if you put that frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly warm it, the frog doesn’t figure out what’s going on until it’s too late. Boiled frog. It’s just a matter of working by slow degrees.† I thought about that for a second-remembered how the humans had ignored me at lunch today. Jeb had gotten them used to me. The realization made me feel strangely hopeful. Hope was a silly thing in my situation, but it seeped into me anyway, coloring my perceptions more brightly than before. â€Å"Jeb?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Am I the frog or the water?† He laughed. â€Å"I’ll leave that one for you to puzzle over. Self-examination is good for the soul.† He laughed again, louder this time, as he turned to leave. â€Å"No pun intended.† â€Å"Wait-can I ask one more?† â€Å"Sure. I’d say it’s your turn anyway, after all I’ve asked you.† â€Å"Why are you my friend, Jeb?† He pursed his lips for a second, considering his answer. â€Å"You know I’m a curious man,† he began, and I nodded. â€Å"Well, I get to watch your souls a lot, but I never get to talk with ’em. I’ve had so many questions just piling up higher and higher†¦ Plus, I’ve always thought that if a person wants to, he can get along with just about anybody. I like putting my theories to the test. And see, here you are, one of the nicest gals I ever met. It’s real interesting to have a soul as a friend, and it makes me feel super special that I’ve managed it.† He winked at me, bowed from the waist, and walked away. Just because I now understood Jeb’s plan, it didn’t make things easier when he escalated it. He never took the gun anywhere anymore. I didn’t know where it was, but I was grateful that Jamie wasn’t sleeping with it, at least. It made me a little nervous to have Jamie with me unprotected, but I decided he was actually in less danger without the gun. No one would feel the need to hurt him when he wasn’t a threat. Besides, no one came looking for me anymore. Jeb started sending me on little errands. Run back to the kitchen for another roll, he was still hungry. Go fetch a bucket of water, this corner of the field was dry. Pull Jamie out of his class, Jeb needed to speak with him. Were the spinach sprouts up yet? Go and check. Did I remember my way through the south caves? Jeb had a message for Doc. Every time I had to carry out one of these simple directives, I was in a sweaty haze of fear. I concentrated on being invisible and walked as quickly as I could without running through the big rooms and the dark corridors. I tended to hug the walls and keep my eyes down. Occasionally, I would stop conversation the way I used to, but mostly I was ignored. The only time I felt in immediate danger of death was when I interrupted Sharon’s class to get Jamie. The look Sharon gave me seemed designed to be followed by hostile action. But she let Jamie go with a nod after I choked out my whispered request, and when we were alone, he held my shaking hand and told me Sharon looked the same way at anyone who interrupted her class. The very worst was the time I had to find Doc, because Ian insisted on showing me the way. I could have refused, I suppose, but Jeb didn’t have a problem with the arrangement, and that meant Jeb trusted Ian not to kill me. I was far from comfortable with testing that theory, but it seemed the test was inevitable. If Jeb was wrong to trust Ian, then Ian would find his opportunity soon enough. So I went with Ian through the long black southern tunnel as if it were a trial by fire. I lived through the first half. Doc got his message. He seemed unsurprised to see Ian tagging along beside me. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought they exchanged a significant glance. I half expected them to strap me to one of Doc’s gurneys at that point. These rooms continued to make me feel nauseated. But Doc just thanked me and sent me on my way as if he were busy. I couldn’t really tell what he was doing-he had several books open and stacks and stacks of papers that seemed to contain nothing but sketches. On the way back, curiosity overcame my fear. â€Å"Ian?† I asked, having a bit of difficulty saying the name for the first time. â€Å"Yes?† He sounded surprised that I’d addressed him. â€Å"Why haven’t you killed me yet?† He snorted. â€Å"That’s direct.† â€Å"You could, you know. Jeb might be annoyed, but I don’t think he’d shoot you.† What was I saying? It sounded like I was trying to convince him. I bit my tongue. â€Å"I know,† he said, his tone complacent. It was quiet for a moment, just the sounds of our footsteps echoing, low and muffled, from the tunnel walls. â€Å"It doesn’t seem fair,† Ian finally said. â€Å"I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I can’t see how killing you would make anything right. It would be like executing a private for a general’s war crimes. Now, I don’t buy all of Jeb’s crazy theories-it would be nice to believe, sure, but just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it that way. Whether he’s right or wrong, though, you don’t appear to mean us any harm. I have to admit, you seem honestly fond of that boy. It’s very strange to watch. Anyway, as long as you don’t put us in danger, it seems†¦ cruel to kill you. What’s one more misfit in this place?† I thought about the word misfit for a moment. It might have been the truest description of me I’d ever heard. Where had I ever fit in? How strange that Ian, of all the humans, should have such a surprisingly gentle interior. I didn’t realize that cruelty would seem a negative to him. He waited in silence while I considered all this. â€Å"If you don’t want to kill me, then why did you come with me today?† I asked. He paused again before answering. â€Å"I’m not sure that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"Jeb thinks things have calmed down, but I’m not completely sure about that. There’re still a few people†¦ Anyway, Doc and I have been trying to keep an eye on you when we can. Just in case. Sending you down the south tunnel seemed like pushing your luck, to me. But that’s what Jeb does best-he pushes luck as far as it will go.† â€Å"You†¦ you and Doc are trying to protect me?† â€Å"Strange world, isn’t it?† It was a few seconds before I could answer. â€Å"The strangest,† I finally agreed. How to cite The Host Chapter 24: Tolerated, Essay examples

Conceptual Issues in Political and Environment †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Conceptual Issues in Political and Environment. Answer: Introduction The present report examines the accounting quality of a selected ASX listed company through evaluating its accounting policies and estimates. In this context, the report evaluates the accounting strategy of the selected business entity in the light of the various accounting theories such as positive and normative theories of accounting. The accounting policies of a business entity play a critical role in achieving its corporate goals and objectives through promoting its long-term growth and development. The financial reports are developed in accordance with the accounting policies that provide disclosure about the financial condition of a firm to its stakeholders. Therefore, it is essential for a business entity to adopt the use of standard accounting policies that provides all the necessary information to the end-users and through adopting revealing accounting strategy. The accounting strategy is analyzed through examining the flexibility in the accounting policies and comparing the m with the competitor policies (Mirza and Ankarath, 2012). Also, the report identifies the major issues of concern in the financial report of the selected company as red flags that require more disclosures. In addition to this, the compliance of the company with the conceptual accounting framework principles is analyzed through examining the relevancy, reliability and understandability of financial information provided in the annual report. The influence of the political pressure on the accounting standard-setting environment is also discussed in this report. The company selected for the purpose is AGL Energy Limited, an Australian publicly-listed company involved in the developing and retailing of electricity and gas both for residential and commercial purposes. Identify Key Accounting Policies The AGL Energy Limited is an ASX listed company and as such complies with the Corporations Act 2001 and accounting standards AASB for developing its financial reports (ASX and Media Releases, 2016). The company has valued its fixed assets of property, plant and equipment (PPE) at their cost through deducting the amount of net depreciation and impairment losses. The cost of the assets includes the entire significant amount related to its purchase and development. The income or loss realized from selling the fixed assets of PPE is attributed to the profit and loss account through calculating the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset. Thus, the accounting policy for measuring the value of the fixed assets is developed by the company as per the AASB 116 standard. The deprecation is calculated through the use of straight-line method. The intangible assets such as goodwill are carried at their cost through deduction of any loss arising from their amortiza tion and impairment. The financial report is based on the principle of historical cost with the major exception of derivative financial instruments that are identified and measured at their fair value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). Also, the company has adopted a corporate governance framework for effectively managing the operational risks associated with the company operations. The governance framework incorporates the use of energy hedging activities. The main objective of the risk governance framework is to hedge effectively the market price exposure of the company through operation of an integrated energy business. The hedging activity for minimizing the risk includes decrease in the hedging costs through incorporating the use of different financial instruments such as weather derivatives for optimizing the risk and return (AGL Annual Report, 2015). Assessing the Accounting Flexibility The company operates its business activities in a highly competitive sector and therefore the managers have incorporated some flexible accounting policies for value maximization. As such, the accounting of assets involving the expenses on exploration and development of oil and gas is not covered under the AASB 116 standard. The overall expenses relating to exploration is recognized as asset and the accumulated expenditure is transferred to oil and gas assets. Also, the company has adopted a minimum shareholding policy as per which the key management personnel of the company should hold specific number of shares in order to align the shareholder interests with the executives. There is no legislative requirement on the company for adopting such policies but it has maintained the policy for improving the organizational commitment of its key management people (Jensen, 2001). The accounting managers have also adopted the use of historical cost accounting method rather than using fair value accounting approach for measuring the financial instruments value. The IASB has directed all the business entities complying with IFRS standards to integrate the use of fair value accounting for measuring the value of assets and liabilities. However, the company is still adopting the use of historic cost accounting method rather than using fair value accounting due to numerous problems associated with it such as changing its tax structure value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). Thus, management as such possesses authority to change the accounting policies for improving the profitability position of the company. However, the board of directors of the company has ensured that the accounting information is not distorted in any form for hiding the materialistic facts and figures (Mumba, 2013). Evaluate Accounting Strategy The company has adopted flexibility in its accounting policies for strategically communicating the economic information to its stakeholders. The flexible accounting policies are essential for staying competitive in the market through developing better accounting strategies as compared to the competitors. The major competitor of the company is Origin Energy that is also providing large returns and profitability to its investors. The company for outperforming its competitors has implemented the accounting strategy for improving the productivity of the company in order to realize greater returns (Annual Report : Origin Energy, 2016). The accounting strategy of the company is aimed at improving the capital allocation through divesting its non-core business segments for enhancing its operational efficiency value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). In this context, the company is carrying a review of its asset portfolio and is targeting to divest around $1 billion under-performing assets at the end of the financial year 2017. This will help the company to increase the performance of its core business area and thus realizing larger returns in comparison to its competitors (Kenny, 2009). The flexibility in the accounting framework adopted by the company can be explained through the use of positive theory of accounting. The positive theory of accounting helps in identifying the reasons that provides motivation to the managers for selecting particular accounting policies. The theory argues that managers tend to adopt particular accounting methods for improving the business efficiency such as improving the cash flows or the selection of particular incentive plans for managers (Mintz, 2013). The company has adopted incentive policy that is based on the strategic aligning the executive incentives with the maximization of the shareholder value. The incentives provided to the key management personnel are linked with the underlying profit of the company. The underlying profit is the adjusted profit that is calculated through non-inclusion of significant items of revenue and expenses that are no related with the performance of the company value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). Thus , the linking of the incentives of manager with the underlying profit ensures that they do not enjoy an undue advantage or disadvantage by the items that are not under their control (Marley and Pedersen, 2015). Also, the company through incorporating flexibility in its accounting framework has introduced a minimum shareholding policy for its executive and non-executive managers. The policy motivates the KMP for holding some shares of the company in order to align the interest of the managers with those of the shareholders. This helps in ensuring that managers do not adopt the use of any fraudulent practice that distorts the financial performance of the company for realization of higher incentives. The company has also implemented the use of some amended standards that helps it to improve its operational efficiency for the present reporting period. However, the company have maintained that the adoption of the amended standards have not materially impacted the financial facts and figures disclosed in its consolidated financial statements (Ordelheide, 2016). Therefore, it can be said that the accounting strategy adopted by the company is revealing as it tends to disclose all the information re lated to the financial condition of the company. The company has adopted a flexible accounting strategy that is subjected to change as per the performance of the company value (AGL Annual Report, 2015). However, the flexibility in the accounting practices is as per the standard accounting rules and regulations and does not provide the authority to the managers for distorting the company financial performance (Bamberg and Spremann, 2012). Disclosure requirements of the financial reporting are prescribed in the IAS 1: The presentation of the financial statements. As per this accounting standard every public listed company have to comply with the specific requirement to disclose sufficient information regarding the performance of the company during the year. Disclosure requirement of other accounting standards are provided in the specific IAS standards and it have to be strictly followed. In this section of the assignment there is requirement to evaluate the disclosures made by the AGL Energy Company in their annual report value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). On analyzing the disclosures made by the AGL Energy regarding each accounting standard seems to be adequate but there are some concerns that need to be addressed. As per IAS 13 Fair value measurement, values of property, plant and equipment should be properly calculated and disclosed in the separate notes to accounts. In this regards AGL Energy have disclosed the information about the property plant and equipment in the separate notes to accounts but the information disclosed in that note to accounts seems not be adequate. Footnotes to financial statements are same as the notes to accounts and these helps to evaluate the detailed information of the items presented in the financial statements. For example, to show the information regarding how the values of intangible assets have been generated there is needed to check the notes to account. The note to accounts related to intangible assets provides the value of impairment loss on each intangible asset and also disclose remaining life of the intangible assets. In relation to the AGL Energy proper notes to account have been prepared and required information about each item to the financial statements can be seen from them (AGL Annual Report, 2015). As evaluated from the financial statements prepared by the AGL Energy, the financial performance in current year seems to be good and it can be also be evaluated from analyzing the notes to accounts. Notes to accounts are seems to address all the requirement defined in the accounting standards and they are consistent with the current performance of the company. The Australian GAAP is derived from the joint combination of IFRS and some guidelines by the Australian Board. Australian GAAP is made to address the requirement of financial reporting and to make common channel where the entity performance can be seen intact through analyzing the financial report. So it can be said that GAAP reflects the appropriate measurement of key measures of success (Hussey and Ong, 2017). Segment disclosure is given page number 68 of the Annual report of year 2016. Segment information is reported on the same basis that is used for internal reporting structure. Segment are determined in the manner in which products are sold either it is retail or wholesale. The four main segments of the company are Energy Markets, Group Operations, New Energy, and investments. So it can be said that proper disclosures are given for the segment information (AGL Annual Report, 2016). Identify Potential Red Flags It has been analyzed from the financial report of the company that there are various red flags that requires more disclosure. There are various unexplained accounting practices such as adoption of some changed accounting policies in order to improve the operational efficiency. For example, the company has applied amendments to the accounting standards in order to improve its financial profitability but has not effectively disclosed the changes that it has applied to the accounting standards. The changes are adopted by the company to improve its financial performance that is declining in the recent years due to transformations in the energy market of Australia. The inventory base of the company has also currently declined in the recent years to about $6 million value (AGL Annual Report, 2016). The company is also required to provide information relating to the significant decrease in the inventory value in the recent reporting period (Pietra, McLeay and Ronen, 2013). The company annua l report has revealed it is also incorporating the use of strategic partnerships for expanding its business. The company has strategically acquired Mosaic Oil and also entered into sale and purchase agreement with Transfield services Limited fir acquiring its asset base. There is also asset-write offs realizing from the sale of businesses and subsidiaries corresponding to$ 673m in the financial year 2016. The company has also not provided relevant information regarding its asset write-offs. Thus, these all are the potential red-flags present in the business entity (AGL Annual Report, 2016). Complaint with Conceptual Framework It has been analyzed from the annual report of the company that it has effectively followed with all the principles of conceptual framework such as relevance, reliability, comparability and understandability. The conceptual framework is developed on the basis of normative theory of accounting that provides guidance to the managers regarding the adoption of the accounting procedures that are most appropriate. The theory has identified and proposed the qualitative characteristics that financial information should possess, that are, relevance, reliable, understandable and comparable. The conceptual framework is developed on the basis of these qualitative characteristics that seek to define the objective of general purpose financial reporting. The company through has provided all the financial information in its annual report as per the qualitative characteristics of the conceptual accounting framework. However, the nature of the financial information is significantly influenced by the v arious political factors as per the accounting standard-setting environment (Wolk., Dodd and Rozycki, 2012). The reliable principle of conceptual framework requires disclosure of the financial facts and figures that are appropriate and can be used by the investors in decision-making processes (Bamberg and Spremann, 2012). However, due to presence of country-specific issues, the company incorporates the use of historic cost rather than fair value in valuing its financial assets and liabilities. The historic cost does not provide realistic information about the assets and liabilities value as it does not incorporate the market information (Horngren, et al., 2012). Therefore, IASB has directed the accounting standard-setting bodies around the world such as AASB to adopt the use of fair value accounting for meeting the needs of users of financial statements. The company has also made some voluntary disclosure sin its annual report such as disclosing the information related to the operating results realized from eco-markets. The company has adopted the different accounting policies during the preparation of its general purpose financial statements for improving its financial profitability (Langendijk, Swagerman and Verhoog, 2003). This include use of historic cost accounting, straight-line method for calculating deprecation, segment reporting and incorporating the use of principle of consolidation for developed its concise financial statements. This is all done by the company to meet the needs and expectations of its different stakeholders and thus achieve the trust and confidence (AGL Annual Report, 2016). This will enable the company to survive in long-term through realizing improved financial profitability (Hussey, and Ong, 2005). Conclusion It can be inferred from the overall discussion held in the report that accounting policies adopted by a business entity plays a significant role in improving its financial profitability. The business corporations should develop and prepare their financial reports as per the qualitative characteristics stated in the conceptual accounting framework. However, there is need for providing some flexibility in the accounting framework to the managers so that they can adopt the best accounting practices as per the nature of business operations. The discretion provided to the managers should not distort the financial performance in nay way. The AGL Energy Ltd is complying effectively with all the conceptual accounting framework principles through selection of adequate accounting policies and choices. It has also implemented flexibility in its accounting policies for maximizing its operational efficiency and linking the incentive plan of the KMP with the shareholders value. There area also som e issues of concern present in the annual report of the company that requires more disclosure. References AGL Annual Report 2016. [Online] Available at: https://www.agl.com.au/-/media/DLS/About-AGL/Documents/Investor-Centre/160828_AR_1587084.pdf?la=en Annual Report 2015. AGL Energy. [Online]. Available at:https://www.agl.com.au/-/media/DLS/About-AGL/Documents/Investor-Centre/150826_AnnualReport_1466512.pdf?la=en [Accessed on: 23 September 2017]. Annual Report 2016. Origin Energy. [Online]. Available at: https://www.originenergy.com.au/content/dam/origin/about/investors-media/senate-submission-carbon-risk-disclosure-160331/Origin_Annual_Report_2016.pdf [Accessed on: 23 September 2017]. ASX and Media Releases. 2016. Annual Report. [Online] Available at: https://www.agl.com.au/about-agl/media-centre/asx-and-media-releases/2016/august/2016-annual-report Bamberg, G. and Spremann, K. 2012. Agency Theory, Information, and Incentives. Springer Science Business Media. Gray, I. and Manson, S. 2007. The Audit Process: Principles, Practice and Cases. Cengage Learning EMEA. Horngren, C. et al. 2012. Financial Accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Hussey, R. and Ong, A. 2005. International Financial Reporting Standards Desk Reference: Overview, Guide, and Dictionary. John Wiley Sons. Hussey, R. and Ong, A. 2017. Corporate Financial Reporting. Springer. Jensen, M.C. 2001. Foundations of Organizational Strategy. Harvard University Press. Kenny, G. 2009. Diversification Strategy: How to Grow a Business by Diversifying Successfully. Kogan Page Publishers. Langendijk, H., Swagerman, D. and Verhoog, W. 2003. Is Fair Value Fair?: Financial Reporting from an International Perspective. John Wiley Sons. Marley, S. and Pedersen, J. 2015. Accounting for Business: An Introduction. ed, 2. Pearson Higher Education AU. Mintz, S. 2013. Accounting for the Public Interest: Perspectives on Accountability, Professionalism and Role in Society. Springer Science Business Media. Mirza, A. and Ankarath, N. 2012. Wiley International Trends in Financial Reporting under IFRS: Including Comparisons with US GAAP, China GAAP, and India Accounting Standards. John Wiley Sons. Mumba, C. 2013. Understanding Accounting and Finance: Theory and Practice. USA: Trafford Publishing. Ordelheide, D. 2016. Transnational Accounting. Springer. Pietra, R., McLeay, S and Ronen, J. 2013. Accounting and Regulation: New Insights on Governance, Markets and Institutions. Springer Science Business Media. Wolk, H.I., Dodd, J.L. and Rozycki, J.J. 2012. Accounting Theory: Conceptual Issues in a Political and Economic Environment. SAGE.

The Diary Of Anne Frank Essays - Anne Frank, Women In World War II

The Diary of Anne Frank Journeying back to the early nineteenth century, when Nazi forces occupied Germany during World War II, the lives of those living in this territory was spent in constant fear and anxiety. The Diary of Anne Frank leads readers through the harsh times of a family trying to escape imprisonment in concentration camps by Nazi soldiers, where death was almost certain. Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent 25 months during World War II in an annex of rooms above her father's office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. During the two years in hiding which Anne refers to as a time when the ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when the worst side of human nature predominates, when every one has come to doubt truth, justice and God (pg.327). Anne kept a diary that was given to her by her father, Otto Frank, on her birthday. Between June 1942 and August 1944, from Anne's thirteenth birthday until shortly after her fifteenth birthday, Anne recorded her feelings, her emotions, and her thoughts, as well as the events that happened to her. ...[I]deas, dreams, and cherished hopes rise within us only to meet the horrible truth and be shattered...yet in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart (pg. 327). The diary is an accurate record of the way Anne grows up and matures, in the unfortunate situation she found herself. Given the circumstances in which the novel is written Anne gave a very vivid description of her surroundings and the feelings she encountered throughout her ordeal. The novel displays the grief and frustration that is experienced throughout the time spent in hiding. The emotions of the situation are captured in the text and gives validity to the pain and frustration encountered. Despite the amusing and enlightening side of the diary, that documents the process of her adolescence, it also provides a vividly terrifying description of what it was like to be Jewish hiding during the time the Nazis sought to kill all the Jews in Europe. After two years of living in the secret annex, behind a bookcase, and having to be extremely quite during the day so that the workers in the office and warehouse below could not hear them the family was captured. The betrayal of Anne and her family to the Nazis and their placement under arrest lead to their deportation to concentration camps. In an entry on August 1, 1944, Anne confides to her diary an analysis of her situation. She concludes that her behavior has been a front during her years in hiding to help her cope with the people surrounding her. Nine months after her arrest, Anne wrote that ...if only there were no other people in the world (pg.331). The writings give Anne's thought wishful pretense that if no one else were in the world, that the pain and suffering would end. Anne gives readers a sense of truth and honesty about her situation that allows the reader to experience her life as a stubborn, touchingly vulnerable teenager who one minute is in love with the world and the next detached. This book is an extraordinary piece of work written by a young woman finding her way in captivity. Anne was an immensely gifted writer and a person of great sensitivity. She shows her depth through emotions as well as by absolving the feeling of others and communicating them through writing. Anne's true personality is brought to life on every page and allows the reader to feel as though they actually know her. Whether enthralled in the heights of ecstasy over her budding fascination with Peter Van Dann, another teen hiding in the annex, or drowning in the depths of despair over her life in hiding, Anne would always confide her private thoughts and interest in her diary. Anne's vivid writing allows the reader to experience second hand what it was like to be a teenage Jewish girl confined to an inside world with little resources except necessities to survive. The detail in which her story is told gives light to the talents and emotions a young mind experienced as she deals with traumatic situations. For its insights into the life of a German-Jewish child living in Germany during Nazi occupation, The Diary of Anne Franks, offers a vivid, realistic view of how a family tries to

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buy custom Health Care Delivery Systems essay This is an essay on health care delivery systems. A health delivery system is an organized method of conveying prevention, treatment, and management of illness by health professionals to registered individuals. The essay will define various delivery systems. It will also analyze the goals of the various delivery systems. The essay will examine the similarities and differences between then various health care delivery systems. This essay will similarly include a mission statement and in addition discuss the mission statement chosen. A mission statement is a formal, short, written statement that governs the operations of an organization. A conclusion will hence be drawn at the end of this essay. There are two common types of health care delivery systems in the US namely; the fee-for-service (FFS) and the managed care systems such as health maintenance organizations (HMO).The fee-for-service health care delivery system is a health plan that allows the holder to pay for a particular medical service offered individually by a practitioner rather than paying as part of a comprehensive plan (Farlex, 2010). A managed healthcare delivery system is a system that controls the financing and delivery of maximum health services at reduced costs to those enrolled in a specific healthcare plan (American Heart Association, 2010). The two healthcare delivery systems are based on different goals. The fee-for-service system has multiple goals which include expanding insurance coverage, improving quality and access to care, controlling costs, good health, responsiveness to the expectations of the population, and fair financial contribution (Steinbrook, 2009). The managed healthcare delivery sys tem has more improved goals as listed herein. They include; delivering high-quality care in an environment that manages or controls costs, delivering relevant and reliable medical care, ensuring that the most qualified practitioners deliver the service, and rendering the service in the most appropriate and less- restrictive setting (American heart association, 2010). Notable are the main differences and similarities attached to the two healthcare delivery systems. Both systems are only applicable to the registered members upon their subscription to a certified insurance plan. They have a general aim of maintaining and improving the health status of the insurance holders. In both, only medical practitioners are allowed to offer the healthcare. In both, service is only delivered upon request. The holders are always independent and both systems are government initiated and monitored. However, there are physical, managerial, service deliveries and cost differences between fee-for-service and managed healthcare delivery systems. In a fee-for-service system (FFS), there is no defined population for which the insurance company is responsible while in a managed system, the responsibility for health is defined in a population: all of the people who are insurance holders. In a FFS, a patient can go to see any physician he wants, whenever he feels like. On the other hand, in a managed care the patient has a strong financial incentive to see only those physicians who are affiliated with the plan. In a FFS system, after paying the yearly deductible the patient will probably be asked to pay the physicians bill up front. Later, the patient would submit a claim to be reimbursed for a certain percentage of the amount (usually 80 percent).Under managed care system; the patient will be charged a co-payment on seeing a doctor. But it is the doctors responsibility to file the necessary paperwork with the managed-care plan. In a FFS, the patient is responsible for finding a physician from whom he derives satisfaction and the insurances responsibility is limited to payment of claims. Under managed care system, the plan will consider your satisfaction from a physician and will equally participate in finding one. In a FFS system, the patient is responsible for checking a physicians qualifications and credentials while in a managed system, the plan takes some of the responsibility of determining whether doctors are qualified when it invites them to join the network. In a FFS system, the patient refers himself to a specialist when he wants while in a managed system; the patient is referred to a specialist by his primary-care physician (Eddy, 1997). Buy custom Health Care Delivery Systems essay

As You Like It - the Play Essay Example for Free

As You Like It – the Play Essay As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters and has more lines than any of Shakespeare’s female characters. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando the disinherited son of one of the duke’s friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Duke Frederick , Rosalind switches genders and as Ganymede travels with her loyal cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. Observations on life and love follow (including love, aging, the natural world, and death) friends are made, and families are reunited. By the play’s end Ganymede, once again Rosalind, marries her Orlando. Two other sets of lovers are also wed, one of them Celia and Orlando’s mean older brother Oliver . As Oliver becomes a gentler, kinder young man so the Duke conveniently changes his ways and turns to religion and so that the exiled Duke, father of Rosalind, can rule once again. â€Å"All the world ‘s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts† As You Like It – (Act II, Scene VII). â€Å"Can one desire too much of a good thing? â€Å". As You Like It (Act IV, Scene I). â€Å"True is it that we have seen better days†. As You Like It – Act II, Scene VII). â€Å"For ever and a day†. As You Like It – (Act IV, Scene I). â€Å"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool†. (Act V, Scene I). The play is fictitious, but shakespeare is said to have taken the traits if rosalind from ‘Rosalynde’ by thomas lodge. One of Shakespeare’s early plays, As You Like It (1598-1599), is a stock romantic comedy that was familiar to Elizabethan audiences as an exemplar of â€Å"Christian† comedy. Although the play does include two offstage spiritual conversions, the â€Å"Christian† designation does not refer to religion itself. Instead, it denotes the restoration and regeneration of society through the affirmation of certain Christian values such as brotherly love, marital union, tolerance for different viewpoints, and optimism about life at large. The plot is very simple: the resolution of the dramatic problem in the warped attitudes of two evil brothers toward good brothers, and related obstacles to marriage for several couples in the play (most notably Rosalind and Orlando) are easily overcome, and a happy ending is never in doubt. On one level, the play was clearly intended by Shakespeare as a simple, diverting amusement; several scenes in As You Like It are essentially skits made up of songs and joking banter. But on a somewhat deeper level, the play provides opportunities for its main characters to discuss a host of subjects (love, aging, the natural world, and death) from their particular points of view. At its center, As You Like It presents us with the respective worldviews of Jaques, a chronically melancholy pessimist preoccupied with the negative aspects of life, and Rosalind, the play’s Christian heroine, who recognizes life’s difficulties but holds fast to a positive attitude that is kind, playful, and, above all, wise. In the end, the enjoyment that we receive from the play’s comedy is reinforced and validated by a humanistic Christian philosophy gently woven into the text by a benevolent Shakespeare. As You Like It – the Play. (2016, Sep 16). -like-it-the-play-essay We will write a custom sample essay on As You Like It – the Play specifically for you

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

ANALYISI - Essay Example Orwell is hopeless and confused (Orwell, 2003). The world he desires does not want to trust him, yet the world he hates seeks to absorb him completely within its systems. Orwell’s feeling is common to people who wish to reject their environments but realize that they represent lone voices. His troubled conscience cannot adequately reconcile with the horrors of colonial oppression. It becomes difficult for him to accommodate both worlds. He wishes to place himself at the service of the Burmans and to challenge the racist views that are resident in both sides of the racial divide. He expresses an overwhelming sense of loss and confusion. He is lost in a world of binary opposites between the colonial oppressor and the dominated Burmans. Orwell strives to create his own private world, in which he can engage with both worlds on an impartial level. The torments he suffers from the Burmans and the blame he incurs from his own race appear to take a toll on his perception of the world as cruel and difficult. The very act of shooting an elephant provides him with an opportunity to reconcile with a hostile society. This particular feeling shows on his element at the tense moment when he contemplates on whether or not to kill the stray elephant. He was not particularly convinced that his actions were appropriate but felt an immense force from the gathering crowd that expected him to carry out the shooting. On this score, his decisions were subject to mental pressure. He became a puppet of the population, with the realization that any further restraint would prove his distance and confirm the rift that existed between his colonialist race and the race of the oppressed Burmans. The moral decision that he chose was consistent with his inner guilt. From his own feelings, Orwell shows that he had purged himself from the guilt of racism and oppression. The situation he confronts is the important moment when he has to dispel the racial

Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Image - Essay Example It is an effortless medium to convey a message. The picture â€Å"Migrant Mother† taken by Dorothea Lange during the Resettlement Period in Nipomo, California in 1963 is an image that carries more than a thousand words. Looking at the picture alone, many words can pop out of the mind of onlookers such as poverty, hunger, hopelessness, family, help and many more. Indeed, the single shot of the mother with her children creates a mantra of events on the minds of onlookers trying to place themselves on the shoes of the subject. The mother with her two children on her sides is posed naturally creating an atmosphere of heavy drama. It is easy to assume that they are family. It can be seen on the way the children lean on their mother as source of comfort to what they are currently going through. They rest their worries to their mother since they are in a battle where they are weaponless. The features of the mother carry the most intense drama in the picture. Her features are taken quite vividly such that, anyone can cry their hearts out upon her solemn expression. Her eyes are replica of gloom. She is looking at a far distant without really seeing anything. She seems tired and extremely exhausted with her eyes dried up from previous crying and wailing and yet nothing still happens. The way her brows crease almost meeting in the middle shows discontent reverberating with her eyes reflecting hopelessness. Wrinkles are dominant all over her face: on her forehead, on her eyes, on her cheeks as well as on the crease on her lips. She aged so much than her true age of thirty two. The woman looks utterly sullen. The way her lips carve downward signifies that she can’t afford to smile. She slightly leans her head on her hands portraying loneliness, boredom, exhaustion and total lifelessness. She might have been in this state for quite some time. She is idle because she can’t do anything but to wait. She

The Role and Importance of the International Law in World Politics Essay Example for Free

The Role and Importance of the International Law in World Politics Essay International law has been of increasing interest to scholars in recent decades, following several incidents that have severely challenged the concepts of how international order, peace, harmony, and justice between nations and states are maintained through the application of an international system of rules and sanctions. (Huysmans, 2006; Slaughter, 1993,1995; Nijman, 2007; Stahn, 2007; Goddard Nexon, 2005) One of the most significant events was the 9-11 Twin Towers attack in the Unites States, which precluded renewed aggression on the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Afghanistan, and all other states considered to be aligned with the axis of evils or coddlers of religious and ideological extremism. The actions of the United States and its allies, particularly the attack on Afghanistan, deprived of international consensus, have understandably raised â€Å"questions about the relevance of international law, the legitimacy of torture, justification for pre-emptive use of military force, the rise of U.S. unilateralism, a crisis of the United Nations, etc.† (Huysmans, 2006:12) In the same manner, this has encouraged many scholars to study â€Å"how power constrains international law (or dooms it to irrelevance), how the powerful can harness international law to their ends, and how international law may reconfigure power in its own right.† (Steinberg Zasloff, 2006:64)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The increased concern over the importance of international law has likewise gained more impetus as the world entered the era of globalization. Indeed, in no other time has the need for laws with global scope become more paramount as in the information age, when the rise of transnational crime syndicates as the direct consequence of a better global information network and communications infrastructure, as well as the widely changing norms and perceptions of many cultures (Bentivegna, 2006: 341) has forced countries to work in untraditional ways to confront challenges and formulate solutions. It is therefore not surprising for the debates over the significance of international law be centred upon what an increasing number of scholars and critics have called â€Å"the politics of international insecurity,† which brings to the fore the problems on the conceptualization of the international legal infrastructure and the enforcement of its rules and sanctions. International Law, Politics, and Power The discourse of international law and its enforcement is necessarily a discourse of political power and its outcomes in the international terrain. In its inception and early stages, however, it was not recognized in its inception and early development that the two had a dialectical relationship, or indeed, that international law enforced and reinforced world politics in the same way that the latter affected the way the international system of policies and sanctions was structured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Doubtless, there remains a strong consensus today that the very nature of international law is rooted on its dialectical relationship with the political motivations, behavioral patterns and concepts of identity of states. However, in order to determine the extent to which international law remains an important influence in the conduct of world politics, it would be beneficial to examine the development of the concept of international law with respect to its historical and sociological framework. While it may be conceded that there are diverging opinions on the role of international law—or of its consequence, if at all—on international relations, the fact remains that it is presently active today than any other time in history although the reason for its existence has been very much contested.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The classic notion of international law assumed that governing states was as easy as governing people, with its basic assumptions moored on the belief in the peoples’—and states’, for that matter—ability to comply with rules and regulations. Underlying this belief was a concept of people as being inherently conformist based on a fixed set of norms that were universally accepted, largely influenced by those who believed in the rationality of law in the governance of societies which stipulated that â€Å"legal rules and institutions did not arise out of the power of the coercive state but, rather, out of custom, consensus, and private ordering.† (Steinberg Zasloff, 2006:66) International law was therefore optimistic in the outset, with the notion of its power perceived to be a function more of self-regulation among states rather than a product of force or coercion. Another important assumption was of international law’s being a â€Å"neutral, apolitical avenue in which to settle international disputes† owing to its separation from the sphere of politics. (Steinberg Zasloff, 2006: 67) The rise of fascism, however, provided enough reason for a change in viewpoint. At the heart of this was the growing recognition that international law was useless if it had no power at all to stop the aggressive tendencies of some states—or if did not present itself as a threat enough to be able to effectively police nations. Hence, there was an increased popularization and acceptance of the argument that international law cannot be separated from the discourse of politics and of the multiplicity of political agendas within the international community. Scholars such as Morgenthau (1959:502), for instance, suggested that â€Å"universal moral principles, such as justice and equality, are capable of guiding political action only to the extent that they have been given concrete content and have been related to political situations by society.† This mirrored the general attitude of realists, who argued that â€Å"international law could ever play more than an epiphenomenal role in the ordering of international life.† (Slaughter-Burley, 1993:206) Such an assertion stemmed from the core belief of the realists that international law merely reflected the â€Å"interests of powerful states,† (Steinberg Zasloff, 2006: 67) which encouraged some scholars of the realist tradition to assert that international law was inconsequential as it was beholden to the powerful and could be bent to suit the interests of powerful nations. (Slaughter, 1995:1; Kocs, 1994) Morgenthau (1967), for instance, illustrated how the issue of intervention into sovereign states, which was declared unacceptable by the international law, was often violated by powerful entities acting for the preservation of their interests, which suggested that economic and political imbalances in the world—where the richer economies were able to influenc e the political and legal structure and framework of the developing world by dangling foreign aid—made the international law inutile in reflecting the interests of the poor and the rich on an equal scale. There have been departures to these beliefs, naturally, as new criticisms emerged from the constructivist camp which argued that interests and identities were inseparable from social groups and as such, â€Å"international law both reflects and reinforces identities and interests.† (Steinberg Zasloff, 2006: 82) Constructivists underlined the role of â€Å"norms, identities and other socio-cultural phenomena in international politics,† (Goddard Nexon, 2005: 29) which assert that like cultural symbols, norms and identities in international law and politics are constantly created and recreated by its actors. (Kocs, 1994) Therefore, the role of the international law and its influence on the behavior of sovereign states is mediated upon by the prevailing beliefs and concepts of order, justice and peace. The Dilemma of Hegemonic Power: Challenges to International Law Thus, the central role of international law in the world, today when violent conflicts and inequalities have sharply divided the world, has transformed into that of an equalizer of power, an expectation that is held by every individual and every society that ascribes to and believes in the tenets of democracy. The international law, through the international court, also functions as a last repository of justice for societies, and is instrumental in providing elusive justice to victims of human rights violations by despotic leaders and to victims of war atrocities that otherwise could not have sought redress from the domestic courts of their countries. (Stahn 2007) Whether the international law has been able to live up to these expectations is another matter, of course, and lately the power of the international law itself to maintain peace among states has been gravely challenged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the Second World War the United States emerged as the new superpower, which would give the realists their bases for attacking the role of international law other than in maintaining the interests of the status quo. Subsequent events that unfolded in history, from the Gulf War to the war on Afghanistan and the prolonged occupation of Iraq on the ground that it was harboring nuclear armaments have further highlighted the crises of the ability of international institutions such as the United Nations to enforce the international law. Another damning issue is the global climate change and the starkly bullheaded position of the United States and other developed countries on not signing the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gases emission which puts the whole world at more peril than the nuclear armaments supposedly kept by North Korea and Iran that the U.S. has been keen on decimating. These events have therefore raised the questions of whether the U.N. and the international law are, as suggested by the realist camp, prevailed upon by powerful states so that these states are able to enjoy an â€Å"exceptionality† when it comes to demanding compliance by the international community.    In the same manner, recent events such as the Iraq War which the U.S. has failed to justify based on the context of abating a â€Å"clear and present danger,† and despite the absence of consent from the international security council to launch the attack, have highlighted the gross imbalance of power that undermines the very existence of the international court as a mediating body in transnational conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is unfortunate indeed not only for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan for all other peoples in the developing world as the current stance of the U.S. and other powerful countries not only tramples upon the very foundations of the international law but sets a dangerous precedent to ignore the rules set upon by the international community. Likewise, it presents a cause with which other countries may willfully violate the sovereignty of others regardless of international laws and based only on its perceptions of insecurity. It is in this context that the role of international law must be evaluated upon, on whether it has balanced out the capabilities of democratic societies to engage in fruitful relationships based on critical partnerships, or it has one-sidedly benefited the more powerful to the detriment of the weak, which it has, in recent years, appeared to be more and more inclined to do so. Works Cited: Bentivegna, S. (2006) Rethinking politics in the world of ICTs. European Journal of Communication, 21(3). Huysmans, J. (2006). International politics of insecurity: Normativity, inwardness, and the exception. Security Dialogue, 37(1):11-29. Goddard, S.E. D.H. Nexon (2005). Paradigm lost? Reassessing theory of international politics. European Journal of International Relations, 11(1):9-61. Kocs, S.A. (1994). Explaining the strategic behavior of states: International law as system structure. International Studies Quarterly, 38(4):535-556. Morgenthau, H.J. (1959). Dilemmas of Politics. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), 35(4):. 502. Morgenthau, H.J. (1967) To intervene or not to intervene. Foreign Affairs, 45(3): 425-36. Nijman, J.E. (2007). Paul Ricoeur and international law: Beyond ‘the end of the subject’ towards a reconceptualization of international legal personality. Leiden Journal of International Law, 20: 25-64. Stahn, C. (2007). The international criminal court and the shortcomings of domestic legislation: Introductory note. Leiden Journal of International Law, 20: 165-166. Slaughter-Burley, A.M. (1993). International law and international relations theory: A dual agenda. The American Journal of International Law, 87(2): 205-239. Slaughter, A.M. (1995). International law in a world of liberal states. EJIL, 6: 1-39. Steinberg, R.H. J.M. Zasloff (2006). Power and international law. The American Journal of International Law, 100(1):64-87.

Desertification :: essays research papers

Essay: What is desertification, where is it found, and what are the causes? Desertification is the process by which land dries up eventually over time and the land turning to desert. This is common in Africa where most of the terrain is a desert. It is believed that the Sahara desert was once fertile ground but now it is dried up. Sand as far as the eye can see and very little rainfall occurs in this region. About 2500 B.C., the climate of the Sahara changed. Africa was once a fertile plain but where the Sahara lies was once a fertile plain capable of harvesting foods nearly anytime of year due to the warm weather. But it slowly dried up. As the land became parched, the desert spread. The process of desertification devours thousands of acres of cropland and pastureland each year. As the region dried the people retreated. With no water and little food the land became inhabitable. Most people migrated south towards the marshlands and the savannah. It is believed on of the causes of the Sahara is due to over harvesting of crops. It is believed that the Paleolithic people had learned how to cultivate in the Nile valley then spread out and established permanent villages. Archeologist say quite a few of the villages existed on the Sahara. Due to the farming over many years the land dried up due to the lack of minerals and lack of water. The Bantu is what is believed to be the remnants of those who use to farm in the Sahara region. And archeologists have been able to track their migration by studying their language patterns. The Bantu were originally nomadic herders who traveled throughout Africa caring for their flock.

Pay for Play: College Athletes Deserve Payment Essay

Although many college athletes receive a free education in exchange for playing a sport, it’s not enough. The sports industry, college football specifically, is a multimillion dollar business. The athletes who participate in this multimillion dollar business are primarily why the business does so well. Student athletes should receive a monetary compensation for their work. There are quite a few reasons to support college athletes making a type of monetary compensation. A few of the reasons include the dangers of playing sports, how expensive college is, and how much the programs make annually. College football athletes â€Å"leave it all on the field† when they compete. Many players would say â€Å"blood, sweat, and tears were shed for their schools.† In return, shouldn’t they deserve compensation in the form of a stipend? Joe Nocera of The New York Times said the top 15 highest-paid NCAA division 1 football coaches made $53.4 million; meanwhile, the 13,866 Division 1 players made $0. The definition of an amateur is an athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restriction specified by a regulatory body, in this case the National Collegiate Athletic Association, for participating in a competition (FreeDictionary.com). The problem the NCAA has with paying their student athletes for their work on the field is that it would no longer be considered an amateur sport which goes against tradition (NCAA Board of Directors, ESPN.com). Historically speaking, programs didn’t make $100 million dollars 100 years ago. The NCAA is relucta nt to share revenue with their student athletes in an effort to keep it all for themselves (Tom Farrey – ESPN Writer). The times have changed and student athletes deserve to get paid. College education is not cheap under any circumstance. The average cost of in-state resident tuitions and fees for a four year degree is approximately $40,000 (Savingforcollege.com). The cost of tuition is going up every year with an average increase of 6%. Here we can break down the numbers in a general sense to see how much a student athlete â€Å"makes† with a free four year scholarship. Nocera also mentioned student athletes participate in approximately 50 hours a week in football related activities. For example, practice, film studying, team meetings, working out, and games. 50 hours a week, at 52 weeks per year, multiplied by 4 years comes out to 10,400 hours. $40,000 divided by 10,400 hours comes out to $3.85 an hour. $3.85 is lower than the national average for minimum wage, which is about $7.25. This number of 50 hours per week is just time spent on the sport. This time doesn’t include the school portion, which is supposed to be why the student athletes are there. Presented with this kind of data, anyone could tell that college athletes are being â€Å"underpaid.† Now that we know how much student athletes â€Å"make,† we can take a look at how much universities profit from their student athletes. According to ESPN in 2008, the top 10 universities in college football reported revenues of $100 million on average (ESPN.com). The lower 10 schools in revenue make around $15 million. There are 120 Division 1 schools in college football. $5.4 billion dollars is the approximate revenue for one year of Division 1 college football. This number is alarming. Students are the focal points of this business and they do not receive any part of the revenue? Strictly speaking of per institute, the NCAA should govern a system that collected a form of tax from each university that would be substantial to paying student athletes. They wouldn’t need to pay the student millions of dollars because, let’s face it, the student athletes are not professionals. If they were to get paid an additional $5,000 for the season their sport was in, the total amount paid to the students in comparison to revenue would still be less than 1% (Personal calculation via ESPN data). Another reason to consider payment for student athletes is the potential risk of injury. Professional athletes get paid hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and have players unions to protect them in case of serious injury. There are many associated risks with every sport; with football it seems there are more than most sports. The very nature of football is very violent; violence is what makes football so popular in America. The most popular sports are those with an associated violent contact such as hockey, football, and mixed martial arts (cbsnews.com). The advancement of safety equipment for football players is heavily debated. Every year the administration of both the National Football League and the NCAA is striving to make the sport safer for its players. The potential injuries from football include everything imaginable to include broken bones, paralysis, brain damage, tearing of ligaments, and other neurological problems that can affect someone for the rest of their lives. Recent studies show traumatic brain injury is the result of multiple concussions over the lifespan of a player (civtrial.com/traumatic-brain-suicide). Junor Seau, an all-pro NFL linebacker, recently committed suicide due to brain injuries he sustained from playing a 10+ year career in the NFL (NFL.com/Family-sues-NFL). More and more studies are linking mental health problems to concussions acquired in violent sports. The student athletes need something more if they were to be irreparably damaged for life. The amount of money they could be paid could go into a fund dedicated to helping them later in life. The students put their future on the line while playing these sports; they deserve to get compensated for their efforts. College athletes deserve to be paid for their sacrifices. Universities make millions of dollars on a yearly basis. University of Michigan’s ticket sales for one season of college football can pay for their entire athletic program (MGOBlue.com). The student athletes are responsible for themselves and their university’s image as a whole. Traditionally speaking they are amateurs, but recently with the rise in popularity of college football, they are more than that. They are stars and they deserve at least a reasonable amount of monetary compensation. The NCAA should govern a system to pay their student athletes because they deserve it.

HRM in Marks and Spencer Essay

Introduction and Background Marks and Spencer, established 1894 in Leeds,UK and as one of the most recognized brands in the UK and worldwide, had been hugely successful in terms of both profit and market share until the late 1990s. However, after that it suffered a reversal in its fortunes. Correspondingly, its organizational structure and culture also underwent certain transformation. The set of dramatic changes include changing top executive and their managerial philosophies. Now, it seems to be on the road to recovery after these radical changes. This article focuses on human resource management in M&S, analysis ranges from its traditional paternalism culture to new HRM practices. Paternalism & Unitarist Characteristics Under paternalism, employers and employees view the company as a family. It’s different from traditional manufacturing culture. The separation between the shop floor and management and feelings of ‘them and us’ are what might be expected within a traditional manufacturing culture, where the employment is full-time, long-term and relatively stable and the typical workplace is a large firm or store. The corporation is a stable sovereign organization with a clear division of labors and everyone abides by the social contract. Similarly, Unitarist deems the business organization as a team united by shared interests and values with senior management as the sole source of authority and focus of loyalty, conflict is seen as irrational and unnecessary. Historically, Marks and Spencer fits into an anatomy of paternalism with characteristic features of hereditary family ownership, personal relations between employer and worker, a sense of UK religious mission and a commitment to social welfare and public service. The ideal type paternalist workforce matches these, with family employment through large kinship networks and is embedded in a surrounding occupational community. Moreover, there was a feeling of camaraderie and close-knit family atmosphere within the stores and they employed staffs who are most suitable and can readily become part of this family. In addition, every M&S store is identical and the store managers followed central direction. The highly centralized authority also means that there exists little disagreement with policies sent down from the top. Also, there had never been a CEO of M&S who had not been a member of the founder’s family or a lifetime employee. The first exception is Vandervelde who had been appointed to the position of chairman at M&S in 2000 from outside the organization. Therefore, this kind of HRM is a typical form of paternalism, which totally breaks with trade unions and has highly centralized authority and represents the characteristic of unitarist as well. Organization’s success is depended not only on reducing costs but also on improving the performance of the workforce. The organization’s objective or their currently expect of their employees may be completely different from what they expected in the past due to the changing external environment such as new competitors or new technologies, internal strategy such as focusing on reducing costs and cutting the full-time sales assistants in store. Some of the external environment and the individual factors driving psychological contract research are illustrated in following figure. Old Contract (Greenbury) New Contract Change environment Stable, short-term focus Continuous change Culture Paternalism, time-served, exchange security for commitment Those who perform get rewarded and have contract developed Rewards Paid on level, position and status Paid on contributions or performance-based Promotion basis Expected, based on time served in store and competence Less opportunity, new criteria, for those who deserve it Personal development The organization’s responsibility Individual’s responsibility to improve employability Consequently, employee’s job descriptions might be broadened and their psychological contract will shift correspondingly. Evidence suggests that these changes represented a threat to the reciprocal nature of the psychological contract with consequences for both employees and employers. Meanwhile, the strength of the psychological contract is dependent on how fair the individual believes the organization is in fulfilling its perceived obligations that the organization treats them fairly, respects their efforts and rewards them justly, it’s based on mutual obligation. In addition to the summarized old contract characters, evidence also shows that Greenbury only used sales figures and visitors to stores as the basis to make judgments on how M&S was operating, whereas lost touch with what their employees’ opinions or wants. It makes employees feel their roles are unimportant; also it weakens their morale and motivation. ‘The Thrill of the Purchase’ article states this famous paternalistic culture of M&S. They offered cradle-to-grave benefits for employees but rigidly governed the way that managers operated. Moreover, every aspect of the company was rule-driven. Most of employees feel rule-bound and they are not encouraged to use their personal discretion as well. Nevertheless, they gradually realized their culture are fall-out-of-step and with the implementation of new HR strategic, M&S becomes open and receptive, moving from a culture of paternalism to a more sophisticated culture of choice. Matching employee behaviors and HRM activities to competitive strategies Michael Porter’s generic ‘low-cost’ or ‘differentiation’ strategy can be adopted in the Marks&Spencer case. Namely, each Porterian competitive strategy involves a unique set of responses from workers or ‘needed role behaviours’ and a particular HRM strategy that might generate and reinforce a unique pattern of behaviour (Schuler and Jackson, 2002). Therefore, any inconsistency in internal HRM practices will likely lead to ‘role conflict or ambiguity that can interfere with individual performance and organizational effectiveness’. In the Devanna et al. model, human resource management strategy and structure follow and feed upon one another and are influenced by environmental forces. This basic model constituted the bare bones of a theory on SHRM. (Linda Maund, 2001:73) Porter’s model comprised three components: 1. Low-cost leadership or cost reduction strategy Using this strategy, organization will gain competitive advantage by being the lowest cost producer. Managers are attempting to increase the organization’s market share by emphasizing low cost compared to that of its competitors, they try to emphasize that their goods or services are cheaper. It’s an aggressive and tightly cost-controlled strategy that emphasizes overhead minimization. Meanwhile, it pursuits the economies of scale and primarily focus on increasing productivity through reducing output cost per person and reducing wage levels by all means. This approach takes effect by means of mass-producing, mass-selling to save the costs, whereby gain the price superiority. Moreover, it keeps manufacturing process simple and repetitive in order to save the costs of raw materials, whereas basically there are no improvements or expansion of their products. Greenbury, the former chief executive of Marks and Spencer, had decided that to control costs by means of cutting full-time sales assistants in stores, at the same time, bring in full-time, part-time and Saturday staffs to work in stores. Further, their approach is also rely on and highly trust the quality of British suppliers and M&S play as a bulk buyer who even buy up all the stock of specific suppliers, whereby conducting mass-selling to earn profits. In addition, as the Channel 4 programme stated at 25th Feb,2001 that operations of the organization within M&S is focused on short-term strategy rather than long-term one and they were firmly placed in the ‘middle ground’, emphasize getting generalized view of the market instead of trying to target various segments market. The overall strategy is risk-aversive and traditional. Hence, they are adapting typical cost-reduction strategy, meanwhile, with somewhat emphasis on quality aspect. In general, cost reduction pursued through increasingly using of part-time employees, subcontractors, work simplification, measurement procedures, automation, work rule changes, job assignment flexibility. Therefore, according to this competitive strategy, the expected employees behaviors should be followed the key cost-reduction strategy characteristics illustrate as follow: Low-cost leadership strategy (Greenbury) Needed Employees Behaviors Human Resource Practices Relatively repetitive and predictable behaviors Relatively fixed and explicit job descriptions A rather short-term focus Narrowly designed jobs Primarily autonomous or individual activity Narrowly defined career path, unitarism Modest concern for quality Externally, reliable suppliers; internally, QC function High concern for quantity of output Lean production, JIT system, fully participation Primary concern for results Minimal levels of employee training and development Low risk-taking activity Short-term, result oriented performance appraisals Relatively high degree of comfort with stability Close monitoring of market pay level 2. Differentiation or quality enhancement strategy This strategic emphasizes on enhancing products or services quality and offering products or services that different from those of its competitors. There are numerous ways to implement this strategy, the most common ones are advertising, offering distinctive product or service features, providing exceptional service, or relying on new technology. The organization is trying to make a unique product or provide a unique service with high quality to attract target customers and earn profits. Due to the risk-aversive and traditional managerial methodologies, actually Greenbury laid less emphasis on quality enhancement or on delivering products with unique quality. Therefore, by April 1999, in order to overcome the difficulties M&S had been facing, Salsbury, the successor of Greenbury, had devised a large-scale promotional campaign to try to restore its images as an innovative retailer offering unique quality products. He started to segment the market and offer different category products to its target customers with strong emphasis on its unique quality. Also, by moving away from its original bureaucratic culture and hierarchical environment, modest amount of cooperation was formed to enhance products quality. At the end of March 2001, for the future development of M&S, Vandervelde, the new chief executive of M&S, started to focus on its core 300 domestic stores by cutting or withdrawing its stores worldwide, and started moving business closer to the customer and selling customized products within the UK. For customized products, quality is a key success factor. Therefore, obviously, at this stage, M&S strategy focuses mostly on differentiation character. The matching HRM practices of this competitive strategy for M&S are summarized as following table: Quality enhancement strategy (Salsbury and Vandervelde) Needed Employees Behaviors Human Resource Practices Relatively repetitive and predictable behaviors Relatively fixed and explicit job descriptions More long-term or intermediate focus Giving employees more discretion Modest amount of cooperative, interdependent behaviors Mix of individual and group criteria for performance appraisal High concern for quality Extensive and continuous training and development of employees, QC function, TQM practices Modest concern for quantity of output High level of employee participation High concern for process Training and development of employees, TQM practices Low risk-taking activity Relatively egalitarian treatment of employees Commitment to the goals of the organization Applying Balance scorecard 3. Focus or innovation strategy However, they also try to design a new range of clothes for M&S through hiring famous innovators and conducting in-depth research to understand customers’ shopping habits and their demographics. This strategy emphasizes some of the innovative character, whereby gain advantaged of its competitors. It’s different from the previous two strategies. Meanwhile, the organization concentrates on a specific geographical area, specific group of customers. Overall, for firms pursuing a competitive strategy of innovation, the employees are encouraging to offer suggestions for new and improved ways of doing their job or manufacturing products. Eventually, this strategy will result in feeling of enhanced personal control and morale, greater commitment to self and profession. In addtition, selecting highly skilled individuals or training employees could be costly once adopting this strategy. Focus or innovation strategy (Vandervelde) Needed Employees Behaviors Human Resource Practices High degree of creative behaviors Selecting highly skilled individuals Long-term focus Appraising performance for its long-run implication Relatively high level of cooperative, teamworking, knowledge sharing and interdependent behaviors Using minimal controls Moderate degree of concern for both quality and quantity TQM practices, making a greater investment in human resources Equal degree of concern for process and results Providing more resources for experimentation Greater degree of risk taking Allowing and even rewarding occasional failure Uncertainty, unpredictability and constant change Compensation, incentives, giving employees more discretion Comparatively speaking, Low-cost leadership is effective but difficult to do in a high-cost organization. Differentiation can be profitable if target customers are not particularly concerned with price but it’s costly to implement, such as research and development, advertising costs. Focus strategy can gain quick returns but takes time to identify area or group and the cost could be even higher since it focuses on innovative aspect of products. Analyze Matching model and other HRM strategies From the above comparison, we can see that effectiveness will increase by melding HR practices with competitive strategy. The advantages of this model are obviously and are summarized as following table: Component Advantages Disadvantages Low-cost leadership Effective Difficult to do in a high-cost organization Differentiation Can be profitable if target customers are not particularly concerned with price Costly to implement, e.g. research and development, advertising costs Focus Quick returns Takes time to identify area or group (Linda Maund, 2001:55 ‘Adantages and disadvantages of Porter’s competitive strategies’) However, besides the disadvantages illustrated above, the practice of this matching model could also be problematic since achieving the goal of ‘close fit’ of business and HRM strategy can contradict the core ‘soft’ HRM goals of commitment, flexibility and quality. Work organization as M&S may adopt a ‘soft’ version of HRM for managerial staffs, which is consistent with its current strategy, whereas simultaneously pursuing a ‘hard’ version of HRM for low-level worker, which might undermine the commitment of the latter. Hence, the matching model is essentially unitary and it tends to assume that workers are unproblematic and will comply with managements’ perception of the ‘needed role behaviors’. Meanwhile, we also cannot ignore the fact that workers and their unions, especially for M&S’s famous British working union, might influence strategic planning. In addition, ‘excessive fit’ can be disadvantageous to gaining competitive advantage since it can make a company inflexible and incapable of adapting quickly to the external environment. Recalled that when Greenbury insisted on its cost-reduction strategy and its quality criteria, the environment of the whole market has gradually changed. Competitors targeted at niche market and adopted differentiation strategy to attract and gain credibility among numerous consumers, whereas M&S still keep its traditional or risk-aversive way to do business. Recommendation Other HR strategies suggestions for M&S: At individual level, employees’ motivation can be stimulated through appropriate job design and rewards. Also, emphasizing employees’ participation or empowerment, and it could be reinforced through encouraging front-line staff to solve customer problems on the spot, without constant recourse to management approval. At organizational level: Development through changing the paternalism structure and corresponding traditional culture to a culture of the individual and of teams. The organization should focus on building its growth valued (such as brand revitalized by Vandervelde) and rewards excellence. Meanwhile, strategy-focused organizations like M&S can apply the balanced scorecard to align their employees to their strategy. This strategy can be implemented through communication and education, personal and team objectives, and incentive and reward systems. They should extensively use self-managed teams and decentralization. Also, paying attention to reducing status differentials and encouraging willingness to share information. Finally, when individuals understand how their pay is linked to achieving strategic objectives, and set personal objectives to met and help to achieve the strategic objectives, organization’s effectiveness will expect to be achieved. Â   References and Bibliographies: Linda,M.(2001) ‘An Introduction to Human Resource Management: theory and practice’, Hampshire, New York: Palgrave Publishers Ltd Schuler,R.S and Jackson,S.E (2002, 7th edn) ‘Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective’: Journal of Personnel Review,31(1),114-121 Tyson,S. and York,A. (2000,4th edn) ‘Essentials of HRM’, Houston: Butterworth Heinemann Torrington,D. and Hall,L. (1998, 4th edn) ‘Human Resource Management’, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc Maund,L. (1999) ‘Understanding People and Organisations: An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour’, Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes Schuler,R.S and Jackson,S.E (2000) ‘Strategic Human Resource Management’, Journal:Personnel Review,29(6),816-821 James,A. and McGoldrick,A.E. (2001) ‘HRM service practices: flexibility, quality and employee strategy’, Journal: International Journal of Service Industry Management,7(3),46-62 Huang,T.C (2001) ‘The effects of linkage between business and human resource management strategies’, Journal:Personnel Review,30(2),132-151 Anne-marie,G and John,B and Peter,A (2000) Lost Narratives From Paternalism to Team-working in a lock manufacturing firm http://research.abs.aston.ac.uk/wpaper/0001.pdf (accessed 11 Jan,2004) Marks&Spence: An analysis of Business and HRM strategy (Online) http://www.hrm.strath.ac.uk/teaching/classes/41429/MarksandSpencerPresentation%5B1%5D.pdf (accessed 11 Jan,2004) John,B. (2000) Strategic Human Resource Management: Chapter Two http://www.palgrave.com/business/brattonandgold/docs/bgwebstudentnotes.pdf (accessed 11 Jan,2004) Annette,S. (2002) The psychological contract in a changing work environment http://www.ukwon.org/pdf/Hi-Res/PsychologicalContractTheme.pdf (accessed 11 Jan,2004)