The Awakening: the Uncaring and Unselfish Aspects of Edna Pontellier

The Awakening is a short novel that is written by Kate Chopin. This novella is about Edna Pontellier, a wife and a mother of two sons, who had a strong desire to experience the freedom or independence a woman, can have. She tries to achieve this desire, with many selfish decisions. In those days, in eighteen hundreds, many had an orthodox view on feminism. This social attitude deprived many women with the power to live an independent life or do whatever they pleased in life.The only role women had to adhere with no choice were to either be housewives, nurturing mothers, or both. However, those who showed their unorthodox view of this social attitude were considered to have a bad reputation in society at that time. In the novel, the importance of being a nurturing, caring mother and an ideal housewife is emphasized. Edna, however, almost completely ignores these priorities and only does it when she has been forced. For example, when Leonce returns from playing billiards, he went to ch eck on his kids and found out that one of them have fever.However, when he tells her this she responses in a carefree tone that nothing is wrong with them and returns back to sleep. However, after much prodding by her husband, she wakes and goes to take care of the child (Chopin 48). This shows her selfishness, because she cares more for her sleep than being a nurturing mother and giving priority to her kids. Another example is that she leaves her children under the care of their grandmother, without any hesitation. It makes it seem as though she wants to be away from them so that she can achieve her independence.Furthermore, she explains that she simply wants her own way, although she acknowledges the difficulty of this, especially when it means she must â€Å"trample upon the lives, the hearts, and the prejudices of others. † Edna Pontellier at first has an affair with a young man, Robert LeBrun, whom she wants to settle down with, running away from her marriage in which sh e feels like a possession. Moreover, when she was with Robert she felt this form of happiness, which actually made her pleased with life.However, she also finds happiness with Leonce, because he shows his care for her at times and treats her lavishly, which she appreciates, but that does not entirely become a base of her happiness. Therefore, it is expected for her to involve in another affair, but at the same time it is still selfish, because she is betraying her husband. However, what is even worse is that, she has an affair with another man named Alcee Arobin, after Robert leaves to Mexico.To elaborate, if Robert was her â€Å"true love†, Alcee Arobin should have never even appeared in the picture. All in all, agreeing with the author of the essay â€Å"Edna Pontellier: Selfish, Adulterous, and Suicidal†, the fact that she embraces Alcee, is married, and is supposedly in love with Robert, just puts emphasis on the selfish nature of Edna. In the end of the novel, Rob ert leaves her once again because this time, he does not want to be another step involved in Edna’s selfish search for independence and her marriage.Edna cannot live with Roberts’ decision of leaving her and she commits suicide, leaving her kids to become motherless at a young tender age, and not thinking about how their upbringing would be without her or the emotional breakdown Mr. Pontellier can go through. In conclusion, Edna showed importance mostly to herself for most of the time. She was a selfish woman who tries to break out of the social norms, commits acts of adultery, falls in love with a man she cannot have, and who commits the ultimate act of selfishness by committing suicide.

Being a Girl

Being Girl: A Sociological Memoir My first memory of kindergarten was this: dozens of tiny, petrified 5-year-olds being dropped off at their first day of school, and dozens of exhausted, overworked mothers consoling their weeping sons and daughters. I remember it vividly because, despite the terror and chaos, a single thought pervaded my mind, the thought that â€Å"these moms are not as pretty as my mom. † I wasn’t entirely biased, either. By North American standards of beauty, I was correct. Here was my mother, a rail-thin, blonde-haired, blue-eyed statuesque stunner, among a sea of frumpy women with visible wrinkles and tangles of black hair.And here I was, the daughter of this perfect specimen, the proud owner of a mother who was more â€Å"feminine†, more â€Å"womanly†, and therefore, I naively deduced, â€Å"a better mother†. In fact, although my vocabulary was fairly limited at the time, I believed her to be the epitome of all mothers. She l ooked, I told her that morning, â€Å"like a mom was supposed to look. † In interviewing my mother, she said that this was my â€Å"first brush with what it meant to be a girl. † Throughout kindergarten, I was labeled â€Å"weird†. I dug for worms, collected Pokemon cards (which was deemed a â€Å"boyish† activity), and none of my friends were girls.My teacher, a young woman who had just recently graduated from university, was often concerned for me, and thought that my lack of female friends would be detrimental to my developing of social skills, so she would often encourage the popular girls in the class to include me in their recess activities. They did as they were told, and despite my hesitation, I jumped rope with them at recess, while still managing to play with the boys for short periods of time. Finally, one day, the girls gave me an ultimatum: â€Å"us† or â€Å"them†.If I wanted to be an â€Å"official† member of their â₠¬Å"club† (This was serious business; they had membership cards made out of construction paper), I had to give up the toy trucks and the rambunctious boys. With the encouragement of my teacher, I severed ties with the boys. Although I missed them, I quickly learned that being a girl was â€Å"better† anyways. Apparently, girls were allowed to wear makeup and dresses and boys had cooties and never took baths and didn’t I like being clean? I suppose I liked being clean, but what I really liked was being accepted by this particular group of popular girls.I suppressed my love of all things â€Å"dirty†, all things that were labeled â€Å"boy†, and developed a superficial affinity for all things typically â€Å"girly†, in an attempt to fit comfortably into this group. I skipped rope at recess, I choreographed dances, and I received a ballerina outfit from my parents at Christmas that I absolutely adored. Being a girl was not very hard. It came with a list of instructions. Do this, talk like this, wear this, and you are a girl. It was less of an innate instinct than it was a learned act. I wasn’t born with an eyelash curler in hand, rather, it was handed down to me by a girl older than myself.The torch of femininity was passed down from generation to generation until it finally landed in my dirt-stained lap. In 9th grade, in a fit of rebellion against my mother, who I fought with often around this time, I cut my hair short. Not just â€Å"short†, I cut my hair boy short, a look my mother wasn’t too fond of, which, naturally, made me covet and admire it more, because nothing is as satisfying as a mother’s disapproval when you are a rebellious teenager. When I returned to school the Monday following my haircut, however, I didn’t get the positive reaction I had anticipated.No, the minute I walked into my first period class, the official â€Å"bully† of the grade, a tall, unattractive fell ow, asked me if I had become a â€Å"dyke†, and insisted on calling me â€Å"dykey† for the remainder of the day. The strange behavior of my classmates didn’t stop there. Girls I only casually talked to began avoiding me, which I learned while interviewing a friend from that time was because they were â€Å"convinced I was trying to hit on them†. Boys treated me differently as well. According to this same friend, it was because they believed I was gay.Not â€Å"lesbian†, because, for them, the word â€Å"lesbian† conjured up images of attractive girls drunkenly kissing at a house party, but gay. Gay as in homosexual, gay as in â€Å"fag†. I didn’t understand why a simple haircut had drastically changed my classmate’s opinions of me. Sure, I dressed a bit â€Å"boyish†, as I wasn’t fond of dresses and found skirts to be uncomfortable, but that was all a matter of taste, not sexuality. Wasn’t it? Besid es, I wasn’t gay. I had a boyfriend at the time. I quickly learned that being â€Å"gay† had little to do with who you liked, and more to do with what you did.The â€Å"last straw†, the event that acted as a catalyst, the one that prompted me to conform to what it meant to be a â€Å"girl†, occurred the day I accompanied my sister to our high school’s uniform shop to buy her a blazer. My hair was still cropped short at the time. I wore long, baggy jeans, no makeup, and an oversized band t-shirt. Upon walking up to the cash register, the lady behind the counter turned to my sister and blurted out, innocently, â€Å"Oh, is this your brother? † I was too embarrassed to correct her, and instead gazed at her awkwardly until she realized her mistake.After a moment of tense silence, it dawned on her. â€Å"Oh! haha, silly me, I meant sister,† she swallowed nervously, embarrassed. I honestly didn’t really mind being confused for a boy, but this lady was intent on defending my womanly honor. â€Å"I’m really, really sorry. You know, when I was young, I had short hair for while, and tons of people thought I was a boy. It was so embarrassing. † Surprisingly, her short anecdote did not make me feel better. According to her, being confused for a boy was this terribly embarrassing ordeal that she carried with her all her life.She apologized profusely for the mixup, and continued to do so throughout the school year, whenever I happened to stop by the uniform shop. Through her, I learned that not adhering to strict gender rules on how one should dress caused embarrassment and humiliation, and I therefore should’ve been profoundly humiliated when the mixup occurred. When future incidents similar to this one occurred (I was confused for a boy a second time in a restaurant a few months later), I knew that I should be ashamed of myself. I had utterly failed at being feminine, so much so that I might as w ell have been a boy.Oh the horror. The fear of â€Å"not being girly enough† grew more intense with every snide remark and homophobic slur, and I soon found myself staying home on weekends, retreating to my room, my fortress, playing video games while my peers downed copious amounts of alcohol and partied, for the few months it took my hair, the symbol of my femininity, the only thing that differentiated me from a boy, to grow back. Once it did, I was quickly re-accepted into my group of peers. I was a girl, I looked like a girl, and I acted like a girl, and this seemed to please them. I â€Å"knew my place†, so to speak.Gender Roles and Sexuality While gender has both biological and neurological components, my personal experiences with gender have allowed me to see gender as more of a social construct. In terms of gender, I’m a believer in behaviorism, the psychology that emphasizes socialization over biology in creating gender identity. In my experiences, for the most part, gender was not a naturally occurring phenomenon, it was taught. My experiences mostly relate to feminist postmodernism, which, out of all the categories of feminism in relation to gender, emphasizes the influence of social constructs the most.Queer Theory, a methodology within postmodernism that was introduced by Professor Judith Butler in her book Gender Trouble, also relates to my experiences. The theory states that gender identity is not created by biology, but by â€Å"gender performance. † She argues that individuals are not distinctly â€Å"male† or â€Å"female†. Male and female were opposites on a spectrum, and most people fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, but â€Å"acted† more male or female depending on the situation. Growing up, I displayed different characteristics that were specific to both males and females.I was quiet, a characteristic usually attributed to girls, and I was â€Å"tough†: I occasionally pick ed fights, a characteristic usually attributed to boys. Butler’s theory that people act exclusively male or female to conform to gender expectation is completely relatable. In order to be a â€Å"girl†, I had to give up my â€Å"other half†. In my above narrative, I mentioned that, to be part of the popular girl’s posse, I had to sever ties with the boys. In this situation, I was either a â€Å"girl† or a â€Å"boy†, and I had to choose which one I wanted to be.I ultimately chose girl, although I would have much preferred if I could maintain both my male and female characteristics and qualities. Queer Theory also states that gender â€Å"performances† are restricted by sanctions (Steckley, Letts 360). We avoid acting out (or performing) in ways that conflict with gender norms because we want to avoid negative sanctions. In my experiences, negative sanctions imposed by my peers (including overt forms of bullying, being labelled a †Å"dyke†, and being rejected) fostered in me a deep-seated fear of ostracism, and I learned to conform to gender norms and roles in order to gain acceptance among my lassmates. I believe the â€Å"ideology of fag† perfectly sums up my aforementioned experiences. The ideology of fag is a set of beliefs which dictates that â€Å"if you violate a gender role, you must be gay† (Stekley, Letts 360). Prior to my ostracism, the word â€Å"gay†, to me, was a neutral word. It simply referred to homosexuality. However, in high school, â€Å"gay† became an accusation, a threat. Being a â€Å"lesbo† or a â€Å"dyke† was something immoral. It was an insult hurled at me with the utmost contempt.It became the most powerful sanction, the one that I believe played the biggest role in my gender socialization. My classmates made it clear that a â€Å"dyke† was something that I didn’t want to be, and therefore, to eliminate any traces of lesb ian-ness, I had to â€Å"become† a girl. If I was gay because I violated gender roles, because I dressed like boys and enjoyed activities that boys typically enjoyed, then all I needed to do to not be gay was to stop violating these gender roles.Gayness, in essence, was in no way related to who you were sexually attracted to; it referred to the violation of gender norms. Acting aggressive, initiating fights and being obnoxious â€Å"meant† that a girl was a lesbian. A passive, nurturing, sensitive boy was gay. This relates to Ann Oakley’s concept of gender and gender roles. Gender roles are â€Å"sets of expectations concerning behavior and attitudes that relate to being male or female† (Steckley, Letts 354). Gender roles, their enforcement, and the severity of the consequences doled out to those who reject them differ across cultures and societies.In my classroom, in my pseudo-society, there was no room for androgyny. Gender roles were rigidly enforced, and anyone who strayed from them was ridiculed and marginalized. Boys who did not assert themselves, or boys who ventured into the category of subordinate masculinity, as opposed to complicit or hegemonic, were routinely beaten, demeaned and humiliated until they â€Å"manned up†, hid their homosexuality (in most cases, however, they were not gay, simply â€Å"too sensitive†) and participated in complicit masculine practices.Girls who did not act typically feminine, sensitive and unabashedly â€Å"girlish† were marginalized as well, and although they did not suffer to the same extent that the marginalized boys did, and were not subjected to beatings, they nevertheless were severely pressured into assuming a â€Å"traditional† female gender role. Today, my hair is longer. It is blonde at times, brown at times, it is often black, but it is never short. My uniform consists of tights, shorts and skirts.I have worn pants approximately 3 times this semester, an d on each occasion it was because I was running late. I never leave the house without at least some form of makeup. I justify my sudden change in taste by reassuring myself that I have simply â€Å"grown up†. I’ve navigated away from my boyish nature in the same way that I navigated away from cartoons and cheeseburgers: It followed the natural order of things. However, despite my reassurances, the real reason behind my change is not becoming â€Å"more mature†.The truth is, I’m scared. I’ve been socialized into this gender role and I know that scrutiny is awaiting me if I ever choose to leave it. I fear breaking gender norms and being subjected to negative sanctions in the same way I fear dark alleys at night. It is a rational fear, in that it protects me from being ostracized and it satisfies a very basic human need: the need to be accepted. Work Cited Steckley, J. , and Kirby Letts, G. (2010). Elements of Sociology. Oxford University Press Canada .

E-commerce and Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-commerce and Auditing - Essay Example These are: It is not viable for auditors to take leave of work and go back to school to learn the mechanisms needed to serve the new auditing scope. To deal with this aspect of the transformation on-the-job training is the strategy employed by the audit executives. The authors recorded that ,"Some audit executives are using external contractors to "off load" some of the regular work. Freed up internal resources are then being used to get in-house auditors trained in the use of technology." (pg 91). Nikoloyuk et al: further related that Audit executives use the strategy of increasing "audit teams with external specialists." These teams are used to train "internal resource" to become "internal specialist." Changes: Like many other businesses auditing has had to change and modify its practices to best adopt to the growth of technology. Businesses have moved away from the traditional methods and are becoming more and more technologically advanced. If auditing is to remain alive it too will have to adopt to these changes. More so, as their main clients are in fact businesses. Kumar in his work 'The Technological Auditor', noted that, "Accountants and Auditors are not always on the cutting edge of technology." Auditing by nature is not a very transparent job. The process of the job relied on a lot of paper work . This goes against the very nature of E-commerce where the paper work is almost non-existent. Auditing stands a chance of becoming obsolete if adaptations are not made. Companies were disgruntled by the former auditing process as they 4 viewed the as being too expensive and burdensome. In response to these and other concerns Kumar relates that the "US Public Company Accounting Oversight board (PLAOB)" responded to these concerns by "encouraging auditors to become more consistent and transparent in the way they conducted audits." This discontent among businesses and the realization that e-commerce was always moving away from the traditional were indicators that change was on the horizon for the auditing profession. These changes would include; more transparency. The maximizing of special auditing skills on a global basis. Rationalization of the controls. Increased focus on value-added services by auditors. Formerly businesses would schedule the auditing of their firm based on their "point-in-time" system where they would carry out internal assessments to "identify high risk areas of the business." This system soon become redundant as companies sought to comply to the Sarbanes-Oxley. The regulation stipulated that firms would now have to make their financial statements readily available for auditing. (Kumar pg1). Audit Risk: The switch to automated auditing comes with added risk and challenges. The risk that an e-commerce business faces are many

Justifying the Patriots Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Justifying the Patriots Act - Research Paper Example Before delving on the validity and appropriateness of the Patriot Act, it is a must to take a stock of the typical American mindset and way of thinking. The opposition garnered by the Patriot Act could only be well understood when it is placed aside the essential American ethos and the values and norms that are dear to Americans. America is a nation that is devoted to the values of liberty and strongly shuns any law or arrangement that takes something out of the rights and privileges extended to the masses by the constitution of the United States of America. Though the detractors of Patriot Act abhor it as an intrusion into the privacy of the common Americans, a more balanced and sane approach towards this legislation establishes beyond doubt that it is a law that is pivotal to the security and safety of the United States of America (Browne 1). Before trying to wrest any strong opinion regarding the appropriateness and validity of the Patriot Act it is important to understand the tim es in which this legislation was conceived and the things it intended to do. The USA PATRIOT Act was act of the US Congress that was signed into law on October 26, 2001. It goes without saying that the Patriot Act was a response to the mayhem caused by the 9/11 terrorist acts and intended to safeguard the life and property of the American masses. As the full form of the Patriot Act that is Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act suggests, the purpose of the Patriot Act was to strengthen the arms of the America law and order agencies and the intelligence community by endowing to them a range of powers and possibilities. It is really worthwhile to delve on the provisions brought into existence by this act. The Patriot Act intended to safeguard civil liberties. It allowed the Secret Service to establish a nationwide electronic surveillance system and provided for the confiscation of the property of foreign persons engaging i n terrorist acts (Department of Justice 1). It widened the potential of the intelligence services to conduct surveillance on the terrorist elements, without being subservient to the consent of the courts (Department of Justice 1). This act intended to curtail the financial power of the terrorist groups and stressed a stronger border security (Department of Justice 1). The National Security Letters (NSL) provision of this act allowed access to the paper work related to the suspicious citizens, to the intelligence agencies (Department of Justice 1). It facilitated an enhanced sharing of information and inputs between the intelligence agencies and had provisions for extending compensation to the victims of terrorism (Department of Justice 1). The Patriot Act also brought in a range of crimes within the ambit of what is broadly defined as acts of terrorism (Department of Justice 1). The overall purpose of the Patriot Act was to bring about the sweeping changes that not only armed the la w and order institutions and intelligence agencies with the teeth they needed to wage a pragmatic war on the terrorist gro

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

Morality - Essay Example Considering that fundamentalist followers of any religion will have a different moral code from those of a liberal bent, it becomes nearly impossible to take dogma as a guideline for morals. Similarly, there have been times in history where certain laws themselves were unethical and even immoral therefore to follow those laws would be unethical and immoral. Therefore, I feel that my own morals come from ethical guidelines that have been given to us by experts in the field who continually update their suggestions based on changing times. That strikes very close to my idea of life since life itself is full of change and this dynamic nature of life is tremendously exciting. While the basic realties of life itself may not alter everyday, the expanding knowledge and greater understanding we have of the world around us brings changes to our lives which make it worth living. Considering the difference between what we knew a few hundred years ago and what we know today, it is not easy to project how our lives will change in a few years let alone a few decades. Yet the coming changes do not scare me in the least for I know that I will keep trying to improve my own condition as well as those who are around me. If I can devote my life to that purpose alone I would think that I have lived a good life and do not need to go far beyond that. I know that I can not change the world and I know that I probably will never be able to create anything which has a lasting affect beyond one or two generations that follow me. However, it is the idea which excites me that if I try hard enough I will be able to make a difference. Even if it is a small difference it should be something which adds to the quality of life rather than something that subtracts. Therefore, as I keep improving my own abilities and seek out ways in which I can make the lives of people

An Investigation of Unilever Performance Management Assignment

An Investigation of Unilever Performance Management - Assignment Example Performance management refers to the method in improving the work performance of workers to the fulfillment of the company’s goal and objectives (United States Department of Agriculture, 2013; Goodrich, 2013). Moreover, research methodology refers to the systematic procedure in solving a particular research problem (Goddard & Melville, 2001). In this study, the purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of the performance management of Singapore Unilever. This comprises numerous sections, namely, research design/report framework, overall research, how to conduct with the literature research, research approach, sampling, data access, methods of analysis, and research limitation. 3.1 Research Design/ Report Framework This study plans to investigate the implementation of the SMART system of performance management in Singapore Unilever. In order to accomplish this, the data collected are obtained from both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data are significant in obtaining raw evidence to investigate a particular study while secondary data are obtained from literary sources like journals and books (Sapsford & John, 2006, p.142; Nicholson & Bennett, 2008). In this study, the primary data are gathered from both qualitative and quantitative research methods. In order to numerically measure the performance management of the company, quantitative research method is used. ... Vartanian (2011) noted that this form of data is important to garner other insights from various authors on the given subject. In this study, literary sources, such as journals, books, newspapers, and government websites are used. 3.2 Overall Research The purpose of the research is to define the significance of implementing the SMART system of performance in the appraisal methods of employees’ work performance in Singapore Unilever. Its objectives include (1) the description of the SMART system of performance; (2) the implementation of the performance system in the company; and (3) the assessment on the results of the implementation of the performance system in the company. Apparently, literature review is also conducted in order to gain scholarly insights on the topic. In order to address the validity of theories reviewed, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are made in forms of surveys and focused group interviews, respectively. The survey was participated by employ ees while the focused group interview’s primary respondents are those employees in the managerial position. To select the respondents for the survey, simple random sampling is used while judgment sampling is used in selecting the participants for the focused group interview. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used for data analysis. Furthermore, distance plays a major role in hindering the researchers to conduct a direct observation to the activities of the company. 3.3 How to Conduct with the Literature Research As defined, literature research is the review of other literary sources like journals and books, in order to obtain additional data that will be used as evidence for a research project (Timmins & McCabe, 2005, p.41). It is important to

Analyzing Crime Trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing Crime Trends - Essay Example Lastly, the overall crime rate in Kent, Washington was 606.9 in 2005, and it systematically reduced to 518.8 in 2008 (Kent City Police Department n.p). It is evident from the data above that Rochester City, New York had the highest number of crime rate and Santa Clarita, California had the least number of crime rate. Additionally, there was a general reduction in crime rates for all the five cities. One of the key reasons for the reduction, in crime rates in these five cities, is the implementation of a more decentralized community policing strategy that is characterized by openness to try out new techniques of protecting the cities and statistical analysis (Boba-Santos 87). Additionally, most States have ensured that majority of hard core criminals and offenders have been prosecuted and placed in jail. Incarceration has ensured that majority of crime offenders have been placed out of streets thus the reduction in crime rate (Boba-Santos 91). Demographics have also contributed in reducing crime rates in these cities. Statistics indicates that young people commit criminal offense more than the elderly (Clark 67). Therefore, the State governments have created a number of social activities that target youths thus keeping them busy. This has also reduced crime rate drastically. Local policy in these cities has also improved surveillance (Siegel 104). Cameras are everywhere in the streets thus making it difficult to commit a crime (Clark 73). In summary, crime rates have reduced in the United States, and this is evident in the data provided for the five cities. This is particularly attributed to a the change of local policy in different cities and

Portfolio, this is for ELS program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portfolio, this is for ELS program - Essay Example My portfolio, as stated earlier is organized topic wise. These are the particular topics that have been covered in English Language studies. A table of contents that show the specific and their particular page numbers. Coupled up with their individual sub topics, this table of contents will act as a guide to where to find the specific information that needs to be evaluated. Folders have also been used to separate the sections of my work. This folders help to give a systematic arrangement of the samples that have been attached in this portfolio. Pictures of the specific assignments and tasks have also been attached in order to give a first hand recount of what the course was all about and the individual tasks that have been given and discussed. English Language studies is an advanced writing course that teaches sentences and multi paragraph essay writing. It also offers practiced of the specific topics of interest in the course. The course is a practical one that tends to involve the learners in every activity done. The activities are in terms of home works, assignments, timed writing, in class activities, peer evaluation and also writing assignments which all help to improve learners writing skills in English. The course focused on various topics that have been sampled in this portfolio. It helped to develop abilities on; Here we were able to learn more about noun phrases. Also the structure of these types of phrases was also focused on. We were given examples and samples of the phrases to help improve our understanding of Noun phrases. Apart from the structure, we also learnt on what the noun phrase are made up of; the head and the tail. The head is what determines the shape and use of the particular noun phrase. The position of noun phrases in sentences was also focused on. The position of these noun phrases helps to determine the

Market Louis Vuitton on Social Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Market Louis Vuitton on Social Network - Essay Example Overview of the Company Established in 1854, the brand Louis Vuitton was opened by designer Louis Vuitton who entered the art circle by making travel accessories but soon began exploring the industry of fashion, which lead him to make his mark as a premium fashion brand. However, LV is still known for its premium handbags and luggage collection. Louis Vuitton has over 300 outlets in over 500 countries exceeding the brand value of both Prada and Gucci. Louis Vuitton is considered among the best 100 brands of the world, with a higher ranking than other global brands including Pizza Hut, MTV, Apple, Adidas and Chanel (Haig, 2011). Such is the value of Louis Vuitton that its trademark is automatically registered along with its trademark patterns. Certain patterns and style of handbags are classic LV style such as the beige and brown checker design known as the Daimer, which is one of the premier designs by Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton operates as a major brand with more than sixty sub-br ands opened under it, including Taug Heuer, Givenchy, Emilio Pucci Parfums, and Marc Jacobs etc. Each brand is considered as the premium brand in its category and is associated with luxury and quality (LMVH, 2012). The brand has been said to develop its presence as a top luxury brand through the strategy of celebrity endorsement. The first celebrity endorsement of Louis Vuitton occurred through Empress Euigine, Napoleon’s wife who loved the brand and its quality. The Empress became a symbol for Louis Vuitton that was later carried on by other leading celebrities including Audrey Hepburn and Jennifer Lopez. Right now, the brand ambassador for Loius Vuitton is Angelina Jolie who continues to be photographed with Louis Vuitton handbags. History of Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton began as a... Louis Vuitton operates as a major brand with more than sixty sub-brands opened under it, including Taug Heuer, Givenchy, Emilio Pucci Parfums, and Marc Jacobs etc. Each brand is considered as the premium brand in its category and is associated with luxury and quality (LMVH, 2012). The brand has been said to develop its presence as a top luxury brand through the strategy of celebrity endorsement. The first celebrity endorsement of Louis Vuitton occurred through Empress Euigine, Napoleon’s wife who loved the brand and its quality. The Empress became a symbol for Louis Vuitton that was later carried on by other leading celebrities including Audrey Hepburn and Jennifer Lopez. Right now, the brand ambassador for Loius Vuitton is Angelina Jolie who continues to be photographed with Louis Vuitton handbags. History of Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton began as a luggage designer in 1854 in Paris. Realizing the need for a change in the design of the HJ Cave’s rounded top trunks; Louis Vuitton came up with flat-bottom trunks that allowed to better storage and durability. From the beginning, Louis Vuitton developed itself as a symbol of quality and its products were associated with the rich and the elite. In order to prevent others from copying the designs, the designer continuously upgraded his designs and patterns to maintain interest in the brand (Condora, 2008). With time, Louis Vuitton diversified into other travel accessories including handbags, clutches and other small luggage pieces.

Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Example for Free

Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Leadership is the quality of an individuals behavior whereby he is able to guide the people or their activities towards certain goals. 1. INTRODUCTION Leadership is the ability to get work done with and through others, while at the same time winning their confidence, respect, loyalty and willing co-operation. The first part of this definition is the same as for management. It is the second half, which highlights the difference between a leader and a non-leader. Managers who possess the quality of guiding and directing the subordinates in an organization to perform their jobs efficiently can be called business leaders. A leader interprets the objectives of the group and guides it towards the achievement of these objectives. Leadership means different things to different people, and sometimes the most effective leaders can appear not to be leading at all. Good leadership is essential in all aspects of managerial functions whether, it be motivation, communication or direction. Good leadership ensures success in the organization, and unsatisfactory human performance in any organization can be primarily attributed to poor leadership. Total performance is the result of a host of factors and not of leadership alone, hence can be evaluated in the light of these factors. A leader influences others by his qualities, viz. confidence, communicative ability, awareness of his impact on others as well as perceptions about the situation and his subordinates. The effect of a leaders background experiences, his communication ability, self-awareness, confidence, his perceptions of subordinates, the situation and the self are shown below: SOCIAL VALUES ECONOMIC CONDITIONS LEADER STRUCTURE FOLLOWERS POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS Fig. 5 Qualities of Leader [Source: Taken from, Prasad LM, (2006) Organizational Behavior, Fig 26.1 p 287] All these factors interact together to determine the leaders ability to influence others. 2. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP The concepts of transformation and transaction leadership was first introduced by James MacGregor Burns (1978), what was once the treatment of political leadership is now widely used in the fields of organizational psychology. Leaders who raises the motivation of followers to reach far beyond their established standards and that promotes effective change individually and holistically in organizations are all characteristics of a transformational leader. In contrast, transactional leaders are extrinsic motivators, they accepts the given goals and just do it. In order for us to better understand what each of these leadership styles have to often and how effective they are we need to examine the makeup of these concepts According to Burns (1978) the style of transformational leadership is comprise of four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration: 1. Idealized influence A leader who shows idealized influence is someone who is usually not affair to make very compelling conviction on a stand that they strongly believe in but not necessary the popular stand. Followers often admire idealized influence leaders as they have a clear set of values that they follow and demonstrate as a role model in which followers can identify with the leader by. This trait has a direct relationship to managing one’s own emotion in the concept of emotional intelligences (Barling et al., 2000). Leaders can serve as a respectable role model for their followers when they able to display self-control on their emotions which thereby enhances the trust of the relationship. 2. Inspirational motivation The second component of the transformational leadership style is inspirational motivation. As a visionary leader, they can articulate their vision in a powerful persuasive appealing manner that it is naturally inspiring to followers. They will consistently and optimistically communicate the meaning for the task at hand as well as challenging their followers to reach higher than the establish standards. By being able to understand and realize what a follower’s potential is, the leader can better set goals and push the follower towards success more effectively. This is directly related to the understanding of others component of emotional intelligences. 3. Intellectual stimulation The third is the art of intellectual stimulation. Leaders who are high in intellectual stimulation usually encourage creativity in their followers by setting up an aroma to permit trail and error. Furthermore, these leaders often encourage followers to take risk, follow their own instincts, and there is no such thing as a â€Å"stupid â€Å"suggestion. 4. Individualized consideration Lastly, the component of individualized consideration is the degree of the leader’s ability to listen, understand, and attend to the needs of their followers. Making sure that their followers are getting the respect they deserve for their accomplishment. Perhaps being there, as a mentor or a coach for their career advancements or to be a sympathetic support when problematic issues arise. Being able to correctly realize and understand the needs of followers a leader should be evident in the empathy component of emotional intelligences. In contrast the transactional leadership that is very often associated with laissez-fair leadership is more action oriented. It is comprised of two components: Contingent rewards and management-by-exception (Burns 1978). This type of leadership is very distinct in ways that it is very reward oriented. Leaders utilize the promises to reward for good performance and reorganizations to entice followers to perform at their best. Management-by-exception refers to a practice that leaders are there to make sure things continue to work as they are working now. The attitude around these leaders are â€Å"if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it†, they only intercept when something is going wrong. The management-by-exception leaders are leaders that are very detail oriented and are at a constant alert for things going wrong where they are quick to fix immediate problems. TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP 3. Visionary Enabler Transforming leadership requires the leader to direct his energies outwards rather than inwards. The focus is on relinquishing the controller/ manipulator in favor of the visionary enabler. To do this, the groups full potential must be allowed to develop by always using the style congruent with their ability and willingness or one even slightly higher on the trusting side. Unfortunately, the opposite is often the case and the group is over led rather than under led. Over leading often-called macho using a style more controlling than appropriate for the groups ability and willingness. It can arise from both personal, psychological reasons and from forces in the organizational and hierarchical structure (Ahuja K, 2005, p.698). The feeling persists that management knows best and that true leadership means the exertion of authority in order to get a reluctant workforce to perform duties to which it contributes little beyond elementary, regimented skills. Managers with such an outlook consistently over lead groups by being more interventionist than necessary. The tendency to over lead is often compounded by the organizational climate. If the top management exhibits, macho, tendencies it is very difficult for a manager to pursue a progression of styles towards trust. If he does, it will be seen as weakness and an abdication of management responsibility rather than a positive process of development. 4. Organizational Constraints to Leadership Role Organizational constraints can be very powerful and, for that reason, it is important that any serious effort at leadership training should begin at the top to ensure that everyone in the hierarchy understands the philosophy and supports the new approach. Transforming Leadership is concerned with the choice of Leadership role, it is generally outward looking long term and proactive. Transforming leadership focus is on vision and values relating to individual and organization. It develops an individual and generates new ideas. It releases energy by creating a sense of belonging and excitement in the job. Visionary/Enabler is the transforming leader required in increasingly complex situation, where performance is difficult to measure directly. Visionary/Enabler creates a mental attitude in a team, creates a feeling that you can do it and ensures that things are possible and success is in all what we are doing. Visionary/Enabler creates a climate of success and a sense of belonging. Visionary/Enabler emphasis that the individual can create a feeling in them, that they will be developed. It promotes self-control and encourages the workforce by giving them responsibilities and ensuring success. Visionary/ Enabler creates a sense of excitement in the job (Ahuja K, 2005, 714). 5. Changes Transforming Leadership Due to changing technology and changing social expectations, industry and commerce is becoming increasingly complex and inter-dependent. As a consequence, work requires higher levels of individual skill and management expertise. These pressures make the, controller, style of management less and less appropriate. As the technical skill of jobs in industry increases, an increasing reliance must be placed on self-motivation of the workforce to ensure high performance. It is marginal effort that makes the crucial difference between satisfactory and outstanding performance. Whereas normal levels of output can be more or less controlled, the marginal effort, which is so crucial, is very much at the discretion of the subordinate. For this reason, the transforming leadership role is increasingly essential. Transforming leadership is required to get the best out of knowledgeable workers (Prasad, 2006, 294). In today’s, complex, knowledge based working environment it is increasingly difficult to measure the subordinates, output. Control becomes impossible and has to be replaced by trust and transforming leadership. As the world grows more complex, the individual is not able to understand it alone. Reliance has to be placed on the specialist knowledge of the team requiring creation of the right climate for that knowledge to be applied. The group must be developed to maximize learning and the increase of the knowledge base. Such a climate will also encourage synergy and the sparking of creative interactions (Ahuja K, 2005, 552). Transforming leadership is required to accelerate the shift of the point of congruence in the direction of the visionary/enabler. The transforming leader consciously fights the lure of the interventionist. He creates a sense of vision to inspire the group and place on the team members the responsibility for making decisions and solving their own relationship problems. The transforming leader adopts the visionary/enabler role and frees his followers from the dead hand of the interventionist and transactional routine. Transforming leadership concentrates on the leader in the visionary/enabler role and on avoiding the seductive alternative roles that tend to trap leaders into various forms of controller/manipulator behavior. The transforming leader acts as a visionary/enabler to develop the individual capabilities of his team members and to mould them into a fully functioning team. Above all, he is concerned to create a sense of mission, which will give the team a vision of what their job is all about. This vision carries the group beyond the narrow confines of daily routine and puts work into a context of meaning and value (Prasad, 2006, 364). The transforming leader acts-as a contributor or a catalyst, always-keeping to moderate levels of task and relationships behavior 6. Literature Review Leadership is he ability to get work done with and through others while gaining heir confidence and cooperation. Almost every aspect of work is influenced by, or dependent on, leadership. Leaders have three limiting factors- their own knowledge, and skills, their subordinate’s skills, and the work environment. Formal leaders (managers, supervisors) are appointed to groups by the organization, and group members choose informal leaders. Formal leaders aim to achieve organizational objectives, whereas informal leaders satisfy the group’s needs for friendship and recognition. There are four key sources of leadership: Legitimate power, which comes from being appointed by the organization into a leadership role; expertise or skill power, which comes from having knowledge or skills which will help the group to achieve goals; respect or affection power, where a leader who is liked and respected b subordinates, peers and superiors, will have influence over a group of people; and reward/ coercive power, which comes from the power to influence pay, promotion and recognition of followers. (Yvonne, 2003 196) There are three main approaches to understanding leadership: traits (which involves identifying traits which characterize successful leaders); behavioral (which focuses on leadership functions and style); and contingency (which focuses on situations, matching leadership style with circumstances). There are a number of factors influencing a leader’s effectiveness. These range from the leaders background, experience, and expectations, to the organization’s policies and procedures, and to the prevailing industry trends, and social norms. Bass (1978) suggested that transformational leaders exhibit three key characteristics. These are ïÆ'Ëœ Charisma ïÆ'Ëœ Individualized considerations; ïÆ'Ëœ Intellectual simulation. Transformational leaders are able to arouse enthusiasm, general energy and inspire respect. They also work towards helping others to realize their potential through attention to training and development and at the same time treating others with respect. They also stimulate the imagination of their followers and encourage them to stretch their capabilities. Transformational leadership isn’t a substitute for transactional leadership; rather it can be seen as going a step beyond transactional leadership. Transformational leaders are more likely to emerge in times of turbulence and rapid change. In today’s circumstances where we are experiencing accelerating change transformational leadership offers an opportunity for improved performance. (Yvonne, 2003 197) There is no set formula on how to be an effective leader, but research has highlighted some useful points relating to training style, nature of work and subordinates, and the need to act like a leader. 7. CONLUSION No one is a born leader. People may have certain abilities that enable them to develop into a leader, but they have to work at it. A successful leader is one who is keenly aware of those forces, which are more relevant to his behavior at any given time. He accurately understands himself, the individuals and the group he is dealing with, and the organization and the broader social environment in which he operates (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). However, merely understanding these factors correctly is not enough but he can be successful only when he is able to behave appropriately in the light of these perceptions and understanding. Thus,   The successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time should be and in actually being able to behave accordingly. Being both insightful and flexible, he is less likely to see the problem of leadership as a dilemma.† (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). Leadership in business is never a bossism because the leader is not synonym of the boss.   A boss depends upon his authority and as such always drives and orders, but a leader relies upon his confidence and goodwill and always believes in coaching and advising his subordinates. Leaders can enhance their performance by adopting a Transformational leadership approach. The successful leadership calls for   `The ability to comprehend that human being has different motivating forces in different situations, the ability to inspire, and ability to act in a manner that will develop a climate for responding to and arousing motivations.’ References Ahuja K. (2005) Personnel Management. Kalyani Publishers. Calcutta. 425-775 Barling, J., Weber, T. and Kelloway, E.K. (1996), â€Å"Effects of Transformational Leadership Training on Attitudinal and Fiscal Outcomes: A Field Experiment†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 81, pp827-32 Barling, Julian, Frank Slater, and E. Kevin Kelloway. â€Å"Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence: an exploratory study.† Emerald Volume 21 Number 3 2000: 157-161. Bass, B.M. (1997), Does the Transactional Transformational Leadership Paradigm Transcend Organizational and National Boundaries?’’ American Psychologist, Vol. 52, pp. 130-9. Burns, J.M. (1978), Leadership, Harper Row, New York, NY David Buchanan Andrzej Huczynski. (2004). Organizational Behavior – An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall Hater, J.J. and Bass, B.M (1988), â€Å"Superiors† Evaluations And Subordinates’ Perception of Transformational and Transactional Leadership†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 73, pp. 695-702 Hersey P Blanchard K. (2002). Management of Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Lowe, K.B. and Kroeck, K.G. (1996), Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic review’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 7, pp. 385-426. Prasad LM. (2006). Organizational Behavior. Educational publishers. Daryaganj. P. 262-387 Tennenbam Robbert Schmidt. (1993). How To Choose A Leadership Pattern. Harvard Business Review: May-June, 175-180 Yammarino, F.J. and Dubinsky, A.J. (1994), Transformational Leadership Theory: Using Levels Of Analysis To Determine Boundary Conditions’’, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 47, pp. 787-811. Yammarino, F.J., Spangler, W.D. and Bass, B.M. (1993), Transformational Leadership and Performance: A Longitudinal Investigation’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 4, pp. 81-102. Yvonne McLaughlin.(2003).Business Management: A practical guide for managers, Supervisors Administrators. Synergy Books International. P.186-215

Questions and Answers on DNA and MRNA

Questions and Answers on DNA and MRNA Rumana Anam Q1. What is the full forms of the following: D.N.A Deoxyribonucleic (The Free Dictionary, 2015) MRNA Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (The Free Dictionary, 2015) TRNA Transfer Ribonucleic Acid (The Free Dictionary, 2015) Q2. Complete the following sentences The synthesis of mRNA from DNA is known as:- Transcription (The Free Dictionary, 2015) The synthesis of proteins from RNA is known as:- Protein Synthesis (The Free Dictionary, 2015) Q3. Explain the process of Protein Synthesis detailing the role of DNA, mRNA, tRNA and ribosomes. The process where individual cells make protein is called protein synthesis. DNA and all RNA are both involved in this process. RNA are made by enzymes in the cell’s nucleus which start the process of protein synthesis by way of unwinding the wanted section of the DNA. A copy of one side of the DNA is formed by the RNA, and then is sent to all the other areas of the cell to help to bring altogether the different amino acids that make up proteins. As proteins are synthesised by mechanical and chemical processes within the cells, this process is called protein synthesis. Within the nucleus when the strand of RNA has been made, it is called messenger RNA MRNA. Through opening in the nucleus called pores the MRNA exits the nucleus and goes into the larger area of the cell which is called cytoplasm. As soon as the MRNA leaves the nucleus, it is attracted to a structure called ribosome, which are the cells work station or factory for protein synthesis. Within this point only one sub unit of ribosome is present. Another strand of RNA called transfer RNA, TRNA are activated as the MRNA start to attach to the ribosome sub unit. The TRNA stand finds the correct place to bind to the MRNA, as soon as it finds the place; it binds itself to the MRNA, which on one end holding amino acid. As this happens the other sub unit of ribosome come to completely form a complete structure. Another strand of TRNA appears as the ribosome encircles the strand of RNA. This strand is different from the first strand as it is carrying another amino acid; again the TRNA finds the correct place to bind to the MRNA. With the amino acid as soon as the second strand of TRNA is placed, both of the amino acid joins together aided by the ribosome, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with its cellular energy. As this pattern continues and repeats itself the chain of amino acid grows longer. As soon as all the amino acids have been placed in the correct sequence, a three-dimensional chain is made. O nce this has happened the protein is complete. When the proteins have been made the two sub-units of ribosome part to be joined later. In many ribosomes within the cell the process of protein synthesis take place there (Wisegeek, 2015). Q4.What is Point Mutation? Evaluate its effects. Point mutation is where there is a change within a gene, where one base pair in the DNA sequenced is changed or altered.Point mutation is most commonly the result of mistakes made during the DNA replication, however if DNA is exposed to x-rays and or ultraviolet radiations, this can also bring on point mutation. The two types of mutations are transition mutation and transversion mutation. Transition mutation happens when a pyrimidine base which is thymine (T) or cytosine (C) changes for another pyrimidine base, or it is when a purine base which is adenine (A) or guanine (G) changes for another purine base. Within a double stranded DNA each base is paired with a certain partner on the corresponding strand. A always pairs with T and C always pairs with G. For example a transition mutation is a GC base pair that swaps an AT base pair. However transversion mutation happens when a purine base changes for a pyrimidine base or the other way around i.e. when a TA or CG swaps for AT pair (Britannica, 2015). Point mutation can be put in three groups, nonsense mutation which is a code for a stop this can shorten the protein. Missense mutation which is a code for a different amino acid and silent mutation which is a code for the same or a different amino acid with no purposeful change in the protein itself. Missense mutation for example causes sickle cell disease, as the beta haemoglobin gene converts a GAG code into a GTG. This codes the amino acid valine instead of glutamic acid (Answers, 2015). The Effects of Point Mutation As all the cells within the body contain DNA therefore there are many places where point mutation can happen. However not all mutations are passed on to the offspring, these do not matter for evolution purposes. The mutations that matter for evolution purposes are those that can be passed on to the offspring, these happen in the reproductive cells eggs and sperm this type of mutation is called germ line mutation. There are three effects of germ line mutation:- No change happens in the phenotype, this is where there is no effect on the organism. This can happen in a part of the DNA strand where there is no function, or it can happen in a protein coding area but does not affect the amino acid sequence of the protein. Small changes happen in the phenotype, a single mutation can cause some cats ears to curl backwards. Significant changes happen in phenotype, this is where significant changes happen within the organism for example sickle cell disease. A single mutation can cause negative effects for the organism for example mutation that cause death, this is called lethal. Mutations are sometimes stereotyped as unimportant or the cause of genetic disease. While many mutations do have a negative effect, other mutations can have a small positive effect. Mutations that control genes can have a huge and sometimes positive effect. As some areas of the DNA control other genes, that decide when and where other genes are turned on, mutation in these parts can considerably change the way an organism is built. This can cause flow of effects in the behaviour of the genes under its control. Organisms have control genes that shape how the body is laid out i.e. the Hox gene is found in humans and animals. This gene sets out where the head goes and where limbs grow. These control gene build the bodies units i.e. limbs, head etc, therefore evolving a huge change in basic body lay out can be likely by a change in the Hox gene and natural selection (Understanding Evolution, 2015). Task 2 Q5. What is the probability of a couple having a boy or a girl? Male X Y Female X X XX = Girl XY= Boy The probability of a couple having a boy is 50%, the probability of a couple having a girl is 50%. Q6 What chromosomal abnormalities occur in the inheritance of Down’s syndrome Down syndrome is a result from trisomy 21, this is where the 21st chromosome has three chromosome and not the normal 2 chromosome. Therefore the individual will have 47 chromosomes and not the normal 46 chromosome. Down syndrome is cause by chromosomal abnormalities that happens randomly in the development stage of reproductive cells within a parent. This normally happens in the egg, but can sometimes happen in the sperm. The mistake in cell division results in a reproductive cell with abnormal number of chromosome, trisomy 21. This condition brings on intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance and weak muscle tone, all individual that are effected have cognitive delay (Genetics Home Reference, 2012). Q7. Explain inheritance of a sex-linked condition with a relevant example Hemophilia A and hemophilia B are both inherited sex linked traits, where they are inherited through the X linked recessive pattern. The genes that cause this condition are in the X chromosome, which is one half of the two sex chromosomes, the other being the Y chromosome. As males only have one X chromosome, one changed copy of the gene in the cell is enough to cause this condition. As females have two X chromosomes a mutation would have to have happened in both of the copies of the genes to cause this condition. This is very rare to happen in females as both copies of genes would have to have the same mutation happened to them. Therefore it is rare for females to have hemophilia. Fathers cannot pass on the inherited X linked condition to their sons as this is one of the characteristics of X linked inheritance. Females who have this X linked recessive condition have one mutated gene are called carriers. Female’s carriers have normally half the amount of coagulation factor whi ch is enough for blood clotting. Some female’s carriers have less than half of the normal amount of coagulation factor, these carriers are at risk for abnormal bleeding (About Education, 2015). Q8. Explain the inheritance of either cystic fibrosis or phenylketonuria Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that causes respiratory failure and vitamin deficiencies. Cystic fibrosis effects the secretion of the body i.e. saliva, mucus, sweat and digestive juices. As this secretion should be thin and watery, they are thick and sticky. This causes passageways to be clogged up within the body which causes damage to the pancreas and lungs. Cystic fibrosis is caused by inheriting defected gene from both parents, known as recessive gene. Cystic fibrous cannot be inherited by the off spring, if only one parent has the gene. If the off spring has only one defective gene then they are carriers of cystic fibrosis, this means that they will have the potential to pass on the defective gene to their off spring (eHow, 2015). The off spring labelled Ff are carriers, they have one defective gene but do not have the disorder themselves. In the diagram above both parents are carriers, they have one in four chances of producing an off spring that has cystic fibrosis (Bitesize, 2014). In the diagram above one parent is a carrier, while the other is not. They will not produce an off spring with cystic fibrosis, but are able to produce off springs that are carriers (Bitesize, 2014). Q9 Describe the process of genetic screening explaining the application of DNA recombinant technology in the treatment of a named medical condition.   Genetic testing is a medical test that can indicate any changes in the chromosomes, genes and proteins. The result of genetic testing can help to confirm or reject an alleged genetic condition, disease that the individual may have suspicion of, or help verify their chances of developing and or passing on a genetic disorder to their off spring. Some of the methods of genetic testing can be of these. Molecular genetic testing, this is where the medics study a single gene or short lengths of DNA to find defectiveness or mutation that may lead to a genetic disorder. Chromosomal genetic testing, this is where a whole chromosome and or long lengths of DNA to see if there are any sizable genetic changes i.e. extra copy of chromosome. Biochemical genetic testing, this is where the activity level or the amount of proteins are studied; any abnormalities that are detected can indicate genetic disorder (Genetic Home Reference, 2015). DNA recombinant technology, is a technology that produces DNA artificially. The DNA in living organism has been changed today due to this procedure. This procedure involves taking DNA from two difference sources and merging it together for it to become one single molecule. However this only works when the artificially created DNA has been reproduced, this is known as DNA cloning. The two types of cloning that DNA recombinant technology is used for are, therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. The reproductive cloning produces an organism with the exact same genetic information from the one that already is living. This type of cloning has been done with Dolly the sheep. Dolly was the first mammal to be reproduced as a genetic copy. Therapeutic cloning, reproduces tissues and or organ and not the whole organism. Therapeutic cloning has a great deal of benefit, i.e. if an organ has cancer it can be replaced with one made from the individuals own DNA. This reduces any likely hood of organ rejection within the body when a tissue or organ transplant is preformed (Wisegeek, 2015). Q10 Discuss the moral and ethical issues raised by DNA recombinant technology Not everyone is in favour of DNA recombinant technology, as they feel that science is playing god by reproducing unnaturally organisms that are not meant to be. And that science is devaluing the uniqueness of life itself. Also that some DNA work involves destroying embryos, this angers some social activist as this death is bought on intently this could be classed as murder. However scientist, argue that the purpose of DNA recombinant technology is to benefit and save human life, and not to destroy it (Wisegeek, 2015). References The free Dictionary 2015, DNA, [online] available at http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/DNA, Last Accessed 18/05/15 The free Dictionary 2015, MRNA, [online] available at http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/mRNA, Last Accessed 18/05/15 The free Dictionary 2015, TRNA, [online] available at http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/tRNA, Last Accessed 18/05/15 WiseGeek 2015, What is Protein Synthesis, [online] available at http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-protein-synthesis.htm, Last accessed 19/05/15 Encyclopaedia Britannica 2015, Point Mutation, [online] available at http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/54744/point-mutation, Last accessed 19/05/15 Answers 2015, What is point mutation, [online] available at http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_point_mutation, Last accessed 20/05/15 Understanding Evolution 2015, The effects of Mutation, [online] available at http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/mutations_05, Last accessed 20/05/15 Genetics Home Reference 2012, Down Syndrome, [online] available at http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/down-syndrome, Last accessed 20/05/15 About Education 2015, Sex linked traits, [online] available at http://biology.about.com/od/genetics/ss/sex-linked-traits.htm, Last accessed 23/05/15 eHow 2015, How is Cystic Fibrosis Inherited, [online] available at http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5049940_cystic-fibrosis-inherited.html, Last accessed 23/05/15 Bitesize 2014, Cystic Fibrosis, [online] available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa_pre_2011/celldivision/inheritance4.shtml, Last accessed 23/05/15 Genetic Home Reference 2015, What is genetic testing, [online] available at http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing/genetictesting, Last accessed 23/05/15 WiseGeek 2015, What is Recombinant DNA Technology, [online] available at http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-recombinant-dna-technology.htm, Last accessed 23/05/15

The Most Dangerous Game Essay -- essays research papers

The Most Dangerous Game Have you ever had feelings about something that later changed? In "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Conel, I will show how one character changes his opinion about something after he has experienced it himself. Almost all of us have said "Oh that's easy" or "I could do that any day!" and then find out that the task is harder then it looked. In a summary, "The Most Dangerous Game" is a story about a man named Rainsford whom gets stranded on an island with a crazed general. This general is named General Zaroff. Rainsford was an excellent hunter who wrote many books about hunting. General Zaroff was a fan of Rainsford's books, so he immediately knew who Rainsford was when he found him. General Zaroff let Rainsford in and trea...

The Effects Of Video Game Violence On Human Aggression Essay -- Violen

Throughout a number of recent studies, participants playing violent video games have consistently shown increases in their aggressive behavior, both during and after the gameplay. A study that linked violent video games to child aggression found that in every group they tested, â€Å"Children who were exposed to more video game violence did become more aggressive over time than their peers who had less exposure† (Harding 1). An increase in aggressive behavior after playing violent video games is quite common in most cases, although many gamers would argue that other factors, such as people’s emotions, cause this negative change in behavior. This reveals numerous questions surrounding the effects that video game violence might have on a person. â€Å"Will a high degree of violent content in a video game mean that the frequent user will exhibit a greater degree of aggression and violent towards others in their daily lives?† (Janushewski & Truong 1). †Å"Playing violent video games not only causes an increase in antisocial behavior but also leads to a decrease in prosocial behavior† (Greitemeyer, Osswald 212). â€Å"Aggressive behavior is defined as intentional behavior produced to cause physical harm or humiliation to another person who wishes to avoid the harm (Baron & Richardson, 1994). Social science has come to understand aggression as mainly socially learned (Bandura, 1965; Bandura Ross, & Ross, 1961)† (Ferguson 70). â€Å"Anderson et al. (2010) found that video game violence can cause a significant increase in aggressive behavior in the short run, after playing a game once, and in the long run, after consistently playing† (Rowell 180). Increased behavioral aggression in the short run due to video game violence appears to be inevitable, ... ... 6, 2011, from http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-03/health/healthmag.violent.video.kids_1_violent-video-video-games-game-genres/2?_s=PM:HEALTH Janushewski, D, Truong, M. (1999). Video games and violence. Socserv.mcmaster.ca. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from . Jeroen, L, M.Sc., J., Bushman, &, A. Konijn. (2006). Rapid communication: The appeal of violent video games to lower educated aggressive adolescent boys from two countries. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 638-641. Rowell, H. (2010). Nailing the coffin shut on doubts that violent video games stimulate aggression: Comments on Anderson et al. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 179-181. Williams, K. (2005). The effects of frustration, violence, and trait hostility after playing a video game. Mass Communication and Society, 12, 291-310.

Suicide and Children Essay -- Children Kids Suicide Killing Essays

Suicide and Children Suicide has become much more common in children than it used to be. For children under age 15, about 1-2 out of every 100,000 children will commit suicide. For those 15-19, about 11 out of 100,000 will commit suicide. These are statistics for children in the USA. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 and the third leading cause of death for teenagers 15-19. Recent evidence suggests it is the lack of substance abuse, guns, and relationship problems in younger children which accounts for the lower suicide rates in this group. The main way children kill themselves depends on what lethal means are available and their age. In countries where guns are readily available, such as the USA, that is the usual cause of suicide. Other causes are strangling and poisoning. Suicide attempts that do not result in death are more common. In any one year, 2-6% of children will try to kill themselves. About 1% of children who try to kill themselves actually die of suicide on the first attempt. On the other hand, of those who have tried to kill themselves repeatedly, 4% succeed. About 15-50% of children who are attempting suicide have tried it before. That means that for every 300 suicide attempts, there is one completed suicide. What makes a child more likely to attempt suicide? HealthyPlace.com Video Teen Suicide: Too Young To Die Is Your Child Depressed? If a child has major depressive disorder, he or she is seven times more likely to try suicide. About 22% of depressed children will try suicide. Looking at it another way, children and teenagers who attempt suicide are 8 times more likely to have a mood disorder, three times more likely to have an anxiety disorder, and 6 times more likely to have a substance abuse problem. A family history of suicidal behavior and guns that are available also increase the risk. The vast majority (almost 90%) of children and adolescents who attempt suicide have psychiatric disorders. Over 75% have had some psychiatric contact in the last year. If a number of these are present, suicide risk needs to be carefully assessed regularly. If children are constantly dwelling on death and think being dead would be kind of nice, they are more likely to make a serious attempt. Many people have thought that the main reason that children and adolescents try to kill themselves is to ma... ...l thoughts or have made suicidal attempts have at least one, and sometimes more than one, psychiatric disorder (Read treating the chronically suicidal person). These disorders obviously need to be identified and treated. For medically serious attempts, it usually means going directly to a hospital, and then seeing a psychiatrist once the medical emergency has passed. Sometimes it means psychiatric hospitalization. For less serious attempts, it means getting seen in the next week or so. 4. Supervision If your child makes a suicide attempt or has a plan, you need to make sure they are not alone. They need to be watched until they can be carefully assessed. This may just be a matter of a day or so, or it could be longer. No one likes being watched all the time, and it is exhausting to all concerned. 5. Avoid manipulation Some people will use suicidal thoughts or attempts to get what they want or to get out of things they do not want to do. People try suicide to hurt others, to try to get back at boy or girl friends, and to get out of work or school. By keeping this possibility in mind, most parents (with a little help) can prevent suicidal behavior from becoming a habit.

Downsizing: the Financial and Human Implications Essay

This essay examines the effects of downsizing with regard to the human and financial implications. Since the mid to late 1980s, downsizing has â€Å"transformed the corporate landscape and changed the lives of hundreds of millions of individuals around the world† (Gandolfi, 2008, p. 3). For the purposes of this essay, downsizing is defined as the planned elimination of jobs, involving redundancies, and is designed to improve financial performance (Macky, 2004). It will be argued that while downsizing can be an effective strategy, it frequently does not improve financial health, and the human implications can be severe and costly. This essay will discuss: first, downsizing definitions; second, motivation for downsizing; third, a brief history of downsizing; fourth, approaches the implementation of downsizing; fifth, the human implications; sixth, the financial consequences; and, seventh, the reasons for the continued use of downsizing. There are differing perspectives regarding the downsizing phenomenon. At the most simple level, the strategy involves a planned contraction of the number of employees in an organisation (Cascio, 1993). For example, Macky (2004) describes downsizing as â€Å"an intentional reduction by management of a firm’s internal labour force using redundancies† (p. 2). However, other definitions encompass a wider range of implementation methods. Cameron (1994) defines downsizing as â€Å"a set of activities, undertaken on the part of the management of an organisation and designed to improve organisational efficiency, productivity, and/or competitiveness† (p. 192). These activities include hiring freezes, salary reductions, voluntary sabbaticals, exit incentives and reducing hours worked by employees. This essay will focus solely on the downsizing activity of redundancies. Various synonyms exist for downsizing, including resizing, rightsizing, smartsizing, restructuring, redundancies and reduction-in-force (Gandolfi, 2010; Macky, 2004). The main motivation for downsizing, at least for private companies, is to improve an organisation’s financial performance, which is also known as profit maximisation (Kammeyer, Liao & Avery, 2001). The factors contributing to downsizing decisions are complex and depend on company-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors (Macky, 2004). In hard times, downsizing is a strategy that may be employed as a quick-fix, reactive response to compensate for reduced profit by reducing human related operational costs (Kowske, Lundby & Rasch, 2009; Ryan & Macky, 1998). In healthy times, the workforce may be reduced as part of a proactive human resource strategy to create a ‘lean and mean’ organisation (Chadwick, Hunter & Watson, 2004; Kowske et al. , 2009). An overwhelming body of academic research suggests that downsizing has surprisingly little success in increasing profitability and shareholder value, even though financial performance is its main intention (Cascio, 2002; De Meuse, Bergmann, Vanderheiden & Roraff, 2004; Lewin & Johnston, 2000). Despite the limited financial success of downsizing, it has remained a popular strategic tool with its use spanning the last three decades. Prior to the 1980s, downsizing was engaged primarily as a last resort, reactive response to changing manufacturing demands. It affected mostly blue-collar, semi-skilled employees (Littler, 1997). In contrast, since the 1980s, workforce reduction has become a leading strategy of choice, affecting employees at all levels, all around the globe (Mirabal & DeYoung, 2005, as cited in Gandolfi, 2008), within a wide variety of organisations encompassing all industries (Littler, 1998; Macky, 2004). Karake-Shalhoub (1999) suggests that downsizing has been the most significant business change of the 1980s. Downsizing increased in popularity during the 1990s, which has subsequently been described as the ‘downsizing decade’ (Dolan, Belout & Balkin, 2000). It has evolved from a reactive strategy in the 1980s, to become used as a proactive strategy. During the 1990s, large scale redundancy programs were viewed as the solution to the issues facing organisations such as AT&T, IBM, General Motors and British Telecom (Kinnie, Hutchinson & Purcell, 1998). The statistics are sobering, Cameron (1994) reported that 85% of Fortune 500 companies were downsized between 1989 and 1994, and 100% were planning to do so within the next five years. Furthermore, figures from the most recent global financial crisis demonstrate that downsizing remains a tool of choice. Rampell (2009) reported in the New York Times that 4. 4 million jobs, in the U. S. alone, were retrenched between September 2007 and March 2009. Two main approaches to the implementation of downsizing are currently employed. The first approach is popularly termed stealth layoffs and the second is referred to as non-selective layoffs (Gandolfi, 2009). Organisations have commonly employed both stealth layoffs and non-selective layoffs during the recent global financial crisis. Stealth layoffs involve an attempt to keep redundancies out of media attention, by making a series of small cuts rather than one large cut. Companies endeavour to save their public reputation from being tainted by their downsizing activities. Managers are not allowed to openly discuss redundancies and a blanket of secrecy is placed over all proceedings, employees are not informed of timing or extent of redundancies (Crosman, 2006). Mc Gregor (2008) reported a wave of people slowly trickling out of organisations. Citigroup provides one example of stealth downsizing. Story & Dash (2008) reported that in April 2007 the company announced elimination of 17,000 jobs. Then in January 2008 Citigroup announced a further 4,200 job cuts, followed by an additional 8,700 in April 2008 (Story & Dash, 2008). Non-selective downsizing involves mass redundancies, across all levels of an organisation. This is problematic because firms are at risk of losing their top performers who are difficult to replace. These are the people that will be required to drive future growth of the firm following the downsizing event. There is plenty of evidence of non-selective downsizing over the current global recession, for instance the finance industry has been deeply affected with U. S. anks making cuts of 65,000 employees between June 2007 and June 2008 (Story & Dash, 2008). Regarding the human implications of downsizing, the literature identifies three groups of people directly affected: the victims, the survivors, and the executioners. Academic studies refer to the victims of downsizing as the individuals who have been involuntarily removed from their positions (Casio, 1993; Dolan et al. , 2000; Gandolfi, 2008; Macky, 2004). The negative effects on victims of downsizing events can be devastating (Havlovick, Bouthillette & van der Wal, 1998). Previously, being well trained was sufficient to ensure a life-long job. However, the increasing competitiveness of the business environment has meant that recent layoffs have included higher paid white-collar workers, many of whom are at the peak of their careers. Victims are affected initially during the planning phase of the downsizing, then immediately following the redundancy announcement, and then in their subsequent employment. During the planning phase of downsizing, the threat of redundancies can subject employees to a number of emotional stresses. The stresses do not only embrace the immediate threat of redundancies, but also the prospect of demotion, and redundancies in the ong term. Evidence suggests that, as expected, such stresses have negative psychological impacts. For example, Catalano, Rook and Dooley (1986) in their interviews of 3,850 principle-wage earners in Los Angeles, found that that a decrease in job security increased the number of medical consultations for psychological distress. Likewise, Roskies and Louis-Guerin (1990) found in their survey of 1,291 Canadian managers, that managers who were insecure about their jobs showed poorer health than those who were secure, and the manager’s level of distress rose proportionally with their degree of insecurity. Following the redundancy announcement, there is strong evidence that victims suffer from adverse effects as a result of their job losses. These adverse effects include psychological stress, ill health, family problems, marital problems, helplessness, reduced self esteem, anxiety, depression, psychiatric morbidity, and feelings of social isolation (Greenglass & Burke, 2001). In particular, the affected individuals suffer from the loss of established social relationships and threats to their social identity (Macky, 2004). Greenglass and Burke (2001) also explain that the effects can vary greatly from person to person. The extent of personal damage is attributed to the individual’s resources of coping strategies, self-efficacy and social support. Evidence shows that the retrenched employees are able to respond in a more constructive manner depending on the extent to which they view the downsizing process as procedurally fair. Brokner, Konovsky, Cooper-Schneider, Folger, Martin and Bies (1994) found that employees remaining in their positions for up to three months after the announcement of their redundancy continued to exhibit positive work behaviours if the downsizing process was viewed as fair and transparent. There is evidence that subsequent employment opportunities are also affected by the victim’s previous redundancy experiences, including a change in their attitude towards the workplace. Macky (2004) provided evidence that the effects of redundancies flow onto the individual’s next position, resulting in decreased levels of commitment and loyalty. Dolan et al. (2000) also showed that there is some evidence that job loss created through redundancies may create lasting damage to the victim’s career. Similarly, Konovsky and Brockner (1993) found that individuals report a loss of earning power in their subsequent employment. On the other hand, Devine, Reay, Stainton and Collins–Nakai (2003), argue that victims who gain new employment have a greater sense of control and appear to be in a better position than those who were not retrenched. Noer (2009) suggests that negative impacts on victims are lessened by the various support packages for displaced employees that are paid for by the organisation, such as redundancy payments, career counselling and out-placement service. The second group of employees affected by downsizing are the survivors. The survivors are the employees who have remained with the firm after the redundancies have taken place (Littler, 1998). The survivors are important to the firm because they play a pivotal role in the effectiveness of the downsizing operation and the ongoing success of the organisation. The expertise and motivation of survivors is required to keep the firm moving forward following redundancies. However, surviving employees are left with increased pressures. These pressures include: larger workloads (Dolan at al. 2000), because survivors must take on the work of retrenched employees; as well as new and increased job responsibilities (Lewin & Johnston, 2000), as a result of key skills leaving the organisation. In addition to the increased work pressures, survivors must deal with profound and negative psychological responses. Gandolfi (2008) identifies three sets of the emotions, behaviours and attitudes exhibited b y surviving employees, which are commonly termed ‘sicknesses’ in literature (Applebaum, Delage, Labibb & Gault, 1997; Kowske at al. , 2009). The emergence of these sicknesses following a downsizing event is referred to as the ‘aftermath’ (Clark & Koonce, 1995) or the ‘downside’ (Cascio, 1993) of downsizing. The sicknesses identified are: survivor syndrome, survivor guilt and survivor envy. Kinnie et al. (1998) characterises survivor syndrome as encompassing a variety of psychological states in survivors, including heightened levels of stress, absenteeism and distrust, and as well as decreased levels of productivity, morale and work quality. Cascio (2002) portrays survivor syndrome in a similar way to Kinnie et al. 1998), showing decreased: levels of employee involvement, morale, work productivity and trust towards management. These mental states have a strong influence on the survivor’s work behaviour and attitudes, such as motivation, commitment, satisfaction and job performance (Applebaum et al. , 1997; Littler, Dunford, Bramble & Hede, 1997). The second sickness, survivor guilt, is a fe eling of responsibility or remorse as employees contemplate why their colleagues were retrenched instead of themselves. It is frequently expressed as fear, anger and depression (Noer, 2009). Survivor guilt can be particularly prevalent when survivors perceive that their work performance was no better than that of the downsized victims (Littler et al. , 1997). In this case, employees can reason that there is no benefit in performing if performance is not a criterion for job survival (Appelbaum, et al. , 1997). Appelbaum and colleagues argue that survivor guilt is heavily influenced by the manner in which the downsizing is perceived to be performed and the fairness of the decision making processes. Survivors of downsizing can also be plagued by a third sickness, survivor envy. This reflects the survivors’ envy of the victims in terms of presumed retirement packages, financially lucrative incentives, and new jobs with more attractive compensation (Kinnie et al. , 1998). For example, employees may feel that their retrenched ex-colleagues received redundancy pay outs; and have found new jobs they like, while the surviving employee must work twice as hard, and moreover, for the same pay. Kammeyer-Meuller, Liao and Avery (2001) hypothesise that survivors envy is dependent on the closeness of the relationship with the survivor. Brokner (1987) found that when survivors have little proximity to the victims, increases in redundancy payouts result in decreased self-reported performance. On the other hand, the study shows when survivors identify with the victims, increases in redundancy payouts increased self reported performance. Despite the stresses facing survivors, research shows that the needs of the survivors are frequently neglected by downsized firms (Applebaum et al. , 1997; Devine et al. , 2003; Gandolfi, 2006). According to Applebaum et al. 1997), the negative effects on the survivors are under-estimated and organisations fail to take into account the difficulties of motivating a surviving workforce that is emotionally damaged because it has watched others lose their jobs. It is important for organisations to pay more attention to the survivors in order to support their financial health. Carswell (2002), in a New Zealand empirical study, established that the companies that based redundancy on fair pra ctices, and provided better out-placement for the victims, performed better financially than those that did not use such procedures. Kowske et al. (2009) reviewed survivor engagement during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis and provided further valuable insights. Using the Keneya’s Employment Engagement Index and a sample size of 9,998 U. S. employees, it was determined that employee engagement was significantly lower if redundancies had occurred within the previous 12 months. Kowske et al. (2009) found that although organisations were able to cut human resource costs, they are more likely to have a portion of their workforce disengaged – fertile ground for the symptoms that accompany survivor sickness. An example of a lack of insight regarding survivor sickness was demonstrated in the downsizing of the Deloitte (New Zealand) Enterprise Risk Management Team, in May 2008 (personal information). The first problem was that just two weeks prior to the redundancy announcement, a statement was made by one of the partners to the team, stating that no-one should be concerned about their jobs. Another problem was that the downsizing process was not transparent and no employee below partner level was involved in the consultation. Not only wew the staff made redundant effected, but also the surviving employees who exhibited traditional symptoms of survivor sicknesses: feelings of distrust, anger and low moral due to their perceived unfairness of the decision process. The result of this survivor sickness was that, by the end of the following year, the entire senior management team had voluntarily left the firm, taking with them valuable skills and experience. Such attrition is consistent with Trevor and Nyberg’s (2008) findings that voluntary turnover rates increased within 24 months following the downsizing event. It is clear that management must pay more attention to survivors in order to minimise survivor syndromes. The literature highlights four key improvements to current downsizing methods, in order to minimize survivor syndromes. Firstly, a detailed strategy must be devised, this is because planning has been identified as a pivotal issue in the success of downsizing (Applebaum et al. , 1997; Gandolfi, 2008). The strategic plan should establish how the survivors will be taken care of during the downsizing process (Gandolfi, 2009). This includes giving survivors access to honest, timely and unbiased information (Dolan et al. , 2000) as well as access to counselling, support and help (Allen, 1997). Second, training must be improved as it is identified as key tool to combat survivor sickness (Dolan et al. , 2000; Farrell & Mavondo, 2004; Makawatsakul & Kleiner, 2003). The retrenched individuals often leave with key skills that must be taught to the surviving employees. Third, managers are recommended to communicate the long term business strategy to the surviving employees, n order to create a shared vision for the future of the firm (Cobb, Wooten & Folger, 1995). Last, fairness in the way the redundancies are selected and implemented including open communication lines are valuable to support trust within the organisation (Hopkins & Weathington, 2006). For example, retirement programs are viewed as more fair downsizing methods by survivors and lead to increased commitment (De Witt, Trevio & Mollica, 1998). Execut ioners are the group of survivors that form the third category of people affected by downsizing. Executioners are the individuals entrusted to plan, carry out and evaluate the downsizing (Gandolfi, 2009). Other synonyms for executioners include ‘downsizing agents’ (Clair & Dufresne, 2004) and ‘downsizers’ (Burke, 1998). The effects on such personnel are important because downsizers are commonly employees and managers, who can have a large impact on the success of the change. This is because the executioners have power to influence employees and power to employ tools and techniques to minimise harm. Although they are a category of survivors, the executioners experience differs to that of the survivors because of their heavy responsibilities, in executing the downsizing, managing relationships with the retrenched individuals as well as supporting the survivors. Gandolfi (2007) is one of the few academics to offer some insight around the experiences of the executioners using empirical research. Gandolfi interviewed 20 executioners from a major Australian trading bank and identified four key themes from their responses. The first was the very negative emotional responses and reactions from the executioners, including the difficulty and complexity the executioners had in selecting the downsizing victims. Second, Gandolfi also identified coping strategies, including the executioners distancing themselves from the task physically, cognitively and emotionally in order to preserve their own emotional well-being. In further research, it would be interesting to explore the relationship between the implementation of coping strategies and the effectiveness of the downsizing operation. Third, Gandolfi found that executioners with more experience reported a lesser degree of emotional distress. This is in line with Clair and Dufresne (2004) who suggest coping behaviours are learned with experience. Fourth, Gandolfi identified that the closeness of the relationship with the victims is also important in that the layoffs were more taxing when the executioner had developed personal ties with the victims. Another aspect of the executioner’s experience is their handling of the currently employed downsizing methods of stealth layoffs and across the board cuts. Executioners have reported that they are uncomfortable with the degree of secrecy involved with stealth downsizing (Gandolfi, 2009). For example, executioners have reported instances causing internal conflict when they have had to lie to employees (Gandolfi, 2009). In the case of across the board cuts, executioners often find it difficult of rationalize the unfairness of the choices and question their rights to be playing god with the individuals involved. The significant negative impacts on the executioners highlight the need for firms to provide adequate training and emotional support for the executioners (Gandolfi, 2009). Although more research is required in this area, it is apparent training should at least raise awareness of the range of emotions that executioners may experience, and include tools and techniques to cope with the emotions involved with carrying out the task. Clair and Dufrense (2004) suggest that throughout the process of downsizing, firms should make available to managers social forums, employee assistance programs and social support groups. The profound human consequences on the survivors and the executioners are interlinked with the financial consequences. Literature has identified that the human consequences of downsizing play a large role in the financial success of the downsizing operation (Carswell, 2002; Devine et al. , 2003; Gadolfi, 2008). The financial success of the strategy is particularly important to shareholders and to external bodies such as suppliers, distributers and allied organisations (Kammeyer-Mueller, 2001). A large and growing body of literature has investigated and measured the financial success of carrying out downsizing, and found that most organisations do not improve their financial performance after downsizing (Applebaum, et al. 1997; Cascio, Young & Morris, 1997; De Meuse et al. , 2004). The research around financial performance following a downsizing event focuses on tangible measurements of financial performance, such as examining changes in profit, share price and return on investment, before and after the downsizing event. However, it is noted that some companies do improve their financial performance by using downsizing as a strategy. Griggs and Hyland (2003) surveyed 1,005 U. S. organisations and found that of the respondents, 46% of companies able to decrease costs, 33% were able to ncrease profitability and 21% were able to report satisfactory improvements on return on investment. Only 46% of firms reduced costs due to poor planning, and this was because, in four times out of five, managers ended up replacing the very positions they made redundant (Griggs & Hyland, 2003). Wayhan and Werner’s (2000) findings contradict most downsizing research, in their examination of the largest 250 U. S. companies which had reduced their workforce by at least three percent during the period 1991-1992. These researches measured changes in stock prices and they showed that, in the short term, downsized companies significantly financially outperformed companies that did not downsize. However, it should be noted that Wayhan and Werner’s (2000) study uses a different technique, in that they treat time as a moderator of the affects. The rationale behind this is that other influences on the firm’s stock price will become more important than the influence of the downsizing event, as the time from the downsizing event increases. When Wayhan and Werner’s study was repeated using typical techniques (not using time as a moderator), the results were more in line with other research, showing small decreases in relevant financial measures. Sahdev (2003), Zyglidopoulos (2003) and Macky (2004) are among numerous researches showing that while a small number of organisations have reported improved financial performance, the majority were unable to account improved levels of effectiveness, productivity, efficiency and profitability in the short term. A typical example is Cascio, Young and Morris’s (1997) study of 537 companies listed on the S&P 500 between 1980 and 1994. After comparing average companies in the same industry, and controlling for firm effects, they discovered no evidence that downsized firms could subsequently increase profits or share price over a period of two years subsequent to the downsizing event. This is in line with evidence from New Zealand (Carswell, 2002). Furthermore, Cascio et al. (1997) found that downsized firms were outperformed in the short term by those companies that increased their workforce and also companies with stable employment. This study was limited by focusing only on extreme reductions of 10% or more. The long-term implications of downsizing on financial performance were investigated by De Meuse et al. (2004) in a more recent U. S. study. Using U. S. Fortune 500 companies, De Meuse and colleagues look at a period of nine years following the redundancy announcement, from 1989 to 1998. De Meuse et al. found that in the first two years following the announcement the financial performance of the firm’s decreased, in line with Cascio et at. (1997). However, at the beginning of three years after the downsizing announcement, De Meuse et al. found no significant underperformance of the downsized firms. Unfortunately, most studies provide little empirical evidence regarding why in some cases downsizing produces positive financial results, and in other cases it does not. This is because downsizing tends to be treated as a binary variable in research, that is, firms either downsize or they do not (Kammeyer-Muller, Liao & Arvey, 2001). However, it is apparent that not all downsizing efforts are the same. The following factors are likely to have an effect on the financial performance of the firm subsequent post-downsizing announcement: the type of reduction strategy employed (for example, across the board cuts, stealth layoffs, or more gradual procedures); the persistence of survivor syndromes; the logistics of downsizing (for example the size and frequency); and, the reasons behind the decision to downsizing. The lack of research in this area provides opportunities for researchers to further explore the downsizing phenomenon. The prevalence of evidence surrounding impaired financial performance following downsizing events introduces a paradox: why is the practice continuing to be engaged despite its lack of success? Cynics suggest that downsizing can be carried out in order to boost the egos of top managers at the expense of the organisation (e. g. Anderson & Cavanagh, 1994; Budros, 1999). Other explanations include the tendency of management to inaccurately anticipate costs involved. Downsizing generates direct and indirect costs, and it is the hidden (indirect) costs that are frequently underestimated by management (Gandolfi, 2008). Direct costs are less complicated to estimate and include severance pay, accrued holiday pay and administrative processing costs. Hidden costs include recruitment and employment costs of new hires, costs of replacing staff with expensive consultants, lost sales due to insufficient staffing, training and retraining, and costs of reduced productivity as a result of survivor syndromes (Cascio, 1993). For example Gandolfi (2001) reported that a European company (unnamed for privacy reasons) incurred an increase of 40% in recruitment, and a 30% increase in training and development costs for new employees, following its controversial downsizing. In order for downsizing to be engaged as an effective strategic tool, it is clear that the benefits of reducing staff must outweigh all the costs. It has become clear that management must consider very carefully whether downsizing is appropriate for their firm, and they need to pay careful attention to the hidden costs. According to Allen (1997) the key to successful downsizing is to focus on the people who make up the organisation. Literature has provided management with guidelines to minimise costs and harm. For the survivors, this includes minimising survivor symptoms through planning of the downsizing operation, training of the surviving staff, and using open communication and fairness in carrying out the redundancies. For the executioners this includes providing them with training. This essay has identified and discussed the effects of downsizing with regard to both the human and financial implications. It has been demonstrated that the human implications of downsizing can be sever and downsizing frequently fails at meeting its objectives of improving financial performance. First, the profound negative consequences of downsizing on the victims, the survivors and the executioners have been outlined. Next, the empirical evidence concerning the financial consequences has been summarised. Gaps have been identified in downsizing literature. Two areas of downsizing that could well be further explored include the experience of the executioners and the characteristics of downsizing operations that result in successful financial outcomes. The recent prevalence of downsizing activities over the latest financial crisis suggests that downsizing is a phenomenon worth exploring into the future.