The Theme of Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s Poems

The Fall of the House of usher† is presented through the narrator's lens as he helps out a friend whose whole life has been permeated with death. Lastly, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a story of death with a motive. The leading character commits the murder of a prideful man who is hooked to the pleasure of drinking wine. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a story that revolves around the terror and death of both Redbrick and his sister, Madeline Usher.As Redbrick Usher becomes mentally unstable and falls into a state of depression, he sends a letter to his long lost friend, asking him to come for a stay. The mood of the story is full of unrelieved gloom as Redbrick Usher undergoes a struggle between the will to live and the will to die. Usher has no will to live and tells the narrator/his friend â€Å"l shall perish, I must perish in this deplorable folly† (Poe 5). This suggests his fixation on the horror of death, as Usher fears not death, Itself , or the end of life, but rather death while still oppressed by his â€Å"phantasmagoria† fears (Goodwin 174). Sheer â€Å"†¦. Dreads the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results†; he continues to say, â€Å"l feel that he period will arrive when I must abandon life and reason together in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR† (Poe 5). Usher is overwhelmed by the despair and darkness of death – he is convinced of the inevitability of his fast approaching death. He has such a morbid attitude, as things that would normally bring others happiness do not please him.The narrator, says early on that usher's mental condition â€Å"displayed Itself In a host of unnatural sensations†; he then goes on to add that â€Å"he suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was lone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the doors of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with horror† (Poe 3).Because Usher is surrounded by a characteristically gothic environment, Isolated and depressing, this contributes to his fascination and obsession with death. Throughout the story, usher's friend tries to keep his distance from this dread and misery, but he cannot seem to break away since he is staying in the dull and gloomy house. Gradually, Usher's troubled mental condition worsens and he becomes so hysterical that he is not accurately perceiving his surroundings. He seems almost ghost-like because he is removed so much from life and reality; he Is unstable and his mind Is warped by his morbid attitudes and disposition.Redbrick Usher† shows readers a portrait of a man whose morbid fascinations ultimately prompt dangerous and self-destructive actions. As Usher's sister decays, he realizes he will be the last Usher. While many mig ht despair in facing this reality, Usher takes pride in being the last of his family and glossaries his death. Usher says that â€Å"her decease would leave him the last of the ancient race of the Ushers†- which explains the worsening of his mental condition because he will have no family left and will feel more lonely and isolated (Poe 5).Because Usher tends to exacerbate things that are not as bad as they are, he becomes so wrapped up in death that he responds to a death that has not happened yet. The fact that Usher entombs his own sister alive and is not immediately aware of it, confirms his obsession with the gloom of death. Usher is either preparing for, worrying about, or becoming excited with death- his orbit fascinations are so disturbing. (Walker 586). Redbrick's friend attempts to try to preserve himself from the doom of Usher, but finds it hard to not become trapped in this terror. The Fall of the House of Usher† concerns the total disintegration of Redbrick Usher as he willingly enters into a gloomy world by remaining in such a miserable environment. Usher experiences a mental disorder that oppresses him, leaves him deranged, and causes his frequent moods of ‘mad hilarity (Walker 590). Redbrick is not killed by his sister, but is literally terrified to death by his environment and his distorted imagination. He is beyond saving, as the narrator quickly discovers.He collapses into the melancholy which ultimately causes his destruction. â€Å"William Wilson† is a challenging read. In this work Poe confronts death, but not in the literal sense, as in some of his other works. â€Å"William Wilson† is a story where a self-willed, intelligent, and bold man comes across another man who seems to embody the exact form of himself. Through this short story, the audience questions whether the other William Wilson is only a conscience and does not tangibly exist, or whether he is a real human that knows too much.William Willow's â€Å"follower† has a disposition dissimilar to Wilson- he is quiet, has no flaws, and only communicates through whispers, and unlike the other boys at the school he is not charmed by William Willow's intelligence and wealth. Although Wilson is scared of and threatened by his follower (because of his omnipresence and unlimited knowledge), he is also awed and fascinated by him. Death in â€Å"William Wilson† is not necessarily literal; rather, it takes place throughout the entire story.Willow's doppelgà ¤nger is constantly trying to kill the side of William Wilson that has no concern for anyone else- the boastful and elfish side. William Wilson is, in a way, killing off his own goodness by refusing to listen to the wisdom of his doppelgà ¤nger; by the end of the story, Wilson is beyond salvation and has become dead to others around him. Many readers and critics question the true existence of the doppelgà ¤nger due to the fact that his mockery and sarcastic comments are only made in private through whispers. William Wilson is disgusted by these comments because he does not want his reputation to be tarnished.Willow's doppelgà ¤nger seems to be satisfied with the sting he inflicts, but William Wilson is hurting on the inside while trying not to question his own actions. He despises his doppelgà ¤nger because he knows he is doing something wrong but does not want to acknowledge it- he wants to pretend that everything he does is right and true. William Willow's doppelgà ¤nger, through his insights, gradually makes him tells Wilson, his avowed antagonist, â€Å"†¦ And in my death, see by this image, which is thing own, how utterly thou hast murdered thyself† (Poe 10).Here, Willow's doppelgà ¤nger tells Wilson that he has left the better part of himself and that, essentially, he is now dead also. Willow's doppelgà ¤nger is saying that if Wilson had listened to him, he might have been a better person. All along Wilson has been both t hreatened and fascinated by this doppelgà ¤nger because his wisdom is far keener and better than his own. His doppelgà ¤nger kills Willow's name, schemes, and pride- he has made Wilson feel horrible because he is the first â€Å"person† to really expose his substantial character flaws.In one of the last scenes, where Wilson is gambling with a very rich man and swindles him, his reputation is destroyed and his deceiving tricks are revealed. This scene is where Willow's doppelgà ¤nger finally takes action instead of merely whispering. He makes it known that William is a â€Å"cheat. † The doppelgà ¤ngers exposure of Willow's trickery is the pinnacle of what he has been trying to do all along. Willow's doppelgà ¤nger represents the happier and better part of William Wilson, and in the end out of fear and paranoia, Wilson kills off this â€Å"side† of himself, or his conscience.William Wilson, like all people, has to constantly choose between right and wrong. E ven with the lingering specter of his doppelgà ¤nger urging him to do right, Wilson manages to triumph over the forces of good acting on him. When Wilson kills his doppelgà ¤nger, he dooms himself to a life of â€Å"turpitude† (Sullivan 254). The theme of death in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, by contrast, is literal. The story is a confession of a man, Mentors, who has committed the horrible crime of murder. Mentors lures his â€Å"friend,† Fortunate, into his family vaults, where he then fetters him to the wall and bricks him in.In this short story, the reader is perplexed by the seeming absence of a motive for this crime. It seems obvious that Mentors is insane, and his reasons for killing Fortunate are questionable. Mentors elaborates on his sophisticated philosophy of revenge: â€Å"l must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is undressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unrepressed when the avenger fails to make hi mself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe 1).While many would suspect Mentors feels guilty about his killing after he says â€Å"my heart grew sick†, he is actually stating his satisfaction over his monstrous deed: â€Å"†¦. On account of the dampness of the catacombs† (Poe 7). Mentors is fully capable of going through with all this violence and neither expressing nor experiencing any remorse. Not only does Mentors feel no guilt about his murder, but he perceives his murder of Fortunate as a successful and Justified act of vengeance and punishment rather than a crime (Barbara 49).The death in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is clearly murder, as Mentors expertly plans his devious actions of capturing Fortunate and killing him in his family vaults. Mentors presents himself as a person with the right to condemn Fortunate to death- he plans his murder as an act of retribution. Although Mentors claims Fortunate death is sought from revenge, th e insults Fortunate causes are never revealed to the audience. Clearly, Mentor's actions are irrational, extreme, and therefore he is mad.He is an extremely violent and insane person who is looking forward to the murder of his â€Å"friend. † Mentors is not an active participant in the life of local aristocracy- he seemed to be a recluse. The fact that was more powerful than Mentors (Poe 1). Fortunate death had to come from feelings of Jealously and inferiority. But Mentors felt, being a descendant of a powerful aristocratic family, he could not possibly let Fortunate insult him with impunity (Barbara 52). The murder of Fortunate is looked forward to and is deliberate and calculated, as Mentors wants to kill him.He is able to easily face the toll, of committing the gruesome act that comes upon him. The death in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is eagerly sought as Fortunate murder is premeditated and arranged and is later felt with no pity. The fact that Mentors feels no remorse after the death proves that he is an insane man and was fully capable of pursuing his plan. From losing his parents; becoming orphaned and adopted; and going through periods of fife where he struggled to both find and deal with losing love, it is obvious that Edgar Allan Poe experienced much suffering.Death was a common reality for him. Pope's three works, â€Å"William Wilson,† â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† all express different aspects of death. The tale of Redbrick Usher is one of â€Å"dramatic intensity, psychological subtlety, and symbolic complexity' (Kennedy 42). The deaths in the story are due to unrelieved gloom and morbid attitudes. In â€Å"William Wilson,† death is a mystery, as readers will never know whether William Wilson kills is actual self or a grim conscience who forces Wilson to question his immoral actions.Lastly, death in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a plotted manslau ghter where the murderer is violent and vengeful. Although the treatments of death are diverse among these short stories, they all share characters, including Redbrick Usher, William Wilson, and Mentors, that are mentally unstable. These three stories deal with mental instability, self-destruction, and murder which all lead to death, inevitably. In conclusion, we can stem these forms of death from Edgar Allan Pope's life and experiences, as he lived through much loss.

Global Political Economy Essay

Sustainable development is defined as development that allows us to meet our current needs without destroying the means of livelihood of future generations. There are three basic elements of sustainable development: (1) economic growth; (2) social development; and (3) environmental protection. Undoubtedly, all of these elements concern our world as a whole. Thus, it is essential to acknowledge that the health of the planet is synonymous with the health of the living beings that occupy it. Protecting the health of the planet is the mutual responsibility of all citizens of the world. Since the planet is limited with respect to its size and resources, it is a sure responsibility of all governments of the world to collectively ensure that all citizens of the globe have somewhat equal if not absolutely equal access to its resources. There are countless ways to distribute essential resources relatively equally. What is required apparently is more practice than preaching; that is, governments must be diligently finding ways to overcome global economic and environmental problems, and acting on proposed solutions. There are plenty of global issues requiring immediate outcomes and solutions. It would be wise to answer their call with immediate action. The Wal-Mart Effect: How Wal-Mart Affects the Economy Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the world’s largest retailer, able to force its small competitors to shut down business as well as drive down wages. On a positive note, the retailer helps to keep down prices or inflation, and productivity at a high level. Wal-Mart sells goods at unbeatable prices. It thus â€Å"strikes fear into the establishment of every new industry it considers entering (Shaw et al. ). † Presently, Wal-Mart is expressing its desire to enter the banking industry in the United States. However, the banking industry is thoroughly intimidated by the kind of competition it would have to deal with. Wal-Mart is certain to be of financial service to the low-income consumer – if it does enter the banking industry in the United States, full-fledged. At least one-fifth of Wal-Mart consumers are low-income families that cannot afford to pay the high prices charged by most consumer banks and financial organizations in the United States (Weston). Hence, many low-income families do not have bank accounts in the country. Wal-Mart would like to change that, by offering unbeatable prices in the banking sector as well (Zellner). Whether the retailer has a greater positive or negative impact on the economy is, therefore, debatable. Is Capitalism Good for the Poor? A large number of people around the world are of the opinion that capitalists make profits at the expense of the poor. Others believe that capitalists provide jobs to the poor, thereby raising their standards of living. In early September, 2006, a toxic waste dumping scandal of truly globalized proportions came to light in the Ivory Coast. The Probo-Koala, a tanker chartered by the London-based shipping company, Tranfigura, set off from Amsterdam carrying four hundred metric tons of petrochemical waste to dump in Abidjan, the port city of the Ivory Coast (Vidal; â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker Impounded by Estonia†). Tranfigura informed the Amsterdam Port Services that the waste was absolutely â€Å"conventional (Vidal). † However, it was later discovered that the waste contained hydrogen sulfide, which happens to be a poisonous gas, smelling as rotten eggs (â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker†). At least ten people lost their lives in the weeks immediately following the incident in the Ivory Coast (Vidal). Moreover, seventy five thousand people are known to have sought medical treatment with complaints of nausea, nose bleeds, breathlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, skin damage, headaches, and swollen stomachs (Vidal; â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker†). This incident was recognized as an illustration of the growth of capitalism at the expense of the Third World, regardless of the fact that capitalists provide jobs to the poor and develop their economies in the process. Works Cited â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker Impounded by Estonia. † Environmental News Service. 28 Sep 2006. 13 Nov 2007. . Shaw, Hollie, and Carrie Tait. â€Å"Wal-Mart eyes banking: Financial services in Canada: It’s a way to strengthen ties with its customers: analyst. † CanWest Interactive. 31 October 2006. 13 Nov 2007. . Vidal, J. â€Å"UK Class Action Starts Over Toxic Waste Dumped in Africa. † Guardian Unlimited. 8 Jan 2007. 13 Nov 2007. . Weston, Liz Pulliam. â€Å"National Bank of Wal-Mart? † MSN Money. 2007. 13 Nov 2007. . Zellner, Wendy. â€Å"Wal-Mart: Your New Banker? – Wal-Mart Can’t Be Or Own A Full-Fledged Bank – Yet – But Its Partnerships And In-Store Financial Services Are Giving The Industry Jitters. † Business Week. 7 February 2005.

Bid Taxi for Business Administration and Management

In spite of the fact that passage confinements are regularly advocated on value grounds, there is no proof that drivers charge better in limited markets. Again, higher costs and lower accessibility irregularly influence low salary buyers of bid taxi administrations. Change of the bid taxi business has regularly been contradicted because it is probably going to diminish the salaries of drivers, which are often low where they are not themselves proprietors of bid taxicab licenses (Wen, 2017). Specifically, the industry supposedly suffers recurrent decrease, while the quantity of accessible cab drivers tends to ascend in monetarily less great circumstances. Nonetheless, there is no proof to propose that cab driver livelihoods are higher in business sectors with prohibitive passage conditions. Or maybe, the monopoly leases that accumulate because of these limitations give off an impression of being appropriated exclusively by permit proprietors. For instance, Melbourne has taxi licenses esteemed at nearly A$600,000, and driver livelihoods evaluated at A$8 - 10 every hour (Graells, 2017). In this way, passage limitations have all the earmarks of being inadequate methods for defending driver salaries (Chen, 2018). All the more imperatively, rivalry strategy does not, for the most part, acknowledge the suggestion that section to an industry ought to be obliged with a specific end goal to ensure the pay position of occupants, while there is no critical reason for belligerence that the taxi business constitutes an u mon case in such manner. By differentiating, confining passage to the taxi business causes outstanding value issues: low salary bunches are lopsidedly clients of taxi administrations. The effects of passage limitations in expanding cost and lessening accessibility is in this way very backward in its purchaser affect poor buyers are harmed more by section confinements than rich ones. Expanding quantities of OECD nations have evacuated supply confinements on Bid taxis. The ou es of these changes have been unequivocally positive, with decreased holding up times, extended customer fulfillment and, by and large, falling costs being watched. Emulating the undeniably far-reaching acknowledgment of the misfortunes to monetary welfare and purchasers es about because of confinements on the supply of cabs, a few OECD nations have attempted significant changes to taxi control which include the expulsion or generous decrease in the degree of passage limitations (Chen, 2018). These nations incorporate New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Where taxi supply has already been vigorously confined, and these limitations were expelled, significant increments in taxi supply have been experienced. All in all, the degree of a section of the business has overwhelmed the levels anticipated preceding deregulation where endeavor to gauge real request were m ade. Also, these higher taxi numbers have by and large been supported in the medium term (Deng, 2015). Post-change confirms for the most part shows firmly positive ou es estimated against scope of criteria (Speta, 2016). Generously expanded taxi numbers mean client holding up times tend to fall significantly, while consumer loyalty levels have additionally considerably progressed. Value levels have regularly dropped after the change; however, this has not been the situation. Now and again, static or expanding costs, post-change, may reflect directed values being set misleadingly low in the pre-change condition. Also, if charges are not addressed there is a high probability, even under open passage conditions, that makers will have the capacity to practice a level of imposing business model, evaluating power because of market blemishes existing, in the rank and hail markets. Some value direction should, along these lines, be kept up even where changes have prompted an open section administrative condition. It may appear as most extreme value control or may constitute lighter-gave types of direction. Value control courses of action may likewise separate between the rank and hail markets and the pre-booked market, given buyers' more grounded relative position in the last mentioned. In insufficient taxi markets, prompt execution of an open passage arrangement is probably going to be politically testing. In any case, embracing arranged methodologies defers the a plishment of change advantages and stances significant down to earth chances that change will be slowed down or switched. Prompt changes have been efficiently finished in some exceedingly confined markets. Where substantial supply limitations have prompted vast syndication rents collecting, there will unavoidably be substantial resistance to change r mendations from occupant permit holders. Hostage administrative bodies are also far-fetched to go about as promoters of significant change (Leng, 2015). Adding to the political trouble of change is the measure of the bonus misfortunes that officeholder permit proprietors would bear in case of a quick move to an open-section administrative framework. Contentions are regularly made that permit proprietors ought to be made up for a lost permit an incentive in ca se of changes being authorized. There is little legitimacy to the contention that permits holders ought to be repaid by the citizen for the loss of their entitlement to keep on extracting restraining infrastructure rents (La, 2017). Notwithstanding, hardship based claims for making a few installments to officeholder permit holders in case of real change are probably going to demonstrate all the more extensively adequate. And now and then proposed elective is to embrace an organized way to deal with change. Arranged change is usually upheld as methods for decreasing maker restriction by spreading and lessening the regular misfortunes to be borne by occupants. It may be additionally advanced at times as an all the more "efficient" way to deal with change which will maintain a strategic distance from or limit real here and now showcase interruptions, "overshooting" on the supply side and other, and conceivably huge, transitional expenses. A few models of organized change can be recognized. One approach includes issuing extra licenses to every officeholder. This tends to limit their misfortunes by guaranteeing that the rest of the imposing business model rents keep on accruing pletely to this gathering. This model can help make more quick increments in numbers practical. On the other hand, new licenses can be issued for sale or ticket (Bhatnagar 2018). Now and again, these tallies are available to all, while in different cases inclination is given to representative cab drivers and additionally different gatherings. While arranged change is viewed as a method for making a difference all the more politically possible there is much uncertainty. With regards to the viability of this approach: makers are probably going to campaign similarly unequivocally against organized change while keeping campaigning is probably going to prompt the ending or inversion of arranged change programs before their culmination. Methods for lim iting this hazard incorporate reporting the points of interest of the long haul change program ahead of time, administering the subtle elements of the changes and giving control of future permit issue to a free, multi-sectorial financial controller. When "open passage" industry isn't unequivocally settled as the endpoint of change, it is likely that supply will stay limited. Evacuating section limitations does not infer expelling quality based direction. Without a doubt, strong control is a precondition for pletely a plishing the potential advantages of embracing an open passage arrangement (Guo, 2017). That said staying administrative plans must not unduly hinder the advancement of inventive administration offers and industry models. Financial control (grasping amount and value limitations) and quality direction ought to be unmistakably recognized. While significant monetary and shopper advantages can be gotten from a change of financial course, there is a substantial case for keeping up successful quality control in the taxi business. Quality direction grasps typically a scope of vehicle and driver gauges which try to guarantee traveler welfare and least administration measures. A few challenges of an open section to the taxi advertise to try to contend that passage confinements are basic if benefit quality principles are met. Nonetheless, there is minimal hypothetical or exact help for this suggestion. Then again, inability to guarantee that quality control is kept up and, where required, upgraded can altogether trade off the advantages of change and its acknowledgment by buyers and the general population (Velde, 2015). Quality direction must the be posed deliberately to guarantee that it doesn't keep the advancement of inventive administrations and market structures that drive a significant number of the advantages of change. For instance, vehicle norms ought not to be set in ways that would unduly confine the arrangement of low cost or low-quality administrations that might be sought after. Proposals Bid Taxi can do to enhance their administrations are; 2. As reported by the Minister for Transport, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will acquaint measures with enhancing taxi accessibility to serve workers better. This audit was started with the National Taxi Association (NTA) and the taxi administrators since May 2012 to guarantee that taxicabs better satisfy their open transport part, as an end-result of the concessions concurred to them. For example, bring down street charges, and the utilization of Category (CAT) A Certificates of Entitlement (COEs). Taxicabs have also been taking up a more significant extent of CAT a COEs as of late. Given these concessions, it is vital that cabs are used better and made more accessible on the streets to serve suburbanites, particularly amid top periods. There is tenacious criticism about cabs not being accessible. Pushing ahead, LTA expects to require taxi administrators to meet new taxi accessibility (TA) principles. In the long run, we plan likewise to connect taxi administrators getting COEs to extend their armada, to their gathering taxi accessibility norms (Lovri?, 2016). To permit the taxi business time to conform to this new prerequisite, LTA will give a transitional period, amid which taxi administrators will be permitted to get COEs to develop their armadas generally by the reported taxi ridership development, however without being liable to the taxi accessibility principles (Rwelamila, 2016). When moving towards a lower vehicle development rate, LTA will likewise roll out improvements to how taxis get their COEs, contemplating late COE patterns and criticism from both people in general and the engine business about the impact that taxi administrators may have on COE costs. First, taxicabs will be removed from the COE offering process. This is independent of whether the new cabs are planned to supplant deregistered taxis or to add to the current armadas. Second, the COEs applied for taxi armada extension will be removed from the Open Category (CAT E) (Kottapalli, 2017), which can be utilized to enlist vehicles in any COE classification. This is more intelligent of the part of taxicabs in our open transport framework, and it is more evenhanded to utilize CAT E amounts that are contributed by all vehicle poses, as opposed to drawing exclusively from CAT A quantities (Graells, 2017). This additionally mirrors the present circumstance in which taxi organizations enlist an asso rtment of cars as taxicabs, including both CAT A and CAT B models and also some minibus models. LTA is in discourse with the taxi administrators on the proposed taxi accessibility guidelines and COE related changes. LTA finishes the points of interest and gives data on the COE associated changes, before the beginning of the following COE offering cycle. It will provide subtle elements on the taxi accessibility models. Bhatnagar, H., BHATNAGAR, S., Parikh, M., Amazeen, E., Romanoff, D., Kumar, V., ... & Li, H. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 15/680,173. Billhardt, H., Fernandez, A., Lujak, M., Ossowski, S., Julian, V., De Paz, J. F., & Hernandez, J. Z. (2017). Coordinating open fleets. A taxi assignment example. AI munications, 30(1), 37-52. Chen, Z., Cui, W., & Li, X. (2018). Research on Decision-making of Urban Taxi Management Organization. Business Administration and Management, 1(1). Deng, B., Denman, S., Zachariadis, V., & Jin, Y. (2015). Estimating traffic delays and network speeds from low-frequency GPS taxis traces for urban transport modelling. European Journal of Transport & Infrastructure Research, 15(4). Guo, B., Chen, H., Yu, Z., Nan, W., Xie, X., Zhang, D., & Zhou, X. (2017). Taskme: Toward a dynamic and quality-enhanced incentive mechanism for mobile crowd sensing. International Journal of Human puter Studies, 102, 14-26. Kottapalli, A. G. P., Shen, Z., Asadnia, M., Tian, S., Tao, K., Miao, J., & Triantafyllou, M. S. (2017, January). Polymer MEMS sensor for flow monitoring in biomedical device applications. In Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2017 IEEE 30th International Conference on (pp. 632-635). IEEE. La, Q. N., Van Duong, D., & Lee, A. H. (2017). Incidence of, and factors associated with taxi crashes and hospitalisation in Hanoi, Vietnam: Findings from prospective cohort study. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3(9). Leng, B., Du, H., Wang, J., Li, L., & Xiong, Z. (2016). Analysis of taxi drivers' behaviors within a battle between two taxi apps. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 17(1), 296-300. Lovri?, M., Raveau, S., Adnan, M., Pereira, F. C., Basak, K., Loganathan, H., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2016). Evaluating off-peak pricing strategies in public transportation with an activity-based approach. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, (2544), 10-19. Pueboobpaphan, S., Indra-Payoong, N., & Pueboobpaphan, R. (2018). Information Effect in Taxi Service Double Auction with Opportunity Cost: An Experimental Analysis. Engineering Journal (Eng. J.), 22(1), 77-91. Rwelamila, P. D. (2016). 16 De-marginalisation of the public in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. New Forms of Procurement: PPP and Relational Contracting in the 21st Century, 297. Sanchez-Graells, A. (2017). Ski Taxi: Joint Bidding in Procurement as Price-Fixing?. Journal of European petition Law & Practice, 1-3. Speta, J. B. (2016). Southwest Airlines, MCI, and Now Uber: Lessons for Managing petitive Entry into Taxi Markets. Transp. LJ, 43, 101. van de Velde, D. (2015). 16 Local and regional public transport. Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Transport Economics and Policy, 345. Wen, J., Zou, M., Ma, Y., & Luo, H. (2017). Evaluating the Influence of Taxi Subsidy Programs on Mitigating Difficulty Getting a Taxi in Basis of Taxi Empty-loaded Rate. International Journal of Statistics and Probability, 6(2), 9. Zeng, C., & Oren, N. (2014, August). Dynamic taxi pricing. In Proceedings of the Twenty-first European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (pp. 1135-1136). IOS Press.

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Finance - Essay Example I agree to this because diversification spreads the risk over the different types of assets. Given the fact that the two assets are uncorrelated to each other, it would be rational to invest in both assets. The higher risk of asset S will be compensated with the less risky return of asset B. 2. I totally disagree to the statement; it is quite opposite of the fact that there is a direct relationship between correlation of the portfolio assets and its risk. The higher the correlation between the portfolio assets, the more chances will be that the downside movement of one asset will accompany the same in the other and thus the investment will turned to be the worst. Thus, a rational investor should invest in uncorrelated or atleast less correlated assets in order to reduce the overall risk of the portfolio (Ross et. al, 2013). 3. I agree to this argument. Since the expected return of portfolio is the weighted average of the expected returns of the individual assets, it must lie in betwe en the range of these two individual expected returns. . However, the standard deviation of the return on portfolio doesn’t need to be in b/w the individual standard deviations of the two assets, especially when the stocks are uncorrelated, because the standard deviation of a portfolio is not just the weighted average of individual standard deviations but is computed using the standard deviation formula to the return on portfolio assets rather than just the returns for one asset... al, 2013). 4. I agree to this statement. When capital market consists of all risky assets, a rational investor should hold large number of assets in portfolio in order to diversify risks to a large extent. Risk diversified over the large number of stocks will tend to reduce the portfolio risk more significantly because a large portfolio tends to behave more like the market portfolio which compensates unsystematic risks (Ross et. al, 2013). 5. I agree to this statement. The variance of the return on a portfolio is function of both the component variances of the individual assets as well as co-variances among the assets’ returns (Ross et. al, 2013). That is, even if the individual variances of the assets are very low though their returns are highly correlated, the portfolio will be highly volatile and risky and there won’t be any advantage of such diversification. 6. I disagree. Although increasing the number of assets reduces the variance of portfolio return because of d iversification, the reduction in risk occurs at a diminishing rate (not at a constant rate) with the increase in number of assets in the portfolio. It is even said that to attain the maximum benefits of diversification, 10-15 assets are enough for a portfolio since this amount of diversified assets can resemble the market portfolio. Adding more assets won’t contribute to any further reduction in the portfolio risk. So, the variance will be more or less same but won’t be zero even when N is very large. Also, it’s not just the added number of assets which reduces the portfolio variance but the correlation between the assets does that too. Theoretically, a mix of negatively and positively correlated assets or a mix of uncorrelated

Introduction To Property Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Introduction To Property Law - Essay Example If there is a physical entry on the land of another, the case is a potential trespass. However cases involving fumes, smoke, light or other non-trespassory conducted are governed by nuisance principles (29.02) (b) To what extent, if at all, do occupiers need to protect trespassers from danger? Basically it states that an occupier of land who brings onto it anything likely to do damage if it escapes, and keep that thing on the land, will be liable for any damage caused by an escape (3.0). (c) Explain the various methods by which an easement may be acquired. The law recognizes five basic categories of affirmative easements: (1) express easements; (2) easements implied from prior existing use; (3) easements by necessity; (4) prescriptive easements; and (5) irrevocable licenses or â€Å"easements by estoppels.† Certain negative easements are also recognized (32.01). (d) What is the significance of the DEED in land law transactions? Give examples of situations where it is required. The deed is the basic document used to transfer an estate or other interest in land during the owner’s lifetime. One who transfers title by deed is a grantor; one who receives title is a grantee. The general warranty is a type of deed. It contains six specific covenants of title that warrant against any defect in the grantor’s title. ... Above the kiosk is a sign which reads, ‘THE FOXSHIRE ESTATE DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE SUSTAINED ON THESE PREMISES.’ Recently, the following incidents have occurred. Answer the question which follows each incident. All parts carry equal marks. (i) Adam, a boy of 14, visited the estate with his parents. Adam’s parents left him to explore on his own while they went for a coffee in the cafe. Adam decided to climb one of the very old and large cedar trees. A rotten branch broke under his weight and he fell to the ground and broke his arm. The Foxshire Trust had recently hired Lopitoff Ltd, a firm of professional tree surgeons, to remove any ‘dangerous branches.’ They had failed to spot that the branch in question was rotten. Could Adam sue Foxshire Trust for the injury he has sustained? Yes. Liability as in the rule in Rylands v Fletcher Case. The rule states an occupier of land who brings onto it anything likely to do damage if it e scapes (3.0) (ii) The estate gardeners frequently light large bonfires, on a patch of ground near the edge of the estate, to get rid of garden waste. Bettie, who owns a house in the nearby village of Foxhill, is fed up with the smoke which blows across and deposits smuts on her laundry on the washing line. Her daughter, Carol, claims that the smoke has exacerbated her asthma. A number of other villagers have complained about the smoke. What action, if any, could Bettie and Carol and the other villagers take against the Foxshire Trust? (iii) The Foxshire Trust is very committed to green causes and owns a small organic farm on the estate (Home Farm) and employs a farm manager to run it. Denise, a neighbouring

Case study report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Report - Case Study Example Today organizations are emerging as diverse workforce in terms of gender race and civilization. Therefore, changes in the organization demographic condition and rapid advancement in technology lead to unresolved disputes in the workplace, which raises the issue of equal employment legislation. By definition, diversity refers to a variety of demographic features describing a company’s workforce, which comprises of race, sex, culture, religion etc. It signifies removing the difference among the people belonging to different cultures, gender, caste etc. In short, managing the diversity maximizes the diversities of company’s demographic characteristics and minimizing the potential barriers in the workforce, which can hamper the company’s growth and performance. By conducting diversity management programs in the organization, managers will be able to provide strong leadership in the diverse workgroup through which they can represent themselves as role models for exemp lifying their pro diversity behaviors and helping each individual in the workgroup to overcome from the different circumstances. Therefore, good management practices will help the organization to attract the best talents from different sources and in this way, the company will be able to save his time and money in recruitment and turnover costs. Today managing the diversity has become a biggest challenge for the organization to manage the generation X, generation Y, and baby boomers. These three generations in the workforce include unique characteristics that make them different from the members of the other workgroup. Therefore, one should care about managing the diversity because it will help the managers to gain the commitment from the employees and developing a better working force. In other way, it will help the organization to create a pleasant and healthy environment in order to attract the new generations and gaining the reputation in the market. For example, Singaporeâ€⠄¢s workforce focuses on creating culture diversity in their workforce by engaging employees from different generations, nationalities, caste etc that develops a sweet and pleasant environment in an organization. Hence, it has proved that managing diversity in the workforce is important because it helps the organization to assess the performance of the employees. In contrast, if the HR is not able to manage the diversity present in teams, the teams overall performance will lead to employee dissatisfaction in the working environment. Therefore, diversity within a team may strengthen the team’s external communication and its ability to interact and coordinate with the other teams (Kepner, Wysocki, Lopez & Green, 2012). Now days, the managers need to understand that mostly women impel the diversity in the organizations. Recruiting single mothers and increasing the participation level of the women will help the organization in building a reputation in the market and improving the quality of working life. While managing the diversity in the workplace managers need to understand that diversity not only indicates employees’ belonging from different nationalities but it is the different individuals who carry with themselves the

Anti- corruption and integrity at the car insurance company Essay

Anti- corruption and integrity at the car insurance company - Essay Example The study identifies the main causes of fraud cases and corruption in this industry. It has been identified that the major cause of fraud cases in the insurance companies is poor management in these organizations. It is necessary to have cooperation among the leaders in order to facilitate the policy formulation process. This essay declares that the issue of corruption and integrity in car insurance has become one of the major problems facing many insurance companies. Integrity is of great significance in any insurance company. Many companies have incurred huge losses through corruption. The long run success of any insurance company is determined by its ability to maintain a high level of integrity. Corruption and fraudulence in the car insurance companies has significantly affected their ability to provide quality services to their clients. For instance, when the company compensates fake cases, this may lower their ability to offer best services on the genuine cases. This may significantly affect the company’s performance both in the short and the long run. Frauds lead to increase in the car insurance premiums. The number of fraud cases has become very high while the companies incur too much in attempt to reduce the level of such cases. In many cases, companies encounter the cases of corrupti on in their day to day operations. These significantly hinder the company’s efforts to achieve their targets.

Dangers of Using Plastic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dangers of Using Plastic - Research Paper Example On the other hand, those opposed to the idea of using plastic maintain that plastic is non-biodegradable and that when they are discarded, they will remain intact for decades. Only DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 4 incineration can result in the disposal of plastic. Incineration has its attendant risks; it causes noxious fumes to be released into the atmosphere. Due to this, the second group consisting of mainly environmentalists, conservationists and health experts insist that the use of plastic be limited. What is Plastic? Plastic is manufactured from hydrocarbons that are found in oil and natural gas. It is formed when molecules, known as monomers bond together. Different types of monomers create different types of plastic each type of plastic has different properties or characteristics. While some are soft and pliable, others are strong and durable. Use of Plastic – Statistics The United States alone produced 13 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, 11 million ton s as durable goods and nearly 7 million tons as nondurable goods in 2009 (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). This shows the prevalent use of plastic in many industries including the electronics, automobile, food, furniture and textile industries. Plastic – Types and Benefits There are two main types of plastic : thermosets and thermoplastics. The first type of plastic known as thermoset solidifies when heated. This type of plastic is known for its durability and strength. Therefore, thermosets are used in the automobile and construction industries. They are also used in the making of ink, coatings and adhesives. DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 5 The second... This paper stresses that the use of plastic has environmental, health and economic advantages as well as disadvantages. Although it offers advantages such as durability, flexibility affordability and light weight, it creates a host of problems such as contamination of the environment, health problems and the dwindling of the earth’s resources. People who support the banning of plastic do so for several reasons. In the first place, plastic is made up of dwindling natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas. Second, aquatic, marine and land animals are strangled, choked and killed when they consume plastic bags or get caught in them. Plastic has also become a major cause of litter and plastic materials pollute both the land, beaches and waterways. Moreover, plastic takes a long time to biodegrade. Finally, plastic is a health hazard. This report makes a conclusion that many governments are now aware of the seriousness of the situation and are taking measures to combat the problem. These measures include imposing a tax on plastic bags to discourage their use. By imposing a tax, consumers may decide to switch to other more environment-friendly reusable bags. In Ireland, for example, customers have to pay a tax of about 20 cents per bag. This has cut the amount of plastic bags by as much as 90 percent. Many other countries like Bangladesh, Italy, South Africa, Taiwan and India have either banned or reduced the use of plastic bags.

Final Writing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Writing Assignment - Essay Example The statement is so true as evidenced by the breach of terrorists over the American airspace undetected and resulted to the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, an institutional landmark of the country, that killed thousands of innocent people. Scheuer stated that Bin Laden believes that the foreign policy of American is an attack on Islam. Bin Laden, through his Al Qaeda group was pinpointed to be responsible for the 9/11 attack – precisely the group that was being governed by Scheuer. Scheuer’s remarks are disturbing as they are validated and supported through his years of experience as an officer of the CIA. His contentions about Bin Laden as a threat to America at the time he was heading the unit was so pronounced and yet, according to him, there have been precisely 10 times when killing Bin Laden was possible but not ordered by then Presidents Clinton and Bush. As clearly identified, he noted that there were two opportunities to kill Bin Laden in May of 1998 through CIA resources and eight times in 1999 through US military aircraft but the President did not clearly order the attack. Missing these opportunities paved the way for Bin Laden’s ability to prove that America can be attacked in their own soil without the need to immediately respond and identify the attackers.

A Process Oriented Approach to Waiting Line Management in a Large Pilgrimage Center in India Essay Example for Free

A Process Oriented Approach to Waiting Line Management in a Large Pilgrimage Center in India Essay This article documents an innovative approach to manage waiting line in the largest pilgrimage center in the world. By a judicious combination of process orientation and advances in Information Technology, the pilgrimage centers management has been able to dramatically change the pilgrims waiting experience. The pilgrimage location under study is Tirumala located in Andhra Pradesh state in India. The number of visitors to this important location has been steadily increasing over time. As of 2011, the location attracted approximately 30 to 40 million visitors a year. The primary objective of a pilgrim visiting Tirumala is to have darshan of the principle deity in the temple. The secondary objectives include tonsure (shaving head as a mark of respect), offering donations, prasadam collection, thulabaram, arjitha seva (paid services), local sightseeing and shopping. The immense popularity of the temple and its location poses significant challenges to the management of the system. This temple is a tradition bound Institution. Therefore, some alternatives to resolve pilgrim waiting time are feasible and some are not. There are some hard constraints which may not stand the test of logic. The ability to manage the traffic volume is a function of processing rate (darshan duration) at the temple and darshan time available per day. This case study is an example of improving operational effectiveness by using formal management methods in addressing an important real life problem in an under researched area. This pilgrimage center is located in the extension of Western Ghats and is popularly known as Tirumala. It is considered to be the abode of Lord Vishnu in the form of Venkateswara. The temple is the richest pilgrimage center, after the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, of any faith (at more than 50,000 crore) and the most-visited place of worship in the world. This center attracts a large number of visitors from all over the country irrespective of their caste, religion, belief, social status and professional affiliation. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world. The temple is on Venkatadri (also known as Venkatachala or Venkata Hill), the seventh peak, and is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills. Venkatadri, the hillock residing place of Lord Venkateswara is probably one of the oldest religious institutions in India. It is known to exist for over a period of 2000 years. It has a recorded history of thousand years. Based on the recorded history, the rituals and daily routines in this sacred temple are being performed without a break for more than 1000 years. Over a period of time Venkatadri has evolved as an epicenter of Vaishnavism. Several prominent Hindu religious institutions either have established a presence in Venkatadri or have made this as place of their administrative headquarters. Today, Venkatadri is not only a religious institution, but it has also evolved as a social institution. It supports financially a group of thirty (higher) educational institutions. Its mission is to systematically promote the study of Vedas and Sanskrit literature. The temple also provides generous financial support for construction of similar temples (Venkateswara) elsewhere in the country. Over a period of 50 years, the number of visitors to the temple and the town has increased by eight fold. [I960(2 million), 1970(4 million), 1980(7 million), 1990(11 million), 2000(16 million), 2010(30 million)]. Such a huge traffic generates tremendous stress on the social and physical infrastructure of the temple down (Tirumala and Tirupati). Being a tradition bound organization, certain modifications (on procedure, layout etc.) are not acceptable. The devotees (exposed to modern social norms) who come to the temple expect a better service quality and shorter waiting time. Thus, the managerial challenge is to balance the tradition, operational efficiency and increasing pilgrim expectations. Activities in the temple and the town and their management need to be also seen from a religious perspective. There is a divine dispensation in the institution, which may not be tinkered with in whatever modification(s) that are made in the facilities redesign and management of activities. Methodology The product and its delivery Pilgrims from all over the country arrive in the temple town. Usually they reach the foothill which is known as Tirupati. The mode of transport is rail, road (public or private transport) and air. Having reached Tirupati, those who have their own transport directly proceed to Tirumala. Some spend a few hours in sightseeing and visiting other temples and religious locations in and around Tirupati. The distance between Tirupati and Tirumala is 19Kms. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates regular services between Tirumala and Tirupati. The round trip is about 2.5 hours including waiting time at both the boarding points. Having reached Tirumala, the pilgrims look for a suitable accommodation. There are about 5000 cottages owned and managed by TTD for pilgrims convenience. After (a brief) resting, pilgrims go for tonsure (there are 500 barbers who operate on a 3 shift basis; 15,000 tonsures are done in a day). The annual revenue from export of hair (from tonsure) is Rs. 100 million. Following tonsure pilgrims go for a wash and bath in the holy tank in the middle of the temple town and then join the queue for darshan. Some pilgrims on arrival at Tirumala directly join the darshan queue and after the darshan visit the tonsure centre, take a bath in the holy tank and departure to their place of residence. There are 32 waiting compartments to house pilgrims while they await darshan. The average capacity of these compartments is 500. About 17,000 pilgrims can be held in waiting at any time. The average waiting time for darshan can vary between 2-12 hours depending on the day and season. There is tremendous uncertainty as when darshan would happen. There is also anxiety as how long is the wait. There is no (accurate) information to the pilgrims on what is ahead. Because of the commitment to the pilgrimage process, individual pilgrims go through this tedious experience with reverence and patience. Finally on a FIFO basis, pilgrims arrive in front of the deity. The actual darshan lasts for about 1.5 to 2 seconds. However, the pilgrims can have a view of the deity from a distance of 30 meters from the main entrance. The travel time is about 45 seconds. Actually, the passage towards darshan admits a file of 6 or 7 columns of pilgrims to go through the darshan process simultaneously. After the darshan the pilgrims donate money at the Hundi, equivalent of donation box, located inside as well as outside the temple and then leave the temple premises. The Hundi collection is about Rs. 2000 million a year. Often, they stand in another queue to receive free laddu (there are several counters that sell laddu). Approximately, 75,000 laddus are sold in a day. In view of demand and supply gap, there is rationing and restrictions on how many laddus a pilgrim can buy. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) the administrative agency in charge of this temple provides free meal to about 25,000 persons in a day. After receipt of laddu(s) and a meal, the pilgrim returns to his cottage or wait for a transport to go Tirupati and subsequently to his place of residence.

Short Story Playing With Fire English Literature Essay

Short Story Playing With Fire English Literature Essay Mental disorders I performed excellently in school, had relatively close connections with my family and kept a well-mannered group of friends; however, all of my thoughts, actions and emotions could be thrown into disarray with the sight of a single flame. Pyromania, it was called. It was also the reason why I was forced by my mother to come to this stupid group rehab centre. Everywhere I went, there was a thick atmosphere of tension between everyone that seemed impossible to break. Despite this environment, for the past month, I had been able to keep my composure each day with the company of one girl. From the very first day, she was the only person in the room who wore a smile the entire time. With long, brown hair, contrasting her fair skin, and a look of confidence on her face, I thought of no reason why she should be here. Until I saw something which deeply intrigued me: Her emerald green eyes, unlike the rest of her appearance, did not reflect the same warmth and zeal. Rather, they possessed a continuous melancholic gaze that would always give away her true emotions, so I had a tendency to avoid looking her in the eyes whenever I talked to her. Today, as I sat down along the curb of the sidewalk, from my back pocket, I took out a plastic container and flicked the small wheel, igniting a small, but strongly burning flame. You shouldnt be smoking at your age. It will only end with a long and painful death. I dont smoke, I said as I turned around to face the voice, pyromania is different from a nicotine addiction. Casey, I swear I explained this to you the other day. She sat down beside me, leaning in towards the flame. Ah, but its still based on the same principle isnt it? Fire, destruction, and death. She had a slightly pained expression on her face before she added, How you can find the flames beautiful? They only remind me of pain and misfortune. Dont play with fire, Parker. Youre only going to get burned. I think about that sometimes as well, I replied. What had caused this unhealthy affinity towards the flames? This powerful reliance towards fire? At first, it was just a fascination as a child, but there was a point in time where it completely took over my actions. The events of that night lingered with me even now. Every detail was inscribed deep into my memories; from the heat of the fire, to the very lighter I used to set the house ablazeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Stand aside kid, came the gruff voice of a police officer. Go find your parents. Its not safe to be here. I was roughly pushed behind the yellow police tape as the officer hurried back to his car, and the sound of sirens grew louder. From a safe distance, I stood still, mesmerized by the violent orange blaze that continued to engulf the house in front of me. Beads of sweat began forming above my brow from the searing heat emitted by the burning house. Twenty minutes: that was all it took for the house to be completely devoured by the burning flames, and for the entire structure to begin falling apart. Thick billows of smoke collected, making it more and more difficult to breathe as the fire consumed the oxygen close by. The crackling of the wooden beams grew louder, with the house on the edge of collapse. Without warning, a girl parted from the crowd and ran towards the flames, only to be held back by the same officer as before. My parents are still in there! Please! Someone, anyone, help them! I-I dont want them toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but her last words were cut off as the last of the supporting beams collapsed. Tears overflowed from her eyes as she fell to the ground, completely helpless and traumatized. Conversely, from amidst the panic of the crowd of onlookers, I remained completely calm, never breaking eye contact with the blaze for a single second. It was too beautiful a sight to look away from, as the flames continued their dance in the wind. It was like a giant bonfire, sending sparks flying everywhere. The night sky was illuminated with its bright orange glow, making it as bright as day. I reached forward, feeling the heat of the fire grow stronger against my palm, and for just a few moments, time seemed to stopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This was more than eight years ago; I was only ten years old. I remember hearing the following morning that the residents of the house did not survive the blaze from that night, but at that age, I couldnt distinguish between life and death, nor did I realize the severity of my actions. To this day, I still cannot recall the exact reason for starting the fire. All I could remember was the sight of the glowing flames in the night, regretting nothing. But for these eight years, I had been harbouring this memory to myself, refusing to tell a soul. Earlier on, I thought about telling Casey, but after seeing her pained expression towards the smallest flicker of a flame, I couldnt bring myself to do so. For the month that Ive known you, Ive noticed that you space out a lot, said Casey, demonstrating her point by waving her hand in front of my face. Smiling, she continued, the smell of the lighter fluid must be affecting your brain somehow. I returned to reality. Realizing she was right, I retorted, I can cure this problem just fine without your input. Anyways, why dont you ever talk about your problems for once? Its been a month, and I still know nothing about you. I dont even know why you checked into rehab in the first place. I mean, as far as I can tell, theres nothing wrong with you. It was my decision to make, Casey replied, watching the passing cars on the road. Still, why dont you do yourself a favour? Check out of this boring place and spend the remaining days of summer back home with your family. What do you know? Have you ever thought to consider that Im here for a reason? I cant return to my family even if I want to. She stood up abruptly, and started walking back towards the rehab centre. Out of impulse, I stood up as well, making eye contact. For the first time, I saw her grimace, but what was far more intimidating was the hostility in her gaze; even from a fair distance, I could sense it. My comment definitely hit a nerve. Before reaching the doorway, she looked back one last time and said, Its going to rain. You should head inside the facility soon, and she slammed the door behind her. Aggravated, I took out my lighter, trying to light a small flame to ease my tension, but it was no use. Out of lighter fluid, I sighed, so in the end, you got what you wanted, somewhat. Ill need to get a new one tomorrow. I sat back down along the curb of the sidewalk, when moments later, I felt a light shower of rain against my skin. What a perceptive person. For the rest of the week, I avoided Casey, until I saw her knitting something blue in the lobby. I decided not to start a conversation with her. Instead, I sat down in a chair across from her, staring intently at the repetitive motions she made as the fabric grew longer. After a while, she sighed and finally spoke to me. Im knitting a scarf to put on a teddy bear. Its for my baby brothers birthday. I havent seen him in a while thoughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Her voice was depressed, yet she continued, but I have a permit to go visit him and my family tomorrow. This is an awkward question, but do you mind coming with me? Ill understand if you cant, but youre one of the few people that I trust here. After a while of thinking, I managed to give a nod and everything was planned out for tomorrow. As she left the lobby, her smile had returned. Little did I know that there was so much more that she hid from me behind that smile. At exactly 10 AM, I returned to the same spot that I sat in yesterday, and I noticed how empty the entire lobby seemed without Casey there. At any rate, I was sure the mood would change when she arrived. Five minutes passed; fifteen minutes passed; forty five minutes passed, and I became unexpectedly worried. I contemplated going outside to light a flame with my lighter, but it would be terrible for her to see me like that. Instead, I decided to go find her. However, this was easier said than done, because the rehab centre had many rooms, and I had no idea where she was staying. Nevertheless, I ran around the building looking for her, searching through every corridor, checking the courtyard, knocking on doors to ask if anyone knew where she was staying, but to no avail. Out of breath, I paused and passed by the girls washroom, when I heard hushed crying coming from behind the door. Could that possibly be her? Pulling up closer, I called her name, but there was no answer. As awkward a s it was to enter, my concern for whoever was in there outweighed my embarrassment. However, I was horrified at what I found. It was Casey, but not how I expected. She was sitting on the floor, sobbing, her right arm covering her eyes, but not the tears from her face. From a distance, I could see the glint from the scarlet tinted blade on the tiled floor. Her left arm was filled with scars, with three fresh slashes running across them. A steady stream of blood flowed from them, enough to form a small puddle of crimson beside her. Impulsively, I ran towards her, took off my sweater to soak up the blood and I held her in my arms. Her crying just grew louder, but as she laid her head on my shoulder, I felt helpless, knowing this was all I could do for her. For what seemed like eternity, we stayed like that, her sobs eventually dying down to a slight whimper as I whispered Its okay over and over. Her voice shaky and in hushed tones, she said, My baby brother and my parents arent actually alive. They passed away eight years ago. There was a horrible fire that burned my house to the ground. I managed to escape safely, but my parents, they thought I was still inside. They went back inside for me, and they never came back out. They sacrificed themselves for nothing, and it was my fault! I wish I had died instead of them. Every day, I wish that Sometimes, I would even try to make that wish come true. Her voice started breaking into sobs again, and I came to a horrifying conclusion. Could it be? Eight years ago, from the fire I started, I killed her family and was the reason why harmed herself like this. The guilt I failed to feel from years ago rushed through me, as if it had been collecting for years. It was horrifying to make this connection, but it felt even worse to realize that I enjoyed every moment of the burning fire. Why did fire have to be so destructive? I wished I woul d never see another flame. I never wanted to see Casey suffer like this again. That evening, under an orange painted sky, Casey and I visited the cemetery, where I saw the gravestones of her parents and her little brother. She placed her birthday gift onto her brothers tombstone, and she closed her eyes in a short prayer. The whole time, I remained silent; I didnt feel like I had the right to speak. As we started to leave, I turned around and whispered a pathetic apology, even though it was useless. To this day, I havent told her that I was the one who started the fire; Im afraid of what her reaction might be if I do. But the guilt I feel each day is overwhelming, as I recall the image of Casey as a young girl, standing in front of her burning house, knowing her parents were burned alive in that fire and Casey covered in scars, cutting herself. These are the thoughts that come to mind whenever I re-ignite my lighter, and see the flickering flame, hoping that the guilt I feel from the memory of that night will one day miraculously cure this pyromania.

Health Care Reform Essay -- essays research papers

From FDR’s New Deal to Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the United States government has attempted to centralize extensive social policies. In the early eighties, when recession and inflation were at a high, Ronald Reagan took office and pronounced that the federal government needed to take a lesser role in the lives of the American people. As Theda Skocpol comments in her book Boomerang: Clinton’s Health Security Effort and the Turn Against Government in U.S. Politics, the Reagan administration instilled a dislike of centralized government in the American people. This was a major reason, according to Skocpol, why the Clinton Administration failed to nationalize â€Å"Health Security†. It was this fear of centralized government and Clinton’s failure to reform Health Care that makes a more centralized social policy unlikely in the near future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has been a necessity in the twentieth century (due in part to the Great Depression and World War II) for big government. The legislation behind Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal called for the involvement of the federal government to create a highly bureaucratic social policy. The combination of Roosevelt’s political assertiveness and society’s willingness to allow such centralization that made big government possible. The laissez-faire mentality of the twenties was seen as the cause of the depression. The federal government and the ensuing reforms were seen as a way of insuring economic security. In the sixti...

Roddy Doyles Paddy Clark: No More Laughing For Paddy Essay -- essays r

Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clark: No More Laughing for Paddy Yer Name Here Poetry/Fiction Paddy Clarke Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke HA HA HA was a beautifully written book. It perfectly captures the mind of a ten year old boy in Ireland during the mid- 1960's. Paddy Clarke, the young boy who Doyle uses to enter the mind of a ten year old, is a boy who most can relate to. The book explores most aspects of life through the eyes of Paddy. Doyle takes us through childhood and childhood's end. Doyle is able to seize the complexities of life, but at the same time simplify them enough for ten year old. Everything is a mystery or an adventure to Paddy and his friends. From taking over construction sites to receiving polio check-ups. However not everything is a game to Paddy. His parents lack of compatibility troubles Paddy and his brother Sinbad greatly. The intensity of his parents arguments accelerate as the book goes on. At times Paddy feels he can stop them, at one point he considers himself a "referee" in the fights. "I didn't know what I'd do. If I was there he wouldn't do it again, that was all."(p.191) He ends up contemplating who he would want to win. He comes to the conclusion that he would want his mom to win because she does so much for him, however his father is his father and he loves him. Sinbad reacts differently to his parents fighting. He doesn't try to intervene ...

Competitive Intelligence Essay -- essays research papers fc

Competitive Intelligence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It takes a simple mind to run a simple machine, but a shrewd mind is needed to run an organization, association, or business. Business intelligence has become a big principle in industries throughout the years. â€Å"During the second half of the 20th century, the United States and Canada, Western Europe, as well as Japan and a number of other countries, have evolved from primarily manufacturing-based economies to more information-based societies† (Kara). A business needs to have a mission to be successful. To help accomplish missions for businesses, business intelligence is utilized. To run a productive organization effectively and efficiently, certain things need to be accomplished. To start the process of applying business intelligence, as many possible sources of information must be gathered. After the information has been collected, it must be sorted into different categories. These categories are either valuable or non-valuable information, otherwise known as intelligence. Since the intelligence is derived by businesses for businesses, it is considered business intelligence. Business intelligence has a direct effect on how well its organization does in the marketplace. This intelligence is used to identify forewarnings of disasters as well as opportunities that may occur. After the intelligence needs have been identified for a business, the information is then collected by an all source fusion. After analyzing the data that has been collected, it can be determined which information can be used, and what can be discarded. The results are then passed to the bosses of an organization, who in turn, make a decision. This completes the four-phased intelligence cyc le. After you establish your business goals, various techniques are used to attain and surpass the organization’s goals. One technique is through competitive intelligence. Competitive intelligence can be considered a subsidiary of business intelligence. The purpose for competitive intelligence is to keep businesses on the cutting edge, abreast of their competitors, ahead in the global markets, and to establish better quality products and services. Competitive intelligence can be defined as â€Å"A formalized, yet continuously evolving process by which the management team assesses the evolution of its industry and the capabilities and behavior of ... ...ded and comprehend it differently, depending on the needs of their businesses. â€Å"Never equate paper with competitive intelligence. Unfortunately, many managers think that by spending countless hours on computer-generated slides, charts and graphs, and footnoted reports, they have delivered intelligence. All they have managed to do is to slow down the delivery of critical intelligence† (Fuld). Due to time constraints, limitations of resources, financial constraints, manpower issues, enormous amounts of data, and the expertise of analysts, competitive intelligence needs to be determined by relevance. Many illegitimate sources are disguised as truths, or facts. These illegitimate sources, along with rumors, are difficult to control and can be used as deception intelligence. There is not a single method of intelligence that can be considered better than another as a general rule. Even though, competitive intelligence can help your business during a recession, it is not a cure all medicine. Works Cited 1. (http://www.brint.com/papers/ciover.htm) 2. (http://www.fuld.com/whatCI.html) 3. Kara, Dan â€Å"The New Face of Business Intelligence.† Software Magazine, November 2000

A Complicated Conversation with William Pinar: A Reader Response to “From Autobiography to Allegory” Essay

William Pinar (2011): â€Å"To understand curriculum as complicated conversation, I invoke the concept of ‘allegory.’ It is, in my usage, interrelated with ‘reconstruction,’ as each reactivates the past in order to find the future. To reconstruct means to ‘establish or assemble again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (49). Alyssa: Establish or assemble again†¦.ok, I am in Grammy’s house, she is in her chair, we are drinking tea, or playing cards, yes, if I am going to establish or assemble again, I may as well go back to when she could see, we are sitting, drinking tea and playing cards. Then I’m in Nova Scotia, in Grandmere and Grandpere’s kitchen, and Grandpere is sitting in his rocking chair by the fire, telling me a story about when he was a teacher, about his students, about when the twins were born, asking me about my school, my life, remembering my name, remembering my last visit and eating chocolate-coated digestive cookies because that is what we always did. William Pinar (2011): â€Å"It is important to note that my conception of ‘reconstruction’ contrasts with its usages in historiography, that is, aiming to reconstruct the past ‘as it was’†¦ (50). Alyssa: What?!?! But, reconstructing the past is reconstructing the past! I want to reconstruct the past! I want to be in Grammy’s living room, or talking to Grandpere when he remembered my name! You said I could reconstruct the past, you told me I could, and now you are telling me that I can’t†¦ Almost word for word, this was my experience reading Chapter 2, â€Å"From Autobiography to Allegory†, in William Pinar’s What is Curriculum Theory? After reading the first part of the chapter, outlining the concept of autobiography and its significance to curriculum theory and to the self, I found myself daydreaming about the past. In no time, I was in my recently deceased  Grandmother’s presence again, or imagining the lucid state of my Grandfather, now suffering from dementia and residing in a nursing home. I was happy in these memories. Then William Pinar continued talking and ruined my state of happiness. So, I complained. I told him how angry I was at him, how happy I had been that I found validation for living within these past memories and how he ruined it for me. It was at this moment that I recognized that somehow without even realizing it, I had entered into a complicated conversation with William Pinar. Pinar (2011) describes a complicated conversation as a†¦conversation in which interlocutors are speaking not only among themselves but to those not present, not only to historical figures and unnamed peoples and places they may be studying, but to politicians and parents dead and alive, not to mention to the selves they have been, are in the process of becoming, and someday may become (43). My conversation included myself, past and present, William Pinar, my deceased Grandmother, and the past version of my Grandfather. Furthermore, the simple act of writing this paper brings you, the readers into the conversation as well. According to these terms, I would classify it as a ‘complicated conversation.’ The more I delved into this thought, the more I realized how often I find myself entering into this kind of dialogue. Whether I am sitting on the bus, playing out a conversation with the person next to me based on the book they are reading, or sitting in the classroom discussing the response to a question based on the views of many a theorist, former teacher, or famous celebrity, or planning and imagining lessons plans for my future students based on something I am experiencing in the present day, or something I have experienced in the past, these are the voices, both real and imagined, continuously flowing through my thoughts. For the most part, these would be deemed daydreams, unwanted and unwelcomed imaginings in a classroom, or any setting where productive work is expected. But, according to Pinar, they are, instead, complicated conversations of curriculum. In following with the method of currere, the running of the course, they are a necessary part of understanding the curriculu m through the understanding oneself (Pinar, 2011, pp. 44). By allowing these sorts of complicated conversations in the classroom, by allowing the students to discuss, to converse, to question,  the things they are learning, the texts they are reading, by allowing the students to actively engage in the curriculum presented to them, to bring their own narratives into the classroom, rather than merely sitting and listening; the responsibility of learning falls upon not only the teacher, but also the students. Furthermore, Pinar (2011) notes that a complicated conversations also serves as a â€Å"conversation with oneself [as a ‘private person’] and with others threaded through academic knowledge, an ongoing project of self-understanding in which one becomes mobilized for engagement in the world† (47). Although anchored in academic thought, these conversations are not meant to remain solely in the academic realm. They are meant to delve into personal narratives and emotional stories; they are meant to delve into autobiography. Thus, by allowing complicated conversations in the classrooms, we are not only giving students an opportunity to take responsibility of their own learning, but to connect to their learning and to the curriculum through their own autobiographical narratives. Yet, complete understanding requires more than autobiography; it requires allegory. Pinar (2011) cites allegory as more than the mere exchange of information and stories, but the ability to reflect on the information and finding meaning in the present from the stories of the past (50). In terms of allegory’s connection to autobiography, Pinar (2011) furthers the conversation by adding that â€Å"[h]istorical facts are primary, but it is facts’ capacity to invoke our imagination that marks them as allegorical, Their meaning is not confined to the past where they occurred; they spill into our existence of the present†¦history becomes accessible through allegory† (54). Thus, historical facts and autobiographical narratives, although interesting, carry little significance without the use of allegory. Historians are continuously pleading with the world to heed to lessons of history, but these requests often go unanswered until the moment when something occurs in the present day which recalls the experiences of the past. At this point, history is explored in relation to the present reality, invoking allegory as it brings meaning to the present. Through the concept of complicated conversation, autobiography and allegory exist as a circular movement as the process repeats itself with each new piece of information. Through this dialogue with theory, ourselves, and others, we explore autobiographical narratives, which connect to our present selves  through allegory, which in turn enlighten our experience of the present, rounding up our complicated conversation. In terms of my own complicated conversation, the concept of entering into curriculum theory through the concept of autobiography remains easy. As a history student, researching historical narratives are my forte. This interest in the past led me into a search of my family history. Consequently, I have visited places, and read notices, and held objects owned by my ancestors. Thus, readin g Pinar’s (2011) suggestion that â€Å"we find the future not in the present, but in the past† (49) was an exciting moment during my dialogue with the text. At this point, I began thinking about my grandparents, about my childhood, and all those happy moments from my past, thinking that these moments, exactly as they were would lead me to the future. For a split second, Pinar had convinced me I held the key to my future because I knew my past. But, as previously discussed, this illusion was shattered instantaneously. The concept of allegory was a bit more complicated. As previously mentioned, through allegory, the stories reactivated from the past lead to significance, to a greater understanding and answer the question: â€Å"what might this knowledge signify for us as actually existing individuals in this time, in this place?† (Pinar, 2011, pp. 50-51). Thinking through autobiographical narratives, from my point of view, is easy. Thinking allegorically, is not. Yet, in terms of the contents of the chapter, the introduction of the Weimer Republic, a story from the past, as an allegory to better understand the present reality, I was reasonably able to understand the relationship and the significance. I could understand and reactivate the historical events of Weimer Germany, and place them in juxtaposition with today’s world, adequately using this allegory to further inform my understanding of the present and shape my view of the future. But, I did not feel like I could end my conversation there. The text led me to my dead Grandmother, my lucid Grandpere, I could not simply leave them in the middle of a conversation. This chapter meant more to me than a simple explanation of theories in order to set up for the remainder of the book. As Pinar (2011) himself notes, â€Å"[t]he curricular question is a call to individuality†¦[as]†¦academic knowledge is also a question of self-knowledge† (57). In other words, I was not content leaving the conversation solely as a discussion of the past Weimer and its meaning for today. It affected me at a  personal level, as I weaved parts of my own autobiographical narrative into the words and theories on paper. I did more than just read the words on the paper; I entered into a complicated conversation and was committed to following through this process to the end, from autobiography to allegory. But, as I mentioned, I had a hard time working through the concept of allegory. How could I turn my memories of my Grandmother, or my Grandpere, into something meaningful for my present, to lead me into my future? Something meaningful to inform my experience with currere, with the running the course? How do these experiences affect me as a student, as a teacher, or as an individual? How can they be something more than sometimes pleasant, sometimes not so pleasant, memories? Just as I begin to panic, realizing that this conversation is drawing t o a close as the remaining pages of the chapter become fewer and fewer, Pinar (2011) opens up and speaks directly to me again: â€Å"†¦educators are engaged in an ongoing conversation. As in any conversation, one discerns misunderstanding, can supplement incomplete comprehension, and support questioning† (55). A sigh of relief emerges as I am comforted with the fact that this conversation is ongoing and does not end with the last sentence in the chapter. I am further comforted knowing that I do not have to immediately come to a complete understanding, can continue to question, and even leave a little room to make mistakes and revisit the original discussion. This entire experience reinforces for me, the notion that curriculum is not just the textbooks we read and the tests we take, but everything we experience, both in and outside the classroom. I am convinced that these memories are part of my curriculum, my autobiography, and that I will take them with me on my running of the course, and one day, maybe, I will find an allegory and move them beyond the past and into the present. Work Cited Pinar, W. (2011). â€Å"From autobiography to allegory†. In What is curriculum theory? New York, New York: Routledge

Oil Spill Paper

Humans cause oil pollution. We put the boats and ships in the water, we build oil rigs and drill into the bottom of the ocean, and we dump the wrong chemicals into the ocean. Boats and ships have oil leaks just like our cars do. When we’re in the ocean, we can’t exactly clean it up with some limestone. If an oil pipe breaks, we can’t stop push a button and it stops flowing. The oil is coming from underneath the ocean so it takes us longer to stop it from flowing into the ocean. Some people don’t know, or don’t understand, that dumping the wrong chemicals can ruin our ocean and eventually, our land.Oil pollution hurts the marine environment. It is a poison to the wildlife. The oil can smother the animal, it can get in their digestive system and kill them, or it can even mess with their reproductive system and behavior. If oil were to get on the body or wings of a bird, it could make them drown because the oil is too heavy for them to fly. There are a few different ways to clean up an oil spill. Controlled burns can burn off the oil, but it’s not always a good option because the smoke harms our air. Booms and skimmer take oil off of the surface, but not below the surface.Water-oil separating devices help separate the oil from the water, but it can be pricey. Hay soaks up the oil, and leaves clean water behind. Natural recovery is the best way to clean up an oil spill. It may take a little bit longer to be fully cleaned, but it is the best way. Wave action, sunlight, natural water dispersion, and natural occurring microorganisms are the main ways oil spills can be cleaned up by natural means. Oil eating mushrooms is another way to decontaminated areas. This is known as mycoremediation, which is a term invented by Paul Stamets.Mushrooms secrete enzymes and acids that aid in the decomposition of difficult organism containments. Dr. Stamets’ treated soil with oyster mushrooms and then conducted an experiment that broke down almost all of the nontoxic components after four weeks. I think it would affect sandy shores more because the oil and contaminants can sink into the sand and soil. It can also affect the rocky shores, but not as much.http://www. waterencycolpedia. com/Oc-Po/Oil-Spills-Impact-on-the-Ocean. html http://www. cnbc. com/id/37593652/17_Ways_To_Clean_Up_The_Gulf_Oil_Spill? slide=9

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 1

Maggie Neely woke up to the sound of her mother screaming. She'd gone to bed as usual, with Jake the GreatDane sprawled heavily across her feet and the threecats jockeying for position around her head. Hercheek was resting on her open geometry book; there were homework papers scattered among theblankets, along with fragments of potato chips andan empty bag. She was wearing her jeans and a flowered pajama top plus the only two socks she'dbeen able to find last night: one red velveteen anklet and one blue cotton slouch sock. Those particular socks would eventually meanthe difference between life and death for her, but at the moment Maggie had no idea of that. She was simply startled and disoriented frombeing wakened suddenly. She'd never heard thiskind of screaming before, and she wondered howshe could be so certain it was her mother doing it. Something†¦really bad is happening, Maggierealized slowly. The worst. The clock on her nightstand said 2:11A.M. And then before she even realized she was moving, she was lurching across her bedroom floor,with piles of dirtyclothes and sports equipmenttrying to trip her up. She banged her shin on a wastebasket in the middle of the roomand ploughed right on through. The hallway was dim,but the living room at the end was blazing withlight and the screams were coming from there. Jake trotted along beside her. When they got tothe foyer by the living room he gave a half growl,half bark. Maggie took in the whole scene in a glance. Itwas one of those moments when everythingchanges forever. The front door was open, letting in the cold airof a November night in Washington. Maggie's father was wearing a short bathrobe and holding hermother, who was pulling and tearing at him as ifshe were trying to get away, screaming breathlesslyall the while. And in the doorway four people were standing: two sheriffs, a National Park ranger, and Sylvia Weald. Sylvia. Her brother Miles's girlfriend. And knowledge hit her quick and hardasa hammer blow. My brother is dead, Maggie thought.

Leadership and Nib Bank

Report-on-organizational-behavior-of-NIB-Bank. doc LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL May 31, 2008 Mr. Retd. Cdr. Tabassum Teacher, Organizational Behavior Bahria University Karachi. Sir: We herewith present our â€Å"Term Report† authorized by you as a requirement for this course. In this report, we have tried to provide analysis on organizational behavior of NIB Bank. We hope we have covered all that was required for the report. If there be any clarification demanded, we would appreciate a call from you to our group members. Sincerely, Maaz Khalid Muhammad Usman Badar Muhammad ZainACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the name of â€Å"Allah†, the most beneficent and merciful who gave us strength and knowledge to complete this report. This report is a part of our course â€Å"Organizational Behavior†. This has proved to be a great experience. This report is a combine effort of, Maaz Khalid, Muhammad Usman Badar and Muhammad Zain. We would like to express our gratitude to our organizational be havior teacher Mr. Retd. Cdr. Tabassum, who gave us this opportunity to fulfill this report. We would also like to thank our colleagues who participated in a focus group session.They gave us many helpful comments which helped us a lot in preparing our report. 1. 3 Objective The general purpose of this study is to determine the satisfactory level of job among the employees of British American Tobacco Bangladesh. We have selected British American Tobacco because this company has a multinational job environment and ensures the maximum level of efficiency among the employees. 3. Research Methodology A. Pilot survey We did a pilot survey for questionnaire testing (Vogt, 1999; Babbie, 2004) to detect error, validity and scale reliability.We used a 5 point- scale (â€Å"1† for Strongly Disagree to â€Å"5† for Strongly Agree) developed by Likert (1932). The pilot survey was done during in the month of January-February, 2008 with 30 respondents from 6 enterprises. A total numb er of 20 HRM items were used for this study. The sample size was 30 at managerial (mid level) jobs and simple random was used to obtain feedback and the scale validity of the survey. The calculated Chronbach’s alpha (? ) value is 0. 9063, which indicates the high eliability of the instrument. B. In-depth Interviews The second stage of our research method was in-depth interviews with the 12 executives. Semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was used for in-depth interviews. A simple random sampling method was used at this stage. The questionnaire was distributed to the executives to get feedback. C. Full-scale survey Full scale questionnaires were administered in the month of April, May and June 15, 2008 within 53 manufacturing organizations out of 103 (BEPZA statistics, May, 2008) organizations in economic zone, DEPZ.That covers 216 respondents from the total of 512 in the surveyed enterprises with the response rate of 42. 18% (26. 18% of 825 total entire populations). A si mple random sampling method was used for selecting the enterprises. From the pilot survey and in-depth survey finding and suggestion, questionnaire was modified and surveyed for this stage. D. Sample For the survey, a random sampling was chosen for selection enterprises from the A, B and C category of DEPZ organizations. A total number of 53 enterprises were selected from 103 and that covered 216 respondents. HISTORY OF THE DHAKA BANK LIMITED: DHAKA BANK LIMITED was incorporated as a public limited Company on 6th April 1995 under the company act. 1994 and started its commercial operation on June 05, 1995 as a private sector bank. The bank started its journey with an authorized capital of Tk. 1,000. 00 million and paid capital Tk. 100. 00 million. It is now one of the most renowned private banks having multiple branches in the major cities of the country. DBL has started its business with all the features of a corporate bank and the products of both corporate and retail banking syste m to facilitate the daily clientele requirements.Among all of its products Credit card is one of the most important financial-tool of the modern banking sector, Though DHAKA BANK is always trying to improve their services in this field, but in today’s competitive business world, banks need to offer additional concentration to the clients’ requirement in order stay at the top. Therefore, besides dealing with the general attributes of the Credit card, they also have been trying to put more emphasis on the customer benefits and other customer related facilities.The Credit Card Division is a new venture for the bank, so the card is only for the use within the city and therefore it is facing a huge competition against the existing local Credit Cards in the market. Moreover, DHAKA BANK LIMITED has expressed tremendous interest to create a competitive market for their Credit cards. GOAL SETTING THEORY: Goal setting theory was born out of Aristotle’s theory of final cau sality and then researched in greater detail by Edwin A. Locke in the 1960s to understand how goals can influence an individual’s performance.The basic theory behind goal setting is that human behavior is galvanized and governed by goals and ambition. Today, goal setting theory is very important not only for those studying organizational psychology, but for anyone seeking to increase productivity, enhance performance and reach for greater heights of success. Goals are able to motivate and spur you to meet your ambitions because it helps you focus your efforts on that objective. Every objective we have requires a list of tasks to be executed.By setting goals, we’re able to persist with the list of tasks and are compelled to develop strategies in order to reach our objective. The incredible results achieved with the goal setting theory explain why it’s not just colleges, universities and sports institutions that use it to obtain results, but in businesses too wher e survival is based on ensuring positive outcomes. Having objectives is not the issue, but striving to attain them is. Following are the points that help you to achieve goals: †¢ State your goals in specific terms.Understand what your goals are and know why you’re selecting these goals. †¢ Make your goals attainable. There is no point setting goals you believe are unattainable. The best way to do this is to break your goals down into actionable steps. †¢ Measure your goals. Set a timeframe, or a milestone that can put the pressure on you to meet your objectives. ANALYSIS: To what extent you and your colleagues feel that the company sets challenging goals for itself and expects quality performance and outstanding production? Answer Log Table: Low |1 |2 | |standards | | | | | |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |1 |Tells group members what they are supposed to do. |- |- |4 |18 |3 | |2 |Acts friendly with members of the group. |- |- |3 |5 |17 | |3 |Sets standards of performance for group members. – |2 |5 |12 |6 | |4 |Helps others feel comfortable in the group. |- |- |4 |8 |13 | |5 |Makes suggestions about how to solve problems. |- |2 |4 |6 |13 | |6 |Responds favorably to suggestions made by others. |- |- |6 |10 |9 | |7 |Makes his/her perspective clear to others. |- |- |2 |16 |7 | |8 |Treats others fairly. |- |- |2 |5 |18 | |9 |Develops a plan of action for the group. |- |1 |14 |7 |3 | |10 |Behaves in a predictable manner toward group members. – |3 |12 |2 |8 | We asked different questions relating to the leadership style from NIB Bank employees to know which leadership style their leader uses and we found that two of the leadership styles that are task oriented and people oriented or relations-Oriented. The results we got from employees of NIB Bank that 53% of the employees feel that their managers are relationship oriented leaders and remaining 47% feels that their managers are task oriented leaders so this shows that the NIB Bank has got the com bination of leaders that are task oriented and relationship oriented.This shows that NIB Bank have the leaders that perform better in all situations and can manage their teams more effective in favorable conditions and also in very unfavorable conditions. PATH GOAL THEORY: House’s PATH GOAL THEORY describes how leaders can motivate their followers to achieve group and organizational goals and the kinds of behaviors they can engage in to accomplish that Path Goal theory suggests that effective leaders follow three guidelines to motivate their followers.The guidelines are based on the expectancy theory of motivation. Effective leaders who follow these guidelines have highly motivated subordinates who are likely to meet their work goals and perform at high levels. Determine what outcomes subordinates are trying to obtain in the workplace. For example, what needs are they trying to satisfy, or what goals are they trying to meet? After gaining this information, the leader must hav e control over those outcomes or over the ability to give or withhold the outcomes to subordinates.Reward subordinates for performing at high levels or achieving their work goals by giving them desired outcomes. Make sure the subordinates believe that they can obtain their work goals and perform at high levels. Leaders can do this by showing subordinates the paths to goal attainment (hence the name path goal theory), by removing any obstacles that might come along the way, and by expressing confidence in their subordinates capabilities. House identified four types of behavior that leaders can engage in to motivate subordinates: Directive behavior (similar to initiating structure) lets subordinates know what tasks need to be performed and how they should be performed. †¢ Supportive behavior (similar to consideration) lets subordinates know their leaders cares about their well-being and is looking out for them. †¢ Participative behavior enables subordinates to be involved in making decisions that affect them. †¢ Achievement-oriented behavior pushes subordinates to do their best.Such behavior includes setting difficult goals for followers, expecting high performance, and expressing confidence in their capabilities. ANALYSIS: We designed a different questionnaire especially for the TOP MANAGEMENT OF NIB Bank and the questions were related to PATH GOAL THEORY as the questionnaire belongs to the top management so we asked four top level managers of NIB Bank to fill this questionnaire list of their names and designation are given below: By studying our questionnaire we found different behaviors of leadership and there contribution in the organization’s behavior.We found different results for each behavior after analyzing the answers of our respondents which are given below: Directive Leaders Behavior: The most contributive behavior in leadership behaviors in NIB Bank having 27% share in leadership behavior was found to be directive behavior whic h is being frequently used in the organization we targeted. The benefit of using directive form of leadership which is characterized by greater control, defining what needs to be done, allocating resources and establishing clear expectations.The directive leadership behavior takes a more pragmatic approach to handling affairs in NIB Bank and is characteristically utilized in corporate turn-around situations. Supportive Leaders Behavior: The second most contributory behavior in leadership behaviors in NIB Bank having 26% share in leadership behaviors was found to be supportive behavior the results obtained shows that supportive behavior used in NIB Bank is almost the same as the use of directive leadership behavior with having difference of only 1% which is not a very big figure. Participative Leaders Behavior:Participative leadership behavior is the least used behavior in NIB’s culture with having 23% this shows that the NIB Bank leaders do consult with their subordinates whi le making a decision but at low frequency as compared to other PATH GOAL leadership behaviors. Achievement Oriented Leaders Behavior: The third most contributory behavior in leadership behaviors in NIB Bank with having percentage of 24 this shows that the leaders of NIB Bank set challenging goals for their subordinates with low frequency but they expect from their employees to perform at their highest level.The results of our analysis shows that there is no such big difference in leadership behaviors used in NIB Bank and this is a very good sign for NIB Bank that their leaders manage their subordinates according to different situations with different leadership behaviors. NORMS: â€Å"Norms are shared group expectations about behavior and how members ought to behave. † Norms provide groups with control and predictability and give members a sense of security and comfort. Norms are also the way we express values, attitudes and beliefs.Norms put boundaries on members that may be narrow or wide. Many norms in organizations originate from management expectation or from work rules and procedures of the formal organization. They develop and operate in informal groups. Many central work group norms revolve around productivity. Norms can put lower and upper limits on productivity. Controlling productivity not only spread the work ought to more people for a longer period, but also prevents management from rising its expectation.Some organizations have norms emphasizing social concern for employees this norm foster taking care of people who needed or other wise contributing to the quality of an employee’s life at work. Management can foster many norms that contribute to organizational success, such as norms effecting work quality, helpfulness or customer relation. A norm of secrecy may be critical to keep competitors from stealing ideas. ANALYSIS: Norms are of four types. The one we quire about is social norm. The reason of selecting social norm is that our culture is based on collectivism so the importance of social norms is very high.The situation of norms in NIB’s culture is fair enough according to the result of our questionnaire most of the employees follows the norms set by the organization and they are satisfied with them, but we found some employees who are willing to improve the conditions i. e. norms the calculated value of there willingness is about 25%. The major factors of social norms are friendliness, trust and mutual support. According to the employees in NIB Bank the conditions of trust and friendliness are pretty good and they are willing to increase mutual support.It is necessary to emphasize on social arrangement norms in country like Pakistan because of its collectivism culture and these norms helps the organization to get the participation of their employee in positive manner to achieve the goals set by the organization these kind of norms also motivates the employees to remain in organization because of f riendly culture in organization social arrangement norms also helps the employees to interacts with each other in more friendly manner which will increase trust among them and with there top management.If these norms are valued by the management then it will positively affect employee satisfaction and productivity and it will also enhance the organization culture CONFORMITY: â€Å"Conformity can be defined as a change in a person’s behavior or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of people†. Who does Conformity affect? Conformity can affect people in all different ways, positively and negatively. In task-specific situations, those who are led to believe they do not have the required aptitude, their tendency to conform increases.Individualistic societies are less likely to conform than collectivistic. How does Conformity work? An individual will most likely conform if: ? The majority consists of experts ? The members of the majority are important to the individual ? The individual can relate to the majority on some level–there are similarities between the individual and the group ANALYSIS: Through our questionnaire we analyzed the pattern of answers given by employees and we found many similar answers in regard of questions and it hows greater extend of conformity among employees of NIB Bank as they have almost marked similar options given in each questions of our questionnaire. The level of conformity shows there good relations and understanding with each other which also shows that they will not leave each other in hard times but on the other hand the high level of conformity indicates the danger of employees saying always yes to other’s decision instead of thinking critically about it and there might be a chance of employee saying yes under pressure in the fear of loosing group and may result in loss of any useful idea.After Asch’s study about conformity, in the world the conformity is decreasing as the level of knowledge and awareness are increasing and the result of our questionnaire shows high level of conformity, we can suggest the reason â€Å"collectivism culture of Pakistan† TEAMS: A group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individuals input.Guideline for team leaders set by NIB’s management: |Definition: | |Has a natural authority, generates commitment and builds team cohesiveness by setting a clear vision for the team, reflected in core values. |EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR |LESS EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR | |MORE OF THIS |LESS OF THIS | | | | |Communicates frequently a realistic picture of future plans so people know |Takes independent decisions and asks the team to follow | |what has to be done and why? instruction without questioning. | | | | |Arrives at decision by consensus, where appropriate, to gain team |Waits for team to ask for information instead of proactively | |commitment. | keeping them informed of the ‘big’ picture. | | | |Is supportive of the team / individuals and helps in overcoming problems to|Exhibits high personal energy when initiating action but does not | |achieve targets. |follow through. | | | | |Leads by example; displays behavior which reflects the desired work norms |Talks about the theory and principles of leadership, yet not | |and values. reflected in behavior. | | | | |Spends time finding out the way individuals want to be managed and work |Uses the abilities of staff for own personal and career gains; | |together; adapts leadership by style to match. does not share benefits and praise but passes on criticisms and | | |blame. | |Maximizes the available resource by constructing well-balanced teams; | | |acknowledges and helps others values the unique contributions of each |Does not seek to identify and discuss the values of the team to | |member. |ensure everyone is working towards a common goal. | | | |Identifies own lea dership style and strengths, adapts these to specific |Avoid admitting own mistakes or limitations. | |situations. | | | | | |Follows up with dissenters or blocker to contain negativity. | Guidelines for reducing conflicts between team members set by NIB’s management: |Definition: | |The ability to pull together individuals or parties in conflict by diffusing emotions, identifying the critical issues and helping got reach a| |compromise; keeps the focus on common objective to meet both needs. |EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR |LESS EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR | |MORE OF THIS |LESS OF THIS | | | | |Confronts covert conflict; draws out sensitive issues or relationships. Lets conflict escalate before taking any action. | | | | |Uses all-round knowledge to manage interdepartmental and |Seeks to diffuse conflict after listening to only some of the parties | |intra-departmental conflicts. |involved; jumps to conclusions about others based on earlier | | |situations. |Keeps the focus of conflict resolution on the long term overall | | |interests of the organization. |Adopts a singular style or strategy across different contexts. | | | | |Facilitates open discussion between conflicting parties. |Does not identify brewing conflicts from emotional reactions. | | | |Remains impartial when dealing with others; listen to arguments of each|Suggests own solution to conflict without identifying the source. | |party. | | | |Focuses too much on emotional aspects of the conflict rather than the | |Adapts approach to the situation and the culture of the conflicting |solutions. |parties. | | | |Conveys inconsistent messages to conflicting parties, thus resulting | | |in the further confusions. | ANALYSIS:After visited to NIB Bank we discovered that the NIB Bank employees comprised of self-managed works teams according to employees responses they feel greater level of responsibility on their shoulders and they manage the things like planning, scheduling of work, and assigning task to the member of team, control the pace of the work, make decisions through discussion between the team members, take actions to solve the problem and also interact with their customers and we found that the employees called their colleagues relationship officer rather than sales officer.QUALITY MANAGEMENT: CREATIVITY |Definition: | |Is able to conceive original, imaginative and valuable ideas to solve problems and improve processes. |EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR |LESS EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR | |MORE OF THIS |LESS OF THIS | | | | |Develops ideas and thinks through to an innovative conclusions. Prefers to use tried and tested methods to solve problems rather than| | |think of new and innovative solutions. | |Questions traditional thinking in order to initiate new perspectives. | | | |Sees opportunities as risks; talks about the dangers and risks rather| |Builds on information and ideas provided by others. |than the potential benefits. | | | |Acts quickly to grasp and dev elop novel opportunities. |Actions ideas giving appropriate thought only to short-term benefits | | |and immediate impact. | |Improvises effective solutions when faced with ambiguous and difficult | | |situations. Is overly absorbed in own ideas; hence is not as aware of the | | |environment or important events as required. | |Tests out ideas for practicality and feasibility. | | | |Over relies heavily on past experience; does not think laterally. |Seeks out pools and thinkers and puts them together to generate ideas; | | |uses tools and techniques to simulate others’ creativity. | | CONTINUES LEARNING: |Definition: | |A strong personal commitment to self-development reflected in an underlying curiosity to know more about people, things, issues, stretching | |beyond what is routine or required job knowledge. |EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR |LESS EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOUR INDICATOR | |MORE OF THIS |LESS OF THIS | | | | |Identifies skills needed for the future and takes steps to devel op |Over emphasizes the importance of won professional development at the | |self and others. cost of work priorities. | | | | |Actively seeks professional development opportunities, both inside |Relies too heavily on own knowledge does not accept constructive | |and outside the organization. |feedback. | | | |Seeks opportunities to work with the others of diverse backgrounds, |Sticks to own area of expertise rather than broadening one’s focus. | |experience, viewpoints. | | | |Develops oneself for tangible rewards rather than more and grow. |Has personally established on-going systems or habits for information| | |gathering through professional memberships, literature and contacts. |Waits for others to identify own development needs. | | | | |Sets clear personal development targets which focus on behavioral |Considers skills lifelong; continuously resorts to tried and tested | |improvements as much as professional / technical skills. methods. | | | | |Volunteers for assignme nts which contribute to individual learning |Prefers to cover up mistakes rather than seek feedback and learn. | |goals. | | | | | |Accepts and seeks feedback from others; learns from past mistakes. | CONCLUSION: After studying and a analyzing the results of our research on the various issues related to the organizational behavior within the organization that are affecting the performance of its management and particularly its employee, followed by several general and specific list of questions we asked and the interviews we conducted during our visit to the two branches of NIB bank one on â€Å"Tariq Road† and other on â€Å"I.I Chundrigar Road†, we are able to draw out our conclusions about this report. NIB Bank is a global bank which is also operating in Pakistan. The organization behavior regarding goal setting for employees we have concluded that the management of NIB Bank is effective in setting goals according to the competition in the banking sector of Pakistan . As the requirement of growing banking sector it is necessary to set challenging and effective goals so as to become market leaders.Despite of setting challenging goals the employees of NIB Bank are satisfied with these challenging goals and performing well to achieve the goals which were provided to them. The management style in NIB Bank is kind of participative management in which employees are given chance to share their ideas for decision making so the NIB Bank is utilizing its employees by getting different ideas from different employees this provides greater chances for getting better and innovative ideas.Not only this but from this activity employees feel motivated because they think they also have the authority in decision making process and they are also a part of an organization. During the interview of an employee NIB Bank he told us â€Å"All the employees here are given title of relationship officer rather than any other designation and at the beginning of each month the top level management visits every branch and arrange meeting with all the employees of the branch and discuss the problems faced by every employee and immediately tries to resolve the problem and this is the major motivating factor for us†.For motivating their employees management uses different types of motivating tools the innovative ones we found are ESOP (Employees Stock Ownership Plan) and the pay plan for less productive workers. By providing ESOP the employees gains the ownership of an organization and work hard not only for their benefit but also to maximize the profit of the organization. The next thing about the pay plan for less productive workers the company motivate their employees whose performance is not up to the mark by giving them the salaries equivalent to the market value of the any other employee of same rank.As the motivation and reward systems are up to the expectation of the employees so the employees are very much satisfied and don’t want to leave the organization. The leadership styles in NIB Bank are mixture of both the task oriented and relationship oriented but it is little lien towards relationship oriented leadership style. The leader’s behavior consisting of all the leaders’ behavior provided by House’s Path Goal Theory having almost same percentages with very low variation.Overall we concluded NIB Bank inherits strong organizational culture having values for leaders and as well as for employees and the organization behavior is up to the mark for any company being in Pakistan.RECOMMENDATION: 1. NIB Bank should offer training and development sessions for undergraduates; this will help NIB Bank in future while recruiting employees. 2. NIB Bank should reduce conformity by giving rewards to employees for suggesting more effective idea in the benefit of the organization this will not only provide wider range of ideas but also act as a motivational tool for their employees. . NIB Bank should arran ge extra curricular activities like cricket matches on inter bank level to further improve relations between employees as other organizations are organizing (for example ABN Amro, Mobilink, etc. ) 4. NIB should introduce â€Å"Dress-Down† day i. e. employees should be given permission to wear dresses other than formal dresses on certain days so as to make them relaxed while work.