Properties of Hydrates Essay

Purpose: The purpose of the â€Å"Properties of Hydrates† lab is to study hydrates, and be able to identify them. This lab also focuses on observing the reversibility of hydration reactions by hydrolysis, and also testing substances for efflorescence of deliquescence. Procedure: A.Identification 1. Place 0.5 grams of each compound (Nickel Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Tetraborate, Sucrose, Calcium Carbonate, and Barium Chloride) in a small dry test tube. 2. Heat gently with a burner flame and observe carefully. If droplets of water appear on the test tube it may be a hydrate. Note the nature and color of the residue. 3. Let the tube cool, and try to dissolve the residue in a few cm3 of water, warming if necessary. A true hydrate will dissolve in water, producing a color similar to that of the original hydrate. A carbohydrate will give off water, but tends to char. The residue will also often be a caramel color. B.Reversibility 1. Gently heat a few crystals of about 0.3 grams of hydrated Cobalt(II) Chloride, CoCl2 x 6H2O in an evaporating dish until the color change appears to be complete 2. Dissolve the residue in the evaporating dish in a few cm3 of water from the wash bottle 3. Heat the residue to a boiling and carefully boil it to dryness. Note any color changes. 4. Put the evaporating dish on the lab bench and let it cool. C.Deliquescence and Efflorescence 1. Place a few crystals of Na2CO3 x 10H2O, CaCl2, KAl(SO4)2 x 12 H20, and CuSO4 in an a separate evaporating dish next to the CoCl2 prepared in part B. 2. To see weather the samples gained or lost mass, weigh each of them on a top-loading balance and record to the nearest hundredth. 3. Weight them again after an hour to detect ANY changes in mass. 4. Observe the samples occasionally. Note any structures in color and structure  and degree of wetness. D. Percent of Water in Hydrate 1. Clean crucible and its cover, and also make sure that crucible tongs are clean. Put over fire, and let cool. 2. Weight the crucible to the nearest thousandth. Handel with tongs 3. Obtain a sample of an unknown hydrate, and place about 1 gram in the crucible. 4. Weight the crucible, cover and sample on the balance. 5. Put the crucible on the clay triangle, with the cover off center to allow water vapor to escape. 6. Heat again, gently at first, and then with the bottom red for about 10 minutes. 7. Center the crucible cover, and let it cool to room temperature. 8. Weight the cooled crucible and with its cover and contents. 9. Examine the solid residue. 10. Add water until the crucible it two thirds full. Warm gently if the residue doesn’t readily dissolve. 11. Does the residue appear to be soluble? Waste Disposal: Dispose of the Copper mixture, and the Aluminum mixture in the correct bowl under the waste hood. All of the acids and bases can be disposed of down the sink. If the compound isn’t water soluble put in the organic container. Chemical Principles in the Laboratory: Experiment 6 Conclusion: The purpose of the Properties of Hydrates lab was to be able to identify if a substance was a hydrate or not. In lab, experiments where conducted to see if a compound was a hydrate or not. In order for the compound to be deemed as a hydrate it had to: 1. Release water upon heating 2. The anhydrous residue had to be water soluble 3. Exhibit reversibility If, and only if the compound showed that it could exhibit all three of these  properties, could it be distinguished a hydrate. In part â€Å"A† of the experiment, Nickel Chloride and Sodium Tetraborate were the only two compounds that were true hydrates. Both of these showed water residue when heating, where soluble in water after heating, and converted back to it original color after performing the first two experiments. Some of the other compounds had positive results for one or two test but not all three. For example, Sucrose, when heated, water residue appeared on the test tube, and was soluble in water, but the compound didn’t show reversibility. In part â€Å"B† of the experiment, CoCl2*6H2O was heated, dissolved, and then heated again to show that it was a true hydrate. When the Cobalt Chloride was heated, it turned from the color of fuchsia pink, to a light blue. And then after being dissolved into water, the compound turned back to its original color of fuchsia pink, demonstrating reversibility. The color change in this compound shows that by adding water to the anhydrous residue, that the same bonds that were broken my dehydrating the compound where reformed when adding water. In part â€Å"C†, four compound, plus the Cobalt Chloride mentioned above were tested for deliquescence, and efflorescence. Only one compound turned about to be efflorescent, which means that it lost water, which was Sodium Carbonate. The compounds mass before sitting out was 50.645g, after being exposed to the conditions of the laboratory for an hour, the sample weight 50.603g losing approximately 0.042g over the period of an hour. The Calcium Chloride (gained 0.258g), Copper Sulfate (gained 0.007g) and Cobalt Chloride (gained 0.068g) where all deliquescent, meaning that again mass while sitting in the laboratory. The Potassium Aluminum sulfate, exhibited stability while sitting out for an hour, neither gaining nor losing mass. For part â€Å"D† of the experiment, the percent of water in the unknown hydrate was %12.290. The closet percent of the given facts of the unknown was Barium chloride (BaCl2*2H2O), which has %14.8 water in it. This percent was found by using the formula below: % water in hydrate=(mass of water in hydrate/mass of the entire hydrate) The wide range of difference between the percent of the given and the unknown could have been due to the fact that there was wood debris in the unknown sample . This could have thrown off the amount of water present in the sample, and messed up the amount of water able to evaporate.

American Civil War and Amendment Source

It explains the basics about why the 14th Amendment was passed. It also does give many other cool facts that you could find useful. This Includes the fact that the congress had to vote for the amendment to be passed. It also does explain how the 14th Amendment did not completely free slaves. When I say this, I mean that In some places, the 14th Amendment was not active. That means that the slaves In that area, were not free. Evaluation: I did not find the source useful AT ALL. The entire book was Just text, no pictures or anything. This dad It hard to visualize what was happening In the book.Also, the fact that only a fraction of the book was about the 14th Amendment, did not help on the Informational side. I would not recommend this book to someone that Is Just researching about the 14th Amendment. Source 3: Online weapon http://w. NM. Impermeableness. Gob/]b/recon/]b_recon_reveled_l . HTML, by: Web Guides Summary: This Is a weapon created by Web Guides. They go over everything you need to know about the 14th Amendment. They say that the amendment was ratified on July 9th, 1868 and granted excellently to everyone. The senate voted yes by 33 to 11 votes.The House of Representatives voted yes by 120 to 32 votes. Overall, It granted freedom to many African-American slaves. This was for reconstruction purposes for the aftermath of the call war. Evaluation: I found this website page very useful. It had many pictures and links to give you extra facts and Information. It also showed me about what happened after It. I would recommend this weapon/website to everyone.

A Love Story in Boracay Essay

Philippines is a nation located at South-East of Asia, just east of Vietnam. It is surrounded by three different seas, namely, the Celebes Sea, the South China Sea, and the Philippine Sea. Comprising of 7, 107 islands, this country has a total area of 300, 000 sq km. Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are the three islands that form the main island groups of the Philippines. There are numerous tourist attractions in the Philippines. One of them is the famous Boracay Island. This island has white, sandy beaches and luxurious resorts.   One day, I spent a lazy twilight just wading through the calm waters. The sea was very much alive yet it the air seemed romantic. I was pondering on important things when I saw a couple fighting. The woman was close to tears and the man was regretful. Something he said must have hurt the poor woman’s heart. The woman walked away, leaving the man confused and unsure of what to do.I thought, â€Å"Maybe love isn’t enough to keep relationships last.† I for one did not really believe in love. But I decided to approach the guy and offer a helping hand anyway. I asked him if he’s okay. He said, â€Å"I don’t know. It’s just that she’s too vulnerable. I don’t know how to handle her.† The man got something from his pocket. It was a little heart-shaped case that no doubt contained a ring. â€Å"I was supposed to ask her to marry me but she burst out crying even before I popped the question. I have no idea what’s wrong with her. Could it be that she loves someone else?†, he said. I shook my head. â€Å"No, she loves you. I saw the way she looked at you. It was a look of love but it had a hint of pain. Maybe you did something to cause that pain. You know, women are really sensitive.† â€Å"So what do you reckon I should do?† He looked at me with hopeful eyes. This man really loves her woman so I thought hard on helping them. We were sitting with our backs on a tree when something came up my mind.mâ€Å"I know!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You should treat like she’s the most beautiful girl in the planet.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"How?† The next day, he asked the woman for a date at a grandiose restaurant in Boracay. When the woman arrived at the place, she was lead into the balcony at the second floor. She couldn’t be more surprised to find that the whole place was closed or reserved just for the two of them. While they were eating, the favorite band of the lady was hired to provide music for that very special night. After eating, they open a bottle of Champagne and as soon as the guy had poured the Champagne into the wine glass, the woman noticed a diamond ring floating happily. She blushed and giggled. She was about to ask for an explanation from the guy when fireworks began to color the night sky. The scene was oh so breathtaking. When the fireworks display was almost over, up in the sky, written were the words: â€Å"I love you. Please marry me.† The two of them were married three months after that and I was really happy to have helped save their once-drowning relationship. Even now, when I think about Boracay, I remember those two persons who were madly in love with each other despite their differences. And, most importantly, I now believe in love. It was not the help that I gave that propelled their relationship into the right direction. It was their love that conquered everything; I just gave it a little push. Works Cited http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Philippines/Where+to+Go. 2007. Online. May 23, 2007.

Chile Earthquake Of 1960 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chile Earthquake Of 1960 - Research Paper Example The resulting tsunami affected Southern Chile, Japan, Hawaii, southeast Australia, the Philippines, the Aleutian Islands and eastern New Zealand (U.S. Geological Survey 4). The earthquake struck at 7.11 PM around 160 kilometers off the Chile’s coast and paralleled to Valdivia city. It agrees that, the shock had up to 9.5 magnitudes, though some researchers say that it may have been 9.6 or 9.4. The previous day, a series of foreshocks warned for incipient disaster. The major demolition in Concepcion was; as a result of magnitude 7.9. The source of fault-displacement of the earthquake covered over approximately 560-520miles (900-1,000km) area of Nazca Plate subducted underneath South American Plate. The epicenter was around 570 kilometers near Lumaco, south of Santiago, making Valdivia the most affected city. The immensity of the shifts of the seafloor that influenced the tsunamis big. Such that, nearly 15 hours later, the waves that arrived in the islands of Hawaiian, that is 6,200miles away, crested about 35feet at landfall in particular places (Thompson, 34). Most of the Chilean cities, including Puerto Montt, a noticeable subsidence happened. In Valdivia, almost half of the buildings were declared uninhabitable due to great damage they sustained. Even though the havoc caused by the shaking was not minor, most casualties resulted from 15 minutes later descent that rose up to 25 meters (80 feet) high on the Chilean coastline expanse. Puerto Aisen and Lebu cities bound it. The cities are also parallel to the subducting plate. The number of casualties and monetary losses that rose from the widespread disaster is not accurate.

Complete the Statistical Process Control for the Process Term Paper

Complete the Statistical Process Control for the Process - Term Paper Example Leading tools in Statistical process control are control charts, which is based on constant perfection and premeditated testing. Control charts, also recognized as process-behavior charts. In statistical process control, control charts are key practice utilized to establish whether or not a production or commercial process is in a condition of statistical control. The control chart can be envisioned as ingredient of a purpose and regimented approach that permits acceptable judgments concerning organization and management of the process, as well as whether or not to alter process control constraints. Process constraints should never be altered for a procedure that is in proper organization, as this will consequence in despoiled process routine. Being insightful of a process, the process is characteristically mapped out and the process is controlled using control charts. Control charts are utilized to recognize disparity that may be due to special causes, and to liberate the consumer f rom apprehension over disparity due to common causes. This is a nonstop, continuing process. When a procedure is steady and does not activate any of the detection rules for a control chart, a process competence analysis may also be carried out to forecast the capability of the present procedure to manufacture compliant products in the upcoming activities surrounded by specifications. A control chart comprises of points on behalf of a statistical mean, range, and proportion of dimensions of a quality feature in illustrations (samples) opted from the procedure at dissimilar points in time. The mean of this statistic process control utilizing the entire collections of the sample is enumerated; it incorporates the mean of the means, mean of the ranges, and mean of the proportions. A middle line is placed at the numerical value of the mean of the statistical process control chart. The standard error meaning the standard deviation/sqrt(n) for the mean of the statistic is in addition preme ditated by means of the entire collections of all the samples. Upper and lower control limits, at times termed as "natural process limits", designate the threshold at which the procedure output is measured statistically improbable are drawn characteristically at 3 standard errors starting from the center line. The chart can also be additionally equipped with possible features, like upper and lower warning limits, placed as detached lines, characteristically two standard errors on top of and underneath the center line, as well as separation into zones, with the accumulation of regulations leading frequencies of interpretations in every zone in addition to it can also encompass the explanation with procedures of interest, as explicated by the Quality Engineer in command of the process's quality. Control charts put 3-sigma or 3-standard error limits on the few foundations, these foundations include the common consequence of Chebyshev's inequality that the probability of an occurring bi gger than k standard deviations as of the mean is at mainly 1/k2 for any probability distribution. The better-quality product of the Vysochanskii-Petunin inequality that the probability of a event larger than k standard deviations as of the mean is of the value maximum 4/(9k2) for any uni-modal probability distribution. The empirical examination of various probability distr

Boundary Line Placement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Boundary Line Placement - Assignment Example They purchased them and erected their structures. Each one of them tries to engulf their habitats and make their residential areas and environments as conducive as possible ( Adier 2001).. At that moment, there erupts a conflict on the line of separation between them calling for the need of the judiciary to intervene and save the innocent while prosecuting the guilty. The dispute came because of the railroads that Levy put to mark the boundary between him and the neighbors. He was oblivious of the exact location of the boundary but rather assumed that it was at a point within the vicinity of the cranberry garden that at first had bushes that dried. Marjory however believes that the cranberry garden marked the boundary between the families, as it was the common point shared by them (Adier 2000). Ms Tucker has also resided in there for a long time and the only transition that has taken place is that the plaintiffs were paved and this affected neither the location nor the size. The plaintiffs’ evidence is that apparently because of a dispute over whether the defendant’s tenant had farmed over the line and onto the plaintiffs’ lawn in an area north of the area in question, there was a falling out between the parties. As a result, the plaintiffs’ evidence is that in 2005, the defendant had the property surveyed and as a result, the surveyor put a stake in the pavement of the plaintiffs’ driveway( slossberg 2007). In deep consideration, the defendants never took part in any farming and they even do not reside within the area in question. I would therefore prefer to say that they be excluded from the case and the affected individuals to vindicate their truths. Again, they both seem innocent because they both purchased so it is the original owner who ought to have given them the true information; relating to the boundary ( Kiser 2011).. The boundary line between the two properties should follow the investigated and surveyed boundary line, which runs from

Equity and Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Equity and Trust - Essay Example Whether the person involved is a trustee or an executor depends on the manner in which the decedent held his/her property. A trustee is an individual or a firm that holds responsibility, authority and position over a property on behalf of or/and for the benefit of another (Free willWriting.com, 2013). In a broader term, a trustee could also refer to a person who sits on the Board of Trustees for a firm that works in the interest of and for the benefit of the general public. Although often set up for charitable reasons, a trust could also be set up for the benefit of individuals. Thus, the key types of trust are a will trust for the testators family and children, a pension trust, and a charitable trust (Free willWriting.com, 2013). The executor on the other hand is the person or the trust company mandated to settle the estate of a testator according to the provisions of the will. This paper advises Trevor and Tony, an executor and a trustee regarding the distribution of Sam’s (the decedent) wealth and the settling of his/her business affairs and debts according to the provisions of the will left. In his will, Sam outlines how his assets are to be distributed to the beneficiaries. First, Sam leaves his 20,000 shares in BT plc to his trustees on trust. He directs the trustees to hold the bulk of these shares for his sister Margaret and the remainder for his four grandchildren in whatever shares the trustees deem appropriate. Second, Sam directs that his bronze statue of a musician to be given to his daughter Fiona, who should keep it safely for her grandchildren. Third, he directs that his trustees distribute  £50,000 amongst the inhabitants of Greater London as the trustees deem appropriate. Finally, he directs that his executors distribute  £300,000 amongst his friends. Further, in case the executors doubt who Sam’s friends were, his wife should help in identifying his

Can a judge order a convicted drunk driver to attend weekly Alcoholics Essay

Can a judge order a convicted drunk driver to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings over the course of one year as a condition of probation for drunk driving - Essay Example In case the defendant violates probation, a one month jail term is imposed depending on the original sentencing. However, the state implemented the law of AA as an effective amendment for providing spiritual revelation to the drunk drivers. AA offers the defendant spiritual education programs in order to help the drunk driver to stop drinking (Smith 299). Drunk drivers are given AA as an alternative for going to jail and this takes place after carrying out alcohol screening test. The court does not put the offender directly to AA, but they are sent to the probation officer or a counselor first. The counselor will carry out screening test in order to determine the drinking pattern of the offender. The results will enable the officer to determine the drinking level and then make a decision of sending the offender to the Alcoholic Anonymous. This alternative probation to jail was seen effective because it reduces the costs of maintaining the offenders in jail. The government may violate the freedom of religion, equal protection and due process by holding the court hearings in a church as seen under the First Amendment. Under the First Amendment rights, the church was given freedom and the constitution protects the rights of the church (Smith 301). The church was separated from the state and given the freedom to exercise their rights. Holding court hearing in a church is deemed as the violation of freedom of religion and speech. This is because the First Amendment clause aimed at separating the church from the state. The central government does not have the authority to engage in church matters.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) Research Proposal

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) - Research Proposal Example Boubyan Bank, international Bank of Qatar, and Turkish bank are the associates of NBK. NBK is the first bank in the Middle East to set up an International Advisory Board. NBK plc is a subsidiary of the bank. It has two offices, one in London and the other in Paris. The bank provides retail services related to trade and finance and private as well as corporate banking services (National Bank of Kuwait, n.d.). Research Objective The objective of research is to determine the factors that led the bank to become one of the largest profitable banks in that part of the world and to determine the influence of consumer loyalty on the financial performance of the organization. The objective will also be to analyze how balanced scorecard can be made effective to identify the causal relationships between the perspective of the customers as well as the financial perspective. Research Question The following are the questions that are to be addressed. Is the bank operating at its efficiency level? Can the consumer level initiatives in the balanced scorecard affect the financial level? Which factors can be held responsible for attracting customers to the bank? How the managers taking the help of HR can manage the organization in a better fashion? To support the perspective of the customer, what are the characteristics that the division head of the organization desires in the approach of Balanced Scorecard? Is the future of the bank secured? Literature Review One of the objectives of the organization is to sustain with strong financial position. A trend of adoption of western practices of management like Balanced Scorecard is creeping up. It is based on the organizational structure and goes beyond the usual conventional accounting system. The interaction between the customer and the bank is categorized into three different levels. The first category is comprised of the services that do not require any human interaction like the online banking services. The second category invol ves the interactions of the customer service representatives. A combination of the first and second category constitutes the third category. It is believed that the bank did not have to suffer terribly in the crisis period, but some are of the opinion that the business was negatively affected. The bank used its image to help the members maintain the relation with the customers. However, with increasing competition in the markets, the members are putting in more effort to hold or attract customers in the bank. If the balanced scorecard was implemented properly, then such a situation could have been avoided. The conceptual framework identifies the utility of building strong relations with the customers and its impact on the financial performance of the bank (Dash and Tripathy, 2004, p. 10). A few more additions in the framework will help to drive the behavior of customers to achieve loyalty. The experienced leaders should deal with the task of communicating the strategic objectives an d initiate instant decisions. Three research strategies can be used in order to achieve the objective of the project-descriptive, explanatory and exploratory (Khazal, 2010). The scale and time of the project must be taken in consideration when determining the appropriate methods. The portfolio of retail loans of the bank is maintaining good quality, and it is anticipated to depict fair performance in the near future as well. The bank does not share great exposure to financing the buying of shares. The

Family Variations and Implications to Children Essay

Family Variations and Implications to Children - Essay Example Therefore, the economic, social, and cultural background of a family has a great impact on the behaviors and the upbringing of a child in the community. Children from single parenting portray different characteristics from children with two parents, with the gender of the child being a factor in determining how the family structure and relationships affect children in particular families. Wright & Chrysalis (2007, 16) argue that the rapidly changing family dynamics result in varying characteristics and behaviors in children, indicating that the structure of a family has a direct impact on the upbringing of a child. Therefore, children adopt behaviors and characteristics that mirror the family cultural and economic backgrounds, and family structures in the society. In this report, the various effects of family structures and their effects on children influenced by the social, economic, and cultural factors will be investigated. Berthoud (2) further notes that in black families, the issue of extended family is more profound, and may include grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, among others. Generally, research in most U.K families portrays most traditional family structures are more stable compared to the current marriage structures, which include single parenting and cohabitation forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Children in stable marriages portray healthy and stable development psychologically, mentally and are in most cases protected from vices experienced by children in the other two forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Such children are likely to be morally responsible according to stable upbringing, or the favorable atmosphere in these families; they have to learn their cultural orientations and the expected code of behaviors in the society.  

The Impact Of Social Networking On Business Research Paper

The Impact Of Social Networking On Business - Research Paper Example On the other hand, the ever changing fashion trend influences the people around the globe the way they dress and how producers design apparels suited to the prevailing market need. Business therefore is simply a matter of creating trends, understanding consumers and their needs and building long-term relationship for profit-generating activity. These are some of the essential elements that need to be mastered in business, but one of the most important factors that need to be considered in great detail is consumer behavior as it has important business implications (Deutsch, 2010). This reason that for many years, business significantly improved the way it is conducted and it continuously seeks to understand consumer behavior. Today, business is an integral part of the social changes as social networking is developed over time and as found to be of great advantage on business activity. Consumer behavior in particular is integrated in the modern social change. For instance, Facebook as a renowned social networking site is not only a venue for friendship-related activities, but in creating business in particular as it is currently patterned in the principle of how social behavior functions. This is evident in its website where it is clear how each individual interacts with each other with particular messages. Social networking site dates back to its humble beginning in 1971 when the first email was sent, and it remarkably improved until 1995 where online contents can be published with freedom, which brought forward the inception of Friendster in 2002, Myspace in 2003, Facebook in 2004, Twitter in 2006 and in 2008 Facebook bested them all based on the number of users and online visits per day (Onlineschools.org., 2011). This remarkable innovation and evolution in social networking have important business implications and this is the point the proponent discusses in this paper. Social networking Social networking is an innovation in business for the following reasons . The first point is its ability to disclose significant information that would be important to some people around the globe. As a result, it has the capacity to augment an individual’s network of contacts (Wilson, 2009). For instance, a person who looks for someone interested in conducting business may be able to

Aristotle Essay Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Essay Essay Aristotle Despite being Plato’s student, Aristotle’s views conflict with his teacher’s. The biggest difference being that Aristotle was a realist; he saw the value in studying the physical world and trusted his senses, unlike Plato who believed in the world of forms. Plato believed that we need to look beyond the physical world for a metaphysical explanation of the universe, Aristotle refuted this. Aristotle observed nature and used logic and reason to explain how it works; he tried to find the ‘action’ of why things exist and tried to make sense of them. Also, Aristotle’s approach was imperial and he trusted the use of reason based on his experience. Aristotle rejected Plato’s dualism; he thought that the body and soul are one, as the brain and body are. This opposes Plato’s views that the body and soul were separate. Aristotle believed in the four causes, the principal that everything has four causes of existence: Material cause – refers to what a thing is made of, Aristotle used the example of a bronze sculpture and a silver saucer, Aristotle would say that bronze or silver is the material cause. However, an object can have more than one material cause, for example, the laptop I’m typing on is made of plastic, metal, wires and glass; these would all be material causes. The material cause also counters Plato’s theory of the world of forms, he would say that my laptop has a perfect form however, it is made up of individual things in order to be a laptop, all of the things it is made up of must have their own perfect form according to Plato, making his theory contradictive. Formal cause – refers to the structure of an object, the shape it takes that makes it what it is. It is what we recognise as the thing we are looking at. An object must have a specific order in order to be what it is, for example, a bronze sculpture is not just a lump of bronze, and it has been shaped into a sculpture in order to function, as my laptop has been assembled into an order so it works. Efficient cause – refers to how the object has changed from a state of potentiality to what it is, for example, the way a bronze sculpture has been taken from a lump of bronze chiselled until it is made into a statue by the sculptor. The efficient cause of an object may not be as simple as this i. e. my laptop’s efficient cause may vary from machines and people to plastic moulds and screwdrivers. It is the cause of the change. Final cause – refers to the purpose of an objects being; the purpose of a sculpture might be to be admired, the purpose of my laptop is to let me watch videos of cats playing musical instruments on YouTube. Aristotle uses the example of health being the cause of walking, Why does one walk? he asks, that one may be healthy. The final cause is perhaps the most important of all of the causes. Aristotle’s understanding did not end there, he said that once something has achieved a state of actuality, it will be in a state of potentiality, for example, take ‘whiteness’, when my shirt is washed and becomes clean and ‘white’ but it has the potential to become dirty and ‘not white’ anymore. Aristotle also came up with the idea of the Prime Mover. The Prime Mover is, according to Aristotle, the ultimate and final cause of the universe. He said that everything in the universe is in a state of change (motus) so the Prime Mover must exist outside the universe, so that it is not affected by what happens inside. The Prime Mover cannot change, because to change something must exist in a state of actuality and have the potential to change i. e. an actual child is a potential adult. Aristotle does not consider the Prime Mover as a God, because a god is a living being which effects what happens in the world, however, the Prime Mover does not affect what happens in the universe, it is just the cause of it. Aristotle says that the Prime Mover has to exist because the universe has to have a cause. The Prime Mover also has to be eternal, because if something comes into existence it must be caused by something else.

The Marriott International Incs Development Marketing Essay

The Marriott International Incs Development Marketing Essay The former of the Marriott International Inc was founded by J. Willard Marriott when he and his wife Alice Sheets opened a nine-stool AandW Root Beer stand which they later called The Hot Shoppe in Washington, DC the spring of 1927.It sold hot food such as tamales, chili, and tacos were added to attracting customers during the winter months. In the following few years, with the hot shoppes kept expanding, Marriotts food service had a good development. In 1957, Marriott opened its first hotel which was a 365-room Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. In 1967 its name was changed from Hot Shoppes, Inc., to Marriott Corporation and J.W. Marriott, Jr., became President and CEO. During the next 26 years, Marriott was developing fast by opening different kinds of hotels to meet the need of people and acquiring other companies. In 1985, J. Willard Marriott passed away and his oldest son J. Willard Bill Marriott, Jr., was named CEO and took over most major responsibilities. Marrio tt International Inc was established formally in 1993 when the former company splits into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation. With its establishment, Marriott International Inc starts to become a worldwide operator and franchisor of hotels and related lodging facilities step by step. ( http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/culture/heritageTimeline.mi) Today, Marriott International Inc headquarters in the Bethesda area of unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland. And it is a leading worldwide hospitality company with about 3150 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. In 2010, its sales is $10,908.00M, And there are 137000 employees in this company. With its excellent business achievement and economic strength, Marriott International Inc has become one of Worlds Fortune 500 for many years. And its rank is 213 in 2010. This big company is still developing and making progress continually. (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/snapshots/10664.html) Marriott International Incs development cant be achieved without the key people in this company. Nowadays, this companys CEO and chairman is J.W. Marriott, Jr. His leadership spans over 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with 3500 properties in 70 countries and territories. Arne M. Sorenson, the president and COO of Marriott International, Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. And he joined Marriott in 1996 when he specialized in mergers and acquisitions litigation and now he is responsible for the performance and growth of all of Marriotts worldwide brands and businesses. Marriotts Executive Vice President and CFO is Carl T. Berquist. Mr. Berquist holds a B.S. in accounting from Penn State University and is a member of Penn States Smeal Business Schools Board of Visitors. In 2002, he joined Marriott as a partner at Arthur Andersen LLP. And now Mr. Berquist become the CFO with responsibility for global finance, including financial reporting, project finance, global treasury, corporate tax, internal audit, and investor relations. (http://news.marriott.com/our-leadership.html) Although it has steady growth and profitability every year, Marriott International Incs Mission Statement is still to be the best lodging and food service company in the world. It will achieve this goal by treating employees in ways that create extraordinary customer service and shareholder value. And its Vision Statement is to be the worlds lodging leader. To be the leader, this company keeps focusing on serving the guest, extensive operational knowledge, the development of employees skills, and offering the best lodging brands in the lodging industry. (http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/culture/heritageJWMarriottJR.mi) Marriott international Incs steady growth and profitability is also related to its strategic alliances. Such as Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, Black Culinary Alliance, Gay Lesbian Alliance against Defamation and Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility. (http://www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?page=diversity_partners) Acquisitions play an important role during the development of Marriott International Inc. The recent acquisition on Mar 16 2011, Marriott International Inc acquires AC Diplomatic, Barcelona from AC Hotels SA. And later in March 1997, Marriott International acquired Renaissance Hotel Group N.V. for $916 million in cash and the assumption of $54 million in debt. This acquisition is the largest acquisition in Marriott history. (http://www.alacrastore.com/mergers-acquisitions/Marriott_International_Inc-1065110) Section2 Marriots is committed to global diversity to provide services that are above and beyond its customers experience. This strategy and concept has become its blueprint in its marketing plan to match the needs of the customers to the various products and services and provide the best possible experience for their guests during their stays in the hotel. The company is global having three thousand properties in sixty eight different territories and countries by franchising hotels under different brands. Marriotts marketing plan will entail research in the industry to gather critical information and experiences to better generate marketing strategies that would be effective through application of customer care and integrity. Cost leadership and product differentiation has been integrated at Marriotts which offers different brands either luxurious or moderate to fit various clients needs http://www.marriottconsulting.com/planning_services.php#business_plans Standard packages in service and products provide a more variety to the different atmospheres created by the different products offered by Marriotts. Other parameters must be included in the marketing plan like the marketing concept, product lifecycle and focus strategies that are important to guide a hotels marketing plan. The Hotels entry and foundation in the market place plays a major role in its marketing plan by detailing its goals, marketing objectives and the necessary factors to consider while implementing its marketing plan processes. Marriotts marketing strategies are geared towards the plan of maintaining its tradition of cherished service through the hotel brands to elevate guests stays, thus accomplishing its overall marketing objectives. http://www.academicwritingtips.org/component/content/article/35-social-sciences/562-marriot-hotel.html Our company met previous goals. Marriott International fourth-quarter net profit of 173 million, Marriott International Hotel Management Group, the fourth-quarter net profit of 1.73 billion U.S. dollars, earnings per share were 46 cents, this performance better than last year. The fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, Marriott International hotel management group net profit of 1.06 billion U.S.evenue was 36.4 billion U.S. dollars, 3.38 billion higher than the same period last year dollars. Marriott International Hotel Management Group, the fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share, exceeding analysts had expected. Market research firm FactSet Research survey, analysts on average expected to Marriott International hotel management group for the fourth quarter of 36 cents per share on revenue of $ 3,580,000,000. http://sandiego.jobing.com/catering-sales-manager-courtyard-by-marriott-old-town/job/2710752 Marriotts commitment to society blends corporate financial contributions with in-kind giving and the volunteer service of our associates around the world. We participate in efforts to provide shelter, food, and childrens health, while creating career opportunities for our associates in the workplace and supporting education in the hospitality industry. http://www.marriott.com/corporate-social-responsibility/corporate-values.mi Marriotts environmental vision is to demonstrate that corporate responsibility in hospitality management can be a positive force for the environment while creating economic opportunities around the world. Marriott International has expanded its goals for its Diversity Outreach Initiative with a $1-billion pledge to minority-and women-owned suppliers over the next four years, relationships with four newly signed minority- and women-owned and managed financial services firms, and a plan to double the number of minority owners and franchisees in five years http://www.resource-recycling.com/rr_conference/hotelandtravel.html Section3 Marriott International Inc. is a participant in the Lodging industry. But it is not only a participant but also a leader. Its industry is stable and keeping growing everyday. Marriott International Inc. has been earning strong profits recently, even through comparable periods last year. With the improvement of economy and room rates have bolstered the industry. Figures from a recent report show that average daily rates revenue per room, and occupancy for U.S. hotels all increased during the first week of 2011. Expansion from the ground up, as well as through acquisitions, has been going on in South and Central America, as well as in China and India. With a growing middle class in India and China, MAR meet the need for increased accommodation in the area. As the economy continues to recover, the Lodging industry will be hoping to continue to develop fast. So MAR will be full of motivation and energy to develop. Whether in China or the world, the service quality, advanced technology, and services of Marriott International advanced the worlds first hotel group. Which has won wide public recognition and customers a high degree of trust? Marriott launched a number of brands through market segmentation for different market segments: they are Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton, Ramada and other hotel brands. Marriott has its own characteristics and different market positions. For example, a luxury-class hotel is JW Marriott, Marriott and Renaissance hotels w ith a high quality, but the brand image of the Renaissance is more flexible. Marriott Executive Apartments is the market for long-term accommodation. Courtyard is for mid-range market. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marriott-rewards/139599-marriott-reluctant-reward-program-participant.html) Marriott hotels, resort hotels and suites are for upscale, full-service hotels. Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is the high consumption-oriented class, which it is able to provide the best facilities, food and service symbol. Ramada is a high-quality mid-priced brand, mainly for business and sightseeing tourists. (http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/glance.mi) Marriott international competitors have begun doing so more pro-actively. The industry of hotels is highly fragmented. Competition with hotels is generally based on the quality of rooms, restaurants, meeting facilities and services, attractiveness of locations, availability of a global distribution system, price and other factors. There are 3 competitors of Marriott international: Hilton Hotels: Hilton is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world. It is primarily involved in the management and development of hotels across the globe. Initially Hilton focused on acquiring and owning more real estate. However, it has recently changed its growth strategy, and it now focuses on spreading its operations through franchisees. InterContinental Hotels: IHG is the largest hotel company by number of rooms, with 590,361 rooms in over 100 countries around the world. It operates a diverse portfolio of brands across multiple economic segments, including Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts. Crowned Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. Orient-Express Hotels: Orient-Express Hotels is a hotel and leisure group, which is focused on the luxury market. The company owns and operates luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains, and river cruises in over 25 countries. (http://www.dailyfinance.com/company/marriott-international-inc) The ways to counter the competition: Marriott prefer to use multi-brand strategy to meet the needs of different market segments Marriott for different market segments successfully launched a series of brand They has been struggling to improve the service details and content, customers will be related to differences in the details of effective records, as well as the attitude of its staff and overall good quality Marriotts corporate culture summed up as: Marriotts staff to create a practical action for the guests to experience the service, its purpose is to serve the people. Marriott full play the enthusiasm of employees and retain talent, and attaches great importance to the role of human resources (http://www.academicwritingtips.org/component/content/article/35-social-sciences/562-marriot-hotel.html) As we all know, Marriott face large competition. So they should invest in research and development. Here are their investments: 1 Project construction area of over 20,000 square meters, is expected to invest over 100 million Yuan, the construction of a 16-story, 300 or more rooms of the modern high-star hotels. 2 Marriott said its hotel owners and new franchise partners will invest a total of $ 190,000,000 bed. 3 1.5 billion of investment in large projects settled Marriott International Ming Shan Hall Here are Marriotts ways to promote their products or services. 1. Know your Hotel: You must be a product expert for both your hotel and your competitors. 2. Prime Selling Time: Adhere to prime selling hours, by market, and ensure those hours are dedicated to pure selling activities and customer interaction. 3. Access to Manager: No Messages on any enquiries, even if the General Manager has to take the call. 4. Customer Rapport: All transactions with customers and sales activities demonstrate our desire to know them and build relationships. 5. Determine Customer Needs: You must determine objectives of event, definition of event success and qualitative decision-making criteria in addition to quantitative dates, rates and space.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Marriotts advantages in its area are that Marriott Hotel: Marriott Hotel was at the service management group, the basic philosophy of people serving people, which has two aspects: fair treatment of every employee, while focusing on the feelings of employees, so that they understand home feeling. Marriott nearly 50% of managers are promoted from within the company, the companys job vacancies to give priority to internal staff, only no suitable internal candidate before hiring from the community, and outside recruitment, salary levels provided by the general high the industry average of 50% to 75%. The hotel is a typical service industry, Marriott that only a good company to employees, employees will be good guests. There are five systems to ensure its Marriott Hotel in the real implementation of its people at the service concept. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriott_International) How does the Marriott Internet develop so fast and Marriott will what the situation introduced new brand or new product on-line? The answer is: when its through in the hotel market survey found there is enough, not yet fill blank or the demand is not fully satisfy customer demand, the company will launch when demand for these new products or services this means that companies need to continuously for customer demand research. Through the analysis can be found, Marriott, the core competences lie in her customer survey and customer knowledge, Marriott will be applied to all this from fair hotel to li jia all hotel brand. So, Marriotts superiorities are not Hotel management, but the customer knowledge acquisition, processing and management. Marriott has been committed to seek it the gaps between different brands. If the investigation shows that some segments of the market has enough targeted customers need some new product or service features, so Marriott will ascend product or service to meet customer new demand; If the survey shows that in one subdivision target audience, many people to a range of different characteristics have needs, Marriott will put these people as a new customer group and developed a new brand. Marriott international company provides beneficial for brand development thinking. For an existing product or service for, new features added to what extent is only necessary to ascend? And to what extent can create a new brand? The answer is: when additional features can create a kind of new things and can attract different target customer, you will have the product or service ascension or brand new born. Marriott company announced the development of the elastic suite this brand of practice is a good example. At the time, Marriott will elastic suite price at $75 between 95 and plans to March 1, 1999, 14 home built in when the two years later add 55 house. Elastic suite fair suite and fair suite originally is fair hotel part. Male was founded in 1997, at the time, the Wall Street journal is so describe the fair suite: capacious but lack adornment, toilet no door, sitting room of the shop is linoleum, its pricing is 75 dollars. In fact, people who are sensitive to the price and terms, this suite are fair in the hotel room of the sample more spacious. The question is: fair suite customers may not like linoleum, and are willing to pay for decorate a bit better room some more money. Hence, Marriott by increasing the ironing board and other pleasant thing to change fair suite image, and through laying carpet, adding the fireplace and breakfast room to improve the sitting room conditions. T hrough these aspects of ascension, Marriott hotel clued into the new batch of target customers emphasizing value buyers. But later, Marriott found fairness suite of the ascension is not always effective, price sensitive type customers dont want, and pay attention to value its customers and the pig. Hence, Marriott consider fair suite convert elastic suites, and restart the customer market segmentation. By measuring, Marriott got this data: relative to price sensitive type customers as fair suite brings the income, those who pay attention to the customer value for elastic suite at least $5 more income. In a competitive market segment for product promotion, we must pay special attention acquire and maintaining customers. For the price sensitive type customers, you must undertake product or service to avoid they turn to the ascension of competitors. Without competition or no foreseeable competition exists, then there is no need for ascension. In fact, competition often always exist, the key is to adopt necessary ascension to ensure that competitive advantage. Face price sensitive type customer, too much room doesnt help fair hotel create a competitive advantage. For China, we can learn a lot from the Marriott. Usually, hotel business income can be divided into three parts, one is relatively stable guest room, it is the hotel accommodation income that came with the catering business income, and three is including offices, shops, apartment rent and entertainment business, miscellaneous income each. Now, with all kinds of office buildings, shops, apartment hotel time, a lot of the fat, the hotel by wantonly robbed in this competition, almost crumbled; in big cities is entertainment speaking, the entertainment blossom everywhere, hotel entertainment income is increasingly atrophy. For example, 2000 Guangzhous biggest garden hotel total operating income is RMB 4.1 billion, compared with 1996 garden hotel revenue 5.4 billion, short four years time, incredibly shrunk more than 24 percent. The garden hotel general manager LiaoMingHua some helplessly say, we pulled out all the way, but the garden hotel business performance is still in step by step and sliding into deep In 2000, the China hotel reve nue is 3.9 billion, the white swan hotel revenue for 3 million, compared to 1996 5.2 million and 3.4 million, in a big shock, and Oriental hotel and international hotels performance is also down dramatically. 2001 is attempting to rumors China industry has been the United States has a good hotel in hotel management ability of the Marriott hotel management group purchase; this makes Guangzhou hotel industry sticker shock. China hotel, said to the outside of the top hotel management control only by Hong Kong new world change, in order to Marriott hotel shareholders did not change, the more there is no takeover, said. It is reported, China hotel grunde Hong Kong new world hotel limited company management, but from the beginning of the change in 2001 by Marriott management, accordingly, Marriott hotel every year from China, turnover extracted from 2.5 percentage points in return. With Chinas eventual entry into the WTO, the famous hotel groups like Sheraton, Hilton, west in brand has an grily blew the trumpets into Chinas hotel industry, the international brand and local hotels exchange unavoidable. Domestic even heavyweight hotel even so big alligator, other colleagues situation can be seen, international and domestic hotel gap also therefore! In fact, the biggest gap between Chinese and foreign hotel management, especially in it is the management strategy of the brand as the core. China hotel industry wants to win in the competition and obtain continuous development, it is necessary to learn modestly from foreign peer learning and solid improve their management level. Marriotts approach is to provide some new ideas for us? Nowadays, the hospitality industry is same as consumer goods is undergoing drastic changes. As a hotel operator, you must always ask yourself: I am ready to compete in upgrading of product or service in order to protect their market, or prepare for new segments of the market to develop new product? If choose the former, pay attention to product or service, thus reduces ascension is not incremental cost, because the existing customers often dont want to pay more. If choose the latter, new product or service must contain many new targeted customers expect things, further says, is the need to have a different brand this brand wont impact the original brand, and new customers can accept this new product or service and are willing to pay higher prices. Marriott hotel through creating elastic suite successfully will a make price sensitive type dissatisfied customers mode is transformed into a emphasizing value customer mode, it is a typical case. Section4 MARRIOTT REVENUES totaled $11.7 billion in 2010 compared to $10.9 billion in 2009. Total fees in 2010 were $1,185 million, an increase of 9 percent from the prior year. Stronger base management and franchise fees reflected the increase in worldwide REVPAR and unit growth across the system. Incentive management fees increased 18 percent reflecting higher property-level profit due to worldwide REVPAR increases and continued cost control, as well as international unit growth. For full year 2010, 27 percent of company-operated hotels earned incentive management fees compared to 25 percent in the prior year. Approximately two-thirds of incentive management fees came from hotels outside North America in both 2010 and 2009 BALANCE SHEET : At year-end 2010, total debt was $2,829 million and cash balances totaled $505 million, compared to $2,298 million in debt and $115 million of cash at year-end 2009. Adjusting for the debt associated with securitized Timeshare mortgage notes now required to be consolidated under new accounting rules, adjusted total debt, net of cash, totaled $1,308 million, a decline of $875 million since year-end 2009. At year-end 2010, Marriott had no borrowings outstanding under its $2.4 billion revolving bank credit facility Google: http://www.finchannel.com/Main_News/Travel_Biz/80829_Marriott_International_Announces_Plan_to_Spin_Off_Timeshare_Business_/ 29 March 2011 The stock price of the company and major competitors: Key Stats  MARMore Stock Ind Avg Price/Earnings TTM 29.6 41.8 Price/Book 8.3 3.3 Price/Sales TTM 1.2 1.8 Rev Growth (3 Yr Avg) -3.5 -3.1 EPS Growth (3 Yr Avg) -11.3 Operating Margin % TTM 5.9 7.7 Net Margin % TTM 3.9 2.9 ROE TTM 33.6 5.8 Debt/Equity 1.9 1.0 Top Marriott International, Inc. Competitors Companies Location Accor SA Évry,  France Hilton Worldwide, Inc. McLean,  VA InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Denham,  Buckinghamshire Competitor on file Minnetonka,  MN Competitor on file Toronto,  ON Competitor on file Spartanburg,  SC Competitor on file Chicago,  IL Competitor on file New York,  NY Competitor on file Boca Raton,  FL Competitor on file White Plains,  NY Competitor on file Phoenix,  AZ Competitor on file Silver Spring,  MD Google: http://www.hoovers.com/company/Marriott_International_Inc/hjfkxi-1-1njea3.html 29 March 2011 But what happened to the stock prices and why, this is because Marriott Internationals asset-light business model, premier brands, and experienced management team have helped the firm carve out a narrow economic moat. Although 2009 was challenging, the travel market  has stabilized and a slow recovery  has taken hold. In our opinion, Marriotts long-term prospects remain bright. Google: http://quote.morningstar.com/Stock/s.aspx?t=MAR 29 March 2011 And what the company will be in the future, The companys 2011 full year guidance assumes that the spin-off of the Timeshare segment does not occur in the current year and does not include pro forma adjustments or transaction expenses.    For the full year 2011, the company expects a strong pricing environment. The company assumes full year 2011 systemwide REVPAR on a constant dollar basis will increase 6 to 8 percent in North America, outside North America and on a worldwide basis. The company expects to open approximately 35,000 rooms in 2011 as most hotels expected to open are already under construction or undergoing conversion from other brands. Given these assumptions, full year 2011 fee revenue could total $1,310 million to $1,340 million and owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expense, could total $115 million to $125 million. The company estimates that, on a full year basis, one point of worldwide systemwide REVPAR impacts total fees by approximately $15 million pretax and owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expense, by approximately $5 million pretax. The company expects 2011 Timeshare contract sales to be in line with 2010 adjusted levels. The company expects its 2011 general and administrative costs to increase 3 to 5 percent over 2010 adjusted levels reflecting increased spending for brand initiatives and higher costs in international growth markets. The company expects investment spending in 2011 will total approximately $500 million to $700 million, including $50 million to $100 million for maintenance capital spending. Investment spending will also include other capital expenditures (including property acquisitions), new mezzanine financing and mortgage notes, contract acquisition costs, and equity and other investments. Based upon the assumptions above, full year 2011 EBITDA is expected to total $1,170 million to $1,230 million, a 12 to 18 percent increase over the prior years adjusted EBITDA. Google: http://www.finchannel.com/Main_News/Travel_Biz/80829_Marriott_International_Announces_Plan_to_Spin_Off_Timeshare_Business_/ 29 March 2011 A financial advisor said about the companys stock as an investment. Marriott International Inc.s shares slipped 2.2% premarket to 36.80% after Goldman Sachs lowers its stock-investment rating on the hotel operator to neutral from buy, where it has been since January 2009. Goldman remains bullish on the hotel sector, but says valuation of Marriotts timeshare unit, which it is spinning off, is creating a drag. Goldman says the timeshare division may produce lower margin than expected and units earnings are more cyclical, meaning the remaining hotel entity multiple would have to expand dramatically to offset the possible dilution of the spinoff. Google: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/03/28/hot-stocks-this-morning-nokia-alcatel-lucent-and-many-more/ 29 March 2011

Lesson Learned in Organizational Leadership

Lesson Learned in Organizational Leadership Gong Chen Abstract This paper include an assessment of the organization Im currently working for with definitions of and detailed analysis on how that organization applies the lessons learned in the course, including fundamentals of leadership, organizational culture and climate, high performing teams, problem management and decision making, ethics and professional codes of conduct. This paper also includes an overall organization of document with an introduction, body and conclusion. Keywords: leadership, organizational culture, team, decision making, ethics Assessment of My Organization An Application of Lesson Learned in Organizational Leadership Organization Overview My organization (the firm in this article) is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, UK, Ernst Young (EY). EY is one of the largest professional services firm in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms. The organization operates as a network of member firms which are separate legal entities in individual countries. It has 231,000 employees in over 700 offices around 150 countries in the world. It provides assurance (including financial audit), tax, consulting and advisory services to companies. In 2016, Fortune magazine ranked EY as 49th of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, and in 2016, EY is the 11th largest privately owned organization in the United States. During my days working at the firm, I observed several concepts applied by the organization that are closely related what I have learned from this class so far. This paper will focus on and provide a detailed analysis of the following five major areas. Fundamentals of Leadership The firm understand that strong leadership is what required to achieve our ambition and fulfill our purposes. Professional with leadership traits at every level of firm are the keys to the change and growth. Specifically, there are four fundamental categories of leadership the firm had defined for our people business leadership, client leadership, team leadership, and personal leadership. In a firm that people culture was emphasized every day and everywhere, personal leadership is the most important trait among others. This means communicating with confidence, humility and integrity to build trust and support others, actively maintaining your personal well-being, energy and enthusiasm and exhibiting curiosity and self-awareness to adapt your behavior and connect in diverse contexts. As business leaders, they enhance our reputation and standing in the market through applying financial, operational, risk, sector and global insights to make business decisions in dynamic markets, leveraging the firms business development practices to responsibly achieve market leadership, collaborating widely within the firm and externally to bring new ideas. As a client leader, they ensure that our people are connected, responsive and insightful by bringing all of our clients with the right people in the right locations, building trust and enriching relationships, being proactive, visible and timely sharing our experiences and a point of view tailored to the clients, thereby advancing their thinking. As a team leader, they have a fundamental role in building and supporting the high-performing teams by articulating a bold, clear vision that engages and inspires everyone, selecting, respecting and developing a diverse mix of talent with the right skills at the right time, setting the high standards expected of our profession and enabling each individual and team to deliver quality results. On the other hand, in my opinion, even though there are plenty authoritative-type of leaders, the firm has leaders that are very different in leadership style. They tend to inspire other people, especially younger professionals to unleash their potential to achieve better. They also tend to identify others with purpose, building robust partnerships that enhance our impact and inspire those around them to see the bigger picture. Additionally, these leaders lead our professionals and serve the clients by leading inclusively and being open-minded for new perspectives that help us thinking creatively and lead to better answers. This will help solving our clients challenges and build trust and confidence in the industry. Even more, our leaders also achieve our purpose by making an impact in their careers beyond the firm and helping the industry to work better in businesses, communities and organizations across the globe. After all, leadership is about everyone at the firm, not just people at the top. However, as role models, it is important to lead by example and exemplify our leadership behaviors. High Performing Teams From my observation, high-performing teams at our firm demonstrates three kay characteristics common vision, balance, and quality results. Common vision means the team articulate a bold, clear vision that engages and inspires everyone. Balance means the team select, respect and develop a diverse mix of talents with the right skills at the right time. Quality results means the team sets high standards expected of our deliverables and enable each individual and team to deliver quality results. Specifically, there are five winning behaviors that are commonly observable drive consistent positive outcome and team experience. Trust is the foundation of a high performing, cohesive team. Trust is the confidence among team members that their intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group. Confront conflicts Teams that trust one another are comfortable debating key issues to produce the best possible solution. All opinions and ideas are put on the table and considered. By confronting conflicts, teams will solve problems efficiently, have lively, productive discussion, and utilize all opinions of all team members. Focus on results High-performing teams at the firm are able to set aside their individual goals and agendas and focus exclusively on the teams collective accomplishments. By focusing on results, teams could not only accomplish the results they set out to achieve, but also avoid distractions by making their results a priority and stay focused by clearly defining their targets and keeping them tangible. Accept accountability High-performing teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards. Members of great teams are willing to challenge their peers on performance or behaviors. By accepting accountability, teams enhance alliance by setting high expectations for each other, expect team every member to deliver, and have low tolerance for mediocrity. Commitment This is a result of two things: clarity and buy-in. Clarity is the removal of assumptions and ambiguity from a task. Buy-in means taking the ownership of a task. By showing commitment, teams could establish clarity around direction and priorities, obtain buy-in from all team members, learn from mistakes, commit to deadlines, and move forward without hesitation. After all, this is the essence of the firms high-performing teams: the unique code that will enable us to achieve better and faster. Organization Culture and Climate Our culture and value define who we are we are people who demonstrate integrity, respect, and teaming; people with energy, enthusiasm, and the courage to lead; people who build relationships based on doing the right thing. In my opinion, our organization really focus on building a people culture. This is easily understandable considering were a professional service firm where people is the most significant asset. Therefore, for my organization, globalization and underlying demographic trends imply that competition to attract best people is raising sharply. Top employers are adapting to the trend by building globally experienced leadership and equipping their people with the skills to lead in the future. We aspire to have a leading people culture everywhere in the world. Creating an atmosphere that attracts and retains the finest minds and helps they thrive leads to better service for clients. We are focusing on inclusiveness, development, and engagement of our culture that enhance what is important to our clients and our people. The firm also focus on improving the teams capacity for collective action and aligning individuals motivations around high level missions, and a shared set of values that build commitment and inspire passion and creativity. Additionally, coaching and mentoring is always one of the top things for our organization. Internally, it is always important to help team members to find a sense of personal fulfilment from their missions. Externally, we were also encouraged to build collaborative relationship with other firms in the industry for mutual support. The organization also seek to build collaborative partnership with clients and the community. Problem Management Decision Making In this highly interconnected and competitive industry, the firm believes the ability to make the right decisions, at the right time, has become a core advantage. Our people are faced with constantly complex and multidimensional decisions.ÂÂ   We must be able to react to sudden shifts in the business environment, in real-time. The firm has invested a great amount of effort to improve our decision-making efficiency and level of insight to improve performance. First of all, the firm narrowed down some common challenges faced by our people in decision making. For instance, we were lacking confidence in making strategic decisions sometimes. We sometimes made decisions based on intuition and experience, spent too much time on mechanical tasks rather than analysis, and focused on unnecessary detail. We were expect to be adding more value through better use of leading indicators, conducting root cause analysis of issues, and linking strategy with resource allocation, planning and reporting. Therefore, the firm has been focusing on implementing a driver-based decision making process at every level. Most other processes out there include a discussion or even a listing of drivers. However, this conceptual listing does not typically build out the driver insights to a deep enough level to really drive decision-making. Our process emphasized drivers should be quantified, built into a mathematical model, with correlations among the drivers, enabling planning and root cause analysis at the driver level. Specifically, we developed a driver-based framework to evaluate each initiative on a consistent set of driver inputs. The driver methodology enabled comparison of driver assumptions for accuracy as well as a repeatable way of prioritizing initiatives. This could be demonstrated by a simple example. For instances, if a revenue target was missed, the driver-based analysis could help our reveals the roost causes. Revenue decline may be due to units, not price, and unit decline is due to smaller market size, but market share has exceeded plan. That means the firm is still growing share while maintaining price. In this case, our strategic focus should be whether the market size could recover. No matter what the answer is, we should always focus on generating high-performance share growth to maintain our revenue. On the contrary, if a revenue target was exceeded, the driver-based analysis could help us define the contributors. Units might be twice the projected number because the market size is three times the planned size, but market share is lagging plan despite aggressive discounting that has driven down net price. In this case, our strategic focus should be whether to invest more in this growing market. As this approach becoming more commonly used at the firm, we believe this is a very effective and suitable decision making method for us because drivers enable fact-based evaluations of business alternatives, as well as ability to run risk-specific scenarios. Additionally, drivers enable 1uantitative analysis to hone in on upside opportunity and downside risk at an actionable level. Ethics and Professional Codes of Conduct Our firm is one of the worlds most respected organizations, and were aiming to make us one of the best places to work. That reputation is the result of our professional skills, and integrity, embodied in our strong values and our Code of Conduct. As a public accounting firm, professional integrity is our greatest asset. Acting with integrity means complying with laws, regulations and standards that apply to our professional conduct. It also means complying with the firms policies and procedures, including competing for business, serving clients, documenting work and reporting hours and expenses accurately. Objectivity and independence are critical parts of making sure the investing public has confidence in our services. Failing to embody these values puts our professional reputation at risk. We embrace the rules and policies regarding professional independence. And we avoid activities that might have even the appearance of impropriety. Citations: Ernst Young. In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 23, 2017 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_%26_Young Our people and culture. Ernst Young Global Limited, About us. Web. March 23, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.ey.com/us/en/about-us/our-people-and-culture/2020-vision_our-people-21st-century-workforce Our Value. Ernst Young Global Limited, About us. Web. March 23, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.ey.com/us/en/about-us/our-values Creating an ethical culture. By David Gebler. May 2006. Strategic Finance. Living Our Value. Ernst Young Global Limited. March 23, 2017. Code of Conduct. Ernst Young Global Limited. March 23, 2017.

The Effect of the Monsoon on the Indian Society in Cochin, Kerala :: Monsoon India Society Culture Essays Papers

The Effect of the Monsoon on the Indian Society in Cochin, Kerala The monsoon holds the power to promote or devastate India ’s economy. Indeed, India has the potential to be a lot more prosperous were it not for the fickleness of the monsoon. â€Å"Floods, drought, famine, and poverty continue to drag her down each times she seems ready to spread wings of prosperity and fly towards a brighter future full of richer harvests.† 1 Sometime from the end of May to about the second week of June the southwest monsoon will arrive, if it arrives. Its time of arrival is not very predictable, nor is its duration or intensity, all of which can have significant impacts on an agriculturally based society. When the monsoon rain clouds reach the coast of south western India, they rise so quickly over the Western Ghats, an abrupt 1,500 mile escarpment, that they lose much of their moisture in Kerala (our area of study) before blowing across the rest of the peninsula and inland.2 Approximately 67% of the population depends on agriculture for a livelihood (forestry and fishing included).3 Major crops of Cochin and the surrounding area include coconuts, rubber, and rice. The monsoon rains are absolutely essential for crops to grow. The economy has been called a â€Å"gamble in rains† because the rain from the monsoon fills reservoirs, tanks, rivers, and irrigation canals with water that must last until the monsoon retur ns in the next year.4 Approximately 90% of India ’s annual water supply is brought by the monsoon.5 When the monsoon season is good, the government tries to establish buffer stocks against the catastrophe of monsoon failure. If the monsoon fails for two or three successive years however, no proactive measures can be sufficient.6 Another gamble the farmers make is with the timing of the monsoon. Crops are planted in March and April during the dry, hot season, and are harvested in November during the retreating northeast monsoon. Some crops such as coconuts need a certain amount of rain at a certain time. If the monsoon is late they will dry up and the harvest is lost.7 According to Cochin native, Joerose Tharakan, the irregularity of the arrival of the monsoon can have significant influences on the morale of the society. When the monsoon is late the farmers have a tendency to get vexed. Despite the fact that it obviously will do no good, they often go on strike.

Laurel Ulrichs A Midwifes Tale Essay -- Laurel Ulrich Midwife Tale E

Laurel Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before I watched 'A Midwife's Tale', a movie created from the diary found by Laurel Ulrich chronicling the life of a woman named Martha Ballard, I thought the women in these times were just housewives and nothing else. I pictured them doing the cleaning and the cooking for their husbands and not being very smart because of the lack of education or them being unable to work. My view on the subject changed however when I watched this specific woman's life and her work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To know that there was a woman such as Martha back in those days is very interesting to me because I especially did not think there were women who were as brave and independent as she was. The lives of women in general, not just in Martha?s case, were busy and at sometimes hard during these times. They had to do an array of things from keeping the house under control and raising sometimes several children to working on a farm and spinning. Sometimes, some women would even work to make a second living for the family, as in Martha?s case. And even though the women were able to work, they still did not hold as much power as men did, which is still evident today. And if the women were recognized as much as they should be I?m sure we wouldn?t need a completely different subject for Women?s History because they would cover it in the regular history classes, instead of the subject consisting of 99.9% males.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martha?s day was a pretty long one and consisted of many jobs to do, anything from cleaning the house to delivering a baby. The fact that she never lost a mother during any of the childbirths is astonishing in itself since it was the number one cause of death in women. Among those jobs she also spun, raised her children, worked on her farm, and treated illnesses, coming up with her own remedies. For example when Parthenia was sick and she had her drink the last milk from the cow in hopes of her getting better which unfortunately she wasn?t able to make her get better and Parthenia died. Martha?s own children however all lived into their adulthood which was also a very rare thing to add to her list of unique facts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Martha did have different jobs to do, her real job was being a midwife. She got paid high for a woman at this time and she was a well respected person in the town. This job was the most demanding and it?s not like... ...because I probably would have if my kid took over my house and I missed my husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Martha Ballard died, she was definitely missed and even though her diary sat in the back stacks of a library for a very long time because authors thought it was useless, her story was told and it was a good one at that. It wouldn?t be a surprise to me if her story has inspired women and I know it has definitely educated people about women?s lives at this time. It?s just a shame that more women?s stories from this time will never be told. I?ve learned from Martha Ballard?s story that she must have been a very good, decent, and smart woman and I would have loved to have met her. She is a good example of what some women were like back then and it?s good to see that not all of them were powerless housewives as some people think and how I, myself, thought before I saw this movie. I saw her struggle and her get through the hard times. The things she had to live through throughout her life were astonishing and I?m really glad I got to see this woman?s work. I realiz ed how easy we have it now and how women like Martha paved the way for us and we have to appreciate them for what they?ve done.

Reaction Paper Related on Business Communication Essay

Further, to fully use new pedagogical possibilities offered by ICT, profound changes in managers’ conceptions of learning and knowledge are required. Technical expertise alone is not sufficient for exploiting new pedagogical possibilities provided by ICT; insofar as ICT is used in the educational system as a purely technical innovation, it is not likely that significant pedagogical progress will be achieved. Several cognitive researchers (e. g. , Salomon, 1997; Salomon ; Perkins, 1996; Scardamalia ; Bereiter, 1994) have pointed out that many applications of educational technology support only lower-level processing of knowledge. Yet new pedagogical models of using educational technology, and particularly computer-supported collaborative learning environments, promise to provide new opportunities for solving pedagogical problems in the schools. Scardamalia and Bereiter (1994; in press), and others, have proposed that to meet the future challenges, schools be transformed into communities where productive working for advancing communal knowledge is a primary goal of both students and managers. Knowledge building refers to a process of advancing understanding by setting up, articulating, and answering research questions, searching and exploring information, and generating and evaluating explanations. In the present study, the sustained processes of advancing and building of knowledge characteristic of scientific inquiry and knowledge-creating organizations are called â€Å"progressive inquiry. † Several, concurrent, cognitive research projects share a common goal of fostering such research-like processes of inquiry in education.

The Katrina Breakdown

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may be remarked as a very important aspect to understand the relationship between federal, state, and local governments when it comes to major catastrophe. In Katrina’s case, federalism is seen as central to what was largely a government-created disaster. Numerous scientific articles are trying to offer various interpretations of what went wrong and why; however, out of all perspectives, I find Stephen Griffin’s argument most persuasive. Yes, I may agree with Martha Derthick that there were both success and failures in governmental responses to the disaster, but I also find this idea less persuasive because there were more failures than successful responses. I may agree with Marc Landy’s position that federalism was put to a difficult test that required effective decisions, speed and coordination, and I agree that some citizens were not cooperating with the mandatory evacuation orders and consequently were the ones to blame. However, Griffin’s examples of governmental failure show something valuable about the nature of federalism. First of all, he proves that federalism is not simply about the fact of the existence of federal and state governments. Federalism is also about localism. Despite being dependent for their legal authority on state governments, local governments have substantial legal and political authority. Prior to Katrina, federal disaster policy had been based formally on the idea that local governments knew local conditions best. However, one of the most unusual characteristics of Hurricane Katrina was how it blasted away the entire local government infrastructure in New Orleans. It challenged assumptions as to how the federal structure needed to operate, not just during a crisis, but also in preparing for crisis situations. It also removed the basis on which the National Response Plan was built. Second, the failure to respond to the disaster exposed one of the few real structural weaknesses in the U. S. Constitution – a mechanism to coordinate the work of local, state and national governments. While Washington had difficulty making long-range plans, coordinating its actions and political decisions, local, state and federal officials were debating over who was in charge. The fractured division of responsibility – Governor Blanco controlled state agencies and the National Guard, Mayor Nagin directed city workers, and the head of FEMA, Mr. Brown, served as the point man for the federal government – meant no one was in charge. For example, the evacuation was delayed unnecessarily because the federal and state governments could not communicate effectively about who was supposed to provide transportation. It meant that officials were unaware that there were thousands of people without food, water, or bare necessities. The consequences of this governmental paralysis were appalling human suffering and the humiliation of the U. S. government in the eyes of the nation and the whole world. Another part of the problem was that the scale of devastation was vast. It appeared that Katrina was beyond the capacity of the state and local governments, and it was beyond the capacity of FEMA. Federal authorities were waiting for state authorities who were supposed to combine local decisions to request resources in an emergency. However, when local governments and communications had been wiped out, state authorities did not know what to request. The extent of the crisis meant that state officials were unable to cope. In other words, when the crisis hit, different agencies could not communicate with one another due to different types of systems. When in fact, Katrina was a national problem and could only be solved by a national mandate. It seems that the federal system must be a certain way because it has always been that way – it is a system that the founding generation designed and thought was well-justified. Among other effects, this saves officials from having to fully confront their own responsibility for how the system is run. In Katrina’s case, for instance, there was no justification for allowing local and state authorities to fight for years over who was going to buy which communications system. They should have not fight over the idea of how the block grants needed to be distributed. Indeed, they would not have been able to fight at all were it not for the federal dollars they were receiving. Unless some institutional and constitutional lessons of Katrina are learnt, if another terroristic event, or a massive earthquake, or even another hurricane happens, we will get the same ill-coordinated response. We need to stop our customary thinking about what federalism is and what it requires in order to prevent another disaster. The formal structure that does carry over from the eighteenth century is misleading because it has been supplemented and subtly altered by continuous institutional change. To quote Stephen Griffin: â€Å"The federal system as it exists today is our system, not that of the founding generation. â€Å"We† – generations still alive – created it and we are continuing to change it. † In any event, if this system is ours, we are responsible for its successful operation and we can decide to change it for good and sufficient reasons.

Morals of Euthanasia

Dena Furey Euthanasia March 8, 2013 Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take its course. Basically, euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion. Often surrounded by heated arguments from both those in favor of and those against the practice, human euthanasia spurs the most conflict within political circles, differing cultural and religious attitudes, and the health care system. I will be defending Tom L. Beauchamp’s theory that euthanasia is ethically moral and sometimes permissible.Beauchamp’s theory states that if voluntary passive euthanasia is sometimes permissible, then voluntary active euthanasia is sometimes permissible. Voluntary passive euthanasia is when a patient refuses treatment, such as a do not resuscitate (DNR) order. Voluntary active euthanasia is when a patient requests treatment, such a lethal dose. Beauchamp has a negative and positive thesis to his theory. They are: * Nega tive thesis-you cannot condemn physician assisted suicide by merely invoking the position of letting die and killing. Positive thesis-physician assisted suicide is permissible when you’re not only not doing any harm but also have a valid authorization from the patient. The first part of Beauchamp’s thesis deals with the distinction between letting die and killing. Opposers of Beauchamp’s thesis state that voluntary passive euthanasia (DNR) is permissible because you are letting the patient die, whereas voluntary active euthanasia (lethal dose) is killing the patient. Beauchamp thinks there is a problem with the definition of letting die and killing and that we need to make a clear distinction between them.Beauchamp presents a few ways we might be able to make that distinction. They are as follows: * Intentions-an act is a killing if and only if it is an intended death, you can foresee the consequences of your actions. Beauchamp presents a challenge to this. A DN R can be seen as an intended killing because the health care practitioner can foresee the consequences, and it could be interpreted as killing the patient if they do not revive him. Another example could be a drunken driving case. When a person drives drunk they do not intend to kill someone, is that now not considered a killing.So, Beauchamp thinks this definition of killing is wrong. * Wrongfulness-an act is a killing if and only if it is a wrongful death. Beauchamp presents a challenge to this. A DNR is considered not wrongful, but a lethal dose is wrongful, but going against a patient’s wishes could be considered wrongful in the lethal dose case. What is considered wrongful, that is what we are trying to answer. So, our conclusion is in our question, it makes a circular argument. Beauchamp thinks this definition of killing is wrong. Causation-an act is a killing if and only if an agent as opposed to an underlying condition causes death. Beauchamp offers an example to show the problem with the causal theory. A policeman is hurt in the line of duty and placed on life support. A mafia guy who wants the policemen dead comes in and pulls the plug, which in turn causes the policeman to die. In this case, what the mafia guy did was not wrong because the policeman died of natural causes. It was the underlying condition that caused the policeman’s death, not the mafia guy.Is this acceptable? One opponent to Beauchamp, Bernard Gert, says he wants to hold onto the causal theory. He thinks the mafia guy did wrong because he did not have a valid refusal of treatment from the policeman, such as a DNR. Beauchamp offers an answer to Gert showing how the causal theory is still a wrong definition of killing and letting die. It was not really the letting die of the policeman that was important to Gert; it was the refusal of valid authorization to pull the plug which made it a killing.So, if what Gert thinks is pivotal is what the patient wants, then why is a le thal dose request by the patient considered a killing and not a letting die. Beauchamp thinks the causal theory does not work. The conclusion to all these theories is that even if you can make a distinction between letting die and killing it still will not make a difference morally. The positive part of Beauchamp’s thesis states that physician assisted suicide is permissible when you’re not only not doing any harm but also have a valid authorization from the patient.Let’s establish what a valid authorization is. Beauchamp says a valid authorization is a request from someone with the authority to make a decision and it needs to be done freely and autonomous. I feel as though in the case of a lethal dose a little more needs to be added to the valid authorization. I think it should also include that the diagnosis given be terminal, the decision should not be made at the time of the diagnosis but after thinking everything over and it should be an enduring, voluntary , and competent informed decision, not co-erced in any way.The patient’s suffering should be unbearable, that there is no way of making that suffering bearable that is acceptable to the patient, and the physician’s judgments as to the diagnosis and prognosis were confirmed after consultation with another physician. Beauchamp’s position on the moral ethics of a lethal dose say that 1) we should abandon the letting die and killing distinction, 2) when it is wrong to cause death, what makes it wrong?. 3) The answer to that question is unjustified harm. For instance in the mafia example, the mafia guy did wrong because he did unjustified harm and did not act in the will of the patient.In conclusion, when voluntary active euthanasia would do no harm and there is a valid authorization, it is not wrong. There are, however, some well-known objections to human euthanasia. The oath a health care practitioner takes in one objection. I feel as though the oath needs to be ch anged to reflect modern society and medical practice. The world has changed since the oath was first written, as have ethical codes of conduct. Another objection is the slippery slope argument. People think that once the government steps in and starts killing its citizens, a dangerous precedent has been set.The concern is that a society that allows voluntary euthanasia will gradually change its attitudes to include non-voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia. Although this does present the need for more regulation and control of euthanasia, history has clearly demonstrated that any law or system can be abused. Also, what reason is there to believe that someone’s support for voluntary euthanasia be psychologically driven to practice non-voluntary euthanasia. Palliative care has been a favored alternative to euthanasia but thus still presents the issue of quality of life.When choosing palliative care over physician assisted suicide I think it would be important to ask w hether life will be enjoyed and not simply tolerable. To get the best palliative care requires trial and error with some suffering in the process. Even high quality palliative care comes with side effects such as nausea, loss of awareness because of drowsiness, and so on. Where voluntary euthanasia is not tolerated, giving large doses of opioids to relieve pain in the knowledge that this will also end life is tolerable.In situations where palliative care can only guarantee a life that is tolerable, I think euthanasia is a legitimate option. Opponents to euthanasia state that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. Every person has these rights; however, if a person has the right to life, then they should have the right to die. Everyone should have the same control in choosing the way they die as they do in which they live. It is unfair to decide whether one should live with pain and agony, knowing full well that they have a terminal illness from which there is no known recovery.In the past, the doctor was a person who was a friend. Now a doctor is a stranger who combats diseases, but she is not always your friend. What will never change is their struggle against death. However, they’re job is not only to prevent death but to improve they’re patient’s quality of life. Many times there is nothing a doctor can do to prevent a patient from dying if the patient has a terminal disease; all she can do is wait for death to arrive. I think and believe that it is everyone’s right to determine the amount of suffering they can endure in their lifetime.It should not be up to fellow society members to decide what they must endure because of differing viewpoints on who is responsible for their life. I do not tell anyone how to live, so do not tell me how to die. Death could be a choice that you might not make, but a choice that someone else can have. Dena Furey Euthanasia March 8, 2013 Bibliography Page Beauchamp, Tom L. à ¢â‚¬Å"Justifying Physician-Assisted Suicide†, Ethics in Practice. 3rd ed. Ed. Hugh LaFollette. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. , 2007. 72-79. Print.

Love and Power in Marriage as Portrayed in A Doll House

A Doll’s House by Ibsen has become a starting moment for a new step in the development of drama genre. Prior to this play, Ibsen’s contemporary drama consisted of behavior plays and historical theatre. But A Doll’s House added a new aspect to the problems highlighted by the contemporary drama. Ibsen in his play introduced a crucial examination of social issues, and the nature of Victorian marriage. By revealing the background of Helmer marriage Ibsen makes the intimate private and stands up for women identity. Revealing the secrecy of marriage Ibsen overturns the customary roles of a woman and a man as they were regarded by the society before. Marriage in Victorian Society Ibsen provides Nora with the new role different from the role of wife and mother that was an innovation for the contemporary society. As it was customary to refer to woman’s identity in the context of her marital role, Ibsen’s play appeared as a protest, and this play is still regarded as a feminist writing, although the author denied it. The author touched a few intertwined themes, but marital relations are one of the most crucial issues, referred to in the play. Victorian age was cruel towards human identity in general, let alone woman’s individuality. The economical background buried the interest to the individuality within the society. During the period after the French Revolution the thirst for individual freedom was replaced by the economic power, and as the result, women were deprived of the power more than ever. Nora’s changed attitude towards her marriage is not just a problem in the relations between a husband and wife; it is the symbol of the most serious problems of bourgeois values of the middle class. By rejecting the marriage, Nora also denies these values, thus demonstrating the opposition between identity and economical stability: â€Å"I should try to become a human being† (Act Three) A Doll’s House reflects Ibsen’s own relation to the problem of woman’s self-expression. He was sure that women could express themselves, their individuality but in a real life woman’s role in marriage came to a sacrifice. Neither husbands nor society treated women as equals with their spouses. The scene of Torvald being afraid of his employers believing that he had been influenced by his wife is a perfect illustration of the relation to women in Victorian society. Marriage in Victorian society became a kind of a social trap, worse for woman than for men. Divorce was not forbidden, but it was accompanied by such a strong social ban that it could ever be regarded as the possible way to resolve the problems in family life. That’s why Torvald shows his inner weakness by his desire to pretend that he and Nora had a happy family, rather than bear the social antagonism: â€Å"From this moment happiness is not the question; all that concerns us is to save the remains, the fragments, the appearance – † (Act Three) On the contrary, Nora, as the symbol of woman, who wasn’t treated as a powerful identity, shows her force by her serious intentions in finding her individuality. Nora feels a fragility of love, but she doesn’t give up and feels the power to build a new happy life instead of her unhappy marriage. Love and Power in the Marriage of Torvald and Nora Nora, who at the beginning was displayed as a happy woman full of love and devoted to her family, realizes that that her happiness is just her dream, but not reality. Thus, she and her husband exchange their roles – Nora is strong enough to face the reality, while her husband is afraid of everything that may damage his habitual life. Nora understands that she was treated like a child used for amusement. The men around her, her husband and her father wanted to see her helpless, seeing her only mission in serving them: â€Å"I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald. But you wanted it like that. You and father have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life. Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was father's doll-child; and here the children have been my dolls.† (Act Three) This is how the concept and picture of marriage changes as the plot of the play goes. At the beginning of the play Nora and her husband seem to be a happy family, a husband and a wife who love each other. However, this happiness and love are built on a lie. Nora pretends that she is helpless without Torvald’s protection and power: I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to† and â€Å"I never get anywhere without your help† (Act One), while the reader and spectator knows that she has already rescued Torvald’s life, and Nora’s words acquires dramatically ironical nature. When Mrs. Linde asks Nora if he ever reveals her secret about the loan, Nora shows her awareness of Torvald’s real attitude to her as to a beautiful doll, which has to amuse him: â€Å"Yes – some day, perhaps, after many years, when I am no longer as pretty as I am now. Don't laugh at me! I mean, of course, when Torvald is no longer as devoted to me as he is now; when my dancing and dressing-up and reciting have palled on him then it may be a good thing to have something in reserve.† (Act One) Conclusion As the play starts, Nora makes an impression of a weak and powerless woman, whose life is fully devoted to her family life, while Torvald seems to be the personification of power and domination. Their relations are set against the life story of Mrs. Linde, who at first denied her strong love to gain power and financial security. But by the end of the play the situation changes, Nora finds herself and her individuality although loses her love, and Mrs. Linde turns back to her true feelings. The problems shown with the help of characters’ interaction are not resolved by the author. Ibsen demonstrates the conflicts, but does not give any ways out. He just offers the possibilities, offering the readers and spectators to find their own viewpoint and solution. Related article: â€Å"My Ideal Wife† References Ibsen H. (1991) A Doll's House, Tram. W. Archer. London