About the U.S. Department of Labor

About the U.S. Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor is a cabinet-level department in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government headed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor as appointed by the President of the United States with the consent of the U.S. Senate. The Department of Labor is responsible for workplace safety and health, wage and hour standards, racial diversity, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and maintenance of key labor-related economic statistics. As a regulatory department, the Department of Labor has the power to create federal regulations deemed necessary to implement and enforce labor-related laws and policies enacted by Congress. Department of Labor Fast Facts The United States Department of Labor is a cabinet-level, regulatory department in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government. The Department of Labor is headed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor as appointed by the President of the United States with the approval of the Senate.The Department of Labor is primarily responsible for the implementation and enforcement of laws and regulations relating to workplace safety and health, wage and hour standards, racial diversity, unemployment benefits, and re-employment services. The purpose of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of federal labor laws guaranteeing workers rights to safe and healthful working conditions, a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay, freedom from employment discrimination, unemployment insurance, and workers compensation. The Department also protects workers pension rights; provides for job training programs; helps workers find jobs; works to strengthen free collective bargaining; and keeps track of changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. As the Department seeks to assist all Americans who need and want to work, special efforts are made to meet the unique job market problems of older workers, youths, minority group members, women, the handicapped, and other groups. In July 2013, then Secretary of Labor Tom Perez summarized the purpose of the Department of Labor in stating, â€Å"Boiled down to its essence, the Department of Labor is the department of opportunity.† Brief History of the Department of Labor First established by Congress as the Bureau of Labor under the Department of the Interior in 1884, the Department of Labor became an independent agency in 1888. In 1903, it was reassigned as a bureau of the newly-created cabinet-level Department of Commerce and Labor. Finally, in 1913, President William Howard Taft signed a law establishing the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce as separate cabinet-level agencies as they remain today. On March 5, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson appointed William B. Wilson as the first Secretary of Labor. In October 1919, the International Labour Organization chose Secretary Wilson to chair its first meeting, even though the United States had not yet become a member nation. On March 4, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed Frances Perkins to be Secretary of Labor. As the first female cabinet member, Perkins served for 12 years, becoming the longest-serving Secretary of Labor. Following the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Department of Labor made the government’s first concerted effort to promote racial diversity in the hiring practices of labor unions. In 1969, Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz imposed the Philadelphia Plan requiring Pennsylvania construction unions, which had previously refused to accept black members, to admit a certain number of blacks by an enforced deadline. The move marked the first imposition of racial quotas by the U.S. federal government.

What is the role and importance of Friar Lawrence which lead to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

What is the role and importance of Friar Lawrence which lead to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example What is the role and importance of Friar Lawrence which lead to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Essay What is the role and importance of Friar Lawrence which lead to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet are emblems of true love that have been used over the years as icons for other lovers who found themselves torn in half like them, many of whom faced a similar ill-fated end. The ingredients of a tragedy are all sewn into this play, which is unusual for Shakespeare as most of his work in the early years was comedies and historical plays. The heroes in this story portray excess courage, arrogance and ambition.They took life changing decisions despite their tender age. The affects of the play on the audience is cleansing as they feel pity and terror. In my opinion the reason for the lovers downfall lies outside the actions of any characters and ultimately in the workings of fate which is referred to several times throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet is considered a tragedy by many as it fits in with the requirements set out by Aristotle. Shakespeare used a variet of sources for this drama. The story of Romeo and Julliet is taken from the poem a Tragical history of Ro meus and Juliet.We are going to study at first hand the role played by Friar Lawrence which contributed to the lovers death. We will begin by looking at what his ideal role in the communtiy would have been. We will also look at his character, and the motives behind the actions he took. However before we analyse the Friar we must study the social backround of the play.Italy at that time was regarded as a passionate and wealthy place; hence an ideal setting for this tragedy. Love is as you would expect the plays central and most significant theme. Shakespeare helps to depict love in many different forms; it is aggressive, euphoric, intense, and without doubt overcomes all other ethics and morals. Shakespeare uses religion to illustrate the lovers passion, This holy shrine. whereas at other times love is described as a sort of magic: Alike bewitched by the charm of looks. Juliet perhaps most perfectly describes her love for Romeo by refusing to describe it: I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth. Love, in other words resists any single metaphor as it is too powerful to be contained with words. Their love and infatuation with each other caused the young lovers to challenge their family name, Deny thy father and refuse thy name, and Juliet asks, Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and Ill no longer be a Capulet.The social institutions at that time regarded marriage as way of gaining status and economic stability. Early on Shakespeare introduced a society that prefigures capitalism, one that is heavily influenced by material exchange. The people of Verona relied on pride, honour and money, even when the item in question was love. When speaking of marriage the Capulets use language full of economic expressions. Capulets instructions to Paris are that; Inherit at my house. Hear all, all see, and like her most whose merit most shall be; which one more view, of many, mine being one. Lady Capulet also refers to the relationship between Paris and her daughter as a n egotiation when she explains to Juliet how she may, By having him she would be making herself no less.This economically driven society alienated spiritual concerns leading to a gloomy peace prevailing. Love in that era was a commodity such as goods and services. Parents fully expected to make money on their trade.Honour was also a central issue for the people of Verona, a person would have to side with their family even if they were in the wrong or face being seen as a traitor. Romeo and Juliet went against their family honour by marrying an enemy. But the social emphasis placed on masculine honour was so profound that Romeo could not merely ignore the dispute just because he loves Juliet. It dictated his irrational behaviour that took another life and separated the families further. Both were in a constant dilemma between the responsibilities and actions demanded by the social institutions, and those demanded by their private desires. Romeos sense of honour leads him to find the pr iest so he can marry them.In the sixteenth century the priest was seen as a person who was willing to dedicate his whole life to religion, a man of God and a bound between local communities. They played a fundamental role in their communities especially in times of conflict, where their judgement and judicious advice was principal. Laurence is presented as a holy man who was trusted and respected by all the other characters. Capulets comment about the Friar that all our whole city is much bound to him is an ironic acknowledgment as he played an important role in the many disastrous events which followed and abused his trusted role. Thus the Friar is centrally placed with close ties to everyone enabling him to carry out his plans without questioning. His knowledge of Greek mythology and his great understanding of plants show Friar Lawrences high level of education as he speaks of the Greek God Titan.The first speech for the Friar is very important; it is both rhythmic and calm. It en ables the audience to create their first impressions and establishes a standard for the Friar which he tries to maintain, but sadly fails. The regularity of the speech calms someone in to a feeling of acceptance as he is expressing the conventional attitudes of a priest, not his own, and one feels a sense of falseness. Shakespeare uses the Friars language to manipulate the audiences feelings towards him. The words are all used for effect and we question the real wisdom and knowledge of the Friar.Friar Lawrence has a vast knowledge of plants and flowers, and grows a magnificent garden, he is first introduced as an apothecary rather then a Friar, which is the historical name for a medical practitioner who formulates and dispenses medication. He remarks that every plant and herb has its own special properties, and that nothing exists in nature that cannot be put to both good and bad use.Thus, poison is not intrinsically evil but is instead a natural material made lethal by human hands. Here poison symbolizes human societys predisposition to poison good things and make them lethal, In man as well as herbs grace and rude will, just as the futile Capulet-Montague dispute turns Romeo and Juliets love to poison. Ironically the Friars own words and thoughts are depicted over the course of the play as the events unfold. Unlike many of the other tragedies, this play does not have an evil villain, but rather people whose good qualities are turned to poison by the world in which they live in.The Friar chooses to concern himself with the health of the body and mind, so he chooses to use only those herbs which are not harmful he says that naught so vile on the earth doth live, but to the earth some special good doth give. The apothecary on the other hand, does not worry about Romeos spiritual or physical health, and so he chooses to use his herbs for the sale of all substances, including poisons. Shakespeare contrasts the Friars hopefulness with the harsher material world of Verona, placing him and the apothecary on two opposite sides, thus where the Friar fails, the apothecary steps in with a quick remedy. While the Friar has botanical supplies to aid in his medical work, including a basket of willows, baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers, the apothecarys shop contains objects only for show or for superficial use. Even attitudes towards the shops are different.Romeo remarks on the apothecarys shop with obvious neglect, as it is full of dusty boxes and very few actual items are set up to try to attract customers. Shakespeares presentation of the Friars cell and garden characterizes a philosopher and healer, and the apothecarys shop an unsuccessful salesman. Thus the audience is forced to compare the two figures and note their remarkable differences. The play uses the priests fading holistic medicine to show how economic materialism has made the apothecary a less charitable medical practitioner. The Friars experience of plants enabled him to carry out his second role as poison commissioner, without him Juliet would not have been able to fake her own death.The Friar is a close friend and advisor to Romeo and has a huge influence on his decisions, this is apparent when Romeo addresses the Friar as father and the Friar addresses Romeo as his son. The Friar makes all the important decisions with regards to Romeo and Juliet, and what ever he advises them they follow to the book. Romeo on numerous occasions seeks help and consolation from the Friar. When Romeo comes to tell Friar Lawrence about his engagement, the Friar offers wise pieces of advice, young mens love lies in their eyes meaning Romeo should love Juliet for who she is and not how she looks.He also tells Romeo that women may fall when there is no strength in men, meaning that if he is not stable and constant Juliet may become inconstant herself, and thinks that Romeo may be blinded by love. this allows the reader to depict and build up an image of a friar who is unders tanding, rational and a man who understands the need of moderation especially in the case of Romeo and Juliet not the stereotyped friars we see now a days in society, his holy understanding of religion also is reinforced when the nurse was astounded by the friars speech and stayed the night to hear good counsel. This portrays to the reader the manner he spoke provided motivating guidance.Children at that time were subservient to the adults in the family; they were raised to respect and obey their parents. The fact that Romeo and Juliet were unable to inform their parents of their love illustrates the huge gap between them and their families. This in fact gives the Friar an extra duty of care, as he becomes solely responsible for their actions as he is there lone confident. In Juliets case the role of the mother is taken over by the wet nurse who Juliet often finds solace with, they are affectionate towards each other, and often the nurse refers to Juliet as lamb and pretty fool. Thu s he plays another important role as confident and adviser to both the young lovers. This also reflects the technique used by Shakespeare by the balancing of the characters.Friar Lawrences attributes seem to have become contaminated as we go through the play and he makes a number of fatal mistakes. Firstly he marries the two lovers without their parents consent, and on Romeos return from killing Tybalt, the Friar encourages Romeo to stand strong and to consummate the marriage Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her, knowing full well that the differences between the two families are now irreconcilable. Many critics may have seen this event as a chance for the Friar to re-think his next steps and annul their marriage.Other flaws in the Friars character became apparent as his involvement in the schemes of Romeo and Juliet increased; and he began to warp cunning and calculating plans out of his head, such as the fanatical potion plan. Some readers may think that the Friar felt to bla me and wanted to try and rectify matters, and do the right thing since his reputation was paramount to him.His deceptiveness surfaces first surfaces of which was between Juliet and Paris, and the other was when Juliets body was discovered. Being fully aware of the truth the Friar had the impertinence to use religion she is advanced above the clouds, as high as heaven itself and laid guilt on the family you love your child so ill and the heavens do lower upon you for some ill to calm and control the situation and to continue on with his plan. The Friar also remains very composed throughout this scene which reinforces his superiority and confidence among the community.Building up the wild potion plan in his head, the Friar must have felt hesitant, apprehensive, and very worried. This is evident as he thinks the plan is as desperate an execution, as the one they were trying to prevent, and ironically Juliet would need to copst with death himself to scape from it. The Friar should have listened to his own wise words before giving the potion to Juliet. He should not have played the role of God. As a man of God should he not have subdued to the will of God and not tried to take fate into his own hands? People of God usually made logical thoroughly thought out decisions, this Friar is very distant from these expectations and many may have labelled him as being too politically ambitious and a fate meddler. The Friar himself acknowledges the power of God at the end of the play, A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents, so what possessed him to take such actions?Another deplorable aspect of the Friars behaviour is his response when he finds Juliet in the tomb, instead of remaining with her and preventing her death; he flees at the sound of people coming. This shows his fear of accepting responsibility and his selfishness. This use of nature for unnatural purposes is also ironic as he ultimately, acts distinctly human by fleeing the tomb and aban doning Juliet.In addition to this on numerous occasions the Friar seems to be aware that this marriage would only lead to chaos and catastrophe. When addressing Romeo about his previous love (Rosaline), he states that both women where not the right lovers for Romeo Not in a grave, To lay one in, another out it have, suggesting that his second choice of lover is just as bad as the first. Also when marrying Romeo and Juliet he asks smile the heavens in order that sorrow chide us not. This feeling of uneasiness is further reinforced when claiming that violent delights have violent ends using an extreme metaphor to describe Romeos passion like fire and powder hence a very explosive obsession.Many would argue that if the Friar had such a bad feeling about the whole thing, why he did he go ahead with it? Perhaps the Lawrence felt an internal conflict within him the conflict of self against self.- He knew in his mind that it was wrong to help Romeo and Juliet run away with her lover, who happened to be a murderer too. But he felt himself reach out to them, he had known them seen they were children and knew they were in a desperate situation. But the problem was that the only way to solve everything was to take a wrong path that everyone opposed to.The Friar does have some positive aspects to his personality. His initial decision to marry the lovers is well-meaning as he believes it may turn the hatred between the families to pure love he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in the hope that their marriage will heal the rift between the Montagues and the Capulets. However he was naive in his assessment of the feud and hadnt reflected fully on the implications of Romeo and Juliets clandestine marriage.Some might argue that the Friar married them hastily because he wanted to direct their relationship towards a positive end, and prevent them having pre-marital sex. Marriage is sacred to the church and once Romeo and Juliet were married and their marriage was consummated, it became part of the Friars duty to protect this marriage; in addition it would be sinful for Juliet to re-marry whilst still being married to Romeo. In a society filled with materialism the Friar may be seen as a humble servant to divine love. At the end of the play Friar Laurence owns up and accepts the death sentence because of his role in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Of course he wasnt to know that the marriage would have had such a tragic ending.However, he feels guilty and is prepared to pay for his error by being executed and says to the Prince: If aught in this miscarried by my fault, let my old life be sacrificed. Lawrence always believes that good can come out of all situations, and even after calamity has claimed two lives it had succeeded in bringing the families together. The Friar is a very important character to the play he acts as a catalyst and speeds up the events of the play in many ways. He comes in later in the play showing that in a sense Shakespeare saved th e best character till the end. The Friar is involved in most of the many events, such as the wedding and potion plan. He is obviously a crucial character in the play, and without him we dont know what steps the lovers would have taken.Shakespeare also decides to introduce the friar in the heart of the play as he is the last character being introduced to the audiences this would in a way agree to the saying that the best is saved till last Not only is he introduced last but is placed right in the core of the community where he has the trust of the families of Verona and at the same time he is supposed to fulfil help for people in need. The friar had the whole world at his finger tips he couldve done anything he wanted, and this fact leaves the reader left with a predicament in what will happen. The friar builds up and creates the dramatic irony used throughout the play to grip the readers and keep them in suspense, wandering when and if the truth will ever surface.There are plenty of examples; such as when Juliet takes the potion and everyone thinks shes dead, another is when the lovers marry in secret. This manipulation of words add to the emotions and depth of feeling in this play. The Friar is the only person who is capbale of making any decisions in the play as he is one of the few people who knows exactly whats going on. He knows Juliet isnt really dead when she takes the potion, and everyone else thinks she is, also he is the only one who knows the lovers are married. These factors all reflect his importance in the development in the play without him there would be no drama there wouldnt be the excitement and the tradagy without him the marriage couldnt of taken place, the friar being placed as the central figure in a play a couple of centurys ago may seem unusual at the time friars at that time played a spiritual role in their communities.It is very unusual for Shakespeare to have chosen the Friar to play such an essential role in a romantic play. Using a Friar to play such a damning role may have surfaced Shakespeares anti Catholic sentiments. The Friar is a sympathetic Catholic, a characterization that seemed to oppose the Latin humanists comic treatment of corrupt friars in the fifteenth century. Thus there is a gap between the Friars behaviour and the audiences expectation of his behaviour. This argument is most definitely valid because of the staunch Protestantism enforced during Elizabeths reign. So the audiences would be able to conceive the stereotyped friar and say that it was typical of Catholics at the time.The whole play is concentrated into only a few days which make it more dramatic and influential. There is a sense of inevitability -we sense that there will be no way out for Romeo and Juliet.- You have characers such as the nurse who provide considarable amusement she is talketive, scatterbrained, compassionate and funloving, this character along with a few of Romeos friends is added to give the play a touch of comed y and a glimmer of hope.Time is of essence in this play as Romeo is turned down by Rosaline, and at the same time Paris asks for Juliets hand; both of which occur in the morning. Romeo and Juliet die by night fall suggesting that their short life was complete, as the sun goes down.It was very common in the Elizabethan era to write plays in poetry form. Shakespeare is not tied down by one form of poetry, and throughout the play he employs a variety of linguistic geniuses which make his work stand out against the norm. Some of his poetry does rhyme, and this is done to make things sound more important and formal, For never was a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. Shakespeare plays around with the words to change the pace; by using longer or shorter words depending on how quickly events are moving. Shakespeare uses prose when common characters such as the nurse are talking and also in some comedy parts. The language seems to be overloaded with linguistic tricks; incl uding puns antithesis, pardoxes and oxymorons. This may have been done to express the eternal love that Romeo and Juliet held for one another.Shakespeare prepares the reader for the inevitable death of Romeo and Juliet, as their deaths always feel very close. Juliet is linked to death many times throughout the play grave is like to be my wedding bed, there are also the same hints that Romeo is also going to die as Juliet sees him so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Romeo and Juliet are troubled throughout with thoughts of suicide, and a readiness to experience it, a lot of these thoughts are expressed in front of Friar Lawrence where Romeo asks for a poison or sharp-ground knife and threatens to kill himself after hearing he had been banished from Verona.The Friar calms him down and suggests an alternative solution to Romeo who was on the brink of suicide. Juliet also threatens to commit suicide if the Friars wisdom doesnt help and no resolution wise is found, all these pre ssures may have lead the Friar to make hasty decisions. Finally, each imagines that the other looks dead Methinks I see thee . . . as one dead in the bottom of a tomb, this theme continues until its predestined conclusion: the double suicide. Some may think that without the Friars quick responses both lovers would have committed suicide a lot earlier on.Impulsiveness is another key flaw that contributed to the early death of Romeo and Juliet. Impulsiveness in their sense of honour, impulsiveness in their sense of love, and in their sense of romanticism led Romeo and Juliet to their premature death. These virtues, that seek to safeguard life in the highest form, devastate the lovers because they take them to excessive levels. The Friar views this impulsiveness as dangerous and advised them to love moderately saying that even honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness. The Friar is conscious of Romeos hastiness when he questions him on how quickly he had abandoned Rosaline and fallen in love with Juliet, so he reminds Romeo of the suddenness of his decisions Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!In the introduction the chorus states to the audience that Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed, that is to say that fate controls them, it was said if two peoples stars were crossed they would never be together which is ironically what happened. Right from the start the audience know however hard they struggle these lovers will never achieve contentment. The characters too are aware of this predicament, as Romeo and Juliet constantly feel bad omens. At the start of the play when Romeo is making his way to the ball he has a bad feeling, he fears that Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars may lead to his death. When Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, he cries out, Then I defy you, stars, completing the idea that the love between Romeo and Juliet is in opposition to the decrees of destiny. The advice of the Friar when he hears of their love is very cynical These violent delights have violent ends. Subsequently many critics think that the Friar merely acted as a catalyst to speed up this separation and was not the direct cause. He was merely an instrument instructed by the stars to carry out this role and he did this to perfection. Had it not been for the Friar the instruments of fate would have chosen another means to keep them apart.Religion similarly demanded priorities that Romeo and Juliet could not abide by because of the intensity of their love. Though in most situations the lovers uphold the traditions of Christianity (they wait to marry before consummating their love), their love is so potent that they begin to think of each other in blasphemous terms. For example, Juliet calls Romeo The God of my idolatry, elevating Romeo to level of God .The Friar starts to sense their uncontrolled passion for each other when he says that he will not leave them alone Till holy church incorporate two in one, this could be another trigger that cause d the Friar to hasten and agree to the marriage. Juliet should have obeyed her father unquestioningly when informed about her wedding to Paris, but she does not because she is already married. These were big sins especially in a catholic country, so the reader is left in a dilemma.Romeo and Juliet were hopeful that their families would be united by their love. They thought that their love was so incredible it would overcome all boundaries, which is what makes this play such a memorable one. This play is out of the ordinary because many themes are incorporated into it, love, comedy, society at war and tragedy. If they hadnt treated love as the be-all and end-all they wouldnt have died. However other people believe that Romeo and Juliet were so in love they had to die, it was written in the stars and it was fate that bought them together but also kept them apart.Their tragic ending is a direct consequence of the other main theme in the play: a society at war with itself that makes the ir love at once so tragic and so beautiful. It is love against the odds. Love is used as a central theme in all four of Shakespeares tradgies Romeo and Juliet ,Troilus and Cressida Othello and Anthony and Cleopatra in a way these plays describe love in four different phases from the strong passion of the youngest lovers to the final search for love by Anthony and Cleopatra lovers who are again torn between two different worlds.

Gun Control and Laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Gun Control and Laws - Research Paper Example As the discussion outlines the rate of firearm homicide in the US is twenty times greater than that of other high income countries. The extremely high rates of firearm homicide are contributed by the high gun accessibility and ownership prevalence (a gun in every two homes) counteracted by much less restraining gun laws. As a result, firearm crime in the US is much fatal than other identical income level countries. For the US economy, the high prevalence of gun ownership is a cause of enormous economic costs since injuries and death arising from firearms result to medical expenses and expenditure from lost productivity. In the United States, gun control is a controversy that is debated on arguments about whether guns formulate the safety of citizens or not, while gun control is equated to restricting gun ownership. As of the United States federal laws, only certain categories of people are prohibited from possessing firearms as stated in the Gun Control Act. However, 24 states allow persons 18 years and over to purchase a gun from any store by just filling out the required paperwork. However this minimum age restriction has elevated the risk of victimization or perpetration given that grave aggressive crimes are at peak intensity throughout adolescence and in early 20s. Among others, those prohibited from owning firearms include felons; persons involuntarily committed to a mental institution; illegal aliens; persons obsessed or illegitimately using illicit substances; persons with limiting orders for matrimonial violence; and fugitive. Nevertheless, the United States Bill of Rights outlines the rig ht of people to keep and bear arms and is supported by the American constitution.

Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Methods - Essay Example This implores into the reader’s imagination. For example, she characterizes the puffins with phrases such as â€Å"clownish faces†, â€Å"waddling walk†, â€Å"chubby-dumpling bodies†, and â€Å"fluffy chicks†. This, she describes using a sense of humor to draw the reader (Nijhuis 1). The writer also uses definition in her essay, though not much of it. At the same time, the definition method used is emotional. For example, the statements â€Å"puffins are adorable† and â€Å"seabirds are social creatures† try to spark some emotion in the reader. Therefore, the element of definition plays a significant role in drawing the readers (Nijhuis 2). Also, the writer uses the element of classification in her essay when she talks about some types of birds. For instance, she uses the phrases â€Å"predatory gulls† and â€Å"terns†. By explaining the relationship between the various aspects and the puffins, the writer ensures that th e essay covers everything and that the reader does not get

What Does Conflict Mean Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

What Does Conflict Mean - Research Paper Example The case is based on the department of Mass Communication in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Management (which is the departmental head) should be wary of conflict and try to avoid them or resolve them as early and quickly as possible as their dire consequences are something that may cause not only physical damages but emotional ones and above all financial damages to the department crippling it. One of the most common causes of conflict is poor communication. This is especially so between the management and the employees or students. If the important departmental information is wrongly passed around or misinterpreted, then tensions are bound to rise within the department which if not quelled down quickly escalate into full-blown conflict. Poor communication caused by grapevine channels is usually misquoted or embellished with wrong details and is bound to cause unnecessary and avoidable conflict and hence are quick to correct and resolve. The other cause is competition ov er resources within the department. This is especially the case if the organization is organized into groups and they have to share the resources. The resources, in this case, may include departmental assets such as cars, students’ accounts or even financial grants. Competition may also be over the monetary resources especially salaries and benefits. This type of conflict leads to enormity, destruction of property and may even cause parties to leave the department and seek more peaceful service elsewhere. Lack of following the norms set in place by a team or management is also another cause of conflict within the department. Each team has its own established norm such as time management and allocation of duties within the team members. If any member goes against these norms, it is bound to cause conflict.

Strengths One of the Largest Players in Hypermarket Retail Industry

Strengths One of the Largest Players in Hypermarket Retail Industry According to some estimates which published in The Star Online (2010), Tesco enjoys a 30% market share of the Malaysian hypermarket industry by sales, followed by Giant (24%) and Jusco (22%). Giant grew substantially in markets mainly through the continued expansion of its hypermarket branches around Malaysia. As stated in Giants Official website (www.giant.com.my.), Giant was awarded the Top Retailer in Malaysia and Best of the Best in Asia Pacific Retailers Award for 2 consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Giant has built a very strong retail brand, with a reputation of good value for consumers money and convenience because of a wide range of different products and services in one store. Diagram X: Market share of hypermarkets in Malaysia Sources from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/3/business/6973298sec=business Low Price Leader Pricing a product or service properly can mean the difference between success and failure for a company especially in these challenging economic times.  In Malaysia, Giant is synonymous with its powerful slogan which says Everyday Low Prices, Big Variety and Great Value. There is no doubt that the slogan successfully publicizes the companys mission to the public where it offers a wide variety of products at the lowest possible price (Giant, 2010). The price comparison between Giant and its competitors is frequently advertised in the newspaper for public references (refer Appendix X). It is clear that products that sold in Giant are cheaper compared to other stores. This has also resulted that Giant is still the low price leader in Malaysia. High Brand Value of House Brand Products Bernard Chia, Merchandise Director for Fresh Grocery at Giant Hypermarket Singapore, says: Consumers have started to be more receptive of house brands as retailers are continuously educating them on the good quality and lower prices of their house brands. Consumers are seeing greater value in house brands. And with the economic downturn, many are turning to house brands for instant savings. (Source: Nicole Liang, 2009, from Food Export International) Fulfilling customer needs and wants to gain customers satisfaction are vital to companys existence. Giant has been offering its house brand range since the beginning when its first store opened in June 2000 (Nicole Liang, 2009). The Giant brand comes with unique yellow and green packaging that is instantly recognizable and differentiates with other brands. Every product is backed by a quality guarantee and is always priced competitively in the category (Giant, 2010). Examples: The Giant brand products packaging Sources from http://www.giant.com.my/ourbrand/brand/2 With the intention of keeping its high brand value in the market, Giant goes as far as to introduce the Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back scheme, to further emphasize its safe food quality (Nicole Liang, 2009). Customers are welcome to return and get a refund for the purchased products if they have found any Giant brand product not up to their expectations. Great nationwide growth Giant always understands the market taste and responsive to customer needs where having over 85 branches spread throughout all the states in Malaysia. Additionally, most of the branches are strategically and conveniently located in residential areas, regardless of new or old areas. Through its nationwide expansion, Giant managed to capture more market share compared to its competitor like Jusco which mostly focus on suburban residential areas and tapping the middle to high income group consumers (Jusco, 2009, pg15). Picture X: Giant Stores Location Sources from http://www.giant.com.my/location The Star Online, 2010, Sale of Carrefour may interest Competition Commission, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/3/business/6973298sec=business Nicole Liang, 2009, Supermarket chains: House brands are here to stay, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://www.foodexportonline.com/html/oct09/privatelabels_supermarket-chains.html Jusco, 2009, pg15, Annual Report, Retrieved 15 September 2010, from http://www.jusco.com.my/juscohome/html/aeon_v2/oa/bursa/AEON_AnnualReport2009.pdf?PHPSESSID=l24l6cspr34mn9j0003bggme04 C:UsersLydiaDesktop20090524-2giant-vs-tesco2.jpg Weaknesses High Marketing Cost One of the Giants weaknesses is their relatively high marketing cost. Giant spends quite a lot of money for marketing purposes. To let more people to know more about the on-going promotions in Giant, Giant places their advertisements on local newspaper such as The Star, The Sun and other news press. Such advertisements are usually published on the weekend newspaper. Placing advertisement on newspaper can be quite costly. Besides, Giant prints out their promotion catalogue. Printing out the catalogue can be quite costly. Giant has different promotion catalogues for different places. For example, promotion catalogue for Sarawak Special, Malacca Special or even Putra Heights Special. This promotion catalogue is often distributed from house to house. This requires distribution fees as manpower is needed to distribute the catalogue. Recently, Giant Hypermarket also puts on advertisement on television. All these contribute to the high marketing cost. No loyalty and membership program Giant has no loyalty and membership program. Loyalty and membership is very important in order to create customer loyalty. This can be parts of their customer retention plan. It is said that retaining customers is much easier than getting a new one (Marzahn, 1996). By offering rewards to customers, they will most likely to make repurchasing from them. Compared to other hypermarket that has their own loyalty and membership program, customers are usually more attracted to them. While the economy is still recovering from the previous global recession, customers are stricter in budgeting and they are always attracted to rewards and privileges. They will want to get something in return from their purchasing. The ability to gain some rewards such as discount, cash voucher and cash rebate makes their purchase much more worthwhile. Poor pricing method Giant hypermarket has poor pricing method compared to other hypermarkets. Whenever promotions are conducted, the prices of the products will be different. The price list sometimes is not updated. Whenever the cashier scans the bar code, the price will be different from the displayed price. This sometimes causes customers to pay more than the actual price. This will create dissatisfaction to customers if they find out they have paid extra for the goods. The price list is hand written on a piece of yellow board. This price list is placed together with the products. The price list can be wrongly placed. This causes confusion to the customers. They are not sure the price of the products they wanted to buy. Besides, customers find it difficult to find a price reader to check for the price. The price readers which are wrongly placed makes it hidden from the customers. Figure: Hand written price list at Giant (Giant- About Us, 2010) Lack of Information Technology Utilization Giant website is not fully utilized Giant Hypermarket is still lacking in terms of utilization of information technology. Their own Giant website is not fully utilized. The content of the website is mostly promotions and the contest. The website is only for customers for viewing. To fully utilize the website, they can more features into their website. They can add in the products they sell in Giant and by categorizing them, it will be easier for customers to find the products they want. The website later can be enhanced into an e-commerce site where Giant can sell their products online. Thus, instead of having to go to the physical store, customers will be able to do online shopping. They can add in the wish list and shopping bag for customers in the website. Besides, in the website, there is no e- newsletter which customers can subscribe to. E-newsletter helps Debenhams to keep their existing and potential customers in touch with the latest offering such as promotions in store as well as news and events. This improves the sites traffic as well as building and expanding their customer database. Without this, customers will be sometimes being oblivious on the promotions as well as the happenings in Giant. Therefore, newsletter features should be added into Giants website. Customers can sign up for the newsletter. This consequently further improves Giants relationship with the existing customers. No Electronic Customer Relationship Management (E-CRM) Keeping in touch with customers and understanding what they think about Giant is paramount to achieve Giants goals. Customers feedback is an important component which allows customers to voice out their view or share their shopping experience which doing their shopping at Giant. Customer feedback is vital to Giants continuous improvement. Regardless of compliments or criticisms, customer feedback actually helps Giant to understand their customers need and consequently enhances their services. Giant practices traditional customer relationship management. Whenever Giant customers have any complaint, they have to approach the staff directly. Sometimes, face-to-face talk can lead to misunderstandings. Thus, Giant should utilize their website to provide electronic customer relationship management (E-CRM) for their customers. The website should allow the members to register and through login into Giant website, they are able to give their feedbacks online. Whenever they have any complaints, they can submit their complaints online. Besides, customers should be encouraged to give ratings and write product reviews after their purchases in Giants website. This helps other potential customers to make better purchase decision and this indirectly drives the product sales. Through the E-CRM, Giant will be able to know how the customers really felt towards Giant. Through those opinions, Giant will be able to take the initiatives to improve their services. Threats Competition The threats experienced by Giant are that there is stiff competition within the industry, there are other major supermarket chains, such as Tesco, Carrefour, Jusco, etc. in Malaysia that is competing alongside with Giant in the retail industry. Major example are, If competitors offers new innovative product and services why not Giant do the same thing too which more creative. Competitors might find new ways to enhance sales or production or they have superior access to cheaper raw materials. Giant famously losing market share  [1]  to particularly other well-known brand names like Tesco, Jusco and Carrefour in price competition as customers can find better pricing at other hypermarkets like Carrefour. Political New political issues in the future that might have negative impact on their business, for example, no price hike despite rising import costs, ban on construction, etc. Ban on hypermarket construction Another political issue that had negative impact on Giant business development was the rules implemented back in 2003  [2]  . The new rules banned any further development or expansion of hypermarkets in Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and other states such as Johor and Penang in order to give the business opportunities for small businesses. This new rule was introduced because the three regions previously mentioned were already saturated with hypermarkets. With this rule, Giant could not expand their coverage to these areas. Fortunately, this rule is no longer in place and Giant does have few branches open in those areas. In fact, for example, to date Giant has 8 stores just in Kuala Lumpur itself  [3]  . House brand issues Another threat is that although their customers know their house brand, but it is not their customers preferable brand, their customer still prefers other established brand name products compared to theirs. Also, Giant shows that initially Bruneian cannot accept Giant due to numerous reasons, this can be scary for them because if their customers still cannot accept them for a long-term period, thus less people will shop in their store and sales will decreases. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ Increase market share Strategies that would be appropriate for Giant would be to continue strategy to open more branches to increase market share and to eliminate competition. Besides, to increase marketing effort to gain customer awareness on their house brand products so that it can be a customer preferable brand in the future. In addition, Giant should add more variety on all the existing product line in their supermarkets, because this way, it will attract more customers as they will enable to buy everything under one roof, therefore make Giant their favorite and preferable shopping place. Lastly, Social or economic issues: changes on demographic trend can have significant impact on consumer spending. Risk of another economic downturn in Malaysia will have negative effects on their sales growth.

Free Essays on All’s Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All’s Quiet on the Western Front Lewis Milestone’s â€Å"All’s Quiet on the Western Front†, based on Erich Remarque’s novel, is an incredibly disturbing and effective anti-war film. The grainy black and white film is still not outdated and carries a breathtaking initial impact. The prologue that introduces the film gives its anti-war intentions immediately and beautifully. â€Å"This story is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war...† â€Å"All’s Quiet on the Western Front† includes a series of vignettes and scenes that portray the senselessness and futility of war from the point of view of young German soldiers in the trenches in the Great War who found no glory on the battlefield, meeting only death and disillusionment. The film brilliantly portrays the war with no enemy’s, just people and relationships. It is the story of friends, Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) and his friends joining the war through propaganda, and leaving through death. The most unforgettable scene is the final moments of the film, just before the "all quiet on the western front" armistice and with all of his comrades gone, soldiers are bailing water out of a dilapidated trench. The faint sound of a harmonica can be heard. Paul is sitting alone, daydreaming inside the trench on a seemingly peaceful, bright day. He is exhausted by terror and boredom. Through the gunhole of his trench, he sees a beautiful lone butterfly that has landed just beyond his reach next to a discarded tin can outside the parapet. He begins to carefully reach out over the protection of his bunker with his hand to grasp it, momentarily forgetting the danger that is ever-present. As he stretches his hand out yearning for its beauty, a distant French sniper prepares to take careful aim through a scope on a rifle. As he leans out closer to the butterfly and extends his hand, suddenly the sharp whining sound of a shot is heard.

Imperialism and Manhood Essay

Study question 1. 2. 3. To Roosevelt, the idea of race suicide was closely interlinked to manhood. Not only would the American men face competition from immigrant workers and be unable to provide for more children: thus leading to an excess of inferior immigrants but the American man would also be related to the impotent American man, unable to create more children. This would lead to the race’s elimination Race and Immigration 1. It allowed individuals to distinguish and separate themselves from immigrants thus creating a barrier that showed them as undesirable. 2. Certain policies and laws were created to separate the Chinese from other groups: Chinese Exclusion Act. 3. This act set a precedent on the treatment of other foreigners that would enter America. Urban Politics and Culture 1. It is preferable to have a community that has a degree of refinement than to live in one that is full of poverty. 2. The wealth should be divided amongst the immediate family to a degree that does not surpass them into leading unfulfilling and lazy lives. The rest should be distributed for the benefit of society. 1. Having undergone poverty himself, Riles shows stereotypes but presents them in an entertaining way to the audience. Also he mentions the roles these different cultures play in merging with the American way of life. 2. Riis and Carnegie are similar in their opinion that the poor exist and cannot be ignored but it is only the rich who can provide them with relief. Cultural Encounters in the Far West 1. The Bison went into extinction because of the cold and droughts bought in by the changing environment and human influence which resulted in colonial expansion that bought in new diseases and animals. 2. It was not the nomads alone who hunted the bison. They sold the animals to the Euro-American invaders. 1. Blacks could not vote unless their grandfathers had not been voters before the Civil War, literacy tests had to be passed, fees was charged for voting and democrats (always white individuals) were the only ones allowed to vote. 2. The South contained individuals who had the deepest hatred for the blacks which led the lynching in this area to be the worst. 3. Separate schools, hospitals, accommodations and even entrances were given to the two groups. Often enough the blacks were provided no facilities by certain states. 4. They decided to test out the marginzalation itself by acts like the one committed by Homer A Plessy Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia Website 1. Minstrels would perform music with black faced performers in the quest to ridicule black people. Also caricatures were made which were printed in novels and plays. 2. Churches taught that blacks were inferior. Politicians gave speeches supporting segregation and writers also wrote against the black man.

Deming Essays - Quality, Management, Process Management, Free Essays

Deming Essays - Quality, Management, Process Management, Free Essays Deming Deming believed that quality must be the foundation of everything that businesses do. A consistent theme in Demings work has been the reluctance of managers to accept that theirs is the key role in changing process and driving the improvement in quality. Deming believed that organizations should be more responsive, more democratic and less wasteful. Demings ideas challenged past beliefs and legacies and started a revolution in a new wave of management. A principle of Deming Management is quality. He believes that everyone benefits from improved quality. His logic works like this: first, have better quality goods and services. If you have better goods then you will have lower costs due to less waste and scrap and this results in an efficient use of

DBQ US History essays

DBQ US History essays The British Colonies began to develop a great sense of identity by mid-1700. It was mainly due to new duties enforced by the British Parliament; British colonies, however, opposed them. British colonies found out that reconciliation was not possible. There was not any other way but independence. Independence would have never been achieved without a vital unity and a great sense of identity. Although British colonies thought that they were individual colonies and tried to separate themselves from each other, they were judged same and attacked same in time of battle. Somewhat ironically, this achievement of unity was started by the British. At the sign of potential war against France and the native Americans, the British government summoned an intercolonial congress to Albany in 1754. Benjamin Franklin addressed his concerns about colonial unity in an artistic way. In Document A, the snake is split into individual pieces and are thus powerless. The colonies could only survive war if they were to Join and unite as one; If they failed to do that, they would eventually Die. Colonies were very dependent on the Britain while going through the French and Indian war. Because of that, Britain decided to leave her army in America for defence, and tax colonies for that. Colonies did not like that, because they thought they do not need British army because enemies were gone. They became even furious when the British parliament imposed more taxes and more new duties on them: the Suger act, the Quartering Act, Stamp Act, and Townshend Acts. Colonists shouted of no taxation without representation. Some colonists even promoted street violence and open confrontations with the British Army. Colonies were also united to enforce the Nonimportation Act, which prohibited importation from Britain. In 1774, the First Continental Congress was assembled to nullify all the acts enforced by British. They were determined...

The Global Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Global Business Environment - Essay Example The environment in which Toyota operates is becoming extremely tough every day. All businesses are facing problems today due to increasing costs, cultural diversity, globalization and decrease in global demand. The world has seen a great financial crisis in recent years and economies are still to recover from it fully. In such environment companies are finding it hard to produce and sell its product to customers. The external environment is also affecting organizations in new ways because media and communication technology has developed so much and any ethical issue can seriously hurt the reputation of the company. Competition is also increasing in business environment as companies are trying to innovate and market their products in better ways. In this report we will conduct an external environmental analysis for Toyota. We will talk about markets, competition and regulations that can have an impact on the company. The ethical issues, corporate social responsibility and environmenta l policy and its affect on Toyota will also be discussed. This paper will deal with the external environment and not with the strategy of Toyota. Markets, Competition and Regulation Markets are evolving at a great pace in today’s fast moving world and it is important to keep in mind the changing demand of target market. Competition is also increasing as companies are trying to increase efficiency by decreasing costs and improving quality of their products. Regulations are also getting stern everyday and automobile companies have to keep in mind the safety standards set by the companies. This means increase in testing of cars which will lead to greater costs. In this section the impact of markets, competition and regulation on Toyota will be discussed. Markets and its Impact of Toyota The main target market of Toyota is the middle class income group of the world. These are the people who cannot afford luxurious cars but want vehicles that are cheap but durable vehicles. Toyota provides cars to middle income people of the world and prices are also lower in comparison to BMW and Mercedes. Over the years this target market has been consisted as they cannot switch to expensive cars and they also don’t switch to cheaper manufacturers. This is why this market of Toyota was considered relative safe and loyal to Toyota. But this is changing because now the target market of Toyota is also evolving. The target market is demanding innovation in designs and specifications. The medium income group target market has become more aware of the different brands in the market. They have also become more design oriented and are demanding newer and better designs. Car movies and games have informed the market about fast cars and sleek designs therefore they want these things in their cars. This problem is staring Toyota in the face because design was never a strong point of the company and its focus was on durability and prices. Evolving markets are in this way impact ing the business strategy of Toyota. The main strategy of Toyota is that of reducing service costs by giving customers quality and durability (Harrup & Janssens, 2008). This is causing problems because the markets of Toyota are evolving and they are demanding better designs from the company. The external environment is therefore impacting the strategy of Toyota. The increasing focus on design and specification of the market can decrease the demand of Toyota cars. Customers will look for new car manufacturers

Summarize statistical paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summarize statistical paper - Essay Example To convert mass into energy one needs to cause mass defect by fission of heavy nuclides like U235 and Pu239; which is done inside a nuclear reactor using nuclear fuel elements. In this process, lot of radioactive waste is generated, which needs to be stored safely for very long periods of time (thousands of years). However, there is no precedence available on safe storage of such materials over such a period of time; therefore, whatever is the existing knowledge level is utilized for this purpose. These radioactive wastes are stored in a sealed metallic canisters and these canisters are then stored in repository considered to be safe. However, the incidents of activity leakage do occur and there are certain causes of the leakage and certain probability associated with the causes of leakage and to the activity leakage itself. It is therefore, relevant to understand probability. There are outcomes of any event; like if a coin is tossed it will end up with either a head or a tail. With each outcome there is an associated probability or a chance. As there are only two possible outcomes of this event and each of the outcomes is equally likely, therefore, the probability of getting either a head or a tail is  ½. Similarly one can extend the outcome and say that for a unbiased dice; chances of getting either of the six numbers is 1/6. These arguments can be extended further to calculate probability of different outcomes associated with an event. Probabilities are very important in modern day life as application of this concept is embedded in almost every sphere of our life. Let us proceed further to discuss somewhat complex situation. Let us take an example in which three plates R, G and B are kept in a box and each of the three plates is having identical sized balls of colors Red, Green and Black respectively. If a person is asked to draw a ball from this box, without looking inside the box, then probability that he draws a ball from either of the plates R,