How do the Bankers Bonuses Affect the Investment Behaviour Research Paper

How do the Bankers Bonuses Affect the Investment Behaviour - Research Paper Example The concerns and the perception have changes and numerous controversial ideas have changed the bankers’ bonuses ideologies significantly. Therefore, the research aims at identifying and analyzing the effects of bankers’ bonuses to the banking investment especially in relation to the performance of the banks. The main aim of the bonus banking is to balance long-term and short-term value creation and satisfying accountability of the stakeholders with the intent of attracting, retaining, and motivation talent. However, what is the underlying reality of this motivational system The research shall answer this concern by seeking the  response to the following question: In the journal, Banker’s pay structure and Risk, John Thanassoulis addresses the contrasting problems facing the banks and bankers. According to Thanassoulis, these contrasting banking problems are embedded in the competitive labor market where the banks are seeking best talents. Additionally, Thanassoulis notes that banks often use various motivation efforts that vary with the remuneration. However, the introduction of the remunerations motivations makes banks risk shifting problems by creating incentives that will only inflate the early earnings of the managers. In most cases, the management of some bonuses is of deferred optimally. Thanassoulis further notes that

Implementing Computer Technology in Secondary Schools Essay Example for Free

Implementing Computer Technology in Secondary Schools Essay In 1999, The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) conducted a study on pedagogical practices of teachers and students of elementary and secondary schools in 30 nations, and the role of technology the said practices (â€Å"The Second Information Technology in Education Study: Module 2†, n. d. ). It was found out that as of 1999, 12% of elementary students and 3% of those in intermediate and secondary schools do not have Internet access in their schools (â€Å"Computer Technology in Schools†, 1999). Such number would considerably be large still, if the period when the benefits of the application of computer technology in education was implied, is taken into account. Computer technology for the use of students in schools started out as computer laboratories (Lynch, 2000), which until now, is continuously evolving to becoming a tool for learning. That the integration of computer technology in schools is still on process, suggests that although its advantages have been persistently advocated, there are also powerful sociocultural and developmental forces that oppose its progression. According to Meredyth, et. al. , (1999), the status quo in the mode of instruction slows the efforts to integrate computer technology in secondary schools. At first, the people who were against the implementation of computer technology in schools argue that this would result in the replacement human instructors and making them obsolete (Richmond, n. d). As it becomes clear that the this would not necessarily become so, that is, there would only be an evolution of role from plain instructor to facilitator, the problem with the implementation now centers on the lack of physical resources (Richmond, n. d. ) and the instructors’ lack of training (Lynch, 2000). This implies that the role of computer technology in the education of secondary students per se is not, today, the major consideration in its application and the need for a clear definition of its role is necessary to speed up decisions on whether there is really a necessity for the addition or retention of the number of computer hardware in schools, or should there be in need of compulsory technical training for instructors. According to Richmond (n. d.), there are two major problems in the implementation of computer technology in education: (1) the goals and purposes of implementation are unclear; (2) the implementors do not fully understand the changes necessary for the implementation of technology in education. These problems must be addressed first if success is wanted. Although both are important aspects of the implementation, this paper will focus in defining the goal, purposes or role of computer technology in student achievement at the secondary school level. To understand this critical role, it is very important to know first the basics about some theories of learning and its current application to education technology. The theory of Cognitive Constructivism states that learning happens through the learners’ active efforts to assimilation new information imposed either by the instructor or by self-discovey (â€Å"Theories of Learning†, 2006). This means that learners must be able to relate what they learn to their experiences or experience the learning itself to be able to fully understand it. One example of this is driving. In order to learn to drive a vehicle, one must not only know that vehicles are powered by gasoline, controlled using a steering wheel, has a gas pedal to move forward or backward and a break pedal to make it stop. He or she has to experience driving to know and fully understand the significance of each theory he or she is made to know. And this experience is very important if he or she is to make life-or-death decisions once he or she takes the road. Computer technology, when related to learning may be applied in a similar way, by providing a means to simulate reality to give the students a feel of what may or may not happen as a result of their decisions. Such is the function of simulations: to instill in learners goals which are similar to reality and resultant feelings that are similar to what may happen in real life because of the as a result of the decisions imposed by the program. A lot of simulation programs have now been developed for different purposes. Sim City provides the learner-gamer an experience of building a city and a feel of becoming a Mayor. The learner-gamer is subconsciously taught of the importance of planning and how each decision might give a positive effect (here, in the form of increase in the city’s revenue) or negative (in the form of rallies and decrease in the city’s revenue). Business simulations provide learners with vicarious experience of actually owning and handling investments without the need of using or losing real money. Design programs provide the learner-designer with an idea or view of the possible perspectives or outcome of each design in mind and an opportunity to manipulate or change it according to his or her desires even before actual realization of the design. There are also simulations in many different subjects like biology physics and chemistry, which can provide the learner with the opportunity to visualize the theories and manipulate situations and then see the results as would happen if the theories are applied. Simulations have been used for decades by the aviation and military industry and just until recently, the costs of simulations have prevented smaller institutions to avail its benefits (Boehle, n. d. ). Although, still not cheap, mass production, added to the said drastic improvement in learning retention rates (Boehle, n. d. ), simulations provide a very efficient tool for learning. There is a 75-80% boost in learning retention rate for students in simulations (Boehle, n. d. ) Social Constructivism believes that knowledge is socially constructed, that is, retention of information is achieved through group efforts (â€Å"Theories of Learning†, 2006). † This is learning with others and through others’ input and ideas conjoined with one’s own. This theory emphasizes the importance of other’s opinion usually for the purpose of the improvement of the said work. Applied to computer technology in its role in secondary education, this allows for interaction among many different people, not limited to those in classroom but also stretches to people in different time zones. This allows for assimilation of new and varied ideas from different people from different places who usually have different ideas about different issues, strengthening ones reasoning and improving one’s knowledge about many different areas and at the same time improving one’s social skill. The most usual form of technology which applies the Social Constructivism theory is forums. A lot of forums can be found in the internet, all areas of knowledge with its own: arts, sciences, mathematics, and philosophy. The Theory of Behaviorism believes that knowledge is a â€Å"repertoire of behavioral responses to environmental stimuli (â€Å"Theories of Learning†, 2006). † According to this theory, learning happens through repetition and reinforcement, usually with the instructor speaking and the learner, listening. This learning theory is opposite of Cognitive Constructivism in that learners gain knowledge passively. This is the most common type of instructional mode used in schools. Still, this instructional mode can also be applied to computer technology. Tutorials in cd’s are now widely available in the market. These products simulate what and how teachers teach in an actual class, explaining concepts with voice recordings combined with moving pictures for visualization. It also comes with practice exercises much like what teachers would give to their students to evaluate the student’s learning. The only difference is that, these products can be used by the student alone, even at home.

Health Public Service Advertising Campaigns Health And Social Care Essay

Health Public Service Advertising Campaigns Health And Social Care Essay The flurry of advertisements associated with public service campaigns raises several questions regarding its worth and effectiveness. Public service advertisements (PSA) or announcements are promotional material that addresses problems assumed to be of general concern to citizens at large. PSA typically attempt to increase public awareness of such problems and their possible solutions, and in many instances also try to influence public beliefs, attitudes, and behavior concerning them (OKeefe, 1990). Most of the PSA deal with health of personal safety topics, including alcohol and drug abuse, preventive health care, traffic safety, nutrition etc. Some PSA also include environmental issues, educational and literacy issues, consumer issues, and general humanitarian concerns like hygiene and cleanliness issues. Mass media audiences are generally attentive and give positive reactions to such advertisements. Healthcare in India is the responsibility of constituent states and territories of India. The Constitution charges every state with raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties. The National Health Policy was endorsed by the Parliament of India in 1983 and updated in 2002. Health related public service campaigns are the advertising campaigns that are run by the government to create awareness among public about diseases which are very dangerous. The Government of India has introduced various health programme and policies to improve the Indian citizens standard of living. Government chooses number of mediums to reach to the masses. For this the government uses television, newspaper, hoardings and radio. Sometimes rallies are also organized to create awareness among people. The example of these kind of campaigns are AIDS awareness campaign run by the government under the banner of national AIDS control organization (NACO), Campaign for tuberculosis, malaria and polio are other examples. Sometimes famous celebrities are taken in the advertisements to create more impact. The study has been undertaken with an objective to measure the effectiveness of health related public service advertisement campaigns which are run by the government of India. The study included three campaigns which are malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, Over the years, an increasing level of insecticide-resistance has developed in the malarial vectors in many parts of the country, while the incidence of the more deadly P-Falciparum Malaria has risen to about 50 percent in the country as a whole. In respect of TB, the public health scenario has not shown any significant decline in the pool of infection amongst the community, and there has been a distressing trend in the increase of drug resistance to the type of infection prevailing in the country. A new and extremely virulent communicable disease HIV/AIDS has emerged on the health scene. As there is no existing therapeutic cure or vaccine for this infection, the disease constitutes a serious threat, not merely to public health but to economic development in the country also. (NHP 2002) Literature Review Public service advertising (PSA) campaigns are widespread around the Globe. Public service announcements are a type of advertising, sponsored by either government agencies or other organizations, to promote causes and activities generally considered socially desirable (Garbett, 1981). PSAs use paid as well as donated media for creating awareness for social issues. Such advertising is generally produced and distributed on a cooperative basis by governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations working in cooperation with private advertising and mass media companies. Generally the content or programming, while the participating advertising agency and media companies provide creative services, media planning and dissemination services on a not for profit basis. Studies have found no distinction in the effectiveness with the either type of media. Based on self-reported behavior from sample surveys and official count s of incapacitating and fatal highway accidents, in three market field ex periments comparing the effectiveness of Paid versus Donated Media in decreasing youth male drinking and driving, the study found both type of media strategies to be equally effective (Murry Jr., 1996). The placement of PSAs has long been debated and earlier studies reveal that most of the PSAs were being placed during non-prime time especially between 7am to 6pm on weekdays (Hannmen et al, 1973). However recent analysis of advertising pattern indicates more favorable time distribution. Same pattern has been observed in India also. In a study to explore effects of message framing of health advertisements and individual differences in temporal orientation on consumer risk perceptions, attitude, and behavioral intentions, Consumers temporal orientation moderates ad-framing effects related to goal pursuit strategies. The study demonstrates that a fit between a goal pursuit strategy (GPS) manipulation in the ad and consumers chronic regulatory focus increases the effectiveness of the advertisement, but the regulatory fit effect is moderated by temporal orientation (Kees, 2010). Exposure to the PSA had no discernible effects on HIV-related knowledge, but did affect perceptions. Compared with an unexposed control group, students exposed to the PSA estimated seeing more HIV- and AIDS-related PSAs and rated the usefulness of TV PSAs lower, at the same time were more likely to rate their chances of contracting HIV as low or none. The respondents expressed less desire to obtain more information. The use of an all-mnemonic phone number resulted in a threefold increase in recall of the CDC National AIDS Hotline phone number, but did not affect intentions to call. Overall, the results reaffirm the importance of deploying strategies that go beyond reliance on either a single PSA or TV PSAs alone to affect knowledge, perceptions, or intentions (Nowak, 1993). A study to judge effectiveness of PSAs found that it is necessary to conduct empirical research to determine the critical variables influencing a given behavior also there is a need to critically evaluate the potential effectiveness of a given PSA. As all PSAs might not be equally effective and some even might have negative effect. To be effective the PSA need to provide new information and perceived as realistic (Fishbein, 2002). Public service campaigns are often developed without prior assessment of target audience felt needs and perceptions; audience are not segmented into subgroups indicated by these characteristics, and message and material development proceeds without pretesting the effect of such factors as message clarity, appeals or presenters with target audience (Bratic, 1981). Although testing message in pre-finished form, the producer can identify and correct, potential weaknesses and corrections would be time and budget affordable. In absence of a standardized Health message testing service, effectiveness needs to be checked through post testing. Studies like this one can offer implications for theory, as well as for creators of public service advertising campaigns. North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) conducted a seven week television advertising campaign to raise community awareness of the availability of free adult pneumococcal vaccination and to increase coverage among North Coast residen ts. Effectiveness of the campaign was evaluated by examining vaccine ordering patterns of North Coast vaccination providers keeping previous year as a base. In the months during and immediately following the advertising campaign, a significantly higher proportion of vaccines were dispatched to North Coast immunization service providers (Wallace, 2008). An intervention approach using culturally sensitive mass media messages to enhance protective beliefs and behavior of African American adolescents at risk for HIV is suggested by Romer, 2009. This approach exploits the potential that mass media messages have, not only to reach a large segment of the adolescent population and thereby support normative change, but also to engage the most vulnerable segments of this audience to reduce HIV-associated risk behaviors. This study provides further evidence that if a media campaign achieves high exposure and is developed on the basis of careful formative research; it can be an effective HIV-pr evention tool for reaching high-risk youth within communities that need them the most. PSAs containing strong verbal claims are rated as more effective than those with weak claims. Arousing messages with weak claims are perceived as least effective. Surprisingly in this study increasing claim strength increased memory for negative but not for positive messages. It is suggested that the combination of intense emotional appeal and weak claims may be partially responsible for the boomerang effects in antidrug campaigns (Lang, 2008). In a study to investigate the consequences of using national celebrities, local celebrities and disaster victims as spokespersons in a public service radio announcement (PSA) soliciting contributions for victims of Hurricane Katrina, it was found that the hurricane victim was the most credible and believable spokesperson. The national celebrity, Ashlee Simpson, was the least credible and the least believable. The local celebrity was more credible and believ able than the national celebrity, but no more so than the hurricane victim (Toncar, 2007). No studies were found in Indian context regarding effectiveness of PSA. An attempt is being made to explore this area through this empirical study. Research Design Research Objective To Study the effectiveness of Public Service Awareness Campaigns in diseases such as Malaria , T.B. AIDS. Methodology The present investigations were descriptive in nature with survey being used as the major research approach. The study used survey method of obtaining information, which is based on the interrogation of respondents through a structured questionnaire. Scope of the study Being self-funded the study was confined to Ahmedabad city of India. The city is one of the most important urban centers of country and represents diversity of India. Sampling Plan The Population: The study is carried out in Ahmedabad city of India. The total urban population of city becomes population for the study. Sampling Unit: Sampling units for the study is individual. From the above population, all the respondents who have seen any of the selected advertisements for the study were defined as sampling unit for the purpose of the study. Sampling technique: Non probability convenience sampling was used. Care was taken to make the sample representative of the actual population. Size of the Sample: Respondents for the study were 150. Instrument for data collection For data collection a survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted. To Measure effectiveness a questionnaire consisting of open and close ended questions was used. The questionnaire included scale developed by-Leavitt, Clark. (1970). A Multidimensional Set of Rating Scales for Television Commercials, Journal of Applied Psychology, 54, 427-429, to judge effectiveness of advertisements apart from other open and close ended questions regarding use of celebrities and other executional aspects of the advertisements. The comprehensive scale gives effectiveness of Advertisements using Forty Five items with eight dimensions like Energetic, Amusing, Personal Relevance, Authoritative, sensual, Familiarity, Novel and Disliked. Results Recall of the advertisements Advertisement of AIDS was highest watched followed by TB and Malaria. Suitable Media Best suited media for creating awareness through PSAs was found to be Television followed by Print. Road shows or rally were not found to be very effective media for communicating health related social issues. Impact of Celebrity/ Religious leaders People strongly agreed to impact of Celebrity and Religious Leaders in creating awareness through PSAs (Mean 3.84). In terms of source credibility i.e. effectiveness of Celebrity endorsers in PSAs, Mean score for Attractiveness (4.50) was highest followed by Trustworthiness (3.93) and Expertise (3.61). It implies that popular celebrities are helpful in drawing attention of masses towards the campaign. Merely appearance in the advertisement increases the recall of the advertisement and thus increasing effectiveness of PSA. Useful Information Communicated by the campaign As evident from high mean score (3.37), people do believe that they gain useful information from the PSAs. Effectiveness of Advertisements To judge the effectiveness 45 item Levitts reaction profile was used. The scale has eight dimensions giving effectiveness of the advertisements. Responses were collected on a 5 point scale where 1 indicated does not fit and 5 indicated fits extremely well. The scores for last dimensions were reverse coded to judge overall effectiveness of the advertisements. As can be seen scores for personal relevance, familiarity and disliked (reverse coded) are higher. Thus it can be inferred that the respondents find advertisement to be meaningful and relevant as well as they have seen those advertisements many times indicating familiarity with the advertisements. The score for Disliked dimensions were high (reverse coded) indicating people liked the public service advertisements. TABLE 1: EFFECTIVENSS OF PUBLIC SERVICE ADVERTISEMENTS (LEVITTS REACTION PROFILE) Effectiveness of PSA Dimension Mean score TB Malaria AIDS Energetic 2.48 2.58 2.62 Amusing 2.52 2.43 2.46 Personal Relevance 3.43 3.36 3.46 Authoritative 2.74 2.73 2.85 Sensual 2.53 2.61 2.76 Familiarity 3.10 3.09 3.27 Novel 2.88 2.80 2.82 Disliked 3.65 3.61 3.60 Overall Mean 2.90 2.89 2.96 Factor Analysis: There are two preconditions for running factor analysis. They are measure of sampling adequacy should be greater than 0.5 and second being determinant value should be non zero. For all the factor models ran as mentioned in table 1, both these conditions are satisfied. TABLE 2: ALTERNATIVE FACTOR MODELS Scale Number of factors Factor Model Explained variation Number of factors TB 12 e>1 76% TB 08 Eight factors 66.7% Malaria 12 e>1 75.9% Malaria 08 Eight factors 65.5% Aids 12 e>1 76.11% Aids 08 Eight factors 65.5% TB By factor analysis, it is inferred that when we solve for eight factor solution, we are able to deduce eight factors like energetic, mix of amusing and novel, personal relevance, authoritative, sensual, familiarity disliked factors. When we solve for eigen value greater than one, we deduce 12 factors. The factor structure for eight factor solution is more clean compared to eigen value greater than one solution. But, it is less precise than provided by the scale. Malaria Factor analysis was conducted and eight factor solution had a better fit compared to eigen value greater than one solution. The factors deduced from eight factor solution are namely, mix of amusing and dislike, novel, sensual, authoritative, familiarity, energetic, personal relevance a mix of personal relevance authoritative dimensions. Aids Factor analysis was conducted and eight factor solution had a better fit compared to eigen value greater than one solution. The factors deduced from eight factor solution are namely, Mix of energetic, Sensual, Disliked Amusing, Energetic, Authoritative, Mix of familiarity Novel, Personal Relevance 1 Personal Relevance 2. Difference in perception of respondents of different demographic segments regarding effectiveness of public service advertisements As can be seen from table 3, we can infer that for disease TB, the difference in scores for amusing and personal relevance dimensions of Leavitts reaction profile scale for respondents across different income levels is statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance. Also, the difference in scores for energetic, amusing, authoritative, sensual, novel and disliked factors of the scale for respondents of different age brackets is statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance. The difference in scores on energetic, amusing and disliked dimensions of the scale is statistically significant for male and female respondents. Similarly from table 4, we can infer that for disease Malaria, the difference in scores for personal relevance dimension for respondents across different income levels is statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance. Also, for disease AIDS, the difference in scores for personal relevance, energetic, amusing, authoritative, sensual, novel and disliked factors for respondents of different income levels are statistically significant. The difference in scores on energetic, amusing, personal relevance, sensual, novel and disliked factors for respondents of different age brackets are statistically significant. Also, the difference in scores on energetic, amusing, personal relevance, novel and disliked dimensions for male and female respondents are statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance. TABLE 3: ANOVA RESULTS FOR DISEASE TB Between Groups Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Income Levels Amusing 22.905 4 5.726 4.527 .002 Personal Relevance 4.313 4 1.078 3.216 .015 Age Levels Energetic 12.451 3 4.150 6.704 .000 Amusing 21.245 3 7.082 5.587 .001 Authoritative 5.178 3 1.726 3.488 .017 Sensual 9.145 3 3.048 5.708 .001 Novel 10.164 3 3.388 7.532 .000 Disliked 19.897 3 6.632 10.750 .000 Gender Energetic 3.169 1 3.169 4.706 .032 Amusing 12.539 1 12.539 9,578 0.002 Disliked 9.541 1 9.541 14.060 0.000 TABLE 4: ANOVA RESULTS FOR DISEASE MALARIA Between Groups Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Income Levels Personal Relevance 5.501 4 1.375 3.511 .009 Age Levels Energetic 10.926 3 3.642 9.089 .000 Amusing 17.485 3 5.828 9.304 .000 Authoritative 4.245 3 1.415 3.850 .011 Sensual 9.945 3 3.315 5.810 .001 Novel 6.597 3 2.199 4.206 .007 Disliked 15.923 3 5.308 8.339 .000 Gender Between Groups Sum of squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Energetic 2.370 1 2.370 5.231 0.024 Amusing 3.968 1 3.968 5.594 0.019 Disliked 5.423 1 5.423 7.759 .006 TABLE 5: ANOVA RESULTS FOR DISEASE AIDS Between Groups Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Income Levels Energetic 6.645 4 1.661 2.906 .024 Amusing 9.031 4 2.258 2.903 .024 Personal Relevance 7.443 4 1.861 5.770 .000 Novel 4.642 4 1.160 2.887 .025 Age Levels Energetic 7.310 3 2.437 4.327 .006 Amusing 9.007 3 3.002 3.886 .010 Personal Relevance 3.570 3 1.190 3.432 .019 Authoritative 5.125 3 1.708 4.178 .007 Sensual 11.302 3 3.767 3.062 .030 Novel 7.075 3 2.358 6.165 .001 Disliked 10.409 3 3.470 5.458 .001 Gender Energetic 4.605 1 4.605 8.024 .005 Amusing 6.750 1 6.750 8.682 .004 Personal Relevance 1.565 1 1.565 4.400 0.038 Novel 2.282 1 2.282 5.570 .020 Disliked 3.667 1 3.667 3.667 .021 Effectiveness in terms of preventive measures From the survey it was revealed that people have taken proper preventive measures after watching advertisement of public service campaigns. More than 94% respondents agreed to the fact. As per the survey people think AIDS is the most harmful diseases than T.B. and Malaria. From the survey it can conclude that most of the respondents (57%) have provided BCG Malaria vaccine to their child but still a good number of respondents are there who have yet not provide these vaccines to their child (43%). It shows that either these diseases are not considered to be as severe by the respondents or awareness for availability of vaccine for these two diseases is low. Majority of respondents (73% ) were found to be are aware of free government services that is run by government in their area for diseases like AIDS, T.B and Malaria. Discussion Recall for AIDS advertisement was highest followed by TB and Malaria. Celebrities were found to be effective in PSAs. Celebrities were found to be high in attractiveness and thus adding more credibility to the campaign. Respondents believed that they gained useful information from the public service campaigns. Television was found to be the most effective media for PSAs. Overall effectiveness of all PSAs was found to be high. As evident from the above findings it can be concluded that people have good exposure to the public service campaigns and find advertisements to be relevant. People liked the PSAs. Clear factor structure has not emerged as compared to the standardized scale. Some dimensions were not deduced in case of all three cases. Differences were found amongst different demographic segments of consumers regarding perception towards the advertisements, signifying importance of tailoring the advertisements for different demographic segments. From the survey it was revealed th at people have taken proper preventive measures after watching advertisement of public service campaigns. Most of the respondents have provided BCG Malaria vaccine to their child but still a good number of respondents are there who have yet not provide these vaccines to their child. It shows that either these diseases are not considered to be as severe by the respondents or awareness for availability of vaccine for these two diseases is low. Thus it is imperative for government to promote vaccination for the said ailments. Aware ness of free government services run by government in their area for diseases like AIDS, T.B and Malaria was found to be high. Limitations and Future Research Limitations associated with non probability sampling techniques go with this study also but due care was taken to make sample representative of the actual population. Further research can focus on lifestyle and personality factors of the respondents that might shape their perceptions towards the public service advertisements.

Franz Kafka :: essays research papers

â€Å"When he lifted his head a little, he saw his vaulted brown belly, sectioned by arch-shaped ribs, to whose dome the cover, about to slide off completely, could barely cling. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, were waving helplessly before his eyes.† Gregor Samsa is the main character in this story to go through a metamorphosis. This change has turned Gregor into a â€Å"monstrous vermin†. Kafka expresses the anxieties, inner terrors, and cynicism of Gregor’s life throughout the novella, Metamorphosis. Gregor’s feelings towards his job, the effect his job has on his family, and the cruelty that his family displays show many of the changes that occur in the story. The novel opens with Gregor in his monstrous state, late for work. He surmises that his job as a traveling salesman is very important, since he has to pay off his father’s debts, yet he is growing extremely tired and frustrated about it. â€Å"The upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business in the home office, and, besides, I’ve got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. To the devil with it all!† Gregor has a great amount of anger towards his job, which soon leads to his resentment towards society as a whole. The fact that his office manager showed up at Gregor’s house plays an immense role in creating apprehension and anxieties in Gregor’s mind. He feels strangled by his job and is too weak to tolerate the pressure. Along with the pressure created by his office manager and society, the Samsa’s, especially Gregor’s father, take advantage of him. Gregor earns the basic income to support his family. â€Å"But of course he actually could have paid off more of his father’s debt to the boss with this extra money, and the clay on wh ich he could have gotten rid of his job would have been much closer, but now things were undoubtedly better, the way his father had arranged them.† The bad taste of the Samsa’s has put Gregor in a difficult position, which I feel is one of the largest issues leading to Gregor’s metamorphosis. Gregor’s family in general had given him the negative attitude he has on life. They took advantage of him to the point where he was the means of the family’s survival.

Today’s Unions

Over the years unions have been forced to change with the times. Looking at some of these changes and discussing how the unions have evolved over time will be discussed in this paper. Also the philosophy and how the unions accommodate its members have changes so this to will be discussed. After looking at all of this a couple of proposals will be discussed to help unions broaden their appeal. Unions all over the world are considered to be failing because of their low numbers. The influence and power unions had over management in companies when it came to policies has faded due to the huge decline in total number of members. (Troy, 2001). Troy stated in his research that the unionism which is experiencing a huge membership demand and the market share in past is now lagging far behind from the expected objective in this regard (Troy, 2001). According to facts from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), countries that are impacted by unions are facing challenges in terms of the diminishing ratio of the workers associated with the union. Kumar & Murray, 2002). Looking at the evaluations from the past years concerning union history, one can analyze that the real challenge that the companies have is to change the organization so that the threat of losing competent union members will be null. Unions should evaluate their history so that they can use the data to formulate a strategy to keep control over the influence of management. Befo re unions were born the people were born into poor families and had to work in organizations from the age of six, where the average day consisted of 18 hours. During this time such things as a day off, overtime compensation, and minimum daily wages were only a thing of dreams. â€Å"There exist no rules and regulations related to the job security, social security, job insurance, security against layoffs and several other serious issues† (Slupik, 2005, pg 22). Introducing unions into organizations help change the conditions for the employees. These drastic changes made the difference and started a movement in favor of the employees. Individuals could express their individual interest which was previously hampered by the company. Human resource departments and unions help influence power over the management and obtained authority to stand against the policies of company. If it did not seem to be in the best interest of the worker’s the union would flex its authority to make changes. The unions establish policies and rules that are pro employee and push for fair wages, a fair work schedule, overtime compensation, and job security to name a few. This helped give the employees a piece of mind and helped not only the welfare of the employee but the employer. Unions over time changed their focus from individual concerns to the organization and the collective concerns of all industries. Unions are now looking at the bigger picture and instead of focusing on the employees of a particular company they are looking at the welfare of all that work in similar industries. This means that the unions are working for and on the behalf of the employee’s and their rights. The unions focus is safeguarding the security of the employees and these interests seem to align with the human resource department. In the late 20s unions started losing its influence in the industries and due to aggressive attacks from rich and efficient organizations which eventually wiped out unions and created a system of non-union semi-slave labor areas in some other countries. This enabled them to continue to sell their product and services at same or higher prices in the market. By these measure organizations succeeded in reducing the union represented jobs, which was 36% in 1954 to a now lower 16 %. Slupik, 2005) The unions have to implement new philosophies that consider the largest population and broaden its scope of operation to other workplace environments. First union’s must concentrate on diversity and look past their initial focus of manufacturing and broaden its scope to all businesses. With today’s changing economy the manufacturing side of business has diminished so the unions must change in hopes to keep their members. Secondly unions must focus on changing policies within organiz ations and focus their efforts on those that go against the interest of the people. This can prove to be a stressful process since policy is constantly changing these days to keep up with government laws. Unions must form partnerships with the companies to keep up with all of these changes. Constant change seems to be the only norm within companies and this causes difficulties for the unions. Looking at some of these changes unions have made and how their philosophies have changed two proposals were briefly discussed to help in this transition. The bottom line is the only way for the unions to keep up with the every changing company is to become fluid and stay one step ahead of them.

Fences: African American and Troy Essay

In 1987, August Wilson’s â€Å"Fences† was a part of his Pittsburg Cycle of dramas of the 20th Century. These plays were used to â€Å"examine important elements of African American experiences† (Gardner 1331). The symbolisms in the play are used to tell the late life story of Troy Maxon and his relationship with family. From the start of the play, there is conflict and foreshadowing that shows Troy’s own belief that he has failed in life and that the world did not give him what he deserved. He believes that he has to venture outside of his family to find relief. At the start of the play, Wilson takes the audience into the seemingly happy life of Troy Maxon. The author then makes it clear that he felt like a failure and was not happy. The first symbol that is seen is the difference between the white people and the black people. Troy takes a stand and asks why black people never get to drive the trash trucks. Most of his coworkers believe that he will be fired. This theme of not being appreciated and believing that something is not enough is seen through all the symbols used in this drama. A second symbol seen is sports and dreams of the future. Troy had been in the Negro League and played baseball until he was over 40 years old. The problem presents itself when Troy is overlooked by the recently desegregated professional baseball league because of his age. His dreams of playing for the professional white league were smashed, and he believed that he had nothing to show his worth in the later years. This defeat in his career also defeated Troy mentally. From then on, he saw his family and his life as a failure that he wanted to escape from, yet he could not shake the feeling of responsibility to them. Troy’s first son, Lyons, is accepted by Troy. Lyons is a failure in Troy’s eyes and so Troy believes that Cory is no better than him. Lyons wants to be a musician, but he is not very successful. Troy sees Lyons failure in music career to be equivalent to his failure to get into the professional league. He believes that his son will eventually take an unskilled job and end up just like his father. In the last scene of the play it is revealed that Lyons did end up defeated, but not to the extent of his father. His love of music still lived and he was still pursuing his dream. Unlike his son Lyon, Troy’s feeling of failure is evident in his relationship with his son, Cory. Cory is an excellent football player, and yet, Troy refuses to acknowledge his son’s ability even when he is recruited by a college. Troy will not let Cory succeed where he failed and refuses to let Cory go to college on a football scholarship. In Act 1, Scene 3, Cory asks Troy â€Å"How come you ain’t never liked me? † (Wilson 1075). Troy is angry at this question and tells Cory that â€Å"†¦it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! † (Wilson 1076). However, even before this it is obvious that Troy sees Cory as nothing but an annoyance that continues until the final scene, when Cory arrives for Troy’s funeral. Troy’s relationship with his wife Rose is an unfaithful one. He is constantly stating that there is no better woman or wife, yet he has an affair with Alberta. Through this diversity, Rose is eventually presented as a model of the strong African American woman. She has given her life to Troy, and yet he has an affair with Alberta. He explains the affair as a way to ignore the responsibilities of his failed life. This aggravates Rose because he has never taken her feelings, wants or needs into consideration. Troy continues to be married to Rose, but also continues his affair with Alberta while Rose knows about the whole thing. Rose even accepts the call from the hospital when Alberta dies while giving birth. The full strength of Rose is not shown until Troy brings home his love child. He asks Rose to help him raise her. Rose’s response shows the intensity of her strength. She says, â€Å"From right now†¦this child got a mother. But you is a womanless man† (Wilson 1099). Rose makes it apparent that this child will have as good a life as Rose can give her and she will show no animosity or jealousy towards the child. Troy, on the other hand, will have the responsibility of the child, Rose, Lyons, and Cory while receiving nothing in return. Throughout all these trials, the fence is essential in the explanation of Troy’s life. Rose had requested the fence, and it symbolized her family being held together. The fact that Troy never really worked on the fence showed that he was not in love with Rose, but felt a responsibility to her. He wanted his freedom and the fence symbolized his imprisonment. The symbol of the fence throughout this play connects everything back to the fact that Troy Maxon was unhappy with his life, and felt as if he were a failure. He felt no real responsibility to Lyons, hence their relationship was better. Troy was jealous of Cory and reminded of his failures by Rose. Wilson used the fence to tell this story. It was not just a story of a life seen as a failure, but a look into the mind and thoughts of an African American man of the 1950s. Works Cited Wilson, August. Fences. Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012. 1053-1111. Print. Gardner, Janet, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, Peter Schakel, eds. Literature: A Portable Anthology. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. Print.

The Color Purple essays

The Color Purple essays Celie and Nettie both went through hard times although there was an array of differences between the two. They both came out stronger and more aware of the oppression that women of that generation had to face. They were Eventually able to break away from the vicious cycle of man dominating over woman and keeping her below himself and insinuating that they were the Weaker sex. Celie and Nettie both were embarked on a spiritual journey, but both were so different in multiple ways. Celie's journey was filled with constant pain, suffering, loss, anger, and oppression. Nettie also had a hard life, too, but hers was made much easier because of Celie. She kept Nettie out of harms way ...for example, on page eight, Celie begins her journal entry by writing, I ast him to take me instead of Netter while our new mammy was sick...I duck into my room and come out wearing horsehair, feathers, and a pair of our new mammy high heel shoes...he beat me for dressing trampy but do it to me anyway. Both there journeys helped them find their gender in a different light, and also find there own strength away from men. Celias journey began when she was very young. Her father raped her constantly when her mother couldnt have sex with him (she was sick from having to many children and was crazy before that) and Celie became pregnant twice (one when her mother was still alive and one after her mothers death) Both times he got rid of the babes that Celie had. After a few years (and when he got tried of Celie) he got sold off to an abusive man with little hellants for children. She barely had any joy in her life other than from seeing Nettie. She was only being beaten, neglected, and billeted. Nettie on the other hand, she never was raped by their father, didnt have to marry Mr._______ like he originally requested. She was spared by burden by Celie. She e ...