Macbeth †Hero or “Hellhound” Essay

William Shakespeare the author of Macbeth was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is generally regarded as the greatest playwright ever to have lived. During the time of Shakespeare (which was the Elizabethan times) the theatres in which his plays were performed were very basic. They had no scenery or sets so they used simple items such as a stool, which would represent an indoor scene. He theatres were also very small, the fortune theatre only being 80ft square. The stage had three tiers; the main stage where most of the scenes would be performed, the tiring house which was used for scenes such as the witches’ cave in Macbeth and the gallery (upper stage) which was used for scenes such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. People in the Elizabethan times were extremely religious and believed in a â€Å"chain of being†. This is a hierarchical society that is divided into three sections, Heaven, Hell and Earth. They believed that everybody was born into a level and this could not change or chaos would ensue. Due to this belief the killing of king – known as regicide was regarded as the worst crime in the world as the king was god’s messenger on Earth. Macbeth was written for King James in around 1605. Because of whom it was written for Shakespeare had to change the character of Banquo to a â€Å"good guy† as it was one of James’ ancestors (Shakespeare actually borrowed the idea for the play from Ralph Holinheads’ chronicles). The play is about a Scottish nobleman ‘Macbeth’ who becomes king by murdering the previous king. The world is then thrown into disarray until eventually ‘Macbeth’ himself is killed and the true successor to the throne is crowned when order is restored. There are many themes in Macbeth many of which recur throughout the play. These include masculinity. Lady Macbeth always questions ‘Macbeth’s’ manhood whenever he doesn’t want to go through with something, which leads to ‘Macbeth’ doing whatever she wants him to. Linking with this is femininity, during the play Lady Macbeth refers to this when she calls for the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. There is also the theme of darkness, which creeps up a few times during the course of the play. ‘Macbeth’ says to the stars as he is about to murder Duncan, â€Å"hide your fire, let not light see my black and deep desires.† Lady Macbeth also asks for darkness when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, and pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Evil is regularly associated with darkness and these references show that there is an evil side to ‘Macbeth’ and Lady Macbeth. Perhaps the most important theme in the whole play however, is fate. Every character except from ‘Macbeth’ accepts fate and the fact that they don’t have any control over it. In the first scene ‘Macbeth’ is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† and later on in the play the witches lead ‘Macbeth’ to believe that he can have complete control of his destiny, which, he later realises he cannot. The ‘tragic hero’ is a character used quite often by Shakespeare. The tragic hero is a character who is noble, brave and good but always has one fatal flaw. In ‘Othello’ the fatal flaw is jealousy and in Macbeth the fatal flaw is ambition. The tragic hero’s fatal flaw will inevitably result in their death, hence the name ‘fatal flaw’. I am now going to work through the play discussing the question ‘Macbeth’-Hero or â€Å"Hellhound†. The play starts with thunder and lightning, which is seen as a reference to the Gunpowder Plot, which occurred around the same time as the play. The Elizabethan audience would recognise this and see the relevance because in both the case of the Gunpowder Plot and the play the intended victim was the king. The meeting of the witches is the first scene in Macbeth. This shows that the witches are a very important part of the play and they will be very influential during its course. The audience will know to be afraid of the witches because of the society of the time. To the Elizabethans witchcraft was a fact of life. We also discover that the witches are definitely a source of evil when they say, â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.† This shows that the witches are trying to disrupt the natural order, which, according to the chain of being will throw the universe into chaos. In the second scene we learn of ‘Macbeth’s’ bravery in battle. This where he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune† which shows us that he doesn’t believe in fate. We also find ‘Macbeth’ is a very strong fighter and that; he and other people believe that he is unbeatable in battle. An example of this is when the captain says, â€Å"yes as sparrows eagles: or hare the lion.† This is a reference to ‘Macbeth’s’ fighting ability and the fact that he is as scared as a lion would be of a hare. When the opposition army is refreshed and with new troops the captain says, â€Å"As cannons overcharg’d with double cracks, so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe.† This shows the audience how ‘Macbeth’ but will make them wonder is he too bloody and over the top? ‘Macbeth’s’ first words in scene three are, â€Å"so foul and fair a day I have not seen.† The audience will pick up on this as it links in with what the witches say at the beginning of the play. The audience may also be a little disturbed by the way that ‘Macbeth’ seems to be acting now. The witches know what ‘Macbeth’s’ name is and this startles ‘Macbeth’ and the audience. They say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis.† The audience will now begin to realise just how powerful the witches are as this is little known information. They then say â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor.† Of course by now the audience will know that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor but they don’t know how the witches have this knowledge. This will scare the audience and make them wary of the witches’ behaviour. Banquo mentions to ‘Macbeth’ that he should be happy by this news, â€Å"Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things so fair?† This shows us that the witches have also startled ‘Macbeth’. Does this mean that ‘Macbeth’ can’t be too evil as he is scared of the witches or he is just shocked because he has already thought of murdering the king? Banquo also says that ‘Macbeth’ seems â€Å"rapt withal† so we wonder if he is deep in thought or under a witches spell. If ‘Macbeth’ is in fact under the witches’ spell then his actions throughout the rest of the play can’t really be seen as his fault. Banquo seems to be aware that the witches are evil although ‘Macbeth’ isn’t. â€Å"Cannot be ill. Cannot be god.† Is he just reassuring himself or is he really not aware that the witches are bad? ‘Macbeth’ thinks of murdering the king and is scared by his thoughts: â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestions whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, without the use of nature.† Again Banquo says, â€Å"look how our partners rapt† so again we wonder if he is under a spell or just deep in his thoughts. The way that this idea of ‘Macbeth’ being â€Å"rapt† could be Shakespeare’s way of telling the audience that ‘Macbeth’ is being controlled by something more powerful than just his mind or ambition. In the next scene Duncan announces that the successor to the throne will be his son. ‘Macbeth’ also declares his loyalty to the king when he becomes thane. The audience will already know that ‘Macbeth’ has had thoughts about killing the king and therefore will see this as ‘Macbeth’ being very two faced. ‘Macbeth’ also says in this scene: â€Å"the Prince of Cumberland: that is a step, on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap for of in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires.† This reveals a lot about ‘Macbeth’s’ current train of thought. He is basically saying that the Prince of Cumberland is in his way and must be overcome. ‘Macbeth’ also becomes quite scary in this speech when he says the part about â€Å"Stars hide your fires†. This will symbolise to the audience that he is moving into darkness from light or more worryingly from good to bad. In scene five Lady Macbeth is introduced. She offers quite a lot of insight into ‘Macbeth’s’ character that hasn’t been mentioned before. She says, â€Å"Yet I do rear thy nature is too full of the milk of human kindness.† This is a feminine quality; she is basically that ‘Macbeth’ is not masculine – bloody enough. She also says that he is, â€Å"without the illness that should attend ambition.† This means that his ambition is pure but does not having that â€Å"illness† mean that ‘Macbeth’ doesn’t have a conscience? She says that he wants to do things the right way, â€Å"holily†, â€Å"wouldst not play false† and also that ‘Macbeth’ fears to do things. This shows us that Lady Macbeth has, perhaps, a confused idea of masculinity and femininity and also good and evil. Lady Macbeth’s behaviour echoes that of the witches as she calls upon the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her. We can also links with ‘Macbeth’ when she says, â€Å"come thee thick night, And pull thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† Here she is calling for darkness like her husband did previously. ‘Macbeth’ arrives home at their castle and tells Lady Macbeth that Duncan will be staying for a night, to which Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see.† This is a clear indication that she too wants the king to die. She tells ‘Macbeth’ to â€Å"look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.† ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"we will speak further.† This shows the audience that ‘Macbeth’ hasn’t yet decided whether or not to kill the king. In scene six the king arrives at ‘Macbeth’s’ castle. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ argues against killing the king by saying, â€Å"he’s here in double trust.† This means that it should be ‘Macbeth’s’ duty to protect the king and not try and kill him. He also says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"we will proceed no further in this business.† Lady Macbeth retaliates to this by saying that ‘Macbeth’ is a coward and she follows it up by saying something extremely shocking. She says that she has had children but would rather rip the baby from her and kill it then break her vow to kill the king. This shows to us that it may not just be the witches who are proving to be a bad influence on ‘Macbeth’s’ mind. This causes ‘Macbeth’ to change his mind. Lady Macbeth outlines a plan to kill the king. Her idea is to get the king’s guards so drunk they fall asleep then Duncan will be unguarded. Once Duncan has been killed she will pour blood on the guards to make it look like they murdered him. ‘Macbeth’ ends the scene by saying, â€Å"I am settled.† He has decided to kill the king. We wonder whether this was perhaps his intention all along or was it Lady Macbeth’s intervention that pushed him to do it? In Act two scene one ‘Macbeth’ starts on his mission to kill the king. A dagger appears before him. There are lots of interpretations about what this means. Is ‘Macbeth’ going mad and just imagining it? Is the dagger really there? Is it a witches’ spell making him see it? Some versions of Macbeth actually show the dagger appearing before him while some don’t, as if it is in his mind. In scene two ‘Macbeth’ kills the king and is in a terrible state. He says, â€Å"I could not say amen.† This could be evidence that he is under a spell because if he was just evil it wouldn’t bother him that he couldn’t say amen. He also says, â€Å"me thought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is both hearing and seeing things. This will make the audience wonder if ‘Macbeth’ has truly gone mad or if he just feels guilty about it. In scene three we see the chain of being has been disrupted and chaos is ensuing when it is said, â€Å"some say the earth was feverous, and did shake.† Also in this scene Macduff finds the king dead. ‘Macbeth’ kills the servants. Is this ‘Macbeth’ being careful and cautious or just bloody? In the first scene of act three we realise that Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ of getting in to the position he is in more by foul play than coincidence. â€Å"I fear thou play’dst most foully for ‘t.† We wonder whether Banquo suspects ‘Macbeth’ because he knows that ‘Macbeth’ is capable of doing this. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"to be this is nothing but to be safely this.† ‘Macbeth’ is pondering whether he should kill Banquo, after all he saw the witches and he knows what ‘Macbeth’ is doing. He also says, † come fate, into the list.† ‘Macbeth’ is personifying fate again, which links with when he is said to â€Å"disdain fortune.† This is very important because it shows that ‘Macbeth’ is now acting against the witches as he has decided to kill Banquo and his son. This time however ‘Macbeth’ gets â€Å"murderers† to kill Banquo. Is this because he is too scared? Does he still feel some loyalty to Banquo? Or is he just being more devious? He says to Lady Macbeth, â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chick.† This is a huge step for ‘Macbeth’ because the murder is all his own planning and no witches or wife are persuading him. He also says, however, â€Å"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.† This shows that, again, ‘Macbeth’ is showing some remorse. This shows us that ‘Macbeth’ does not become purely evil immediately. In scene four Lady Macbeth says ‘Macbeth’ is â€Å"womann’d.† In Shakespeare language this means that it is good to be kind, good to be scared. Theses are all necessary parts of being a hero, not a villain. In this scene Banquo’s ghost appears before ‘Macbeth’. We wonder again, as with the dagger, is this a spell, a hallucination or just his guilty conscience playing tricks on him. ‘Macbeth’ says â€Å"I will to-morrow (And betimes I will) to the weird sisters, more shall they speak.† ‘Macbeth’ is going to see the witches. He knows that he has gone too far and cannot be good again. He has â€Å"embraced evil.† â€Å"For know I am bent to know the worst means the worst.† The audience will now wonder whether this is ‘Macbeth’ being brave or just purely evil. In scene five the queen witch says that ‘Macbeth’ isn’t linked with the witches. The audience will wonder is the witch lying? And also is this good or bad? If ‘Macbeth’ is linked with the witches then they can be blamed for his actions but, if what the witches are saying is true then ‘Macbeth’ is responsible for his own actions. Act four scene one. The witches produce apparitions as they talk to ‘Macbeth’. The audience will link this with the dagger and Banquo’s ghost and will now believe that the witches are the cause of these images. The witches’ first warning to ‘Macbeth’ is clear. â€Å"Beware Macduff, beware the Thane of Fife.† The second apparition is a bit more cryptic. â€Å"for none of woman born shall harm ‘Macbeth’.† The witches know that they are tricking ‘Macbeth’. At first ‘Macbeth’ decides not to Macduff as he thinks he can’t be harmed by him but then changes his mind to be on the safe side. This is another example of one of the many times ‘Macbeth’ goes a bit over the top by killing people. The third apparition tells ‘Macbeth’ that he will be safe until the wood marches up to the castle. This makes ‘Macbeth’ feel safe as he thinks, that the wood can’t march and that everyone is woman born. The audience however, will know not to trust what the witches say. In act five scene two we see some peoples’ opinions of ‘Macbeth’. â€Å"Tyrant, mad and valiant fury† are all mentioned. The audience will know that ‘Macbeth’s’ reign is likely to come to an end. In scene three ‘Macbeth’ learns that the English are marching into Scotland. ‘Macbeth’ says, â€Å"I’ll fight till from my bones, my flesh be hack’d!† This is another point in the play where ‘Macbeth’ is very bloodthirsty and over the top. In scene five ‘Macbeth’ hears a scream. Lady Macbeth has died. He says: â€Å"I have almost forgot the taste of fears, the time has been, my senses would have cool’d to hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair would at dismal treatise rouse and stir as if like were in lit.† This isn’t a good sign as it shows that ‘Macbeth’ has gone too far. He also says: â€Å"She should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in the pretty face from day to day.† This shows that ‘Macbeth’ is accepting that he will be defeated and wants death now. ‘Macbeth’ also learns that Burnham wood is coming to the castle. He says, â€Å"at least we’ll die with harness on our back.† The audience will wonder of this is noble and heroic or is he really mad? It also shows that ‘Macbeth’ â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. In scene seven ‘Macbeth’ realises that he has been tricked by the witches when he says, â€Å"they have tied me to a stake, I cannot fly, but bear like I must fight the course.† The audience may now feel a little bit sorry for ‘Macbeth’, as all that he can do now is fight. â€Å"Turn hell hound, turn.† Macduff yells to ‘Macbeth’ to which ‘Macbeth’ replies no. He decides that he doesn’t want to kill Macduff as he has already killed all of his family. Is this ‘Macbeth’ showing some compassion to Macduff by not fighting him or is it just arrogance? ‘Macbeth’ realises what the witches were talking about when Macduff says he was born by caesarean section – not born of a woman. Even though he now knows this he still wants to fight. The audience will wonder if this is ‘Macbeth’ trying to â€Å"disdain fortune† once again. Macduff kills ‘Macbeth’ in the fight, as the witches predicted. Malcolm says, â€Å"this dead butcher.† This isn’t really a very good description of ‘Macbeth’ as he perhaps had good reason to kill some of the people that he did and some of his other murders could be seen as ‘Macbeth’ being cautious rather than bloody and over the top. When the king’s named successor returns to the throne, the chain of being is back in order and the play ends. ‘Macbeth’ has been killed and order has been restored.

Lincoln’s Presidency and Its Hallmarks on Future Presidents

â€Å"What are the most important hallmarks of Lincoln's leadership that influenced later presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt as they considered the role of the US presidency in American political life? † As the only President to preside over an American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln entered the office of the presidency with mounting challenges ahead of him. The country’s overwhelming divide regarding the issue of slavery proved to be the central issue in the 1861 elections. President Lincoln’s strong resolve to reunite the union catalyzed a sharp shift in his beliefs regarding the weight of power in the executive branch, helping Lincoln strengthen the office of the Presidency like never before. This set a precedent for future Presidents, notably Theodore Roosevelt, whose legislation on big business and â€Å"speak softly and carry a big stick† methodology to foreign relations, while thoroughly of his own design, most certainly finds its roots in the empowered President Lincoln. Lincoln entered the Presidency rooted in the beliefs that the executive branch’s power came second to the legislative, as stated in the Constitution. His â€Å"immediate predecessors—Democrats Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan—had set the pattern for a weak executive, conceiving their roles as little more than clerks†¦ who either approved or disapproved legislation developed from Congress’s agenda,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). However, following the secession of seven southern states immediately after Lincoln’s election, his focus became reuniting the union: â€Å"he sought to reassure his fellow countrymen and to prevent more states from seceding,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). To accomplish this, Lincoln was headfast in his decisions, often reaching beyond traditional executive power and, in effect, overriding the other branches of government. These decisions were extremely controversial: Groiler Encyclopedia says, â€Å"As a commander in chief Lincoln was soon noted for vigorous measures, sometimes at odds with the Constitution. Three controversial decisions Lincoln made include the implementation of a military draft, suspension of habeas corpus in many regions, and finally, a plan to end slavery in his 1862 annual message to Congress. All of these events were controversial and Lincoln was accused of ignoring the Constitution in many instances, yet he justified it to many by claiming that it was necessary â€Å"in the name of ‘popular demand and public necessity,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). In essence, Lincoln’s power was â€Å"a funneling of powers, delivered to other branches of government in peacetime, into the presidential office in wartime. He was centralizing authority,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). In text titled â€Å"A Constitutional History of the United States,† author Andrew McLaughlin analyzes constitutional problems of the civil war, saying that â€Å"The justification for such a step must be the existence of actual disorder or a condition which seriously threatens civil authority. Herein lies the debate, should a President have the moral right to break the Constitution in order to save it? One of the first policies to centralize the Executive Branch’s power was the implementation of a military draft in the beginning of Lincoln’s presidency: â€Å"On May 3 Lincoln issued a proclamation summoning 42,034 volunteers to serve for three years; he also called for an increase of the regular army by the addition of 22,714 of ficers and men, and for the enlistment of 18,000 seamen,† (McLaughlin, 1935, 615). This proves to be controversial because it was â€Å"employing a war power without a declaration of war,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). Lincoln’s claim was that â€Å"he was constitutionally designated as commander-in-chief and that the military peril to the Union made such actions necessary,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). The draft caused riots in New York, as people vehemently opposed its institution. Another instance of policy that was implemented with this newfound executive power was that he suspended the right of habeas corpus in many regions. According to text published in the journal titled â€Å"History Today,† habeas corpus â€Å"makes the force at the disposal of the chief executive subject to regulation by the courts. With it, a judge can demand that a prisoner be brought before him to evaluate whether the prisoner's detention is legal. Without it, an unlawfully incarcerated individual has no legal remedy. † The suspension of this right is one of the most controversial aspects of the Lincoln Presidency: â€Å"If Lincoln did not constitutionally have the power to uspend habeas corpus, then by doing so he fundamentally altered the freedom of American citizens,† (Kleinfeld, 1997, 24). In defending accusations mostly made by Democrats that he was stripping Americans of their civil rights and liberties, Lincoln claimed that he didn’t even believe a law was violated: â€Å"The Constitution, he argued, does not expressly prohibit the president from suspending the writ, and it is unreasonable that a danger should run its course until Congress can be assembled,† (Kleinfeld, 1997, 24). This defense was often used in Lincoln’s behalf. According to Brinkley and Dyer, the issue was â€Å"time and the necessity of acting quickly†¦ † They also explain how it was often claimed to simply be efficient for the centralized power in the executive branch: â€Å"The presidency carried with it a unity of office which allowed for swift action impossible for the legislature,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). Congress agreed to this justification for Lincoln’s centralized power; they â€Å"retroactively endorsed his actions, declaring them ‘legalized and made valid,’ as if Congress itself had enacted them. † (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). The final instance of a decision made using Lincoln’s strengthened Presidential powers was a plan delivered to Congress in his 1862 address to its members. In this annual address, Lincoln proposed that Congress provide bonds to pay slave states that abolished slavery before 1900. He also, in the same address, proposed that Congress give money to help the colonization of those former slaves who chose to move. This incentive to hasten the end of slavery was thoroughly Lincoln’s design, and â€Å"was an unusual display of executive decision to Congress,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 181). These are just a few of the examples detailing the centralization of power to the executive branch that occurred during Lincoln’s administration. He effectively transformed the institution of the Presidency, as many presidents after him have kept up the centralization of power as tradition. An example of a later president who also ran his administration in this fashion is Theodore Roosevelt. Like Lincoln, Roosevelt presided over the nation at a crossroads: the â€Å"divide between the nineteenth century and the wentieth, between the old presidency and the modern chief executive, between the old state and the new,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 268). Following in Lincoln’s precedent, Roosevelt’s decisions over the regulation of big business in this fledging industrial nation, as well as his ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’ methodology to foreign policy, thoroughly illustrate this strong funneling of power into the office of the Presidency. At the beginning of Roosevelt’s administration, the big business era was just beginning. The United States had turned away from the isolationism which preceded the Spanish-American War. Now a world power with quickly expanding foreign markets, the United States was considered a major industrial nation,† (Business and Economy in the 1900s, 1997). With this industrialization came consequences and fears regarding the growth of big business and power of large corporations. The growth of big business and its corresponding fears became the central issue to Roosevelt’s domestic policy. Roosevelt implemented multiple laws in hopes of regulating large corporations, most notably his antitrust measures. According to a text titled Business and Economy in the 1900s, â€Å"†¦ it was not until the Roosevelt administration that cases were pursued against business owners and labor unions. † Most notably was the Northern Securities case, in which the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the company had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which had been on the books for decades. Brinkley and Dyer explain that, â€Å"Although Roosevelt did not want to eliminate large corporations, he used antitrust prosecutions to enhance the authority of the executive branch,† (274). Just as Lincoln used policy to enhance his powers as president, so did Roosevelt: over 40 antitrust legislations were filed under Roosevelt’s presidency. Still focusing on the domestic issue of big business regulation, Roosevelt’s creation of The Bureau of Corporations was another notable event. After Roosevelt’s introduction of the Bureau in 1903, it was created by Congress to â€Å"investigate and publicize the behavior of giant corporations,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 275). This Bureau is what helped investigate the companies and then catalyzed legislation, furthering antitrust laws made under Roosevelt’s administration. Also parallel to the central power during Lincoln’s presidency, the president helped validate and get more power to the Executive Branch when he positioned himself to look like â€Å"the representative of a public frightened and angry over a new threat from business,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 275). This is parallel to the power Lincoln managed to obtain when positioning himself to look like a representative of a frightened public during the beginnings of the Civil War, angry over slavery issues. Both men used their positions and the time in history to be seen in the same light. In terms of foreign policy, Roosevelt strived to make the United States’ power reach global heights. His â€Å"speak softly and carry a big stick† approach to foreign relations reflected that the way the country handled its foreign relations depended entirely on the President, not Congressional legislation. An example of this includes events that occurred following his December 1904 State of the Union address, in which Roosevelt reinforced his ‘Big Stick Policy† by saying that â€Å"chronic wrongdoing by Latin American states would compel the United States ‘to an exercise of an international police power,’† (Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy, 1998). This policy, reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine, is known as the Roosevelt Corollary. It was first put into effect just weeks later, when Roosevelt negotiated a treaty with the Dominican Republic saying that the US would manage the Dominican Republic’s foreign debts. Mirroring events of the Lincoln administration, â€Å"when the Senate refused to ratify the treaty, the president carried it out by executive order, a move that touched off much criticism at home,† (Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy, 1998). In this case, Roosevelt used his Big Stick policy to pass legislation rejected by the Congress, just because he was President and his office had the power to do so. It is much like Lincoln’s implementation of policy without Congressional approval during the Civil War. To conclude, President Lincoln helped to strength the power of the Executive Branch like never before, helping give the Presidency more control of both domestic and foreign relations. At a delicate crossroads in American history—the Civil War—Lincoln used the unique time to gain power through instatement of the draft, suspension of habeas corpus, and his proposals of bills to Congress. Following this precedent, President Theodore Roosevelt, also at a crossroads in United States history at the beginning of industrialization and big business, used similar tactics to gain and retain centralized control in the Executive branch through his trust-busting efforts and legislation on big business at home, as well as his â€Å"Big Stick† policies abroad.

Ethical Dimensions of Research Studies Term Paper

Ethical Dimensions of Research Studies - Term Paper Example This moral standard requires all researchers to conduct their activities in the course of their studies or methodical investigations in a manner that enhances the well-being of test subjects (Bulger et-al, 2012). In other words, the health, safety, and welfare of individuals involved in the study ought to be the most important aspect and consideration of the study. Results from the study elucidated the fact that exposure to this smoke had considerable health effects on the children involved as test subjects. All researchers have a duty to inform individuals involved in research as subjects on the dangers and threats posed by a particular research or study. Giving the subjects all information regarding the dangers is of significance as it helps them to make an informed decision. Before any research activities commence, it is important for the subjects to sign an informed consent form whereby they ascertain that they have made informed decisions without any intimidation of coercion on being subjects of a particular test or procedure. Signing a consent form safeguards the researcher from any legal action that could be taken against his/her by these subjects. Some research activities or studies have negative consequences and therefore individuals in charge of the research could be sued for damages. According to Fouka and Mantzorou (2011), â€Å"Informed consent seeks to incorporate the rights of autonomous individuals through self-determination. It also seeks to prevent assault on the integrity of the patient and protects personal liberty and veracity† (p. 4). In these children’s case, the researchers did not inform the subjects on the dangers and implications that could follow exposure of secondhand smoke to children. In doing so, they failed to provide them with appropriate information and facts that he could have used to make an informed decision on whether to become subjects of the study or

Social Networking and its impact on individuals professional life Literature review

Social Networking and its impact on individuals professional life - Literature review Example In today’s technological era, the term social networking has commonly been associated with online networking. Keeping this fact into consideration, only online social networking has been evaluated regardless of the impact of offline social networking and its impact on individual’s professional life. With exponential growth of social networking, it has been observed that several organizations have been presented with an opportunity to enhance the job satisfaction level of its employees. For instance, Google provided its employees with an opportunity to work from home, rather than waking up early in the morning and coming to office. This significantly impacted the overall professional life of an individual. (Garibian, 2012) By digging a bit deeper, it was assessed that professionals tend to invest their time in online social networking primarily to improve them, while maintaining their professional identity in today’s competitive landscape. To maintain their profes sional identity, professional tends to prefer networks that can help them in career enhancement followed by updates on brand and current affairs. ... According to statistics, LinkedIn is most popular among individuals between the age group of 25-34 (i.e. 33 percent). Within this age group, the reason for visiting LinkedIn has always been job search. Although, an individual within this age bracket may have a respectable job, but the possibility of finding another respectable job leads to frequent visits to LinkedIn. (Bullas, 2013) Professionals tend to frequently switch their jobs to enhance their career progression (Silu, 2013). According to a research, employees tend to switch their jobs primarily due to job insecurity or to move up the career ladder (Sverke, Hellgren, & Naswall, 2006). On the other hand, researches revealed that professionals tend to switch their job due to bad management (Branham, 2012; Job Interview, n.d.). Furthermore, employees tend to switch to find better fit with his/her skills and strengths (Rouen, 2011). This can be done easily through LinkedIn. With significant information regarding the job on LinkedIn , professionals tend to apply for new jobs to take next step in their career development. This can be clearly witnessed through the story of David T. Stevens who was nearly about to face the reduction in salary and other associated benefits with the job due to the decline in economy. By sourcing professionals throughout the world through LinkedIn, Steven got a job at Emeryville, Calif. This reflects that LinkedIn is used by every professional to search for better jobs (Adams, 2012). With the rise of social networking sites, organizations have been provided with an ability to create self-service model to attract the most feasible candidate. According to a research firm, LinkedIn has changed the process of recruitment in today’s

Discuss the reasons why Jews left Russia and Eastern Europe to come to Essay

Discuss the reasons why Jews left Russia and Eastern Europe to come to the United States. How is the impetus for Jewish immigration different from that of the I - Essay Example As described by Publisher (1997), "they went from Poland to polo in one generation" nearly penniless and went on to become the greatest movie moguls of all time. Traced as having started out in retail in furs and dry goods, they discovered the lucrative possibilities of movie-making. The American dream refers to the freedom to live a preferred lifestyle. However, their belief of the freedom to practice their religion was denied Pogrom or ethnic cleansing tops the list of reasons of Jewish immigration from Russia and Eastern Europe to the United States during this period. Non-Jewish people created havoc to the Jewish communities including destruction of homes, businesses, and religious places with authoritative consent (Laquer, 2006). The persecution that happened to the Jews came from anti-Semitism strongly implemented by the Tsarist Empire in Hitler's period. From an organized riot to destruct Jewish communities, pogroms extended to the mass killing of the Jews. This stirred great fear among some Jews who eventually immigrated to the United States and some parts of the United Kingdom (Laquer, 2006). Impetus for Jewish immigration different. ... se of the last thirty-five years and it has gone to eight millions." These Jews were blamed as responsible for Anti-Semitism whose fundamental premise is that something was basically wrong with the Jews (Sharan, 2004). The other immigrants did not particularly have this problem. The sense of abnormality and self-hatred were not imputed on the Irish, Japanese and Chinese (Lessing, 2004). The impetus for the Jewish immigration was starkly different from that of the Japanese, Chinese, and Irish. The Japanese immigrants began entering the United States in the 1880s, largely as farmers under threat of Japan's industrial and land reforms under the Meiji Restoration. They sought to be employed with the sugar plantations in Hawaii, and eventually found themselves in California (Immigration, Pacific Link, 2007). As for the Chinese immigrants, some came to the United States in relatively large groups in 1849 and 1882 between the start of the California gold rush ("Chinese Immigration," LOC, 2004). It was business, therefore, that primarily moved them to immigrate. Lastly, a number of Irish entered the U.S. between 1820 and 1830 and skyrocketed in the 1840s to nearly 2 million in that decade. They were different from the Jewish immigrants in that the Irish immigrants' reason was to escape from starvation. According to Handlin (1972), for some years, the crops remained undepend able for them and famine swept through their land. Some records, however, claim that the Irish were encouraged to emigrate because of political oppression by the British government and religious persecution of Catholic Irish ("The Irish. Immigration, 2007). Among all of these emigrants, therefore, it was the Jews who left their lands and nation due to much persecution, particularly the pogrom. Obstacles to

Opinion on economic issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opinion on economic issue - Essay Example In this context, in order to identify the potential causes of the rising rental inflation in the US, the study has relied on varied academic articles and business reports. In accordance with the viewpoint of Madigan, the average rent of the apartments had increased to 3.1% in the US market during the last year in comparison to the year 2012 (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†). On the other hand, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank, arguably claimed that the cost of housing property is decreasing in the US market in the recent days. In this regard, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank argued that the buying demand of the housing property has been dramatically reduced during the last few years in the US. Contextually, several economists have believed that rising price of food and energy has influenced the demand of real-estate in a negative manner (1-49). On the other hand, Madigan claimed that rising prices of medical services, education and communication services have indirectly affected the demand of the real-estate in the US marketplace (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†). Ho wever, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank arguably claimed that the rental demand on the US market has dramatically increased in the last few years (1-49). In this regard, it can be asserted that financial crisis and high rate of interest as well as the mortgage burden has affected the demand of the household buyers. On the contrary, it has influenced the tendency of renting residential, which has caused high inflation in the domestic market place (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†; Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank 1-49). Based on the above discussion, it has been recognized that the cost of real-estate property has reduced in the US market due to high rate of interest. At the same time, it has been also recognized that 38.2% of the US population are associated with mortgage household property, which signify that the

Was there a gap between the rhetoric of hope and democracy peddled by Essay

Was there a gap between the rhetoric of hope and democracy peddled by American institutions and leaders and the reality on the g - Essay Example As a function of understanding this unique period of American history, this brief essay will analyze this period with relation to the experience that different formerly marginalized groups had. The groups included within the analysis will include women, Native Americans, African Americans, and the various new immigrants that landed on American soil as a result of systemic and societal changes throughout Europe and the rest of the world.1 Finally, the essay will seek to answer the question of whether or not there was a gap with regards to the level of democracy that the system promised and what was actually realized within the masses of citizens of the republic. With regards to the experience that post-Reconstruction brought to women, this was a period in which the emancipation and ultimate freedom that the former slaves had realized served to entice the women’s suffrage movement to begin to stir.2 The result of this stir was also due to the fact that many former anti-slavery a dvocates were women and it was realized that defined and sustained political action by such groups could make a discernable and lasting impact on the future of politics within the nation. As a function of this, suffragists and other individual issue groups began to ply the political channels in the United States. Although it took many decades for this movement to eventually be heard, the realization of political power that was born from the end of slavery served to embolden this group of shareholders to demand a more active and integrative political process within the nation. Similarly, due to the changes that the end of slavery had afforded to recently freed African Americans, there were many positive and negative externalities that soon existed for this demographic. Firstly, with regards to the positive changes, an amendment to the Constitution made it possible for black men to have a voice in the way that the nation grew and expanded. This of course helped to provide a previously disenfranchised group of individuals with a small portion of the political power that they should have held all along. Sadly, this and the end to slavery were some of the only positive factors that integrated themselves with the African American experience in the Post-Reconstruction era. The fact of the matter was that in an era in which the civil rights of African Americans should have flourished the most, a litany of Jim Crow laws popped up all over the country which practically relegated these individuals to a form of second class citizenship. Unable to eat, drink, or even wait in the same waiting rooms as whites, African Americans saw many of the hopes and dreams of equality that they had held after the conclusion of the Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction fade into something of an unrealistic dream.3 Similarly, with regards to the employment outlook and opportunity that existed for these recently freed slaves; this too was a difficult if not impossible. Sharecrop ping came to represent a new form of enslavement whereby the landed aristocracy was able to subjugate the lower classes into a type of generational and perpetual servitude.4 With regards to Native Americans, their plight was perhaps

Installation of HVAC System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Installation of HVAC System - Assignment Example A developing company AA Fertilizer Ltd is planning to set a fertilizer plant in a remote area. Since it’s an unpopulated district a township has to be built, before the erection of the fertilizer plant, for the Engineers and other technical staff’s accommodation who would be hired. This would not only make the work packages more lucrative but also save the traveling fares which would have been offered otherwise. Considering the severe climatic extremes existent in the region where the township is to be erected, installation of a central heating and cooling system becomes essential. Project Alpha which we are considering would be dealing with the installation of a HVAC system for the township. This shall further cover the installation and commissioning of air handling system, pumping system, chiller plant and associated machinery. Project Alpha will result in helping the company overcome the cons of setting a factory in an area with extreme climates and devoid of habitat ion. We expect that the HVAC system will be fully operational within 6 months of the ... Import and acceptance of material Prequalification of Contractors RFQ request for quotation Evaluation of bids Award of contracts Construction of civil foundation for HVAC Machinery Prefabrication of mechanical piping and erection piping Electrical works -laying of power supply cables Power supply to HVAC System Installation of HVAC equipment and machinery Installation of piping and interconnection with HVAC Equipment Commissioning of HVAC System Hook up with the fan coil units in the residences Checking the performance of the machinery against the specifications like meeting the heating and cooling requirements Acceptance test End of project For Cost Management the expected costs are to be compared with the actual expenditures and corrective action taken. Meetings or cost management shall be conducted. Indices which facilitate the financial review process would include Cost Performance Index

Introduction to Property Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to Property Assignment 2 - Essay Example The inspection process largely depended on the information provided by the real estate agency on its website. The key inspection criteria included general features, type of the property, number of bedrooms, building materials, physical location and building size among other features. Having used the map to trace the property’s physical location, I took its photo and used for further inspection. This property was first found by research from the internet on the list of properties that have been sold in Melbourne recently. A lot of information regarding this property was found in several sites including those owned by real estate agents. The process of inspection involved checking of the basement, heating system, air-conditioning, plumbing, roof and electrical system among other aspects of the property. Other important issues that I assessed included maintenance and fire and safety aspects. For additional examination, I used the location map to visit the property and took a photo. This photo was used to examine the physical features of the property. Through the inspection I found that the house was sold on 10th January 2013 for $298, 500. This property was initially found on the websites of realestate.com.au, whereby the preliminary examination was done. At this state, features such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, indoor features, wardrobe features, courtyard, fencing, and evaporative cooling were inspected. Also, the address and the location map were obtained from the website. Next, additional information regarding the factors that could have influenced pricing and salability of the property was obtained from a local agent, and augmented with internet research on factors that influence similar transactions. I finally visited the property’s physical location, took a photo and a used it for further

Use of Phone Cameras Essay Example for Free

Use of Phone Cameras Essay Over the years, technology has reached new heights in terms of the services it offers to today’s generation. Our youth’s ingenuity has also evolved into higher levels in terms of getting away from studying. The rampant use of modern electronic devices to cheat on examinations have been so that carrying a cell phone, digital camera or some other electronic gadget has been banned in schools in China, South Korea, and the Philippines. (West, 2000) Cell phones have proved to be the leading gadget used for cheating in secondary school. The earlier method was using text massages to forward questions to other people outside the classroom who would look up the answers. With the advent of digital cameras being augmented to cellular phone features, the application has reached greater levels. In the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, students photographed test questions using their cell phone cameras. These images were then sent to classmates outside the exam room who had the job of looking up the answers and sending them back to their friends in the examination room. Ros Yabin, the dean of their college was amazed at the students’ ingenuity and at the same time exasperated at the dishonorable act saying: If theyd spend as much time studying, theyd all be A students. (Glater, 2006) In China, a move to ban the use of cellular phones during examinations has been implemented to prevent massive cheating that has supposedly happened during their previous nationwide examinations. Further more, cell phone scramblers have been procured for the examination sites to beef up proctoring security. China’s minister of education hopes that these measures will be sufficient to regain the quality of their nationwide exam results. Similar actions are being done by South Korea, ever since 183 students in four organizations, including six female high school students were involved in an exam scandal that offered students to send correct answers to a nationwide examination in exchange for money. (Lee, 2004) These techniques are not limited to cellular phones. Another student from a California secondary school loaded his notes onto a Sidekick digital micro recorder and tried to access it during the examination. When questioned by the teacher, he initially reasoned that he was merely using the dictionary feature. The student was investigated by school authorities and was eventually proven guilty. (Glater, 2006) iPods have not yet achieved high popularity as a tool for cheating, but it is quickly rising through the ranks. Since it has gotten a lot easier to record one’s voice with the use of a computer, students have begun to take advantage of their iPods in their examinations. One Pepperdine student in 2004, who dictated all his notes in a file in his iPod and listened to it while taking the exam. He would have gotten away with it had it not been for one of his classmates who told on him. (Glater, 2006) At the journalism school at San Jose State University, students who were caught using spell check on their laptops, their examinations were invalidated because part of the writing test was to measure their ability in spelling. Whether they’re cell phones, digital camera features, micro recorders, or any other new-fangled device out on the market, student ingenuity will make use and abuse the possibilities of his new toys in making it easier for him to pass his weekly quizzes. It is up to teachers and proctors to keep open eyes and ears, to be mindful about any device that the student brings to the table. It is also the responsibility of school officials and the government to uphold the quality of education in their respective areas. References: Glater, Jonathan (April, 2006).Cheating gets easier with gadgetry. New York Times V. 125 Is. 43 23 – 24 Glater, Jonathan (May, 2006). Colleges Chase as Cheats Shift to Higher Tech. New York Times V. 125 Is. 44 11 – 13 Lee, Howard (2004). Exam Scandal: Answers Relayed From Other Organizations. Seoul Today V. 87 Is. 13 28 32 China Moves to Block Cellphone Cheats. Retrieved April 24, 2007 from The Chronicle website: http://chronicle. com/wiredcampus/article/1307/china-moves-to-block-cellphone-cheats West, Jordan (2000). Cheating and Technology. San Diego: Holdfast

Consequences of Outsourcing Human Resources

Consequences of Outsourcing Human Resources This essay will attempt to highlight the issues pertaining to the effects of outsourcing human resource management. The essay will be structured as follows: An Overview on Outsourcing of HRM The Rationale of Outsourcing The advantages of Outsourcing The disadvantages of Outsourcing An analysis on effect of Outsourcing An Overview on Outsourcing of HRM-The HRO The Outsourcing is the new management mantra which came into existence during the turbulent times of 90s, where it was seen as an effective tool for cost cutting. Outsourcing basically means hiring of the relevant business function from a third party. This phenomenon made rapid advancement and very soon engulfed nearly all area of the business. The function of Human Resource management has also been affected by it. Although in HRM outsourcing is a relatively newer term but the economic crisis of global meltdown has helped it to a stage where more and more organisations and businesses are opting for it. Following are main findings of the survey carried out by CIPD (2009) in the UK- HR outsourcing (HRO) is used by 29% of the survey respondents. Most organisations are increasing their use of HRO. Over the last five years, 20% reported significant increases in HRO activity, and 44% reported a slight increase in HRO activity. Only 11% have reduced their reliance on HRO. Only 44% of those organisations that outsource other business functions also outsource HR. HR outsourcing is used predominantly in private sector organisations, with 69% of those outsourcing HR working in this sector. HRO is pursued by 25% of public sector organisations in this sample. The private service industry dominates the use of HRO, with 50% currently undertaking HRO activities. Twenty-four per cent of HRO activity is in manufacturing, 22% in public services, and 4% in voluntary and charitable organisations The top drivers for HRO include access to skills and knowledge (71%), quality (64%) and cost reduction (61%). Organisations stressing clear objectives and targets in these areas are also more likely to have achieved them. The top three wholly outsourced areas include legal activity (69%), payroll (66%) and pensions (64%). The areas partially outsourced the most include training (49%) and recruitment and selection (47%). HRO is not relieving pressure for the internal HR team, with 43% confirming HRO failure in this case. Source- CIPD survey 2009 Introduction to HRO HRO is often confused with the two more associated terms -HR shared services and HR expert leasing. To begin, it is necessary to distinguish HRO from HR shared services and HR expert leasing. The main reason for this confusion is the complexity involved in Shared Services and HR expert leasing. HR shared services are also known as co-sourcing (Shen et al. 2003). The shared service has two forms. First, there is a shared service set up by large organizations to provide assistance and services not only to their own departments or subsidiaries, but also to external client organizations as an outsourcing business. Second, the other type of shared service refers to those set up, again by large and often multinational or multi-establishment organizations, aimed at restructuring their service provision through recentralization and of a creation of an internal market system. This is very popular in large enterprises, such as Motorola, Fuji, HSBC, IBM and Nokia. HR expert Leasing refers to the concept used by some professional employer organizations of leasing HR experts to clients (Laabs 1996) due to the fact that when the option of leasing employees is used, HR is more likely to be kept in-house, thus HR expert leasing should not be regarded as HRO. Similarly the shared services which are designed at providing services to internal and external clients cannot be in strict sense be regarded as HRO. Thus we see that in both the cases, i.e. HR expert leasing and the Shared services, there is no significance of the third party, which as per the definition of HRO is an prerequisite for them to be classified as Outsourcing. Hence we see that there is a clear demarcation between all the three services being used to provide HR support to the organisation. The commencement of Outsourcing in HR functions commenced primarily with the field of Recruitment. The Business organisations felt the need for recruitment as an independent function which could be transferred to third party for a measure of cost cutting and bettered shared service. Soon the functions such as Pay roll management, benefits and legal advice, were also outsourced. If we analyse the key decision for whether the particular function is outsource or not is based on the fact that whether the function is a core function or not? The rationale behind the Outsourcing The five competitive forces (Charles R Greer; Stuart A Youngblood; David A Gray, 1999) that can be called as the driving force for the companies to outsource some or all of their HR activities are: downsizing, rapid growth or decline, globalization, increased competition, and restructuring. Downsizing: The inevitable restructuring of entire industries has recast HR departments as formulators and implementers of downsizing. The pressure of reducing costs has now made HR themselves as targets of downsizing due to the overwhelming demands for reduced costs for HR services. Rapid Growth or Decline: Again the Costs as a major factor, the retrenched firms, or those in decline, face incredible pressures to reduce costs, while high-growth firms face similar pressures to monitor costs. HR outsourcing presents the option of cost reduction Globalization: Due to this, the companies now staff comprising of host country or third party nationals, this required harmonizing pay and benefit packages in accordance with the local laws demands specialized expertise. Larger vendors that focus on compensation and benefits offer these specialized services and deliver expertise built on experience and concentration in particular regions of the world. Increased Competition: Increased competition, both on domestic and international front, emphasizes the value-added role of products and services. Firms that subscribe to the balanced scorecard approach to measure effectiveness look not only at financial measures of firm success, but also at customer and employee measures of service quality. As per General Electrics CEO Jack Welch- He pays attention to only three measures of firm effectiveness-cash flow, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. If HR departments are to be responsive to both internal and external customers, they  must look for ways to improve the quality and responsiveness of their services. Proponents argue that outsourcing offers HR an option to satisfy competing demands for improved service and responsiveness at a reasonable cost. Structuring: Firms that redeploy HR generalists to serve key divisions or business units of the organization can transform HR into a service role. Such a transformation serves as a source of competitive advantage for the firm. These new, service-quality cultures are not easy to build and sustain, particularly among established, traditional, or entrenched HR departments. Strategically, HR outsourcing decisions can potentially be part of a larger pattern of responses designed to deliver hard-to-imitate, hard-to-substitute, value-added services that enhance the value and quality of the firms products and services. After having seen the driving force behind the HRO we will now try to analyse various models of HRO as conceptualised by the resource-based view (RBV) (e.g. Barney 1991; Ulrich 1996); that suggests that the resources of a firm are rare and valuable and cannot easily be substitutable, are more likely to achieve sustained competitive advantage. According to the RBV, a firm should only outsource those resources which are replaceable or imitable not its core functions. This concept is in line with the core and periphery concept (Atkinson 1984), which can be applied to evaluate what HR activities are more likely to be outsourced. According to Atkinson, the core is defined as a numerically stable core group which will conduct the organizations key, firm-specific activities (Atkinson 1984: 29). The core can be redeployed easily between activities and tasks and has functional flexibility. All other function which support the core are known as the periphery, this provides the organization wit h an advantage to vary the numbers with fluctuation in labour demand (known as numerical flexibility). Ulrich (1998) suggested that core activities creates unique value to employees, customers and investors and are transformational in nature. Non-core activities are easily duplicated and replicated and are of transactional nature. Thus we find that HR core activities include top-level strategy, HR policies, employee relations, and line management responsibilities (e.g. appraisal and discipline) and the peripheral activities include specialist activities (e.g. recruitment and outplacement), routine personnel administration (e.g. payroll and pensions), relocation, and professional HR advice (e.g. legal advice related to employment regulations) {Finn (1999) and Lepak and Snell (1998)}. Thus according to the core and periphery theory, while the administrative and transactional functions (periphery) can be outsourced, it is in the interest of the firm to keep the strategic parts of HR (c ore) remain in-house. However, in practise, the core and periphery concept is difficult to distinguish as some HR activities appear to be purely administrative, but actually are not. For instance, recruitment is often seen as suitable for outsourcing, but its a key function that should stay in-house. To ascertain these arguments, we next shall analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of Outsourcing of HR functions. The advantages of Outsourcing As mentioned above one of the major benefits of HR outsourcing is Cost Saving but is not the only advantages of the Outsourcing. It provides a wide array of advantages specially to the small and rapidly growing businesses with limited resources, to achieve the same level of efficiency and service consistency in their HR functions as larger companies, without having to invest in large amounts of capital. The advantages of outsourcing can be enumerated as follows:- Cost Savings. Companies can realise substantial cost savings by outsourcing HR activities and functions. Torode (2000: 2) reported a success story about cost reduction about Trident Inc. reducing its HR administrative burden by 65 per cent and uncovering US$40,000 in overpayments for insurance premiums by using Employease Inc.s web-based human-resources application. The same is also supported by Gilley et al. (2004) that outsourcing training and payroll could lower administrative and overhead costs of training staff. Greater Focus on Core Business Activities. Due to globalisation companies face aggressive competition both locally and from abroad and thus can incur a tremendous amount in terms of lost business and loss of competitive advantage by spending more than required time and resources in non-core or administrative functions. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on their core competencies and to direct their full attention towards market dynamics and business strategy. Greater Participation by HR in Value-Adding Activities. Outsourcing certain HR administrative tasks enables the HR department to free themselves of time-consuming administrative tasks and direct their attention towards helping to improve their companys business performance thus fulfilling there roles as that of a strategic partner. Greater Efficiency. Due to the vertical specialisation and intense competition the outsourcing providers can usually perform the task more efficiently than the internal HR department. This is also due to the fact that service provider has a specialised team and since provides wide array of services to various outsourcer, hence at times can have more resources as well as experience to deal with any situation. This is specially true for medium and small firm which have a smaller HR department. Greater Flexibility of a Decentralized Structure. The business environment is very volatile, presenting newer challenges to companies. Outsourcing provides flexibility by removing those responsibilities and constraints that make it difficult to react effectively to changing conditions and issues. A leaner, more focused company engaged in fewer activities, is better able to react to environmental changes. Risk Reduction. Risk reduction is a major benefit of HR outsourcing. As the outsourced tasks are the outsourcing providers core competency, they are unlikely to make lesser mistakes as compared with the clients internal HR staff. Furthermore in case of eventuality of mistakes, the service provider can be held accountable for losses to its client thus lowering the level of risk. More so ever the firms can enjoy the benefits of the HR functions without having to invest heavily in those HR functions, at the same time also keeping the option to change the outsourcing supplier if required. More Objective Process. Outsourcing provides a certain degree of objectivity to the functions of HR department as service providers are not affected by political, cultural and bureaucratic conflicts intrinsic to the firm, which prevents the department from being fully productive and aligned with the strategic goals of the organisation. Outsourcing HR functions brings the objectivity of a third party into the process. Disadvantages of Outsourcing Cost-Savings Not Always Achieved. Laabs (1996) argued that HRO in fact leads to increasing costs because it may be less expensive to administer HR functions in-house, the same is also supported by Friel (2003),who argues that one major reason for higher costs of HR outsourcing is that HRO is still in its infancy. For example, software products must be tailored to organizations requirements, pushing up development costs. The following are examples showing increasing costs as a result of HRO. BP Amocos international contract with Exult increased costs by one third in 2001 (Broad 2002). BT admitted that costs were on the rise in its contract for HR service provision with Accenture HR Services in 2002 (Broad 2002). The September 2002 audit revealed that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in the United States paid up US$2.6 million to VA sytems well above the original estimate of US$1.2 million.(Friel 2003). Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of America paid NCS Pearson, US$700 million as against originally estimate of US$103 million,by the end of 2002. (Friel 2003). Greer et al. (1999) found in their study that specialized vendors were unable to achieve greater economies of scale and cost savings due to the magnitude of the internal HR operations of some large companies,. More importantly, as Greer et al. (1999) warned, outsourcing produced no cost savings when only two or three vendors dominate a specialized market. Caulkin (2002: 10) has supported Greer et al. by arguing that the argument of economies of scale and specialization is self-serving, benefiting providers, not purchasers. People Issues. This is one of the most debatable aspects of Outsourcing. An extensive study by Hackett Benchmarking Research revealed that companies consider the greatest obstacles to outsourcing to be cultural and political factors. The services being outsourced to an outside entity poses a threat to the employee trust in the system. Further more the vendor working environment and ethics might not be commiserating with the firms which would bring out contention of issues. For example (Broad 2002), when Bank of America formed an alliance with Exult which included a major outsourcing arrangement, employees were worried about the implications of the deal for their positions. It is only when they understood that it was Exult, and not Bank of America, that would make the required investments, that they became reassured and accepted the alliance Problems with the Outsourcing Provider. The providers might be faced with issue where he is forced to cover up for any mistakes for which the service provider can be held liable. Further more the organisational culture of the provider would also be a binding factor as they can be a cause low service standardsr, a lack of attention to regulatory and business requirements, or unmet objectives and timeframes by the outsourcing provider. Loss of Control. Outsourcing HR functions can lead to a loss of control by the buying company. According to recent study by Accenture, 48% of executives surveyed stated that the fear of a loss of operational control was the greatest impediment to expanding their use of outsourcing. Their can be a fundamental mismatch of hierarchy in the firm as the line manager and the service provider might not be able to synchronise their working. Consequences of outsourcing Major implication, both in terms of their (changing) roles and their experience of the HR services of Outsourcing have been felt by HR professionals, line managers, employees who receive the services, and outsourced HR staff who provide the services. In-house HR Professionals. Most noticeable impact on in-house HR professionals will be in terms of the nature of their work and their career patterns, although due to scarce literature, the extent is difficult to predict. Ulrich (1998) proposes four new roles for HR; among those he recommends sharing of HR work in varying proportions among the line management, employees, external consultants, and other groups. But he does not really discuss the rationale by which this distribution of work would be determined (Procter Currie, 1999). Nor have the implications for their career prospects been contemplated. Greer et al.s (1999) study suggests that as a consequence of outsourcing of HR activities, the user company would mandatorily have to deploy in-house HR generalists who know can manage the outsourcing relationships. However, this also poses a threat of work intensification for these HR professionals, as they might still be relied by their colleagues to provide the service because they may be used to it or are unfamiliar with the new system. For example, Shen et al.s study (2004) indicates that the job content for the NHS maintenance manager of National Health Services (NHS) trust hospital in the United Kingdom has undergone severe work intensification and radical change ever since the outsourcing of maintenance. The same can also happen to the HR managers when outsourcing HR takes place, since both functions require intimate knowledge of the organization and a relatively high level of relationship management. HR outsourcing also raises concerns about the career prospects of the HR staff. One of the significant changes to career prospect would be Availability of fewer career development options for specialists as compared to generalist. At the same time, as there would be only a limited activities being performed in-house, general HR experience would be hard to gain. This will also raise question about the type of training to be provided to HR professionals that existing training for the HR profession is generalist-oriented, while in future the service provider would need specialists. Therefore, outsourcing HR could affect the in-house HR staff in ways such as job intensification, change in job content, reduction of career development opportunity, and increased levels of stress, especially when the relationship with the service provider is strained and the quality of services unsatisfactory. More broadly, the role that HR professionals play will be dependent upon their interaction with other groups both within and outside the organization (Procter Currie, 1999). Communication can be more difficult, especially when there is geographical, as well as organizational, separation. But if the onward march of HR outsourcing is a given, then the HR professionals will need to learn how to play the game (Turnbull, 2002). Line Managers. One of the apparent rationales of Outsourcing has been to delegate the softer aspects of the HR function to the line management ie involvement in and ownership of HR decisions. For example, Vernon et al. (2000) found that in Europe it is a common practise for sharing responsibilities between the HR specialists and the line management, in regard to the policy making: About a third of senior HR specialists reported an increase in line management responsibility for HR issues over the last three years (Vernon et al.,2000, p. 7). The role of line managers in executing HR policies and shaping HR practices has long been acknowledged (e.g., Currie Procter, 2001; Marchington Parker,1990; McConville Holden, 1999; Procter Currie, 1999). This has resulted in line managers taking on additional responsibilities, thus intensifying their role. This can at times all draw away or cloud the focus of line manager from their primary role. Also in reality, some of the smaller tasks may take longer to explain via electronic devices and are easier for the line managers to do themselves. The lack of HR support on-site seemed to have caused work intensification for the line managers, since they no longer have easy access to the HR staff. Another aspect which is pertinent to mention here is the competence of line manager. Line managers in the United Kingdom have been criticized for their lack of HR skills and competence, especially on legal matters such as discipline, dismissal, redundancy, and equal opportunities (e.g., Currie Procter, 2001; Hall Torrington, 1998; Mc-Conville Holden, 1999). They have also been criticized for their lack of interest in managing human resources, as HRM tends to be low down in their operational priority. In addition, they tend to focus on the hard, rather than soft, aspects of the HRM issues. Employees Receiving HR Services. The most significant outcome of this has been on the employees as they find difficulty in divulging confidential or private information with unknown HR person over the phone or online. This can also be termed as loss of Human touch from the term Human Resources. Research carried out by Feng Lee Cook (2006) about the employees response in Consult-Corp UK also indicates the same. Number of employees felt loss of emotional aspect as they felt that staff in the services centre, provide answers by reading off the screen or the manual and the entire process is mechanical. Another consequence of the outsourcing has been the lack of clarity of ownership of problems that may occur in HR services. With no HR department, at times the employees could find a void for issues such as grievance against their line manager itself especially when the grievance concerned the line manager or if the line manager responsible for their performance appraisal. All these change s may cause some fear and resistance among the workforce. BP Amocos outsourcing of HR is a case in point (see Higginbottom, 2001). As a result, it may actually be more costly for the organization to acquire the HR services from the external provider when all the indirect costs (both financial and emotional) that may incur in-house are calculated. This is especially true for large organizations in which employees are highly professional and highly paid. Outsourced HR Staff. Traditionally, skilled and knowledge-intensive work such as HR activities has been provided by workers of status. Employers tend to have an employment relationship with these employees that is characterized by relatively high levels of trust in order to elicit greater commitment and effort from the workers (Streeck, 1987). It has been argued that the tacit knowledge possessed by these workers is vital for the organizational competitiveness (Cooke, 2002; Manwaring, 1984; Pavitt, 1991; Polanyi, 1966; Willman, 1997). Outsourcing of this type of work replaces the status approach by a (short-term) contractual relationship of tight specifications of all aspects as a predominant mechanism of control. This mode of employment relationship does not encourage workers to provide extra-functional contribution to enhance the firms competitiveness (Fox, 1974). In fact, the potential problem of gaining commitment from the nonemployee workers is well recognized by organizations a nd academics (Cooke, Hebson, Carroll, 2005). For the employees of the service provider, job security may be low and firm-specific knowledge may be lacking as a result of multiclient services and the standardization of work processes. Indeed, lack of critical expertise and a customer service focus, or failure to take the interests of their client into account when delivering their HR services, have been found to be some of the main reasons for the failure of the HR outsourcing relationships (Greer et al., 1999). Additional complications in the employment relationships may occur where the HR outsourcing decision involves the transfer of existing HR staff to the external service provider (see Table 1). For the employees concerned, the transferred HR staff are likely to be protected, at least in principle, by some sort of employment regulation of the specific country (e.g., the Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment [TUPE] regulations in the United Kingdom). In theory, the em ployment contract of the transferred workers is preserved intact under TUPE regulations. In reality, however, their terms and conditions and other experience of work may change significantly, albeit incrementally (Cooke et al., 2004), since the impact of TUPE has proven to be only marginal to date (Colling, 1999; Wenlock Purcell, 1990). As Domberger pointed out, the principal effect of TUPE is to ensure minimum standards are maintained in negotiated transfers. The legislation is designed merely to assure the continuity of employment (Domberger, 1998, p. 143). For example, Cooke et al.s (2004) study of outsourcing in the public sector reveals that work intensification and increased performance monitoring are common features of post-transfer working life. Outsourcing offers the new employers opportunities to improve organizational performance by creating change through reducing staff numbers; introducing new skills and working practices; and by modifying individual incentives, employ ment terms and conditions, and attitudes to the workplace Domberger, 1998). None of these changes can be prevented effectively by TUPE, although not all of these changes necessarily point to a worsening scenario to the disadvantage of the workers (Cooke et al., 2004). However, this raises a question as to the extent to which the client organization can expect their ex-employees to (continue to) demonstrate loyalty and commitment in providing their services. These employees may be resentful that they are being dumped by their former employer and/or may have taken on their new employers organizational values that are not necessarily in line with those of their former employer. These issues may be exacerbated if the new employer has also taken on staff from other client organizations, thus creating a work environment with multiple cultures, multiple identities, and competing demands for preferential treatment from client organizations (Rubery et al., 2003). These issues also present a serious challenge for the new employer. The outsourcing firm has to manage a fragmented workforce, one where employees have different employment packages. At the same time, the outsourcing firm is trying to implement a coherent HR strategy and a consistent organizational culture while delivering customized HR services to its client organizations. Conclusions The aim of this article has been to provide an overview of the various aspects of HR outsourcing with a combination of empirical evidence and academic debate. The intention has been to provide a critical review of the state of affairs in the practice of HR outsourcing and to raise issues that require further academic research and attention from organizations interested in HR outsourcing. Existing literature on HR outsourcing appears  to be rather limited in general. This is perhaps due to both research and practice in HR outsourcing being in its early stages of development. There is a longer tradition of firms outsourcing discretional aspects of HR (e.g., payroll, training, health and safety,  legal advice), areas in which they lack inhouse expertise and that are deemed noncost- effective to develop and maintain inhouse. Existing evidence suggests that HR outsourcing has increased substantially over the last decade, although some authors remain cautious about the future growth of HR outsourcing. Training and payroll appear to be the favorite aspects of HR outsourcing. In addition, recruitment, taxation, and legal compliance are often outsourced. However, employee relations, HR planning, career  management, and performance appraisal are less likely to be outsourced, as they are more likely to be seen as core competencies or activities. Even so, there are no clear patterns of the types of HR activities that are outsourced. Existing evidence also suggests that the primary motives for HR outsourcing are to reduce cost, to gain external expertise, to enhance strategic focus of the in-house HR function, and to improve service quality. Cost reduction and sell-out strategy are also important factors for making decisions. While the overwhelming objective for outsourcing appears to be cost reduction, both the transaction-cost economics model (Williamson, 1985) and the resource-based view of the firm (Barney, 1991) seem to influence firms HR outsourcing decisions. T he diverse evidence as to whether the HR outsourcing trend is set to grow or not and/or at what rate implies pragmatic decision making by firms when considering whether to outsource HR activities. Due to the limited number of empirical studies on various aspects of HR outsourcing and the fragmented and inconclusive evidence they have yielded, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions on the types of HR activities that should be outsourced and the effectiveness of HR outsourcing. In fact, evidence seems to suggest that organizations decisions in outsourcing are not always rational  (Vernon et al., 2000), nor is their process successful or the outcome effective. It is possible, however, to identify a number of research issues and practical implications that require further attention from academics and practitioners. Conclusion The resource-based view (RBV) (e.g. Barney 1991; Ulrich 1996) suggests  that a firms resources that are valuable, rare, and not easily imitable or  substitutable are more likely to achieve sustained competitive advantage. According to the RBV, a firm should focus on its core competencies and  outsource those not valuable, and imitable or substitutable resources. The  RBV is consistent with the core and periphery concept (Atkinson  1984), which can be applied to analysing what HR activities are more  likely to be outsourced. According to Atkinson, the core is defined as a  numerically stable core group which will conduct the organizations key,  firm-specific activities (Atkinson 1984: 29). The core can be redeployed  easily between activities and tasks, by means of multiskilling or through  flexible career structures, known as functional flexibility. The periphery,  however, provides the organization with the ability to increase or decrease  the organizations headcount in response to every fluctuation in demand  for labour (known as

The Character of Joness Daughter in Williams’ Taking Care :: Williams Taking Care Essays

Two Works Cited In the short story, "Taking Care", by Joy Williams, a preacher deals learns to deal with his wife being in the hospital with a rare blood disease as well as taking care of his granddaughter while his daughter is away. His daughter, playing only a small role in the story, is still a rather round character. The author, Williams, depicts the characteristics of Jones's daughter very carefully through her actions. Although Jones's daughter is not a main character in this story, she does add various ideas for the reader to think about while reading the short story. Her characteristics and mannerisms are that of superficiality, selfishness, irresponsibility, and capriciousness. These characteristics are displayed continuously throughout the story. Jones's daughter exhibits superficiality through actions. The text reads, "Jones's daughter has fallen in with the stars and is using the heavens, as Jones would be the first to admit, more than he ever has. It has however, brought her only grief and confusion"(93). These two sentences imply that she is superficial. They are saying that she uses the stars to determine what her future is rather than thinking realistically and creating her own future. Even when this dependency of hers fails her, in her mind, she still relies on astrology for her future. Her leaving unopened records of prestigious composers with Jones as she left shows her superficiality once more (95). In addition to being superficial, Jones's daughter is also a very selfish person. She left her husband, left her 6-month-old daughter, and her dog with her father and took off for Mexico (93). This is a selfish act because she has a total disregard for her father's lifestyle and for the hardship he is going through with his wife in the hospital. She does not consider that this would be an inconvenience for her father. Her selfishness is again shown by the fact that she has a total disrespect for the differences of life styles between she and her father. This is shown in the text readings, "His daughter speaks about the men she has been involved with but no longer cares about," and the previous sentence, " Naturally this pains Jones," speaking of the fact that his daughter was having an affair with an older man (95). She is also selfish in the fact that while her mother is in the hospital almost dying, she is, "walking along the beach in Mexico with two men", and even when her mother comes home from the hospital, she is, " in Mexico wandering disinterestedly through a jewelry shop" (96,98).

Benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms Essay -- Genetic Engineerin

Even though we may not know it, GMO’s are everywhere. From the trees in a lumberyard, the pets we own, and most common, the food on our plates. GMO’s are genetically modified organisms. They have even been called â€Å"part of the fabric of American life† (Lambrecht 3). New controversies have risen up to fight these â€Å"deadly† foods. Do we really know what we are eating? Does it even matter? Biotechnologies and altering the characteristics of food have been around for many centuries. These uses were put into use to create useful products such as wine and bread and more recently to create resistant crops and antidotes in the medical field. The difference is that modern biotechnology is now associated with the modification of genes. This is not only limited to food. There are many other practical and useful purposes for this type of engineering. Although recently this use of technology has received a lot of flak and hostility towards these crops that in t urn has been holding back on advancement of the foods. Some of these misconceptions about these products are coming from people who don’t yet know how safe the GMO’s really are and don’t understand the possibilities that these foods have. Further innovation could develop into a long and jubilant rapport with genetically modified organisms. Thus, as long as GMO’s are labeled on the products then it is okay to sell them. We walk into grocery stores everywhere and we see these stickers on our products that say GMO and wonder what GMO’s actually are. These GMO product sticker means the food that we are buying is engineered to be bigger, better tasting, and resistant to disease. In Nova’s movie, Harvest of Fear, they explain how scientists do this by inserting genes or proteins into the DNA o... ...nd the global politics of food. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. Print. Mather, Robin. "The Threats From Genetically Modified Foods." Mother Earth News 251 (2012): 42. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 8 May 2012.Nestle, Marion. Safe food: bacteria, biotechnology, and bioterrorism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003. Print. Whitman, Deborah B. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? Apr. 2000. Web. 08 May 2012. Powell, Douglas, †Genetically Modified Foods Should not be Labeled.† National Post (22 June 2001). Rpt in Genetic Engineering Ed. James D. Torr Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 09 May 2012. "GMO | Life Is Fare." Life Is Fare | One woman's approach to living life to the fullest by eating happy food.. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2012.

Effect of Acids and Bases Essay -- English Literature Essays

Effect of Acids and Bases Experiments to Determine the Effect of Acids & Bases on Different Indicators and the pH of Common Cleaning Agents The aim of the first set of experiments is to find out and record the colour changes that are observed after a certain indicator is mixed with acids and bases to form a colour reaction. Once the selected indicator has been mixed with a acid that is both weak and strong and a base/alkali that is both weak and strong we are to record the colour and choose another indicator. The purpose of this experiment is to find out what indicators are sensitive to what areas of the pH colour spectrum, while also looking how Universal Indicator covers most areas of the pH spectrum generally but much less accurately. The aim for the second experiment is to find out the pH levels of different domestic cleaners and then studying the results. The main purpose of this experiment is that it gives an insight to whether cleaners are basic or acidic for our general knowledge. The only predictions I made on the first experiment was that know what colour would be shown after the reaction with the Universal Ind icator. This was because I already had the pH chart for this indicator with me to confirm colours vs. pH. I did make a prediction on the second experiment which was that almost all of the cleaners would have a different pH level. I thought this because all of the domestic cleaners are suited to remove different things such as grease and mould and for th...

Coming of Age Rituals

Itercresco Make-up. High heels. Driving. Shaving. Dating. These are most of the undertakings that accompany maturing and becoming a young adult in the western society. For some in the western culture, the coming of age ritual is the allowance of these freedoms. In other cases and cultures, the coming of age ritual is often based on deeply rooted traditions and a heightened sense of grandeur. Whatever they may be, coming of age rituals are integral to our society, to our inner growth, and to our development as people. In this generation, â€Å"young people however, do not suddenly feel adult upon reaching the landmark legal ages.Instead, they view these ages as representing starting points for adulthood rather than as things that immediately render them adult,† (Waters 171). The coming of age rituals avail in establishing a heightened sense of responsibility to young adults, which in turn benefits our society; these rituals cause a person to feel seasoned and as if they are tru ly coming into their own. At this point in their lives, young adults are akin to baby sea turtles that have almost made it to the ocean; they are crawling to the ritual that will â€Å"make† them an adult.Itercresco not only enables adolescents to discover their roots in the context of cultural traits, religious spirituality, and relevant philanthropy, which will assist them in becoming productive members of society. With attention to common perceptions of â€Å"adulthood†, Itercresco interlaces practices such as volunteerism and going to an art museum to encourage the youth to be emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially independent. â€Å"Itercresco†Ã¢â‚¬â€ the name is a combination of the Latin translations of the words â€Å"growing† and â€Å"journey†.The ritual, which occurs at the age of sixteen, involves seven months living in the country and town from which either the teenager’s mother’s or father’s family originates; the young adults have the option to choose the region they wish to further explore. If there is still family living in the town or city, the teenager may spend one out of the seven months with the relatives if they allow them to. If the young adult no longer has family in that vicinity, they will live on their own and off of the land as much as possible for the duration of the seven months.The adolescents are sent away with seven thousand dollars and half of these funds must be used for philanthropic purposes. The rest of the money must endure the seven months, but they are allowed to find work. In fact, acquisition of employment is highly encouraged, as it will further fuel attention to a responsible persona. The funds for the philanthropic aspect cannot simply be donated; it must be actively used to benefit the town or city. In this day and age, preparation of the nation’s youth for the fast-paced society they are subjected to is integral.Itercresco seeks to re ady adolescents for the â€Å"real world† by exposing them to society in a mature light and fashion. This generation requires a well-rounded persona in order to be successful. Being cultured is imperative in our community; knowledge of classic literature, film, art, and music seems to be the necessity in the modern time. For example, trips to the Louvre in Paris and Gershwin Theatre in New York City can drastically provide new outlooks on life as well as knowledge not previously present.Self-discovery and understanding on a religious level is also an integral aspect to being a productive member of society; apprehension of one’s inner self and a sense of self-awareness serve as foundations for being self sufficient and independent. Spending time immersed in learning about the spiritual aspects of different religions and examining one’s own views on spirituality and religion can provide immeasurable wisdom and erudition. A simple trip to a mosque or synagogue can shed light on a myriad of beliefs and ideals that may shape one’s future outlook on life.Giving back to the community and having a sense of responsibility for one’s environment is also an important aspect of being a contributing party to one’s community. Anything from assisting with building homes for citizens displaced by natural disasters to singing for the elderly can spawn a sense of obligation to one’s commonality and environment. Itercresco and its various parts successfully establish activities in lieu of producing and spawning successful and contributing members of society that can maintain stable employment and admirable relationships, for example.The coming of age ritual ensures that a sense of independence and stability will be met at the end of the journey because it requires tasks that build and cultivate accountability. At first glance, the young adults find the discovery of the cultural traits is most jocular in Itercresco. The new understa nding of the clothing, music, and fine arts of their region of origin proves to be a refreshing aspect of the coming of age ritual. At least one concert must be attended as well as one dance performance, art show or exhibit, or heatrical performance. The young adult may or may not choose to adapt to clothing styles, but while attending shows or performances, he or she must wear garb similar or identical to the citizens of the province. In further examination of the cultural aspects of the region, the purpose of Itercresco seeks to educate and entertain young adults with their own roots and origins. Itercresco solicits a sense of feeling connected to one’s heritage while ensuring the teenager is having a convivial experience.The exploration of the culture will help the adolescent to become more well-rounded and refined, which will in turn better prepare them to participate and converse effectively in society. Self identification and spiritual discovery are the most important s tandpoints of Itercresco; they give the young adult an opportunity to find out who they are as a person, what they seek for their lives, and what they will rely on as their rock and stronghold. Itercresco encourages young adults to learn about the regional religion in order to expand knowledge of their own roots and even perhaps to positively influence the spiritual journey.By no means is the young adult to have the regional religion forced upon them; the young adult is encouraged to take all religious leanings with a grain of salt and discover for him or herself what they need spiritually. To better understand the region’s roots, young adults learn and understand the common creation story the majority of the citizens believe. They can choose to unearth and learn about the creation story by asking family, neighbors, citizens, or by researching through books and other writings.The young adults are also expected to explore the ethereal quests of their ancestors to better unders tand where they come from. They are also encouraged to journal their progress through their metaphysical ventures throughout the seven month duration. The purpose of this portion of Itercresco is to establish independence. Thinking and feeling for oneself, as well as having control and knowledge over one’s emotions and religious or spiritual beliefs, is a significant step towards adulthood and establishing one’s aptitude.This autonomy is crucial to being an adult in our post-modern society. In a hypothetical sense, if a family tragedy of some sort occurred, a faculty over one’s emotions and actions is expected. Hence, why personal understanding is promoted during Itercresco. The philanthropy aspect of Itercresco is the most personal of the discovery aspects. It takes the young adults heart and projects in into something that will benefit the community from which they inherit their culture.The young adults will choose something that is not only close to their hea rts, but something that can truly benefit the community. The mission is to give back to the region that took part in establishing their existence. During the philanthropy, if funds or resources fall short, they are responsible for recovering what they need to complete the philanthropy; they can take donations or use any earnings from jobs they have done. The philanthropy can span from anything—from donating school supplies to building a garden to sustainably grow food. The possibilities are endless.The young adults choose a task that will touch their own lives as well as the lives of others in the community. The adolescent is not only performing the philanthropy to finish with the particular area of Itercresco. Every commonality has needs and Itercresco’s foundation bases and prides itself on connection to heritage; who better than to aid in fulfilling the needs of a populace than an individual whom derives their roots from said territory? After the philanthropy is com pleted, a book of photos and journals is compiled to aid future generations in their philanthropy.The community outreach is integral to Itercresco, as it will determine the compassion and service they are willing to give back to the community; this is critical as this is what stands to be the backbone of society. Fulfilling the different areas of Itercresco combine to be beneficial to one’s maturity as well as their inherent growth as a person. Discovering and spending time immersed in one’s roots helps a person better understand one’s heritage; knowing oneself guides who a person toward individualized identity.Young adults are meant to glean experience, knowledge, and a new sense of independence from Itercresco. Julia Alvarez soundly states in her work, Once Upon a Quinceanera, that her own ritual gave her â€Å"a new community to belong to, a narrative I could follow into adulthood† (37). This quote proves accurate for Itercresco as the ritual gives a n ew sense of established belonging to a community the young adult already had ties to. Itercresco is in pursuit of reintegrating the teenager into their society with a cultivated and sophisticated outlook on society, their lives, and their environments.The highlighted sense of responsibility, independence, and feeling of belonging of Itercresco provides immeasurable benefits and internal growth for the teenager moving into adulthood. Works Cited Barrios, Barclay. â€Å"Once Upon a Quinceanera. † Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 228-48. Print. Waters, Mary C. Coming of Age in America: The Transition to Adulthood in the Twenty-first Century. Berkeley: University of California, 2011. Print.