Response to Virginia Woolf Essay

Virginia Woolf spent many of her childhood summers in a seaside village in Cornwall, England. In an excerpt from her memoirs from her childhood summers, Woolf reminisces on fishing trips with her father and her brother. Woolf utilizes language in order to convey the lasting significance by using punctuation, diction, and choppy phrases Woolf uses punctuation in several different ways, but she was especially effective at using it to convey her enthusiasm. Near the end of the first paragraph, Woolf talks about how she felt when catching a fish â€Å"†¦and then-how can I convey the excitement?- there was a little leaping tug†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here, in just this sentence alone, Woolf conveys her excitement and enthusiasm by using punctuation. â€Å"†¦ how can I convey the excitement?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This phrase appears in the middle of two other little phrases, almost like she’s taking a little break to try and collect her thoughts in order for the reader to understand them. Had she not taken this little moment to sort herself out, her words may have ended up jumbled and not well put together. This makes her seem so enthusiastic, that she has to take a break in order to calm herself back down. Virginia Woolf uses diction to help create a lasting significance. For instance, near the beginning of the essay, Woolf talks about how once when they were out fishing/ sailing, her brother, Thoby got to steer them home. â€Å"But once Thobby was allowed to steer us home†¦And Thobby took the fisherman’s place; and steered; flushed and with his blue eyes very blue, and his mouth set, he sat there bringing us to there, bringing us round the point, into the harbor, without letting the sail flag.† (paragraph 1). Notice the use of the word â€Å"flushed†. â€Å"†¦flushed and with his blue eyes very blue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Woolf could have used a word such as â€Å"blushing† or even â€Å"rosy†, but she chose flushed because by definition flushed refers to turning red, by either being embarrassed, an illness, or by a strong emotion. Her brother was flushed because he was nervous to steer the boat home and this stood out in her mind. Although â€Å"blushing† and â€Å"rosy† are synonyms for the word â€Å"flushed†, neither one of them would have given you as strong of detail nor help create the lasting significance that â€Å"flushed† did. Finally, Woolf uses choppy, or short, phrases to help convey this lasting significance. The most obvious comes after they, her brother, father, and herself, had caught the fish. â€Å"†¦ there was a little leaping tug; than another; up one hauled; up through the water at length came white twisting fish; and was slapped on the floor.† Much like the punctuation, these short and choppy phrases create that fast paced allusion of being excited– like a little kid at Christmas. Woolf was obviously thrilled at the experience of fishing and had thoroughly enjoyed it and to help convey that, she used these little phrases. Throughout the essay Woolf used many different types of language to convey a lasting significance. All in all, these three uses of language- punctuation, diction, and choppy phrases- Woolf had used the most to talk about her summer’s spent in Cornwall, England.

Desiree’s Baby Analysis Essay Essay

There used to be a time where white people thought having African American blood in your family was wrong. It was thought of as a shame to your family or a disgrace to the name. Kate Chopin tells a story about a wife and husband who have a new child. Desiree, a white orphan that was adopted by the Valmonde family, is enthralled about the arrival of her baby boy and her husband Armand, a strict slave owner is also excited to see his first born son. However, the family begins to realize that something is mysteriously wrong with the newborn. They begin to notice that he is acquiring the traits of an African American and soon the couple start to narrow down the possibilities of the situation. In the story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†, Kate Chopin uses symbolism and foreshadowing to portray that there is something eccentric about the baby and creates a mysterious plot that keeps the audience looking out for these clues. With the use of many symbols in her story, Chopin gives the audience insight into the depths of her work. Examples of this symbolism include the stone pillar, La Blanche’s cabin, and the bonfire. The stone pillar that Desiree was found lying upon by Armand when he had first â€Å"fallen in love with her†(1) was used to show her desolate background. Armand uses this symbol as a sense of safety because he knows he will be able to use Desiree’s unknown decent to blame her for a future failure or to cover up his own mistakes. At the end of the piece, we find out that the baby is mixed and Armand blames Desiree. Neither of them knows who really has African American in their blood but he automatically assumes that it is her because no one knows who her real parents are being that she is adopted. †And the way he cries,† went on Desiree,† is deafening. Armand heard him the other day as far away as La Blanche’s cabin†(2), this is a strange line in the story and makes the reader question why Armand was in La Blanche’s cabin and what he was actually doing while he was there. This might suppose that Armand is having relations with his slaves. If this is true then it is possible that the quadroon boys are his children because he is â€Å"white’ and the mother is black. Oddly enough, the author does not make Desiree recognize Armand’s words and she never says anything to her husband about it  which makes it difficult to recognize. There are many foreshadowing examples that help the reader figure out what is going on in the work. One of the first foreshadowing elements is from Madame Volmonde, Desiree’s orphan mother, â€Å"This is not the baby!† she exclaimed, in startling tones.†(1) This hints the reader that something is odd about the child and it also informs them to look out for other information regarding the baby. â€Å"Madame Valmonde had never removed her eyes from the child. She lifted it and walked with it over to the window that was the lightest†(1), the author uses these sentences to show that the baby’s skin color was strange and the family had noticed it. Although they had not quite figured out what was awkward, many things started to change starting when Desiree compared her baby to the quadroon boys. â€Å"She looked from her child to the boy who stood beside him, and back again; over and over.†(3) She then knew that her baby was mixed and Desiree immediately goes to Armand and asks him what it means.† It means,† he answered lightly, â€Å"that the child is not white; it means that you are not white†(3), this indicates that Armand believes she is mixed but she protest against him. In the end of Kate Chopin’s work Desiree and the baby leave on foot. â€Å"She did not take the broad, beaten road which led to the far-off plantation of Volmonde. She walked across a deserted field, where the stubble bruised her tender feet, so delicately shod, and tore her thin gown to shreds†(5), indicates that her and the baby did not make it. With Desiree and the baby already gone, the reader finds the ending to be ironic when Armand finds out his mother is Black and this gives a sense of closure to end the piece. Chopin uses the elements of symbolism and foreshadowing to create a more mysterious plot that keeps her readers interested throughout the entirety of the story but also so they can go deeper into the meaning and theme of it as a whole.

My sisters wedding

I had the pleasure of meeting my sister, Jamie, for the first time. Jamie is four years younger than I am and we share the same biological father, Ben. Our Grandmother brought us together, she planned a day for my family and my sister to meet at Sea World. Jamie and I were very similar, we had the same nose and smile, and we resembled our biological father, who we both have only met a few times In our lives. It was a terrific day, and when It was over and before It was time for us to return home, my sister invited me to her wedding.This essay is about her adding. I arrived at the Baltimore Airport on a warm but breezy late Friday afternoon. The airport was very busy, all of the people scurrying around, looking for flights, bags, and loved ones. I found a cab and proceeded to my hotel. The cab driver was very quiet, he hardly spoke a word, only asking for the address. Baltimore is very different from Florida in almost every aspect. The highways are always much busier, and the curves o f the roads make It hard to keep up with if you don't know where you are going.The view was the cab window was Joyous, all of the trees, all of the hills, I was leaning excited. We arrived at my hotel, I checked In and found my room. Room #513; It was on the fifth floor and had a wonderful view of a big park, one king size bed with a fluffy bright comforter, and a bathroom with a huge soaker tub. I was happy. My cell phone rang; it was my Grandmother asking how my flight and my room were. We talked for a while, and she let the rest of the family know I landed safely. The loud ticking clock on the wall reminded me that it was getting late.I said goodbye to my Grandmother and went to find that amazing tub. The hotel room phone startled me with its very sharp and shrill ring; it was my wake-up call. Today was brunch with the family and then the wedding, both at a romantic Bed and Breakfast in the woods. I arrived right on time. All of my family from my Grandmother's side was there, Aun t Cindy and her husband Troy, my cousins, Sarah, David, Lynn, Crystal, Robbery, and all of their family, my other Grandparents, Joe and Cell, and many people I haven't yet met. The room had such an excitement to It, everyone talked about the plans of the day.Jamie called me over ND we sat and chatted, I met her soon-to-be husband, Kevin, and their daughter Skylark. Skylark was four years old and very talkative and happy, â€Å"Are you coming to my Mommy and Daddy's wedding? † she asked. â€Å"Of course! † I stated and she continued to talk about her dress and how it matched her Mommy's and her part in the wedding. As brunch came too close; the wedding party took their separate black limos to the venue. The rest of the family stayed and chatted for a bit. I arrived at the venue with my Grandmother. The place was gorgeous, it was a large cabin nestled in the woods with a peaceful pond behind it.The wedding took place in front of the pond, with the Officinal standing at t he front of the aisle, and the bridesmaids and groomsman walked slowly to Join him. Everyone In the crowd was Just glowing. There were cameras flashing and people crying. The ceremony was beautiful and ended right at sunset. All of the guests were given a sparkler for the recession, and it looked amazing against the dark sky. The party moved into the huge with her new husband as they were dancing up a storm. What a glorious day it was and my family and I were so glad to be a part of it.

Research and Discuss the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Term Paper

Research and Discuss the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Term Paper Example Key Components and Primary Objectives of the Act: The basic matters identified and revised in the act included the creation of regulatory board to oversee the activities of the public accounting audit firms, revised standards for auditor’s independence and audit committee, requirement of certification of the SEC’s reports by the executives of the public companies, restricts the rules to prevent insider dealings by the directors and executives, increase in the liability for the non-compliance to the federal securities laws and imposes additional responsibility of the attorney to report non compliance and conflict of interests. (Lipman & Lipman. 2006) 1. Establishment of Public Company Oversight Board: Sarbanes Oxley Act established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to oversee the audits of the public listed companies. It was established to regulate the activities of the auditing firms including the issues of quality control, ethics and independence of auditor s. The aim for its establishment was to increase the confidence of investors and general public. 2. Auditor’s Independence: It focused on strengthening the auditor’s independence by prohibiting the provision of non-audit services (book keeping, internal audit, management, HR functions etc.) to the public companies by the external auditors, mandating the rotation of audit partners on a five year basis and rotation of registered public accounting firms and ensuring no ethical issue arises between the external auditors and the company such as conflict of interest. 3. Enhanced Corporate Governance Requirements: The corporate governance requirements were enhanced in many areas which included the role of audit committee which nave been responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of external auditors, who are required to directly report to the audit committee. Further the audit committee should be made up of independent non- executive directors. Sa rbanes Oxley Act further prohibits the maintenance of any credit or loan or extension of the same to directors or executives of the public companies. The Act even requires the executives such as CEO and the CFO of every public company to certify in each annual and quarterly report to the SEC that the reports have been reviewed and make the representation of the effectiveness of controls specified. 4. Enhanced Disclosure Requirements: Sarbanes Oxley Act enhances the disclosure requirements for the public companies which included increased reporting on the effectiveness of internal controls and financial reporting procedures, disclosures on codes of ethics and explanations in case of non-compliance and disclosures about the transactions by the directors, management and other stakeholders that can cause security concerns. 5. Commission Resources and Enhanced Authority: In order for the SEC to work effectively, provision of additional funding was ensured. Apart from that more power and authority was given to SEC and federal courts to be exercised on companies and individuals where prohibitions are required. It requires the federal regulatory bodies to conduct researches and make reports about the credit rating agencies, roles of investment banks and financial advisors, consolidation of accounting firms and some other matters etc. 6. Enhanced Accountability: The Act strict the rules and regulations and imposes stricter and larger penalties regarding the breach of law, exercising improper

Renewable Energy Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Renewable Energy Systems - Research Paper Example astest power manufacturing segments of the world now and there is urgent necessity to minimise the maintenance and operation costs of electricity production. This research essay will make an earnest attempt to elucidate the wind and hydropower generation of manoeuvres of both Australian and Bangladesh government, in particular, to minimise the global warming and of that USA, China, Brazil, Russia and Canadian governments in general by giving unique attention to various empirical studies and eminent authors’ views on the subject. 1-Introduction Both wind energy and hydropower comprises of the renewable energy mix, these bring a lot of economic, technical and environmental advantages both to the developed and developing nations. Energy policy makers all around the world are now paying great attention to harness the renewable energy as they have a duty to safeguard the environment thereby by restricting greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Both wind energy and hydropower are resources which are abundantly available all around the globe, the technology has been well advanced and proven technology, are having longest plant life and lowest operating cost and the plant life can be extended at minimal costs .This research essay will analyse the hydropower and wind energy capabilities of Australia and Bangladesh in an exhaustive manner and that of USA, China, Russia, Brazil and Venezuela in a crisp. 2-â€Å"What is Hydropower?† As of date, hydropower is the largest renewable-energy source and about 16% of the globe’s electricity needs is catered by the hydropower and hydropower occupies about 80% of the globe’s renewable-energy resource. For 90% of their electricity needs, about 25 countries in the globe are now relying on the hydropower. For example, about 99.3%... This essay stresses that Australian government has set a target of 20% of Australian electricity needs to be catered from the renewable- energy sources by the year 2020. As this is an ambitious target, this can be achieved by developing and harnessing more percentage of energies from hydropower and wind farms. Hydropower is environmental friendly as it creates no pollution and maintains the stream flow of the rivers and the ecological balance. With the help of micro hydropower projects, tiny villages and remote hilly areas can be given electricity through off-grid, which would definitely help to enhance the socioeconomic growth of these remote regions. This paper makes a conclusion that Hydropower as one of the renewable energy helps to avoid about 225 million tons of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere in the USA, and this is equivalent to taking about 42 million cars out of the American roads. According to satellite imagery , the pacific Northwest which is the home of the majority of the hydropower projects in USA is an island of low carbon emission, and this is conclusive proof that hydropower can reduce the CO2 emission into the atmosphere. Thus, renewable energy like wind energy and hydropower are the energies of the future and both Australian and Bangladesh government energy policy makers should give more priority in the near future to these sectors so as to afford a clean, economical and environmental friendly energy to its citizens.

Monsanto Company by Their Patent Agent, De Penning and Depen v Case Study

Monsanto Company by Their Patent Agent, De Penning and Depen v. Coramandal Indag Products LTD - Case Study Example Monsanto filed a lawsuit in India seeking both injunctive relief and an account for the infringement of its patents. The trial court decreed and the case was subsequently dismissed by the appellate court. The appellate court, however, certified the case to the Indian Supreme Court on the basis that substantial and complex questions of law were involved. On review, the Supreme Court disagreed that the questions were substantial, but nonetheless accepted the case to identify and to clarify the real issues presented by the underlying facts. The questions presented are essentially twofold with some subsidiary issues. The first question is whether Monsanto held a patent. The Supreme Court held that there was no patent. A second issue was whether, under the Patents Act 1970, the defendant had a basis to revoke a patent. This issue was comprised of two further issues. First, under section 64(e) of the Patents Act of 1970, was this process generally known and therefore subject to revocation The Supreme Court found that this process was generally known. Second, under section 64(1)(f) of the Patents act of 1970, did Monsanto extend and improve this known process by some "inventive step" The Supreme Court found no evidence of an inventive step and held that revocation was justified in any event. Â  

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc - Case Study Example The Group operates 375 stores spread across the United Kingdom. The Group operates in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the Isle of Man.' Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC - Company Profile Snapshot, (http://wrightreports.ecnext.com/ coms2/ reportdesc_ COMPANY_C826N2770, viewed on 24th March, 2009) The company was founded in the year 1899 by William Morrison. The Headquarters was at Bradford inWest Yorkshire. The company initiated its expansion by the takeover of another company viz., Safeway in the year 2004. Thereafter the company registered commendable growth and at present it has a total of 382 superstores across the UK. The Morrison family currently owns around 15.5% of the company. Morrisons has now a remarkable stronghold in the supermarket chain and has earned good profits through the years and has given good divident to its shareholderes. The adoption and implementation of effective marketing strategies with the support of latest technologies have helped the company in the flawless management of inventory, logistics and warehousing. Here, in this essay the Technological, financial and marketing techniques implemented by Morrisons for its success is being discussed.. Wm Morrison Supermarkets LLC (Morrison) one of U.K.'s largest food retailers and has its area of operation related to retail supermarket stores and connected actions. The varied range of products which Wm Morrison has to offer include fresh foods, home and leisure products, wines and spirits, groceries and beers, through its 365 stores, 13 manufacturing sites and 12 distribution centers in the whole of U.K. The different branded products of the company are; Eat Smart, Organic, free from, At Home, First Home, BettaBuy, skin colour products and private label products. The market share of the Morrisons gained and it extended beyond its rivals. Consumers became more and more health and budget-conscious and they started preferring necessities to improvised spending. GBP 655 million was the profit before taxation for the year. This is an increase of around GBP 43 million over the previous year profits. But the net income for the equity share holders reduced by 17% and the earnings per share also dropped down. The yearly turnover for fiscal 2009 is higher by 12% and 3% of this growth is because of its very high prices of fuel. The growth in the existing stores were 7.9%, increase in customer numbers by 4.2% and average basket used up by3.6%. Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc branded advanced profit before tax in fiscal 2009, after it wheedled consumers with freshened and rebranded stores. The supermarket chain also increased its dividends and also announced that it was going to open up more stores across U.K. Morrisons has raised 601,212 in aid of Help the Aged and Childline. They have been able to do this by: Selling pin badges in store Charity of the Year Collections (more coming in December!) Donations from reusable charity carrier bags Stop for Tea parties nationwide Recycling mobile phones History of the Company Morrisons started their business as as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market of Bradford under the name of Wm Morrison (Provisions) Limited. In 1952, his son, Ken Morrison took over the company while he was only 26 years old. In 1958 it opened a small self-service store in Bradford. This store was the first shop of its kind in Bradford delivering poducts with a price

Evaluation of disciplinary interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation of disciplinary interview - Essay Example So I had to discard my initial strategy of being passive and straight away adopt assertive manner to explain my reasons. The most important factor that favoured me was that the interviewer was ready to listen to my reasons with open mind. It was for these reasons that I was able to satisfactorily explain my erratic timekeeping. The open disposition of the interviewer greatly helped to ease my tension. The manager’s understanding of human behaviour greatly facilitated my strategy to come to the desired outcome. All through the interview, I never felt threatened. But the mild rebuke from the manager about my not being open with him regarding my personal problems and timely communication of the same was justifiable. Though, he was quite sympathetic about my child’s health problem, he informed me gently that he too is a father but at the same time, being a manager, he is also accountable for his workers performance as well as for their welfare. Had I discussed my problems with him, I would have better managed my office and personal life. Indeed, I was let off with warning that any future late hours would be treated as such and no leverage would be given. The feedback was an important proceeding that comprised of open class discussion of my role play video. The peer observation was the highlight of the interview. I was informed that the first assumption of the manager about my late coming had really taken me by surprise and I had no alternative but to become assertive to maintain my credibility. I had also maintained respect for my manager that had shown through my facial expression and non verbal behaviour. My manager was very open minded and empathetic that had helped me to be frank and discuss my personal problems. The attitude and behaviour of the manager inspired trust which became the major element of facilitating satisfactory outcome of the interview. The manager’s assertion that effective communication helps to solve problem

MEDIA AUDIENCE EXERCISE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MEDIA AUDIENCE EXERCISE - Essay Example As a function of this particular analysis, the widely popular news and opinion site the â€Å"Drudge Report† will be analyzed. Although it is true that this particular is most certainly biased and represents a far right of center outlook on the world, is the understanding of this particular analyst that the skewed worldview that it represents fosters is essential in helping to apply the theories of Habermas and Lunt; as they relate to â€Å"media publics† and the means through which they are fostered and represented within current society. At the heart of understanding and appreciating either Habermas or Lunt’s approach to theory is an appreciation for the way in which the communication process itself takes place. Bias and point of view takes the place of objectivistic reason and a level of ethos is inherently present. Within this line of understanding, the â€Å"Drudge Report† offers up a seemingly incessant stream of opinion based â€Å"facts† that serve to confirm and promote the worldview of those that frequent the site. Ultimately, the media public that is being created within this particular case is somewhat unique with respect to many other media publics that exists within the realm of news (McQuail 57) What is meant by this is that the â€Å"news† items that are promoted and presented to the reader of the â€Å"Drudge Report† serve the function of confirming a particular world view; rather than merely presenting the news itself (Lunt 88). Although this is certainly true for m any of the media publics that exist within the current model, it is most certainly the case for the news items that seemingly perpetually recycle themselves on the Drudge Report. As a result of the political orientation and focus that the site promotes, the main source of engagement and/or the media public that is created is defined by a demographic that is largely white, Christian, and middle class. Whereas with any media

History of French Cuisine from Conventional to Extraordinary Essay Example for Free

History of French Cuisine from Conventional to Extraordinary Essay Derived from the French language, bon appetit has been a familiar saying known around the world. Meaning good appetite or enjoy your meal, bon appetit exemplifies the French culture. The French have been known for centuries of elegant and exquisite cuisine especially gourmet desserts. Located in Western Europe between Italy and Spain, France has been a hotspot of enriched ancient culture. France flourished into a tourist location which ignited a change in Frances commercial kitchens. Chefs were obliged to create dishes that appealed to a growing audience. French cuisine has evolved extensively over the centuries. However, centuries of bliss and creativity was dampened with years of anguish and turmoil, when Germany occupied France during the Second World War. France’s once plentiful food supply quickly turned scarce. This forced cooks to utilize new substitutions for ingredients and start practical meal planning. The hardships the French cuisine faced during 1940-1944 simultaneously changed the French lifestyle. Modern French food now embodies simplicity yet class; rustic yet modern. Once having everything then being stripped away to nothing, France needed to rebuild a cuisine embracing the past, present, and future. Therefore beginning from World War II to modern day, French cuisine has experienced many changes whereby impacting French culture. An adversary of Germany, France sustained a significant setback when Germany took control. Prior to the German occupation, French food was known has haute or grande cuisine. Traditional haute cuisine is highly noted all around the world. The food is well known due to the immense amount of preparation and presentation that goes into each dish. Precision plays a crucial role in creating an exquisite haute meal (Franklin). However, haute cuisine ceased to exist under German occupation and subsequent food shortages. Lines were long in front of French shops as people hoped to purchase depleted foods and staple products. Burdened with these difficulties, the French government instituted food charts and tickets which were to be exchanged for French staples. Items such as butter, bread, and meat were being rationed. Traditional cuisine then became obsolete due to citizens skimping on spices and decorations. Although the government tried to provide food subsidies, hunger still existed affecting the youth in urban areas. With the absence of standard foods normally seen in their diet, the French people searched for new European dietary substitutes (Beaufort). They ate unusual vegetables, such as Swedish turnip and Jerusalem artichoke. Products such as sugar were replaced by alternatives such as saccharin. In lieu of coffee, toasted barley mixed with chicory became the beverage of choice (â€Å"French Classics†). Scams and trickery got the best of people who were desperate for a meal during this time. Some people utilized the black market. There people could sell food without government tickets. Resulting in the prices being extremely high. Counterfeit food tickets were also in circulation. Along with the black market there was also direct buying from farmers in the countryside. The above activities carried the risk of fines and punishments as they were strictly prohibited by the government. In remote country villages vegetable gardens, the availability of milk products, and illicit animal slaughtering provided better survival for the people verses those living in the large cities (Beaufort). Wine played a key role during World War II as well. Wine is commonly consumed during festive occasions it has been utilized during war as well. Over the years, wine has made an unusual appearance on the battlefield. Commanders have allowed their troops to consume wine on the front lines hoping for an increase in performance and moral. During World War II, the combination of wine and war played out in a heartfelt way. The French army did everything in their power to keep their wine and their national identity out of the hands of the invading German forces (â€Å"Saving†). Although, the German forces did invade France, the consumption of wine on the frontline gave hope to the French soldiers that traditional French culture was being preserved during and after the war. The liberation of France began on June 6th, 1944. The Allied forces put forth into to action their plan, D-Day which was the invasion of France. After World War II, tourism signaled a new beginning for French cuisine. Tourism introduced the demand for haute cuisine at a reasonable price. Japanese, Middle Easterners, British, Americans, and even French travelers were yearning for new food experiences. French chefs were now determined to start a new style of cooking, one that would keep some traditional recipes but implement new ones. New cuisine was a counteraction to the classic haute cuisine (Franklin). New cuisine or Nouvelle was the answer that chefs from all parts of the world were looking for. Nouvelle cuisine had several characteristics. For example it was important that high quality and fresh products were utilized for cooking. The chefs would travel to markets every morning and look for the freshest products. These new and improved cooks would not fathom the idea of using any product that was not absolutely fresh or needed preservatives. Chefs simplified menu cards deleting a long list of dishes. Smaller quantities and choices meant no leftovers guaranteeing freshness. Chefs were looking for quality and became more attracted by unfamiliar products. Foreign influences prevailed and chefs began to use exotic products from Asia, North Africa and Italy (â€Å"Nouvelle Cuisine†). In new cuisine recipes, fewer ingredients were used to enhance purity and light sauces substituted creamy, thick ones. Flexible preparation methods and more experimentation with non-traditional flavors allowed new cuisine to become popular (Franklin). Fortunately, this new cooking style is said to be less fattening. Chefs used limited meat in new recipes which stems from the shortage of meat during World War II. It is perfect for those seeking a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, the new cuisine was prepared with lighter ingredients such as herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. This flexible and less expensive cuisine mainstreamed into restaurants and other eateries (Beaufort). One byproduct of the new cuisine is the menu de degustation or tasting menu that was offered in many restaurants. Achieving notoriety, diners were eager to sample all of the dishes of the new cuisine. Each member in a group had the opportunity to order a different appetizer, main course, and dessert. Tasting menus gave the diners the convenience to experience many varieties. Another byproduct of new cuisine is the choice of a la carte. It is a menu in which the patron makes individual selections from various menu categories and each item is priced separately. Serving single portions was seen as a rare new talent to chefs (Olver). The French culture was launched and savored by people around the world. World War II impacted French living for the better by reevaluating French values and introducing new French cuisine ideas. French cuisine influenced other cultures as well and many countries adapted new French cooking methods. Throughout the centuries, France was noted for its grandiose and eccentric lifestyle. Rich foods and lavish feasts were an integral part of the France culture. Chefs prepared French cuisine with the finest ingredients. Wine was served and enjoyed at every meal. Food was plentiful for all. All of this changed rapidly with the German Invasion in 1940. A ravaged and war torn country left the French people forced to explore new and less expensive ways to provide meals solely for survival. Yet, despite the devastation and hardship the French citizens endured, they utilized these cost effective measures and the importation of ingredients into the development of the nouvelle cuisine. Tasting menus and ala carte menus, not to mention exquisite appetizers and desserts, created the ultimate dining experience enjoyed by patrons. Thus emerged the world renowned and delectable French cuisine that is so popular today.

Lack Of Group Cohesiveness Psychology Essay

Lack Of Group Cohesiveness Psychology Essay Teams and groups have a great impact on the behavior of employees. Good working and interactions with peers, subordinates, and superiors and crucial aspects of organizational life, helping employees achieve personal and organizational goals. When relationships are poor, they can become sources of stress. Moreover, incivility at work and elsewhere has become a major problem. Incivility implies rudeness and disregard of others. It includes the violation of workplace norms for mutual respect. A high level of political behavior or office politics also may create stress for managers and employees. The nature of relationships with others may influence how employees react to other stressors. In other words, interpersonal relationships can be either a source of stress or the social support that helps employees cope with stressors. The group can also be a potential source of stress. The group stressors can be categorized into following areas: Lack of group cohesiveness Starting with the historically famous hawthrone studies, it has become very clear that cohesiveness or togetherness is very important to employees, especially at the lower levels of organizations. If an employee is denied the opportunity for this cohesiveness because the other member of the group shut the person out, the resulting lack of cohesiveness can be very stress-producing. Lack of social support Employees are greatly affected by the support of one or more members of a cohesive group. By sharing their problems and joys with others, they are much better off. If this type of social support is lacking for an individual, the situation can be very stressful. There is even research indicating that the lack of social support is so stressful that it accounts for some health care costs. Intraindividual, interpersonal and intergroup conflict. Conflict is conceptually very closely linked to stress. Conflict is normally associated with incompatible or hostile acts between intraindividual dimensions such as personal goals or motivational needs/values, between individuals with in a group, and between groups. Conflict can hence lead to considerable stress for individuals. In addition to the group per se, group-level dynamics may become stressors, for example a recent study found that organizational politics was a potential source of stress in the work environment. Aggressive behavior : A frightening category of work stressors is overly aggressive behavior in the workplace, often taking the form of violence or sexual harassment. Aggressive behavior that intentionally threatens or causes physical harm to an employee is classified as workplace violence. Work place violence tops the security threats employee face at their organization. Homicide is second only to transportation accidents as the most common cause of workplace fatalities. A second form of overly aggressive behavior in the workplace is sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is unwanted contact or communication of a sexual nature. Many female employees have been object of unwanted sexual advances, propositions or discussions at work. As with workplace violence, sexual harassment is a serious problem. Management clearly has a strong responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. When it does occur, it needs to be dealt with quickly and firmly. INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS: In a sense, the stressors discussed so far eventually get down to the individual level. There is also more research and agreement on possible situational dimensions and individual dispositions that may affect stress outcomes. For example, individual dispositions such as type a personality patterns, personal control. Learned helplessness, self efficacy and psychological hardiness may all affect the level of stress someone experiences. Conflict between work and other roles : A person has many roles in life (e.g., breadwinner, family member, little league coach, and/or social workers, to name a few), only one of which is typically associated with work (although some individuals may hold more than one job at a time) these roles may present conflicting demands that become sources of stress. Furthermore, work typically meets only some of persons goals and needs. Other goals and needs may conflict with career goals, presenting an additional source of stress. For example, employees personal desires to spend time with their families may conflict with the extra hours they must work to advance their careers. Current demographic trends, such as the increasingly large number of dual-career couples, have brought work and family role conflicts into sharp focus. Career development: Major stressors related to career planning and development involves job security, promotions, transfers, and developmental opportunities. An employee can feel stress by under promotion (failure to advance as rapidly as desired0 or over promotion (promotion to a job that exceeds the individuals competencies). The current wave of reorganization and downsizing may seriously threaten careers and cause stress. When jobs, teams, departments, or entire organizations are restructured, employees often have numerous career-related concerns: can I perform competently in the new situation? Is my new job secure? Typically, employees find these concerns stressful. Differences between company and employee values A further cause of stress lies in differences between company values and ethical practices, as often reflected in the organizations culture, and employee ethics and values. Substantial differences can lead to significant mental stress as an effort is made to balance the requirements of both sets of values. Personality characteristics The personality characteristics points out the complexity of, and individual differences in, personality dispositions and traits. Personality traits such as authoritarianism, rigidity, masculinity, femininity, extroversion, supportiveness, spontaneity, emotionality, tolerance for ambiguity, anxiety, and the need for achievement have been uncovered by research as being particularly relevant to individual stress. Most attention has centered on the type A personality. Friedman and rosenman define the type a personality as an action-emotion complex that can be observed in any person who is aggressively involved in a chronic, increscent struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons. Type A 00employees experience considerable stress. They are the ones who: Work long, hard hours under constant deadline pressures and conditions for overload. Often take work home at night or on weekends and are unable to relax. Constantly compete with them, setting high standards of productivity that they seem driven to maintain. Tend to become frustrated by the work situation, to be irritated with the work efforts of others, and to be misunderstood by supervisors. Type B people appear more relaxed and easygoing. They accept situations and work with them rather than fight them competitively. Type B people are especially relaxed regarding time pressures, so they are less prone to have problems associated with stress. Still, type B individuals can be highly productive workers who meet schedule expectations; they simply obtain results in a different manner. The research on type A and type B people is still accumulating. For example, some of the type A behavior patterns, such as competitiveness and a drive for career success, appear to be consistent with societys values. At the same time, the hostility and aggression these people exhibit may make it difficult for many employees to work with them. Some studies also suggest that there may be different forms of type a personalities. As a result, the type As who are more expressive and less hostile may be less prone to heat disease. Other type As apparently enjoy their success so much that they disregard the surrounding stress and do not suffer from heart attacks or other physical consequences. Besides the debate surrounding the impact of type a personality on health is the question of the success of type As versus type Bs. It is pretty clear that type As are typically on a fast track to the top. They are more successful than type Ba. however, at the very top they do not tend to be as successful as type Bs, who are not very ambitious, are more patient, and take a broader view of things. The key may be to shift form type A to type B behavior, but, of course, most type As are unable and unwilling to make the shift and/or to cope with their type A characteristics. Personal control The second internal factor affecting employee stress is the amount of perceived control they have over their work and working conditions. Employees who have a substantial degree of independence, autonomy, and freedom to make decision seem to handle work pressures better. Since two employees may have the same actual control and flexibility, it is clearly their relative perception of that freedom that counts. Managers can respond to this need for control through a variety of measures such as allowing flexible work schedules, enriching jobs, placing individuals on self-managing teams, or empowering employees by using participative leadership styles. Peoples feelings about their ability to control the situation are important in determining their level of stress. In particular, if employees feel that they have little control over the work environment and over their own job, they will experience stress. Studies have shown that if employees are given a sense of control over their work environment, such as being given a chance to be involved in the decision-making process that affects them; this will reduce their work stress. A large study by Cornell university medical researchers found that those workers who experience loss of control, especially in relatively how-level jobs, have tripled the risk of developing high blood pressure. The researchers concluded that lack of control turns stress into physical problems. They also found that employee perceptions of the amount of control they experience at work relate to stress, which in turn affects physiological outcomes such as blood pressure as well as psychological outcomes such as job satisfaction. Learned helplessness: The feeling of loss of control goes back to come of the classic research on learned helplessness conducted by Seligman. In conducting experiments on dogs who could not escape shock, he found that they eventually accepted it and did not they have learned to be helpless. Other studies found that people, too, can learn to be helpless, which helps explain why some employees just seem to have given up and seem to accept stressors in their work environment, even when a change for the better is possible. Most recently, Seligman and his colleagues have concentrated on peoples explanations for their lack of control. Specifically, they suggest that people are most apt to experience helplessness when they perceive the cause of the lack of control: To be related to something about their own personal characteristics (as opposed to outside, environmental forces) As stable and enduring (rather than just temporary) To be global and universal (cutting across many situations, rather than in joint one sphere of life) Further study and research on the sense of control in general and learned helplessness in particular will provide much insight into stress and how to cope with it. Perception: Perception is a process whereby a person selects and organizes environmental information into a concept of reality. Employee perceptions of a situation can influence how (or whether) they experience stress. For example, two employees have their hob duties substantially changed-a situation likely to be stressful for many people. The first employee view the new duties as an opportunity to learn new competencies and thinks that the change is a vote of confidence from management in her ability to be flexible and take on new challenges. In contrast, the second employee perceives the same situation to be extremely threatening and concludes that management is unhappy with his performance. Past experience: A person may perceive a situation as more or less stressful. Depending on how familiar that person is with the situation and his prior experience with the particular stressors involved. Past practice or training may allow some employees to deal calmly and competently with stressors that would greatly intimidate less experienced or inadequately trained employees. The relationship between experience and stress is based on reinforcement. Positive reinforcement or previous success in a similar situation can reduce the level of stress that a person experiences under certain circumstances; punishment or past failure under similar conditions can increase stress under the same circumstances. The evidence indicates that experience on the job tends to be negatively related to work stress. The two explanations have been offered. First is the idea of selective withdrawal. Voluntary turnover is more probably among people who experience more stress. Therefore, people who remain with the organization longer are those with more stress-resistant traits or those who are more resistant to the stress characteristics of their organization. Second, people eventually develop coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Social support: The presence or absence of other people influences how individuals in the workplace experience stress and respond to stressors. The presence of coworker may increase an individuals confidence, allowing that person to cope more effectively with stress. For example, working alongside someone who performs confidently competently in a stressful situation may help an employee behave similarly. Conversely, the presence of fellow workers may irritate some people or make them anxious, reducing their ability to cope with stress. Locus of control: Those with internal locus of control believe they control their own destiny. Those with external locus believe their lives are controlled by outside forces. Evidence indicates that internals perceive their jobs are less stressful than do externals. When internals and externals confront a similar stressful situation, the internals are likely to believe that they can have a significant effect on the results. They, therefore, act to take control of events. In contrast, externals are more likely to be passive Self efficacy: Self efficacy has also been found to influence stress outcomes. Self efficacy refers to an individuals belief that he or she is capable of performing a task. Evidence indicates that individuals with strong self efficacy reacted less negatively to the strain created by long work hours and work overload that did those with low levels of self efficacy. That is, confidence in ones own abilities appears to decrease stress. As with an internal locus of control strong efficacy confirms the power of self beliefs in moderating the effect of high strain situation. There is increasing evidence that peoples self-perception of their capacity to be effective and bring about change may be an important disposition in the ability to withstand stress. For example, those with high self-efficacy have a relatively low level of physiological arousal (for example, they have less adrenaline in the bloodstream). Yet those under stress tend to have high physiological arousal. Thus, those with high self-efficacy tend to remain clamer when faced with a stressful situation. Over arousal can impair our ability to solve compels stress-related problems by elevating out motivation well beyond optimal levels and distracting us from task at hand. So people with higher self-efficacy expectations have biological as well as psychological reasons for remaining calmer. Personality: Some peoples personality includes a high degree of hostility and anger. These people are chronically suspicious and mistrustful of others. Evidence indicates that this hostility significantly increases a persons stress and risk for heart diseases. More specifically, people who are quick to anger maintain a persistently hostile outlook, and project a cynical mistrust of others are more likely to experience stress in situation. Psychological hardiness: Everyone has observed individual differences of people faced with stressors. Some people seem to go to pieces at the slightest provocations, while others seem unflappable in the face of extremely stressful situations. Those able to cope stressfully with extreme stressors seem to have a hardiness disposition. Personality traits that seem to counter the effects of stress are known collectively as hardy personality. As a personality type, hardiness is defined as a cluster of characteristics that includes feeling a sense of commitment, responding to each diffulty as representing a challenge and an opportunity, and perceiving that one has control over ones own life. The hardy personality is characterized by: A sense of positive involvement with others in social situation; A tendency to attribute ones own behavior to internal causes A tendency to perceive or welcome significant changes in life with interest, curiosity, and optimism. A high degree of hardiness reduces the negative effects of stressful events. Hardiness seems to reduce stress by altering the way people perceive stressors. The concept of the hardy personality provides a useful insight into the role of individual differences in reaction to environmental stressors. An individual having a low level of hardiness perceives many events as stressful; an individual having a high level of hardiness perceives fewer events as stressful. A person with high level of hardiness isnt overwhelmed by challenging or difficult situation. Rather, faced with a stressor, the hardy personality copes or responds constructively by trying to find a solution-to control or influence events. This behavioral response typically reduces stress reactions, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the probability of illness. Frustration: Another cause of stress is frustration. It is a result of motivation (drive0 being blocked to prevent one from reaching a desired goal. It is a felling of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unsatisfied needs and wants. The mind, either consciously or subconsciously, generally attempts to cause behavior designed to help the frustrated person adjust to an unresolved situation, a type of behavior termed an adjustive reaction of defense mechanism. Some adjustive reactions are positively directed while others may be negative. Some frustrations may result in mild adjustive ` reactions; other reactions may be extreme and emotional. The intensity of a particular adjustment generally depends on two factors: the type of frustration activity and the previous experience of the frustrated person. Psychologists have developed a variety of terms to describe the numerous types of adjustive reactions to frustration. Symptoms of stress:Â   Stress affects different people in different ways, and everyone has a different method of dealing with it. Psychological symptoms Anger, Depression, Anxiety, Changes in behavior, Food cravings, Lack of appetite, Frequent crying, Difficulty sleeping (mental), Feeling tired, and Difficulty concentrating. Physical symptoms Chest pains, Constipation or diarrhea, Cramps or muscle spasms, Dizziness, Fainting spells, Nail biting, Nervous twitches, Pins and needles, Feeling restless, A tendency to sweat, Sexual difficulties such as erectile dysfunction or a loss of sexual desire, Breathlessness, Muscular aches, and Difficulty sleeping (physical). Data Analysis and Interpretation The research for the project is objected at identifying the stressors existing in the banking sector. This purpose is extended to identifying the different stressors faced by the employees of public sector banks and private sector banks. The focus was basically on the employees of state bank of India (a leading public sector bank) and ICICI (one of the leading private sector bank). Various stressors are identified and comparison between the stress levels existing in the employees of these banks is done on various significant grounds. A sample size of 46 respondents is selected that includes 23 respondents of both the banks. The questionnaires projected various questions concerning the individual, group, and organizational stressors. The respondents were asked to tick the appropriate option (yes, no or not applicable for all except 2 questions). The responses, expressed in terms of yes, no or not applicable are analyzed in terms of their repercussion on stress generating capacity. A yes answer to a statement could not necessarily mean positive answer. The statements were so formed that a yes could indicate a negative answer as well. Same is the case for no. Each no does not mean something negative. Considering this and since the purpose is to understand the level of stress each question is marked 1 (one) on the negative answer give and 0 (zero) on every positive reply, irrespective of whether it is yes or no. the interpretation of the scores is done on the following basis: Questions are divided on the basis of three stressors: Individual level: there are 18 questions to understand the impact of this stressor. Negatively answering one statement can give 1 point and in all these statement can yield a maximum score of 18 points. Group level: there are 6 questions to understand the impact of this stressor. Negatively answering one statement can give 3 and in all these statement can yield a maximum score of 18 points. Organizational level: there are 18 questions to understand the impact of this stressor. Negatively answering one statement can give 1 point and in all these statements can yield a maximum score of 18 points. Analyzing these stressors independently, the following is base: Less than 4: This score presents that the respondents are not prone to stress and are not likely to have and suffer from a stress related illness. 4 to 8: This score presents that the respondents are prone to stress and likely to suffer from the negative effects of stress. They may possibly be open to stress related illnesses. More than 8: This score presents that the respondents are very prone to the negative effects of stress and may be open to stress related illness. They must not delay in doing something about it and seek professional stress management counseling and consult medical doctor. After analyzing these stressors independently, they are summed up to find the total stress faced by an employee. The following base is taken: Less than 10: This score presents that the respondents are not prone to stress and are not likely to have and suffer from a stress- related illness. 10 to 20: This score presents that the respondent are prone to stress and are likely to suffer from the negative effects of stress. They may possibly be open to stress related illnesses. More than 20: This score presents that the respondents are very prone to the negative effects of stress and may be open to stress related illness. They must not delay in doing something about it and seek professional stress management counseling and consult medical doctor. The comparative study of the stressors affecting the employees of both the banks- SBI and ICICI is done keeping the above base in focus. The comparison is presented through pie charts. Various dimensions affecting the stress level and the personal characteristics of the respondents are presented and compared to understand to organizational environment and culture. FINDING From the data presentation and interpretation of various level of stressors presented above, as analyzed from the information collected from various respondents, the following findings can be chalked out: Comparative analysis: While comparing the stress level of female employees of both the banks, it is clear that female respondents of icici feel extreme stress, while female respondents of SBI are easy going and feel stressed. Of all the stressors, 26% of the female employees of ICICI feel extremely stressed by the organizational stressors. One of the reasons for this lies in the fact that the female employees of SBI have been with the bank for many years; hence they have developed the coping mechanisms to deal with the organizational stressors. While comparing the stress levels of the employees of SBI with the stress levels of the male employees of ICICI, it is found that 44% of the male employees of SBI face extreme stress and 16% of male employees of ICICI face extreme stress. While comparing the male versus female employee stress levels of ICICI, it is Evident, that female employee suffers more stress as compared to male employees. 26% of female employees suffer from extreme stress. While comparing the male versus female stress levels at SBI, it is found that male employees (approximately 44% of male employees feel extreme stress) of SBI feel more stress as compared to female employees (only 29% of female employees feel extreme stress). One of the reasons worth mentioning is that in SBI; most of the key positions are occupied by male employees. Hence female employees are in charge of such positions that do not cause much stress. Stress level of SBI is high as compared to icici, since 39% of total respondents of SBI face extreme stress and only 17% of the total respondents of ICICI face extreme stress. The analysis presented a surprising result. The stress level of the employees working in public sector bank i.e., SBI is higher than the stress level of employees working in the private sector bank i.e., ICICI. I would now like to present the findings that indicate this difference. First, I am presenting the reasons that are responsible for high stress among employees of SBI: First of all, irrespective of their hierarchical positions, there is little autonomy provided to the employees. All employees are required to consult their concerned manager for taking decisions. Moreover, the managers themselves do not have ultimate authority. They are also required to consult regional managers to take certain decision. Secondly, there exists bureaucracy in public sector banks. There are very long procedures framed for conduct of any activity. Any task that can be otherwise conducted easily requires long procedures to be followed for accomplishing it. This leads to wastage of time and resources. Much of employees energy is diverted towards these activities that actually require less attention. The decision making process of the bank is very long. It takes much time to take decisions. The permissions of top management are required to be taken before finalizing a decision and implementing it. These certainly prove to restrict quick decision making, and hence leads to delay in activities and stress. The restrictions posed by the rules and regulations of the banks are also one of the essential factors causing stress. Employees feel suppressed and pressurized owning to these. Many employees of SBI are currently finding themselves fixed amidst banks rules and regulations and their desire of freedom of working. Most of the employees working in SBI have reached the maintenance stage of their career development. Owing to this, they face much mid-career crises. These employees are currently suffering the Mid Career Crises. To add to this, of late, there were many technological changes implemented in bank. No doubt, the employees were provided adequate training regarding the use of the technology and software, there still exists some level of dissatisfaction among employees concerning the technological area. The employees of SBI feel that there is partiality existing in the treatment of employees in the bank. They perceive that the managers do have hard corner for few employees. This perception of employees affects their ability to accept any decision taken by manager. There is lack of motivation among the employees of SBI. There are no incentives provided to improve their performance. There is only one incentive given (in terms of bonus) at the time of Diwali. Lack of incentives proves to be a demotivating factor. As it is, the income received by the employees of SBI or for that matter any public sector bank is lower than what is earned by employees in private sector. The manager of icici, despite of less experience as compared to manager of SBI, enjoys a pay package of rs.8,00,000 to rs.9,00,000 On other hand, manager of SBI, with more experience receives a pay package of around rs.4,00,000 to rs.5,00,000. Many respondents (especially branch managers) feel that there is no proper grievance handling system. Though all employees of bank (working under the branch managers) are satisfied with assistance and support of manager for addressing and solving their grievance, there is not much support provided by top management to branch managers to consider and solve their grievances. Many branch managers have agreed to the fact that their personal goals are not in line with organizational goals. This demotivates the employees to work willingly and productively. It imposes a compulsion on employees to accept, a Learned Helplessness, (a feeling that they cannot do much) which leads to stress. Recently, various sister concern banks of SBI were merged with SBI (SBS merged with SBI). Many employees of SBS who now work as employees of SBI feel that they are step children of SBI. There is lack of a feeling of belongingness and togetherness. They feel insecure and restricted in the new working environment. Few of the respondents felt stressful because of over-direction provided to them by their branch managers. They felt that their work is constantly watched and scrutinized more that necessary. They feel interfered and mistrusted. This is the cause of their stress. There exists a constant fear of punitive action among the employees of SBI. They are criticized severely for their mistakes. This makes them feel over cautious in performing any task and restricts their creativity and learning. Many branch managers feel that their branch members i.e., employees of his or her branch are not adequately trained to deal with customers. They feel that they require training of professional etiquettes, and for managing customers. Due to lack of patience and empathy shown by the employees to the customers, managers are required to interfere in small matters that at the end can result in havoc if not addressed properly. When managers spend more time in clearing these petty issues, they are unable to give required time to their actual work. Sometimes, this, also leads to work overlapping since managers are required to multi-task for sometimes

A stereotype is defined by the Oxford Dictionary

A stereotype is defined by the Oxford Dictionary Every individual holds stereotypes. A stereotype is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (pg. 730) as: a relatively fixed and oversimplified generalisation about a group or class of people, usually focusing on negative or unfavourable characteristics. When people put too much faith in stereotypical descriptions of people they can become prejudiced and can often discriminate against other groups. This can be very harmful and has led to countless atrocities, such as the racial purging of the Jews by the Nazis. Prejudices still are being fought through laws, such as Equal Opportunities legislation. However, the subject being discussed is not whether stereotypes are harmful or justifiable; it is whether they have a practical purpose, or are wasteful. It is generally the common consensus that stereotyping and prejudice should not continue. However without stereotypes we may find the social world a lot harder to perceive and understand. We rely on stereotypes to help us function in society. With such a diverse population, the environment we live in could be very confusing. Unfortunately stereotypes may block out a lot of what makes our society so diverse and just group people into simple categories. They may also affect peoples choices in life. Career paths people may want to take could seem inappropriate for someone in their group and so are avoided. From an evolutionary standpoint, stereotypes must have a use because they exist. People start creating stereotypes from a very young age and they are hard to break. However, having a purpose doesnt exclude the fact that stereotypes are wasteful. The main beneficial use of stereotypes is that they greatly speed up cognitive processing. The world is full of people, they all look unique and the all behave differently. If each person chose to actively perceive and evaluate every individual they encountered, there wouldnt be much time for anything else. This is why stereotypes exist. People can glance around a room, see a spectrum of faces and not have to stop to think about each person. This frees up the brain for more important tasks. Macrae, Milne, Bodenhausen (1994) as cited by Taylor, Peplau, Sears (pg. 184). conducted an experiment to see if the priming of stereotypes can leave the brain freer to process other information. Students were presented with a list of trait words for an individual and, at the same time, information about Indonesia. Half of these students were first given a group label for the individual, e.g. Black or Italian. Those given the group label remembered more traits that were label consistent and more information about Indonesia. This demonstrates that stereotypes make the social world a lot easier to process and are definitely very useful. However, this oversimplification of the world we see can lead us to prejudice against other groups, and can lead to discrimination. People often look only at the negative characteristics of a group. In doing this we may waste the important contributions that these different groups perspectives can offer. Taylor, Fiske, Eticoff, Ruderman (1978) as cited by Taylor et al. (pg. 185) asked participants to observe a conversation between people of a mix of races. When asked to remember which individual made certain contributions the participants would often only be able to remember the race of the individual. This shows that people often place far too much emphasis on group membership and can ignore the attributes of the individual. This can lead people to ignore information that comes from a source that they may deem inferior. The second beneficial use of stereotypes is their ability to increase individuals self esteem. Everyone has the desire to increase their self esteem and a lack of self esteem can lead to depression and social isolation. Stereotypes can improve an individuals self esteem through a number of ways. Tajfel (1982) as cited by Taylor et al. (pg. 188) proposed the Social Identity Theory. This is the process by which people categorise the social world into in-groups, in which the individual is a member, and out-groups, into which everyone else is categorised. People can derive their self esteem from their inclusion in the in-group if they perceive their group to be superior to other groups. This is theory is enhanced by Tajfel, Billig, Bundy, Flament, (1971) as cited by Taylor et al. (pg. 186) and their theory of In-group Favouritism. People will automatically positively discriminate towards their in-group, which promotes the view of a superior in-group. Also Ethnocentrism can play a part in promoting self esteem, through the assumption that the in-group is the centre of the social world and is superior to all out-groups. While many people may argue that deriving self esteem from the view of superiority is immoral, that is not the topic being discussed. High self esteem is an advantage to all people, and so any method for raising self esteem can be seen as useful. But this method for promoting self esteem does come with disadvantages. The Social Identity theory can have quite negative effects on peoples lives. If an individual holds a negative image of the in-group or the in-group is associated with a negative stereotype then this can be harmful to the individuals self esteem. Asgari, Dasgupta Gilbert Cote (2010) undertook a longitudinal study into how exposure to successful in-group members affected female students. They found that not only did the students have to have frequent contact with the role model, but they also had to have evaluated the contact to be meaningful. This however not only improved their self concept of their in-group; it also raised their career aspirations and their engagement in their studies. This in turn led to improved academic success. This study shows that victims of stereotyping can often believe those stereotypes so much that it takes repeated, powerful interaction with stereotype inconsistent individuals to feel that they too can break out of the stereotype they find themselves in . People that are exposed to negative stereotypes are also subject to stereotype threat. Stereotype threat was first proposed by Aronson and Steele (1995) and it occurs when members of a group find themselves subject to a negative stereotype. It results in the individual being aware that they are being stereotypically evaluated and so their performance, in areas associated with the stereotype, suffer. However, stereotype threat has been shown to spill over into many areas of everyday living. Being in a stigmatized group can contribute to a number of societal problems, such as aggression, obesity, decision making and impulse control (Inzlicht Kang. 2010). This serves to maintain the negative stereotype. However the study by Inzlicht and Kang was a correlation study, and so cause and effect could not be inferred. This is one example of how stereotypes can be self fulfilling prophecies. However they can also act in a positive direction. If a person is aware of a positive stereotype about them then they can have an improved performance. Shih, Pittinsky Ambady (1999) as cited by Taylor et al. (pg. 172) showed that Asian women performed better at a maths test when the Asian stereotype was cued. However they performed worse when the women stereotype was cued. These studies show how stereotypes can have a dramatic effect on our behaviour without any conscious action. Stereotyping can also have affects on career choices. Women exposed to primes of gender inconsistent roles (e.g. a female surgeon) showed lower enthusiasm for these roles because of upward social comparison threat (Rudman Phelan. 2010). They felt threatened by being outperformed by someone in their in-group. If women didnt believe that it was rare for women to be able to become a surgeon, they may not have felt this comparison threat. Also students are often choosing to not go into a career in sales because of their stereotypes about salesmen. (Lee, Sandfield Bhaliwal. 2007). Students think of salesmen as pushy and unsatisfied, hence they assume that if they were to go into sales then they would waste the time they spent on their degree. This cuts off a career path that may have been right for some students, but they choose not to take it because of the stereotypes they hold. So while stereotypes do have some definite uses, they also create waste. Stereotypes speed up cognitive processing, which is necessary for people to function in the diverse social environment in which we find ourselves. This is at the cost of the individual; we lose focus of each person and just push people into categories. Stereotypes can increase the self esteem of some. However not all can gain the benefit of this boost in social identity. Stereotype threat can have a very negative effect of peoples lives. Stereotypes can waste the potential of many people that have denied themselves, or have been denied through prejudice. Stereotypes have led to the needless waste of life in wars and through civil struggles for equality. Therefore, while stereotypes serve a purpose, they waste potential, information and happiness.

Soccer :: Research Papers Essays

Soccer Table of Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..3 History of the Activity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Nature of the Activity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Playing Area†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Physical Conditioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 Practice Drills†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....7 Introduction Soccer is the worlds most popular sport. It is the national sport of most European and Latin-American countries, and of many other nations. Millions of people in more than 140 countries play soccer. The World Cup is held every four years. Soccer is one of the most famous international sports. Soccer is known world wide and is played in the Olympics. In a soccer game there are two teams of 11 players who try to score a point by kicking a ball into the opponents net. Soccer is played on a rectangular field with a net on each short side of the field. All players must hit the ball with their feet or body and only the goalie is allowed to touch the ball with his/her hands. There are many things you can do to condition yourself to play. Soccer the way we play it came from England in the 1800’s. Soccer was not that popular until the mid-1900’s. Today soccer is very popular and it is one of the nations fastest-growing sports. There are many exercises and drills you can do to improve how you play soccer. There is also many physical conditioning that players can do. Soccer can help you stay fit and healthy. Many people can play soccer and benefit from it. Soccer is very fun and a great recreational sport. History of the Activity Games similar to soccer were played in China as early as 400 BC. In about 200 AD the Romans played a game in which two teams tried to score by advancing a ball across a line on the field. The Romans passed the ball to one another but they never kicked it. London children in about 1100 played a form of soccer in the streets. During the 1800’s the people of England played a game similar to soccer. Many rules changed and each person interpreted the rules differently. In 1848 a group of school representatives met at Trinity College in Cambridge and drew up the first of soccer rules. In 1863 English soccer clubs founded the Football Association. By the late 1800’s soccer began to spread to the rest of the world. The Canadian Soccer Association was established in 1912 while the United States Soccer Federation was set up in 1913.

A Man For All Seasons Essay example -- essays research papers

For a truly Christian man, nothing is more important than preparing the immortal soul for the next life. In the play, â€Å"A Man For All Seasons,† Sir Thomas Moore is a devout Christian–apparent due to his unceasing prayers, vast humbleness, devotion to his family, and his ardency in maintaining the truth. His refusal to obey King Henry VIII shows that he believes strongly in life after death, for going against the King of England in Renaissance Era ensured swift, lethal retribution. The only way that Sir Thomas might have remained alive was to swear to the Act of Succession, which violated his deepest convictions about religion. Being a Christian, Sir Thomas decided to let God be the judge of those who endorsed the oath to avoid the wrath of King Henry and remain on earth for an amount of time that would surely pass. Fearing not for his life but for the verdict on his immortal soul, Sir Thomas Moore decided to defend the truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The corruption of Renaissance England is obvious all the way from the church to the monarchy–clutching cardinals, lords, bishops, and even kings in its nearly inescapable grasp. Wishing to gain greater material wealth, those in high places often bent the rules, told lies, and threatened underlings to attain that which they desired. Sir Thomas Moore, however, made no false pretenses–he truly believed in Christianity and its siblings honesty, charity, and integrity. He was not one to compromise hi...