Literature and Ideals Essay

Definition: Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, â€Å"literature† is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Why do we read literature? Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message. In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Importance of Literature. It is a curious and prevalent opinion that literature, like all art, is a mere play of imagination, pleasing enough, like a new novel, but without any serious or practical importance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Literature preserves the ideals of a people; and ideals–love, faith, duty, friendship, freedom, reverence–are the part of human life most worthy of preservation. The Greeks were a marvelous people; yet of all their mighty works we cherish only a few ideals,–ideals of beauty in perishable stone, and ideals of truth in imperishable prose and poetry. It was simply the ideals of the Greeks and Hebrews and Romans, preserved in their literature, which made them what they were, and which determined their value to future generations. Our democracy, the boast of all English-speaking nations, is a dream; not the doubtful and sometimes disheartening spectacle presented in our legislative halls, but the lovely and immortal ideal of a free and equal manhood, preserved as a most precious heritage in every great literature from the Greeks to the Anglo-Saxons. All our arts, our sciences, even our inventions are founded squarely upon ideals; for under every invention is still the dream of Beowulf, that man may overcome the forces of nature; and the foundation of all our sciences and discoveries is the immortal dream that men â€Å"shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. † In a word, our whole civilization, our freedom, our progress, our homes, our religion, rest solidly upon ideals for their foundation. Nothing but an ideal ever endures upon earth. It is therefore impossible to overestimate the practical importance of literature, which preserves these ideals from fathers to sons, while men, cities, governments, civilizations, vanish from the face of the earth. It is only when we remember this that we appreciate the action of the devout Mussulman, who picks up and carefully preserves every scrap of paper on which words are written, because the scrap may perchance contain the name of Allah, and the ideal is too enormously important to be neglected or lost.

Concept Paper on Medical Aid Schemes

MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY Concept paper on the proposed State Universities Medical Fund Distribution List Mrs. V. Chirasha / Deputy Registrar (Human Resources) Author Mr. S. Masiyiwa / Lecturer, Department of Insurance & Risk Management 1. Introduction Healthcare finance and services providers in Zimbabwe were not spared by the economic downturn of the past decade. Most medical aid societies, practically collapsed when co-payments demanded by service providers exceeded their global limits on benefit payaments. For example, patients were being asked to pay Z$10 billion cash as o-payment and the medical aid society would only pay Z$1 million according to their tariffs. This mismatch, saw many clients, the state universities included, canceling their membership to such schemes and retaining the risk themselves, either funded or unfunded. The introduction of the multicurrency system in February 2009 brought the much needed stability to various sectors of the economy. However, the system was not backed by significant foreign currency inflows and as a result economic activity has remained subdued. Many organizations are currently operating below capacity and are downsizing to remain afloat. This development has significantly reduced inflow of contributions to medical aid societies, who although operating, are still to fully recover and offer full scale benefits. 2. Recent developments Contributions made to medical aid societies are made on the understanding that â€Å"if you do not use it you lose it†. This is understandable as medical aid schemes are basically risk pooling and sharing solutions and premised on the concept that the misfortunes of a few should be met by fortunes of many. However, the tight liquidity situation is forcing many entities to adopt innovative risk management strategies intended to retain as much cash as possible and only outsource those risks that exceed their risk appetite. The economic challenges of the past decade, we faced as a nation exposed the limitations of insurance as a risk financing mechanism. We have all learnt that insurance is not â€Å"THE† solution but part of the solution and that there are also equally good alternatives to insurance. Some medium to large scale organizations have since created self administered insurance schemes to cater for a variety of risks they face in their operations, e. g. material damage, health, funeral, superannuation, etc. Cell Insurance Company has spearheaded the adoption of the concept in Zimbabwe through its â€Å"rent-a-cell† captive arrangement and today it administers a lot of these schemes. However, a worrisome development in Zimbabwe is the transfer of the superannuation and morbidity risk to the employees by cash strapped or unscrupulous employers. Recently most if not all of the state university staff had no membership to any medical aid or health insurance scheme. They were paying for their health and related expenses from personal resources. The extent to which this approach could be used was obviously limited due to the low salaries and allowances staff is currently receiving. The state universities have started receiving funding from the fiscus and renewed their membership to medical aid societies. However, the concept is still the same: if you do not use it, you lose it! How many times have been to the doctor lately, once, twice or none? Literally, medical aid societies are getting richer at the expense of the members, university staff included. Retaining in-house the contributions state universities currently pay to various medical aid societies and health insurance schemes could make a difference to the underfunded institutions. 3. Suggestions for the state universities It is against the above background that I propose that the state universities should consider setting up a unified independent medical benefit fund to finance health and related risks the state university staff are exposed to on a daily basis. It is also proposed that both the employer (state universities) and the employees should make periodic contributions to the fund, the employer paying 80% and the employees meeting the balance of 20%. 4. Costing basis According to latest personnel records, the state universities employ about 3100 in total. Costing of commercial health and self insurance schemes is based on the â€Å"law of large numbers†. The larger the statistical base, the more accurate the loss ratio becomes. Many schemes operating in Zimbabwe today actually started as in-house schemes with even fewer numbers, e. g. FLIMAS and First Mutual. The 3100 university employees constitute a sizeable number, to allow for costing of the proposed medical benefit fund. In addition to the level of benefits required, existing university clinic utilization figures should be analysed and included in the costing model. 5. Advantages of the proposed scheme The proposed scheme has the following advantages: – Contributions to the fund should be lower as members will not pay for medical aid society or insurer’s administration and profit margins. – Interest from the investment of funds will accrue to the benefit fund – Any profits will accrue to the benefit fund Benefits can be tailor made, improved and enhanced with time as the fund grows – There will be no disputes with medical aid society or insurers over claims settlement – There would be a strong incentive by members to reduce claims and control losses – Global limits can be increased easily with minimum or no increase in contributions fr om the employer and employers – Improvement in staff morale can be achieved thereby increasing productivity and the restoration of financial independence and dignity. 6. Disadvantages of the proposed scheme The proposed scheme has the following disadvantages: – The claims statistics, which are used to decide on contributions will come from a narrow base – A catastrophic loss (although remote) could occur in the formative years and wipe out the fund. However, catastrophe cover can be separately arranged with leading reinsurers for a very low premium to cover the fund against an accumulation of claims above the expected budget in any given accounting period. – Individual small claims may not affect the fund too much but their aggregate effect may have catastrophic effects. Catastrophe cover, described above can also mitigate this risk – There will be need to employ additional staff to handle the fund’s administrative matters. True, but use of existing clinics and facilities at state universities should reduce the number of additional staff required. – There may be a temptation to dip into the fund and pay for unrelated activities. This must be resisted by the board of management/trustees. In any case the business of the fund should be separate from that of sponsoring universities. If the †dip† is to be allowed it should be a loan based on prevailing commercial bank loan terms and conditions. – Benefits from the basic insurance principle of spreading risk will be lost. From the foregoing, it can be concluded that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The disadvantages, although real, are highly theoretical and remote. 7. Establishment of a technical working committee To expedite the process a technical committee consisting of representatives from the state universities should be set up. The committee should consist of both management representatives (50%) and employee representatives (50%). This intended to ensure buy in at the early stages and also incorporated the various stakeholders’ interests and ideas in the scheme. 8. The mandate The technical committee must be mandated to carry out the following tasks: 10. 1 Drafting of the constitution The proposed benefit fund will be run according to its Rules and Regulations as enshrined in its Constitution. The technical committee will be responsible for drafting the Rules and Regulations, which will include, inter alia: ) The name and objects of the proposed benefit fund b) Board of management/trustees, appointment and composition, meetings, its powers and functions c) Membership issues e. g. eligibility, application, termination, deprivation of membership, etc d) Subscriptions e. g. level, frequency and mode of payment of subscriptions. e) Beneficiaryship e. g. eligibility, application and termination of benefi ciaryship. f) Schedule of benefits e. g. nature and amounts of benefits, eligibility for benefits, waiting periods, claims for benefits, rejection of claims, ex-gratia payments. ) Assets, liabilities, rights and obligations of the medical fund h) Actuarial valuation i) Dissolution/wing-up of medical benefit fund j) Amendment of rules e. g. power, requirements for amending the rules k) General information for members e. g. benefit exclusions, lodging of members’ complaints and requests, payments of awards not supported by receipts, payment of service providers, list of approved providers, letters of guarantees for services provided outside Zimbabwe, shortfalls, travel cover on holiday, business or study. ) Promotion of the medical fund for acceptance by target service providers and establishing working relationships with them 2. Benefit design The technical committee must develop a number of benefit options which members can choose from. I propose the following plans, that I h ave christened, for want of better names, the university premier plan, university medium plan and the university standard plan. a) University Premier Plan This would be similar to the CIMAS Medexec Plan/PSMAS Pinnacle Plan and is meant to provide executive benefits for the principal officers and senior management. ) University Medium Plan This would be similar to the CIMAS Private Hospital Plan/ PSMAS Select Plan and is meant to provide members who want global limits higher than those provided under the University Standard Plan described below: c) University Standard Plan This should be the entry point and would be similar Excel Plan from PSMAS which currently covers most staff. The plan will pay for consultation and treatment received from Government, Mission, Municipal & Private Hospitals, general practitioners and specialists up to a limit, per person per annum 3. Registration of the fund with the authorities The technical committee should be mandated to register the proposed medical benefit fund in terms of the Medical Services Act, Chapter 15: 13 and any other applicable and relevant legislation. 9. Administration The technical committee should consider the following issues that affect the efficient running of the business of the proposed medical benefit fund. 9. 1. Location of registered office and other offices. This could be either in Harare or Bulawayo with satellite offices at all state universities. Any other center could be considered for the location of the head office. My suggestion is based on the density of service providers in Harare and Bulawayo. Most members would be referred to these big centers for specialist medical tests and treatment. Existing facilities could be used as satellite offices e. g. the existing clinics could be expanded and resourced to offer a variety of services normally available from general practitioners. This will save on costs. 2. Staffing issues Additional staff will be required especially for the head office. This will include the principal officer, finance manager, membership and claims administrators. However, they should be very few, because most of the work will be done from satellite offices. Initially there may be a lot of work when the office is set up but that should stabilize with the effluxion of time. 3. Finance and claims administration This could be centralized at head office and payments to service providers and refunds to members made once every fortnight i. e. only on two occasions per month. 4. Dispensary It is advisable to buy the essential drugs from source and keep them in stock for use by members. It will also save on costs. Railmed currently operates such a facility countrywide for the benefit of railway employees scattered across the country. The state universities should use the existing clinics for a similar purpose. Alternatively, mutually beneficial arrangements (drug schemes) can be made with leading private pharmacies to allow members’ access to drugs without paying for them upfront. 5. Approved provider network For the members to benefit, the scheme should be promoted for broader acceptance by as many service providers as possible so that members are not inconvenienced in the time of need. The management of the medical fund should promote the scheme and establish working relationships with all health service providers. This can also save on cost as it is possible to negotiate preferential rates. 6. Access to technical advice The state universities have a large pool of experts on their payroll. The technical committee should tap on that expertise. This will not only serve on cost but show the world that we can use knowledge to the benefit of mankind and practice what we preach! 10. Conclusion Emerging trends in risk management indicate that more and more organizations are electing funded risk retention strategies in an effort to contain cost and get more value for their money. State universities should embrace the philosophy and design and implement robust enterprise wide risk management strategies that mitigate the risks they are exposed to. For a start, establishing a unified independent medical benefit fund to finance the morbidity risk university staff are exposed to will be a good step in that direction. Proposed State Universities Medical Benefit Fund Benefit Limits Schedule General Practitioners, Specialists, Public & Private Hospitals) | |Services |Benefit Limits (US$) | | |General Practitioner |Paid in full | | |Physician specialist |Paid in full | | |Hospitalisation | | | |Prescription drugs | | | |Rehabilitative services | | | |Haemodialysis |Paid in full | | |Chemotherapy |Paid in full | | |Chronic disease drugs |Paid in full | | |Dental services | | | |R efraction |Paid in full | | |Optical |Paid in full | |Maternity |Paid in full | | |Family planning | | | |Hearing aids | | | |Pathology |Paid in full | | |Radiology |Paid in full | | |Blood transfusion |Paid in full | | |Psychiatric care |Paid in full | | |Prosthetic appliances | | | |Ambulance |Paid in full | | |Air Evacuation |Paid in full for life threatening situations| | | |only subject to prior authorization by board| | | |of management/trustees | | |Foreign treatment |Local benefit limit apply subject to prior | | | |authorization by board of | | | |management/trustees | ———————– [pic]

Mayan Culture

Modern Mayan culture has its roots in a very ancient culture. Ancient Mayan civilization spanned more than 3000 years and featured a written language, agriculture, a well-ordered social class system, a well-developed religious system, development of a calendar and trade. Much of the ancient tradition and culture has survived and been incorporated into the modern Mayan culture.ReligionMayan religion is a hybrid of Christianity and ancient Mayan beliefs and rituals. The sixteenth century church, a central institution in the process of conquest, set the tone of the future relationship by working to replace Mayan religion with Spanish Christianity and to Hispanicize Mayan culture in general. (Stoll, 2003)Although many of their Gods have been replaced with statues of Christianity, the stories barely resemble the Christian versions. Today, devout Maya worship at mountain and cave shrines, making offerings of chickens, candles and incense with a ritual alcoholic drink.The Maya are a very su perstitious people and have countless superstitions regarding events in mature which forewarn the observer of sickness, disaster, and death. Shaman/ daykeepers keep count of the 260 day ritual calendar and provide healing by identifying curses and offended ancestors, counting seeds and crystals in their divinations, and performing curando rituals.MarriageMayan marriage is not prearranged by the family, although in ancient times it was accepted practice. In the more traditional villages, the young man must still ask the father for his daughters hand in marriage and certain rituals are followed. There is a traditional engagement and wedding  ritual dance that many Maya use in their wedding ceremonies. Most young married couples will live with either set of parents until they can begin a household on their own.The average marriage age of Maya people is 16 for females and 19 for males. Very few Maya remain unmarried as family and children are very important to the Maya.FamilyFamily is a very important part of Maya culture. The average Maya family will have 6-8 children and most newlyweds have their first child within a year of marriage. In the domestic life of the Maya, family ties are strong, although outward displays of affection, such as kissing and embracing, are rare. Couples are considered affectionate if they carry out their respective duties faithfully. To their babies, however, the Maya are demonstrative and fondle and caress them, using baby talk as white parents do. It is evident that most parents are very fond of their children. Very rarely do fathers chastise their children physically and the mothers resort to harsh punishment only occasionally.  Ã‚   (Steggerda, 1941, p. 49)Food Production StrategiesMany of the Mayan still live much the way they did when the Europeans came, weaving, cultivating corn and beans and collecting firewood to cook and heat their adobe houses. Electricity and road access have not changed the local traditions. Corn, which was cultivated by the ancient Mayans, remains the main crop. Most farmers still use the slash and burn method of farming used by their ancestors.Other strategies are share cropping and renting land to grow corn crops. The Maya form groups of up to twenty men, usually kin, rent a large piece of land, and divide it among themselves. Although this arrangement is much preferred to wage labor on the plantations, it   requires a minimum amount of capital for transportation, food, tools, seed, and so on, and expertise in dealing with the Ladino world. Many lack these resources and are forced into the largest of the temporary migratory streams. (Early, 1982, p. 88)Outside ContactThe Maya, like most people who live in small and homogeneous groups where strong social controls operate, are conservative and unprogressive. Slow to take up new ideas, their attitudes and their material culture have been very little changed by modern trends and technological developments. Their pottery, weaving, and cross-stitch work have remained very much the same during the entire history of Yucatan. In general, they have not adopted the Spanish language but rather the Spaniards have adopted the Maya language.Their mode of dress has not changed appreciably for hundreds of years, and it is my belief that their daily life is very similar to that which their ancestors led. Only in the large Yucatan towns and cities, where social contacts are freer and where social controls cannot be maintained as strongly as in the smaller communities, are there signs of change. In such towns the European mode of dress is gradually being adopted, especially by the women, and cosmetics are commonly used. The people petition the government for radios, electric lights, and corn-grinding machines, and the idea of progress is gaining a hold in their minds. The cooperative movement and similar modern methods of economic organization are being tried. (Steggerda, 1941, p. 37)In Belize, the founding of the Maya Vil lage Indigenous Experience is attempting to change the limited outside contact of the Maya culture by exposing it to tourism. They hope to bring money to the communities and improve the quality of life in the villages. (Steinberg, 2004)Many other Mayan communities are following this example in an effort to become more modern but they maintain the ancient rituals and beliefs, much like modern day New Orleans.These five concepts show the history and persevering culture of the Mayan people. Traditions with religion and family provide a rich background to pass on to the next generation. While they are struggling to enter the modern age, many of the more traditional Maya see no problem with the lifestyle they currently possess.Living in the United States, technology is readily available and most people are adept at using it. Things we take for granted such as telephones, computers, television, and automobiles are slow to make their way into the more rural areas of the Maya culture but th ey live full lives without these things. This is a huge culture difference because most Americans do not believe they can live without technology.The family tradition is also vastly different. Americans live a much faster paced life and many things must be balanced: work, children, marriage. Mayan women are traditional homemakers and Mayan men do the heavy labor. American women do many of the heavy labor jobs and not many people can afford to stay home with the children full time.Both cultures have pro’s and con’s to their lifestyle and culture but both are ever changing and adapting to the world around them. Both realize the importance of religion within a culture and continuing the race through children. The United States, however, is not one culture but hundreds and this gives it a unique background. It is much more varied than the ancient Mayan history the modern Maya still cultivate.ReferencesEarly, J. D. (1982). The Demographic Structure and Evolution of a Peasan t System: The Guatemalan Population. Boca Raton, FL: University Presses of Florida.Steggerda, M. (1941). Maya Indians of Yucatan. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington.Steinberg, M. K. (1994, Summer). Tourism Development and Indigenous People: The Maya Experience in Southern Belize. Focus, 44, 17+. Retrieved June 08, 2007, from Questia database: https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-19897117/tourism-development-and-indigenous-people-the-mayaStoll, D. (2003). Dow, James W. & Alan R. Sandstorm (Eds). Holy Saints and Fiery Preachers: The Anthropology of Protestantism in Mexico and Central America. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 9(3), 595+. Retrieved June 09, 2007

Nick DiChario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nick DiChario - Essay Example (Nick DiChario.com)His short fiction has appeared in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and the following publications in the United States: The Year's Best Science Fiction, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, among many others. (www.cybling.com, Nick DiChario as guest). DiChario has also been nominated for a John W. Campbell Award, two Hugo Awards, and a World Fantasy Award. In addition to writing stories, some of his plays have been presented in Geva Theatre's Regional Playwrights Festival in upstate New York, and he is the workshop coordinator for Writers & Books. (Id.) It is clear that DiChario does not take himself too seriously which may be the reason why his writing is so successful. He chatted on a blog with fans from the Green Room at "Chicon, the 58th Annual World Science Fiction Convention". Research across the web also indicates that he enjoys the feedback that he receives from his fans and avidly writes back. The largest impression that I received from this novel was that it made me wonder what would happen if I were in Tink's shoes. A small and remarkable life is a fitting title to this novel because in the grand scheme of life, Tink's could hardly be considered influential. However, it was remarkable in that we have a wonderful impression of what it would be like to be a fish out of water. The adaptation has suffocated a person, and DiChario shows us what it would be like realistically for an alien. Based on his description, I guess it would be the same for us if we ever visited "Wetspace". This novel tells us the story of Tink Puddah, a strange being mostly conveniently referred to as the "foreigner". Tink comes to us from a place called "Wetspace". It looks like Tink may be the child of Nif and Ru, also two aliens from "Wetspace". The Three have decided to come to earth and adapt themselves to the planet and its' people in the mid 1800's. I also thought that it was interesting to begin the story with Tink's funeral. I loved the idea of the preacher being the public enemy instead of the alien. In fact in his review of the book, Corey Redkop from "Shelf Monkey states "DiChario propels the story through startling imagery that pays homage to the tenets of the genre while at the same time raising the bar". The novel allows us to examine our own conscious while enjoying science fiction at the same time. It also demonstrates that all persons are fallible. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it is a "first contact" novel. Taking the form of a 'first-contact' novel (i.e. a story based on the presumption of Earth's first contact with an alien life form), this really does seem like we are almost experiencing this story ourselves. What I appreciate most about this novel is that despite the subject matter, we are still taken through unexpected roads which for a moment seem ludicrous, yet after thought are log ical. My favorite quote from this novel is: "Their metamorphosis had begun-they had each developed two miniature spherical structures of jelly-like eyes with which to see the new world. Bodies shrinking, rounding, bending. Bones to support the eco-matter. Small, bipedal, humanoid creatures they would become. Atoms, molecules, joints, nails, skin, glands, hormones,

Aspects of the Fundamentals of Speech Class Essay

Aspects of the Fundamentals of Speech Class - Essay Example This essay stresses that Speech, or public speaking, involves organizing ideas, researching these ideas, and presenting them to others. We all have many, many ideas about what we would like to speak about. The difficult part is narrowing it all down to one idea, or topic. The best way to do this is to choose a topic that you are familiar with and interested in. Use resources such as magazine articles, books, newspapers, television shows, conversations with people, etc. to help gain ideas. Knowing how to choose the best topic, narrowing it down, and researching (learning more about various subjects) are skills that can improve my daily communication such as talking with a friend, discussing a topic with a professor, or trying to land a job with an employer. As the report declares determine what the purpose of your speech. Will you be speaking to inform and to offer information or will you be writing to try and persuade? Informing is to give facts and information without adding personal opinion. Persuading is to try and change the attitudes and thoughts of your listeners in order to get them to act upon what you have said in your speech. The best speeches contain your own experience and knowledge of the chosen topic. Use information from materials such as books, magazines, reference materials, etc. from various sources. Libraries contain a wealth of information. Interviews, the internet and visiting various locations can provide the necessary information. Be sure to take good notes and to give credit to the author of the information that you will be using.

History of berlin and reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of berlin and reflection - Assignment Example to be followed subsequently by its role between the years 1871-1918 A.D., in the German Empire. Between 1919 and 1933, it served as the Weimar Republic’s capital, later on serving the Third Reich between the years 1933-1945. While the entity had held the position of 3rd largest municipality globally, WWII brought about major changes, which were to impact fundamentally, on its overall standing and role-play; not only in terms of German history, but also global geo-politics. Hence, the critical place it holds in history, and the need for its reflection on contemporary society (Gill 13). The Kreuzberg neighborhood, part of the larger Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough, remains one of the prime locations, within the greater Berlin municipality. Colloquially referred to as X-Berg, the area consists primarily of two distinct areas i.e. the SO 36 and SW 61. SO 36 mainly is home to various immigrant populations, thus the divergent cultural and religious identities present. History dealt a heavy blow to this area, especially during the ‘Cold War’ Era thereby isolating the section of the former West Berlin territory. However, later it emerged as one of the city’s core cultural centers. This is critically influenced by the fact that it is in the middle of the contemporary re-unified city. This also influences the trendy nature of the neighborhood, primarily influenced by Turkish culture. This is as a result of the populace present in the borough, with a large percentage of its populace, being second-generation individuals of Turkish ancestry. Importantly so, the neighborhood continues being an attractive area to visit, thriving on its diverse culture; with the counter-culture tradition symbolically present until this very day. Moreover, while having a shorter history than most of Berlin, the neighborhood is uniquely the most populous;

Applying theories to the novel The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Essay

Applying theories to the novel The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down - Essay Example The author dexterously manoeuvres the plot of the book so that the readers can identify with the more complex socio-psychological paradigms of the multicultural societies and the challenges that the medical fraternity has to meet to overcome the prejudices of the Hmong family. The book is fascinating in its treatment of the seemingly mundane but highly relevant issues of the different cultures and the modern society that heavily relies on science. The story of Lia Lee, a small girl who is diagnosed with epilepsy by the medical fraternity in Merced, California but which is differently interpreted by the Hmong family as ‘qaug dab peg’. The intense conflict in the treatment of the little girl and the frustrations of both the girl’s family and the healthcare system is brilliantly captured by the author. The book throws great insight into the differing views and perspectives of the cultures that clash with the value system of the healthcare practitioners. The institutional indifference to the cross cultural values and the trials and tribulations of the immigrant family that finds itself strangely vulnerable in the alien surrounding is the highlight of the narration. The socio-psychological imperatives found in the book are of great relevance to the contemporary environment of globalization. The behavioral and cognitive theory can explain the ongoing struggle of the Hmong family that tries to work along with healthcare system towards the common goal of saving their daughter’s life. Cognitive science is basically an amalgamation of philosophical thoughts and scientific theories that try to rationalize the working of conscious and unconscious thoughts of a man and co-relate them with his subsequent actions and reactions. The theory of cognition, thereby, tries to explain why and how the events take place and subsequent pattern of behavior of man under certain condition involving emotional

Being aware of ethical leadership Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Being aware of ethical leadership - Thesis Example Ethical leaders pay close attention when making sound judgments and upholding the values such as integrity to the utmost (Mandela, 1995).A similar research carried out by Werhane notes that the features of ethical leaders are similar across the organizational continuum, though vary depending on the variety. Ethical leaders carry out the following: Articulate vision and embody the purpose and values of the organization unto which they serve. This incorporates a strong and firm culture that is enhanced through stories and myths that help strengthen the relationship among stakeholders (Ciulla and Solomon, 2010). In today’s business, it is a difficult task that has to be performed business leaders lest they face public scrutiny over their behaviors. As the author notes , ethical leadership is about helping people to realize their hopes and dreams, creating value for stakeholders and doing these tasks with the intensity and zeal of the that ethics implies in a given society. In addition Ciulla and Solomon, there must be mistakes, for humor and for humanity. Second, ethical leaders focus on organizational success rather the personal ego. This implies that they ought to focus on the network of constituents. Some of the decisions leaders make are morally wrong aimed at making a profit yet, an ethical leader has to make a decision that will both benefit the organizations and still remain ethical in the public lenses. It can also be pointed out that that judging someone’s integrity than someone’s experience and skills (Mandela, 1995). Third, there is need to create a continuous conversation about ethics, values and the creation of value for the shareholders. Yunus.M (2004), notes that having written values about ethical issues does not neither prove vital nor imminent, but rather routine conversations that are discussed on similar subjects in an organization. As leaders, there have an obligation to foster a continuous thinking so the pace of the

The influence of risk attraction and risk aversion in the adoption and Thesis

The influence of risk attraction and risk aversion in the adoption and diffusion of the extreme sports - Thesis Example As contemporary society has become preoccupied with safety and certainty, risk has steadily become a sinister phenomenon. Society has become quite obsessed with reducing risk and uncertainty that activities not directly approved by the mainstream society are immediately considered disagreeable. This essay discusses the influence of risk attraction and risk aversion in the adoption and diffusion in extreme sports. In sport, risk refers to the likelihood of actual, physical danger. In extreme sports like big wave surfing, snowboarding, and base jumping this has been assumed to indicate extremely high levels of risk, an extremely high possibility that something bad will happen, and a significant possibility of death (Kerr, 2005). Hence involvement in extreme sports has been deemed undesirable and deviant. Reasons for engagement in extreme sports are most frequently associated with the idea of ‘adrenaline rush’ or a craving to take socially undesirable and pathological risks (Cecile & Laurendeau, 2010). The hypothesis is that risk functions as a driving force for partakers with little talent but a frantic desire to hook up with the image of prestige related to extreme sports. In a culture where in taking needless risks is generally viewed as wild, irresponsible, ridiculous, and irrational, there appears to be something of a pattern toward the growing recognition of risk and uncertainty in leisure activities. In sport, there is substantial proof that risk taking is integral to numerous sporting activities. The concept of edgework by Lyng (1990) views intentional risk taking as testing the limitations of one’s capacity while sustaining sufficient control to effectively balance the limit between uncertainty and certainty. In the literature on the reason for this edgework tendency, the sensation-seeking attribute, described as the â€Å"seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense experiences† (Cecile & Laurendeau, 2010, p. 129), has been e xtensively studied. Many outdoor activities have been reported to draw people who have high levels of sensation seeking attributes. The tendency to seek excitement, adventure, and arousal may accurately shed light on why individuals with high levels of sensation seeking attributes take part in extreme sports. Risk Attraction and Risk Aversion in Extreme Sports Several theorists argue that risky activities provide an escape from a society that is ever more ‘constricted by comfort’ and risk-averse (Moran, 2004, p. 60). This assumption states that some individuals feel too much pampered by the materialistic conveniences of modern society and thus look for exciting, risky activities in an attempt to break out of too much comfort. As contemporary life â€Å"is now tame and increasingly controlled† (Moran, 2004, p. 60), some individuals seek risk in outdoor activities. Hence, the need to take risks may signify an intentional reaction against the ordinary and risk-avers e daily living. Even though this theory is exploratory, it appears likely that estranged individuals may experience a stronger sense of awareness when they are in the verge of death or serious injury (Pain & Pain, 2005). In fact, Schrader and Wann (1999 as cited in Moran, 2004, p. 62) claimed that one way of attaining a semblance of power over one’s life is by facing death through participation in risky activities. Another

Reading a Health Record Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading a Health Record - Coursework Example Abdomen: Benign, Genitalia: normal with red sacral area. Extremities 3+ pitting edema to the knees. Neurological: good and on track. The patient doesn’t sleep well, has increased pedal edema and no symptoms of coughing or fever. X-ray displays Left pleural effusion, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. In the case of patient assessment with cognitive heart failure, left pleural effusion and pneumonia a dosage of Diurese was administered, four antibiotics, blood cultures and sputum test. The patient is admitted and put on bed rest with oxygen mask. Behavioral problem – patient constantly complaining of poor living conditions of the facility, staff and food. She doesn’t want to sleep in her room. Causal factor appears to having trouble with anger or adjustment problem and severe end-stage cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is caused by hardening of the arteries responsible for bringing blood into the heart. As the arteries narrow the heart lacks oxygen and gradually it becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood. This condition is diagnosed when heart has irregular heartbeat and fractional ejection is lower. Fractional ejection can be tested through MRI of heart, echocardiogram, cardiac blood pooling image and gated SPECT. Change of certain lifestyle habits that lead to heart failure. Introduction of a Pacemaker to help the heart beat slow down or beat normally. There are surgery procedures like angioplasty and cardiac catheterization that helps good flow of blood in the veins. If a patient fails all treatment then heart transplant would be the only alternative left. (Libby & Braunwald, 2008) The patient was put under the right diagnosis given her symptoms and the treatment of the disease. The patient tested positive for Ischemic cardiomyopathy. The patient displayed all symptoms as projected in the hospital records that matched the

Marketing Plan of Grace Kennedy Company Limited Term Paper

Marketing Plan of Grace Kennedy Company Limited - Term Paper Example This essay describes the Grace Kennedy Company Limited, that has been around for the past eighty-two years. The company with its staff of well over two four hundred persons sells tangible goods locally as well as internationally. The aspects of the company’s business consist of various areas. Operations, manufacturing, research, financing, personnel, marketing, business analysis and counseling, planning, presentations and project management are some of the ways by which the company fits into a number of its different aspects of business. A combination of all of these factors will help to ensure the financial success of Grace Kennedy Limited, which is its primary objective. While conducting business in a competitive market, it is to the company’s best interest that they know the competition. This knowledge will help them to better strategize their efforts. Businesses that are without competition tends to get sloppy as well as take advantage of consumers. To continue incr easing profits Grace Kennedy Company Limited should be willing to charge reasonable prices for its products. In order to develop new products for consumers, ongoing research done regularly. Because of ongoing research done in its product line, consumer needs are better able met and thus there will be an increase in sales. To create customer value, corporations should focus on the needs of individual customers as well as market segments and target industries, not product-or commodity-based priorities of the internal organization.

The Knight and the Prologue of the Canterbury Tales Essay Example for Free

The Knight and the Prologue of the Canterbury Tales Essay The Prologue in Chaucer’s CANTERBURY TALES is unique in the manner in which it introduces its unique cast of characters. Lines 43 to 80 are among the more interesting parts of the Prologue. Lines 43 – 44 The tale starts with the Knight and he was a worthy man Lines 45 – 46 From his earliest days he embodied chivalry Lines 47 – 48 He served his lord well in many wars. Lines 48 – 49 Much of the combat he saw was in the Crusades Lines 50 – 51 He fought a huge battle in Alexandria Lines 52 – 53 He fought in Latvia, Prussia and Russia Lines 54 – 55 His alliances were with powerful forces Lines 55 -56 He was a powerful and honored warrior and even fought in Grenada Lines 56 – 57 He fought in strange lands such as Algiers among others Lines 58 – 60 Not only were his successes on land, but also on the high seas Lines 61 -62 he fought fifteen battles in the Crusades Lines 63 – 64 He slew all who he faced Lines 65 -66 Allying with another nation to defeat the Turks Lines 67 -68 He amassed great fame, but he was not an egoist Lines 69 – 70 He was an honest man who always remained humble. Lines 71 – 72 He never said a foul word not acted without virtue Lines 72 -73 He was a great man, but not without personal problems Lines 74 – 75 he had a great team of horses, but was not happy and wore a frown. Lines 75 – 76 It was impossible for him to hide his feelings. Lines 77 – 78 Deciding he needed a vacation, he opted to tale a pilgrimage Lines 79 – 80 Taking his son with him, a lustful free spirit.

What Is Plagiarism And The Ethics Of It Philosophy Essay

What Is Plagiarism And The Ethics Of It Philosophy Essay Plagiarism comes from the Latin word plagio. It is translated as to steal. It is better to formulate a definition of plagiarism from the verb plagiarize. To plagiarize means to steal or to borrow someones ideas, works or thoughts. In such a way, plagiarism is copying the work of others and turning it as your own. On the one hand, plagiarism is a deliberate action. It is cheating. People assume the intellectual property rights for their realization in our world. It is the easiest way for realization. Therefore plagiarism is an obstacle for society. It doesnt let society develop in science and technology. It is a process of destruction a man as a person. Plagiarism kills intention to be the first and wish of something new. In our childhood we often hear such words: Dont take it! These things are others! And you mustnt take them! Plagiarism is the same thing. We know that it is wrong, but we do it. In my opinion, plagiarism is usual for young people, who went to achieve fame or to be generally recognized very quickly and without any effort. This kind of people is very lazy and doesnt want to work hard. But their aim is to be famous and they achieve these goals. We can meet plagiarism in many spheres, for example, in literature, music, science, art etc. All people know the composition Lambada. The author of this composition was an unknown composer. Lambada has remained unnoticed for a long time. But then two young boys used this idea. They made new arrangement, changed this composition a little and gava a new life for this melody. Lambada has become very popular in many countries. When this composition began to bring in return, a real author proved his case in court. And then he got ten million dollars. He was satisfied with money, because he didnt want to achieve a success and fame. Provided to be, if somebody use more than seven notes from another composition, it will be real plagiarism. It is a good example of copying the work of others. In art we meet plagiarism very often too. Artists draw their pictures and then these works are copied by somebody else. There is a good example of this process in Kiev. The most popular are Gustav Klimts works. He has made his works in one copy with oil painting. But now people, who replicate them, use china, wood, posters etc. And the most interesting thing is authorship of these copies. These people dont forget to write the name Gustav Klimt. In my opinion, it is absurd. Pictures must be in one copy and be kept in museums. But there is one big problem. If pictures arent duplicated, many people cant see them, because they dont have a chance to travel. We can meet plagiarism in journalism too. Many journalists sit at home and only copy articles of other authors. And then they diffuse it with the help of Internet. Who knows what results will develop from this work? But I think that this work is useless. Authors can cope with it themselves, if .they want. But people like to make a profit out of somebodys work. And it is a pity. Another important thing, which I want to discuss, is our education. Plagiarism is found here very often. It becomes a part of our education. And this problem is eternal and nobody can solve it. Students copy essays, term papers, degree woks. And they dont want to develop. They only seek easy ways. And it begins from the school, when we copy tests; ask our parents or friends to help us with our compositions or to paint a picture. We explain our actions in such a way, we cant do it ourselves. But it is deception and our cunning. Of course, we can, but we dont want to try. We dont want to think. Pupils get into the habit of plagiarism. Their parents must explain them what is good and what is bad. Parents are their tutors during our life. And their purpose is to teach them how children must behave, because then it can be worse. And when children grown up and become students, they think, that whole world center around them and all must be at their feet. I know that I behave sometimes in s uch a way. But I try to wrestle with myself and advise it everybody. In my opinion, this habit is awful. And people cant be stead on their legs, if they dont want to improve. We should improve and improve every day. But plagiarism prevents it. We shouldnt rely on somebody; we must achieve a success themselves. But it is very difficult for some people. They are used to plagiarize and cant live without this process. How can we discuss our education, if we copy somebodys work? We dont want to develop our thinking. We dont aspire to be well-educated, independent, purposeful, and self-confident and we dont want to be a person. We must know that our education only depends on ourselves. Laziness and unwillingness are motives of plagiarism. But how we can tell the difference between plagiarism and borrowing? When is borrowing over and plagiarism begins? At first sight these two notions are the same. But this opinion is deceptive. We meet borrowings in literature. New literary work is based on other ideas in literature, which are well-known for us. Problems, actions, themes and sometimes dialogues and inner monologues are very similar in each novel or story. Authors write about issue of the day. There are many problems, which will be vital at any time, in our life. But authors develop a subject in different ways. And of course they have different plots, characters and their own views on this problem. But we should be very careful with borrowings and know a distinction between borrowing and plagiarism. On the other hand, plagiarism possesses positive qualities. With plagiarism many things are passed on from generation to generation. For example, all inventions had appeared many years ago. But then somebody uses this idea and improves it. In such a way we get a new invention. In my conclusion I want to say, that plagiarism has more negative qualities, than positive. And it is a criminal action. We must remember that it is sued at law. But these things stop people very seldom. It is impossible to struggle with plagiarism, because people choose their life themselves. If they want to use somebody for the sake of their purpose, they will do it. One can show the right way to another, but he must choose how he wants to live.

Wipro BPO, India: Organisational Behaviour Case Study

Wipro BPO, India: Organisational Behaviour Case Study Scope- This assignment talks about the various concepts and ideas in organizational behavior and how they can be used to improve the working style of todays organizations. This assignment focuses on the WIPRO BPO India Limited and discuss about how the study of organizational behavior can be applied to the organizational operations of WIPRO BPO. This report will focus on the various concepts in organizational behavior such as motivation and management and their application in WIPRO BPO. LIMITATIONS- This assignment does not cover all the key concepts in the study of organizational behavior and also while using some of the key concepts for WIPRO BPO; we have made some assumptions in the analysis. FINDINGS- The Wipro BPO is a brand name in market and is a reputable company. Through its innovations and various other plans and measures it is able to improve its organizations working environment, style and performance over the years. Wipro BPO has made use of technology and innovation along with leadership and motivation in order to produce better results in business. Wipro has always tried to work hard to provide good infrastructure, working environment, growth opportunities and decentralized communication between the upper and the lower staff in order to provide a better, comfortable and happy working environment where its employees can grow, innovate and excel. We can see this effort of Wipro in its various training programs, quality of life that it provides and its focus on providing support for wealth, health and family issues of its employees. INTRODUCTION- Business process outsourcing business is one of the most successful and fastest growing field in the information technology service industry of India. As the name suggests in business process outsourcing the business or some part of the business such as accounting, pay roll, customer service etc is outsourced or being hand over to other company which have the expertise to perform that particular task more efficiently and at competitive prices. BPO is becoming very popular in todays business world as it helps to decrease the work load on a company at the same time helps the company to get that task done more efficiently in turn increasing the performance of the business. There are several reasons for the popularity and increase in the use of business process outsourcing worldwide. Primarily the companies focus on how to increase the performance of the different sections of the business which needs to be looked upon in order to improve the overall performance of the company rather then just outsourcing the business for cost cutting or load reduction . The other reason for why companies opt for outsourcing is that in this competitive business environment as companies grow the requirement of resources and expertise also increases in order to cope up with growth and to carry on the performance and further improve it. The lack of skillful people to perform a task can also be a reason for the outsourcing. Lastly the improvements and developments in the telecommunication and IT industry has made it possible to outsource the business in this globalized business world. the benefits of outsoucing are as follows:- increase the efficiency reduction in duties and load by outsourcing the non-core setions of business saves time,money ,manpower and operating expenditures. Reduce risks Improved quality od skilfull labour and services Gives time to emphasise on core functions of the business Some of the most common outsourced functions of a business are- Technical support Data entry/data processing Payroll Accounting Customer service telemarketing india is the fastest growing country in field of bpo industry as it has the plus point of skilfull labour,good infrastructure and the time difference with respect to the developed countries like USA AND UK due to which Indian companies can work in night for these countries. major players in BPO industry in India are WIPRO,DAKSH,CONVERGYS etc.. Wipro was started in 1945 and got in IT business in 1980. Wipro is listed in Mumbai stock exchange National stock exchange Newyork stock exchange Wipro bpo is a fast growing company which matches innovation with robust performance in providing IT enabled services to other countries Wipro has a workforce of tenthousand associates of more then seventy different nationalities and has more than 72 global branches in over 55 countries catering the business needs of other companies. Wipro has a stong RD department .it is first in the world which has the certification of SEI CMM of Level 5.With the help of resources and expertise wipro has immerged as a giant in innovating technology with around one hundered thirty six patents registered on its name. Wipro understand the importance of retained customers in doing a successful business and withits hardwork and focus towards its customer it is able to achieve a mark of around 95 percent of its total earnings from its retained customers. It provides service in different countries such as: USA EUROPE CHINA Wipro bpo provides different services:- Customer service Back end office service for transactions MOTIVATION AND ITS BACKGROUND The researchers have made use of variety of concepts/theories/ideas/models to study this vast field of motivation with respect to the organizational behavior in companies.motivatin can be defined as to excite the people to focus and apply their eeforts to their best in order achieve a particular goal.today in this fast growing world of competition and globalization there is an important need for managers to have a knowledge of various theories and knowledge og organizational behavior and how to make use of them in order to improve the performance of organization.the performance of an organization majorly depends on the workforce.no organization can excel without a skillfull labor though it has other resources available such as a good infastructuer and technology etc because at the end of the day tits being used by the workforce who are actually going to produce the output.thus there is a great need for the workforce to be motivated so that they dont loose their focus and apply best o f their effort in order to produce better result and enhace the performance of an organization.few of the most coomonly used motivational theories comes from the need theories which discuss and sheds light on the needs of the people and the conditions and the way in which they want the needs to be fulfilled. The need theory comprises of the Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and it explains the five types of needs in a pyramid format with the basic needs at the lower end and then it moves upwards covering the more complicated needs of people such as social,security,esteem and sef actualization needs. So basically if a persons different needs will be fulfilled then the person will be more satisfied and feel secure and happy and will be able to focus his mind more on the work because he will be free from these basic problems and thus the worker will be able to perform efficiently and optimally.the lower end of the maslows needs hierarchy model basically discusses and focus on the physiological needs of people such as food,shelter and clothing.once these needs are fulfilled then people want that they should achieve respect and recognization in the society. Maslows theory thinks that the fulfillment of the basic needs of peope has the highest motivating potential to drive the people to perfor m and achieve them. There is another researcher alderfers who proposed ERG theory.this theory does not disuss the five needs to define the motivation but instead has a thre stage model covering the following needs:- Existence needs-these are the needs which satisfy a particular condition for an individual. Growth needs-these are the needs which give satisfaction to an individual by participation,association and contribution. Relatedness needs-these needs satisfy the people by communication. In the maslows hierarchy the basic needs are most important and most desired and must be fulfilled for the satisfaction of the people but as we move upwars in the hierarchy there are other needs which if fulfilled will be greatly appreciated by the people. Expectany theory Another motivation theory is known as expectancy theory where we define expectations for the events to occur.this is done to create an interest in minds of people and to attract them.this work as a driving force for the people in order to reach to some decided goal and in order to create some change, which will act a s motivator to perform in order to achieve it in real..ÂÂ   Motivation here can be defined as comprised of- VALENCE-it can be defined as making people understand what is the outcome or the value they are going to get EXPECTANCY-This is to make people feel that they are capable of performing a task. INSTRUMENTALITY-This is to make people feel that if people will perform the task in a desired way they will be able to get the outcome. Goal theory In this theory we set certain goals for an individual which act as a challenge for them and act as driving force to push them to workhard and achieve them. These can be of two types- 1 directional goal-here the individual is motivated to perform by telling them reason and the way to perform. 2 accuracy goal-here the individual is motivated to perform in most accurate way and this is used when stake of inaccuracy is high. SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT S AND ITS BACKGROUND TAYLOR(1856-1915) Scientific management was invented by taylor.he introduced the use of incentives which can be used as driving and motivating force.he saw that if people are given rewards or incentives for performing their task then they take more interest and give their best efforts to fulfill the task. His study was comprised of the managing skills blended with his personal experience of working in the organizations.he emphasized on use of scientific approach to solve he problems encountered in practically managing the organization.his study was focused on the incentive as a stimulus to drive people to put effort in performing the task. Managers now a days still follow the studies carried by tailor and think that his techniques of measuring task and incentive has a positive impact on the work culture.taylor thought that people not able to perform efficiently is a common thing and it happens a lot but unnecessary usage of time and unplanned use of resources resulting in no output is inexcusable. Around 20 century taylor proposed the concept of scientific management.taylor gave it the name scientific management due to the following reasons- Taylor thought that all the different steps to be performed for the production task should be carefully examined and any redundant and avoidable actions in the process should be excluded.we should check and note the improvement in the production process. We should checkout how long the tasks left will take to get completed. After the outcomes should be checked in order to know how long each task has taken to get processed and as per these findings we should renumerate and punish the quicker and slower staff correspondingly. We should adopt and apply such practices in order to improve the performance of the staff and the production process. The study was applied in different production companies and it was noted that their was considerable improvement in the production process. NEO-HUMAN RELATIONS AND ITS BACKGROUND In the concept of Neo-human relation managers try to establish a persona touch with the staff in order to motivate then to perform well and achieve the desired goal. Contrary to the scientific management approach where there is no personal touch and the stimulus is if u perform well you will be recognized and rewarded but if you fail to perform the task and achieve the desired goal then you will be penalized.Neo-human relations approach is one of the most widely used approach now a days by the managers to improve the organization behavior.in this approach managers try to focus on fulfilling the needs of their employees in order to make them satisfied and happy,so that they can focus on the main objective of the company and perform at their best to achieve that goal.this approach focus on fulfilling all the necessary needs of the people like physiological, financial needs etc.the human relation also emphasized on the arguments,thinking and attitudes of the work group. McGregor proposed the theory X and Y, Maslow theory of needs and motivation theory proposed by Herzberg.who emphasized on the higeine factors are some of the theories that addup to the research and study of the concept of neo-human relations in organizational behavior. McGregor theory X and Y has the following assumptions Theory X assumed- People who are average dont like work People are lazy They try to stay away from work They need to be supervised. Theory y assumed- people are innovative people want accountability people can guide themselves if they are led free to perform they can use their potential and show their capability and worth. Maslow theory divides the needs of a person into five categories which are the physiological,social,safety and security,self esteem and self actualization.he believed that if these needs will be fulfilled then the worker will feel satisfied and inturn will perform to achieve these needs. Herzberg proposed the two factors theory.he carried an experiment to examine the attitudes,thinking and behavior of people when they were asked about how they feel at work and the reason for their behavior. From this experiment whe concluded a two factor theory 1 hygiene factors This includes- working environment supervisors policies of the company pay and wages 2 Motivation factor This incudes- rewards opportunities to grow the work itself responsibilities recognization the neo-relations along with the scientific management approach has given a new way of improving the organizational behavior and inturn the performance of the organization Scientific management and Wipro BPO- The scientific management approach regards that every worker can be motivated by rewards and penalities depending on their performance.wipro bpo has also followed this approach and taken different steps,plans and measures in order to apply this approach to improve the performance and also to create a fair deal for the workers that if they perform well then its their benefit because they will receive promotions,rewards and recognition in the company and if they will underperform or do not perform then they should be penalized and the severity of the penality depends on the level they have underperformed.it also benefits the company because the good performers will help the company to perform well and achieve its objectives and the underperformers will get punishments such as they have to undergo special training or special supervision or have to work for extra time in order to pay for their falt or in some cases will have to resign and leave the company.This will help the underperform ers to improve them and become better performers and contribute to achieve the objective of the company and increase its performance and in case they are unable to improve them after the efforts and the special attention given to them then in that case the companies will throw these underperformers and will get rid of then.so the rewards and penalties will act as a stimulus to motivate people to focus on their job objective and to perform well. Wipro bpo has also added certain plans which are benefitial for the employer as well as for the company.the company has introduced various types of rewards and certain guidelines which the employer have to follow and have to fulfill those conditions in order to achieve them. Some of these incentives which are added to the organizational plan of the wipro bpo are mentioned below:- 1 Attendence incentive- Wipro bpo has introduced a unique and an effective scheme of attendance incentive which will reward the worker as per their punctuality and regularity in the work.since we know that the regularity of the worker is very important for the company to get the tasks done and thus by this measure Wipro Bpo is able to achieve the consistency of regularity of its workers.here the stimulus which motivate the workers to come regularly is the attendance incentive or the extra pay that they can earn.once they start coming regularly by the motivation and driving force they have recieved through this plan of attendance incentive,it will become a habit for them to become regular and punctual in their work.this will help wipro to improve its work culture. 2 processed based performance pay- Wipro has adopted another plan of processed based incentive pay wherein it provides a fair chance to the working staff to perform well and become eligible for this processed based performance pay.here the stimulus which drive the workers to perform well is the extra salary they are going to receive if they will perform well.here the company also keeps in mind that it gives the basic salary to the workers in case they are not able to perform well or underperform.this will fulfill the basic needs of the workers but at the same time when the other workers will get the reward of this extra salary for their good performance then it will create an environment of competition between the various workers and therefor to achieve the PBPP and in urge of competing with the other employees the worker will try to give his best in order to perform well and this will inturn improve the performance of the company. 3 Productivity linked incentive-This is another incentive plan where in the worker recives the reward in the form of extra pay if he will perform which proves to be productive i.e his performance will earn profit for the company.here also the stimulus or the motivating factor is to achieve this incentive by performing well which will inturn increase the productivity of the company. The other measures taken by the Wipro bpo is special training to the underperformers.for example-if you are a telecaller associate and you are unable to perform well in taking your call then wipro bpo will have a supervision on you and your team leader will pay attention to you and will also inform you that your performance is going down and will guide you and give you time to improve and prove yourself.in case you are unable to improve and consistentaly keep on underperforming then you will be placed off calls either partially like for few hours of your whole shift or fully based on the level of your underperformance and then will be given special training to improve yourself where you are lagging.incase you are unable to perforam after so much efforts from the company then you are pur on probation period for three months and if there will be extra requirement in the other processes of the company and if company thinks that you are suitable to work in that process then the company w ill take you in,otherwise you have to leave the company at the end of the mentioned probation period. The other steps taken by the company includes the promotions and to be eligible to get promoted you have to perform to a certain required level.thus the promotion act as a driving force to motivate the workers to perform well to reach their desired position and to get the recognition they always wanted.this also helps the workers to fulfill their higher level needs such as self esteem,self actualization. Thus we can see that here the wipro has used the system of rewards and penalities and has followed the taylors scientific approach of management in order to improve its performance. MOTIVATION AND WIPRO BPO- Wipro bpo has also followed different theories of motivation in order to motivate the workers to perform well.this can be seen in its thinking which it call as the spirit of wipro and also the quality of life, career and growth opportunities and the attention it gives regarding the issues related to the health and family of it employees.we have studied different theories of motivation and now we will find how wipro has made use of them to increase the performance and efficiency of its organization. Wipro gives a good salary and a working environment as well as security of job to its emloyess.as discussed earlier there are several incentives based on the way you perform within the organization.the company also has introduced various rewards and recognition within the organization which are also achievable if you perform well within the organization.thus wipro is able to fufill the lowerlevel as well as the higher level needs of its employees.According to the maslows theory of motivation he has categorized the various needs of the workers into the higher and lower level needs.the lower level needs includes phsycological needs(food,shelterand clothing),safety needs and security needs.wipro is able to fulfill these need as dicussed above by providing salary.incentives and job security to its employees.the higher level needs are self esteem and self actualization and for this purpose wipro offers various rewards,recognization and growth opportunities wherein one can perform and prov e his worth and abilities.according to maslow once these needs are fulfilled,workers feels satisfied and to achive them they perform at their best..thus this will act as a driving force or stimulus which will led the workers perform well.In this way wipro has followed the maslows hierarchy of needs to imrove the organizational behavior and the performance of the organization. According to Herzberg two factor theory which has been discussed earlier in this assignment,he has divided the theory in two parts- 1 hygiene factors 2 motivation factors Now the wipro bpo has also taken certain steps and measures to fufill these factors.wipro bpo provides a good infrastructure,facilities and working environment to its employees which includes- 24 hour cafeteria,gym,pickup and drop facilities.concierge desk,online HR help,recreation facilities etc.wipro bpo is a brand name ,a big global company which has a good business reputation,thus it provides a sence of job security to its employees.companies do business globally all over world and to maintain its standards the company has some strict policies and quality administration.company also focus on providing health facilities such as dr max onsite(an onsite service by the doctors),mediclaim and accident insurance.company also provides knowledgable and experienced supervisors and trainers who help the employees to improve their performance.thus by giving all these provisions wipro is able to focus on the fulfillment of the hygiene factors of the Herzberg two factor theory of motivation.w ipro also focus on providing good and handsome salaries to its employees along with rewards and recognition based on the way the employee performs.wipro provides multiple growth opportunities through its various programs like STEP,wings within and career mosaic.it also has a provision of inhouse education initiative through its program called seed.wipro has introduced performance management system and employee engagement program wherein one gets an opportunity of advancement and feeling of responsibility.wipro also provides different trainings(from new hire training to development training).with all these plans and provision wipro is able to fufill the motivation factors of the Herzberg two factor theory.in this way Wipro BPO has applied the herzbergs two factor theory to inprove the organizational behavior and its performance. CONCLUSION- We have discussed various concepts of organizational behavior and how these studies can be applied to improve the performance of an organization.toaday inthis modern world of business most of the companies make use on these concepts of organizational behavior to improve their efficiency and output.We have dicussed the three main concepts in detail which are motivation , scientific management approach and the noe-relations approach.we have find that this concepts contribute in their own way to the betterment of the organizations behavior and performance,which has been discussed in detail above.we have also seen that one of a veru successful company and big brand name in the business process outsourcing industry,Wipro BPO has been successful in making use of these concepts and theories and able to get benefit out of it.thus it is proved that to run the organizations successfully and to become a successful manager one should have deep knowledge and understanding of the different concept s and studies carried in the field of organizational behavior and how to apply them to improve the performance and efficiency of the organization. The Media: Reporting Of Crime The Media: Reporting Of Crime If crime has fallen to such an extent why is it that media reporting of crime levels indicate that the opposite is the case and what impact does that have on public perceptions of community safety The Home Office has been publishing statistics on crime for over 150 years. Until the 1980s it was largely reliant on police figures and in many other countries this is still the case. Statistics come from police records are a measure of police activity and are often used to gain an understanding of the performance of the police to target the use of resources, it does not mean that they are not necessarily a good measure of crime. Since the early 1980s police statistics have been supplemented by data from the British Crime Survey, which asks a representative sample of the household population about their experiences of crime over the year prior to interview. As with any victimisation survey, the BCS also has its limitations, but it is generally accepted as a more reliable measure of trends in the common types of crime against individuals or households. The need for two sources of crime statistics is undoubtedly one factor that contributes to distrust, as was acknowledged by interview ees inside and outside the Home Office. For statisticians and criminologists, the two types of data complement one another: the absence of either source would lead to huge gaps in our knowledge about crime. For the media, the public and many politicians, however, the two sources often seem to compete for attention. How easy it is for the impression of cherry-picking to take hold. This is a particular problem when the two sources of data show contradictory trends, A drop in crime, while good news, is not as newsworthy as an increase. Within an overall reduction there is likely to be a mixed picture, with some crimes going up and others down. The existence of the two data sources, which can show contradictory trends, makes it even easier either to cherry pick for something that has gone up, Well the thing is theyve got two figures that they measure crime by and ones the British Crime Survey and ones the, I think its the actual figures that are recorded by the police. And they keep changing which one theyre highlighting depending on which ones the best and so the police one is actually a much lower figure than the British Crime Survey, although the British Crime Surveys gone down a lot so theyre highlighting that. (Participant in MORI focus group). Violent crime in itself is one of those that have gone up, there were over a million violent offences recorded in 2008-2009. Violent crime has increased from 615,985 offences in 1998-9 to 1034,972, an increase of 68 percent. Gun crime (excluding air weapons) are down by 17 percent in 2008-9 but still 58 per cent higher than in 1998-9. ( Home Office, Crime in England and Wales 2008-9, 22 October 2009, Revised Table 2.04) . this goes to show how easy it is to manipulate the figures, figures could have gone down from the previous year but my still be higher than previous years, this is done to try and gain points by the government and the police. Using the example of violent crime show the strengths and weaknesses of police recorded crime figures. According to the Home Office Police statistics provide a good measure of trends in well reported crimes, are an important indicator of police workload, and can be used for local crime pattern analysis (Home Office 2004). Violent crime has always been an issue of concern for both the government and the public. One issue that remains is how reliable these statistics are, are they creating an atmosphere of panic and tension within the general public Violent crime is an issue of considerable public concern. These may include the volume and violent crimes that include; sexual offences, gun and knife crime, domestic violence, race and other hate crime. In particular, it is expected for the partners to pay close attention to the levels of domestic violence that are ongoing, as this information about crime is unlikely to be recovered through the recorded crime figures. We expect partnership s to consider how best to uphold the emphasis on tackling domestic burglary, vehicle crime and robbery. Reducing harms caused by illegal drugs is a good way to reduce it, considering how they progress and following it up by aiding them to get out of the crime world. Treatment centers and availability to enter these places for those in the Criminal Justice System and they should also set challenges and targets for vulnerable young people. Following the publication of the Governments 2004 spending review and the Home Offices new five year Strategic Plan, the Home Office will have seven new Public Service Agreement targets (PSAs) for the period March 2005 to 2007/08. It is through these targets that they will try and achieve the objectives that have been set out in the Home Office Strategic Plan. Partnership activities will influence and support delivery of all the Home Office PSAs, but their work will be especially influential in the delivery of: PSA1 (to reduce crime by 15%, and more in high crime areas, by 2007/08). PSA2 (to reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour, and building confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) without compromising fairness). PSA3 (to bring 1.25 million offences to justice in 2007/08). PSA4 (reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs including substantially increasing the number of drug misusing offenders entering treatment through the CJS). PSA6 (increase voluntary and community engagement, especially amongst those at risk of social exclusion). Partnerships will be expected to set challenging targets locally in order to reduce crime, disorder and drug related incident in their communities. Government Offices will help and support partnerships to achieve the required outcomes. Partnerships are currently ranked on rates of recorded crime per head of population but only for vehicle crime, burglary and robbery. Using the new measure produces a different list of partnerships in the top 40. The recorded crime British Crime Survey is the provider of statistics that the police record that cover the crime types that are most similar to those obtained by the BCS. As part of the delivery of PSA1 at a regional and local level, the Home Office has clear expectations of the level of performance required from each region and each partnership within it. The Regional performance indicator is the level of reduction needed regionally to support delivery of the PSA at a national level. The Home Office will use this as a regional performance in dicator to monitor the contribution, at a regional level, to the delivery of PSA1. The Home Office expects partnerships to set challenging targets to support delivery of all PSAs, as appropriate, especially PSAs 1, 2 and 4. The nature of PSA1 means that there are particular expectations of partnership performance and targets to support the 15% and more reduction. The processing of media information on crime is based on a short-term, fast-paced and surface level research, which can limit the types of information circulating, and disregard crucial issues. Often news reports of crime read information on the offender, place of crime, and victim, with little devoted to the context of how offending or victimization occurs. In addition, the medias rapid analysis and assessment of crime trends and outcomes of the implementation of public policies at the local level can hinder effective and successful prevention. Crime prevention practitioners emphasize the importance of prevention strategies which are characterized by long-term action, and based on a solid diagnosis that takes into account the complexity of the causes of crime and their interactions. Therefore, news reporting of crime is not favourable to these approaches. The way the news media represents crime often includes newsworthy stories that act on emotion more than on fact, and focus on neg ative images of crime in communities. The fact that the public rely on the media to inform us allows them to manipulate the way we feel about crime. In addition Chiricos et al (2000) finds that local and national news are related to fear of crime. The effect of local news on fear of crime is stronger for residents in high crime areas and those who experienced victimization. In terms of audience effects, fear of victimization will depend on who is viewing the crime stories. Research indicates that residents in high crime urban areas who watch a large amount of television are more likely to be afraid of crime (Doob and MacDonald, 1979; Gerbner et al, 1980). Another important factor is whether audience members have direct victim experience or share characteristics that make them crime vulnerable. Research indicates that media sources will be more meaningful when direct experience is lacking (Gunter, 1987; Liska and Baccaglini, 1990; Skogan and Maxfield, 1981). For example, Liska and Baccaglini (1990) find that media influence was strongest for females, whites and the elderly, which are segments of the population least likely to be victimized. In another study, Chiricos et al (1997) find that the frequency of watching television news and listening to the news on the radio is significantly related to fear. Their research indicates that television news consumption is significantly related to fear only for white females between the ages of 30 and 44. This is similar to other findings that suggest that watching crime on television has a greater effect for women and whites, who have low victim risk compared to males and non whites (Gerbner et al., 1980). New Labour once had a slogan: Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime. That meant: it treated criminals more harshly, but also tried harder to tackle the causes of crime. One of New Labours most remarkable political achievements, during its first term of office, was to have forged a `Third Way law and order position that has successfully challenged the idea that social democratic political parties are by definition `soft on crime'. This outlined key strategies reinforcing New Labours core governmental project of `modernization through managerialization in criminal justice. There was a focus on crime reduction and youth justice. It was pivotal to realizing New Labours long-term objective of commanding the centre ground of law and order politics in the UK. We argue that an institutionalization and normalization of managerialism is taking place to resolve the contradictions, tensions and disconnections generated by the Conservatives incomplete public sector reform project and to cr eate the basis for achieving the long held ideal of a cost-effective, efficient, seamless criminal justice system. There are controversial opinions as to whether crime has fallen due to the criminal justice policy instigated by New Labour. The idea that crime has fallen has emerged from examples from statistical evidence. However, if you were to look into these sources, together with the idea that certain aspects of crime are not considered in certain surveys, provokes inevitable controversy. This analysis explores the arguments both supporting and contradicting this statement. According to these statistics there was a rise in crime from 1981 to 1995 followed by a decrease. In 1995 the BCS figures indicated there were almost 20 million incidents, but this had decreased to just under 11 million by 2005 (Garside, 2006). New Labour came to power in 1997 and over the years has extensively increased expenditure in the criminal justice system in an effort to reduce crime by increasing the number of police officers and the number of prison places available. They introduced anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), founded the Serious Organised Crime Agency and increased spending in the probation service, crown courts and Crown Prosecution Service (Eades, et al 2007, p.19). Since 1995 the BCS has shown that wounding has decreased by 40% and common assault by 49% and also that Labour has met its targets to reduce vehicle crime and domestic burglaries (Home Office, 2006, p.65). Combining data from ten sweeps of the British Crime Survey, it suggests that public confidence is based less on instrumental concerns about crime and more on expressive concerns about neighbourhood stability. Therefore, confidence may be driven not by fear of crime but by concerns about disorder, consistency and informal social control. Members of the public look to the police as representatives of community safety and guards as they address everyday problems and strengthen social order. To increase public confidence and decrease the fear of crime, the police need to interact more with the public and take an active part of the community and represent and defend community values, norms and morals. A very important factor when examining the impact of fear of crime, is determining whether or not the fear is proportionate to the actual incidence of crime. When the fear of crime is proportionate, people are aware of the risks associated with various personal violence offences. This level of fear or concern can encourage good personal safety habits and increased home and property security, therefore minimising the risks of becoming a victim themselves. When the fear of crime becomes disproportionate to the reality, it now becomes a negative effect on a persons lifestyle and quality of life. These effects can include: people avoiding situations and limit thier movements, sometimes to the extent that they become reluctant to leave their own home. not only do they limit where they may go but they may also refrain from doing activites that they enjoyed due to this disproportionate overwhelming fear. Police precense will make people feel more at ease and safe around their area. Educating the society about crime and crime prevention could be another way to tackle this. Getting the society involved in both crime prevention through social development and in community based justice programs such as Youth Justice Committees, supervision of youth doing Community Service work. D irect citizen involvement in justice leads to a better informed citizenry, who then are more understanding of what impacts crime and how to change it. (www.policereform.gov.uk) http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/aud00.htm http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/monitoring-reports/index.html

Prader-Willi Syndrome Essay -- essays research papers

Prader-Willi Syndrom Prader-Willi Syndrome is a serious genetic disorder that begins at birth with no known cure ; causing mental retardation,short stature,low muscle tone,incomplete sexual development,and its main charecteristic,the desire to eat everything and anything in sight. Prader-Willi syndrome was first known as Prader-Labhart-Willi Syndrome after three Swiss doctors who first described the disorder in 1956. The doctors described a small group of kids with obesity, short stature and mental deficiency , neonatal hypotonia (floppiness) and a desire to constantly eat because they are always hungry. Many other features of PWS have since been described, but extreme obesity and the health problems associated with being fat are the most prominent features. Individuals with PWS have some but not all of the same features and symptoms. PWS is a birth defect. A defect in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain, is suspected to be the cause.The hypothalamus determines hunger and satiety.They can’t fell satiety,so they always have a urge to eat.Some PWS cases are so out of control thay will eat bottlecaps,glass,pencils,garbage,bugs,dogfood, and anything else they can stuff in their mouths. "The ingenuity and determination of PWS children in surreptitiously obtaining edibles is almost legendary and belies their cognitive defects. Serial weighing may be the only way to discover whether such a child is, in fact, stealing food"(Finey,1983). PWS occurs in about l in 10,000 births. It occurs in both males and females equally and is found in people of all races and all nations.It is one of the ten most common conditions seen in genetics clinics. Young people with PWS resemble each other very much.Most of the time, they look like brother and sister. Most of PWS people have almond shaped eyes, narrow foreheads, downturned mouth, thin upper lip and a small chin. Other common features are : obesity , they may be short; they have small hands and feet; have a skin picking habit, thick and sticky saliiva,incomplete sexual development, a curved spine (scoliosis),and chronic sleepiness. PWS patients also have similar personalities: talkative, friendly,extreme attempts towards getting food,arguementivness,repetitve thoughts and behavior, stubbornness, frequent temper tantrums, and sometimes sudden acts of violence. Most people with PWS have some degree of men... ...th PWS after six months of growth hormone treatment Other significant actions of growth hormone that have been reported is an improvement of muscle mass, muscle strength, energy expenditure, bone mineralization ,sexual development ,and also a decrease in fat mass ,have led to further investigations in people with PWS. Children with PWS have distinct behavioral abnormalities because of all the frustrations associated with the syndrome. These behaviors may begin as early as two years of age. They will get a variety of different eating behaviors like foraging for food, secretly eating large amounts of food, and other attempts to continue eating. Other problems include verbally and physically aggressive behaviors such as lying, stealing, scratching and skin picking. Tantrums and unprovoked outbursts are common among children and youths with PWS. People with mild cases of PWS can do many things their normal peers can do,such as go to school,get jobs,and sometimes even move away from home.However they need a lot of help.Kids going to school would need to be enrolled in special education programs(Otherwise they’d be eating their pencil and paper).They need to be constantly supervised.

Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Essay example -- Anti Discri

Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory The "2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals" held that those business practices that have had a disparate impact effect on the older workers are now considered to be actionable under one national anti-discrimination law (Hamblett, 2004). The case does reaffirm a second Circuit precedent that had been set but which is at odds with what a majority of federal courts have held. The appeals court supported the idea that a layoff plan had been properly brought under the The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) although the company did not have the intention of discriminating. The case Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory did in fact uphold the jury's findings that employees who are on the older side had lost their jobs through a layoff plan. This discrimination was unintentional. However, the policy did have an impact that was deemed discriminatory and the firm could have reached its goals through a different method that would not effectively discriminate. The reason for the suit had to do with the fact that thirty of thirty-one people who were laid off were over the age of forty. There were 26 plaintiffs who did go to trial while some of the others settled with the company on their own. In the end, the jury awarded plaintiffs a total award of $4.2. The case was appealed and at the time, Knolls argued that the law really does not allow disparate impact claims, citing Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, 507 U.S. 604 (1993), where a claim involved disparate treatment and what was needed was proof of intentional discrimination. The Court claims that the Ha zen Paper Court had not resolved the appropriate use of ADEA in terms of disparate impact. It was further stated that the decisions to come from other circuits do not necessarily overrule prior cases. The idea that disparate impact claims may not be allowed under ADEA is therefore rejected. It seems that the major issue here is whether or not one can use age as a factor in terms of discrimination when the discrimination was not intentional. If for example it turns out that the people who are laid off are over the age of 40, even though no malicious intent is discovered, it still may be construed as age discrimination. This issue has been somewhat controversial for some time, as most litigants in age discrimination lawsuits realize that they ... ...g went to the fact that even though the business did not purposely discriminate, it did in fact due to a policy that is discriminatory in nature. In other words, the true reason for the firing was directly related to substance abuse. Although the employee was technically not let go due to the abuse specifically, the fact that this occurred in fact is enough to render the policy unfair. I feel that this law provides great value to my workplace as, it protects those who have made mistakes at the workplace due to a disability. In this case it was substance abuse, but the same concept could be applied to other conditions that alter behavior. References Hamblett, M. (2004, August 26). 2nd Circuit: Impact of Employer Acts Grounds for Suit: Court rules on disparate impact theory of recovery. New York Law Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2005 from http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180422885 SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES RAYTHEON CO. v. HERNANDEZ: CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT. No. 02—749. Argued October 8, 2003–Decided April 2, 2003. Retrieved April 4, 2005 from http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-749.ZS.html

The Definition of Success :: Definition Essays

The Definition of Success 'One has achieved success who has lived well and laughed often.'; This quote seems to sum up what is meant by success. If you are able to laugh often and much then you have definitely achieved happiness. The idea of living well, though, is a very broad statement. In order, then, to define success in relation to this statement, we must first define what it means to live well. There are three levels of success, in my opinion: societal success, personal success, and academic or professional success. If someone can achieve all of these three levels of success, they are someone who has lived well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Societal success is something that is attained by aspiring to reach your own goals and dreams in cohorts with the goals that society has for us. Societal success also has a lot to do with the natural tendencies we as humans posses. The typical societal goals that we would naturally have for ourselves would be to meet someone, fall in love and get married. We are also apt to identify having good friends with having achieved socially. We have achieved societal success, typically, if we have met the right person, lived happily, started a family and raised our children well. A part of societal success is also to learn to treat people well; to practice the 'golden rule.'; We need to fill these goals that society has for us and attempt to achieve societal success in order to fill our need to belong to society and fit in as an every day, functioning member of society. We also realize the personal goals and dreams that we set for ourselves in this pursuit of conformity. A chieving this civic success, as you might call it, is only a small part of our venture to living well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personal success is also a big part of living well. 'There is only one success . . . to be able to spend your life in your own way, and not to give others absurd maddening claims upon it.'; This quote by Christopher Morley describes what is really meant by personal success. Personal success has to do with being happy. One can only be truly happy if they are happy and secure with themselves. Personal success is about being yourself and not being afraid to do so. It is about not letting others dictate your life or make you feel that you have to change who you are.