HRM policies in support of organizational objectives Essay

Employee role for achieving organizational objectives is based on several factors. Each factor is either interrelated to other or may have direct impact on employee performance considering strategic HRM policies. Rewards play a very important role in influencing employee behavior towards meeting organizational goals and increasing their motivational level that positively supports organizational commitment. Different jobs have diversifying demands for the offering of benefits to employees depending on the constituencies of each benefit system. However, employees focus on goals achievement behavior and thus adopt a comprehensive policy for providing benefits to employees. These benefits include on-service perks and bonuses off-service compensation packages in the form of different pension plans. Benefits and rewards system affect a set of individual factors that in combine enable the organization to implement their strategic HRM policies as for supporting organizational objectives. It must be ensured that these benefits and compensation system complies the equity principle thus increasing the harmony and address the recognition, employee rights, motivation, behavioral control, and employee performance management issues. These benefits are directly dependant on the type of the job and employee demands. Younger employees are seem to be more oriented towards higher pay earnings whereas old employees show long term return concern in terms of pension and retirement packages. Implementation of strategic HRM policies in organization becomes great challenge due to resistance by employees as such policies also concern change management in uncertain market conditions. Companies offer numerous benefits such as annual bonuses, perks, overtime allowances, plussage, premia, and other incentives either based on individual performance or group performance. Such bonuses are essential if companies aim at getting benefit from the skills and services of employees for longer term, due to unique skills and potential capability to grow in organization in future. Overtime allowances and premia are essential to motivate the employees for working in odd working timings or more than the usual working hours. In order to support short run operations of firm such allowances enable policy makers to achieve objectives through effective utilization of HRM policies. In order to classify the performance of employee in manufacturing concern firms performance based bay deem appropriate facilitating rewarding the employees based on the results and goals achieved. Concerning the goal based approach, performance based pay is productive to regulate and motivate employees towards achieving higher productive outcomes measured in terms of quantifiable objectives. In contrast to that, skill based pay supports the strategic HRM policy implementation when organizations are unable to classify the objectives in real terms; objectives are set based on the viability of employees to achieve through utilizing their skills qualitative in nature. It must be ensured that skills based rewards require assessing the monetary rewards considering the impact of business growth expansion. Positively valuing the competency of employee increases the motivation level and subsequently results in greater organization commitment. However, this pay system is not suitable to achieve organization objectives in rapidly changing working environment as specific skills become obsolete due to inadequacy to conform latest business requirement. Strategic HRM policies aimed at assessing the potential opportunities for firm in long term by involvement of employees in decision making thus setting the common goal set as corporate objective. Pension plans offer more convenience to firms when they need to retain employees for longer duration; thus in order to profound the policies on regulating employees, pension plans convey the focus towards increasing employee performance aligning to organizational objectives. Occupational pension schemes in addition to state pension scheme offers employee recognition based on their service duration; proper conveying the return outcome to employees especially who are more oriented towards organization goals achievement and shows higher level organizational commitment. Group personal schemes in addition to state pension scheme increases the capability of organization for delivery of HRM policies to sustain in market for longer duration; employees involvement in such programs shows the willingness of employees to understand the organization objectives and potential capability associating to aligning behavior and driving the employees in a particular directional objectives of organization. In addition to pension benefits to permanent employees of organization, adjoining compensation packages and rewards giving the allowances such as sick pay, overtime allowances, and fringe benefits in the form of premia, special compensation for higher research studies, and providing utility facilities such as company maintained cars, employee health insurance, medical allowance, providing company maintained house for specific number of employees. These rewards affect the intrinsic motivational factors of employees due to trust of company being shown in employees by offering various forms of rewards and benefits; classifies the ability to deliver strategic HRM policies based on the situation need and ability of employees of conform. Flexible benefits given to employees are more suitable due to its convenience in practical implication in driving employees’ behavior pertaining to the objectives setting and long term goals achievement. HRM policies must deliver the clear information to employees for the related expectation and demands that address the organization goal setting and strategies adopted to achieve such goals.

Black Asthetics and Toni Morrison

The black arts, or the black aesthetic, movement was born among the black artist as a response to the ideologies of the black power in the 1960’s. The movement was a continuation of the 1920’s and 1930’s Harlem Renaissance that had begun the tradititon of rediscovering the roots os black culture and heritage,dating back to slavery. Some of the major literary figures of the Harlem era included authors James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen. The Black arts emerged to promote art that illustrated African-American music, languages, heritage, and beauty. In order to be substantial, art had to have a proudly black subject matter and style; be it sculpture, a piece of music, a novel or a poem. Empowered by the concepts of the black power, the movement inspired the emergence of the black theatre groups, magazines, and printing presses. Literature influenced by the black arts concepts struggled to abandon W. E. B. Du Bois’ idea of double consciousness, which meant blacks were constantly struggling towards the white culture’s ideals, even though the dominant society disabled them for reaching the Eurocentric goals. Mirroring themselves against the value structure of the oppressive white society was depriving the blacks of their empowerment. Black writers wanted to concentrate on solving the problems of the African-American community from the inside, developing awareness of the rich black heritage and gearing the co mmunity to realize it worth. The Black Arts movement brought the time for blacks to stop internalizing the image of being the inferior in the society as a whole. The black population had to find strength, beauty and self esteem within the black community. The black arts, characterized by acute awareness, produced writers like Toni Morrison, Ishmael Reed, and Alice Walker. Toni Morrison undeniably is an author who internalizes the main concerns of the black aesthetic. She writes about black oppression, consciousness and tradition. Her major characters’ are black and they are in constant search for their ethnic identity. The first African American writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993, Toni Morrison is a leading voice in current debates about the construction of race and black marginality in literature and culture. As a prominent writer of the age she refuses to allow race to be marginalized in literary discourse. Throughout her writing Morrison uses narrative forms to express African Americans' dislocated, oral tradition, and culture, and reclaim African American's historical experiences. She profoundly uses the fictive narratives to transfigure the old south; the bedrock of black dehumanization, degradation and sorrow into an archetypal black homeland, a cultural womb that lays claim to history's orphaned, defamed and disclaimed African children. In her novels Morrison humanizes black characters in fictions that strive to overcome and excavate enforced invisibility of African Americans' social reality. Morrison critiques the mainstream thinking and acclaims that black writers and black characters are the relative means by which text demonstrates to be human and superior. Imagination is possible in the presence of black characters and black contents. At the same time talking African discourse is inferior and submissive tends to impoverish cultural interpretation of reality. Morrison questions the validity and vulnerability of a set of assumptions conventionally accepted and taken for granted among literary historians and critics. Africanist presence, in a constitutive part in the entire history has been rejected. Morrison in Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and Literary Imagination proposes, â€Å"[t] he contemplating of this black presence in central to any understanding of our national literature and should not be permitted to hover at the margins of the literary imagination† (5). Morrison argues that American culture is built on, and is premised by, and always includes, the presence if blacks', as slaves, as outsiders. She likens the unwillingness of academics in a racist society to see the place of Africanism in literature and to the centuries of unwillingness to see a favorite discourse, concerns and identity. She posits whiteness as the ‘Other' of blackness, a dialectical pair, each term both creates and excludes the other: no freedom without slavery, no white without black. The major themes of Toni Morrison's writing is to redefine the notion of white American canonical texts and their idea of African American writing as being non-canonical or inferior. She demonstrates the idea of racial superiority and hegemonic culture in her writings. Morrison, in the preface of her critical work Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and Literary Imagination says she is â€Å"struggling with and through a language that can powerfully evoke and enforce hidden signs of racial superiority, cultural hegemony and dismissive ‘Othering' of people and language which by no means marginal or already and completely known and knowable in my work† (XI). It is clear that Morrison's writing is different from that of mainstream white discourse, which always bserves that African American literature is subsidiary product. Her intention, thorough her writing , is to reinterpret and redefine the hidden, dislocated and alienated Afro-American presence in American mainstream discourse and claim that Afro-Americans are no more inferior human beings. Toni Morrison's fiction demonstrates a central interest in the issues of boundary, attachment, and separation. Her characters experience themselves as wounded, or imprisoned by racial and economic divisions within American culture. The boundaries that circumscribe black people are not only the prejudices and restrictions that bar their entry into the mainstream but the psychological ones they internalize as they develop in a social structure that historically has excluded them. Toni Morrison draws from a rich store of black oral tradition as well as from her own imaginative angle of vision to illuminate the potentialities for both annihilation and transcendence within black experience. Black lore, black music, black language and all the myths and rituals of black culture are the most prominent elements in Toni Morrison's writing. She feels a strong connection to ancestors because they were the culture bearers. She thinks that it is the responsibility of African American writers to dig out that annihilated history and secure the importance of it in the making of American civilization. Toni Morrison ranks among the most highly regarded and widely read fiction writers and cultural critics in America. As a critic she refuses to allow race to be relegated to the margins of literary discourse. She focuses on the importance of African American's oral and musical culture and to reclaim black historical experiences. Morrison says that African American have rediscovered texts that have long been suppressed or ignored, have sought to make places for African American writing within the canon, and have developed ways of interpreting these works.Works CitedMorrison, Toni.  Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1992. Print â€Å"Toni Morrison.†Ã‚  Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 21 May 2011. Web. 23 May 2011. .Welcome to Black Aesthetics Institute. Web. 23 May 2011. .

Belonging represented in Peter

Belonging represented in Peter Essay As illustrated in Peter Jerkinesss Immigrant Chronicle poetry, having a strong sense of self-knowledge understanding and a deep connection to ones own culture, beliefs and values develops a feeling of belonging to and knowing ones self, and in turn, a strong sense of belonging to humanity. Feline Crooknecks, SST Patriots College and 10 Mary Street all support this thesis and position the reader to consider the concepts of belonging from the perspective of someone who feels alienated, excluded and alone. The poem Feline Crooknecks tells us of Pewters father, his life, and his clear sense of belonging. It explores the concepts of familial, cultural and self-belonging, and reveals the regretful feelings of Peter, in relation to his alienation, his familys migration and the filial bond with his father. The clear and possibly most significant message of the poem is that belonging comes from within, and requires an accepting and peaceful attitude. These concepts are expressed through the use of poetic devices and language techniques, which show the differences between the attitudes of father and son. The admiration Peter has for his father is evident in the first line -My gentle father. The use of the word gentle introduces Feline as a kind, peaceful man, and the possessive pronoun my can suggest a sense of ownership or the yearning to be associated with Feline. The fathers independence and emotional self- efficiency is evident in the first stanza Kept pace only with the Joneses of his own minds making. The reference to The Joneses is important to consider, as it not only refers to mainstream society, but Australian mainstream society. It shows that Feline is at peace with himself and has retained his own cultural beliefs, despite being pressured to assimilate and adopt a new way of life, and in result, has a strong sense of belonging. The repeated reference to Feline garden shows his compassion, connection with nature and dedication, and also his willingness to work hard. It signifies something that belongs to him, in a foreign and unfamiliar world. Throughout the poem, ideals of language are discussed. This shows language as a factor of belonging, and that it can be seen as a potential barrier that prevents the development of belonging. The language indifference between father, son and the community illustrates this barrier, and presents cultural identity as a concept of inclusion and belonging. As the distance between Peter and his Polish heritage grows, Feline accepts that his son, growing up in Australia, cannot adopt the same sense of cultural belonging that he has. While Feline is at peace and accepts the unavoidable, Peter has a completely different attitude. He feels a strong sense of regret and affliction towards his past, and feels that if only he had embraced his Polish culture, he would have belonged in his family. However, this is not the case. Peter felt isolated because he failed to form a strong connection with his inner self, not because he adopted the Australian way of life. As Peter has not developed a strong sense of self-belonging, he does not feel at peace, and does not realism that the cultural indifference and eventual complete disconnection between father and son was inevitable. Peter Crooknecks expresses feelings of regret throughout the poem, which can reveal he does not truly understand the concept of belonging. His fathers beliefs and circumstances provide a contrast to Pewters perspective and suggest that the poets reflection of his childhood and adolescence is not relative t the concepts of truly belonging that acceptance and self-sufficiency lead to a strop sense of belonging to ones self, and therefore, to humanity. Peter realizes that to truly belong somewhere or with someone, you must firstly establish a strong sense self. In addition, Pewters regret indicates a yearning to belong to his family and ultra. READ: The poem Brothers explores the relationship between two brothers EssayThis disconnection is evident in the third stanza, as we learn of Pewters detachment from his fathers Polish heritage, illustrated in the line l never got use to and with the use of an ellipsis to suggest uncertainty, doubt and deep thought. Appears that Peter Crooknecks has become more familiarized with feelings of isolation and alienation, than feelings of completion and belonging. This shows that without sense of belonging to ones self, belonging to humanity is impossible. SST Patriots College discusses Jerkinesss feelings of isolation at school. It provide a reflective account enabled by hindsight and his experience. It reveals his feelings that erupted from migration, alienation and not developing a sense of belonging u much later in life. The overall theme of the poem is Pewters failure to assimilate despite the years he spent at school and that, ironically, it was not until after shoo that Peter feels he truly learnt anything. This theme is established through the use techniques such as repetition, symbolism, and imagery, which help to create and maintain a sarcastic, mocking tone. The first line of the first stanza For eight year would indicate routine and familiarity. However, this idea is contradicted in lines seven of stanza three, where Peter describes himself as a foreign tourist, which would indicate feelings of being lost in a strange, unfamiliar place. The word tour could also represent Pewters feelings of isolation in the way that a tourist is an observer and is on the outside, looking in. The poets attitude towards his school uniform a well-known indication of belonging to a group shows his disrespect of the school. This is emphasized by his mockery of the Latin motto embroidered onto his shirt he sticks pine needles into the stitching and remarks that he thought it was a brand of soap. The motto Lucent Lug Vestry actually translates to let your light shine, which is again referred to in the last line, proving its significance. Pete careless attitude towards the motto shows his lack of understanding, because he h contempt for the school. The motto is emblematic of the hypocrisy prevalent at the institution: it claims to be inclusive, protective, embracing, when, for Crooknecks, it brings fear. He has not explored the concepts of self-knowledge and self-belonging sense of cultural belonging that h, unavoidable, Peter has a complete regret and affliction towards his p Polish culture, he would hove bell Peter felt isolated because he tail not because he adopted the Status strong sense of self-belonging. En the cultural indifference and even son was inevitable Peter Screener poem, which can reveal he does n fathers beliefs and circumstances suggest that the poets reflection the concepts tot truly belonging t sense of belonging to ones self, al truly belong somewhere or With SST self In addition, Pewters regret mind culture. This disconnection is avid detachment from his fathers Polio to and with the use of an ellipsis appears that Peter Crooknecks has and alienation. Han telling tot co sense tot belonging to ones self, b SST Patriots College discusses Sir a reflective account enabled by hill that erupted from migration, alien much later in life. The overall there despite the years he spent at such that Peter feels he truly learnt any techniques such as repetition. Sync maintain a sarcastic. Cocking tom would indicate routine and family seven of stanza three, where Pet would indicate feelings of being LLC could also represent Pewters feeling observer and is on the outside, lot monitor a Nell-known Indication the school. This IS emphasized by his shirt he sticks pine needles as a brand of soap. The motto l light shine, which is again referrer careless attitude towards the mot contempt for the school. The motto Institution: t claims to be Inclusive brings fear. READ: Poetic Devices Used To Convey EssayHe has not explored TTL so therefore does not value what the motto is jugs means embracing your own identity, and as Peter s poem, without embracing your own identity, you ca with alienating circumstances that can prevail at e did not belong to himself, SST Patriots College was n the line For eight years emphasizes the words to the effect of suggesting that even after eight years, Peter still felt isolated at school. The eight years Pee like a prison sentence. A statue of the Virgin Mary Meant to act as a welcoming figure at the entrance makes Peter feel afraid and anxious. The line UNC indicates that even after almost a decade, the stats figure of fear for the poet. The last four lines show yearning for approval. The recurrence of his mot seen as Peter blaming his mother for his poor expel dominantly represented in the poem by showing idea that belonging cannot be achieved without e Peter tells the reader how his mothers desire to co expectations has led to his feelings of unhappiness The poem 10 Mary Street focuses on describing t ensue of belonging it provides. It presents different through representations of people, relationships, p stanza, a key represents a sense of comfort, owner sense of continuous routine. The key symbolizes the leads to ownership of the home, which leads to owe belonging. The poems constant references to the support this idea. As the house will soon be pulled feelings of contentment and security will be lost. T to a key towards the end of the poem suggests a did disconnection, discomfort and disruption, as after will be useless, and therefore powerless. A familial nourishment is created using poetic devices. The is hyperbolic Bursting at the seams imply that Pete much love and care. The cultural heritage of the FAA with reference to cultural and social aspects such cigarettes. The lines heated discussions and embed passion and strong sense of belonging to their cult house The house stands in its china-blue coat of a strong, stoic and, perhaps even, noble house. Characteristics can also position the reader to view receptive the family has a strong connection with part of the family. The use of parentheses in the the been gazettes for industry) could be considered indicate extra and unimportant information, but the airily significant, and outlines a major event in the lives of the family. An important message of this poem is that the family will once more feel as though they do not belong, continuing the constant struggle faced by a family forced to dismiss what leads to self-belonging, and living in a country where they feel as though they do not truly belong. These families, like Peter Jerkinesss, are often met with the challenge of fighting exclusion, and remaining true to their culture and to themselves which, in essence, is the key to belonging. Peter Jerkinesss poems Feline Crooknecks, SST Patriots College and 10 Mary Street envoy a strong sense of belonging by exploring the concepts of not only feeling accepted and allied, but also displaced and insecure.

Manufacturing processes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Manufacturing processes - Research Paper Example The industrial applications of 3-D printing includes rapid prototyping or CAD, design visualization, architecture, geospatial, metal casting, and in entertainment, among others. The application of 3-D printing is objected to reduce the cost and lead time of developing new devices and parts’ prototypes, which was earlier done by subtractive methods in the tool room. The current technology used is typically expensive and slowly to achieve its mission. Moreover, the 3-D printing has brought about production of manufacturing products in some creative and innovative brands that are cheaply produced. ARC is where welding power supply is used to maintain and create an electric arc between the base material and an electrode in order to melt metals at welding platform. It is advantageous since it affords to control greater weld area than other welding processes. It also produces the highest quality weld than other methods, especially when performed by skilled operators. Arc is applied to nearly all materials, except zinc and its alloy. Its disadvantages are the limitation of carbon steels because of availability of more economical steel welding techniques. Such as gas metal. The quality of the welds in this process depends on the skills of the person, hence can be operated by any level-skilled operator. It is advantageous due to its use of efficient energy, easy automation, high production rates, and requires no filler materials. It is limited to only certain applications due to lower weld strength, as compared to other methods. It requires a highly specialized skilled operator. It is disadvantageous since it requires the continuous feed of wire to act as an electrode and inert gas in order to protect the weld from being contaminated. Fortunately, it has advantage of high production rate due to the increased welding speed since it has continuous electrodes. It also requires a highly skilled operator in order to automate the process. This

The Impact of Fruit Juices on the Dental Erosion in Human Tooth Enamel Research Paper

The Impact of Fruit Juices on the Dental Erosion in Human Tooth Enamel - Research Paper Example This literature review explores the impact of fruit juices on dental health as well as the factors causing dental erosion. It also explores various investigations which are helpful in the detection and prediction of dental erosion. Considering the issue to be of paramount significance the present study has been carried out. Objectives: Human tooth is composed of minerals, organic matter as well as water with variation in the thickness, blood and nerve supply; therefore an irreversible alteration of mineralization is frequent. Consumption of soft drinks directly influences enamel of the teeth. The present study is conducted to review various factors which play an imperative role in dental erosion and the techniques for investigating the erosion of enamel. Methodology: Direct and indirect methods were adopted to study the dental erosion. Measurement of weight loss was performed with/ without stirring with magnetic rods, up to 300 revolutions per minute. Further micro-indentation, nano- indentation, profilometry, micro-radiography, chemical analysis techniques were adopted followed by microscopy. Result: Dental erosion examined with three fruit juices namely lemon, orange and apple, shows that prolonged consumption of orange juice leads to more severe dental erosion in babies as compared to adults. Conclusion: Phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid present in the fruit juices alter the pH of the enamel leading to its erosion. Fruit juices are known to cause chelation with calcium further, contributing to dental erosion. Aim of the project This project aims to find the impact of one such consumable substance i.e. fruit juice on teeth enamel and dentine of both children and adults. Also, this project provides background information of human teeth and information about dental erosion including the factors which affect erosion. In addition, this project reviews of techniques for investigating the erosion of enamel. The anatomical composition of the human tooth varies throughout the length. This variation is attributed to the difference in thickness of enamel and presence or absence of dentin, thickest enamel at the cusp and thinnest at the borders, moreover, borders also lack dentin, blood and nerve supply. Consumption of soft drinks directly influences enamel at the borders of teeth. It is imperative to understand the factors contributing to the dental erosion in adults as well as in babies. With this motive, the present study was carried out utilizing various modern techniques for investigation to safeguard individuals form witnessing dental erosions. Discussion Dental anatomy plays a vital role in making the enamel prone to the dental erosion due to consumption of food items rich in acidic components. Under normal pH bacteria proliferate if the microbes get adhered to the leftover food particles leading to the formation of dental carries or cavities (Touger-Decker, 2003). On the other hand, eating large q uantities of fruits on a regular basis also result in irreversible loss of tooth constitution due to their dissolution by organic acids present in the fruit juices. A chemical reaction occurs between the enamel of the teeth and the organic acids present in the fruit juices resulting in the dental erosion or the acid erosion and therefore it is one of the major dental health concern (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). A

Estate Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Estate Management - Essay Example Short-Term (1-5 years) Action Plans 2. CHA must include the target of achieving 100 % tenant profile within the year in order to allow for a more thorough assessment of the organization’s performance in terms of providing Equality of Opportunities to all tenants, by the next reporting period. 3. Based on the available 81 % of Tenant Profile, there is a need to produce a set of questionnaires that will enable the Staff to gather feedback from each of the categories. The feedback ought to be about how well CHA performed the expected and prescribed services for customers. This will then result in a summary according to each category. 4. Within the first round of releasing, following up, and collecting, summarizing, the management should publish informative materials that every tenant should know so that all tenants will be aware of the opportunities made available to them by the government and CHA. This will at least give the Staff a chance to answer YES to the Self-Assessment Qu estionnaire that inquires if the organization has â€Å"published documents that clearly and specifically set out our commitment and approach to equalities issues† as found in the website of the SHR. However, the publication should be very careful not to communicate any hint of discrimination to any category of tenants. 5. In order to meet its moral obligation to every tenant under each category, another set of Survey Materials that are relevant to each category should be developed for the purpose of clarifying the perception or tenants. It will enlighten the management when it is able to find any discrepancy against the perception of the management concerning the way a category of tenants can be satisfied with products and services. 6. To expedite the gathering of survey results, providing restricted, online questionnaires would be a workable recommendation. Tenants should be emailed their Username and Password to access the survey questionnaires. This will prevent just anyb ody from being able access the private questionnaires. 7. But even before the formulation of questionnaires, the Staff should know under what category each tenant will fall under. There should be a more specific set of questions meant for each category. For example, if a tenant is gainfully employed, questions related to Equality of Opportunity may be phrased based on the assumption that the tenant can afford to spend for a higher end design, and will have options to choose loans to access. Those available financing facilities should be communicated to the gainfully employed tenant. If the tenant is unemployed, CHA can offer grants made available by the government. And the options for these people would be the more affordable designs. Equal opportunity should be defined as the relative chance to have a home that complies with the Decent Home Standards with the available means that tenants can afford to utilize. It should not be made to mean that everybody will be offered grants, sin ce grants are limited. If the people who are employed are the tenants notified about grants and they avail of it, what can be utilized for the unemployed to refurbish their homes in order to comply with the Decent H

Southern Distinctiveness.James C. Cobbs Away Down South Essay

Southern Distinctiveness.James C. Cobbs Away Down South - Essay Example In this book, Cobb argues that the southerners did not achieve distinctive identity with respect to politics, culture, and religion. However, he points out that the history of the Southern is the only distinctive feature of the South. He asserts that the quest for southern distinctiveness should be abandoned since it is both intellectually stultifying and politically dangerous. Indeed, I agree with Cobb’s statement that the search for southern distinctiveness should be thwarted since most of the debates, about this topic, usually trigger dangerous political arguments. Cobb identifies that the quest for southern distinctiveness is not an issue that originated in Southern regions of America, but it is the northerners, during the revolutionary era through the Civil War period, who begun stressing on the distinctiveness of the south (Cobb 222). It is until sectional crises of 1950s, originating from the remonstration of the southern region between 1860 and 1865, that the white sou therners realized the need to create their own identity (Cobb 222). After southerners lost in Confederacy, they became obsessed with the results of Civil War and Reconstruction, which dominated their imagination of forming the New South. In the quest for southern identity, New South propagandists, by 1900, had won a contest for defining post-war southern identity. They also created a remarkably comprehensive version of defining post Civil War South identity (Cobb 226). The new identity embraced the causes of the loss including a modern industrial future for the southern in alias with the northern capital. However, the New South identity failed to recognize the plights of African American, and embraced a regime of white supremacy. It is within the context of white supremacy that people begun questioning the significance of New South identity. During the second Reconstruction after World War II, the southern region was initially perceived as a confident and militant Africa-American co mmunity (Cobb 231). However, during the second Reconstruction, many southern scholars turned their feelings about their region to shame and guilt. This led to their defeat in the Civil War; something Cobb believes was as a result of disagreements and conflicts in white identity. Ironically, instead of conceding the defeat, some of the southern governors, still had the confidence to boost that the loss was as a result of their own mistakes, but not as a result of the entire nation. While the northern America was struggling to achieve a global image, the south was struggling to become Americanized. Cobb further indicates that both the white and black Americans were struggling to claim the southern identity (Cobb 229). However, African Americans, born and bred in the southern, have embraced the New South identity in a different perspective from the white southerners. Their definition of the southern identity does not include anything that relates to Lost Cause or Confederacy, but rathe r with community, place, family and culture (Cobb 234). In this case, they are trying to reclaim the identity of a region that was initially owned by white Americans. This implies that the initial definition of New South identity, which was structured by white intellectuals, was not valid enough to prove the southern distinctiveness south because it failed to recognize their presence, as members of the community, yet they participated in the Civil War and Reconstruction process (Cobb 234). This also indicates that people have mixed reactions and definitions when it comes to southern distinctiveness. Therefore, the quest for southern identity should be abolished as it creates unnecessary conflicts and dangerous politics among authors and other

Article Critique Union Labor Relations Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critique Union Labor Relations - Article Example The increase in employees who join labor unions results in a subsequent rise in, their average income and a rise in the wage flow into the economical domain (Madland, 2009). His conclusion is that by all means, employees should join labor unions as it serves both economic and moral purposes. A couple of points in the author’s argument cannot be debated. They are logical, accurate, and reasonable. The assertion that sustainability can only occur if workers receive adequate rewards and get the freedom to buy their goods is correct. In a situation where the reverse occurs, workers feel cheated resulting in constant strikes, boycotts and go slows. This stalls economic development in the long term. Furthermore, the moral aspect of working ought to be fulfilled; it is not fair for those that build an economy to receive the least of its profits (Madland, 2009). The assertion that should the Employee Free Choice Act become legalized, union membership will have an increase is also of certainty. This validates union membership and strengthens their function, hence attracting membership. However, the author makes a point that cannot be validated. The assumption that unions always work to the good of an economy is the most doubtful of them all. If an economy becomes corrupted, then every sector in it malfunctions. Unions cannot be set aside from the malfunction that is within the United States economy. Unions in the modern day have become less accountable to the employees. There are certain moves and strategies made by labor unions that union members are not aware of and yet they are meant to protect their interests. The reason the number of unionized workers is much lower in the 21st century than it was in the 1950s is the lack of transparency. Union membership can be beneficial, but the author has exaggerated the impact it has on an economy. While unions benefit individual growth, their impact on the economy

History (American Imperialism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History (American Imperialism) - Essay Example 589). 500 banks, and 15,000 businesses failed. The rich industrialist and poor working classes were vastly separated, and the rights of African Americans since the Civil War were ignored. The federal government was in a state of constant stalemate. The U.S. administration needed to respond to economic and class divisions, as well as to cycles of boom and bust that were destroying the economy. They did this by adopting the practice of imperialism in foreign policy. This saved the economy, and brought the U.S. increased power. Imperialist policy decisions set the model for U.S. foreign policy into the 20th Century. McKinley was elected President in 1896. At this time, an economic recovery was happening. In addition, southern and western farmers, as well as Standard Oil, were sending product overseas. America was witnessing the actions of Britain and France, who were taking Africa and Indochina respectively, by force. Their machine-gun technology proved overwhelming to foreign resistanc e (Davidson, et al, 2010, p. 611). America wanted in on this expansion, and, like the Europeans, used the doctrine of Manifest Destiny to justify the exploitation of foreign peoples and resources. In addition to McKinley, a three-part group of elites banded together at this time â€Å"to promote American Imperialism† (Davidson et al, 2010, p. 612). Mahan, a navy admiral, promoted his theory of Navalism, which stated that the cycles of overproduction and depression that had been occurring could be alleviated by developing import and export with foreign markets. Modern cruisers and battleships were needed to protect these markets. Missionaries wanted to change â€Å"heathen† foreigners into Christians by introducing western culture and values. Many missionaries were opposed to the brute force exercise of power, but they were in favor of imposing their ideology onto foreign people. Social Darwinists Spencer and Sumner argued from the premise that Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic stock were the â€Å"fittest† to rule over â€Å"lesser peoples of the world† (Davidson et al, 2010, p.613). Then Secretary of State James G. Blain advocated for expansion of trade into Central and South America. Britain, however, already had interests in South America. Blaine’s efforts to cancel the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which shared access with Great Britain to any possible canal that might be built, were resolved with the Hay Pauncefort Treaty. This stated that the U.S. could build a canal in Central America, but was required to give all nations access. Using the Manifest Destiny model, Blaine bullied Central American countries into compliance with his Pan American Union, which facilitated trade between the two regions. Blaine threatened to ban exports from Central American countries into the U.S. unless these countries complied. (Davidson, et al, 2010,p.616). The U.S. became involved with Spain, England, Venezuela, Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines due to th eir imperialist policies. The Spanish-American War was waged over possession of Cuba. America and Britain narrowly escaped war over disputes concerning trade in Central America. In Hawaii, the Queen was overthrown, and marines came in to â€Å"protect† American lives. Big sugar planters, who wanted trade with the U.S., were influential behind the scenes. American imperialist policy in the war in the Philippines contained racism and brutality. The U.S.

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as Essay - 9

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as such cannot be managed. Discuss - Essay Example Organization culture symbolic meaning. On one side, each person enthusiastically represents one particular symbol or culture of the organization (Alvesson, 2012). An employee of Coca cola is seen as symbolizing what Coca cola manufactures and sells. The people will create an impression that one person who is an employee Coca Cola represents the ideals or policies of the company. If the employee is one of the managers of Coca Cola, then the outsider who hears stories of employees being discriminated against will have an initial picture that the nearby Coca cola manager symbolizes the abuses of Coca Cola Management. Further, management can ensure the subordinate willingly symbolizes the organization’s location. An employee who works in the White House is seen as symbolizing the policies of the White House. The outsider may think that the employee symbolizes power. The outsider can seek the help of the White House employee. The outsider feels that the White house employee can use his White House employment to help the outsider tour the premises of the White house. In a basketball game or any organization, the audiences or employees happily symbolize the goals of the organizations (Campbell, 1998). ... The students are proud to show their school uniforms. Similarly, the basketball or baseball players use the school basketball uniform. The uniform symbolizes what the school stands for. Any person who sees a the same university’s basketball player wear the school uniform will accept that the basketball player represents what the university stands for, such as where the school is located, the size of the school, and the type of learning being inculcated among the young university students’ minds. Likewise, another employee’s uniform symbolizes the eager acceptance of the organization culture. A person seen wearing the uniform of Starbucks coffee is seen as symbolizing what Starbucks stands for, expensive high quality coffee. An outsider seeing a person wearing the coffee store’s uniform will know that Starbucks name represents high quality coffee. Likewise the same coffee shop uniform symbolizes coffee that is not within the reach of the economically depriv ed (poor and jobless) citizens of our nation, United States (Flamholtz, 2011). Further, an employee of the accounting department fervently symbolizes expertise in the department’s financial functions. The employees of the other departments of the organization will accept the concept that they can approach the accounting employee regarding their payroll miscalculations. The other employees of the same entity will have an initial concept that each accounting department employee has an idea as to how the salaries are computed. Consequently, the other employees of the company are eager to approach and seek the help of the nearby accounting personnel (Flamholtz, 2011). Furthermore, an employee cheerfully symbolizes adherence to the organization management’s instructions. An employee of one

Leading Teams Essay Example for Free

Leading Teams Essay The following report presents an analysis of Shell Oil, and the ways in which it incorporates team leadership concepts in balancing stakeholder needs. Stakeholders are defined in The Times 100 case study Balancing Stakeholder Needs as â€Å"anyone who has an interest in what a business does or an influence on the business†. The case study continues on to identify Shell’s stakeholders as shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, local communities, and interest groups. It is vitally important for large corporations such as Shell to balance the needs of these parties, in order to ensure profitable, safe and continuous operations. In order to do so, Shell must consider what the needs of each of these groups are, and how to use leadership to control the effects of conflicting needs. a) Making reference to appropriate theory what aspects of leadership and team dynamics may Shell have considered when considering their approach to balancing Stakeholder needs? The leadership tactics employed by Shell in balancing stakeholder needs will be varied, but will no doubt include an assessment of its vision and principles, the corporate leadership style, and how to construct its teams to maximise performance. The statement â€Å"Begin with the end in mind† (Covey 2004 cited Benson and Rice 2009a, p.3), gives a fair indication as to the purpose and necessity of a corporate vision. Where is the business going, and how is it going to get there? An essential element to leadership, a vision defines the goal that everyone in the company should be working towards. Kotter (1990, p.105) suggests that a key part of vision is â€Å"how well it serves the interests of important constituencies†. In other words, Shell should display balanced stakeholders needs in the company vision. According to Nanus (1992 cited Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1993), a vision should also display the following  characteristics, which Shell would likely have taken into account for each group of stakeholders: * Attracts commitment and energises people * Creates meaning in workers lives * Establishes a standard of excellence * Bridges the present to the future * Transcends the status quo. Shell publishes its vision, along with its core values and other operating principles in the Shell General Business Principles, which is widely communicated, and available for download from the company’s website. Shell has clearly recognised for quite some time the value and necessity for a vision in balancing needs, as the first set of principles was originally published in 1976 (Royal Dutch Shell plc 2005). It is important to separate leadership from management. Kotter (1990, p.104) states that â€Å"Management is about coping with complexity†, and that â€Å"Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change.† And what is a vision, if not an anticipated change to the company? The management of change is a key role of leadership. The recent corporate restructuring and appointment of a new CEO in July 2009 (Wighton 2010), shows that Shell’s leaders are required to consistently react to changes such as market conditions, and adjust its focus to ensure al l stakeholder needs are still being met. The study of leadership in general has led to many differing leadership theories, which can essentially be divided into two categories; Behaviour Models, and Situational Leadership. Behaviour Models tend to address the personal traits of the individual leader, and Situational Leadership addresses a customisation of style to each new situation. While it is possible to apply some Behaviour Model theories to an organisation, it is more likely that Shell apply Situational Leadership methods, altering the balance of task vs. relationship dependent on which stakeholder group is being considered. Shell will also have spent considerable time finding the most effective teams for their business profile. Owing to the highly technical nature of Shell’s operations, there is a good possibility that it uses expert teams to ensure that shareholder needs are incorporated at every level of the organisation. For example, and expert in say, oil drilling, may not have the expertise to determine what effects a proposed course of action would have on the local  community. It is worth noting however, that it may be time for Shell to re-evaluate the effectiveness of its teams. Wighton (2010) reports that Shell has been â€Å"plagued by delays and budget overruns on big projects†, indicating that its teams are not performing. To ensure that stakeholder needs are being met, Shell will have incorporated ways in which to monitor and control performance within the organisation. Shell begins by reporting. It reports on several sectors of the business, to include annual financial reports, which are particularly relevant to shareholders, and sustainability reporting, which will be of interest to local communities and interest groups (Shell International B.V. 2010a). It became apparent, through the annual reporting to their shareholders in May 2009 that Shell had misinterpreted its shareholders needs. This resulted in a tense annual meeting where the shareholders voted 60% against the proposed incentive scheme for executives, which would have seen top executives receive large bonuses, even if they failed to meet performance targets (Lindsay and Pagnamenta 2010) b) How may Shell’s approach to balancing Stakeholder need’s impact upon employee motivation? There are two major motivational theories which are widely used in the field of management; Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory (1959 cited Boddy 2008, p. 500-502), and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1970 cited Boddy 2008, p. 494-497). The Two Factor theory suggests that there are two elements to motivation, Motivating Factors, and Hygiene Factors. Motivating Factors contribute to an employee’s satisfaction, and Hygiene Factors contribute to their dissatisfaction. The theory identifies these factors as: Motivating Factors| Hygiene Factors| Achievement| Company Policies| Recognition| Supervision| The work itself| Relationship with Supervisor and Peers| Responsibility| Work conditions| Advancement| Salary| Growth| Status| | Security| Herzberg went on to conclude that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not opposites. The opposite of satisfaction is no satisfaction, with the opposite of dissatisfaction being no dissatisfaction. In other words, the absence of Motivating factors does not create dissatisfaction, and the existence of the Hygiene Factors does not create satisfaction. On the other hand, in the Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow speculates that everyone has a prescribed set of needs that must be met in a certain order, as follows: Maslow maintains that employees begin by looking to fill Physiological needs, for example a properly heated/cooled workplace. Only when Physiological needs are met, or mostly met, will an employee seek to fulfil their Security needs, for example a permanent contract. And so on through the other needs. Both of these theories have identified common areas of motivation relating to security (job security, salary), recognition (status, advancement, self-esteem, rewards), and job development (growth, achievement, self actualisation, responsibility). Regardless of which theory, if any, that Shell has chosen to adopt, these are the basic employee needs that they will need to have taken into account. It is a widely held belief that employees are a company’s greatest asset, which means that their role as stakeholders is an important one. If Shell is getting the stakeholder balance right, they will have addressed their employee’s needs, which should result in positive levels of employee motivation. As we saw in Question a) however, it is not always that easy to get the balance right. If Shell has favoured its shareholder needs, this could potentially lead to employee pay cuts and a reduction in safety costs, in order to maximise profits. If interest groups and local communities are favoured, this could potentially lead to the cancellation of new and innovative projects that would have allowed employees to develop new skills and achieve new discoveries. All of these outcomes would have a noticeably negative effect on employee motivation. If we are to believe Shell, it recognises this need for balance, and goes to great efforts to ensure that employee’s needs for recognition and job development are met (Shell International B.V. 2010b). It professes on its website: * â€Å"Joining Shell means getting more out of your working life than you thought possible.† (Shell International B.V. 2010b) * â€Å" [We make] every effort to provide the kind of rewards and benefits that will complement your own particular lifestyle and needs† (Shell International B.V. 2010c) Certainly, the testimonials offered by Shell employees, from every facet of the organization, seem to support these statements (Shell International B.V. 2010d). It is worth noting however, that nowhere in the literature published in the Jobs Career section of the Shell website, does it address the subjects of job stability, employee safety, or personal security. It was reported by Wighton (2010) that within weeks of his taking over at the helm of Shell in July 2009, Peter Voser had cut 5000 jobs. Combine this with the inherent safety risks of the petrochemical industry, and the security risks associated with operations in locations such as Nigeria, and some doubt is cast on Shell’s ability to meet all of their employee’s needs. c) What conflict situations may Shell have needed to consider and manage in order to successfully achieve its balance towards Stakeholder needs? Shell has five main stakeholder groups, shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, local communities, and interest groups (The Times 100 ca.2009, p. 133-136). The nature and the needs of each one of these groups differs to such a degree that conflict is nearly inevitable. â€Å"Conflict frequently has its roots in difference† (Benson and Rice 2009b, p.2), this statement supports the idea that conflict management can also be regarded as the management of differences. Shell’s balancing of stakeholder needs could essentially be redefined as management of the differences in stakeholder needs; or conflict management. With a multinational company such as Shell, listing potential conflicts could be a daunting task. To begin with, the shareholder’s need to earn the greatest dividends possible is obviously at odds with the em ployee’s desire for greater remuneration and benefits packages. The shareholder’s and employee’s dedication to innovative new technologies and projects may oppose the goals of interest groups who strive  to protect the environment and human rights, and local communities who are stretched to accommodate a new industry. The customer’s desire for a reprieve from the ever increasing cost of fuels is in direct opposition to a supplier’s objective of selling their product at the most profitable price. The list is virtually inexhaustible. Shell has incorporated measures throughout its organization to mitigate potential conflicts, which centre on ensuring balance, communication and involvement. The first and foremost of these measures is Shell’s decision making criteria (The Times 100 ca.2009, p. 136), which is specifically designed to achieve a good balance of stakeholder needs and provide a transparency by assessing: * the economic impact of the activity is likely to yield a good return for shareholders * the social impact will be suitable for employees and communities * the long-term effect of its activity will harm the environment As mentioned in Question a) Shell report openly and honestly on its activities and their effects, through financial and sustainability reporting. According to Shell, they have â€Å"voluntarily reported on our environmental and social performance since 1997 because this performance matters to our stakeholders and to our business success† (Shell International B.V. 2010a). This provides a consistent avenue for communication with stakeholders. The greatest volume of resources dedicated to mitigating conflict can be found in Shell’s social programmes. A brief review of its website reveals that it has no fewer than seven separate social programmes, which focus on a myriad of topics, from sustainable development, to road safety, to HIV/AIDS (Shell International B.V. 2010e). There is an underlying conflict however that is not so easy to identify, and which is not evidently addressed in the mitigation measures. It is the diversity of the stakeholders that presents Shell with perhaps the biggest challenge of all. In order to truly balance stakeholder needs, Shell must consider the cultures in which it operates, and strive to understand â€Å"the richness and strength of the many different facets of diversity, including age, gender, colour, race, ethnicity, religion, differing abilities (physical and cognitive), sexuality, socio-cultural and economic background† (Benson and Rice 2009c, p.2). This will not only affect the way in which it must represent itself in each region, but it will also have a great impact on the internal development of its teams in order to maximize performance.  Again, the management of differences between cultures becomes the management of conflict. d) Conclude by taking the key elements of your observations in steps a-c regarding Shell in order to make a recommendation for other organisations to consider implementing the approach of balancing Stakeholder needs as a means to business success? Shell Oil began as an antiques dealer in London, who diversified into importing shells from the Far East in 1833 (Shell International B.V. 2010f). This is a far cry from the multinational petrochemical company of today that is a recognized symbol around the globe. The business success that has propelled Shell from local antiques store to global giant will not have happened by accident. It will be well calculated and methodically achieved. This outstanding business success will certainly provide many other organizations with insight regarding balancing stakeholder needs which will be beneficial. First and foremost is the need for vision and leadership. Business success on the scale of Shell Oil cannot be achieved without establishing a vision of what that success will look like, and how to get there. A properly composed and communicated vision will essentially be the battle cry that enlists all of your stakeholders to joining in and making the increased business success a reality. To accompany this, it is necessary to embrace the ideas of leadership over management, after all, â€Å"No one yet has figured out how to manage people effectively into battle, they must be led† (Kotter 1990, p.104). Once a vision has been communicated, it will quickly lose momentum if the stakeholders are not informed of its progress. Tools to measure and disseminate the organisation’s and individual’s performance to the vision should be developed. No matter how inspiring the vision and enthusiastic the leadership, effective teams who are able to perform will be essential. Dependent on the type of organization, and its particular stakeholders, the team dynamic required to meet expectations will be different. For example, the approach to technical innovation required by Shell will not be needed in a non-profit organization that gives support to individuals through social programming. Research into effective team structures for the desired outcome is highly recommended. While no one group of stakeholders should overshadow the rest, it is perhaps the employees who will have the most complex needs to balance against the other stakeholders. Every organisation should ensure that the balance of stakeholder needs promotes positive employee motivation  in order to achieve its envisioned business success. A study of motivational theories should be undertaken to understand the various factors, before assessing them within the organisation. As concluded in Question b), Shell has heavily promoted its ability to meet the job development and recognition needs of its employees, though it may have fallen down on fulfilling needs such as job and personal security. This will in part be owing to research and feedback directly from their employees. The employees most valuable to Shell and achieving its vision may be those who are eager to participate in the innovative and technical projects that Shell has to offer, and are willing to sacrifice in other areas as a result. Every organisation should work with its employees to determine what their needs are against the desired outcomes of the company, before assessing how these needs will fit into the balance of stakeholders. An organisation who is striving to achieve business success would benefit from approaching the balancing of stakeholder needs as if it were the management of differences in needs, in other words, conflict management. Consistent communication will be required with each stakeholder group in order to identify and discuss potential conflicts. This will allow the introduction of appropriate mitigation measures within the balance. It is acknowledged that not every organisation will be conducting multinational business; however careful research into the diversity of the stakeholders is recommended. This will allow the organisation to harness the differences within its stakeholder groups, with a view to maximising potential for performance. This report has summarised some of the key areas addressed by Shell Oil in its balancing of stakeholder needs, and has made some high level recommendations for other organisations to consider. Any organisation that is keen to achieve business success will no doubt find value in research regarding Shell’s approach. References Benson, A., and Rice, M., 2009a. Developing and Sustaining Effective Teams Guide 2: What are you there for? Setting Objectives. London: Royal College of Nursing. Available from: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/78735/003115.pdf [Accessed 02 February 2010]. Benson, A., and Rice, M., 2009b. Developing and Sustaining Effective Teams Guide 6: Some thoughts about conflict. London: Royal College of Nursing. Available from: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/78735/003115.pdf [Accessed 02 February 2010]. Benson, A., and Rice, M., 2009c. Developing and Sustaining Effective Teams Guide 4: Is everyone involved? Diversity. London: Royal College of Nursing. Available from: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/78735/003115.pdf [Accessed 02 February 2010]. Boddy, D., 2008. Management: An Introduction. 4th ed. Edinburgh: Pearson Edutcation. Kotter, J.P., 1990. What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review, 68 (3), 103-111. Available from: Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost [Accessed 31 March 2010). Lindsay R. and Pagnamenta, R., 2010. Shell tries to appease investors with caps on pay. The Times, 17 February. Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/movers_and_shakers/article7029759.ece [Accessed 21 April 2010]. Royal Dutch Shell plc, 2005. Shell General Business Principles. The Hague: Shell International Limited. Availa ble from: http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/who_we_are/our_values/sgbp/sgbp_30032008.html [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010a. Our approach to reporting. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available from: http://www.shell.com/home/content/environment_society/approach_to_reporting/our_approach/our_approach_to_reporting_26042007.html [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010b. Jobs Careers. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available from: http://www.shell.com/home/content/careers/ [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010c. Rewards Benefits. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available from: http://www.shell.com/home/content/careers/professionals/rewards_and_benefits/professionals_rewards_benefits_13092006.html [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010d. Meet Our Professionals. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available from: http://www.shell.com/home/page/careers/our_people/tool/app_xp_meet_ou r_people.html [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010e. Programmes. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available from: http://www.shell.com/home/content/environment_society/society/our_neighbours/social_investment/programmes/ [Accessed 03 April 2010]. Shell International B.V., 2010f. The beginnings. The Hague: Shell International B.V.. Available

Imperialism Within the Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Imperialism Within the Heart of Darkness Essay A phenomenon, The Heart of Darkness, is a classic novel by Joseph Conrad, who reward individuals with their dark nature. The darkness that the characters face within themselves is the anchor towards the main theme of imperialism. Native Africans, around the early 1900s, were victims of imperialism in the novel. The Europeans saw themselves as prodigies and felt everyone redundant wanted to be like them for they perceived themselves as extraordinary. The Europeans thought so highly of themselves that they wanted to civilize what they perceived the Native Africans to be—savages. Ironically, the process of civilization became imperialism, and the Europeans were the definition of savage while the Native Africans perceived themselves as civilized. Conrad strategically evolved this theme with the narrative of his novel and the various tones and symbols he used revolving around imperialism. These literary strategies and devices led readers to understand the secret of the darkness in the European heart, which was European imperialism. Entering the novel, Conrad has the narrator explain: â€Å"It was difficult to realize that his (the Director of Companies) work was not out there in the luminous estuary, but behind him within the brooding gloom† (Conrad 1). Here, Conrad’s use of pathetic fallacy forewarns his audience from the very beginning that the European companies are working in an unlawful matter (Shmoop.com). The Europeans are vague, and the fact they are working within the dark makes them more malicious. This behaviour leads to having an imperialistic nature because in order to have the desire to take over a race, in this case the Native Africans, one needs to already be in tuned with their dark nature. Conrad includes a second narrator, the protagonist to The Heart of Darkness, who makes a remark to the beautiful sunset over the Thames river in London saying: â€Å"‘And this also,’ said Marlow suddenly, ‘has been one of the dark places of the earth’† (1). For Marlow to reveal a beautiful image of England as being â€Å"one of the dark places of the earth† (1), tells individuals that the Europeans are morally corrupt (Shmoop.com). For the Europeans to do the morally bankrupt task of ‘civilizing’ the Native Africans, whom they acclaimed them to be the morally corrupt, only infers that the Europeans committed an offence to be proven guilty of the false accusation. The offence being imperialism; to be remarked as morally corrupt suggests that they encountered savage-like behaviours against the Native Africans. Therefore, through the narrative at the very beginning of the novel, one can infer that imperialism evolves as the Europeans are justified to have the dark nature to civilize a nation. Conrad sets the tone by casting a â€Å"mournful gloom† (Conrad 1) atop London. â€Å"The air was dark above Gravesend and farther back still seems condensed into a mournful gloom†¦over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth† (1). This infers that darkness is bestowed on the purity of the â€Å"greatest town on earth† (1). Conrad decides to incorporate a mood-shifter to infer that the Europeans are victims to a form of darkness and that negative events will follow. Since their goal in the novel is to civilize the Native Africans, it is forewarned that they will try to civilize them with dark power leading to imperialism. Another area where Conrad sets a dark, gloomy mood would be when Marlow talks about humans being drawn to their madness hidden within their darkest self. â€Å"The fascination of the abomination—you know. Imagine the growing regrets, the longing to escape, the powerless disgust, the surrender, the hate† (1). Marlow’s words bring out the theme of curiosity; the curiosity of what lies within the darkest areas of an individual. This quote states that humans are fascinated with their abomination because they have not yet experienced it; but once they have, they feel powerless and yearn to escape, but the abomination overtakes them. This certain curiosity of evil and darkness is what reigns over Europe. They are so curious of their own darkness that they themselves get lost within it and become the culprits of imperialism. Thus, through the moods and tones Conrad implants at the very beginning of his novel, he brings forth the coming of events which evolve into the realization of imperialism. Conrad uses symbolism in The Heart of Darkness to heighten the approach towards imperialism. For example, the reader’s encounter with the Accountant of the ivory trading Company in the outer region of Africa. Marlow describes him as an elegant dresser: â€Å"†¦I met a white man, in such an unexpected elegance of get-up that in the first moment I took him for a sort of vision† (16). Here, Marlow enters the beginning of his journey to the heart of Africa, and seeing the Accountant dress beautifully makes him seem like some kind of â€Å"miracle† (16) since their setting at the particular moment is in contrast. The Accountant symbolizes the Company and its excellence, professionalism, and perfection. Despite the blazing heat and his surroundings of poverty, he always dresses well. This is the professionalism of the Company. The fact he immerses himself within his accounting books represents the Company’s excellence and perfection. But although he is a man of perfection, the fact that the sight of suffering Native Africans distracts him and causes mistakes in his work, this symbolizes the room for error in the Company. This is an approach towards imperialism because wrong and unjust actions are seen as ‘errors’ in which the Company is a culprit of. Also, the symbolization of flies and its representation of death heighten the approach to imperialism as well. Ever since the devil is nicknamed, the Lord of the Flies, flies have represented death (Shmoop.com). Flies are seen in parts one and three when slaves, as well as a man named Kurtz, have their life taken away. Since the flies are associated with the devil, this implies that the devil, or the darkness that overcomes Europeans, have a connection with the deaths of human lives. Therefore, Conrad uses different symbols such as the spotless attire of the Accountant and the devil’s flies to inform readers about the imperialistic actions of Europeans. Joseph Conrad uses narrative schemes, sets moods and tones, as well as involves symbolism to approach his major theme of imperialism. He takes readers to the darkness of the human soul, a space which reigns in every single human being. This allows the individuals to take note that they can be greatly influenced by their darkness: creating the ability to carry out unjust behaviours, such as committing imperialistic actions. Therefore, this novel is a great commentary to human error, such as being past culprits of imperialism, and brings awareness to human morality. Works Cited: â€Å"Heart of Darkness. Shmoop. Shmoop University, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2013. .

Relationship Between Management And Shareholders Finance Essay

Relationship Between Management And Shareholders Finance Essay A lot of studies have been done in the matters of earnings management. It is because earnings management can be practice in many ways. There are several research done which covered the topic about earnings management and board characteristics(Saleh, et al,2005), board of directors and opportunistic earnings management (Sarkar et al., 2006), earnings manager and long term performance (Ho, et al 2006), earnings management in education (Misiewicz, 2006), earnings management and IPOs (Spohr, 2004) and so forth. Here in this assignment I put an interest on study of earning management and IPOs. Where I already found several related articles which cover the topic from several countries. The countries cover from the articles that I already found are IPOs in Finland, Japan as well as Malaysia. Before I discuss about earnings management in IPOs in depth, I also discuss about the relationship between management and shareholders. Then I discuss about definition of earnings management from different point of views. Beside that I also get to understand of earnings management through the mechanism as well as the loopholes in accounting standards the can caused the earnings management could happen. I also highlight several method of earnings management that familiarly practices. Eventually, I will discuss the issues of earnings management in IPOs that happen in Japan, Finland and Malaysia. LITERATURE REVIEW Relationship between management and shareholders Financial statements can be seen as medium of information between management of particular company and shareholders. Management is considered as workforces to achieve companies objectives. While shareholders represented as capitals supplier which generated the workforces in order to achieve the objective. Typically only public listed company should disclose their annual report to the shareholders or potential shareholder. The benefit gain from to be listed in any stock exchange are for additional funds, not only to finance further expansion and diversification as well as new projects as well as to reduce debts(Rahman and Abdullah, 2005). Beside that public will see the listed company typically have higher profile and greater visibility which confers greater investors confidence and publicity. The relationship between managers and shareholders in the business world cannot be disputable. This relationship is interpreted under Theory Agency (Bukit and Iskandar, 2009). They are very dependent each other, even somehow there exist conflict of interest among these two parties. In example the shareholders put on trust to agency by contributing huge amount of money in terms of paid up capital, so that agency can generate business and obtain profit and increase the firms value as principles return. Meanwhile agency (managers) is dependent to the principles for remunerations and bonuses as compensation (Bukit and Iskandar, 2009). Because of the great pressure from principles (shareholders) towards the high performance of firms values, so agency commonly practice earnings management in order to be sustained in market place (Jayati et. al.,2006). Definition of earning management Various optional opinions obtain from literature regarding earnings management. Bukit and Iskandar (2009) defined the earnings management may involve manipulation of accounting record, intentional omission or intentional misapplication of accounting o accounting principles. While, Mohanram (2003) define earnings management as the intentional misstatement or earnings leading to bottom line numbers that would have different in the absence of any manipulation. The Baralexis, S., 2004 advocates that earnings management is the process of intentionally exploiting or violating the GAAP or the law to present financial statements according to ones interests. The earnings management activities can break the reliability and credibility of management towards the shareholders. Earnings management is intrinsically related to earning quality (Lopes et al,2006). Schipper (1989) define the earnings management as a deliberate intervention of external financial accounting process with the intent of obtaining some private gain. Her argument of definition is based on a observing of accounting numbers as information. Within the opportunities offered by the accounting system, managers could exercise manage earnings by selecting accounting methods within GAAP or by changes in the ways given methods or policy (Ismail and Weetman, 2008). On the other hand, Healy and Wahlen (1999) define earnings management as an activity where manager used their discretion to adjust financial report either to misled stakeholders or for self interest. Earnings management also known as creative accounting or cooked the book may have twofold purposes. First to stop shareholders from withdrawing capital and second, as a means of reporting favorably on stewardship and performance (Devi et al., 2004). Perhaps, the main reason why companies use earnings management is because of the pressure placed upon management to show favorable returns on their investors money. This idea of seeking to please shareholders is reinforced by Agency Theory (Bukit Iskandar, 2009). Theory agency states that individuals seek to maximize their own utility, and act only in the individual best interest (Hooper et. al., 1998). So, acting in the companys best interest, management will manage the earnings to enhance their financial reporting, and therefore protect the basis of their contract (Mathews Perera, 1996). Pressure from management, therefore, may cause accountants and auditors to accept in producing favorable reports to shareholders using earnings manag ement techniques to improve results (Hussey,1996). Earnings management mechanism The practice of earnings management occurs because of the availability of different acceptability accounting accrual choice to be applied for determinant of reporting income. There are several mechanisms of implementing earnings management. First, is what they called as big bath. This type of earnings management is when the company could not reach their target in certain period. Normally companies target is based on previous performance. Then when firms are way below their target, they have an incentive to make things look even worse (Mohanram, 2003). There are several ways to make it worse such as the company will take large reconstructing charges, increase in provision for bad debt, and take other income decreasing accounting decision. This kind of practices are bound under two reasons which is firstly it is highly impossible that any amount of earning management will get them over the target and secondly the cost to make it worse are typically minimal. Therefore, any improvements in performance will perceive that managers are more credible and greater credit for turning around a firm. Some other way of perception regarding big bath is when manager takes over responsibility for a unit there is a motivation to make as much as provision that ensure any losses appear as the responsibility of the previous manager (Amat and Blake et al,1999) Second mechanism is what they called cookie jar accounting. This practice of earning management is when the company relatively to achieve above target, they may again have an incentive to reduce earnings. Typically there is little benefit in going way above a benchmark. Consider a firm which expects to report an EPS of RM3.80 for a given quarter when expectations hover around RM3.00. Especially when economic boom-up. Such a firm may report an EPS of RM3.30, but it still beating expectations. The remaining 50 cents of EPS reduction may come in handy in future quarters when the firm is slightly below targets. By reducing current period income, firms implicitly save some of these excess earnings for the future when they may be more valuable. The mechanism of the earnings management can be illustrated as below: Sources: Mohanram, 2003 Standard board point of view Earning management also be called as creative accounting. Creative accounting enable managers to cook the book and window dress their company by taking advantage of the loopholes in accounting standard. Due to this activity of earning management and thus provide doubtful of information in financial statement, so such information become unreliable. Therefore the users of financial statement will make wrong decision based on manipulated accounting numbers. Unfortunately, GAAP make such a room to accountant to make a manipulation since it allow accountants to use their discretion to make decision which is needed. In addition creative accounting is not against the law, in the hands of less a scrupulous managements, it can be dangerous instrument of deception (Naser, 1993). The common methods used by changing the assumptions for accounting standard. Methods normally applied for manage the earnings The very common method of manage earnings that normally applied by practitioners is as below: Changing the assumptions for accounting standards. For example Change in depreciation policy by extending depreciable lives periodically and justify it on the grounds that the change brings them in line with industry standards. Capitalization of expenses that previously expensed, increasing the extent of capitalization, slowing down amortization of previously capitalized expenses Reducing the provisions for bad debts. This is what people say of accrual discrepancies. Reducing income by taking on large one-time charges. For example restructuring charges. Managing transactions, whereby companies will create last minute sales by sending up a bundle of inventories to the customers by free charge for 3 months (let say) and recorded in a book of account receivables. Earnings managements and IPOs-Evidence from Finland This study had been made by Sphor (2004). His study had been used a sample companies on 56 firms that went public in the years 1994 to 2000 on Helsinki Stock exchange. The author want to prove that there is a presence of earnings management in initial public offerings (IPOs) of Finnish firms. Virtually, there is several studies have documented the presence of earnings management in IPO firm (e.g. Friedlan,1994, Teoh, Welch and Wong, 1998 and Aharony, Lee and Wong, 2000). The reason for such study is in IPO normally the earnings management practice difficult to detect from the income statement and the balance sheet, thus investors would benefit from other information that reveals the probability of earnings management. It is because managers and owners incentives to manage earnings are used to assess the likelihood that earnings management is used before IPO (Spohr, 2004). According to Aharony et al (2000), the earnings management likelihood in Chinese IPO firms varied across industri es and listing location. They suggest the noted differences in opportunistic behavior to be a result of mangers incentive to manage earnings and their possibilities to do it without detected. IPOs are priced by discounting the companys future cash flows and by observing the market values of similar publicly traded companies. At the time of their IPOs issuing companies seem to sell below market rates as their share prices are often underpriced, meaning that their value at the close of day one trading is higher than the initial price of the stock (Ritter, 1991). During the high IPO activity period that ended in year 2000 the initial returns were on average high. The in Finland found, the biggest initial profit was generated by F-Secure whose stock rose on its first trading day on November 5, 1999 from the initial offering price of 7.70 euros to 27.45 euros. The initial underpricing of Initial Public Offerings(IPOs) fits poorly to the long-term return on IPO shares. Ritter (1991) shows that IPO firms on average give poorer three-year returns than other listed firms in comparable sizes and industries. He explains this weak return on IPO shares with timing. Firms time their IPOs to the periods when the market overprices the firm, its industry and IPOs in general. The weak share performance after the IPO can also be explained with earnings management. If the firm before the IPO artificially boosts its value through managing earnings, the market will sooner or later find out the true performance of the company and devalue its shares. Compared to bad accounting or simple randomness, the distinguishing feature of earnings management is the presence of intent. Studies identifying earnings management usually make the assumption that intent is present in the circumstances where the tests are made. In research testing for earnings management in IPO firms it is assumed that it is capital market motivations that drive the firms to earnings management. The aim is to maximize the companys equity value and through this increase the owners wealth and reduce the companys financing costs. The most commonly used method to test for earnings management is the examination of accruals because they are easier to manipulate than cash flows. Abnormal accruals are considered as a sign of earnings management. The major problem in earnings management studies is how to determine if accruals are abnormally high or low. Most models used to estimate the normal level of accruals base their estimations on the firms past accruals or comparable firms accruals. In the literature the normal and abnormal accruals are usually called nondiscretionary and discretionary accruals. In particular, the research based on U.S. data provides strong evidence of discretionary accruals in IPO firms. Additionally, Teoh, Welch and Wong (1998) show that discretionary accruals can be linked to companies long term stock market performance and thus challenge the efficient market hypothesis, as the market fails to account for the manipulation. When they grouped firms by the magnitude of discretionary accruals before the IPO, they found that firms in the quartile with the lowest discretionary accruals (negative) outperformed the market by about 4% over three years, whereas firms in the quartile with the highest discretionary accruals underperformed the market by about 25%. To date there have been at least three studies on earnings management in Finnish IPOs which from Ora (2000), Eriksson (2001) and currently Spohr (2004). First study is to showing that earnings management has been present in Finnish IPOs, Ora (2000) investigates if there is any difference in earnings management behavior between 1980s and 1990s IPOs. Her results indicate that earnings management seems to have vanished in the later period. Applying a total accruals measure Oras tests are affected by the substantial changes in discretionary reserves that Finnish companies could use for managing earnings. These visible forms of earnings management vanished gradually in the 1990s due to the accounting legislation reform. Second study done by Eriksson (2001), whereby the tests for earnings management on a similar sample to this study and uses a financial ratios model called the Beneish M-score. The higher the M-score the higher is the likelihood that earnings management has occurred. Erikssons M-score averages of the sample indicates that no earnings management were present in the financial year closest to the IPO. Finally finding obtain from Spohr (2004), the firms ownership structure and the pre-IPO owners share of ownership decrease in the IPO were used to formed expectations about the likelihood of finding earnings management before the IPO. Earnings management was hypothesized to be present in the entrepreneur owned but not in the institutionally held firms. Furthermore, the probability of earnings management was assumed to be related to how much the entrepreneurs ownership decreased in the IPO. The profitability of the total sample of 56 Finnish IPO firms showed a relatively high level of profitability in the critical period for which earnings management was tested when compared to three periods before and after the critical period. The most significant change in profitability occurred in the entrepreneur firms after the IPO. To answer the question of whether high profitability was only a result of successful timing, earnings management tests were conducted on accruals. The results suppor t the hypothesis that entrepreneurs manage earnings before the IPO. In contrast to expectations, earnings management behavior seemed not be affected by how much of their ownership entrepreneurs gave up in the IPO. In the institutional owned IPO firms, no evidence of upward earnings management before the IPO was found. The limitation of the study is the sample is small. Earnings managements and IPOs under pricing -Evidence from Japan This study had been done by unstated authors in the year 2010. The study is based on the sample of 910 firms that went public in Japanese market between 1995 and 2005. The area of the study is would like to seek whether initial public offerings (IPO) are undervalued or overvalued using comparable firm multiples, (2)whether and how earnings management affects under or overvaluation, and (3) whether and how under /over-valuation and earnings management affects IPO under pricing. The underpricing phenomenon is such of common controversy covered in previous literature on Initial public offering companies over the business world. It is well known when companies go to public, the price at which investment banker sells the stock to investors in generally below the price at which the stocks trades in the secondary market shortly thereafter, resulting in a substantial price jump on the first day o trading. The meaning of IPOs underpricing is does not mean of undervalued (Purnanadam Swaminath an, 2004). The case in Japan the authors had examined whether Japanese IPOs are undervalued or overvalued using comparable firms multiples, similar method as done by Purnanadam and Swaminathan (2004). Then he investigates the relation between under or overvaluation and first-day return (underpricing). Later on, they identified the way of earnings management affects under or overvaluation and underpricing. Lastly the authors found that about 60 to 70% of Japanese IPO firms are undervalued relative to their industry peers, and most of undervalued firms have positive first day return consistent with the asymmetric information models of underpricing. On the other hand, overvalued firms consisting of 30-40 % of IPO firms also earn 7% to 12% higher first day return, and pre-IPO year abnormal accruals and the magnitude of underpricing are positively correlated when firms are overvalued. These findings suggest that IPOs are overvalued more in hot issue periods when investors tend to be optimistic about the future performance of the IPOs, while underwriters undervalue IPO firms in usual market condition. Earnings managements and performance towards IPO companies Issues in Malaysia This IPOs issue on earnings management was revealed by Rahman and Abdullah (2003). They are trying to identify the causes of firms issuing equity produce poor returns to investors in the long run by exploring the potential opportunities for earning management during the period prior to the public listing and its correlation with initial listing and post issues performance. The study covered 187 IPO valid firms identified from Bursa Malaysia Investors digest since January 1989 upward to December 1998. There are various of industries selected including tradings and services, Consumer product, construction, Properties, Infrastructure and Project companies, plantation, industrial product and hotels. The method used in this study is similar with previous study made by Abdul Rahman(2000), Tay (1993) and Ritter (1991), whereby this study is measuring abnormal return using a buy-and-hold returns approach. The Abnormal return are calculated based on the difference between holding period returns of sample IPOs firms and control companies. Further the study focuses on current accrual as the source of earning management. The types of accrual is whether discretionary accrual or non discretionary accrual. This justification is based on the definition of discretionary accrual itself which is those manipulated earnings that are determined at the discretion of management (Dennis and Michel, 1996 and Teoh et al,1998). The example of discretionary accrual the changes in allowance for doubtful account because on managements interest. According to Teoh et al (1998) the discretionary current accrual are actually superior proxy for earnings management. While in contrast the nondiscretionary accrual is the change as a result of managements accounting decisions that are of interest to the firm (Rahman Abdullah, 2005). As stated example, during the economic growth, one would expect accruals such as account receivables and account payable to change as sales increase without earnings management occurring. The most interested in this issue on IPOs is whether the investment activities in such companies will benefit investors who invest in the company. There are several studies whether done in overseas or Malaysia has been shown that IPO is a wealth reducing investment to investors in the long run. The evidence have been seeking in US whereby they found that IPO as poor long run investment for investors (Ritter, 1991; Loughran and Ritter, 1995 and Teoh et al, 1998). Also have been proven this similar issues happen in Malaysia of poor post issue performance (Ku Ismail et al, 1993 and Pok et al, 2000). The result of the study by Rahman and Abdullah (2005), found that IPO in the average have experience significant positive abnormal return relative to the non-IPO firms during the initial period if the measuring taking to consider of offering price to the end of the day listing price. However the IPO firms is obtain significant negative towards share return relative to their control firms during the first, second and third year following their initial listing on Bursa Malaysia. To solve the research question to why firms issuing equity produce poor returns to investors in the long run, the authors found that Malaysia IPO firms manage their earnings upwards in the year prior to public listing on Bursa Malaysia. Furthermore, those IPO firms that manage earnings are not significantly different between industries but are significantly different between the Main and Second board. Subsequently, the result on their study in relation between prior earnings management and post issues share return performance after the initial public listing is no significant relationship. The result sustain with respect to IPO firms with high or low level of earnings management. In addition according to the Rahman and Abdullah (2005) there is no evidence to suggest that the pre offerings earnings management is able to predict the abnormal returns during the initial period and over one to three years following equity offerings. This argument actually had supported from previous literature made by Ku Ismail et al. 1993 and Shivakumar, 2000), whereby they mentioned that the positive abnormal return during the initial period may be due to the underpricing by underwriters and also as a result of asymmetric information among investors during the announcement period. The result of positive share return at the initial period is actually contradicted with the literature from Teoh et al (1998). He argues that the investors are unable to fully understand managerial earnings at the time of equity offerings and ends up a high offer price. The possible reason of negative significant post issue return one to three years after listing may be due to the unfavorable earnings revealed by media, analysts report and financial statement after the offering(Rahman Abdullah 2005). CONCLUSION In a review of earnings management in IPOs literature, Spohr (2004) and Rahman and Abdullah (2005) are identify a range of potential significant incentives to undertake earnings management. It is including contracts written in terms of accounting numbers, capital market expectation and valuation and government actions. Managers of an IPO company probably motivated to manage earnings in the reporting period following the IPO in order to align more closely with the prediction for the period (Ismail Weetman, 2008). In addition, Ismail and Weetman also found that managers also motivated to manage earnings to increase their short term wealth at the expense of the long term value of the firm. According to Rahman and Abdullah (2005), IPO companies have an opportunity in manipulating offering-year discretionary current accrual and non discretionary current accrual. I noticed here there are several opinions regarding the IPOs market return begin with when company went to public upward to three years later. Therefore the investors in particular should concern with any information announced by the firm before attempting to invest. There are some evidence mentioned that the investing in IPO is kind of short term wealth. This could be happen because there is an existence of earnings management in their operation in order to meet the requirement by Securities commission.

Reunion by John Cheever :: English Literature Essays

Reunion, by John Cheever, is a story told through the eyes of a young boy, Charlie, who is recalling a meeting with his father who he hasn’t seen for more than three years. It is set in New York where Charlie’s father lives. He meets up with his father during a stop over between trains. In the first paragraph we are introduced to Charlie and his father. Charlie is very much looking forward to meeting his father who he hasn’t seen since his parents divorced three years before. â€Å"He was a stranger to me†, shows that Charlie is anxious about his upcoming meeting with his father. But he then goes on to say â€Å"But as soon as I saw him I felt he was my father†. This then implies to the reader that Charlie is a little more relaxed when he sees his father. This sentence is so powerful because of its use of the word ‘father’. The strong connotations, which are related to this word, express the relationship between the two characters. At this stage of the story we are compelled to feel a little bit sorry for Charlie who has been separated from his father. Charlie’s father is also introduced in the first paragraph. He, who is never given a name during the story, forms the image in the reader’s mind of a high-flying businessman. Cheever relays this image with the use of formal language during the communications between Charlie and his father, â€Å"His secretary wrote to say that he would meet me at the information booth at noon†. This in contrast to the less formal style of writing used when Charlie is involved, â€Å"at 12 o’clock sharp I saw him coming†. That last quote also shows that his father is punctual which strengthens the businessman stereotype we have already placed him in. Early on we are lead to believe that Charlie and his father are happy to see each other and have a good relationship with quotes such as, â€Å"I was terribly happy to see him again† and â€Å" Hi Charlie, Hi boy!† But these attitudes towards father and son are short lived. Towards the end of the first paragraph we begin to get more of an insight into what Charlie’s father is really like. The first example of this is â€Å"I’d like to take you up to my club, but it’s in the Sixties, and if you have to catch an early train I guess we’d better get something around here†.