Anita Roddick (The Body Shop) Essay Example for Free

Anita Roddick (The Body Shop) Essay Inspiring profiles and best practices for entrepreneurs Twenty-six years ago the Brighton Evening Argus ran a story on a dispute between two funeral parlour owners who were upset about a new cosmetics boutique which had opened up next door. It wasnt the nature of the business they were getting hot under the collar about, but its name. They thought the green shop front emblazoned with the words Body Shop in gold leaf might put off prospective customers. They wanted me to change my shop front which I had just spent  £870 of my  £4,000 loan on, recalls Roddick. My smart move was to call the Argus and tell them I was being threatened by Mafia undertakers who wanted to close me down. The press loved it. The story of the beleaguered single mum with the house in hock trying to support her two kids with a bootstrapping start-up worked a treat. The small splash made Body Shop a cause celebre, won plenty of local support and won an important battle to get the business off the ground. The anecdote is a small aside, recounted with a chuckle and a hint of outrage in a long interview. But although the battles got much bigger as Roddick grew her business into the multinational retailer it is today, anyone with even a passing familiarity with the Body Shop story will instantly recognise the defining characteristics of its fiery feisty founder in those early days of the business: Ethical Anita versus the big bad world. There has never been any compromise in Roddicks views on how business should be done: this is why her husband Gordon was tasked with handling the City suits (they didnt like me talking about sexual tension at work) and why she stepped away from the business in 1998 when the shareholders said a campaigning chief executive was not what they wanted for Body Shop. You might think after thirty years of business and the comfort of a healthy shareholding and a wedge of cash in the bank Roddicks hunger for campaigning might have diminished. But little has changed since 1976. Her latest venture, a publishing start-up, produces books on ethical matters. It promotes her on the speaking circuit and all the profits going into campaigning. The only difference is now she occupies the position of an icon for women and female entrepreneurs: something I dont take lightly And there is still plenty to shout about when it comes to what she sees as an ethical vacuum in business today. Suffocation She rails against the suffocation of UK businesses as we outsource to cheaper countries; the failure to preserve the needs of shareholders in public companies; the lack of respect for the responsibility of business to the community at large; the ongoing need for women to conform to a male template in order to succeed; the lack of recognition of the value that employees bring to a business. Being ethical in business is not about giving stuff away Roddick is emphatic about what this means in practice: not sandals, beards and group hugs in the boardroom but the adoption of simple moral values. People use the excuse of business to leave their morals at the front door and I dont know how they get away with it. But can ethical business really fit in with the cut-throat world of today? Her business, she says, is living proof. She describes Body Shop as a great business experiment which is still proving a point: you can run an entrepreneurial business, provide a return to shareholders while campaigning on ethical issues and placing a high value on human capital. Being ethical in business is not about giving stuff away. Its about your relationship with your employees, its about the aesthetics of the workplace and its about communication, says Roddick. There is no reason why the workplace cant be a genuine creative place, why there cant be flexitime, why there cant be transparency and even good manners. If Roddick doesnt sound like a business woman its because she has never claimed to be one. She puts her success down to a need for a livelihood and sees herself as the accidental entrepreneur.

Regimes of Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments

Regimes of Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments A comparison of the similarities and differences of the respective regimes of recognition and enforcement of judgments under Council Regulation 44/2001 with those provided by the English Common Law. As a Member State of the European Union, the United Kingdom is subject to two regimes of recognition and enforcement of judgments. One is the domestic system that has developed under the English common law, while the other has been imposed upon the English legal system by the European Council, through Regulation 44/2001. These two regimes are similar in many ways, although there also significant differences between them. The Council Regulation acknowledges that in the pursuit of a community in which free movement of persons is ensured, there needs to be ‘measures relating to judicial cooperation in civil matters which are necessary for the sound operation of the internal market.’ Furthermore, it expressly recognizes that judicial differences between the national rules of member states governing jurisdiction and recognition of judgments ‘hamper the sound operation of the internal market’. The Regulation seeks to establish the free movement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, and it can therefore be seen as a harmonizing measure. It replaced the Brussels Convention on jurisdiction. The Regulation is based upon the principle that there should be a high level of predictability in the area of judicial enforcement and recognition. This can be seen as in-keeping with the general aims of the Community as set out in the earlier Treaties. Article 32 of the Regulation defines ‘judgment’ as ‘any judgment given by a court or tribunal of a member state, whatever the judgment may be called, including a decree, order, decision or writ of execution†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This deals with any semantic difficulties of interpretation throughout the Member States, and ensures that all judgments that should properly be described as judgments are so. The Regulation goes on to state that a judgment in one Member State will be recognized, without the need for any special procedure, in other Member States. This can be seen as differing to some extent from the common law regime in England, under which a specific treaty with the country in which the original judgment was obtained is required in order for that judgment to be enforced. Such was the result of the Brussels and Legano Conventions, which the Regulation has sought to amend. If this is not in existence, the jurisdiction of an English court will depend upon where the process was served upon the defendant. At common law, there is a distinction between service upon a defendant within the jurisdiction, and service upon a defendant outside the jurisdiction. Where the defendant is outside the jurisdiction, service upon such a defendant requires the permission of the court (under the Civil Procedure Rules Part 6). There are a number of other significant factors to which attention must be paid under the English common law relating to recognition of judgments. These factors include the nationality of the court which gave judgment (as was mentioned above relating to the question of whether a treaty exists with that country); the subject matter of the action (that is, whether it is an action in personam or in rem; a distinction which the Regulation also makes); as well as the nature of the order made by the court outside of the jurisdiction. The regime under the common law makes provision for the ‘registration’ of judgments, particularly of those from the Commonwealth and other Western European countries (under the Administration of Justice Act 1920, s9(1)). Once registered, a judgment has the same force and effect as if the judgment had originally been obtained from the registering court on the day of registration. Furthermore, foreign judgments can be registered under the Foreign Ju dgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1933. The effect of this is the same as registered judgments under the AJA; namely that the judgment obtains the force and effect it would have if granted in the registering court. These provisions, then, require a foreign judgment to be registered in the UK in order for it to be enforceable and recoverable on. This is considerably more protracted and complex than under the European regime brought in by Regulation 44/2001. This is more straightforward, although of course more limited. While a judgment obtained in a court of a Member State will be applicable throughout the Community, and actionable upon, this extends only to the other Member States as opposed to under British law, whereby the judgment of a court of any nationality will be recognized and enforced, so long as it is registered in accordance with the statutory provisions. Further principles have developed under the common law in England regarding what judgments will be enforceable. It is established that the judgment in personam of a court of ‘competent jurisdiction’ will be enforceable in England provided that it is for a definite sum of money, and it is final and conclusive. These conditions add little to the statutory provisions other than a requisite degree of certainty. This can be seen to differ from the Regulation which stipulates that even a judgment for a ‘periodic payment by way of penalty’ will be enforceable but only if the amount has been finally determined. There is no requirement, then, under Article 49, for the payment to be final and conclusive. There are, then, certain important differences between the two regimes on recognition and enforcement of judgments to which the UK is subject. Despite this, however, the Regulation sought to harmonise the laws relating to enforcement to promote the free movement of judgments within the Community. It has achieved this without infringing too much on the existing English regime which maintains it applicability to judgments from courts of nationalities outside the Community.

Relationship between Motivational leadership and culture

Relationship between Motivational leadership and culture Introduction: The link between Motivation, Leadership and the reference and appropriateness of American culture oriented education systems and the Pakistani cultural context investigated. Motivation in the workplace holds a direct link to the leadership within organisation. In the modern age work has become the focus of our live. Work is the place where most of us find much of our sense of identity. It is hard today for many of us separate our work from the rest of our lives. We spend much of our time at work or in work related social and leisure activities. Within this work environment, at its core we can find Motivation, Leadership and culture. The way in which these three issues combine has a defining influence on how we lead our lives. One of the major problems of leadership today is that of understanding what motivates people. In order to be able to influence people it is necessary to understand what moves people. However, by studying motivation insight is found, drawing useful generalization, all of which will make the process of leading other that more effective. For many years the Pakistani business, education and cultural environment has been influenced by American business, education and culture. Clearer understanding of how successful this cross-cultural mixes has been needs investigation to judge its success. Motivation is closely linked to leadership; without motivation it could be argued that there is no leadership. The leadership style will naturally relate to the national culture of the country being investigated; to lead effectively and motivate people in a suitable way. Pakistan as a developing country is ready to accept many western ideas and if appropriate presented western cultural education programme. This dissertation aims to study how to apply an American cultural education programme with western structure to the Pakistan cultural business environment. The important of cultural influence on the leadership style and motivation has been researched. The differences between Pakistan and American culture within this context will have been investigated. Assessment of the following areas will be made: The effect of leadership on motivation. The cultural impact on leadership style. The differences between American and Pakistani culture. The best way to apply an American cultural education programme within the Pakistani cultural context. Background and Academic Context: Motivation: Motivation is a basic concept in human behaviour and also in employee behaviour. Motivation is one of the key drivers of high performance as it encourages individuals to work hard, and desire to achieve a higher goal and a better performance. According to Mitchell (1982) motivation is psychological process that cause encouragement, direction and insistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented. Robbins (1993) shares the same view, that motivation is the willingness to exercise high levels of effort towards organization goals and to satisfy individual needs. McKenna (2002, p.8) explains motivation as an emotion, which is personal in nature, and comes from within the individual. Robbins (1993) also describes that it is the individual needs that make the outcomes to be attractive and unsatisfied needs will create tension to stimulate drives within the individual and this is called motivation process. Leadership: Leadership is defined as a social influence, process in which the leader seeks the voluntary participation of subordinates in an effort to reach organisational goals. There are many ways of looking at leadership and many interpretations of its meaning, it is therefore difficult to generalise about leadership (Mullins, 2002). However a definition from the 1990s said, Leadership is an influence relationship between leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes (Rost, 1991). Mullins also submitted that leadership is essentially a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people (Mullins, 2002). Culture on the other hand, has the culture brought about by a nations  culture such as language, religion, customs, traditions, norms of behaviour, beliefs, business ethics etc.   For a successful globalisation, though organization culture plays an important part, it cannot over-ride the national culture. Any successful operation will pay much attention to the national culture in formulating its organization culture for that country. Leadership is the ability to lead, including inspiring others in a shared vision. Leaders have clear visions and they communicate these visions to their employees. Leadership has been a topic of interest to historians and philosophers, but only around the turn of the century did scientific studies begin. Since that time, scientists and other writers have offered more than 350 definitions of the term leadership (Daft, 1999). Defining leadership has been a complex problem because the nature of leadership itself is complex. In recent years, however, much progress has been made in understanding the essential nature of leadership as a real influence in organizations and societies (Northouse, 2001). It is worth reweaving the first conceptions of leadership the trait and the behavioural approach as one can learn from these former approaches in order to construct a new approach best fitting to the current economic situation. Leadership is related to motivation, interpersonal behaviour, culture and the process of communication. Di Cesar Sadri (2003) explains the dimensions of cultural impact on employee motivation, stating while the principle of leadership, motivation, and decision making may be applicable almost everywhere, their success or failure depends heavily on ways in which managers adapt to the local culture and work situation (cited in Di Cesar Sadri 2003, p.30). Culture can be defined as Symbols, language, ideologies, rituals, and myths (Pettegrew, 1979), or it can be said that it is a product; is historical; is based upon symbols; and is an abstraction from behaviour and the products of behaviour (Jongeward, 1979) or the famous definition by Edgar Schein a pattern of basic assumptions- invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with the problems of external adaptation and internal integration- that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.(Schein, 1985). Leadership can be defined below: Contingency Theories of Leadership Leadership is all about the way people are guided, involved and supported through the completion of a task or activity. There are many styles of leadership and every leader will have their own personal views why their style is the best method for them. All forms of leadership are individualistic and can be categorised into four different styles: Democratic, Paternalistic, Authoritarian (dictatorial) and Laissez-faire. Contingency Theories unlike Style Theories are primarily concerned with the factor that leaders are assumed their style can be varied at will. Style Theories simply assumes that there is a single leadership style that is suitable for all situations. Contingency Theories therefore assume that it is the situation itself which makes one style more appropriate than another. A Contingency Theory therefore is a theory that has to be suitable for the conditions in which leadership is to be exercised. An Outline of the Three Contingency Theories of Leadership Fiedlers Contingency Theory This theory is also referred to as the LPC, which stands for the Least Preferred Co-Worker. This is the subordinate that a supervisor was least able to work with successfully on a previous occasion. Fiedlers Theory is based upon his view that the most appropriate leadership style (which results in high task performance by workgroups) is denoted by the preferred behavioural style of the leader within the contextual circumstances in which the group operates. Basically if the leaders style is positive towards the workgroups then workers will work to a maximum output. The Path goal Theory of Leadership The Path goal theory is closely linked with Vrooms Expectancy Theory where the motivation for people to perform an activity is functional with two connected factors. These factors are expectancy and valence and are defined below. Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   Expectancy is about a person believing that his/her good/positive performance will lead to specific identifiable results. i.e. if this individual performs to his/her highest ability and this is shown and recognised then expectancy will lead to positive results. Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   Valence is to what extent this individual values these results i.e. valuing the results that he/she is expecting from the work carried out. The Hersey and Blanchard Contingency Approach Also named the situational leadership model theory this theory derived by Hersey and Blanchard argues that a managers style should alter according to the readiness of followers to take responsibility for directing their own actions. The term readiness is used to embrace task-related readiness and psychological readiness. Task-related readiness shows whether subordinated have the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to undertake a job without the leader having to plan, structure and direct their efforts. Psychological readiness is linked to the leaders subordinates characteristics such as self-motivation and pride in their work, which in turn may instil them to accept responsibilities. Key factors of successful contingency leadership theories: Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   Adapting to external surroundings and understand the people who you are leading what is the way in which they want to be lead? Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   What do these people want in return for task completion, Remuneration, praise and promotion. Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   Incorporating a motivational theme throughout the business is a key issue for task completion and for workers to experience the expectancy theory. (in reference to Vrooms Expectancy Theory) Æ’ËÅ"  Ã‚   Contingency Theories are not Leadership Styles. Culture: Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and generate behaviour (Spradley, 1980) take from Social Responsibility in the Market: Fair Trade of cultural products by (Littrell and Dickson, 1999). Culture encompasses a groups ideology, as well as its normative behaviours and its physical environment, artefacts and technology. As applied to business, the study of organisational culture offers insights into a firms unique character. Organisational culture evolves as a group learns to solve problems and conduct business (Schein, 1985). Often initiated by a strong founder, a firms culture perpetuates itself through the telling of company stories, daily rituals, hiring practices, training, rewards, and marketing decisions (Kotter and Heskett, 1992). According to (Rugman and Hodgetts, 2000) Organisational culture that people use to interpret experience and to generate social behaviour. Members of a group, organisation, or society share culture. Through culture we form values and attitudes that shape our individual and group behaviour. Culture is learned through both education and experience. Culture is also passed from one generation to another, so it is enduring. At the same time cultures constantly undergo change as people adapt to new environments. Having looked at culture in western countries, the attention will focus now specifically on Eastern (Pakistan) culture, its relationship with leadership and identify which international attitudes it is most closely associated with. From last past years certain characteristics have become influential in shaping Pakistani culture. Among the important cultural characteristics of Pakistan are vast differences in socio-economic status at the both societal and organisational level, and the influence of nationalism and secularism in transforming society into a western societal structure. The Quaid-e-Azam whos known as the founder of Pakistan was one of them who received a western influenced education and was consequently greatly inclined to European culture and institutions. Pakistan stands out as being different from Asian countries. Despite the fact that 99 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslims, the Pakistani state is secular. The ideology of Pakistan is based on principle of religion and state. In other words the state is independent of religious rules and is run by secular rules. Generally, externally characteristics serve as an important power base for leaders. Leaders power is a manifestation of feudal links and has strong roots in Pakistani culture, in that leaders are expected to promote patronage relationships with their followers. Objective: In view of this the objective of this dissertation is to undertake a critical evaluation of the impact of leadership on motivating the workforce within different cultures or contexts where different cultures exist. Expanding on this key objective, attention is focused on a number of distinct areas like: A review of the literatures dealing with motivation to establish whether or not there is strong relationship between motivation and effective leadership. A review of the literatures to establish whether or not there is strong relationship between effective leadership and culture. An assessment of leadership within different cultural context. To evaluate the extent to which American principles advocated in the leadership and motivation literatures will encounter cultural resistance when introduced to the Pakistani context. In what ways will the principles of motivation and leadership need to be modified and what will be the implications for management style. Research Method: The research for this dissertation (Proposal) started with review of relevant books, research and articles. First effort was directed towards establishing what research has been published in the chosen area and then other research that might currently be in the progress has been identified. This process that is called Critical reviewing helped to develop knowledge on this subject and also assisted in clarifying research. Methods: The references used within this dissertation proposal (Relationship between leadership, motivation and culture) are not an extensive list and the common of them are drawn from American or British journals publishing on the topic of leadership, motivation and culture. Furthermore qualitative research is a systematic method of post-mortem, which follows a logical in depth method problem solving conflicting in certain directions (Thomas and Nelson, 2001). With qualitative research a hypothesis is often not given at the beginning of research studies instead prospective are explored as the data unfold. Although the research aimed to put it in sincere effort to make this research as genuine and possible, one must accept that limitations remain as they always do in all human activities. The geographical distance between, the West (US UK) and East (Pakistan) is off course one of the major hindrances, and the limitation of time is another. Financial resources put another limitation, which might not allow the researcher to go all out for the purpose of data collection. Furthermore, all previous studies on the area, although none concerning developing countries such as Pakistan, focused on leadership style. This research can help to develop better strategic plans, such strategic plans for research question. In order to achieve the objectives the literature available with the Anglia Ruskin University will be studied and analysed along with the academic literature included; Anglia Ruskin University Library, mainly academic journals, which are closely related to research topic, including Harvard Business review, HR development International, HRM journals, Journal of Management studies and primarily academic books, including HRM, SHRM, IHRM, employee relation, international management, psychological and sociological contract etc and CIPD weekly magazine, general magazine, economist etc. Different resource of information provided by the university portal will be accessed and used like Emerald Database, Thomson Gale, and Ebsco etc. Time line: Research will be started in the third week of August 2010, The period of the whole research will be six months. The following timeline is based on my current course schedule. Description of the activity Start Date End Date Draft Dissertation Proposal Submission of Dissertation Proposal 23rd Aug 2010 Literature Study Research Design Analyses your design Collect and Analyse collect date as per research Writing dissertation Finalizing the dissertation and necessary editing and correction Submission of dissertation 6th Jan 2011 Aim of study: Motivation in the workplace holds a direct link to the leadership within organisation. In the modern age work has become the focus of our live. Work is the place where most of us find much our sense of full meaning. It is hard today for many of us separate our work from the rest of our lives. We spend much of our time at work or in work related social and leisure activities. Within this work environment, at its core we can find Motivation, Leadership and culture. The way in which these three issues combine has a defining influence on how we lead our lives. Leadership now days face some serious problems in determining and understanding the factors which are the motivational factors for people and similarly to get maximum possible one need to determine these factors beforehand. However, by studying motivation insight is found, drawing useful generalization, all of which will make the process of leading other that more effective. For many years the Pakistani business, education and cultural environment has been influenced by American business, education and culture. But a clearer understanding of how successful these cross cultural mix has been needs investigation to judge its success. In this work it will be distinguished what motivates people as well as how leadership gives direction, drawing on cultural factors. Most commonly family leadership occurs in business enterprises even in large companies in almost in a similar way in both regions but more common in Asia primarily emphasizing with respect to cultural differences giving importance. Li Ka-shing [of the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong holding group], for example, has decided to give the leadership of his firms to his two sons these companies were run by him very closely, whereas in America if a company is being established and founded by a certain elder of the family of a largest firm will be holding the position but it is only if he has founded it and been establishing it. Boards and executives in America enjoy less freedom of action as compared to Asia. In America board of directors are mainly the authority to replace professional managers, they are either replaced or they get retired so they are replaced by other professional managers. Good companies train their own staff for future recruitment and they recruit and give priority to internal staff and chose their next chief executive from among themselves. On average a CEO will own less than 4 percent of its companys shares and would have served for at least thirty years with his company. There are certain companies who get publicity and try to over project than they actually are who hire executive from the external market without any experience. Then these CEOs strive to win and they think that money is not that important but professional achievement is all what they are after actually they are in a very highly competitive market. During the last decade in America its hard to get credit due to enormous inflation of top executives compensation packages. Many large companies in America receives their equity capital from capital market which is why they are mostly inclined and attentive towards Wall Street compared to Asian in common. Which is why Wall Street has definite expectations from the board of executives in terms of behaviour and performance and also whoever the next successor is too. It is the main reason that executive members of the board of directors get less chance to act freely in America rather than in Asia. In Asia, Siblings usually gets the succession. In Lis case, his two sons will receive it from him whereas Chief executive officer of General Electric is being groomed with a talent machine which is developed by Jack Welch. American firms are much more on advance stage than as of Asian firms, they To a significant degree, they have passed from founders family leadership to professional management and to capital obtained from the capital markets (rather than obtained from government-directly or indirectly-or from family fortunes). In this transition they have adopted particular styles of leadership responsive to boards (often led by outside directors) and to Wall Street. It is possible, but not certain, that Asian firms will also adopt this kind of important practice. Business Executives in Asia thinks its vital for them and their businesses to have connections with the ruling party or whoever is in the government offices, and in America its not that important to have such connections while in Asia it is the basic characteristics of executives and they think its also very important for their businesses. In America, Mostly business Executives even dont get the privilege to have any direct contact with top politicians and simply business is treated as business and executives dont even try to collaborate with top politicians and always keep the government on a certain distance and business is conducted by business people and experts. Still there are people in America who do involve and keep close ties with political guns so that to gain profitable margins but that wouldnt be on a large scale as of Asia and simply would be an exception.

Human Rights Violations :: Human Rights Essays

Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan Since the departure of the Soviets from Afghanistan basic human rights of the Afghanistanis have not just been trampled on but summarily done away with. After the widespread destruction of the power struggle, the ruling party, the Taliban, have committed atrocities against the people of Afghanistan that few would believe still exist in the world today. Especially targeted are the Shiite minority and the women of Afghanistan. Despite every effort of the Taliban to limit reporters and documentation of the crimes being committed, there is tremendous information being made public worldwide. The violations present a unique situation in the world and command reaction from the world at large. http://www.tabloid.net/1999/01/21/taliban_990121.html : Tabloid news services - Kabul, Afghanistan What has become norm these to Afghanis are straight out of a horror movie for most of the civilized world. The Taliban regime has enacted their own form of justice under the banner of Islam. This news piece from the capital tells of a typical day of sentencing, severed hands and feet of thieves hanging in the busiest part of the town to serve as a warning to others. One of the most unique punishments is for the sodomists. The presumed guilty stands in front of a wall, which is bulldozed on him while a crowd watches. **http://my.rawa.org/rawa.html Rawa, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, was started under the Soviet rule. These women campaigned against the atrocities of the Soviets and brought to public view their heinous crimes. Since their departure this group has enlarged its scope to include resistance to the fundamentalists as well as the mistreatment of the women and girls of Afghanistan. The Taliban have been especially cruel towards women since they believe women should not be allowed to work or go to school. Women and girl who still pursue these goals are frequently stopped by the morality police and beaten or worse. The Rawa org. is doing an incredible job exposing these violation under their harsh circumstances. http://www.rawa.org/herat-p.htm In May of 1999, the Taliban suppressed a coup by the Iran backed Hezb-e-Wahdat(shiite group). After the confrontation, they thought it would be prudent to seek out all of the Hazaras Shiite minority living in Herat. The Taliban went on an armed house-to-house search of the entire town.

The Art of Procrastination Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Art of Procrastination    It is three in the morning, and a haggard man puts the finishing touches on a presentation that he has had a month to complete. A bright young boy scurries around the backyard collecting bugs for his big science project due the next morning. A grown woman packs at two in the morning for her six-thirty business trip. A man disappoints his wife with a gift of socks for Christmas, which was all he could find on Christmas Eve. What is wrong with these people? Why do normal, intelligent people fritter their time away; and wait till the last possible moment to do the necessary? In a word, procrastination.    This phenomenon defies logic. Every other ugly duty is "gotten over with." We gulp down our proverbial green beans, always saving the best for last. Retirement comes after work, M&Ms after nasty medicine, and a soak in the tub after you scour it. It follows that every other distasteful job would be treated the same way. Aunt Nelda's birthday present, the big research paper, a visit to the dentist and the cat's bath should be gotten over with like our green beans and medicine For many people, however, they aren't.    Procrastination is not just a bad habit; it is a condition of mind that has some serious causes and consequences. Far too often substandard work is the result of putting things off until the last moment. When we procrastinate, we don't actually enjoy the time we waste. Instead, we add to our stress level by letting a project worry us for an extended period of time. To understand this paradoxical and self-defeating approach to challenging situations, we must assess what the process of procrastination involves. This common practice of wasting time has b... ... thus, my paper will be on her desk by Friday. I call only console myself with the thought that I am not alone.    Procrastinators, however, should take heart. Some of the best things in life wouldn't be the same without procrastination. After all, a good wine isn't a fine wine until it has spent some time in a cool cellar. And a quick stew may be "all right," but a stew that has been procrastinating in the pot all day is worth the wait. The French say that you're not a woman till you're forty -- is this procrastination in disguise? As long as people don't procrastinate for too long, good things do come to those who wait.    Works Cited Plotnik, Rod. Introduction to Psychology. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1993. Rathus, Spencer A. Essentials of Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Holt, 1989.                        

The Bombing of Hiroshima – source related study

Source A is a picture source, which shows the mass devastation caused by the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. The source is an Ariel photograph, which was taken at the heart of Hiroshima, it was taken a day after the bomb was dropped. Source B is an eyewitness account of the bombs consequences and describes the people around him. Source A focuses on the geographical consequence of the bomb. From the source we can see mass destruction and devastation, there seems to be no signs of life what so ever. There is absolute destruction shown and there is only really one house visible, which is crumbling down into pieces. We see a large area (we can even see the mountains in the background, showing the extent of the damage) as the picture is quite wide and the picture is visually powerful, it shows the viewer a lot, as a picture paints a thousand words. It shows much more than any text would describe. It shows exactly what the Americans wanted to see, destruction to force the Japanese to surrender. It shows the power of the atomic bomb, approximately equivalent to the power of 100 million tons of TNT. The source may be taken for propaganda. It shows annihilation and this represents power. This may have been used to show the American people that the country was still powerful and get their moral up after losing hundreds of thousands of American lives. It may also have been used to show the rest of the world Americas supremacy. It does this very well. The source is extremely useful as it is a clear Ariel photograph which displays a wide area of land in which we can see the physical effects, which ultimately is high devastation. But the source can be unhelpful in some respects as it is only one area of Hiroshima and so there may not have been that much devastation overall. It may be the not be as bad as other parts and could be exaggerated. But ultimately the bomb had a large radius and would have destroyed a large area quite easily. Source B is an account by Mr Kazuo, it is an eyewitness account and so the source should be quite reliable. The source focuses more on the human aspect. He describes the gruesome deaths and mutations of various, innocent Japanese men, women and children. It gruesomely describes how people's eyes hung out, how they had holes instead of noses and how the skin hung like seaweed. The descriptions are extremely effective and gruesome and make people fell angry as innocent people went through such horrific pain. The source however is not as useful as it doesn't really focus on the physical side, although we learn bridges were still standing. It focuses much more on human aspects. It may not be as reliable as we think because the effects of the bomb may have tainted him, and naturally he would exaggerate the disaster to some degree, as the experience was shocking. He would have hated the Americans for what they did so would naturally exaggerate. Overall source A is a much more useful source as evidence of the physical effects of the Hiroshima bomb. The source is an actual photograph, which focuses on the land, and so we can gather much information about the physical effects. Source B is very useful in dealing with the human aspect of the bomb, but the visually powerful picture in source A is much more useful for the physical effects and paints a thousand words. There is so much mire we can learn and conclude from source A. it shows the true devastation to the land and shows the bomb and Americans left nothing standing in there way.

Bibilical Illusions With The Novel Cry Essay

Biblical reference within the story Cry the Beloved Country Many times in literary pieces, allusions are put in novels, used to foreshadow the ending of a book. The most common types of allusions are those from the bible. This is probably because many are familiar with the bible and its stories. The goal of foreshadowing is to provide a way for the reader to think more about the big picture, rather than what is happening page by page. In the novel, Cry the Beloved County, allusions to the Bible are very apparent and hold high significance in the story. The character Absalom shows tremendous similarities to the Biblical Absalom and almost seem to be made out of the same mold. Steven Kumalo from the novel and the simple man Job from the bible are tested in the same way and come out in the end in the same way. Biblical Absalom is essentially wronged by his half-brother Amnon, when his half brother forced his sister Tamar to sleep with him. Similarly Absalom Kumalo is wronged by his father’s, brother’s, son, Matthew, when he will not admit to the court that he was an accessory to murder. Basically, both are wronged by a close family member, Biblical Absalom by his brother, and Absalom Kumalo by his cousin. In both stories, though not shown in depth, the men show a close trusting relationship with the one whom have wronged them. Before Amnon slept with his sister Tamar, Biblical Absalom would have no reason not to trust his brother, just as Absalom Kumalo would not doubt his cousin whom aided him in the murder. Later on, both men find out that, Amnon and Matthew are in it for themselves, not unlike both Absaloms. Absalom Kumalo shot Arthur Jarvis with the intentions of becoming richer. Even though Biblical Absalom killed his brother for sleeping with his sister, with Amnon dead, Absalom would inherit his fathers throne. (Bible p372-380) (Ward pp.188-189) In retrospect, both men were ultimately driven to commit the murder. Absalom Kumalo probably felt that if a white man can underhand him, and deny him money, then he deserves some of his fortune. So because whites men, kept blacks unskilled and did not allow them the same rights, many rebelled against the whites. In the same frame of mind, biblical Absalom’s hatred for his brother was built up until he decided to go through with his murder. Even though Absalom Kumalo shot the white man on accident, he was doing it for his own gain. He went into the  house with the intention of stealing and instead shot a white man out of fear. Though it may seem that he regretted what he had done, which he in some ways did, his crime could not be fully repented. More than anything he probably wishes for Arthur Jarvis to be alive. He doesn’t feels bad about killing him, he simply does not want to deal with the consequences. Biblical Absalom plans out t he murder of his brother when he has him over for dinner. Neither men regret killing a man that was as family to them. (Bible p372-380) (Davis p184) Biblical Absalom murdered his brother Amnon for raping his sister Tamar two years earlier. Absalom Kumalo, on the same note, accidentally murdered a white man, while attempting to rob him. Absalom Kumalo, like biblical Absalom essentially murdered his own brother. Arthur Jarvis, the man Absalom Kumalo shot, was like a brother to the black men. He devoted his life to make a difference in blacks rights in South Africa. For both men, the act of murder on their part, ultimately led to their own demise. Biblical Absalom killed his brother Amnon and when king David found out that Absalom had indeed killed his brother Amnon. After the murder, both men flee the scene. Absalom Kumalo, runs because the price for killing a white man is high. Biblical Absalom flees because he also knows, that if he stays, hash consequences will be enforced. (Bible p372-380) Eventually, both man are captured and die in an unusual manner against both their fathers’ wishes. Absalom Kumalo is hung for his crime, so as to set an example. Though, the hanging of Absalom is not so strange in itself, its almost foretold in the biblical story of Absalom. After biblical Absalom flees his home on a horse, his head gets caught in a tree while passing under. This act is almost too familiar. As biblical Absalom dies with his body off the ground, struggling to get down, Absalom Kumalo dies with his head in a noose, and body dangling above the ground. (Bible p372-380) (Davis p184) In the bible, Job is developed as a man whom would never speak ill of god. Job is tested by Satan, who believes that Job will curse God if his prosperity is taken away. Satan kills Job’s children and all of his livestock, but Job does not lose his faith. Satan then takes away Job health by planting boils all over his body. Job eventually become very disappointed with his life and curses the day he was born. This is a classic example of how no man is perfect and when  Steven was introduced into Cry, the Beloved Country, he seemed to strive for perfection just as Job had in the bible. Job in theory seemed perfect but, Satan proved Job not to be, just as Steven’s family proved him not to be. (Davis pp.265-272) (Bible p572-600) When brought into the story, both Steven and Job seem to be perfect and upright men. Steven, as a simple black parson and Job, as a upright man whom has shown no flaws. Though Steven’s flaws are shown early on the novel, Cry, the Beloved County, he is still seen as a good man. Both men are examples of how bad things sometimes happen to good people. They both try to be the best men they can be, by fixing others mistakes and trying to be good people. Job offered burnt offerings to god everyday for his children who may have cursed god in their hearts and Steven prayed everyday to repent the sins of others and his own. The main thing that made these men eligible to lose so much, was because they had gained so much earlier in life. Though Steven want a rich man, he was far better off than any man in his village, and Job was a very prosperous man and looked well upon by god. (Davis pp.265-272) (Bible p572-600) Since Job was thought so highly of by God, he was tested by Satan in order to see if he would lose his faith. Steven Kumalo is tested in the same way as Job. Steven receives a letter from a priest informing him with the news that his sister, Gertrude, is sick. He leaves his normal life in the valley and travels to the city, with the intentions of bringing her home. When he arrives there, he is confronted with the horrifying news that she is selling herself to men. Steven goes in search of his son Absalom, and eventually finds him. Absalom had shot a white man and is sentence to be hung. Everything that went on in Jhonnaneburg hurt Steven and just like Job, he is tortured to the point where he will break if anything else were to happen. (Bible p572-600) (Ward p.222) In the end, though both men had lost practically everything they cared about, Steven his son and sister, and Job all his children and his prosperity, but then things got significantly better. Steven loses a son but gains a daughter carrying baby, and his sister Gertrude’s son. Job loses all his children but gains ten new children and all his livestock back. It’s an interesting coincidence how both men lose their child or children, but as they regain faith, new children are restored to them. (Davis pp.265-272)  (Bible p572-600) Paton used the name Absalom as an allusion in the story. His goal was probably to allow people to see into the future of Absalom’s mortality. When I first read the story of Absalom, I didn’t any definite similarities but as the stories start intertwining, I understood why he used the name Absalom for Steven’s son. Absalom in general was a greedy boy, who really thought he deserved more and makes the mistake of killing a man which ultimately leads to his own death. Job and Steven, on the other hand, are generally men who strived to be good men. They were tested with their faith and both men failed, but they do gain their faith back, and their happiness along with it.