Sunday, November 24, 2019

How Managers Should Treat Employees

How Managers Should Treat Employees Introduction Increased productivity is a major goal for all organizations and companies. This is especially the case in the current economic environment where a lot of competitive forces exist and each business has to look for means to avoid being forced out of the market. The management of an organization is critical in ensuring that the goals of increased productivity are met.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on How Managers Should Treat Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Managers are the individuals who are charged with the important task of organizing the human resources of an organization to ensure growth and development (Pugh Hickson, 2007). However, these managers have to work through employees so as to accomplish organizational goals. It is therefore in the best interest of the manager to ensure that the employees are successful in their tasks. Invariably, they act in differing ways in their que st to get increase employee productivity. While some are aggressive and stern, others are caring and set out to command the respect of their employees. Each approach used by the manager has different outcomes since the manner in which managers treat their employees affects the output obtained from them. This paper will set out to demonstrate that a manager who is considerate and respectful to his employees will get higher productivity than one who engages in aggressive behavior towards his staff. The paper will also suggest leadership styles and other approaches that managers can use to increase employee productivity and therefore aid in the increased profitability of the organization. Effects of Aggression on Employees Positive effects Aggressive behavior by the manager can at times yield in improved employee performance. This is because such behavior will prompt the employees to act in a desirable manner. For example, a manager can make use of negative consequences so as to modify the behavior of his employees to what he/she sees as desirable. This desirable behavior will ideally result in higher productivity for the organization. Fournies (1999) reveals that punishments work since employees will be keen to decrease the frequency of the behavior that brings about the negative consequence. People who receive negative consequences become more apprehensive and are therefore more likely to avoid making future mistakes. The manager will also benefit from using punishments since other employees are less likely to engage in the behavior that brought about punishment to their co-worker.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fournies (1999) asserts that it is sometimes necessary for the manager to be strict and uncompromising with his staff. Such a stance might be necessary when the manager is fulfilling Fayol’s commanding role which is th e process of â€Å"maintaining activity among the personnel in order to obtain the optimum returns from the employees (Pugh Hickson, 2007, p.145). In this role, the best results are achieved if the manager is able to push his staff to work according to set schedules. The manager might find it necessary to be strict and stern so as to obtain the best results. Being stern may also be productive when the manager wishes to express the severity of a situation. Negative Effects Using punishments will decrease the frequency of the behavior that is causing the punishment (which is undesirable) to the employees. However, using punishments to modify the behavior of employees may have some negative repercussions. Fournies (1999) demonstrates that punishments may cause employees to react aggressively by holding work back, causing disruptive actions or even sabotaging work performance. These actions by the employees will be aimed at reducing performance and therefore injuring the boss or his/h er reputation. Fournies (1999) suggests that instead of using punishments to modify employee behavior, it would be more beneficial to use positive reinforcement to increase the desirable employee behavior. Managers who display aggressive, belittling and blaming behavior towards the employees under their command obtain devastating effect. Research indicates that such behavior results in increased job dissatisfaction and it might also lead to high turnover rates among employees. In addition to this, employees engage in deviance behavior which is primarily aimed at hurting the reputation of the aggressive boss. Donaldson-Feilder, Lewis and Yarker (2011) go on to reveal that aggressive behavior by managers results in a range of psychological outcomes such as anxiety, depression, burnout and somatic health complaints in the employees. Such outcomes further reduce the performance of the employees and therefore reduce the overall productivity of the organization. Effects of Considerate Tre atment Genuine concern for the employees by the manager will increase the productivity of the workers significantly. Research by Kellerman (2007) demonstrated that when managers showed concern for their staff, the staff reciprocated by increased productivity. The reason for this is that all employees at some point experience levels of stress and even de-motivation as they carry out their work.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on How Managers Should Treat Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When the manager shows concern, the employees feel that he/she can identify with their circumstances. They will therefore be more willing to be guided by such a manager and work hard to achieve the set goals and objectives. Another considerate treatment that the manager can use to increase employee productivity is to show consideration for work-life balance. Employees suffer from conflicts between work and non-work res ponsibilities with such conflicts resulting in stress and burnout. Donaldson-Feilder et al. (2011) reveals that stress and overwork are increasing in prevalence among today’s workforce. Anderson et al. (2002) demonstrates that stress and burnout result in cognitive difficulties and lead to decreased performance of the employees. Work-life balance has therefore gained great significance since this stress and overwork has a negative impact on the productivity of the workers. Research indicates that provision of work-life practices has the potential of generating positive attitudes by the employees towards the manager and by extension the organization (Donaldson-Feilder et al., 2011). When employees perceive that the manager is treating them fairly, the social exchange theory explains that they will feel obliged to reciprocate by engaging in behavior that is beneficial to the manager. They will therefore be more willing to increase performance and therefore achieve set organizat ional goals. Approaches for increasing production Managers are tasked with marshalling the organizations’ resources to accomplish some goals and it is therefore imperative that they be able to make sure that their employees have a high degree of motivation in their performance. Motivation is defined by Martocchio (2005) as â€Å"the process of arousing, directing and maintaining behavior towards a goal (p.22). An important point to consider is that motivations should not only be restricted to monetary benefits. While it is true that money is the core motivating factor for many employees, there are other important aspects that employees look at.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Donaldson-Feilder, et al. (2011) suggests that many employees are also concerned about their professional growth. A manager who considers this will take on a mentoring role to the employee and also ensure that the employees are provided with schedules that improve and encourage growth. Managers should also engage in regular evaluations of the performance of their employees. These evaluations should be aimed at improving the productivity of individual employees. It is therefore critical for the manager to provide feedback on the evaluations to the staff. Moss and Sanchez (2004) reveal that the manner in which the manager delivers feedback determines whether it will aid or hinder improvement. While failures are bound to be observed in employees, this should be seen as learning opportunities. The manager should therefore try to capture and reveal to the employee the lesson behind any failure (Moss Sanchez, 2004). The manager should ensure that there are set performance standards which the employees should seek to achieve. Performance evaluations should then be measured by these set standards as opposed to comparing employees’ performances against each other. Donaldson-Feilder et al. (2011) note that there are times when a manager may feel overwhelmed and fail to control their negative emotions to the team. In such a situation, it is crucial for the manager to be honest and communicate with the employees what happened. Even more important is that the manager should have the capacity to take responsibility and apologize for their behavior. Apologizing for poor behavior will show employees that the manager is willing to take responsibility for his actions and it will reestablish the perceived integrity of the manager. Many performance problems are blamed on poor communication between managers and employees. Communication is critical for the success of all relationships and its prominence in organizations cannot be over emphasized. Lack of communication by ma nagers may cause low levels of morale among the staff (Fournies, 1999). This is especially the case when there are increased levels of uncertainty about what is going on in the organization. Through open and regular communication, the manager can boost the level of confidence that employees have in the organization and therefore foster positive attitudes. Most managers only talk to their employees when they are issuing instructions or when the employees have done something wrong. This makes it hard for employees to know when they have done a good job since the manager does not provide any feedback at such times. The level of engagement that employees have to the organizations is determined by communication. Kellerman (2007) demonstrates that managers who communicate to their employees on a frequent basis foster followers who are passionately committed and deeply involved in the organizational affairs. Managers should make use of motivating language so as to increase employee job sat isfaction and performance. Leadership Styles for Increasing Productivity A leadership approach that would be beneficial for increasing employee performance is transformational leadership. This style is highly favored by many Western nations and the transformational leader looks for â€Å"potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower† (Harris Nelson 2007, p.356). A manager who practices transformation leadership is able to not only steer the followers towards achieving set goals but also identify with their needs and concerns both at the job and outside. Such a manager is able to show consideration to his followers. This will require the manager to take on the role of a considerate leader that is; one who is able to show concern and respect for his followers. Donaldson-Feilder et al. (2011) articulate that this kind of leaders is able to look out for the welfare of his staff and express appreciation and support for their efforts. This leadership behavior is associated with many positive employee outcomes including: higher job satisfaction, reduced burnout and tension and most importantly, increased performance and productivity. In addition to this, research indicates that considerate behavior by managers has been consistently linked with improved employee well-being. The transactional leadership approach can also assist the manager to obtain superior results from his employees. Harris and Nelson (2007) define this form of leadership as one where the interaction between leaders and subordinates is characterized by a transactional exchange of rewards for services. The manager is about to offer rewards such as promotions, granting favors, and continued employment in exchange for continued good performance by the employee. This approach helps the manager to get the most out of employees since it clarifies to the staff what is expected of them (Harris Nelson, 2007). However, the manager should ens ure that the set goals are tangible, verifiable, and measurable. If the manager sets goals that are too aggressive, the employees will be discouraged and may therefore not even try to reach them. Creating Boundaries While it is important for the manager to establish a good relationship with the staff, it is important for work boundaries to be set. Without boundaries, the employees may fail to afford the manager the respect that is required for his/her to fulfill his managerial duties effectively. Donaldson-Feilder (2011) suggests that boundaries can be established by ensuring that employees follow protocol when they wish to bring up issues with the manager. In addition to this, the manager should be afforded the authority that comes with his position with the organization. In disputes between or among employees, the manager should act as the dispute handler. Conflicts are a reality in all environments where people are working together. Martocchio (2005) declares that while contentio us issues are bound to occur in all organizations, the way in which these conflicts are handled may influence the future success or failure of the organization. A manager who is skilled at conflict resolution will be able to reconcile fighting employees and therefore ensure that disputes do not hamper productivity. Conclusion The success of an organization depends on the productivity of its workforce. With this consideration, this paper set out to discuss how managers should treat employees so as to get more productivity from them. This paper has conclusively shown that managers who are aggressive and use punishment to try and increase performance from their employees fail. Instead, managers who establish relationships with their employees and make use of positive reinforcement are more successful in getting increased productivity. Transformational leadership and transactional leadership have been highlighted as two leadership styles that can be used to increase performance from emp loyees. The workplace is full of many stressful situations and an understanding and considerate manager will motivate his employees to increase their performance. The paper has underscored the important role that communication plays in motivating employees. By applying the approaches highlighted in this paper, the manager can increase employee performance and therefore achieve the desirable goal of increased organization productivity. References Anderson, S., Coffey, B. Byerly, R. (2002). Formal organizational initiatives and informal workplace practices: Links to work-life conflict and job-related outcomes. Journal of Management, 28(6), 787-810. Donaldson-Feilder, E., Lewis, R. Yarker, J. (2011). Preventing stress in organizations: how to develop positive managers. Boston: John Wiley Sons. Fournies, F.F. (1999). Coaching for improved work performance. NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. Harris, T.E. Nelson, M. (2007). Applied organizational communication: theory and practice in a glo bal environment. London: Taylor Francis. Kellerman, B. (2007). What Every Leader needs to know About Followers. Harvard Business Review, 85(12), 84-91. Martocchio, J. J. (2005). Research in personnel and human resources management. Washington: Emerald Group Publishing. Moss, S.E. Sanchez, J.I. (2004). Are your employees avoiding you? Managerial strategies for closing the feedback gap. Academy of Management Executive, 18 (1), 34-54. Pugh, D. Hickson, J. (2007). Great writers on organization. NY: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Principles of Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Principles of Corporate Finance - Essay Example For example, the year 2008 witnessed a global financial crisis, which had a significant impact on the cash flows of firms that depend on banks for funding. Even if Timbercorp may not have been directly affected, it may have indirectly been affected by a reduction in demand for its products on a global scale as consumers find it difficult meeting up with payments. Secondly, the economic environment is constantly changing. Interest rates and exchange rates continue to change and this has an effect on Timbercorp’s financing and investment decisions. As earlier mentioned, the company is a leading participant in the agribusiness sector through the food and fiber industries and the land and water rights and infrastructure associated with these industries. The sector provides a lot of opportunities and threats. As far as opportunities are concerned, the agribusiness sector remains a crucial part of the global economy and it is estimated to be worth approximately US$5trillion. In addi tion to its importance for delivering food security, it also encompasses half of the world’s labor force and assets as well as 40% of consumer purchases. Global population is expected to grow to approximately 8.3billion by the year 2030. These developments will help boost demand for Timbercorp’s products. The company anticipates a 60% rise in the demand for food and fiber products by 2030. However, there are also challenges for the company. For example, the amount of arable land is declining and these may adversely affect the company’s ability to meet rising demand for its products. Other challenges facing the company include rising operational costs, limitations on the access of water resources, as well as rising oil and gas prices.  The company reports that high oil and gas prices had a material adverse impact on harvesting and transportation costs as well as on the costs of fertilizers.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Evolution - Essay Example one has ever seen evolution happen, and that if it were a process in progress, evolution should still be right on course with numerous observable "transitional" forms of evidence. The arguments above are but valid in a sense for evolutionary processes in terms of changes in the genetic makeup across populations deem to have been observed in an array of scientific contexts, that include basic laboratory experiments with fruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster and even bacteria have never produced new types of insects. Chemically induced mutations in such organisms have only resulted in mild changes, which include, in the case of fruit flies, those with oversized to no wings, white or even purple eyes (DeBenedictis 383). The minor changes have never had significant change on the organisms, with the changes limited to variations. Even with such experiments being repeated over and over again since Darwin invented the theory, fruit flies remain fruit flies; not a single experiment has successfully changed the organism to a different species (Franklin

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Logic of Descartes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Logic of Descartes - Essay Example The Logic of Descartes Descartes felt the only way to obtain true knowledge was to rely solely upon human reason while ignoring the senses. Descartes wrote several books regarding the nature of existence and knowledge, providing us with plenty of material to study and has had tremendous influence on those who have come after him. These books are typically divided into segments Descartes labels meditations. In these meditations, Descartes reflects upon the nature of the individual and determines that he does indeed exist as both a physical and a metaphysical being through a detailed consideration of the various elements that contribute to his awareness. Through statements such as ‘I am not lodged in my body like a pilot in a vessel’ and ‘I am not that set of limbs called the human body’, Descartes attempts to bridge the difference between the new sciences and the sensory perceptions of the old philosophy, introducing in the process a new way of thinking about thinking. In Descartes ’ Meditations on First Philosophy (1989), Descartes states emphatically ‘I think, therefore I am.’ This simple-sounding statement is the result of a discourse in which Descartes calls into question all of the assumptions he’s come to know as a result of the philosophical thought of his day. To seek a higher version of the truth, Descartes felt it was necessary to question every assumption that had even the shadow of a doubt. Through this questioning process, he demonstrates how thought, not observation or the senses, is really the right foundation for knowledge. â€Å"When I considered that the very same thoughts (presentations) which we experience when awake may also be experienced when we are asleep, while there is at that time not one of them true, I supposed that all the objects (presentations) that had ever entered into my mind when awake, had in them no more truth than the illusions of my dreams† (Descartes, 2001). The first issue to be overco me was the concept that knowledge defined by a â€Å"clear and distinct perception† as being clear of sensation is foiled by its own dependence on the senses within the definition. Descartes argues that in order to fool a mind, a mind must first exist, indicating that the senses are not necessary to the development of a thinking being, so we must be something more than the physical material we are made of, something more than ‘the set of limbs.’ In the process of breaking down all of his perceptions to determine the very basic, deepest thought that is not based on the senses, Descartes admits that there may be some way in which all of his senses could be fooled all of the time into thinking he exists; this in itself proves his existence. â€Å"But there is I know not what being, who is possessed at once of the highest power and the deepest cunning, who is constantly employing all his ingenuity in deceiving me. Doubtless, then, I exist, since I am deceived; and, let him deceive me as he may, he can never bring it about that I am nothing, so long as I shall be conscious that I am something† (Descartes, 1989). Meditation III builds off of Descartes’ earlier idea that he exists because he is capable of thinking – â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† Assuming that what he is able to perceive as distinct must be true, he strives to erase his mind of all information that has been gained through his five senses to arrive at what he knows deep within himself. â€Å"In this item of first knowledge, there is simply a clear and distinct

Friday, November 15, 2019

Preserving Minority Languages

Preserving Minority Languages On the other hand, according to Anthony Ellis, it would be trifling to insist that extinction of language causes extinction of culture because language is not whole culture but just one part of it (Ellis, 2005). Nevertheless, according to David Harrison, linguist and professor of the Swarthmore College, languages have been shaped by people to serve as repositories for cultural knowledge, efficiently packaged and readily transmittable across generations. (Harrison, 2007:7). In other words, it is crucial for human race to keep the conservation of minority language due to its cultural values: academic, ethnic and social values. The first cultural value of minority language is its academic value. Linguists especially have academic passion for protecting and researching minority languages. They should study many different languages to restore their all functions and structures of endangered languages. It must also be noted that linguists need to train many youngsters at school to transmit their native languages to next generations. Moreover, one of most important reason why it is needed to keep minority languages researching is that academically new and attractive facts are always discovered in minority languages. Ubykh, one of minority language of the North-western Caucasian group spoken by the Ubykh people until the early 1990s, was regarded as a language which has a large number of consonants (Romaine, 2007). Recent researches, however, show that some African language have more consonants than Ubykhs. Furthermore, linguists found an African language called Hixkaryana, which has about 350 speakers. The reason why this language and its adjacent languages have an attention is that they are cases of language which place their object first when they make a sentence. For an instance, if the English sentence, I love you, is made, the sentence in Hixkaryana should be you love I instead of I love you. In the case of Korean and Japanese, they have the archetypal structural order, Subject + Object + Verb(SOV). They say I you love whilst English speakers say I love you. It is clear that contemporary English has self-evident sentence order, Subject + Verb + Object(SVO). However, Irish puts its verb firs t. Unfortunately, linguists predict that object-initial languages such as Hixkaryana will vanish in the next century. (Nettle Romaine, 2000:11) At this point, it should be academically asked that why object-initial languages are hard to survive in the modern era. This is the academic question which needs to be examined by researching minority languages. There will be a number of these kinds of academic questions from minority languages. This academic knowledge will be a great legacy for human race. This is why we preserve minority languages. The second cultural value of minority language is the value about its ethnic identity. One of the most important factors of ethnic identity is language. In the time of globalisation, identity of people is defined by the language that they speak and write rather than the region that people live. For an example, although every people in London speak common language, English, it is unsure that all of them are English people because some of them have their native languages. It means that people can find their ethnic identity when they speak their native languages. The importance of ethnic identity acquired by using native languages is closely related with national stature of each country. For example, one of the urgent issues of Ukraine after independence in 1991 was to establish its linguistic identity to rise up the stature of nation-state. After breaking up Soviet-union, one of differences between other nation-states and Ukraine was the influence of Russian. Unlike other nation-states, Russians was used in more widely and still made an impact on culture, science, management and so on in Ukraine. In this situation, Ukraine declared the new constitution and it expressed clearly that there is only one national language. By this process, Ukrainian became only one official language of Ukraine. People who used Ukrainian thought that people who still used Russian didnt have any ethnic identity as the member of Ukraine (Zhurzhenko, 2002). For another example of historically dark side, during the Japanese occupation in the past, Hangeul, Korean native language made by Sejong the Great in 1443, was strictly banned to use among Koreans as a colonial policy for ethnocide. Koreans were forced to change even their Hangeul names to Japanese names. Koreas national stature could not help fall. These historical facts above clearly demonstrate that language can not be divided from the ethnic identity. For this reason, if minority languages become extinct, the ethnic identity of those who use minority language will be disappeared as well. The third cultural value of minority language is its aesthetic value. Every language has its aesthetic values. This is expressed by art works through languages such as novels, poets and even music. Research has shown that there is the tendency to regard analogies between artforms and linguistic structures as relevant and illuminating. (Kraut, 2007:177). It is said that Jazz improvisation is analogous to spontaneous speech.'(ibid). In other words, it means that all minority languages have their unique aesthetic values. For an instance, China is unified multiracial nation and 56 tribes are living together in an extensive land. The numbers of minority tribes languages are around 60. Even though they are minority languages, their aesthetic values are proved by their literatures. Tibetians literary value is excellent and its Gesaer, written in the 13th century BC, has been well-known as the longest heroic epic over the world. Dong, one of minority ethnic groups in China has their native language, Kradai. It is told that Kradai is a profusion of musical value because it has various tones and vocabularies. Kradai has been developed in unique musical ways of Dongs people. It is known that Kradai is the most complex language over the world because it has 15 tones whilst the language of the Han race in China has 4 tones. As a matter of fact, its complexity contributed to make its aesthetic value. Therefore, it is natural that this great value dies if minority languages of Chinas minority ethnic groups die. For these three cultural values, which are academic, ethnic and aesthetic values, it is self-evident that minority languages are definitely deserved to be protected and transmit to their next generations as their great legacy. That is to say, minority languages are not a part of culture and a method of communications but culture itself. When a language dies, a culture dies. Conclusion In conclusion, it is urgently asked at this time to protect minority languages. Firstly, it is essential that the endangered languages ought to be found, stabilised all linguistic functions and all people help them be transmitted to next generations. Secondly, it is needed to make preserving minority languages be an important part of Conservation ethic. It means that people should realise that our language is equally one of the great natural environments and endeavour to protect our linguistic environment. Lastly, there has to be unremitting exertion for native language education even if it is minority language. For an instance, some Korean scholars pointed out to Koreas education environment just focused on English instead of Hangeul, Korean language and predicted there will be no Hangeul after 200 years if we keep this education system. Minority language education is important especially for next generations. Therefore, the fact that extinction of a language engenders extinction of a culture should be remembered to all generations and make a great effort to preserve minority languages. Bibliography Ellis, Anthony (2005). Minority Rights and the Preservation of Languages. Cambridge Journals: 199-217. The Royal institute of Philosophy. Harrison, David. K. (2007). When Languages Die: The Extinction of the Worlds Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge. USA, Oxford University Press. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7206411.stm (Accessed 08 November 2010). Kraut, Robert. (2007). Artworld Metaphysics. Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2008. Nettle, D. and S. Romaine (2000). Vanishing voices : the extinction of the worlds languages. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Romaine, Suzanne. (2007). Preserving Endangered Languages. Language and Linguistics compass 1/1-2:115-132. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Zhurzhenko, Tatiana. (2002). Language Politics in Contemporary Ukraine: Nationalism and Identity Formation. IWM Junior Visiting Fellows Conferences, Vol. XII/2.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

City Ordinances and State Laws :: Expository Essays

City Ordinances and State Laws In the spirit of civic duty, I thought I'd inform you, the responsible citizen of Mount Vernon, of some of the important laws that we live by. Combining my copious amounts of free time with my love of the mundane, I dug through our city's ordinance code as well as state law to unearth some rules we all need to know about. First off, let it be known that many of these crimes come with penalties. State laws can carry heavy prison time while city ordinances come with fines up to $500. Bearing this serious business in mind, let us begin. We all know not to start fights or provoke violence, but there are other more important things to know about. For instance, never ever harass someone via a telegraph. Don't even think about it. In fact, don't "circulate a report or warning" of an epidemic, either. Imagine the pandemonium that could result if you convinced them that your incessant smoker's cough could spread syphilis. State law prohibits these things. Public nuisances, usually found in the city code, are my personal favorites. Do not, for goodness sake, keep flammable, "unreasonably" offensively smelling, "noisome," toxic or otherwise objectionable stuff on your lawn. Leaving exploded gas station burritos in your dorm microwave is OK. Furthermore, keeping diseased animals (even if they're tied up) or animal carcasses (even if they just look like they're asleep) is not just a bad idea; it's also against the law. The city's ordinances go to great lengths to protect our beloved streets and sidewalks and the inhabitants thereof. If you cannot find a safe sidewalk to walk or run on in Mount Vernon, you must stay on the left side of the road. No exceptions. Considering tying your sled to the back of a car and riding it around? Don't even think about it. Sled/car combinations are illegal. Thinking about building some kind of device to launch cantaloupes or other large melons at oncoming traffic? Forget it. Shooting things into the street is prohibited. In fact, simply obstructing a sidewalk is a serious offense. Leaving something like grass clippings or a car on a sidewalk is illegal. Waiting more than 48 hours to clear the sidewalk of snow or ice is illegal. Leaving an open flame or unspent fuel on a sidewalk is illegal too. If you encounter anyone committing these offenses, call the police immediately and tell them it is a critical emergency.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The last chapter of the novel ‘The Crucible’

‘Here. Now. It's all clear,' whispered Abigail coarsely, choking back a cough. Mercy squeezed through the small gap in the fence to join Abigail the other side. Together, grasping each other's hands for comfort, they darted through the trees, into the forest that served as a barrier between the sea and Salem. They ran along a faint path of trampled grass, till they arrived at a clearing, the same clearing where they and the others had danced six months ago. They stopped at the edge, panting for breath, with the moonlight streaming in through the gap in the trees illuminating the way ahead. They gazed around in silence, till Mercy sniggered. ‘I was just rememb'rin' the time we danced, and Parris,' she paused, smiling in amusement, ‘and Parris, he saw me dancin' naked!' ‘Aye, and dear Betty,' said Abby, ‘she were too young, we should never have let her come.' ‘That were wierdish, though. She lay on her bed, frozen, whimp'ring for her Mama. Aye, that were wierdish.' ‘Mary meant to tell-I know it. I remember her words even now, ‘Witchery's a hangin' error', ‘it's a sin to conjure',' Abby imitated, with a likeness that caused Mercy to shiver with remembrance as it all came back to her head. ‘Did you hear what happened to Tituba? She left the courtroom with Sarah Good, shoutin' to a cow ‘Take me home, Devil; Devil take me home.' She told them all that the Devil, ‘him be pleasure-man in Barbados!† Mercy laughed, as Abby ran through the trees shouting charms in Tituba's Barbados accent. ‘You beg me conjure, come, make charm with me!' Abby shrieked, violently swaying over an imaginary fire, as Tituba had done, calling out the names of the ingredients as she plucked them from the air. She beckoned to Mercy in a low whisper, ‘Come try Tituba's charm, come drink to kill Goody Proctor.' ‘Abby, you'll make me dream corruptions soon, and yourself,' said Mercy, with a serious tone to her voice. ‘You make me think I did see spirits, that I did see that yellow bird, on the beam, behind the rafter in the court room.' ‘Come on Mercy, you're harder than that,' teased Abby, ‘if I hadn't seen your face, I would have thought you were Mary Warren.' Mercy playfully punched Abby in the arm. Abby lay there shivering as the cold night breeze passed through the forest, whistling through the trees. The events of the last six months ran through her head, it was only the spring when they had danced. The bluebells had gone now, but the memories hadn't. The trial had taken its toll on Abby, her face was pale and the bags under her eyes grew each day. The days that went on forever in the courtroom, tirelessly questioned, till they got the answer they wanted, truth or not. She still had the guilt feeling in her, that Proctor's death was not meant to happen, and that she could have stopped it. But she forced this to the back of her mind, but it haunted her when her mind was still, each night, and slowly, it was wearing her down. She looked over at Mercy, whose large figure was stretched out on the grass beside her, her mouth wide open, loudly inhaling the cold air. Mercy was a tough girl, she had to be to work at the Putnams', yet had a conscience but Abby knew that it could easil y be convinced by some persuasive talking. She slowly drifted into doze but was easily awoken by the first light of dawn. She leapt up, knowing they had to be out of the region fast, or else they would be caught, made to return and punished. Within minutes, Mercy and Abby were running through the trees till they were out in the open fields at least three miles from Salem. ‘We'll have to stop for some food at a farm, else we'll never make it to Andover,' Mercy said. ‘When the sun rises over those hills,' said Abby pointing to the East where the red, early morning light was focused. ‘Then we'll find the nearest farm, and get somethin' till last us till tonight.' They walked for an hour, hardly talking. Their shoes pounded on the dirt track road, with an urgency that urged them to walk faster. They reached a turning to a farm, and turned down. ‘I'm goin' to talk to the farmer,' said Abby, taking control. ‘Stay a few metres back, but still in view.' Abby strided on up to the door and beat her fist on it, before Mercy could argue. ‘Good Sir, we have been travellin' for over a week now, and our bodies are weak. We had to leave our small village as Mercy, this girl here, she was found guilty of traffickin' with spirits.' Abby's voice deliberately started to crackle, as if attempting to hold in her tears but not very successfully. ‘She was so weak; I felt I couldn't leave her to run away by herself, if she didn't, she would have had to face the rope, and I care for her, I do.' ‘Aye,' the farmer said, nodding. ‘And so you gave all up for this sinner here.' ‘Aye, 'tis right good Sir. My name will be soiled in these parts, but Mercy would never have made it to Boston by herself. I felt it my duty as a friend.' A tear dropped from Abby's eye, and she made no attempt to wipe it away. ‘I'm sure my wife will have some spares for you,' said the farmer, smiling kindly down at her. ‘But she won't like you sharing it with your friend, she will never help the devil in any way. Goody Jones, do you have any left of yesterday's pie?' ‘Aye, of course, I'll bring it to you right away,' called a voice from within the small old building. Within moments, a small plump lady had appeared, with a kind smile, and welcoming eyes, like her husband's. ‘Oh, how long have you been travelling, child?' she asked, looking at Abby, ‘you'll need to get some of this down you soon. Here let me wrap it up in a cloth.' She disappeared again, for a moment, ferreted around in some drawers, and appeared with a patterned cloth to wrap up the pie. ‘Here you go. And safe journey.' ‘Safe journey,' called the two of them, as Abby turned round and started to walk towards Mercy. She stopped at the sight of Mercy's face. It was tense with anger, and as red as the fresh berries on the bush nearby. ‘Abigail Williams, how dare you? You lied, you lied, I never-‘ she broke off in anger. Her eyes could have shot like arrows. Her body was stiff and started to shake. ‘We had to get food, I had to,' Abby replied defiantly. ‘You lied,' repeated Mercy, spitting the words out as if they were poisonous. ‘You had to leave too, Abigail Williams, we left as you could not walk through the village without hearing your soiled name mentioned, and people running from your face. It were not my fault we had to leave, Abby, 'twas yours as well. Tell them that, Abby, tell them that you caused the death of John Proctor, and mark it Abby, mark it, Elizabeth is sure to hang once her baby is born.' Mercy was almost shouting by now. Abby kicked a stone in the road. ‘Look we had to get food,' she explained, knowing she shouldn't have, but never prepared to admit. ‘I'm goin' to Andover, and then to Boston. I don't care about you, I saved you Mercy from the judges, I saved you, and this is how you repay me? Well Mercy Lewis, you go by yourself and I'll go by myself and we'll see who gets there in the end.' ‘Fine, I can manage myself, I'm eighteen now, older than you, and you never helped, just caused problems. 'twas your fault we danced, you begged Tituba to conjure, because of you, Abigail Williams, the whole country's talkin' witchcraft.' At this, Abby turned her back on Mercy and strode down the dirt track, her eyes focused on the skyline ahead, not turning to look back, at Mercy's aghast face. She smiled a tight, forced smile, but she was happy, Mercy was shocked. Mercy's face was frozen in horror, the words had just come out of her mouth, she knew, although she was older than Abby, she couldn't look after herself, and Abby could. It was Abby's imagination that had lied them through, it was Abby's determination that would get her to Boston, it was Abby who could look after herself, not Mercy. She could never give in to Abby, so she turned dejectedly back down the long straight road and started to walk the long way back to Salem. She dragged her feet on the ground, wishing she hadn't said anything. She was tempted to run after her, but it was too far, and that was exactly what Abby wanted. Abby, meanwhile, was far in the distance. She sat down on a boulder by the side of the road to rest her aching feet. She closed her eyes and thought of Boston. She imagined the skyline view, the way it had always been described. A big town, busy with people, no one would know her name, or what she had done. She was about to start a new life. She could smell all the market fish, and could hear the buzz of noise from the inhabitants. The place was alive with colour, she had left Salem, and its old wooden buildings, her mud covered clothes, faded in time. Her life seemed awash of brown and grey, but now as she thought ahead, she dreamt of the exciting new start, about to begin.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Essay4 1

Essay4 1 Essay4 1 Sydea Gardner Professor Shipps English 101 December 11, 2104 Police brutality today, is becoming more and more of a prevalent issue in the year of 2014. This issue not only has an impact to the involving families, but also to the community and the justice system that America has built for today. Even though, police brutality is a problem, the bigger social issue is the lack of justice giving to the falling victims. The way that we can see improvement in the justice system i s for congress to develop a new law and punishment, that specifically deals with situations such as police brutality and wrongful killing by the police. An situation that police brutality occurred without any justice is the recent case of Eric Garner. On July 7th, 2014, In the city of New York Eric Garner was killed from a deadly chokehold that is also illegal, by a Staten Island police official Daniel Pantaleo. Just moments before Eric Garner took his last breathe he repeatedly expressed to the police office that he could not breathe. There was no CPR given to Eric Garner for the time he passed out due to compression to his chest and neck. An hour after the incident Eric Garner was pronounced dead at the hospital. Wikipedia issued that " City medical examiners concluded that Garner was killed by neck compression, along with "the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police and ruled his death as a homicide". With video footage of this incident, Five months later a grand jury made the decision not to indict the police officer who used the illegal and deadly chokehold on unarmed civilian, Eric Garner. This injustice quickly spread worldwide and made citizens the courage to start protests and rallies for police indictment throughout the states. This issue impacts the family members of Eric Garner, by not having peace of mind that his killer of their father, husband, son and friend was not brought the formal punishment for his wrongful action and was overlooked by the justice system. Before Eric Garner there was a case very similar to it, the case of Oscar Grant. On January 1st, 2009,

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Bioethanol, a Potential Fuel Revolution

Bioethanol, a Potential Fuel Revolution Simply put, bioethanol is ethanol (alcohol) that is derived exclusively from the fermentation of plant starches. Though ethanol can be extracted as a byproduct from a chemical reaction with ethylene and other petroleum products, these sources are not considered renewable and therefore disqualify most ethanol from being considered bioethanol. Chemically, bioethanol is identical to ethanol and can be represented by either the formula C2H6O or C2H5OH. Really, bioethanol is a marketing term for the products that do not have immediate harm to the environment through burning and use of natural gas. It can be fermented from sugar cane, switchgrass, grains, and agricultural waste.   Environmental Benefits All fuel combustion- regardless of how eco-friendly it is- generates dangerous emissions that harm the earths atmosphere. However, the burning of ethanol, especially bioethanol, has far fewer emissions than gasoline or coal. For that reason, the burning of bioethanol, especially in vehicles that can use fuels derived from them, is much better for the environment than some other alternative fuel sources.   Ethanol, in general, reduces greenhouse emissions by up to 46% compared to gasoline, and the added bonus of bioethanol not relying on harmful chemical processing means it further minimizes the harmful effects of gasoline use. According to the United States Energy Information Administration,  unlike gasoline, pure ethanol is non-toxic and biodegradable, and it quickly breaks down into harmless substances if spilled. Still, no fuel combustion is good for the environment, but if you must drive a car for work or pleasure, perhaps consider switching to a flex-fuel vehicle capable of processing ethanol-gasoline blends. Other Types of Biofuel Biofuels can be broken down into five types: bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, biobutanol, and biohydrogen. Like bioethanol, biodiesel is derived from plant matter. Specifically, the fatty acids in vegetable oils are used to create a powerful substitute through a process known as transesterification. In fact, McDonalds now converts much of its vegetable oil to biodiesel to reduce their companys large carbon footprint. Cows actually produce methane in such large amounts in their burps that theyre one of the largest contributors to emissions in the natural world- impacted significantly by commercial farming. Methane is a type of biogas which is produced during digestion of biomass or the burning of wood (pyrolysis). Sewage and manure can also be used to create biogas! Biobutanol and biohydrogen  are both yielded through biological means of further breaking down butanol and hydrogen from the same materials as bioethanol and biogas. These fuels are common replacements for their synthetic or chemically engineered, more harmful counterparts.

Monday, November 4, 2019

G. I. Jane Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

G. I. Jane - Movie Review Example Director, Producer and Writers of this film are Ridley Scott and Roger Birnbaum; and Danielle Alexandra and David Twohy (writers) respectively. Main actors are Demi Moore (as Jordan O'Neil), Viggo Mortensen (Master Chief James Urgayle) and Anne Bancroft (Sen. Lillian DeHaven). Film officially released on 22 August 1997. Cinematography goes to Hugh Johnson while Editor is Pietro Scalia. It is distributed by Hollywood Pictures (United States). Budget is $50,000,000. Running time is 124 minutes. G. I. Jane covers internal and external conflicts a modern and upright woman faces in this man dominated American culture. This film presents diverse aspects of psychology and sensitivities of a contemporary woman. Causal restlessness of women versus stereotype discriminatory attitudes of men is shown in this film in very effective way. This restiveness turns into O'Neil's struggle to claim her dignity of being an equal human being. Women's sexual discrimination even in professional institutions like the national army is also characterized in this feature film. This film addresses gender concepts such as sex-role congruency, androcentrism, traditional stereotype military culture, sexist discrimination of women against a backdrop of norms set up by man dominated socio-political ethos. Characters like Jordan O'Neil are related as deviants in this situation - be it military, social, political or otherwise (Andrews 74-94, Dunivin 531-547, Norman 56-57, Palmer 1687). During military training, O'Neil had to use steps while climbing wall in a live-fire session. Cortez left her in the lurch. Still she could finish her live-fire exercise well in time though with some extra time allowed for women. Had O'Neil been participating like all other men, she would not have required additional concession given to her. Had Cortez been in her place, he might have failed in live-fire timing! In a combat operation, O'Neil saved the life of Master Chief James Urgayle. In another scene, she had been to the Senator to ask for equal treatment to her vis--vis other men in the army while the concerned Senator was behind a plan to fire her out from army due to motivated political vested interests. G. I. Jane is replete with such instances of O'Neil voicing her fight for equal treatment to her in the army. She even went to the barber to cut her beautiful long hair just to look like other men in the army. All these instances of O'Neil's fight point to inherent overt and covert attitudes of men towards women as examples of gender concepts anent sex-role congruency, androcentrism, traditional stereotype image and sexist discrimination of women. Such pointers focus attention of the viewer of G. I. Jane on the deep rooted psychological malaise and traditional outlook towards women in society, State and politics. Relevance Women are serving national army from the First World War onwards. Despite this, the context of proper socialization of women-in-combat is still a ticklish matter. Women-in-combat becomes even more controversial for it confronts societal stereotype gender roles, military readiness, military effectiveness, and unequal opportunities. This situation of varied sex discrimination of women continues although -- in the name of equality between the sexes -- gender-norming stands introduced to the military since 1970s. Gender-norming is there for

Friday, November 1, 2019

Is It Possible for Passengers to Hack Commercial Aircraft Essay

Is It Possible for Passengers to Hack Commercial Aircraft - Essay Example For a hacker to succeed in his or her endeavors, he or she has to possess adequate skills to penetrate networks. Basically, they have to exploit weak links within secured systems to enable them induce their ill-fated viruses that will enable them access to information, override protocols, destroy data or even allow them to have full control of the hacked system remotely (zetter, hackers could comandeer new planes through passenger wi-fi, 2015). Back to my question, is it possible for passengers to hack into commercial aircrafts systems? To answer that, it is important to understand its system better for vulnerabilities. In an ease to be more competitive in the market, quite a number of airlines today offer internet connectivity through systems called in-flight Wi-Fi. The working of this system is that passengers connect their devices through Wi-Fi inbuilt in mobile devices to the Wi-Fi router in the plane, which connects their devices to the internet. This feature is currently in service in a large number of united airlines planes among other airlines. This aircraft feature provides a potential threat to attack from hackers. A plane has a system known as the avionics system, which controls various systems in an aircraft including flight controls and even the autopilot feature in planes. Here is where the risk comes in. the Wi-Fi system that connects passengers to the web is connected to the avionics systems mentioned above separated by a firewall security system. Many might think that hacking may be prevented by the availability of a strong firewall system yet firewalls are not impenetrable. Back in the year 2013, the Federal Reserve Bank website was hacked by an unknown hacker posting a link on a third party website which allowed users to download the stolen contact information from the banks’ website (zetter, is ti posible for passengers to hack comercial