Women Should Be Equal To Men Essay Example for Free

Women Should Be Equal To Men Essay Are women of less importance than men? In this paper, I will attempt to explore the difference in pay scales, which exist between men and women. It appears that women face discrimination on the economic front as they receive lesser pay scales, both nationally and internationally. Whether a woman is in the business world, or in the skilled labor profession, her salary does not equal that of the male counterpart. It is because of the ancient world view that men are the bread-winners of the family, and hence, in a male dominated society, women may continue to experience a gender disparity in the pay scales. I believe that the primary goal of the business world should be to create an atmosphere where men and women gain equal benefits. In my social work class, we learned that employee is dissatisfied with the feeling of being undervalued, and thus, it can take a toll on the productivity of the entire workforce. Therefore, companies should give equal opportunities to both men and women. For example, in education sector, the educated women with a Bachelor’s degree are only a small percentage of the total number of employees, and the percentage of educated women with a Master’s degree is much lower. Besides, their income is also lesser than men. In my field of social work, there are a high percentage of women who still earn lesser than men, and represent only a small number in the management positions. There are three tiers of occupations, which are grouped according to education: Managers and professionals, job supervisors including non-professional as well as self-employed workers, technicians, police, fire-fighters, clerks, etc. Read more:Â  Equality Between Man and Woman Essay , and less skilled workers like sales clerks, food and related service workers, unskilled blue collar workers, etc. In ancient American society, it was noted that the white women worked at home for rearing her children, irrespective of financial status, or social class of the family. At present, the employment market is operating on wage basis to meet the growing demands for production of goods. Considering the current gender bias situation in employment, men still have greater chances of being promoted than women in the upper management positions. Both white women and minority women placed at middle management positions face obstacles for getting promotion to upper management positions because most of the upper executives and operating officers are men, who tend to exclude hiring as well as promotion of women to higher management positions. Further promotions are often given to men who are already at the top of the ladder. It is a pity that women face problems of competition with men in the same profession upon graduation from college, even in the age of technological advancement. The solution of the problem is to give the same pretest to both men and women for judging their eligibility to qualify for equal pay scales for doing equal work. Moreover, it should be highlighted in the media that women should also have equal rights as men. Finally, I believe that this was a great subject to study, but I could not find the existence of gender bias in administrative and low pay scale clerical positions, where women are employed in comparatively larger numbers than women at either management positions, or in upper class professional positions such as engineers, doctors and lawyers. However, it is interesting to note that there are more women who own their business corporations worth billions of dollars. Although the gender bias gap may not be disappearing in terms of the fewer number of women at higher positions and grant of lesser pay scales to women, the appearance of independent women in charge of corporations, has yielded some fame and social status to the women population as a whole, which can be considered to reduce the gender gap to some extent.

Internal External Balance Essay Example for Free

Internal External Balance Essay When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Bernard Baruch In review of trade policy best suited for our Nation it is time for an overhaul and start developing a more complete toolbox. As Kevin Kaiser so poignantly stated in his article in CNN Money: â€Å"The economists that make the worlds crucial monetary policy decisions are the same economists who authored most textbooks in use. While superficially appealing, their theories lack empirical evidence, are riddled with internal inconsistencies, and are based upon tenuous assumptions. Specifically, their models are built on downward sloping demand curves, upward sloping supply curves, perfect competition, rational consumers, benevolent dictators, and general equilibrium; there is no dynamic analysis, no consideration of disequilibrium, and no role of private sector debt† (Kaiser, 2011). The policy cross as shown to the left indicates that as e increases m decreases, and current account improves. To offset this, an increase in g is required. The EE curve is positively sloped in the (e,g) space. An internal equilibrium is attained when the output is at the full employment level thereby raising the interest rate. Moreover, because the economy is fully employed, real output cannot increased beyond a point. Thus, an increase in inflationary pressure occurs, thereby raising domestic price, which shifts the LM curve to the left. Thus, along the IE curve, government spending and interest rate are directly related. As a Post Keynes-Industrialist, the tendency to lean towards comprehensive human market behaviors and interdependent structural issues makes developing a one-size-fits-all policy, such as the policy cross, for internal and external balance a challenge. This is particularly true when evidence for any one theory to-date has not proven to be exact and reliable. Capitalism is fickle, and doesn’t follow slopes as neatly as theorists would like and the global shocks being felt around the world are keeping the economic status of all countries anything but predictable. Paul Krugman wrote an article for The New York Times that explained, â€Å"at the heart of the profession of economics’ failure has been its emphasis on rigor, rather than relevance—that is, economics had been weakened by the desire for an all-encompassing, intellectually elegant approach that also gave economists a chance to show off their mathematical prowess. He offered two recommendations in addition to again making the case for renewed attention to Keynes: scholarship that questions the efficient-market view of the financial sector, and research that incorporates the realities of finance into macroeconomics† (Krugman, 2009). For the purposes of this paper however, it would be recommended that a floating exchange rate be proposed for the following reason: The challenge of fiscal and monetary policies to keep equilibrium could be comparative to eyeballing mass versus weight of internal and external spending and determining which is more relevant at any given time. While a cleanly floating exchange rate assures external balance, it does not assure internal balance and changes in the rate to achieve external balance may exacerbate and internal imbalance. Government monetary and fiscal policies may be used to address internal imbalances at this point with a floating rate structure. â€Å"The following graph can assist in understanding the impacts of booms and recessions on internal and external balances.†(Johnston, M. 2011). For example, the bottom left-hand shows the effects of exports being less competitive, which reduces the number of exports and induces a current account deficit and lower aggregate demand. Currently, the US has a well-known financial problem with a large trade deficit every year. â€Å"It seems many ignore this issue since our debts tend to be denominated in our domestic currency, the dollar.† (Kling, A. para 6). The most recent news release for second quarter 2012 on the Bureau of Economic Analysis states, â€Å"the US current-account deficit decreased to $117.4 billion (preliminary) in the second quarter from $133.6 billion (revised) in the first quarter. The decrease in the current-account deficit was accounted for by a decrease in the deficit on goods and an increase in the surplus on income.†(Bea.gov, Sept 18, 2012 ). This would indicate a small shift in the left lower quadrant just slightly contracting, but very little overall. However damning the current financial situation is, the floating exchange rate remains the better choice as argued in Global Business Today, â€Å"Under a fixed system, a country’s ability to expand or contract its money supply as it sees fit is limited by the need to maintain exchange rate parity, leading to high interest rates† (Hill, 2011). â€Å"Another reason is the because the real exchange rate fundamentals including terms of trade, import tariffs, technology progress, composition of government expenditures and revenues, real interest rate and capital controls are always in flux† (Wong, C. p. 7). When the exchange rate is flexible, in fiscal expansion either government expenditure increases or tax cuts raises output, but worsens current account balances. Conversely, fiscal contraction improves current account balances, but lowers output. If the economy attempts to attain both internal and external balance it could consider expenditure switching, but alone this will be inadequate. â€Å"For example, if an economy is at the full employment level, i.e., internal balance is already attained, but if it is running current account deficits, policy makers in the economy could devalue its currency so that net exports rise. However, the improvement of current account balances would lead the economy to experience over-heating so that internal balance would disappear. If an economy is experiencing an inflationary gap, or over-heating, while maintaining balanced current account, a revaluation policy may reduce total expenditure back to the full employment level, but lead to current account deficits† (web.pdx.edu, para 5). Therefore, changing how we currently think may be necessary to achieve both internal and external balances. Economics has been referred to the dismal science but as Kaiser states, â€Å"True sciences expand and evolve: genetics, psychology, quantum mechanics, astronomy. Economics defends itself – it is an ideology. What we need is an economic theory that is more relevant to a modern capitalist economy – one that embraces uncertainty and disequilibrium, is grounded upon realistic assumptions, is judged by the accuracy of its predictions, and where debt and money are implicit, important factors.† (CNN Money, 2011). References Hill, H. (2011). Global Business Today. New York: New York McGraw-Hill Kaiser, K. (December 16, 2011) Its time for economic theory to evolve. CNN Money. Retrieved on December 14, 2012 from http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/12/16/its-time-for-economic-theory-to-evolve/ Johnston, M (October 8, 2011). AS and A2 Macroeconomics: Internal and External Balances. Econofix. Retrieved on December 12, 2012 from http://econfix.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/as-and-a2-macroeconomics-internal-and-external-balances/ Kling, A. (2004). The trade balance. Retrieved on December 13, 2012 from http://arnoldkling.com/econ/macro/trade.html Krugman, P (2009). â€Å"How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?† The New York Times, September 2. Retrieved on December 14, 2012 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06Economic-t.html News Release: US International Transactions. Retrieved on December 14, 2012 from http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/transactions/transnewsrelease.htm Wong, C-H. Adjustment and the Internal-External Balance. Retrieved on December 14, 2012 from http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/pdfs/L-1b.pdf World Economy Expenditure Changing Retrieved on December 14, 2012 from http://web.pdx.edu/~ito/Expenditure_changing_switching_RE_-HI.pdf

HRM Best Practice and Fit Approach

HRM Best Practice and Fit Approach The discussion between promoters of best practice and best fit approaches has sparked widespread controversy in the human resource management (HRM) area. The topic has gained much scholarly attention because it not only addresses a theoretical controversy but also possesses a high degree of practical managerial significance. The essay has the aim to analyse best practice and best fit approaches in HRM of a multinational enterprise. The reader receives insight into Lincoln Electrics organization through a case-study analysis of practical HR approaches serving as a basis for developing practical managerial implications in the last part of the paper. 2. Critical evaluation of best practice and best fit practices in HRM 2.1 Best practice approach The best practice approach claims that certain bundles of HR activities exist which universally support companies in reaching a competitive advantage regardless of the organizational setting or industry (Redman and Wilkinson 2009). Best practice models imply a close connection between HR practices and organizational performance and are often associated with high commitment management (Paauwe Boselie 2003). Empirical research in the best-practice field shows similar groups of HR polices which are especially suitable for maximizing performance irrespective of market and product strategies (Peffer 1998, Guest 2000). Best practice bundles of activities are characterized as mutually compatible HR activities which forge high levels of workforce competence, encourage motivation and introduce a workdesign boosting employee commitment (Maloney and Morris 2005). Based on concepts from expectancy theory (Vroom 1964, Lawler 1971) best practice HR will result in higher levels of quality, product ivity and low rates of absenteeism and wastage (Guest 2000). The best practice approach suffers from a series of limitations. Firstly, when implementing best practice standards organizations run risk of introducing mutually prohibitive combinations like team working and compensation based on individual performance resulting in a deterioration of employee collaboration through overexaggerated competition (Delery 1998 in Redman and Wilkinson 2009). Secondly, high commitment management systems are generally a complex undertaking requiring large inputs of planning and top level management commitment. Thirdly, critics like Milkovich and Newman (2002) argue that best practice HR lacks direct linkages with organizational strategies and is minted by the belief that outstanding high performing human resources will influence strategy. By making HR policy precede corporate strategy an organization risks prescribing standardized sets of one size fits all best practice approaches which will not support the particular needs of employees and be detrimental t o overall strategic objectives (Maloney and Morris 2005). Fourthly, discussions with regard to the appropriate choice of best practice measures resulting from an insufficient research methodology and theoretical definition exist (Marchington and Grugulis 2000 in Redman and Wilkinson 2009). 2.2 Best fit approach The best-fit model is considered as a variant from precedent models of Harvard, Michigan and York and is called matching model for HRM (Sparrow and Hiltrop 1994). It is based on developing HRM policies according to business strategy. Strategy involves planning future activities, performances objectives, and policies towards reaching the corporate aims. HRM strategy should be designed and applied to support the given corporate strategy (Lawler 1995). The best-fit approach questions the universality assumption of the best-practice perspective. It emphasizes contingency fit between HR activities and the organizations stage of development, an organizations internal structures and its external environment like clients, suppliers, competition and labour markets (Redman and Wilkinson 2009). HR policy should be minted by the appropriate context of individual employees and therefore support the overall competitive strategy. Aligning HRM practices to strategies can enable companies to create p otential competitive advantages (Schuler and Jackson 1987 in Redman and Wilkinson 2009). The best fit approach is also subject to sever criticism. Firstly, Boxall and Purcell (2003) criticizes that in a changing business environment companies and their strategies are subject to multiple alternating contingences and that it is merely possible to adjust entire HR systems to new challenges frequently. Secondly, as companies move through their life-cycle HR practices have to be aligned which leads to an alternating treatment of employees which can have a demotivating effect and show inconsistency in corporate culture (Boxall and Purcell 2003). 3. Analysis of Lincoln Electrics HRM approach 3.1 Evaluation: Best practice or best fit approach in certain HR practices 3.1.1 Selection practices For the hiring of its U.S. workforce Lincoln Electronic is applying best practice methods as it pursues a selective employment approach aiming at attracting skilled personnel that can connect to the companies high performance ethic and live up to quality standards. New hires have to pass a three-month probation period and prove their work dedication in trainee programme (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). For the established U.S. operations promoting experienced employees from within can be regarded as an element of best fit approach of aligning HR goals with corporate quality strategy (Lawler 1995). It is coherent with Lincolns strategy of binding the best employees and rewarding them for their long-term achievements with responsibility thus keeping its intellectual capital and ensuring a sustainable competitive advantage in fields of performance, knowledge and quality. In the international management Lincoln made the mistake of relying too much on inexperienced U.S. managers from within a nd only after the disaster of the international subsidiaries started to move from its unitary strategy towards a more responsive best fit approach to external environmental by hiring more internationally experienced external managers in China and Europe which fits the international expansion strategy (Hastings 1999). In its Chinese recruitment it adapts to the Chinese labor market by personally promoting and introducing prospective employees through senior management to identify personalities who can live up to performance, education and quality requirements applying a best fit approach (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). This is in line with common relationship and social network oriented selection practices in China (Warner 2005). 3.1.2 Training practices Lincoln is applying a best fit strategy which aims at enhancing employees abilities, technical and business knowledge through a significant investment in globally recognized best practice training methods (Marchington Grugulis 2000). Examples are a sophisticated trainee program for sales and engineering trainees, constant vocational trainings for experienced workers and regular work certification programs (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). These actions aim at supporting and maintaining the superior efficiency objectives creating core competences compared to industry rivals and a competitive advantage. Lincolns approach to training employees resembles the immersion training conducted by Toyota which also conducts extensive investment in workers qualifications to achieve highest productivity and quality (Spear, 2004). 3.1.3 Reward system The reward system which has been invented by founder James Lincoln is at the core of the successful individual performance working system. In the US, Lincoln employs a highly compensated piece-work system which is linked to individual employee performance based on a multitude of work-related factors (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). The reward system is able to motivate employees for achieving commitment through a remuneration which is at the top of its industry (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). Payment system possesses clear management commitment and is seen as the key for achieving outstanding employee commitment leading to advantages in costs, productivity and quality (Hastings 1999). Group collaboration within the company is created through specific bonus pools which are allotted to work group performance. The bonuses are then distributed to the members of that group according to their quantified relative performance on the semi-annual merit rating based on factors like idea generation, qu ality, reliability, dependability and output (Milgram Roberts 1995). Employees are closely bound to the organization through a long-term stockpurchase plan as part of their remuneration making them entrepreneurs at their workplace (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). Classification of the reward system in one of the HRM approaches is ambiguous. Lincoln invented the individual performance-system as the major component towards developing its employees for becoming its core strength through an unbeatable motivation and quality-drive (Milgram Roberts 1995). This is the utilization of the best fit approach minting HR towards organizational strategic objectives. The performance payment system has proven immensely successful becoming an internal best practice. Empirical studies by MacMillan and Schuler (1984) confirm the success of individual performance- pay with end-of-year bonuses at US bearings company Baimco and at the aviation company PEOPLexpress. For its global operations Lincoln is forc ed to abide by national restrictions in the legal environment (e.g. prohibition of piecework in Germany) and traditional working habits in the socio-cultural environment to align its reward system to local standards (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). In Europe, it is forced to conduct a best fit approach abiding by local regulations and adjust to differing standards of motivation where workers value benefits like vacation over annual bonuses. 3.1.4 Employee participation The best fit approach is also utilized for the field of employee participation. The company possesses an open-door policy where employees can contact management directly. Flat hierarchies with minimal supervisory management lead to very low communication barriers and wide-opportunities for taking responsibility (Milgram Roberts 1995). Due to participation is one of the evaluation criteria for employee remuneration Lincoln has a very high workforce participation rate concerning continuous improvement suggestions. Similar continuous improvement and feedback programs are also pursued by Japanese companies like Nissan in order to enhance productivity (Erstand 1997). That not only encourages idea generation but also directly involves employees in major decisions like the turnaround after the economic crises (Hastings 1999). Although workers are not unionized a very lively participation with the management board takes place through the Employee Advisory Board leading to a very high level of workforce loyalty. The best fit participation approach supports the core competence and sustainable competitive advantage of productivity and innovative quality as major strategic objectives (Pfeffer 1995) 3.2 External and internal factors influencing Lincolns HR strategy 3.2.1 External factors Firstly, the legal environment both in Lincolns domestic market and international markets significantly influences the HR strategy. Regulations regarding the legality of piece-work systems, vacation requirements and working hour limitations force Lincoln to adapt HR practices in all fields elucidated in chapter 3.1. In the U.S. more performance driven and entrepreneurial HR approaches are possible whereas regulations in Europe, Asia and Latin America force Lincoln to adhere to adapt local HR practices (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). Secondly, Lincoln is affected by the cultural diversity of its operations again creating barriers for the introduction of performance driven measures in markets like Western-Europe and China. Whereas in the U.S. traditionally hierarchy is low and employee idea generation is common, Chinese culture is more subversive and critical idea generation practices will fail (Zhu 2005). Similarly hiring and training practices are different across cultures: The U.S. and Europe allow for the application of best practices in recruitment and training. In Asia Lincoln needs to align to the environment of conducting rather relationship oriented hiring and in-depth skill development (Warner 2005). Thirdly, different market maturity and industry-life-cycles between developed and developing markets affect Lincolns HR approaches with differences in hiring, training and workforce participation. 3.2.2 Internal factors The first major internal factor affecting Lincolns HRM is the life-cycle of the respective subsidiary. U.S. and Canadian operations have a historical presence with high levels of employee loyalty, trust, identification with the individual performance culture and a well attuned work organization and low hierarchies (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). Due to recent acquisitions and Greenfield investments in Europe and Asia loyalty and identification with the overall corporate objectives and working ethics is unincisive (Hastings 1999). Lincoln is challenged developing HR-approaches to create employee involvement and implement the performance driven internal values. Especially, immense discrepancies between the subsidiaries international managers and the U.S. headquarters management are major obstacles for the development of globally coherent HRM strategies which can enforce the overall companys performance (e.g. objections against incentive system, language barriers, management philosophies) (Hastings 1999). Lincolns executives do not possess the required international management skills and are very much minted by idealized U.S. practices. 3.3 Practical managerial lessons and broad implications for HRM practices Practical managerial HRM implications which can be drawn from the Lincoln case are the following. Lincolns HRM strategy is based on a best fit approach designed to achieve an optimal vertical fit with the overall corporate strategy with a strong alignment towards the competitive strategic objectives of employee productivity and product quality on the companys domestic American market (Basset 1999). Lincoln is immensely successful on the U.S. market because it matches HR approaches to corporate, competitive and functional level strategy to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Internationally, Lincoln is not able to transfer the U.S. model of best fit to its subsidiaries. Environmental factors like legal requirements and cultural differences make it impossible to use a system which is based on individual performance (Bjà ¶rkman Galunic 2003). Lincoln is limited in fitting its HR approach to what would be best for reinforcing its efficiency and quality driven competitive advantage. The Lincoln case illustrates that in a global context companies are influenced by a multitude of contingences. A universalist HRM approach within a MNC applying a certain bundle of HRM best practices will not render an optimal outcome for the entire organization (Sims 2007). According to Dowling et al (2008) International managers need to take a more detailed approach by identifying individual circumstances of national subsidiaries and fitting HRM strategies to achieve a mutual enforcement between local requirements and corporate strategy. For some a best practice approach might be a superior solution while for other subsidiaries only certain best practice elements (e.g. hiring, training, rewards etc.) might prove to be effective: In Europe Lincoln fails to develop any sort of HRM strategy which can satisfy the environmental requirements and reinforce its competitive differentiation strategy at the same time. Due to a lack of international knowledge Lincolns managers rely on the stat us quo (Hastings 1999). In Europe an introduction of best practice methods with a HPWS would have immediately allowed ensuring better control and performance in the newly acquired international subsidiaries through standardized practices (Maloney and Morris 2005). The best fit approach in Lincolns Chinese subsidiary incorporates lessons learned from the European failure: Lincoln is able to adapt HR strategy to environmental requirements of culture, legal requirements and the market and at the same time introduce best fit approaches in hiring and employee development to support its competitive strategy. The broader implication is that there is no single best way to approach HRM. Companies should design their approach according to elements of best practice and best fit to achieve the best possible outcomes. Studies conducted by Mendonca Kanungo (1994) and Cyert March (1963) show that the adaption of HRM approaches to local international environments is essential for companies leading to and adaption of processes and practices to fit with the local workforce. Successful MNCs like Unilever, Royal Dutch Shell and Nestlà © are those that conduct HRM strategies based on localized requirements incorporating elements from best fit and also standardized best practices (Briscoe Schuler 2004). In this context a localized resource-based HRM approach can be a good possibility to create synergies between internal competences with strategy and performance. 4. Conclusion To put everything under consideration, one can see that best fit and best practice approaches offer companies powerful tools for shaping human resource management processes. The case study has illustrated that an application of one bundle of best practice strategies across all geographies of MNCs, as proposed by Pfeffer (1998), is almost impossible because of regional differences in work-related practices, laws culture and characteristics of motivation. Similarly, sticking to a best fit strategy which is only aligned to the contingency of strategy and a neglect of environmental forces and internal capabilities can lead to a failure of HR in international markets. The case has shown that the concepts of best practice and best fit have to be analyzed and adapted to suit the localized needs of international subsidiaries in order to pave the way to overall global competitive advantages through HR.

Macbeth: Heuristic Response :: essays research papers

â€Å"Cowards die many times before their death.† Macbeth displayed many noticeable characteristics throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. He was courageous at times and cowardly at others. The most noticeable characteristic in my opinion was that Macbeth seemed very ambitious throughout the play. He also seems to be a moral coward as he depends on others more than himself to make decisions. All of these factors soon lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth is described as a hero very clearly. He becomes very ambitious to be king and was very loyal to the king in the opening scenes. This is shown in the quote â€Å"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir†. His ambition to be king dissolved his good nature and morality. When Duncan arrives at Inverness, Macbeth controlled his ambition for the time being and thought very firmly on the plotting of Duncan’s murder. A quote by Lady Macbeth stated â€Å"My hands are of your color; but I shame to wear a heart so white†. When Lady Macbeth called him a coward, before you knew it, the murder was taking place. After the successful murder of Duncan, Macbeth entered a life of evil. Ambition was also clearly stated when he thought of killing his friend Banquo to protect the kingship. The witches’ predictions sent Macbeth into his own world where he could not be deterred from becoming king .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth displays his cowardice by avoiding Lady Macbeth’s initial plan to murder King Duncan. By overcoming his personal matters to plot the death of the king, Macbeth only displays that women are manipulative, and often have their way with men. It was Lady Macbeth who initiated and urged Macbeth to go along with the prophecy. In the scene where the murder of Duncan is taking place, he also shows he is a coward when he will not complete the successful murder by taking the daggers back and placing them with the guards. This also showed a sense of insecurity, as Macbeth seemed no longer confidant in the success of the murder. Macbeth, who no longer needed any encouragement from Lady Macbeth, started to leave her to deploy his plans. The power of destiny comes back to haunt Macbeth towards the end of the play. Macbeth would have never guessed that Macduff would come back for revenge for all of the killings of Macduff’s family. Macbeth: Heuristic Response :: essays research papers â€Å"Cowards die many times before their death.† Macbeth displayed many noticeable characteristics throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. He was courageous at times and cowardly at others. The most noticeable characteristic in my opinion was that Macbeth seemed very ambitious throughout the play. He also seems to be a moral coward as he depends on others more than himself to make decisions. All of these factors soon lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth is described as a hero very clearly. He becomes very ambitious to be king and was very loyal to the king in the opening scenes. This is shown in the quote â€Å"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir†. His ambition to be king dissolved his good nature and morality. When Duncan arrives at Inverness, Macbeth controlled his ambition for the time being and thought very firmly on the plotting of Duncan’s murder. A quote by Lady Macbeth stated â€Å"My hands are of your color; but I shame to wear a heart so white†. When Lady Macbeth called him a coward, before you knew it, the murder was taking place. After the successful murder of Duncan, Macbeth entered a life of evil. Ambition was also clearly stated when he thought of killing his friend Banquo to protect the kingship. The witches’ predictions sent Macbeth into his own world where he could not be deterred from becoming king .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth displays his cowardice by avoiding Lady Macbeth’s initial plan to murder King Duncan. By overcoming his personal matters to plot the death of the king, Macbeth only displays that women are manipulative, and often have their way with men. It was Lady Macbeth who initiated and urged Macbeth to go along with the prophecy. In the scene where the murder of Duncan is taking place, he also shows he is a coward when he will not complete the successful murder by taking the daggers back and placing them with the guards. This also showed a sense of insecurity, as Macbeth seemed no longer confidant in the success of the murder. Macbeth, who no longer needed any encouragement from Lady Macbeth, started to leave her to deploy his plans. The power of destiny comes back to haunt Macbeth towards the end of the play. Macbeth would have never guessed that Macduff would come back for revenge for all of the killings of Macduff’s family.

Social Traditions in Medea, The Piano, and The Age of Innocence Essay

Social Traditions in Medea, The Piano, and The Age of Innocence Traditions demonstrate a set of social norms that have been followed and adapted to for an elongated amount of time. In each of the plots, Medea, The Piano, and The Age of Innocence, the standard set by society was broken and the consequences imposed took form in varying degrees and shapes of violence. Whether it was outright murder as in Medea, or a more subtle but intense struggle as in The Age of Innocence, these consequences serve as the community's opinion of this breach of its expectations for its members. All societies have many traditions set up, and each of the characters in the books either plays the role of someone who helps to uphold these traditions by following them and imposing consequences on those who don't, or someone who disregards tradition and attempts to point out its pitfalls and shortcomings in modern society. The first role, the person who reinforces tradition, is generally someone who refuses to think outside the box, or does not like the product of going against the tide. This person is comfortable with the way that society has set itself up as far as social norms and expectations. Edith Wharton's character of Newland Archer describes May Welland's innocence as a "helpless and timorous girlhood...she dropped back into the usual, as a too adventurous child takes refuge in its mother's arms." (Wharton 123) May Welland and her family are quite content living within the boundaries that New York society has erected for them, and they fear the changes and consequenc es of acting otherwise. The adventurous spirit of Newland Archer is dangerous to their precious social norms and unwritten rules for how to conduct oneself in society. Howev... ... when his son learns a story of his relations with Ellen and speaks to him about it many years after (Wharton 41). The lesson that he learns is that society is very concerned with the affairs of its members and even his wife had heard the rumors about the two cousins. While May was busy upholding her traditional role as faithful wife, she also was acting within social norms and ignoring his infatuation with her cousin Ellen, and allowing a facade of a strong marriage to continue. The violence presented in this book, while not as obvious as that in The Piano or Medea, is no less intense. May's innocent look but underlying manipulation of Archer's feelings towards her and his feelings of obligation demonstrate a great struggle between the "innocent" May Welland who looks "blankly at blankness" and the "fiery beauty" of Ellen, and both of their desires for Archer.

The Editing of Hemingways The Garden of Eden :: Hemingway The Garden of Eden

The Editing of Hemingway's The Garden of Eden One deceased master author, one 1500 page manuscript, three previously unsuccessful editing attempts. This equation would scare away most editors. At first, it even scared away Tom Jenks. When his bosses at Scribner’s Publishing asked him to revise Hemingway’s 1500 page manuscript, Jenks initially declined. He told the company, â€Å"'I don't care if I never see another Hemingway story again’† (http://narrativemagazine.org/html/eden.htm). For Jenks, â€Å"Publishing more Hemingway seemed less interesting than publishing new writers, which is what I came to Scribner's to do† (http://narrativemagazine.org/html/eden.htm). Ultimately Jenks did take on the impossible task of editing Hemingway. One would expect a Hemingway expert to do the editing of The Garden of Eden, however for Jenks, editing Hemingway was an entirely new experience. Eric Pooley, a writer for New York Magazine, states, â€Å"[Jenks] hadn't read a Hemingway novel in year s. He didn't review the Hemingway canon before he started, and he still hasn't read Islands in the Stream. Preparing to edit, he asked no one for advice†( http://narrativemagazine.org/html/eden.htm). Yet Charles Scribner Jr., one of the three editors who tried and failed to edit the book before Jenks, believes that Jenks’ lack of Hemingway â€Å"worship† made editing the book easier. He states, â€Å"coming to the task fresh, without a long personal association with Hemingway, Tom was less inhibited† (http://narrativemagazine.org/html/eden.htm). Jenks could not afford to be enamored with the work of Hemingway. In front of him lay the task of removing hundreds of pages from one of the world’s most respected authors. The task of editing The Garden of Eden was two fold. First, Jenks needed to preserve the writing of Hemingway. Yet at the same time, he needed to remove hundreds of pages that he believed to be redundant or insubstantial. Jenks calls â€Å"substantial portions [of the manuscript] embarrassingly flimsy† (Jenks 54). As he began the long task of editing, Jenks was lucky enough to have some notes from the original author. Certain parts, especially the first hundred or so pages, had already been edited by Hemingway. Hemingway also left behind dated notes about his work. â€Å"He'd say, 'This is good,' or 'This is shit,'† said Jenks. â€Å"Sometimes the notes were quite detailed† (http://narrativemagazine.org/html/eden.htm). Jenks used these notes, along with his own gut feelings to cut the book down to the size it is today.

America Revolution

The link between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution might seem unexpected, but the French and Indian War paved the way for the American Revolution. The influence of the French and Indian Wars on the American Revolution is even greater due to the success of the British in the colonial wars between Great Britain and France. The French and Indian War is the name used for the colonial wars that took place between Great Britain and France from 1754 until 1763 over the control of the territory in North America.The French and Indian War began on the basis of the rivalry between France and England which eventually began over the territories of the New World. The territory of North America was soon divided between British North America and the French North America, distribution of power that caught in the middle the Native Americans (Bell, 2003). The French and Indian War ended with the win of Great Britain, which by that time had already established itself as the worldâ₠¬â„¢s greatest empire, fact confirmed by the 1763 Treaty of Paris (Bell, 2003).However, the victory of Britain meant that its colonial empire increased and along with it the deficit of Great Britain. This deficit was passed on to the colonists in North America and later became the one of the reasons that led to the American Revolution. The influence of the French and Indian War on the American Revolution is noticeable especially due to the victory of the British which were faced with several problems that were among the reasons for the outbreak of the American Revolution.The American Revolution refers to the moment when the Thirteen Colonies that later became the United States gained independence from Great Britain. Although the fighting started twelve years after the end of the French and Indian War, the period that followed the Seven Years War represented the preparation for the American Revolution and the beginning for the revolutionary era (American Revolution). After the end of the French and Indian War American Colonies were faced with only one ruler, Great Britain, and gained an important ally for their revolutionary movement, France.â€Å"France played a key role in aiding the new nation with money and munitions, organizing a coalition against Great Britain, and sending an army and a fleet that played a decisive role at Yorktown† (American Revolution). If it wasn’t for the French and Indian War and if Great Britain wouldn’t have won over France, perhaps the American Revolution wouldn’t have occurred or it would have had a hard chance gaining any powerful ally in a battle against two colonial empires.While France became an ally in the American Revolution, Great Britain ended the French and Indian War with a great deficit, a deficit that it asked to be covered from the American colonies as a price of defending them from the French threat. These taxes imposed by Britain were considered to be illegal and caused great dissatisfac tion in the colonies, eventually leading to the outburst of the American Revolution.The most obvious link between the American Revolution and the French and Indian War is that of the taxes imposed by the British for the defense of the colonies from the French threat. The problem with the taxes, which eventually led to the American Revolution, was not that they were high or that they existed at all, it was that the colonists were not consulted about these taxes because they had no representative in the British Parliament (American Revolution). Since there was no representation of the American colonies in the British Parliament, how could there be taxation.The subject of â€Å"no taxation without representation† became one of the reasons why the colonies desired independence from the British government. Particularly this desire for equal rights and representation was the basis of the fight for independence from Great Britain. Taxation was not the only problem between the Britis h and the Americans. In 1764, the Parliament passed two acts that upset the colonists even more (Sugar Act and the Currency Act), leading to a boycott of British goods (American Revolution).Confronted with a common enemy, the colonies began to collaborate and from that moment on the road to the American Revolution began. The American colonies benefited greatly from the French and Indian War because this war left the victorious Britain in debt and exhausted so that it was a less threatening adversary by the time the Revolution began. â€Å"The war exposed the weakness of British administrative control in the colonies on various fronts† (1756-1776) .Through their attempt to cover war losses, the British â€Å"violated what many American colonists understood as the clear precedent of more than a century of colonial-imperial relations†. The taxation issue therefore became the symbol of hoe the relation between the colonies and Great Britain will continue and the necessity of independence occurred. Of course, taxation was not the only reason in the American Revolution, but it contributed greatly in setting a common cause in the colonies.The end of the French and Indian War had a significant influence on the American Revolution because until the end of the war, few British North America colonists revolted against their role in the British Empire. Bibliography: †¢ Bell, Sandra, Savoir Faire: the French and Indian War, May/June 2003, available at http://www. collectionscanada. ca/bulletin/015017-0303-05-e. html; †¢ American Revolution, available at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/American_Revolution; †¢ 1756-1776: The Seven Years War to the American Revolution, available at http://www. tax. org/Museum/1756-1776. htm.