Character Motivations in Antigone Essay

The main characters in Sophocles’ drama, Antigone, are Antigone herself, the play’s tragic heroine and Antigone’s uncle and King of Thebes, Creon. Both characters are ruled by powerful motivations and beliefs; however, they differ from one character to the next. Antigone’s motivation is love for her family- she puts it above all else. In fact, she is willing to sacrifice her life to defend that love. Antigone goes to great lengths to bury her deceased brother, who according to an edict issued by King Creon, died in dishonor, consequently making it illegal for anyone to bury his body. Through her actions to comply with her motivations, it is revealed that Antigone’s actions are also fueled by her strong beliefs that, first, the gods’ laws are more powerful than any law made by man, and second, that it is better to die a heroic death than a cowardly one. Throughout the play, Antigone stands firm on these beliefs by standing up for them even through her death as demonstrated through the following dialogue in which she admits her crime, and voices her beliefs to Creon; â€Å"It was not Zeus who published this decree, nor have the powers who rule among the dead imposed such laws as this upon mankind; nor could I think that a decree of yours- A man- could override the laws of heaven unwritten and unchanging†¦For me to meet this doom (death) is little grief; But when my mother’s son lay dead, had I neglected him and left him there unburied, That would have caused me grief; this causes me none† (437-459). This scene illustrates the essence of Antigone’s character. She’s defending her â€Å"crime† of burying her brother, thus demonstrating that she is motivated by the love that she has for her family. She’s further justifying her act by stating that Creon’s law is not the law that she feels she must adhere to- she follows the gods laws, another one of her guiding beliefs, and finally, she’s not only accepting her impending doom, but actually welcoming it because she’s dying defending her beliefs, therefore dying a heroic death rather than dying in cowardice. On the other hand, Creon is also motivated by love; however, his love is love for his country, rather than his family. He puts country above all else, including his family- he’s willing to do whatever he needs to do to make sure that Thebes remains powerful. In order to achieve this goal he demands loyalty from his subjects, once again, family included; he rules by intimidation, and is very proud. In fact, pride is another one of his major motivations. For these reasons, his character is a feared leader. First of all, the fact that he issues that his nephew cannot be buried shows that- one, he demands loyalty, even over loyalty to the gods, and two, he defends his country over his family. He continues displaying his beliefs when he doesn’t revoke the edict even after his wife, and niece clearly disagree with it. Creon’s pride continues to take precedent when he begins falsely accusing his subjects, and acting rashly with little thought. Creon’s character, while a complex character is strongly represented in much of his dialogue, perhaps this passage of dialogue between Creon and the prophet Teiresias best captures his essence. â€Å"Sir, all of you, like bowmen at a target, let fly your shafts at me. Now they have turned even diviners on me! By that tribe I am bought and sold and stowed away on board. Go, make your profits, drive your trade in Lydian silver or in Indian gold, but him you shall not bury in a tomb, no, not though Zeus’ own eagles eat the corpse and bear the carrion to their master’s throne: Not even so, for fear of that defilement, will I permit his burial-for well I know that mortal man cannot defile the gods† (994-1006). Through this single quote, Creon demonstrates all of his predominate qualities; he’s accusing Teiresias of bribery, therefore, acting before thinking, he won’t repeal his edict even though he admits that the edict does defy Zeus, thus illustrating his pride. He likes being in power of a powerful state, so much so that he is blind to his own pride, and is fine with ruling by intimidation and demanding loyalty from his subjects.

Code of the Street Essay

The introduction chapter first explains the different types of neighborhoods that the city of Philadelphia has and each of the risks that go along with each neighborhood. Some of the neighborhoods are predominantly white, some are racially mixed, and some are predominately black. In the white-middle class neighborhoods, the neighborhood farthest away from the core downtown area, there is little crime and upscale restaurants and stores. In the racially mixed neighborhood the blacks and whites tend to get along but the whites are still aware that blacks are around. In the black neighborhoods public decency gets little respect. The author explains a story about a women stopping her car in the middle of the street and nobody says a word or beeps a horn. This is because nobody wants to start an uproar or see the women’s wrath. â€Å"This way, the code of the street provides an element of social organization and actually lessens the probability of violence. Code of the Street The main problems in the inner-black communities, is the interpersonal violence and aggression. This aggression and violence is the result from the lack of jobs, limited public services, the stigma of race, the fallout from rampant drug use, and drug trafficking on the streets. The street culture has evolved a â€Å"code of the street†, which amounts to a set of informal rules governing interpersonal public behavior, particularly violence. In the code of the streets everything is revolved around respect. With respect, people have peace and security in public. The respect needed in a city like Philadelphia can cause people to do wrong things, but respect is needed to live in a city like Philadelphia. Chapter 1 Decent and Street Families The beginning of chapter one explains that â€Å"decent† and â€Å"street† labels is the result of a social contest among individuals and families of the neighborhood. Even though a person might be a â€Å"decent†, that person might act like a â€Å"street†. Even though a person might be a â€Å"street† that person might act like a â€Å"decent†. This action is called code switching. Decent teenagers are more often engage in code switching. This is because decent  people don’t get the same respect as â€Å"street† people on the streets of Philadelphia. This causes decent people to do the same actions of street people. Street people pride themselves on living the thug life. These people are usually highly intelligent but lack the education needed. The street people tend to embrace the street code to the max and will live and die on the street. Decent Families From what I took from that section of the chapter is that decent families from the inner cities pride themselves on being like middle class nuclear families. The decent family prides themselves on working hard and making do with what they have. The decent family saves their money for material things. The decent family instills a sense of responsibility in its younger members. Most decent families have the father still living with them. The father is usually the head of the household and sets rules for his children. He is a very strict man trying to keep his children away from the street life. Street Families The street family lives by the code of the street. These families have very little resources compared to the decent family. The lives of street-oriented families are usually disorganized. Bills are usually unpaid but instead money will be spent on drugs, cigarettes, and liquor. Street families are usually considered to be lowlifes or bad people and are seen as a bad influence on the community. The kids of street families have it the hardest. These kids usually live in homes of crack addict mothers and drug dealing fathers. The kids learn from their parents and tend to grow up to be the same things. This is an example of the social learning theory. This is a prime example because the kids are learning this from the parents and then go on to do the same things their parents are doing. It is usually a cycle until someone in the family breaks it. Chapter 2 Campaigning for Respect This chapter in my opinion is the most important chapter in the book. The code of the streets is all about respect. Everything a person does on the streets is all for respect. Without respect the person will not be able to  survive on the streets. â€Å"Respect becomes critical for staying out of harm’s way.† To get respect on the streets a person might fight for it. Much of the code has to do with achieving and holding respect. The Social Shuffle The first chapter talked about decent kids trying to act like street kids, this section of the chapter is all about that. Decent kids grow up with street kids and the street kids usually bully the decent kids. To get respect the decent kids are typically fighting for respect so they are not bullied. â€Å"As a means for survival having a â€Å"name,† a reputation for being willing and able to fight is a way to get respect among peers.† The Self-Image Based on Juice Juice is a term in the streets that refers that there are no guarantees against challenges, because there are always people around looking for a fight in order to increase their share of respect. In the streets the right look can get a person respected. Physical appearance and clothes plays an important role in respect. If a person does not have the right clothes to fit it a way to get those materialist things is by taking possessions. The School as a Staging Area In class we learned that a young age kids get labeled. This label can be carried all the way through high school. In the code of the street I learned that even though the decent kids are good kids they would act like the label that gives them respect instead of the good label that they are. In Philadelphia most kids don’t take school seriously. To accept school would give in act white, to give up the value of the street for some other thing. This shows weakness and does not give respect on the street. Chapter 3 Drugs, Violence, and Street Crime Drugs and crime go hand and hand. The more drugs on the street the more crime is being committed. The same thing goes for jobs and education. The better education a person has, the more chance of a person finding a job. Kids from the inner city are pretty much are set to fail. The inner cities usually have poor education systems resulting in kids not having the proper  education to find a decent paying job. This is forcing kids to go into the streets and dealing drugs. This results in more crime for the cities. If cities would give kids a proper education then there would be less drugs, violence, and crime. This section in my opinion is the strain theory. The social structure around the children pressures them into committing street crimes. Chapter 4 The Mating Game The sentence that stood out to me the most in this chapter was â€Å"a street-oriented young man may rationalize his marriage as a â€Å"trap† into which the women has lured him.† The fact that young girls want to get pregnant at a young age to keep their baby daddy’s around is crazy to me. In society it is hard to afford a child when the person has a well-paying job. When an inner city child has a child that kid is set up to fail. The Baby Club The section of this chapter talks about how girls have the dream of a â€Å"good life† and to have that â€Å"good life† it is necessary to have a baby. It is the â€Å"cool† thing to have a baby in the inner city, as the book says. The girls have social clubs and peer groups that give social support for having a baby at a young age. In the inner city it was an accessory to have a baby and to have the coolest accessory, there was a need to get the baby decked out in the coolest/hippest clothes. This is an example of ration choice theory. Even though rational choice was not to have a child, the lack of emotion for the father and child caused the person to have a kid. Chapter 5 The Decent Daddy The Decent Daddy is someone that is respected in the neighborhood and in the household. This person is a true man. He respects his wife and provides for his kids. The wellbeing for his family is his main priority. In the inner city of Philadelphia there are not many of these people. In the inner city it is all about the game and money, and less about the family. This chapter showed many examples of decent men in the inner city and all the men cared about their family more than the street life. I believe if there were more men like this in the inner city this would be a positive example of a social learning theory. In class we talked mostly about how it is a negative  aspect of sociology, but this is a circumstance that it can be a positive. Chapter 7 John Turner’s Story The whole entire time I was reading John Turner’s story I was thinking â€Å"is the author trying to make us feel bad for this guy.† I did not feel bad at all for John Turner because if he didn’t bring that gun to solve a dispute he wouldn’t be in this situation. He got himself in this situation. From what the author said, John Turner was a big guy and more than likely could have defended himself without the need of a gun. John had many struggles after his day in court. He had a job, went to jail, started dealing drugs, found another job, and then lost the job. John wanted a life that was socially acceptable but his life in the streets altered those views. In class we learned about culture. It is the set of norms and values passed down from generation to generation in society. The code of the street is like cancer. It the code is in their genes and gets passed down from generation to generation. Conclusion: The Conversion of a Role Model Robert was very respected on the streets for his gang like mentality but got locked up in jail. In jail he learned that the hustle in the streets is not a good way of life. When he got out of jail, Robert started his own hotdog stand business. People on the streets recongnized that he was doing well in his life without committing criminal acts. The code of the streets is still in Roberts mind but he does not have to live by the code of the streets. My Honest opinion of the Book I feel like this book repeated itself way too much. I am a criminal justice major and have taken a gangs class and a lot of what I learned about in that class was in this book. The author could have saved 300 pages of paper by just writing the last sentence of the conclusion. â€Å"Unless serious efforts are made to address this problem and the cycle is broke, attitudes on both sides will become increasingly hardened, and alienation and violence, which claim victims black and white, poor and affluent, will likely worsen.†

History of Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History of Latin America - Essay Example he financial means for Spain that allowed it to dominate Europe for nearly one hundred years.4 Mining silver, however, was not an uncomplicated business undertaking and required planning and workforce management strategies. The Spaniards developed labor systems that were not beneficial to the natives, however. The discovery of silver in Spanish America changed the lives of natives through developing the mita service and importing black slaves, which transformed the latter’s socio-economic, demographic, and cultural characteristics. The industry of silver mining was the biggest and most complex industries in the Indies, which altered the economic and social infrastructures of the natives in different degrees through its innovations with the mita system. Silver mining was concentrated in north central Mexico and the highlands of Upper Peru.5 Mining it needed a massive workforce with a combination of skilled and unskilled laborers.6 The skilled laborers maintained the shafts, drainage, and ventilation systems, while the unskilled ones extracted the ore from the pits.7 The state changed the economic and social organization of the natives, in order to fit the labor needs of the silver mines.8 The Spaniards developed its specialized workforce system through combining private organizational efforts and state-controlled public services.9 In Peru, Don Francisco Toledo elaborated Spain’s forced labor system through combining Inca-based mita system and recently made Spanish labor practices.10 The mita system oblig ed native adult laborers to work at faraway mines. Miners received very poor remuneration and worked at perilous mine conditions. They were paid in silver, but the costs of food, lodging, tools, and clothing left them with nothing. The owners of the mines made extra money from selling these basic commodities to the natives, since the mines were far from communities. In Mexico, native families experienced socio-economic transition from being communal-work based

Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Culture - Essay Example iscuss whether or not there are ‘good’ stereotypes and discuss the pros and cons of the stereotype in the hope of understanding and logically assessing the veracity of this stereotype. The stereotype: homeless people are lazy drunks, have been used to describe and portray the picture of homelessness in America. The source of this stereotype has not exactly been pinpointed, however, the fact that homeless drunks make up about 30 to 40% of the total homeless population may be blamed for this stereotype (Jones, â€Å"News†). The fact that these homeless drunks are often the ones who gain the most attention from society because of their occasionally disorderly behavior may be one of the factors which contribute to the development of this stereotype. Many studies and statistics however were able to disprove this stereotype. In a paper by Jones (â€Å"News†) she disputes the claim that 90% of homeless people are drug or alcohol abusers. She firmly disputes these claims by citing accurate sources of statistics on the homeless people. She cites the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the Los Angeles Services Au thority as accurate sources for statistics on the homeless people (Jones â€Å"News†). Based on her review of statistics from these agencies, about 25 to 39% of the homeless population is composed of children. She then poses the question, on whether or not it is really true that these children can be drunks. On a more accurate note, Jones (â€Å"News†) notes that most of the addiction and alcohol abuse was seen after these people became homeless, not after. She also point out that substance abuse statistics from a Los Angeles survey reveal that 42% of the homeless were drug or alcohol users. Clearly, these figures are still well below the 90% rate that previous reports claim. She also points out that the more likely split in the statistics surrounding the homeless people is at 33%. This represents 33%

Term assigement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Term assigement - Case Study Example 2. Assume the Qatari government is pursuing an expansionary fiscal policy by increasing government purchases. Show the short run and long run impact of this policy on the macroeconomic equilibrium point using AD and AS model (assume that Qatar’s economy initially operates at the potential level of GDP). You need to draw a graph and briefly explain the short run and long run impact of this expansionary fiscal policy. Pursuing an expansionary fiscal policy through the increase of government purchases will increase budget deficit or smaller budget surplus. The Qatari fiscal budget will be affected by the policy through its spending and taxes. It will also address the business cycle instability that gives rise to unemployment. This is called closing the recessionary gap. The aggregate market illustrates the recessionary gap as well as the short run and the long run effects of this policy. SRAS is the short run aggregate supply curve. Equilibrium in the short run occurs when price level and real production corresponds to the intersection of the SRAS and the aggregate demand curve. Short run real production is therefore less than full employment production and their difference is the recessionary gap. The recessionary gap is what the increase in purchases or expansionary fiscal policy is designed to close. This happens when there is a rightward shift of the demand curve. It will therefore increase demand and employment in the short run but not necessary in the long run. This is shown below. 3.In December 2014, the international price of oil has dropped to almost half of its level in June 2014. What do you think the expected impact of this drop on the US economy using the AD and AS model? Hint: Think of the impact on aggregate supply in the US and assume that the US economy initially operates at the potential GDP level. If the prices of oil drop by half, oil producers will decrease production in

Understanding of the Mind and Its Processes Essay

Understanding of the Mind and Its Processes - Essay Example This paper illustrates that our vision is based upon a two-dimensional image despite the fact that it is attempting to perceive a three-dimensional world. As a result, we depend to a great extent upon our imaginations to fill in any missing elements of the visual puzzle we are confronted with, which may be accurate or inaccurate and it is up to other areas of our mind to decipher the truth. Perception, then, is what we first believe we have seen and then becomes adjusted as we begin to process this information through other areas of the mind based on information we remember or understand from previous experience. In addition to what we perceive through our fallible senses, we are also struggling to understand the world around us through what we can pay attention to, which has been proven to be limited, and what we are able to remember, which is limited by what we can imagine and further shaped by our perception of the event. As if this wasn’t enough information to try to juggl e around, how our perceptions are governed by our sensations and our memories and how these interact and combine to reshape our perceptions, there is another element that must be considered in cognitive science regarding what it means to be conscious and where the link is between the biological, material processes of the brain and the immaterial untraceable processes of the mind. Many people have made the connection between the brain and the computer and the mind and the software that runs the computer, but science has demonstrated that these processes are much more complex than the relationship between the newest Dell model and Windows Vista. While we attempt to define what it means to be conscious, we realize that we are only aware of ourselves as conscious because we can compare ourselves to something else – we are like something.

Autism in Qatar Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Autism in Qatar - Term Paper Example Despite various governments not heeding this noble advice, the effect of such ignorance presents easily foreseeable outcomes. Such inclusion is no doubt one of the many reasons through which poverty and social disruptions can be endured, in addition to reducing the burden of disability to the society. The arising question then is â€Å"can inclusion of the people with disability in various aspects of the society contribute to their empowerment and hence reduced level of depependence in Qatar.† Like many other nations in the Middle East and the world at large, the problem of autism in Qatar has attracted substantial attention. Autism, like other forms of disabilities has been touted to ramifications on both the social and economic aspects of various countries across the globe. Their non-inclusion in day to day activities, more especially social and economic activities has been found to not only have negative consequences on the affected individuals but also on the families as well as the community. Baron-Cohen & Bolton (1993) found that integration and accommodation of people with disabilities into the work force are a critical way of public expenditure reduction, reduction of cost incurred by the families, and also ensuring that the ASD affected persons are able to engage in productive work. Formulation of policies and plans that integrate persons with disabilities into each and every aspects of social and economic life, ranging from education, vocational rehabilitation a s well as employment will no doubt offer immense benefits to both that affected individuals and the society at large (Bertrand et al., 2001). The recent past has seen more and more people getting diagnosed with ASD and consequently extreme emphasis is being placed on their social inclusion and involvement in aspects of social and economic life. Sadly, in various nations, Qatar inclusive, the disabled persons among them the disabled, are

Alcohol Abuse -and explain physical part what it does to people Research Paper

Alcohol Abuse -and explain physical part what it does to people - Research Paper Example Majority of the people in this world might have consumed alcohol at some point of time in their life. There are many people who use alcohol in a controlled manner. When alcohol is used in a controlled manner, it may not cause many damages either to a person or to the society. However, it is difficult to use alcohol in a controlled manner because of its abilities to make person addictive to it. Most of the people start alcohol use just for a joke and become addicted to it unknowingly. Alcohol abuse is one of the major multifaceted problems in the world which has social, emotional and physical dimensions. The social dimension of alcoholism is the family problems and subsequent divorce issues. Alcoholism may cause sexual dysfunction which can create problems in family life. In many cases, divorce is taking place because of the alcoholic husband or wife. Moreover alcoholism can cause mental diseases such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia etc. The most vital aspect of alcoholism is the possibility of development of physical diseases to body organs such as liver, pancreas, heart etc. In many cases, alcohol can cause cancer disease also. In short alcoholism can generate physical, mental and social problems. This paper limits its focus only to the physical problems which can be generated as a result of alcoholism. The commitments of current generation are more than that of the earlier generation. Current generation has lot of social, cultural, professional and personal commitments. It is difficult for them to fulfill all these commitments equally well. The failure to fulfill commitments will increase the stress levels of the people which may lead them to an imaginary or virtual world- the world of alcohol. Most of the people take shelter in the world of alcohol in order to stay away from realities in the real world. â€Å"More than 2 million American people experience

Strawberries Attributes and Promotion Strategies Research Paper

Strawberries Attributes and Promotion Strategies - Research Paper Example What image do you currently have in regards to strawberries? What are the positive and negative aspects of this image? 2. What features or attributes do you consider when choosing whether to purchase strawberries and why these features? 3. In what situations do people eat strawberries? 4. Why do you think some people do not purchase strawberries? What then would motivate them to purchase strawberries? 5. Are people willingly ready to purchase a punnet of strawberries? Do you always buy in punnets? And how often? 6. What values do you have in regards to eating strawberries? Do you think these values can attract other customers to eat strawberries? Respondent one I love strawberries. They are sweet and healthy for the body. My children love them also. Otherwise people do not eat the fruit because of the organic foods being introduced all over. The attributes I look for I the oduor of the fruit and its size. The fruit should have a sweet aroma and should be just ripe. I often buy berrie s that also well packaged by the local industries. People tend more often to eat strawberries during picnics and as a fruit at home. I always carry some during picnics. Some people tend to have different desires for fruits. I think some just dislike the fruit, the price is not consumer friendly or they eat it in other form like wines and jams. I think it is wise to create awareness of benefits of eating the fresh whole fruit in matters of health. Otherwise advertising would go a long way in achieving this and free samples. People always purchase punnets of berries. Personally I do that all the time. I value the health benefits of this fruit. Research has shown that it helps in fighting cancer and has a lot of nutrients. I think people should be made aware of this value. I believe it can change the whole outlook of strawberries. Respondent two I do eat strawberries as a fruit. I however, prefer other types of fruits. The strawberries are quite expensive compare to maybe eating a bana na. I look for big bunches that are freshly packaged; Plus of course the price of the entire package. People eating strawberries anytime at work, leisure, breakfast. Personally I eat them over lunch time. I think they don’t like the fruit otherwise the price is not as high as to discourage consumption. Otherwise with the issue of inorganic and organic foods they may also have had an issue. To motivate them to buy, promotions with free samples etc. should be done. People always buy punnets of strawberries. I value the fresh fruit in matters of nutrient content plus it is a good way to maintain weight. Respondent three I love strawberries because they are good for my health. I always smell the fruit; I read the package plus am very conscious regards to inorganic fruits. I prefer locally produced. During picnics, breakfast, lunchtime. People do not always purchase them because they do not understand the benefits of strawberries. Irregardless of the price I think the benefits out weigh the cost. People always buy them in punnets. I do that every day. I value the health benefits plus the taste of the strawberries. They look so good and taste so good. Health promotion should be done in regards to strawberries. Respondent four Strawberries are just fruits like any other fruit. I don’t consume it so often because of the upcoming brands of inorganic foods in the market. I check for locally produced strawberries that are fresh. During

How Technology Affects the Business Environment Essay Example for Free

How Technology Affects the Business Environment Essay During the last century, the world has been through a technological revolution. We have in few years moved from being a world where it could take months to receive a message, to being a world where it takes microseconds. Within most industries, technology is a very important factor to succeed. Especially in certain industries, like energy, transport and financial services, technological innovations have been vital to make those industries develop into what they are today. Companies are always struggling to acquire better technology, so that they in a more efficient way can produce their products or carry out their services. It is therefore important for companies to keep an eye on new technological innovations. The technological elements of the external environment are a part of the LoNGPEST analysis, which is being used to scan a firms environment, so it in a best possible way can adopt to it. In this essay, I will attempt to explain how technology has been a vital reason for the globalization, and how it has made the world more efficient. There is no doubt that the development of information and communications technology is one of the causes for globalization. The table below shows the reduction in communicating and travelling prices. According to the table, the price of a 3 minutes phone call have been reduced by 98,6%. The reduction in air transport costs per mile is 74%. There is no doubt that such reductions encourage companies to expand geographically. In addition, the rapid growth of the internet has made it possible to share information with the rest of the world in microseconds. Eric Samuels states that one of the industries that has grown because of information technology is the financial service industry. He states that â€Å"delivery of services has become more efficient because of the application of technology.† What he is saying, is that the financial services provided are being done more effective and at a lower cost than before. By using the internet, companies can reach out to the whole world without spending a pound. In addition to claim that the financial service industry has grown due to the information technology, Dr. Nicolas Pologeorgis also states that the industry, since 1998, has gon e through a rapid geographic expansion. This especially applies to wealthy nations, like countries from Europe and USA. He claims that â€Å"customers previously served by local financial institutions are now targeted at a global level.† Dr. Pologeorgis believes that one of the reasons for this, besides deregulation and more trading between countries, is the information technology. Services like ATMs and websites is being used to develop a more efficient relationship between long distance customers and suppliers. A study about globalization of the banking industry, states that improvements in technology â€Å"have facilitated greater geographic reach by allowing institutions to manage larger information flows from more locations and to evaluate and manage risks at lower cost without being geographically close to the customer.† One example of a company from this industry that expanded geographically in the 90’s is Goldman Sachs (GS). I 1990, Robert Ruding and Stephen Friedman decided to focus on GS global operations. During the 1990’s, GS went through a rapid geographical expansion. Today, GS has offices located in all major financial centres around the world. I have made a comparison between the growth in the financial service sector and the use of internet worldwide. It was in the 90’s that the internet use exploded. In 1995, 16 million people were connected to the internet (0,4 of world population). The table below shows that the use of internet exploded about the same time that the financial service industry, according to Pologeorgis, really started expanding geographically. However, it is not only the improvements in communication and information technology that has contributed to a more efficient and globalized world. Another industry that has been affected by improvements in technology the last century is the oil and gas industry. An article made by naturalgas states that â€Å"new innovations have reshaped the industry into a technological leader9.† A report made by the U.S. Department of energy in 1999 shows that if technology had stagnated in 1985, America would have needed twice as many wells to produce the same amount of oil and gas. However, because of technological improvement, we only need half as many wells to produce the same amount in 1999. In 1999, the America used 22 000 less wells to produce the same amount as they did in 1985. A statistical review of world energy made by BP illustrates how much oil and natural gas that has been produced in each country and worldwide from 1965-2010. Worldwide, the total development of oil has increased from 31,806,000 barrels daily in 1965, to 82,095,000 barrels daily in 2010. The development of oil has increased from 96,9 billion cubic feet daily in 1970, to 309 billion cubic feet daily in 2010. The main reason to the increase in production is off course the growing demand, but according to naturalgas it would have been impossible without the improvement in our technology. Consumption of oil increased from 30,783,000 daily in 1965 to 87,382,000 barrels daily in 2010 and consumption of gas increased from 63 billion cubic feet daily in 1965 to 306,6 billion cubic feet daily in 2010. Another industry that has developed because of new technology is the nuclear industry. Numbers taken from NEI shows that 13,5 of the world’s electricity production IN 2010, was provided by nuclear power. Furthermore, NEI states that â€Å"in total, 15 countries relied on nuclear energy to supply at least one-quarter of their total electricity†. According to NEI, one example of a country that is dependent of nuclear energy is France. 74,1 percent of the energy produced in France was generated through nuclear energy. The statistical review published by BP, shows that the consumption of electricity generated from nuclear power has increased tremendously since 1965. In 1965 the global consumption of terra hours has increased from 25,7 in 1965 to 2767,2 terra hours in 2010. FINN UT OM DAILY In this essay, I have tried to show how technology has been a vital part of both the globalization and the development of a more efficient world. I have found that information and communication technology has been important for globalization. Lower costs of travelling and communicating overseas encourage people to expand geographically. In addition, the fact that use of internet has developed into a common thing, especially in developed countries, makes customers able to do services that they could not do before. My essay also shows how the oil and gas industry have become more efficient, and how the nuclear industry has grown due to technological improvements. Reference list: Department for Business Enterprise Regulatory Reform (2008) Globalisation and the changing UK economy, page 3 [online]. Available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file44332.pdf accessed at 22.11.2011. British Petroleum (2011) Historical data [online]. Available from: http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=7500contentId=7068481 (then click on historical data) Accessed at 23.11.2011. U.S. Department of energy (1999) Environmental benefits of advance oil and exploration and production technology [online]. Available from: http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/environ_benefits/4envben.pdf Accessed at 22.11.2011. U.S. Department of Energy http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/environ_benefits/3innov.pdf Funding Universe, The Goldman Sachs group INC [online]. Available from: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Goldman-Sachs-Group-Inc-Company-History.html Accessed at 22.11.2011. Goldman Sachs (2011), who we are – at a glance [online]. Available from: http://www2.goldmansachs.com/who-we-are/at-a-glance/index.html Accessed at 22.11.2011. Internet World Stats (2008), internet growth statistics [online]. Available from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm Accessed at 21.11.2011. Internet World Stats (March 31, 2011), internet usage statistics [online]. Available from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm Accessed at 21.11.2011. Dr. Nicolas Pologeorgis (2009), The Globalization of Financial Services [online]. Available from: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/09/risk-free-rate-return.asp#ixzz1eNeBhksO Accessed at 20.11.2011. Eric Samuels (2011), Marketing of Financial Services [online]. Available from: http://www.measurethat.com/?cat=5 Accessed at 20.11.2011. Natural Gas (2010), Natural Gas and Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.naturalgas.org/environment/technology.asp Accessed at 22.11.2011. Nuclear Energy Institute (2011), world statistics, nuclear energy around the world [online]. Available from: http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/nuclear_statistics/worldstatistics/ Accessed at 22.11.2011. Wall Street Journal (2010), A Brief History of Goldman Sachs [online]. Available from: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704671904575193780425970078.html Accessed at 21.11.2011 Allen N. Berger, Qinglei Dai, Steven Ongen, David C. Smith (2002) To What Extent Will the Banking Industry be Globalized?A Study of Bank Nationality and Reach in 20 European Nations, page 3 [online] Available from: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTFR/Resources/banking_industry_globalization.pdf Accessed at 22.11.2011.

Performance Appraisal System Impact on Employees Apollo Tyres

Performance Appraisal System Impact on Employees Apollo Tyres 1.1 Introduction According to Mayo, 2000, Human resources management is an important function of a firm because the machines can be easily directed, repaired and utilised but employees are living beings with emotions and prejudices and cannot be easily directed, repaired and utilised. In 20th century the theoretical as well as practical aspects of the Human resources management got a scientific dimension, the consistent efforts of the management to improve the performance of the firm has resulted in the performance evaluation of human resources or employees. The employees are the building blocks of a firm and the defective block will deform the entire firm so it is the responsibility of the management to shape these building blocks according to the needs. The performance appraisal system is not new concept it has an age old history to tell but the modern appraisal system has evolved in the mid of 20th century. The performance appraisal system, which integrates many departments of the firm, is aimed at the enhancement of performance of the employees. The employees who are not scoring in the performance appraisal period are required to undergo training and skill development programme. The performance appraisal was believed to be a motivation factor but in practise many studies have shown that it is not always act as a motivational factor but sometimes has de-motivational effects on the appraised. The system which formulates the rules and regulations to motivate the employees to perform better in the next appraisal period can be called as a best suited system for that particular firm because there is no optimum method or procedure to be followed in a performance appraisal system in a firm. (Nishad, 2005) The motivation and de-motivation factors may be present in the same performance appraisal system. The appraisal may be motivational to some employees meanwhile it is de-motivating for others. The combined effect is a general thing in all appraisal system but the proportion of motivation to de-motivation factors should be high otherwise the entire objective of the Performance appraisal will be failed. (Seong and Lewis, 2009) There are many factors which affect the result of performance appraisal the main factor is the appraisal procedure and the evaluation criteria, the next important factors are social, cultural, economical and political aspects of the employees. The social and cultural aspects are known as permanent factors which cannot be nullified so it becomes the duty of the employer to plan a PA system which suits the socio-cultural aspects of the employees in addition to the due consideration for the political as well as the economics factors. (Nishad, 2005) 1.2 Background and justification of the study 1.2.1 Background of the Study Apollo Tyres Ltd is a multinational company having many divisions all around the world. It is a private sector company with limited liability. The performance track of ATL has attracted many foreign firms to initiate joint venture with this company in UK, US and African continent. The performance of this company and the varied product categories it offers to the customers are the key for its success. (Company profile, 2010) Apollo Tyres Ltd is emerging as a global tyre manufactures and it finds its strength in the availability of materials and labour at a lower price than its competitors. The annual revenue for 2009 financial year was 1.2 Billion USD. The main source of income is form the domestic production; recently the firm has acquired many other international firms such as the Dunlop Tyres in 2006 and VBBV of Netherlands as well as the Russias largest tyre manufacturing company Amtel-Vredestein NV. ATL has a direct market strategy and has 2500 showroom all over the world; majority of it are in India. There are 4000 dealerships India and more than 100 dealers internationally. (Company profile, 2010 and Stanley, 2009) The globalisation has brought many challenges to ATL as new multinational companies have entered the health care sector in India. ATL has coped with challenges with diversified product plan and for that it has invested billion of Indian Rupee, as a result the company has major market share in India. It is a matter of credit that around 10% of Tyre Products available all over world belong to ATL because of the export activities of the company. The company is so successful because of the work force it got. (Company profile, 2009) The workers are being provided by good facilities such as good working environment, good salary, flexible time schedule and holiday and festive allowancesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. The Management has already providing them a contributory pension fund and insurance scheme for the employees. The educational scholar ships and education facility up to high school for the children of employees are provided by the company itself, apart from the residential facility. (Company profile, 2010 and Stanley, 2009) The annual report from financial year 2006 to 2009 has proved that the productivity has been getting decreased year by year. In 2006 it was 2.6% decrease and in 2009 it has reached the alarming 18% decrease. The management has a performance appraisal system since 1971 and counselling programme as well as skill development programmes are provided for the underperformed employees. Still the productivity graph records a downward growth. And this proposed study indents to find out the effectiveness and impact of the appraisal system on the employees and the productivity. (Stanley, 2009) 1.2.2 Justification of the study Every organisation around the world has vision and mission, whatever the philosophy behind the vision and mission there will be a common factor in the philosophy improved performance. The improved performance might bring profit to the organisation. The overall development of the organisation may be one side of the improved performance of the firm. the improved performance means the enhanced performance of the its various departments such as Human resources management, financial management, production and operations management, sales management, marketing management, customer care managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. In all of these departments the human factor is a matter of serious consideration. The right people for the right job make all the differences. (Taylor, 2001) All the firms have some or other method to measure and analyse the performance of it. The analysis of this performance and the actions plans to be taken to improve the performance are of great importance of every firm. To manage the performance appraisal of its employees the firms have a separate appraisal department under the human resources department. The functions of appraisal department are integrated with other department such as financial department to coordinate the appraisal rewards and punishments, if any. (Qureshi, 2005) The performance appraisal is a complicated disciple of study because the appraisal result might not be the intended and assumed motivation of the employees. The studies have revealed that in many firms around world the appraisal process and remedial measures have resulted in the declined performance of the employees indicating the de-motivational effect of the appraisal system. (Nishad, 2005) The appraisal methods and criteria should be defined particularly for each firm because the appraisal results and the impact of the employees are very much depended on the external internal factor of the firm. The external factors such as socio-cultural traits of the employees, the economic and political situation of the geographical location of the firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. The internal factors mean the nature of the jobs, the leisure and pleasure in the job, the working conditions, organisational cultureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. (Nishad, 2005) The appraisal theories when applied to the Asian countries the result may be devastating because the western appraisal theories have a great limitation in the Asian countries because of the social and cultural difference of the Asian people. So it is imperative to analyse the appraisal system on the basis of local factor which influence the management and the organisational behaviour of the employees. (Taylor, 2001and Nishad, 2005) In the proposed study, ATL- Kalamassery, in the Kerala state, India, is taken because the political and the economical situations of the state. The Kerala is world famous for the various political ideologies such as communism and socialism. The economic backwardness of the state is also factor to take this unit of ATL for the study. According to Taylor (2001) the social- cultural traits of the employees in India are very much different from the western countries. The social behaviour of Indians is sometimes unacceptable social etiquettes for westerners. The social bond and relations are different from that of the western countries. The proposed study would like to analyse the impact of the factors in the appraisal system and how far the appraisal system of ATL can manage its employees in the improvement of performance. 1.2.3 Literature Review Performance appraisal has a long history it emerged with the civilisation. When the people are interacting to each other in an orderly fashion then it may require some laws to govern the conduct of the people in the group. This preliminary law formation is called grundnorm which means the base norm, and these base norms were designed to control the conduct and also the distributed duties. The distribution of duties include various works; later on when these works required efficiency then performance of the individual and the groups were began to analyse. So it can be said that the performance appraisal was there in the primitive societies and in the course of time the application and the method of evaluation has been changed a lot. (Rajeev, 2000) According to Mayo, (2000), in the modern world, where everything is measured in time, the performance evaluation has great importance. The performance of each member of a group is important for the purpose of performance evaluation. After the industrial revolution new management theories came in to being and many of them went in to oblivion, those survived gave emphasis on the evaluation of the performance on the basis of scientific criteria. The industrial world tries to motivate its man power so that better performance can be obtained from each of the employees. The motivational aspect of the performance appraisal has been subject for deep rooted debates which are based on the many disciplines of study such as psychology, anthropology, sociologyetc. The complexity of the subject matter indicates the intricacies involved in the performance appraisal process and its impact on the employees. (Nishad, 2005) The motivational theories such as Vrooms expectancy theory and hygiene theory suggest that the employees are not motivated by giving them better facilities or salary but there is a mental dimension such as appreciation, recognition, career growth etc. The modern appraisal theory which is based on these concepts where as the classical theory of performance appraisal only support the deterrent method, that is, the employees who are performing well will be paid better and those who are not will be sacked. This approach has many loop holes such as the mental strain during the appraisal period the employees have and the lack of loyalty from the part of the employees and it was proved to be ineffective in motivating the employees. (Rajeev, 2000) The modern approach, meanwhile, support more over a lenient approach towards the employees. The basic philosophy is to understand the basic problem in the underperformance of the employees. The root cause may not be related to the employment or it may be related of some physiological problems, whatever it may the manager or the supervisor who is in charge of the appraisal process is responsible to understand it. The counselling process is designed to understand the problems and give suggestions to solve the problems of the employees. The training and improvement programmes are also conducted in many modern industries to increase the performance level of the employees. (Rajeev, 2000) The performance appraisal is usually begins with the formulation of the criteria on which each and every employee will be analysed. The criteria formation is very complex and will be unique according to the nature of employment as well as the philosophy of the management. The criteria then communicated to the employees and a time period will be given to them to opine about the criteria and after the evaluation of the suggestions from the various sources the management may change the criteria or stick on with it. The appraisal process will start and the each employee will be informed about the appraisal period. The appraisal result will be published publically and remedial measures will be taken thereafter. The remedial measures include the training and improvement programme and even the removal of the underperformance form the employment. (North, 2006) The problem with the performance appraisal begins when the employees are instructed to undergo the remedial measures. According to Nishad (2005), the social and cultural factors of the employees as well as the political strength are important factors that dictate the appraisal process. Unlike the western world in Asian countries the political strength of the employees unions is much stronger and the labour laws are much lenient to support the employees. The appraisal system in the Asian countries shall not follow the procedures of the western firms. The motivational factors and the de-motivational factors are different and contradictory in western and eastern world. The factors which motivate a westerner may a factor for de-motivation in Asian countries. According to Taylor (2001), the social-cultural aspects of the employees have significant effect on the appraisal system in the Asian countries. The trade unionism and the political inclination of these unions are other factors which will affect the appraisal system adversely. The behavioural pattern of the employees have to be analysed before the formulating the appraisal strategy. The political philosophy of the political parties in Kerala varies from leftist ideology to the rightist capitalism. The political parties strongly support one or the other political ideologies; communism and socialism are the major philosophies which are being followed in the state for more than a century. The trade unions of the state are affiliated to anyone of the political parties and the trade unions enjoys the protection of labour laws of the land. (Ashok, 2007) Situation in the ATL is not different from the political situation of the state. The political parties have a great influence on the trade unions and the lives of the employees. Every employee in the ATL is affiliated to any one of the political parties. This is basically a survival strategy for the employees as well as the trade unions. (Ashok, 2007) The collective bargaining of the trade unions and the threat of strikes hampered the growth of many industries in the state. The current situation in the firm is also same and the management have to discuss and reach in a consensus to implement any change in work schedule or in bonus or in the salary. The strength of the management is in the bargaining power and that of the trade unions is in the unity and threat to strike. (Uppal, 2009) The performance appraisal system of any industry is under the scrutiny of the trade unions, the performance criteria should be passed by the trade union so that it can be smoothly run. The remedial measures are also supervised by the trade unions and any action which will be a potential threat will be strongly resisted by the unions. (Uppal, 2009) 1.2.4 Aim The present study aims to analyse the Performance Appraisal System of the Apollo Tyres Ltd and the motivating as well as the de-motivating effects of the appraisal system on the basis of the socio-cultural and politico-economical situations and to suggest the strategies and procedures to improve the performance of the employees. 1.2.5 Hypothesis (A) Null hypothesis H0 Impact of a performance appraisal system on the employees is depended on the social, cultural, political and economic environment of the firm and the employees (B) Alternative Hyposthesis H1: Impact of a performance appraisal system on the employees is NOT depended on the social and Cultural environment of the firm and the employees H2: Impact of a performance appraisal system on the employees is NOT depended on the political and economic environment of the firm and the employees The null hypothesis is statistical hypothesis that is tested for possible rejection under the assumption that it is true (usually those observations are the result of chance). The concept was introduced by R.  A.  Fisher (Gonick and Smith, 2006) In this proposed study, the null hypothesis considers the independent variables such as social, cultural, political and economic factors of the environment in which the firm operates. The null hypothesis is assumed to be trued based on the various secondary data. The alternative hypothesis is divided in to two part one with the factors such social and cultural factors and the second one is political and economic factors. According to Malhotra (2008), the social and cultural factors cannot be separated as it is has strong influence on each other. The social factor is formed based on the cultural factor and the cultural is nurtured and propagated through social circumstances. According to Cumbler (2003), The political philosophy is always related with the economy of the country, the political affiliation is more over has direct influence on the economy of the people. It is noteworthy that the communism and other labourer favoured philosophies are flourishing the third world countries because of the poor economic conditions. Once these countries become developed nations the leftist philosophies will cease to exist in course of time. 1.2.6 Primary Objectives of the Study 1. To analyse the performance appraisal system in general and particularly in the Apollo Tyres Ltd (ATL) 2. To understand analyse the significance of the performance appraisal system in achieving the goals and objectives of a firm 3. To study and analyse the transition of performance appraisal from conventional to modern and the major factors influenced the transition 4. To understand the motivating and de-motivating effect of the appraisal system on the employees in general and particularly in the ATL 5. To analyse effect of social and cultural factors and political and economical factors of the employees on the appraisal system in general and particularly in the ATL. 1.2.7 Research Questions To fulfil the primary objective of the study the following research questions are proposed Performance Appraisal its meaning and definitions What are the significance of performance evaluation system in accomplishing the organisational objective and goals? What are the differences in the modern as well as in the conventional appraisal system? What is the relation between the motivation of the employee and appraisal system? How do the socio-cultural and politico-economical factors of the employee affect the Appraisal System in a firm? Does the performance appraisal system in the Apollo Tyres Ltd have a motivational effect on the employees? What are the strategies that the ATL follows in the appraisal process to enhance the performance of the employees in the particular socio-cultural and politico-economical background? 2. Research method and Approach 2.1 Introduction The research method and approach is devised to study and understand Performance Appraisal System in the Apollo Tyres Ltd (ATL). The study involves the opinion of the employees and the management on the present appraisal system in ATL. The interview method will be used to understand the management side of story on the Performance Appraisal system in the ATL. The questionnaire method is used to understand the employee side story. The literature reviews are depended to make a frame work on the theoretical concept of the study. Various statistical methods will be used to analyse the data and it will be explained on the basis of relevant literature. The span of the research will be six months. In the month of March, 2010 the study will be commenced and the final report will be submitted in September, 2010. 2.2 Research Methodology of the study The research methodology of the study is designed to understand the Performance Appraisal System in the ATL and the impact of present system on the employees. According to Kothari, (2002) the research method suitable for a study where the relevant literatures as well as the primary data are used the two research methods are generally used such as the exploratory methods and the constructive methods. The constructive methods are used when the subject matter of the research needs some frame of reference to handle the entire research results. For example, in international marketing research, sometimes, the cultural traits of customers have to be taken the basis or frame of reference of the study because this trait will affect all the research questions under study. 2.2.1 Exploratory research methods Exploratory research methods are wildly used in the secondary data accumulation. In this present study the literature review will be used to understand and to formulate the theoretical frame work of the entire study. The history of the appraisal system, the relevance of the appraisal system, the motivational as well as the de-motivational aspects of the PA system, the social and cultural factors as well as the political and economic factors will be extensively studied through relevant literature. The relevant sources will be explored to understand the subject matter of the study deeply thus exploratory research methods. (Kothari, 2002) 2.2.2 Constructive Research Methods Constructive research methods are used when the research result cannot be generalised due the influence of dominant factors in the study. (Kothari, 2002) In the present study the performance appraisal system is analysed based on the social and cultural aspect of the employees. The political and economical aspects are also considered for the study because all these factors have a dominant effect on the study. In other words, without taking these factors under consideration the research will be completed. The geographical location of the unit under study is in the Kerala state, India, which is an economically backward place and the political philosophies, such communism and socialism have formidable impact on the people living there. The social and cultural factors are different from the western world and the social bonds and family cohesions are very important aspects this culture. The social interaction and etiquettes are different from that of the western world so the theories applicable in the western world no longer stand good in these situations. So it is mandatory for this study to form a frame work on these factors to analyse th e subject matter of the research. 2.2.3 Questionnaire and interview method Interview and questionnaire methods are generally used to collect the data first hand (Kothari, 2002). In this study these methods are preferred to get the information on the appraisal system of ATL and the impact of such system on the employees. The questionnaires will be used to get the opinions of the employees on the performance appraisal system as well as the appraisal rewards and the methods of the PA system. According to Saunders et al., 2003 the open end interviews are useful to gather data in a larger perspective. The open end interview questions and the answers to it will give the interviewer the opportunity to ask other relevant questions to the interviewee based on the previous answer and can get more details from the interviewer. The interview questions are open end in nature and the questions will be asked to the officials of ATL. According to the answers of these officials other related questions will be asked to get more comprehensive view on the subject. This method is used to interview the officials only because there are very few in number. The questionnaire will be distributed to the employees and the responses will be collected back within one month of distribution. This method is adopted because in this unit there are 2100 employees and interviewing all them will not be possible due to time constrain. 2.3 Method of Study The proposed study requires both primary data as well as the secondary data to meet the objectives of the study. The method of study thus designed to collect the primary as well as the secondary data. The primary data will be collected from the management staffs and from the employees. The secondary data will be collected by referring books, Articles, the e-journals and paper journals, web sitesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. 2.4 Primary data collections methods Primary data will be collected from the employees and the managers of the ATL directly. The employees will be distributed the self-structured close end questionnaire to be answered and 2 weeks time will be given to them to fill it and return. Managerial staff will be interview with open end interview questions. According to Saunders et al., 2003, the open end questions are very apt for interviewing a small sample in a study it also very effective because the open end questions will provide enough opportunity to ask more questions based on the answer for the previous questions and clarify the doubts on the statements if any. 2.5 Secondary Data collection methods The secondary data collection is highly recommended information gathering process in any research work. The researcher should be diligent enough to select apt resources and updated information. In management subjects the data collection should be done through updated resources and latest editions books, articles and journals because new concept and theories and its applications are emerging day by day and it is the responsibility of the researcher to find out the up dated information for his research work. (Kumar, 2005) The secondary data collection method includes access to the relevant and updated books, journals and articles. The website will be extensively used if the authenticities of the sites are known. The university library and online facility will be extensively used for this research. The data regarding the company profile will be gathered though company website and referring the ISO manual of ATL and the annual report which is available in the web site of ATL. 2.6 Method of Data analysis In the proposed study the primary data as well as the secondary data will be used to reach a conclusion and the recommendations. The primary data will be analysed with various statistical tools such as chi square test, ANOVA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc and the variance analysis will be done to understand the impact of the statement with the literature review. Both the primary and secondary data will be simultaneously used to interpret the results of the research. 2.7 Scope, Ethics and Limitation of the Study Scope The proposed study is on the performance appraisal system and the impact of it on the employees. The scope of the research includes the analysis of the various factors such as the social-cultural aspects and the political-economic factors of the environment in which the Apollo Tyres Limited is operating. The social and cultural aspect of the employees will be analysed and the suitable strategy for the appraisal system will be studied. The political and economic situation of the employees will be analysed and the performance appraisal approach of the management will be studied based on these factors. The scope of the research will be on the formulation appraisal strategy which will be suitable under the various research variables. The motivational and the de-motivational impact of the appraisal system will be analysed based on the four above mentioned aspects of the employees. Ethics According to Kothari (2002), a research study will provide accurate results and will provide a valid conclusion if it has followed a research ethics. In this proposed study the permission to do the research is obtained from the management of Apollo Tyres Limited, Kalamassery Unit, Kerala state, India. The survey among the employees of the ATL will be conducted confidentially. The questionnaire will not contain any whereabouts of the employees only the service, age, gender and positions. It will not ask for any personal details such as the address, name or any name of unique post. The research will seek the written permission from the management for the interview of the Management staffs so the evidence of opinion can be adduced in the Dissertation. Relevant literature will be collected and analysed to gather the knowledge base on the subject matter so that the research should have a through theoretical support. Limitations Short span of time is problem in the research as the time period is limited to three months. The data collection and the analysis of the primary data will be done with maximum speed and there is a chance the responses of the employees is not 100% true to the fact. The literature available on the performance appraisal is numerous and reading the relevant one requires great time. The limited time may limit the number of literature that can be analysed by the researcher. The data will be gathered through research aid wing of Indian Management Association (IMA). The representative of IMA will be hired for the purpose of the data collection; the knowledge limit of the person on the research objective may prove to be a problem in translating the questionnaire to the employees. The cooperation from the part of the employees and other management staff is essential for the success of the research. The research will suffer if there is limited cooperation from the staffs of the Apollo Tyres Limited. 2..8 Conclusion and Recommendations Conclusion The trade unionism and the political inclination of these unions are other factors which will affect the appraisal system adversely. The behavioural pattern of the employees have to be analysed before the formulating the appraisal strategy. The political philosophy of the political parties in Kerala varies from leftist ideology to the rightist capitalism. The political parties strongly support one or the other political ideologies; communism and socialism are the major philosophies which are being followed in the state for more than a century. The trade unions of the state are affiliated to anyone of the political parties and the trade unions enjoys the protection of labour laws of the land. Situation in the ATL is not different from the political situation of the state. The political parties have a great influence on the trade unions and the lives of the employees. Every employee in the ATL is affiliated to any one of the political parties. This is basically a survival strategy for the employees as well as the trade unions. The collective bargaining of the trade unions and the threat of strikes hampered the growth of many industries in the state. The current situation in the firm is also same and the management have to discuss and

Pygmalion :: essays research papers

Shaw’s play "Pygmalion" and the movie "Born Yesterday" both explore many of the same issues and characteristics. They are similar because they both portray that what other people think should not matter as much as what you think of yourself but, what show yourself to be is how people will think and view of you. This is shown by similarities between the characters Billie and Eliza and the combined attitudes of Harry and Paul to Henry Higgins. They also both share the plot of taking someone who does not belong and changing them to belonging. Both pieces have quite similar themes. They both focus on the idea that the way you carry yourself and the way you speak shows to the outside world what type of person you are. They also explore that what you think of yourself should matter more then what others think of you. In "Born Yesterday" Billie, played by Melanie Griffith, is viewed by her intellectual level and not for her soul. When her intellect grew so did her self worth. In her growth of self worth she began to carry herself confidently. In exchange people treated her better. In "Pygmalion", Eliza is also judged on superficial matters. Even though Eliza did not have much class she still had some pride in herself that kept her strong. But unfortunately, Higgins did not pay attention to her words. He only paid attention to how she said them. He showed how he thought of her when he said, "It’s almost irresistible. She’s so deliciously low, so horribly dirty." [p 26] Higgins never once says what a nice woman Eliza is only how irritating her voice is. In both stories, there is also the sub-theme that the lead female is misplace by the changes that are thrust upon them. Billie feels less happiness about all her old favorite things when exposed to knowledge. Eliza realizes that the truthfulness of her old life when she is exposed to the superficial way of high society. This brings out the theme that ignorance is bliss and that we should not take anything we already have for granted. Eliza shows this point when she says, "I an a child in your country. I have forgotten my own language and can speak nothing but yours. That is the real break off with the corner of Tottenham court road." [page 94] The characters in "Born Yesterday" And "Pygmalion" are uncannily similar to one another.

Chaucers Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Canterbury Ta

Chaucer's Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales    The Canterbury Tales were written and pieced together in the late 1380's, early 1390's.   The author of the book is Geoffrey Chaucer.   When considering the structure of the tales, one can deduce that they were put together using Framework Narrative, a very unique style of writing.   The opening prologue speaks of 29 pilgrims, including Chaucer, who are all on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. All of them are seeking a certain shrine for spiritual cleansing, and relief.   The journey was to be long, but in the end it would all be worth it.   Chaucer's social views and prejudices are revealed through his description of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Chaucer presents a very positive picture of the pilgrims in the ruling class.   For example, when describing the personality of the Knight, he refers to him as being honorable, truthful, chivalrous, courteous, brave, and gentle.   Two quotes that stood out when searching for the positive qualities of the Knight were:     ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He was a true and perfect gentle Knight."(Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 15)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He had never yet in all his life spoken discourteously to anybody." (Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 14)    Chaucer also builds up the Squire, the Knights son in a similar way.   He says that the squire is remarkably agile, strong, joyful, courteous, helpful, and humble.   Two quotes that were quite noticeable when searching for the positive qualities of the Squire were:     ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "His cloak was short, with long, wide sleeves, and he sat his horse well and rode excellently."(Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 30)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He could compose the words and music for songs, joust and also dance, and draw and write very well."(Ch... ...orm them.         Works Cited and Consulted: Brewer, Derek. Tradition and Innovation in Chaucer. London: Macmillan, 1982. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Pp. 3-328. In the Riverside Chaucer. Larry D. Benson, ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Cooper, Helen. "The Shape-shiftings of the Wife of Bath, 1395-1670." Pp. 168-184. In Chaucer Traditions: Studies in Honour of Derek Brewer. Ruth Morse and Barry Windeatt, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. Delasanta, Rodney. "Nominalism and the 'Clerk's Tale' Revisited." Chaucer Review 31.3 (1997), 209-231. Hallissy, Margaret. Clean Maids, True Wives, Steadfast Widows: Chaucer's Women and Medieval Codes of Conduct. Connecticut: Greenwood, 1993. Saul, Nigel. "Chaucer and Gentility." Pp. 41-58. In Chaucer's England. Barbara A. Hanawalt, ed. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1992.    Chaucer's Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Canterbury Ta Chaucer's Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales    The Canterbury Tales were written and pieced together in the late 1380's, early 1390's.   The author of the book is Geoffrey Chaucer.   When considering the structure of the tales, one can deduce that they were put together using Framework Narrative, a very unique style of writing.   The opening prologue speaks of 29 pilgrims, including Chaucer, who are all on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. All of them are seeking a certain shrine for spiritual cleansing, and relief.   The journey was to be long, but in the end it would all be worth it.   Chaucer's social views and prejudices are revealed through his description of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Chaucer presents a very positive picture of the pilgrims in the ruling class.   For example, when describing the personality of the Knight, he refers to him as being honorable, truthful, chivalrous, courteous, brave, and gentle.   Two quotes that stood out when searching for the positive qualities of the Knight were:     ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He was a true and perfect gentle Knight."(Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 15)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He had never yet in all his life spoken discourteously to anybody." (Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 14)    Chaucer also builds up the Squire, the Knights son in a similar way.   He says that the squire is remarkably agile, strong, joyful, courteous, helpful, and humble.   Two quotes that were quite noticeable when searching for the positive qualities of the Squire were:     ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "His cloak was short, with long, wide sleeves, and he sat his horse well and rode excellently."(Chaucer Pg. 2-Line 30)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚   "He could compose the words and music for songs, joust and also dance, and draw and write very well."(Ch... ...orm them.         Works Cited and Consulted: Brewer, Derek. Tradition and Innovation in Chaucer. London: Macmillan, 1982. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Pp. 3-328. In the Riverside Chaucer. Larry D. Benson, ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Cooper, Helen. "The Shape-shiftings of the Wife of Bath, 1395-1670." Pp. 168-184. In Chaucer Traditions: Studies in Honour of Derek Brewer. Ruth Morse and Barry Windeatt, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. Delasanta, Rodney. "Nominalism and the 'Clerk's Tale' Revisited." Chaucer Review 31.3 (1997), 209-231. Hallissy, Margaret. Clean Maids, True Wives, Steadfast Widows: Chaucer's Women and Medieval Codes of Conduct. Connecticut: Greenwood, 1993. Saul, Nigel. "Chaucer and Gentility." Pp. 41-58. In Chaucer's England. Barbara A. Hanawalt, ed. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1992.   

An Analysis of Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

An Analysis of Things Fall Apart â€Å"A penny will hide the biggest star in the Universe†¦..† It’s very smart to step out of my own shoes in order to see myself clearly in a situation. It’s necessary to do this in order to see and understand the whole picture. It’s smarter yet, to not only step out of my own shoes, but into those shoes belonging to someone else. Belonging to   someone different than me in as many ways possible.  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, shows us the importance of this through his story. He shows us that you have to physically put yourself into other people’s shoes, find out everything about them, in order to make any realistic judgment at all.   He shows us the difficulties of doing this, but also the rewards that come of it in the end.   Taking every possible opportunity to widen our perspective makes the walk back in our own shoes that much more worthwhile. Achebe’s story brings up a lot of issues pertaining to everyday life, even today.   It brings the idea of tolerance, and asking questions about our ways and ourselves. It makes the readers question when it’s okay to get involved, and the consequences of that.   All these being tiny matters compared to the idea of understanding of the importance of seeing the world through multiple perspectives, no matter how difficult. Its like flying a plane across country and sharing to others what you saw, as opposed to driving across the country and then doing the same. We live today in a society that wants to do things quickly, and easy.   Achebe wants to show us that that’s not the best way to view and pursue our lives. Okonkwo, the main character in Things Fall Apart is a member of the Ibo culture.   The Ibo is held together by one string, which is basically their very own traditions. Okonkwo is an extreme believer that his way, is the ONLY way. Even though Okonkwo breaks some rules in his own society, he thinks very highly of his own culture.   The Ibo ways are the only ways that Okonkwo allows himself to see.  Ã‚   He is a man demanding of his own family, dominating those around him, and rules â€Å"his household with a heavy hand.† Okonkwo is plagued by the fear of failure and weakness.   Throughout the story he puts his effort into struggles to repress any part of him that may resemble his father.

Follower Readiness as It Relates to Situational Leadership Model

The Concept of Follower Readiness As It Relates To Situational Leadership Model Developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard, situational leadership is a contingency model that focuses on the followers. The model suggests that successful leadership is accomplished by selecting the right leadership style, based on the level of followers readiness. Emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leader. Regardless of what the leader does, effectiveness depends on the actions of his or her followers. Fred Fiedler, developed the Leadership Contingency Model; and, I think that situational leadership uses the same two leadership dimensions that Fiedler identified: task and relationship behaviors. However, Hersey and Blanchard delved a step further by considering each as either high or low; and also, combining them into four specific leader behaviors: telling (high task-low relationship). The leader defines roles and tells people what, how, when, and where to do various tasks. It emphasizes directive behavior; selling (high task-high relationship). The leader provides both directive behavior and supportive behavior; participating (high relationship-low task). The leader and follower share in decision making, with the main role of the leader being facilitating and communicating; and also, delegating (low relationship-low task). The leader provides little direction or support. An example of task behavior, for instance, is when I asked my neighbor to show me how to prepare a dish referred to as â€Å"arroz con pollo† in her culture. It is a chicken and rice meal that is full of flavor and is truly delicious. She was very precise and descriptive in telling me what and how much ingredients to use. Also, she clearly explained the steps required to properly prepare the meat and rice. Four Levels of Follower Readiness The four levels of follower readiness applied to what I’ve read as follows: †¢ Level 1: the follower is unable, unwilling, or insecure; lacks confidence, commitment, and motivation. †¢ Level 2: the follower is unable but willing, motivated, or confident; lacks ability but confident with leader’s guidance. †¢ Level 3: the follower is able but unwilling or insecure about performing task alone. Level 4: the follower is able and willing or confident. A high school student, in example of a level 2 follower, is hired for his very first job as a crew member at a local fast food restaurant. Although he does not have any prior experience, he is motivated and confident that he is able to learn the task with on-the-job training provided to him by his supervisor . Four Leadership Styles Style 1, Telling: is characterized by demonstrating, guiding, explaining, and giving feedback on performance. An example, â€Å"Just stand by and observe me perform this task. I’ll give you an opportunity to try it as well, so don’t worry. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me. I’m here to help you in any way you may need. † Style 2, Selling: is characterized by coaching, persuading, instructing, and clarifying. It is very similar [in terms of structure] to Style 1. The difference is found in the higher amount of supportive behavior provided by the leader, whom engages in more listening and advising. If necessary, the leader will help the follower gain necessary skills through coaching methods. Style 3, Participating: is characterized by supporting, collaborating, facilitating, and reinforcing. The leader shares responsibility for decision-making; the leader does not tell or direct the follower. Style 4, Delegating: is characterized by a hands-off approach that gives the follower room to make and implement decisions. Matching Leadership Style to Follower Readiness: Situational Leadership Model R1/S1-Directing low readiness, telling: The follower has low ability, low willingness; lacks motivation and/or insecure. The leader has high task focus, low relationship focus. It may be a situation where a follower cannot perform a task or lacks confidence (motivation). In this case, the leader will take a guiding role by telling the follower what to do, how to do, and when to do without any concern for the relationship. R2/S2-Guiding low-to-moderate readiness: The follower has some ability and is willing; motivated and confident. The leader provides high direction combined with high support. Coaching is still needed because of followers limited experience. Also, two-way communication is highly used to build followers motivation and confidence to learn new things. R3/S3- Supporting moderate-to-high readiness: The follower has high competence, is able but unwilling or insecure. The leader has high relationship focus and low task focus. In this case, the follower is capable of performing a task but is refusing to do so. The leader needs to be available and become a good listener, in essence, find out why the follower is refusing; hence, persuading them to cooperate by encouraging the follower to take the lead. R4/S4-Delegating to high readiness: The follower has high ability and high willingness; secure and motivated. The leader has low relationship and low task focus. At this level, followers have less need for support or praise. They have sufficient knowledge, skill, and confidence to perform the task. Although feedback and recognition is not a strong desire, it is welcomed by the follower. Followers need the leader to provide them enough space to [independently] get the job done. The leader gains more freedom at this level and may keep watch from a distant to ensure all is well according to the organizational goals. Leadership Style Applied by Lewis Based on the information I have learned from this case study, Lewis varied in utilizing different leadership styles based on the type of situation she was faced with during here tenure at Staples, Inc. In my initial reading of her case study, she explained that company merger distractions were going on and some issues were taking place without resolve. In this particular situation, Lewis pointed out that as a new person on board she wanted to clarify what her goals were for the organization. She wanted things to happen quickly; and, in fact she incorporated the Style 1 leadership due to follower readiness being at an R1 level. Lewis further explained that when things appeared as a new problem or when a sense of timing is obvious; she intervenes and demonstrates an effective way to complete the task to make change happen quickly. When Lewis became director of operations in 1994 for New England, she concluded that the stores were not performing highly due to a lack of effective leadership. She used the Style 1 type leadership which resulted in her replacing several store associates over a course of one year. Lewis’ leadership style was described by one of her followers as hardworking, inspiring, with disarming charm. It seems that Lewis achieved referent power based on the leadership skills she possessed and demonstrated. Based on the various opinions mentioned throughout this case study about Lewis’ leadership style, her followers gained trust, acceptance, affection, willingness to follow, and emotional involvement for her as their leader. One example is when Krasnow asked her to lead the marketing and advertising merger team. She found her followers readiness level at R3: able but unwilling or too apprehensive to do what she needed as a leader to accomplish her goals. Lewis found her followers exceedingly disconnected from the strategic objectives of merchandising and operations. She adapted the leadership style 2 behavior because she believed if they knew more about each other (in terms of each other’s job responsibilities) and the marketing results, inclusive of knowing more about company’s overall objectives, they would do a better job. One of Lewis’ followers described her leadership style as a style 3 explaining that, â€Å"She asks the kind of questions that provoke real interaction, so it really is a joint discussion. . . In another example of follower readiness is when Lewis was asked to move into merchandising as vice president and divisional manager for furniture and decorative supplies. She entered the department as an â€Å"outsider† and the people who reported to her followers had a strong experience base. Lewis couldn’t afford to waste time having her followers teach her because she needed matters to repair quickly. As a result, Lewis used the participating leadership style #3, which she shared the responsibility for decision making with her followers, however, facilitating and communicating with them as well. One follower maintained that he initially worried that Lewis were a micro-manager, but he soon realized that she inspires dialogue and debate to ensure that her team dug deeply in their decision making. The readiness level of her followers on this team was at a R4: both able and willing to do what was asked of them. Lewis and her team developed a successful strategy for turning the department around by â€Å"replacing over 75% of product assortment. † Although Lewis started off by using leadership Style 1 as director of operations, she shifted her leadership style according to the maturity of her followers in each situation. As the maturity of her followers improved to her organizational goals, she shifted her leadership style ranging from a â€Å"telling† style 1 to a â€Å"selling† style 2, to a â€Å"participating† style 3; and, finally, to a â€Å"delegating† style 4. Suesse, J. M. (2000). Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A) (Abridged). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Pp. 1-14 (78-91). Hersey, P. , Blanchard, K. H. , and Johnson, D. E. (2008). Management of organizational behavior-leading human resources (9th edition). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Benefits of Breastfeeding Essay

It’s amazing how all creation have been endowed with built-in capabilities to procreate and sustain its progenies. It is said that â€Å"there are 4,000 species of mammals† and each kind produces a distinctive sort of milk for their young (Ruth Lawrence, M. D. , professor of pediatrics and obstetrics, in Williams, accessed in the Internet last February 27, 2007, http://www. fda. gov/Fdac/features/895_brstfeed. html ). Given that, the natural food for an infant is its mother’s milk. Human milk is custom-built for human babies and enough to meet all the dietary needs of a suckling babe. It is an established fact that years of research on the efficacy of breast milk making it perfectly suitable to provide nourishment to infants and basically protect them from illness. In comparison to bottle-fed babies, the former have decreased rates of admissions or hospitalizations, infections related to the ear, rashes and allergies, diarrhea, and a host of other medical concerns (Williams, accessed in the Internet last February 27, 2007,http://www. fda. gov/Fdac/features/895_brstfeed. html) . This paper examines and proposes the manifold benefits of breastfeeding both for the infant and its mother, its historicity, and society’s role in its practice as well the risks when mother is exposed to questionable lifestyle or substance use-whether legal or illegal. II. Review of Related Literature Despite its popularity and very common occurrence in various parts of the globe, breastfeeding is a subject frequently being researched. In a compendium on this matter, Cadwell and others brought together information on the incidence, and other studies to present a realistic picture of the importance and condition of the breastfeeding in America (Calandro & Marcus in Cadwell et al article, 2003). Historically, this maternal activity is unquestionably a norm or an everyday occurrence of early Americans. According to Cadwell and other writers however, this is no longer the situation. Breastfeeding moms are fast becoming an â€Å"endangered species† so to speak. This team among others, are convinced that a resurgence of the breast feeding practice is most needful, and education’s place in promoting breastfeeding. In addition to the many positive effects of breastfeeding, recent study published by the La Leche League International focuses on the OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) occurrence (Palmer, 1999). Findings revealed that breastfeeding and the longer a baby is breastfed lowers the incidence of this disorder. III. Historicity and Occurrence of Breastfeeding Culture and society shape people’s values to a large extent. They shape attitude early on those developmental stages. Family, teachers and friends greatly have their effects on other people’s beliefs about what are those ways that are acceptable and are not (Canahuati et al, 1999. http://www. waba. org. my/wbw/wbw99/foldereng99. htm). Many in the research field say that ninety-nine (99%) percent of human history has been known to have breast milk as the primary or sole food until two years of age. There is common knowledge also that this practice of infant nursing even continues for more than those two years (______ in Small, last accessed in the Internet, February 27, 2007). However, culture and society slowly evolved until the norm became non-existent almost. Today, in first world countries mainly, the women now choose the option to nurse or breastfeed – the ready solution to feeding a baby has become to bottle-feed them. And this beside the avalanche of information that reach mothers, many women still choose to introduce formula which all agree as an artificial substitute (Matusiak, 2005). This was actually introduced around the 1860s in the U. S. and in Europe with advertisements persuading women to purchase what might well be the scientific discovery of the day at the same time convincing its customers they are paying for the most perfect substitute for mother’s milk (Matusiak, 2005). It is true that culture is most influential when the choice to breastfeed is taken or not. To date, there are various intricacies where culture and the choice to breastfeed are involved. Matusiak in his study on A Cultural Perspective of the Feeding Habits said that â€Å"In all cultures there exist a number of factors and beliefs not directly related to breastfeeding that nevertheless affect women’s decisions on how to feed their children† (Matusiak, 2005). They include feeding habits – when to feed and when not to feed – and also the duration (one year or less for instance) of nursing the child. This even includes the feeding position – the cultural differences that influence the mother to decide what she has been taught to do. This goes to mean that mothers hand over to their children what they usually practice. In addition, it undeniably true also that whenever one mother decides to breastfeed, society almost always dictate to a large degree this decision made by women. In Pakistani society for example, male children are more preferred at than the female children. So much so that when a mother gave birth to twins, the male child was breastfed while the infant daughter was given the formula (Matusiak, 2005). Again to quote Matusiak â€Å"The cultural aspects of what roles the male and female play complicates the issue. As seen, societies that favor a male over a female, as in some developing countries, tend to have the male breastfed, while the female gets the artificial breast-milk. While more developed countries are struggling with the emergence of a strong, self-willed female population† (Matusiak, 2005).

Columbine Shooting Essay

Columbine high school was built in 1973 on a dirt road off a larger dirt road way out in horse country. It was named after the flower that blankets section of the Rockies. Hardly anybody lived near the school, but soon enough there were about 100,000 new arrivals that filled one continuous suburb with no town center: no main street, no town hall, town library, or town name. Littleton is what they called this quiet suburb where columbine lied several miles west from. Eric and Dylan called it Judgment Day. Monday, April 19th was the day columbine would erupt with an explosion killing hundreds of students and faculty. Eric read instructions to create bombs from the internet called The Anarchist Cookbook. The first step was to plant a bomb near Eric’s house, three miles from the school. That bomb could kill hundreds of people but was intended for only stones and trees. The attack was to begin with a decoy that would rock the neighborhood and divert police. There plan was separated in three acts. The first act would start with a massive explosion by using two bombs in the commons, which would have about six hundred students killed. The bombs would wipe out most of the lunch crowd and set the school ablaze. The bombs would be set out for maximum killing radius and would be planted near two thick columns supporting the second floor which would collapse after exploding. After the explosion, Eric and Dylan would start firing their weapons at whoever they see in sight. Each had a backpack and duffle bag to carry more weapons and explosives. There next step was to have bombs planted in their own cars in the school parking lot near the school exits that would detonate forty five minutes after the initial blast. The cars were placed near the ideal locations for police command, emergency medical staging, and news vans. The maximum body count they were planning on would be: nearly 2,000 students, plus 150 faculty and staff, plus who knows how many police, paramedics, and journalists. The bombs Eric and Dylan planted in the school had failed to explode, but that didn’t stop them from going in and opening fire. They took pipe bombs and threw them wherever they saw a big crowed and opened fire to anyone they saw. They both had trench coats on and Eric discarded his trench coat at the top of the stairs almost as soon as he began shooting. Dylan kept his on until he got to the library. Each costume change created another shooter that would confuse the students and faculty. Nate was a friend of Eric’s and seen something peculiar. He saw Eric walk into the building from the wrong parking lot at the wrong time, when he should have been walking out. Nate figured Eric and Dylan were up to something since he knew they had both been missing that morning. At this point students were running for their lives and finding classrooms they could hide in. no one really knew who the shooters were and didn’t know why they were doing such an attack. Even though Eric and Dylan were shooting whoever they find in sight, they were mainly looking for people with white hats on. People who wore the white hats at school were the jocks. Eric and Dylan had committed suicide once they saw empty halls and when the school looked abandoned. Before they shot themselves, the officers had discovered files on the boys. The cops had twelve pages from Eric’s website, spewing hate and threatening to kill. Dylan Bennet Klebold was born brilliant. He started school a year early, and by third grade he was enrolled in the CHIPS program which stood for Challenging High Intellectual Potential Students. Even among the brains, Dylan stood out as math prodigy. Tom and Sue were Dylan’s parents. His father couldn’t see his boy as the killer, saying â€Å"this was not my son. † Dylan’s service was done quietly with just fifteen people including, friends, family and clergy. The Klebolds were afraid to bury Dylan because his grave would be defaced. It would become and anit-shrine, so they cremated his body and kept the ashes in the house. Eric Dutro was evolving inside and the changes began to show in his sophomore year. Social status was important to Eric as he always made friends. People described Eric as nice, polite, preppy and a dork, but in sophomore year, he tried an edgier look with combat boots and all black outfits. He was breaking out of his shell and grew boisterous, moody, and aggressive. Eric was neither normal nor insane, he was a psychopath. He killed for two reasons: to demonstrate his superiority and to enjoy it. â€Å"Psychopaths are distinguished by two characteristics. The first is a ruthless disregard for others: they will defraud, maim, or kill for the most trivial personal gain. The second is an astonishing gift for disguising the first. It’s the deception that makes them so dangerous. You never see him coming (it’s usually a him – more than 80 percent are male. ) Don’t look for the oddball creeping you out. Psychopaths don’t act like Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates. They come off like Hugh Grant, in his most adorable role. † (Cullen, 240) Psychopaths take great personal pride in their deceptions and extract tremendous joy from them. Lies become the psychopath’s occupation. The truth does work, but they lie for fun. I have read stories about columbine before but reading this book has really enlightened me on such details that actually happened in this event. I didn’t know that there were bombs involved in this massacre until I read the book. Columbine was organized and well planned by high school students. Eric and Dylan planned this for nearly a year and half so they knew what they were doing. They made home video tapes saying their good-byes to their parents and apologizing to them about the trouble the columbine shooting might cause them. So they knew at some point they were going to either be killed or commit suicide. This impacted me because as it said in the book, the people who do these devastating events can be friends of mine and I wouldn’t even know it. They are people who act good to the public eye, but also have hidden secrets behind closed doors. I can’t imagine someone that is close to me going through this kind of tragedy. The question that was brought to mind was: why would someone do this? Why would two kids want to kill hundreds of people? What was the reason? Was it video games? Was it depression? Was it because they were being bullied and wanted payback? Was it because they were psychotic? I believe they had all of these problems. They were psychotic, Eric did have depression and was taking depression pills for it, and they might have been aiming for jocks because they were bullied by them.