What an Amazing person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What an Amazing person - Essay Example He was chubby, middle aged; and he was wearing a green jacket and dirty pants. What I couldnt stand most was the stink of beer emanating from his mouth, as well as from the opened jar that he was holding. Although consuming beer in public places is illegal, he was in no condition to care about such things. He was so drunk that he couldn’t control his steps when he boarded the light rail. I felt unfortunate, when, of all the empty seats he could have chosen, he chose the one next to me. Having been brought into proximity this way, he immediately started talking to me. I felt awkward and embarrassed about the situation, especially with other passengers glancing at us curiously. I soon realized that I have no option but to put up with him. He talked about his life, and said â€Å"I was a millionaire, but I lost everything now, including my house. He continued â€Å"but I will never give up until I get all that is mine.† I was surprised with his clarity of thought even in such an inebriated state. But at the same time I did not take all his words for facts. He talked about how his chronic illness led to one surgery after another, until he lost all of his wealth. He spoke very emotionally about how he will fight on in life despite presently being in an unfortunate condition. Seeing that I was skeptical about his story, he prompted me ask him questions. He told me that he would answer any question I ask. Just to divert focus from his difficult personal life, I started talking about different countries. Qatar came into the discussion as it is my home country. He then amazed me with his knowledge about the country. He listed Qatars recent foreign policies and how it has improved in the last 15 years. He also mentioned Sheik Hamad, the president of Qatar; and Hamad Bin Jassim, the minister of foreign affairs of Qatar and how great were they in the political world. When he said that Qatar might be

Vp 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vp 2 - Essay Example The Tea Ceremony is a ritualized Japanese cultural contribution that involves taking tea in a specific space with prearranged procedures. Supposed to have started in the 16th century, the tea ceremony was a wealthy affair sought to unite rulers, warriors, and merchants. It was a social function for the rich that provided them a forum to discuss weighty issues (Cooper and McLean 1). They used natural forms of utensils, especially from China and Korea, countries revered for their culture. To an extent, the value of these objects and utensils was synonymous to that of treasures. The Japanese have a liking for such imperfect objects (natural form), which is a characteristic of their culture. Most of them were unglazed objects made in kilns that may seem to have no value at first sight. Their value has remained over the years to present where the utensils/objects re still seen as valuable. The preparation and drinking powdered green tea (matcha) is a delicate procedure that involves years of training. It involves detailed choreography that a layperson cannot easily master. The interaction in a tearoom not only involves the host and the guests, but also the utensils (Cooper and McLean 5). The guests witness the tea preparation and each step must be done specifically. Surprisingly, there is no repetition of the process in any other subsequent ceremony; the choreography only applies to a singular tea gathering. In addition, there is tea etiquette pertaining to the drinking of the tea, and the usage of the utensils. The utensils have both a practical value and an aesthetic value that the Japanese tradition appreciates. During a ceremony, there are several objects and utensils, but only a few serve in the occasion. The Tea Ceremony resulted in the creation of several other forms of objects that are enshrined in Japanese traditions. The relevance and significance of the ceremony lie in the need for purification and the connection with nature. Although

Effects Of Succession Planning On Employee Retention

Effects Of Succession Planning On Employee Retention Proper succession planning helps an employee to get their work done as well as to sustain the employees in the most effective and efficient manner. This study also highlighted that for any particular job what are the organizational commitment, job security, job content which leads to self-esteem, leadership and staying in the organization for a longer time period. The study is intended to answer the question of whether proper succession planning could mitigate the expected negative effects of retentions on employees. The basic purpose of this research is to find out that whether the way information regarding Succession Planning taking place is well defined or not and what are the impacts of employees behavioral towards retention through proper communicated and well-defined work on succession planning. And up to what level are they emotionally and expressively affected. 1.3 Implications of the Study The findings of this study will have important implications from the perspective of employees and top management associated with employee retention succession planning. The HR department in order to develop a proper job content for every job to develop an organizational commitment security in which employees are most comfortable with the tenure, leadership self-esteem. This research will extend our knowledge on how differences the employee retention and succession planning of the company will impact the performance of employees both internal and external. And would also allow more detailed prescriptions for practitioners faced with such issues. 1.4 Variables Independent Variable Succession Planning Tenure Leadership Self Esteem Dependent Variables Employee Retention Organizational Commitment Job Security Job Content 1.5 Hypothesis Hypothesis 1: There is a positive relationship between succession planning and employee retention. Chapter 2 Literature Review In an organization, every employee tends to rise to his level of ineffectiveness (Jr., 2003).Succession planning is the power to developing the strengths and performance of their people and maximizes production capacity. We provide businesses with a broad range of highly effective tools, methodology and processes, proven to dramatically improve the contribution made by individuals and organizations at all levels (Jr., 2003). These are the role of Succession Planning in an Organization Prepares current employees to undertake key positions Develops ability and long-term development Improves employees abilities and performance Improves workforce loyalty and as a result retention Assemble the career improvement requirements of existing employees Improves support to workforce throughout their tenure Counters the increasing complexity of hiring employees externally Focuses on leadership stability and better knowledge distribution Provides further effective monitoring and tracking of employee ability levels and skills (Jr., 2003). As Succession planning is a core part of an organizations ability to decrease risk, create a verified leadership model, smooth organization continuity and improve staff self-confidence (White, 1987). Succession planning has become really important for managers and executives in the current business world because, now they have begun to understand the importance of securing their companies eventually by selecting future leaders (White, 1987). Succession planning considered to the higher concern to make the right decisions. They must put their self into strategic and planning form to choose the best leader (Jr., 2003).When it comes down to the decision about the succession plan an executive should recognize the needs and requirements of the company that what would be the strengths and weaknesses so an executive will know what kind of person they would need on the considerable situation which will lead the company on the succession path (White, 1987). The basic element in transition is well transparency as it applies on every company the employer should take step to communicate the employees to decrease the gap between the company and the employee which effects better with the reflection of succession (Jr., 2003) To develop an effective succession plan there are four stages Recognizing jobs for succession; Developing a obvious understanding of the capabilities required to carry out those roles; Identifying workforces who could potentially fill and do highly in such roles; Preparing workforces to be ready for development into each identified role. Without the execution of a succession plan, there can be significant impacts on a business including; Lack of expertise and business knowledge Lack of business stability Damaged customer associations (Jr., 2003). Organization succession planning is highly dependent on the competent employee the company highly depends on its employee which can make the path and accelerate the companys business which will play a major role for an organization to become profitable or reciprocal. One major concern which often makes difference for succession if the leader key person leaves the organization- either by choice or other circumstances (Jr., 2003).What will happen when an important key player purged without succession planning? There are few things to look forward. Such as either there will be no skilled successor or there will be who might not ready to manage the business the way it has to be managing with the abilities. Whatsoever the case might came out to be, the situation can be terrible for the company. Business can become unsustainable to carry on (Jr., 2003). The only answer that is left in an unexpected situation is just unproductive quick-fixed solutions the successor is left with temporary substitute if the set up is not been fix yet., and the important result can still be the breakdown of the business. Key factors that affect the success of business are skill and experience. And without it no one can run a business. They significant traits in an entrepreneur not only run the business but also sustain the success (Jr., 2003). Without succession planning, a company that has become successful can just as easily fail. The company grows because there is a leader with experience, drive and ability. Without suitable succession planning, the future growth of the business is left to chance once that leader is gone. Under such a situation, if it succeeds at all, it is by default rather than intended. That is not all. The passing of the crop from one generation to the next is often fogged up by the stakeholders differing views and agendas. Without proper planning, the clashes of views and agendas can pull the company in several directions and this may wreck an otherwise feasible business (Jr., 2003). Succession planning enables your business to identify brilliant employees and provide education to develop them for future higher level and broader tasks. Succession planning helps to build worktable strength. Succession planning helps to decide where public belong to (Jr., 2003). Through your succession planning procedure, you also save superior employees because they value the time, attention, and development that you are investing in them. To efficiently do succession planning in your business, you must identify the organizations long term goals. They must hire better staff (White, 1987). You need to spot and recognize the developmental needs of your employees. You must guarantee that all key employees understand their career paths and the roles they are being developed to fill. You need to spotlight resources on key employee retention. You need to be alert of employment trends in your area to be familiar with the roles you will have a difficult time filling externally (White, 1987). It is a complex process and a successful plan is based on management formation, regular evaluation through evaluations and integrated management development system. Only one tenth of the know-how of professional managers consists of formal education and training and the result is attained through on the job development. Management structure has to be clearly understood by all and frequently reviewed for future planning. One of the reasons for the gradual and slow abolition of business groups of yesterday is that they failed in managing the change. The plan does not mean recognition of an individual to replace his/her ancestor. It means identifying a group of individuals to be trained and groomed for the place of CEO (Zajac, 1987). The organizations offer employee development opportunities through: on the job learning, better training and counseling, formal training programmers and job orientation. All these facilities not only help in employees development but also help in preparing the incumbents probable to fill key positions (Jr., 2003). The companies have to decide today for tomorrow through a complex assessment system for the human development, which is most uncertain. Business environment is getting increasingly vibrant, corporate growth, rate and size is critical, and values are changing which offer superior business opportunities for head hunters (Zajac, 1987). To achieve the aim the process begins from staffing needs periodic appraisal and an elastic plan. Promotions are common and job rotation is a must to expose the incumbents to a diversity of experience, i.e. marketing, sales, finance and even manufacturing. The basic criteria remains performance but potential also play a very key role (White, 1987). To commence such a complex process it is necessary to understand the challenge well in advance and act with obligation. Focus should be on performance as well as potential keeping in view the convenient challenges. The organizations must differentiate between spending on personnel and investment in employees development. It is a fact that a number of the corporate look after their senior executive very well but hardly invests in budding leaders (Zajac, 1987). One of the factors which have been a major obstacle in succession planning is hardly any division of management from ownership. Some of the leading groups vanished because they failed to interpret the change and to educate professional managers. People often presume that a manager by profession and a professional manager are one and the same. To face the emerging challenges corporate need more flexible managers (White, 1987). Imagine for a moment a workplace in which the employees eagerly estimated their performance reviews. Picture your staff telling each other how much they look forward to meeting with their manager and bragging about what an empowering experience these meetings are (Jr., 2003). The length of time an employee has worked for his or her current employer (Rosemary Batt, 2002). Leadership is the skill of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it (Brown, 2003). Leadership is a process by which a human being influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the business in a way that makes it more unified and logical. Leadership is a process whereby a person influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Brown, 2003). Employee retention is a process in which the employees are encouraged to remain with the group for the maximum period of time or until the conclusion of the project. Employee retention is useful for the organization as well as the employee (Sheridan, 1992). Employees nowadays are different. They are not the ones who dont have better opportunities in hand. As soon as they feel dissatisfied with the present employer or the job, they switch over to the next job. It is the responsibility of the employer to retain their greatest employees. If they dont, they would be left with no superior employees. A good employer should know how to attract and keep its employees. Retention involves five key things (Sheridan, 1992). Compensation Environment Growth Relationship Support One of the most vital and key part is to retain the employee of the organization its as important as you understand you need you have got to intact and retain your potential employee because your employee is your asset which will highway the organization on success(Sheridan, 1992). Why employee retention so important? Is it just to cut the turnover costs? Its not only the cost incurred by a organization that emphasizes the need of retaining employees but also the need to retain talented employees from getting poached (Sheridan, 1992).The process of employee retention will advantage an organization in the following ways (Sheridan, 1992). The cost of employee turnover adds hundreds of thousands of money to an organizations expenses. While it is hard to fully calculate the cost of turnover (including hiring costs, training costs and productivity loss), industry experts often quote 25% of the average employee salary as a conventional estimate. (Sheridan, 1992). When an employee leaves, he takes with him valuable facts about the company, customers, current projects and past history sometimes to competitors. Often much time and money has been spent on the employee in anticipation of a future return. After the employee leaves, the investment is not realized. (Sheridan, 1992). Customers and clients do business with an organization in part because of the people. Relationships are developed that support continued sponsorship of the business. When an employee leaves, the relationships that employee built for the companies are disengaged, which could lead to probable customer loss (Sheridan, 1992). When an employee terminates, the effect is felt throughout the organization. Co-workers are often required to pick up the slack. The unspoken negativity often intensifies for the remaining staff (Sheridan, 1992). The goodwill of a company is maintained when the attrition rates are low. Higher retention rates motivate potential employees to join the organization (Sheridan, 1992). If an employee resigns, then good amount of time is lost in hiring a new employee and then training him/her and this goes to the loss of the company directly which many a times goes unnoticed. And even after this you cannot assure us of the same efficiency from the new employee (Sheridan, 1992). Employee retention refers to policies and practices companies use to avoid valuable employees from leaving their jobs. How to retain important employees is one of the biggest problems that plague companies in the competitive marketplace. Not too long ago, companies accepted the revolving door policy as part of doing business and were quick to fill a vacant job with an additional eager candidate. Nowadays, companies often find that they spend substantial time, effort, and money to train an employee only to have them build up into a valuable commodity and leave the company for greener pastures. In order to generate a successful company, employers should consider as many options as possible when it comes to retaining employees, while at the same time securing their trust and loyalty so they have less of a need to leave in the future (Sheridan, 1992). Many people love their job, and there are a huge number of reasons such as they like the company environment, their boss, and their co-workers. A thrilling position, with plenty of opportunity for growth, learning, and advancement, is always desirable, as is a meaningful job that has the possible to make a difference in the lives of others. Dissatisfaction with one or more of these things could force the employee to think about leaving (Sheridan, 1992). A rather obvious way for a company to better retain their employees is by offering competitive salaries and bonuses. Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done, and nothing makes someone feel more appreciated than cold hard cash. It also shows the employee that the company has some degree of loyalty towards them, which could in turn influence them to repay their employers with some loyalty of their own. Increased benefits, stock options, more vacation time, company cars, child care, and other perks dont hurt either. Financial support for employees who wish to continue their education would also most likely be appreciated and rewarded with employee loyalty (Sheridan, 1992). In many instances, employee retention starts just as soon as an employee is hired. If a company sees an unusual amount of potential in a new hire, management could make them feel appreciated right off the bat. Interest free loans to help pay off their college bills or other debts is one way for an employer to do this. In order to keep the employee from jumping ship before the loan is paid off, the employer can do several things, including staggering payments or making the loan contingent on certain performance goals. In a way, this practice can be considered a combination of recruitment and retention tools. Similar programs could also be implemented for employees that already have tenure built up with the company (Sheridan, 1992). There are times when an employee wants to leave a company not for a better job opportunity, but for the chance to relocate. Usually if this is a case, the employees needs are strictly personal ones. If possible, a business can offer a relocation allowance to the employee and still try to keep them in the company in the same or a different capacity. Again, the details would have to be worked out on an individual basis so that the employee does not abuse this privilege (Sheridan, 1992). The implementation of company policies like flextime, job-sharing, and part-time work may also prove useful in retaining an employee who wishes to leave their job for personal reasons. By doing so, a company could gain a reputation as a family-friendly environment and therefore make it more attractive to future potential employees (Sheridan, 1992). Another thing that employees seem to enjoy is casual days or even a company casual dress policy. This allows employees the chance to better express themselves and creates a more comfortable work environment. In most cases, the dress code should be clearly defined so that the employees do not abuse the privilege and promote an unprofessional image about the company (Sheridan, 1992). A company may also want to spend some time to get to know their employees better. A thorough understanding of an employees goals, concerns, skill level, values, health, and job satisfaction are just a few of the areas that can be addressed. By doing so, the employee could be made to feel more like a prized individual and less like a cog in a corporate machine. At the same time the company will educate itself as to which employees are the most valuable in both a business and personal sense. (Sheridan, 1992). When a valued employee leaves, the company can use information gathered in an exit-interview to find out the reasons for the employees decision and the changes that can be made within the company to keep others from following suit. This data can be gathered into a formal report and distributed to management, members of the human resource team, and other pertinent employees to be used for this purpose (Sheridan, 1992). Finally, upper-level employees can be trained as retention managers to help in the seemingly never-ending battle to keep talent. A successful retention manager must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and have a talent for listening, respecting, and understanding their employees concerns. Retention managers should be individuals who have already proven their loyalty to the company. Honesty, creativity, and patience are other virtues that can help in this type of position (Sheridan, 1992). Every company should understand that people are their best commodity. Without qualified people who are good at what they do, any company would be in serious trouble. In the long run, the retention of existing employees saves companies money. There are advertising and recruiting expenses, orientation and training of the new employee, decreased productivity until the new employee is up to speed, and loss of customers who were loyal to the departing employee. Finding, recruiting, and training the best employees represents a major investment. Once a company has captured talented people, the return-on-investment requires closing the back door to prevent them from walking out (Robert P. Steel, 2002) When an employee leaves a company for a direct competitor, there is always a chance that they will take important business strategies and secrets with them to be exploited by the competition. This is yet another reason why the retention of employees is so crucial to some businesses. While this practice seems a bit unscrupulous, it stills happens quite frequently. As Bill Leonard stated in HR Magazine: because employers know that the best-qualified applicants will come directly from competitors, recruiting and hiring employees away from the competition becomes a necessity in an ultra-tight labor market. And necessity is the mother of inventive and sometimes controversial business practices. Recruiting and hiring from your competitors is probably as old as business itself. But what is new and a hot topic among employers is how to attract and retain qualified candidates in a highly competitive labor market while also preventing their own intellectual capital from winding up in the hands of competitors (Robert P. Steel, 2002). One way for a company to prevent employees from giving valuable information to competitors is to make it a policy to enforce strict noncompeting and confidentiality agreements amongst its employees. The existence of such agreements could in fact deter a competitor from hiring a valuable employ because they might not want to risk possible legal entanglements with the other company. Of course, all this could possibly lead to animosity with the employee who could feel that his or her options are being limited. Many employees dont always remember signing such a document, so a copy of it should always be kept on file for the employee to refer to. This area could prove to be a highly sensitive one between employer and employee, so extreme caution is suggested in all instances (Robert P. Steel, 2002). Employee retention is an issue in just about every business sector. The technology field seems to see the most movement amongst employees, but other markets like education and sales also see more than their fair share of turnover (Sheridan, 1992). The effects of this trend are somewhat different for small businesses. Since the employee base at a small business is fairly low, a stronger sense of loyalty may be a bit more prevalent. One possible reason for this trend would be the generally low number of layoffs that occur in the small business sector. Many small businesses even have no-layoff policies that can be used as a valuable recruiting and retention tool to secure employees. These types of policies are not for all small businesses, especially those with erratic sales trends or those that employ a large number of non skilled workers who are often easy to replace (Sheridan, 1992). In any event, just about every business will have to live with the fact that valued employees will leave at some point. While certain strategies can be practiced to slow this trend, it most likely can never be stopped completely. Successful businesses that are built on a strong foundation should have less trouble dealing with this situation than their weaker counterparts. At the same time, the companys strengths will enable them to promote an image to help recruit and ultimately retain the best employees out there (Robert P. Steel, 2002). When the companies were consulted, the subject of identifying and retaining top talent is always one of the critical items executives tell me theyd like to improve upon. However, when asked what their strategy is in that regard they either mention that theyve found this great recruiting firm that is going to do nothing but send them top-level talent, or they look at me and tell me the people that have left were no good to begin with, basically rationalizing the cause of the turnover(Rosemary Batt, 2002). It is recommended that job analysis audits should be conducted to provide realistic job previews. Job analysis audits should be done with behavioral assessments, cognitive reasoning assessments, job simulations, and hard skills assessments (e.g., computer skills, etc.) to objectively define the core competencies required for success in each role competency modeling. This helps in providing a realistic job preview for candidates and managers. Oftentimes what managers think they need for a certain role is different from that they actually need (Robert P. Steel, 2002). A well-designed assessment and selection process must be implemented. Behavioral assessments and structured behavioral interviewing techniques should be used to increase the likelihood of hiring people who can, and will, do the job at a high level in your environment and for your managers job fit assessment (Sheridan, 1992). Effective employee orientation must be provided. The people who are hired today are potentially the greatest resource for corporate success in the years ahead. A senior leaders participation in new employee orientation sends a vital cultural and leadership message: everyone is involved in the drive toward the future. Everyone even the newest employee has value (Robert P. Steel, 2002). Programs for employee training and development are to be implemented. Ongoing professional development is required to show willingness as an organization to develop the greatest assets which are the people. (Sheridan, 1992). Manager and employee relationships must be improved. Concentration should be on the people who stay with the organization to learn what makes them happy; then give them more of it. It is said that people leave managers, not companies. If there is a turnover problem, assess the managers (Robert P. Steel, 2002). An equitable and fair pay system is also important (Sheridan, 1992). Encourage succession planning. Identify roles for which employees may be suited in the future and work with them on designing their succession plan within the organization. Invest in cross-training, job shadowing, coaching, mentoring, and cross-experience (Robert P. Steel, 2002). Job security is dependent on economy, prevailing business conditions, and the individuals personal skills. It has been found that people have more job security in times of economic expansion and less in times of a recession (Postel-Vinay, 2005). Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Sources of Information The information used in this study is basically primary data collected from respondents who are employees of Banking Sector in Pakistan. Employees at various levels working in four recently banks have been surveyed for this study to identify two responses i.e. organizations involved in succession planning would have employees who are more intend to stay in the same organization. For this research, four banks, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), SCB (Standard Chartered Bank), UBL (United Bank Limited) and MCB (Muslim Commercial Bank) have been selected to carry out the survey. 3.2 Sampling Technique Procedure The researcher has used the Convenience Sampling technique in which the sample has been selected in such a way that all individuals in the target population had an equal probability of being selected in the sample. Various departments within each bank were approached and employees working at various levels were used as correspondents for this research. 3.3 Sample Size The total sample size was 100 respondents, taking 25 employees from each of the chosen bank which includes Male / Female Graduate / Masters Employee/Supervisor/Manager / Senior Manager or Others 3.4 Method of Data Collection Procedure The private sector Banking Industry of Pakistan is the targeted segment for the collection of primary data through questionnaires which is designed on the basis of research articles and questionnaires related to the topic. All employees from managerial level would be the participants. The survey would be self administered. 3.4.1 Data Collection Basically there are two types of data available for the researchers, Primary and Secondary. In this research primary data has been used collected through questionnaires. Since and its effect is a study which needs to be carried out from employees who actually went through this, therefore the researcher had to rely on questionnaire survey results (primary data) for empirical data. The researcher carried out the research through Survey method i.e. personal survey from employees working within four chosen banks in Pakistan. The survey was carried out by getting questionnaires filled from employees working at different levels within the organization and their perceptions were studied regarding the retention and what factors can come if succession effect created among them. 3.4.2 Research Testing Instruments The instruments used for collecting data for this research consisted of questionnaire for surveys and SPSS as testing tool. For the purpose of data collection a questionnaire was devised based on two sections that consisted questions pertaining to Employee Retention (Dependent Variable), Succession Planning (Independent Variables). The respondents have been asked if they had been properly brief about the effects of succession planning employee retention that had on their behavioral outcomes. The tool used in this research is SPSS. Pearsons Correlation is used in this research and analysis is carried out keeping in view the nature of the hypothesis and the data. During the analysis of data in SPSS, researcher has used technique of Pearsons Correlation, because Pearsons correlation coefficient is a measure of linear association. Two variables can be perfectly related. 3.4.3 Method The questionnaire was mailed and e-mailed to the employees of a random sample of 100 from four chosen banks. 3.4.4 Questionnaire Questions were asked from employees based on their experience. Section A consisted of 15 questions related to Employee Retention which includes organizational commitment, job security and job content. All parts were divided among 5 each questions. The scale for recording responses was 1 to 5 representing Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree and Strongly Agree. The questions were designed in a way to judge the psychological effect of retention on employees mind. Section B consisted of 11 questions related to the Succession Planning of employees which includes tenure, leadership and self-esteem. The scale for recording responses was 1 to 5 representing Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree and Strongly Agree. The questions were designed in a way to judge the psychological effect of succession on employees mind. All the questions of both the sections A B were designed in a way to judge the employees motivation level towards work and whether or not they are planning to leave the organization upon getting an opportunity elsewhere. 3.4.5 Questionnaire Testing A questi

Shoeless Joe Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine your fate and future resting in the hands of one man’s judgment. This was actually reality for Shoeless Joe Jackson. Many argue that he was one of the best ever to play the game of baseball and was the greatest natural hitter of all-time. Yet, surprisingly, you will not find him among the familiar faces at the Hall of Fame. He was permanently banned from baseball, as well as seven others, for allegedly helping to throw the 1919 World Series.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joe Jackson was born on July 16, 1888 in Pickins County, South Carolina. He was the oldest of eight children and grew up the son of a cotton mill worker. He began working in the mill at age thirteen and never learned how to read or write. He played baseball in his spare time, and his exceptional skills landed him in the minor leagues by the age of eighteen. He first entered professional baseball in 1908 with Greenville in the Carolina Association. It was during this same year that he received the nickname â€Å"Shoeless† Joe after he had just bought a new pair of spikes. They wore blisters on his feet and they hurt so badly that he just played in his stocking feet. Although he played only one game without the spikes, he was known as â€Å"Shoeless Joe† from then on (McGee 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shoeless Joe made his major league debut later that year, in 1908, with the Philadelphia Athletics. He only played there a short time before being transferred to the Cleveland Indians. Finally, in 1915 he was sold to Charles Comiskey and the Chicago White Sox. It was here that he played his last few years of professional baseball and his life would be forever changed.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the years 1917 to 1919 the Chicago White Sox were by far the dominant team in baseball. It is speculated that they could have â€Å"gone on to become one of the greatest teams in history† (Schwalbe 2). However, despite having the most talented team around, Charles Comiskey paid his players considerably less than any other winning team (Durst 2). Due to the oppression they were under, the player’s morale began to decrease as their need for money increased. They considered going on strike, but were talked out of it by their manager, â€Å"Kid† Gleason. They remained desperate until first baseman Chick Gandil met with a notorious gambler named â€Å"Sport† Sullivan. The White So... ...t up and protect his own reputation. Comiskey’s lawyer acted as Joe’s lawyer also, although he was really only trying to protect Comiskey. In modern day, Joe would have had his own lawyer from the beginning and Landis would have been convicted of contempt of court since he went against the court’s ruling and banished the eight players for life. Joe would not have had to prove his innocence. Instead, someone would have had to prove him guilty. Clearly, this could not have been achieved. There is no evidence that he did anything wrong, and his statistics clearly support the opposite. Alongside, his performance in the 1919 World Series, Joe’s career batting average of .356 is the third best of all-time (CMG 1). On top of this, he led the league in triples eight times and held the throwing record for distance. It is a shame he was never inducted into the Hall of Fame because of one man’s judgment to ban him from the game. Part of Joe’s last words were â€Å"I’m going to meet the greatest umpire of all – and he knows I’m innocent.† (McCroskey 1). He passed away on Decem ber 5, 1951, and will remain, although often disparaged and misunderstood, one of our national pastime’s greatest legends.

Othello William Shakespeare Essay

* William Shakespeare created one of his most famous plays Othello to investigate in an influential manner the unrelenting issues of racial discrimination and gender equility. Based on the tale ‘Un Capitano Moro’ (The Moorish Captain) by Giovanni Cinthio, Othello was written during the epoch of 1603. Due to the actions of Othello, in the midst of a small cast, there is an exploration of sexual jealousy, and thus this play has earned a title of a domestic tragedy. * In this, the final scene depicts how the tragic hero Othello acquiesces to his incurable blemish and reaches his cessation. The foreseeable ending is cathartic for the audience to experience catharsis, as they experience a passionate feeling of trepidation and pity. Shakespeare shows how he is able to differentiate an individual’s personality in the unchanging hierarchy of his society. * This was achieved through the Turkish invasion in Cyprus where the Venetians fought purely for national identity. Intertwined in the play, the Machiavellian character of Iago brings a certain rise to chaos and blurs out all the lines between appearance and reality. Saying this, by Shakespeare’s intense use of language, the emotional engaging final scene, brings back a certain order; giving light to issues of truth, race and female insubordination and defining the central protagonist. Context: * Written between 1601 and 1604, Othello’s context is based around the eras of the Elizabethan and Jacobean epochs of English history. Between the two different periods, the Renaissance ideologies are greatly encompassed. These ideologies are that of a cultural movement occurring throughout Europe in the 14th to the 17th centuries. In the crux of this era, a deep understanding of characters and issues in Othello may perhaps be attained from the initial actions of the play, being set in one of the foremost cities of the Italian Renaissance. Moreover, this period also brought with it the Protestant Reformation which was commenced by Martin Luther which viewed the refusal of medieval Christian values. The Protestant theology believed that God’s divine plan of rational and moral logic was constant throughout society; one which developed in the unchallengeable hierarchy. * The Chain of Being was the reason for such order whereby it relegate all beings to ones rightful place and purpose in the universe. To preserve such a harmony, people had to develop reason and intellect to rule their emotions. In difference to such strict array, the Renaissance also gave rise to Humanism. Pico Della Mirandola here declared that â€Å"one could become as low as an animal or through intellect and imagination become equivalent to God, at least in understanding†1, which I believe may have shaped Shakespeare’s traditional thinking in Othello. * The selection of using a black tragic hero was indeed controversial, and furthermore those â€Å"Blackamoors† in Shakespeare’s previous dramas were without a doubt wicked. This is exemplified through Aaron in Titus Andronicus where this drama exclaimed ‘If one good deed in all my life I did, I do repent it to my very soul’(Act 5, Scene 3). Due to the conflict with Spain during the Elizabethan period, Blackamoors arrived in England and were reduced to servants or slaves. Therefore it is obvious that the audience of the era would have seen Othello’s superior military position as a serve rebellion to natural order. * Nevertheless, although the importance of race in Othello, it is essential that the audience recognises that the play is created primarily for the concern with class and subordination rather than forceful racism. The historical and geographical setting also plays a major influence in bringing various amounts of symbolism to the play. Venice was seen as a locus of Christian civilisation, rational order, culture and prosperity. It was also linked with poisoning as it was the birthplace of Niccolo Machiavelli. Moreover, the city was at the forefront of the battle, between the Christians and the Turks; who were seen as malicious, barbaric infidels. * The conflict was move to the island of Cyprus in 1570 which was a place isolated from civilisation and allied with Aphrodite, the goddess of love- and thus deemed a place of wild infatuation. Therefore we can see how this setting is able to show Othello’s inner conflict and dichotomy of identities; between the civilised and the barbaric, the Christian and the Pagan, the good and the evil within himself. Theme 1: Women * According to the time that the play was written in and the general hierarchy within Venetian society men hold all the power and women are considered to be of low intellect. Yet it is the women that speak the most sense throughout the play and it is also the women that are able to trust other characters in the play. Each woman represents a different social level, Desdemona being the highest and Bianca being of the lowest. Each sexual relationship in the play provokes some jealousy between the couple. * Bianca does not appear in the play as much as the other female characters yet her presence is key to the death of Desdemona as well as other play themes. Iago often refers to her as a prostitute, â€Å"A house wife that by selling her desires, Buys herself bread and clothes†. She has fallen in love with Cassio, yet he does not speak of his returned affection for her due to his desire for status, and her social standing would affect this dramatically. She is the jealous partner in this relationship and expresses this when Cassio produces Desdemona’s handkerchief, which Iago has planted in Cassio’s room. * As Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s lady in waiting Emilia helps link Iago’s plan. It was she whom supplied the Desdemona’s handkerchief for Iago. This helps Iago distort Othello’s views about Desdemona’s fidelity. It is interesting that she does not question Iago too much when she gives him the handkerchief, it could be considered that this illustrates female ability to trust in the play. However she also remains ignorant of the entire plot until the end, when her life comes to an abrupt ending, at the hands of her husband, Iago. She often failed to think before saying and performing some action. This, without much thought, uncovers her husband’s plan, but she fails to consider the consequences for herself. This is very different to her husband, who seems to plan out every word in order to get the right response. It is apparent that this is quite an unhappy marriage, made clearer through their dissimilar personalities. She has many honorable qualities such as her honesty in addition to her loyalty towards Desdemona. Iago does not treat her like his wife until he requires something; this shows this marriage was purely one in order to gain status among piers. * Throughout the play Desdemona is a symbol of innocence and helplessness. However on first encounter with her she appears to be mature and quite perceptive of events around her. Iago often tells Othello that she is unfaithful. It seems that she refuses to accept what is happening. Her views are impartial. She has a tendency to be sympathetic towards other people’s situations, like Cassio. This also further inspired Othello’s jealousy when Iago pointed out they were speaking in privacy. She often pays attention to other peoples thoughts yet remains cynical if they differ to her own. She has a loyalty to her husbands in all aspects of life, whether it is mental or physical. If Desdemona had been an emotional void then Iago would not have succeeded in his plan. This would have meant that she would not have lied to Othello about losing the handkerchief, which she did so as not to hurt his feelings. However Othello sees this as an attempt to deceive him and conceal the alleged truth about her affair with Cassio. Even her final words, indicate that she blames her death on herself, and not her jealous husband. * Othello was indeed a tragedy, in which out of the three women that are introduced, only one survived. Although the women were all rational in thought and trusting, their trust was often misplaced, in gentlemen like Iago. As well as this regardless of their intellect and contemplation of events around them (in some cases) this was not enough for them to rise up in society, as women had no opinion in the time of the play. Although Shakespeare undertook many modern day ideas, he did not do this for a modern day society, as it would not have allowed so many events to occur, and it would not have been considered realistic by the viewing public. Theme 2: Appearance vs Reality. * When we are able to see the hidden truth in the closing scene of Othello, the distinct battle between appearance and reality is concluded, giving a clear exposure to the understanding of all the characters and issues of the play. Notably, productions of Othello during the Elizabethan epoch would have used a white actor as the protagonist, and masked their skin with black makeup. * This ultimately emphasises the immense difference between external appearances and the internal reality, whereby the obvious dishonesty of the white Iago is juxtaposed with a fundamentally dignified black Othello. This is further promoted by the lines of the Duke in Act 1, who confirms that ‘If virtue no delighted beauty lack/ Your son-in-law is far more fair than black’. * Iago has the ability to clearly identity the fraud of appearances; as also he is the most likely to lie, he gains a trust from all characters in the play which concludes as being fatal to Othello. Iago further says ‘I am not what I am’, as he is able to put on a fake honesty in society and only tells of his wickedness in soliloquy with the audience. * Thus wickedness allows Iago to affect the thinking of Othello and moreover creating a crude image that ‘Cassio did top  her’, hence believing his obscure reasoning and logic and making Othello take this as the truth leading to his disastrous endings. The soubriquet of â€Å"Honest Iago† is continually reiterated by Othello, Cassio and Desdemona; hence it is cynically mocking those he wanted to deceive. Moreover, in the closing scene, the truth is slowly revealed as Iago is finally revealed as the villain who he is seen by the audience throughout the whole play. * Although, in the final resolution to ‘never speak word’, Shakespeare is able to penetrate the message of the very mysterious and inevitable human nature which Iago represents. Actions made by Othello are depended on the characters ability to not see things. He is able to blame and prosecute Desdemona even though he never witnessed her so called unlawful act against him, and Emilia- although she does witness Othello’s extreme anger and sadness over the loss of the handkerchief- she does not properly see what her husband has done to cause this. * Thus it is obvious to see how the importance of the ‘eye’ imagery in the final scene as it helps to demonstrate a material realisation of the actual fatal truth. Once Othello has committed his own suicide, Iago is invited by Lodovico to ‘Look on the tragic loading of this bed/ This is thy work. The object poisons sight, let it be hid’. * Formerly, Iago poisoned Othello by pouring ‘this pestilence into his ear’. Conversely, it is as though Shakespeare is parodying the heroes need for ‘ocular proof, as it ends as the eye which receives the poison; with the man himself Othello being a part of the typical ending for a Shakespearean play, a horrific massacre. We then gain an understanding from the conclusiveness of death a certain reality and moral implication on issues of truth within the final scene. * Furthermore, it is only a given that Emilia protects Desdemona as ‘the sweetest thing that ere did lift up eye’, followed by Othello confirming his own wife’s truthful innocence by declaring of her look that ‘This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven’. Hence in the closing scene of the play, Shakespeare uses both visual and auditory imagery to show the difference between appearance and reality and deepen our understanding of the character Othello. Theme 3: Order and Chaos * The final scene, due to Elizabethan context, brings to place the restitution of order; which helps to reunite the characters with concerns they have detained throughout the play. All Shakespearean plays depict a hierarchic society to maintain the cosmic laws of God. * A great amount of torment in the 17th century came from this Great Chain of Being, as a disturbance of this order possibly would force the world into great chaos, one which out does any of the kind. Othello is given two roles in this, one as the creator of chaos, and the other, the protector of order. Being held at high regard as the military general gave him the label of a hero and defender of Venetian civilisation. * However, due to his race and colour, Othello also was seen to be threatening the white authority of the state. Much the same of the island of Cyprus, Othello was colonised by Venice, and used, however never fully becomes a Venetian. * With social fears of miscegenation, Othello’s position as an outsider was forced upon him, and hence by Brabantio’s repulsion at the harsh image of a ‘black ram tupping your white ewe’. Yet, like all Shakespearean plays, order is restored in the final scene. In this scene, Othello is able to re-establish himself as a heroic soldier through his suicide, by getting rid of the barbaric Turkish enemy. Through the uses of chaos and order, it represents the battle between Christians and Infidels. In the closing scene of Othello, Emilia reiterates ‘play the swan/ and die in music’. * This natural imagery says that it is possible that the laws of nature or religion are extremely powerful in society. This belief is further exemplified through the religious turmoil of the previous century, as Protestants were harshly persecuted under the rulings of Queen Mary I. * Thus, it is obvious how religious devotion kept world order. We can further link Othello’s character to black magic and a pagan history through items such as the handkerchief, illustrating the disorder of the unknown to the Venetians. This is further linked with Christopher Marlowe’s, Doctor Faustus who is able to create a sense of disorder through his associations with the devil. Saying this, at the ending of Othello, Shakespeare verifies that chaos and disorder can occupy the microcosm of an individual. * As Othello states ‘Perdition catch my soul/ But I do love thee; and when I love thee not/ Chaos is come again’, we can see how he foreshadows an expression of self chaos at the loss of Desdemona’s love. Next to the ‘temptation scene’ of Act 3, we see how Othello succumbs to the ‘green eyed monster’ of pure jealously brought on through Iago’s evil mind games. * This extremely powerful human emotion releases the beast hidden in Othello. This can greatly be seen in the breakdown of his language which has been his tool to command order throughout the whole play; typical of his contextual authority. He cries ‘Pish! Noses, ears,/and lips. Is’t possible? Confess-handkerchief! O/devil! ’, illustrating his confused mind and disorderly insecurity over Desdemona’s fidelity. However, as the play closes, Shakespeare leads Othello back to person order. * In ‘killing himself to die upon a kiss’, Othello is able to seal his bond with his sweet and innocent wife, Desdemona and eventually dies in an act of love. Ultimately, the final scene of Othello, illustrates to the audience the utmost importance of the restoration of order, in terms of both social structure and the individual. Conclusion: The final scene of Shakespeare’s Othello, offers us a sometimes erratic, emotion and foreseeable series of events. However this type of ending is extremely effective. It is in agreement with various traditional Aristotelian tragedies by the way it involves an intense feeling of pity and fear for the audience’s entertainment. Moreover, the exaggerated ending of the play brings intensity and incites the readers to look upon the nature of the characters in the various issues amongst the play. Mainly, in the final scene, we see the flaws of the tragic hero, the Machiavellian disposition of Iago, the way women are seen and positioned in Shakespearian context and lastly the necessity of order after the use of chaotic dimensions. Ultimately, the various emotions and thoughts put upon the audience in this final scene of the play Othello, helps promote and illustrate how it is one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing and controversial plays.

Negative Impacts on Our Environment

Nowadays, it seems that every action we take during our daily lives, in some way is affecting and harming the environment. Our Earth is a beautiful planet. The design and makeup of the natural world is an amazingly unfathomable. The world was perfect at one point before we as human beings began to damage and little by little are continuing to destroy the our planet. Examples of Negative Effects For example, typing this very own essay is an ecological negative affect to our environment. Why? Because as I use the electricity and power needed to keep this laptop running and working, the energy and electricity is most likely generated from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and/or oil. Other simple everyday tasks such as using the toilet, driving to McDonalds for dinner, recording tv shows while I’m away from home, riding my friend’s motorcycle late in the evening, and even throwing a piece of paper in the trash can are all examples of small activities or daily routines that we do participate in practically every day of our lives, that in return, unintentionally, is damaging the world in which we live in today. An interesting contributing negative factor to the environment that I never knew about is the source of the foods that we eat. According to Roni Neff, Ph. D. , â€Å"The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 18% of world-caused GHGs (greenhouse gases) come from livestock production alone. The top sources are cow belching, deforestation for cattle grazing and growing soy for feed, methane from manure, and the nitrogen fertilizers used to produce these crops. A major problem is the prevention of livestock contracting diseases and so many potent chemical products are sprayed keep the animals healthy and sufficiently to prevent the loss of money. Many farmers rely much on these industrial fertilizers which unfortunately also require huge amounts of fossil fuels to produce. This is all a part of an ongoing cycle as the chemicals left on these lands eventually ends up in runoff water which from there is then poured onto our very own local water systems. While farm producers only see the positive side from the use of these chemical fertilizers since it is economically beneficial to them, scientists and environmentalists can easily see the negative effects of these chemicals not only to the environment but to our very own health as well. These include the difficulties in handling and proper disposal of the enormous quantities of animal waste, and the numerous public health risks such as antibiotic resistance, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal effects, as well as health risks for workers and community members. Another environment affecting factor that I thought was interesting, was the business of home construction. Not only homes, but the construction of commercial businesses, shopping malls, etc. Before construction takes place, the deforestation of natural ecosystems and habitats of many animals is destroyed. Many sources of energy such as coal which is one of the main sources of power for homes and all sorts of buildings, are polluting are environment more and more. These actions result in CO2 polluting the land and air of our environment. So as our air and atmosphere layers are becoming more contaminated with gases, the amount of solid waste in our landfills is increasing largely. 25-30% of the entire U. S. ’ annual solid waste is made up from home construction and remodeling projects and the demolition projects as well. To have a better understanding of these statistics, take the average home consisting of 2,200 square feet and know that for a home of that much space would require on average at the very least 13,000 board square feet of lumber. Now, picture laying all that lumber down, its length would reach up to 2. 5miles. Remember that statistic and now observe that on average, every year there are at the very least 1. 2 million construction homes built. Now multiply each home by 2,200 square feet and remember that each of those homes uses 13,000 board square feet of lumber, i. e. , the total amount of lumber used to build all these homes stretches out more than 3 million miles! That’s enough dimensional lumber to get you to the moon and back, not just, nor twice, but six times! These are outstanding facts and it is obvious that we need to find new methods for construction, remodeling, and demolition because it is causing and imposing negative effects on our beloved Earth. Conclusion Whether one is to consider themselves a conservationist or a preservationist, a balance of both is what should be taken into consideration. Natural resources, I believe, such as water and wood, are here so that we may use them to our benefit but ethically I don’t think it gives us the right to overpower and overuse our own natural environment and surroundings. With the high intelligence and advanced technology in the world today, I would support a profound cause in the betterment and research of excavating new ideas to improving the environment’s health while still benefiting from our natural resources, i. e. , a commensalistic relationship. References Christensen, N. (2013). The Environment and You. Boston, MA: Pearson. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4. http://www.livablefutureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/food-matters.pdf