Gangs, Belonging, and Acceptance Essay - 1177 Words

Gangs, Belonging, and Acceptance A 12-year-old boy comes home from school. He enters his home through the front door and notices his mother sobbing. There is blood on the tissue shes holding. The boy starts to ask his mother why she is crying when he realizes what has happened. She answers his silent inquiry about why, by quietly saying, your dad . . . hes on the back porch . . . hes had a bad day. Feeling helpless he goes to his room. From his window he can see his dad taking in the last swallow of beer and yelling, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, Hey, bring me another beer. And where is that worthless son of yours? He was supposed to mow the lawn yesterday. The boy, having seen this too many times before, leaves the†¦show more content†¦Commander Bryan Smith of the Corpus Christi Police Department, when asked what type of family life do gang members have, said they come from male dominated households or one-parent households. Many of these youth are from families that are female centered, they are not necessarily female dominated, because an aggressive male father figure can impact on the familys history, and more importantly on the childs psychosocial development. This parental male is perceived as the most powerful member of the family system, who gratifies his needs through the use of aggression and intimidation. Many of these youths have been physically abused by this male adult and also have witnessed their mothers and /or siblings being battered. If the male figure is no longer in the home, his presence survives in the form of fantasy or family mythology long after his departure. (Adler) Happy homes do not send many of their youngsters into gangs. Gangs are appealing to those kids who have unpleasant memories of their home life. There is emotional pain involved in most gang-members pasts. In the authors work (Adler) with Chicano gang youth, (most gang members in Corpus Christi are Chicano) they point out that the Chicano gang members exhibit violent and aggressive behavior. These youths experience intense feelings of isolation within their families, culture, school, community and church. These intense feelings are best explained by Adler, Because of their own experiencesShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Street Gang Activity Essay947 Words   |  4 PagesMany experts differ on the definition of what a â€Å"gang† is. Police use the term to refer to groups that hold and defend territory, or turf. Experts use the term to describe any congregation of youths who have joined together to engage in a delinquent act (Siegel Welsh, 2011). 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Belonging to a groupRead MoreJuvenile criminal gangs have long been a significant issue with the criminal justice establishment.1100 Words   |  5 PagesJuvenile criminal gangs have long been a significant issue with the criminal justice establishment. Youths coming together to commit criminal acts normally attributed to adult and more vicious criminal organizations are now being routinely committed by juveniles. The reasons for these youths in committing the activities have somewhat baffled author tries as well as scholars a nd researchers. It must be noted however, that juvenile delinquency is not new; laws in the past have sought to control theRead MoreWhy Do Juveniles Join Gangs?1138 Words   |  5 PagesGANG VIOLENCE PREVENTION WHY DO JUVENILES JOIN GANGS? Juveniles often join gangs to be accepted into a society of their peers. These juveniles are looking for acceptance and a sense of belonging. 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In an attempt to understand how stigma directly affects gang affiliated m en this report attempts to analyze differentRead MoreAcademic Failure And Lack Of School Attachment1236 Words   |  5 Pageslower-class students do not achieve as well as middle-class students. According to James, D, â€Å"Typically, street children exhibit behaviors in classrooms that interfere with their academic learning. In turn, educators are not well enough informed about gang culture to foster behaviors that result in successful academic performance, (James, D 1999)†. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy for many lower-class youths. The teacher’s examination of their performance evaluates them as less than middle-class studentsRead MoreI Love Yous Are For White People1714 Words   |  7 Pagesassimilating into the new countries that they travelled to. The difficulty assimilating was caused by the differences in culture in terms of ethnicity, trauma, gender roles, and sense of belonging. However, despite the challenges that they faced, it only brought them c loser to finding their sense of self and belonging within the new land. During the 1970’s, the Viet Cong, a communist-led party that was under the control of North Vietnam, was taking over South Vietnam. Due to people’s fear of livingRead MoreCrime : The Lack Of Crime And Poverty1654 Words   |  7 Pagesyouth partcipating in deliquent behavior. Youth, and people in general, learn their behaviors from the society around them. These youths stand more likely to participate in a behavior, such as criminal activity, if it receives constant approval and acceptance within the society. It stands easier to perform an action, such as criminal behavior, if the society and individuals around that youth declare it as socially acceptable. Sutherland asserts that an individual becomes criminal only when â€Å"definitions

An Episode Of Care For A Patient Suffering From Complex...

This case study aims to critically analyse an episode of care in relation to a patient suffering from complex health care needs. The focus of the assignment includes three aspects of care: depression, malnutrition and their relationship to lung cancer. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC): The Code (2015), the details of this case study will maintain confidentiality at all times through the use of the pseudonyms. Mrs. Warley is a 37-year-old woman who lives with her partner in rented accommodation. The couple do not have any children. Mrs. Warley’s past medical history includes depression and anorexia nervosa, conditions from which she has suffered since her teenage years. She was a heavy smoker for most of her life, believing that the habit would prevent weight gain. She was recently diagnosed with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) (Meerbeck et al, 2011). 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The first key step for treating depression would be identifying and understanding the causes of depression. Thoroughly understanding what the person is going through during their depressive episode is a difficult task, yet it is very muchRead M oreâ€Å"It Must Be Remembered That For The Person With Severe1407 Words   |  6 Pageswith mental illness in health-care settings are discrepant. Stigmatized attitudes among staff members towards patients with mental illness have widely been studied in various specialized health care contexts, but less often in primary health-care settings. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge? Nurses attitudes towards people with mental illness in general were positive in primary care health settings. Younger nurses expressed feeling afraid of mentally ill patients. 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Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 13 Free Essays

â€Å"I’m really not a serial killer. It just seemed like too good a chance to pass up.† â€Å"Man,† I said. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 13 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"If I had a dime for every time I heard that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Liam, the guy who’d bought me at the auction, laughed and opened the car door for me. He drove a shiny black Lotus Elise that he’d had imported from the UK. I found that impressive. It appeared to have just been freshly washed. I found that impressive too – and a little sad since it looked like it was going to rain at any moment. â€Å"It’s supposed to be really good, though,† he added, starting up the engine. â€Å"So, I hope you’ll like it and not think it’s too demented for the holidays.† I hadn’t been keen on following up with my charity date, but I’d known it would have to happen sooner or later. When Liam had called earlier to say he’d gotten tickets to a dramatic production of three Edgar Allan Poe stories tonight, I figured it was as good a time as any to get it over with. Besides, I liked Poe. It was kind of a creepy date to have around the happiest time of the year, true, but that would be the theater’s fault, not Liam’s. It was an early show, so we planned to attend first and catch dinner later. On the drive there, he turned out to be a lot like I’d expected. Intelligent. Nice. Moderately funny. He worked for an investment company downtown and had enough sense not to bore me with the details. We traded light banter, sharing anecdotes and experiences. I still would have rather been with Seth, but Liam was a fine guy for one night, and I figured he should have a fun time after donating so much money. The play was about as twisted as I’d hoped. They started with â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† followed by â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† closed the night off because honestly, what sort of Poe festivities would be complete without that crowd pleaser? â€Å"I’ve never heard of ‘The Masque of the Red Death,'† Liam said afterwards. We’d decided to leave the car and walk the six blocks to the restaurant he had reservations at. â€Å"I read the others in high school. I guess it’s some kind of allegory about how you can’t escape death, huh? You can lock yourself away, but it doesn’t work.† â€Å"More than an allegory, actually,† I mused. â€Å"Historically, that wasn’t an uncommon way for people to deal with plague and disease. Lock themselves up. Or else leave town and run away. Sometimes they’d throw the sick people out of town and lock the doors, so to speak.† â€Å"That’s horrible,† said Liam. We stepped inside the restaurant, a small Italian one that was almost always booked. I had to admit, he was doing a good job with this date thing. â€Å"People didn’t know any better,† I said. â€Å"They didn’t know what caused diseases, and aside from good hygiene and luck, there were few treatments for ancient and medieval epidemics.† â€Å"That auctioneer didn’t say anything about you being a history buff,† he teased. â€Å"Yeah? Would you not have bid?† â€Å"Are you kidding? A beautiful woman who uses the words ‘ancient and medieval epidemics’ on the first date? I would have bid more.† I grinned and let the maitre d’ lead us to our table. I was glad Liam appreciated my historical knowledge, but I’d have to be careful not to get too nerdy. I knew more than the average girl should and could get into levels of detail that modern people had no way of knowing about. I shifted to something else. â€Å"Well, I think the auctioneer was kind of distracted by the other contestants.† â€Å"Oh, you mean the feminazi who went before you?† I frowned. â€Å"No, I mean the giant blonde in silver that he bid on.† â€Å"Oh, yeah,† Liam agreed. â€Å"She was crazy. Attractive, but crazy.† â€Å"You actually thought she was pretty?† â€Å"Sure. Not as pretty as you, of course,† he hastily added, mistaking my meaning. â€Å"But the auctioneer apparently thought otherwise. He couldn’t keep his hands off of her.† â€Å"Oh, come on. He barely touched her.† â€Å"Well, not during the auction, of course. I mean afterward.† â€Å"What?† I was interrupted when the waiter came by. I had to wait for Liam to order wine before he could finish the story. â€Å"After the auction. I was there helping wrap things up. Deanna’s a friend of my ex-wife’s. When we all finished, Nick and that blonde were all over each other and left together.† â€Å"That†¦that isn’t possible.† Tawny had said they’d left separately. There was no way she and Nick could have been hot and heavy the night of the auction. The following night had been when she showed up for the dance lesson. Even if she was lying about things falling apart with Nick – and really, why would she? – she’d obviously had no recent energy fix. Massive shape-shifting, on the scale of nonhuman shapes, could burn through energy that quickly, but a new succubus wouldn’t have that skill yet. None of this made sense. Liam, obviously, didn’t catch my confusion. â€Å"Why’s it so hard to believe?† he asked. I shook my head. â€Å"It’s†¦never mind. I hope they had a great time. Now†¦what kind of wine did you order? I missed it.† Not wanting to ruin dinner, I put the Tawny conundrum into a holding bin in my mind and did my best to give Liam his seventeen-hundred-dollars worth. When dinner ended, we walked back toward his car, enjoying a leisurely pace. The weather, though damp, had warmed to about fifty. Seattle’s fickle winters did that sometimes, only to freeze up a day or so later. When Liam slipped his hand into mine, I let him, but it presented me with a dilemma. He was no one I really planned on seeing again. As a courtesy to Seth and an attempt at a normal life, I avoided casual affairs in this body. All of those reasons meant I shouldn’t let the night escalate into anything more than a friendly handshake good-bye. But suddenly, I was feeling the loss of my energy. It had felt so good to have Simon’s – yet it had been stripped from me before I could even do anything with it. It’d be so nice to have that feeling back, to go home with Liam and get what I needed. When we reached his car, he kept holding my hand and turned me so that I faced him. â€Å"What now?† he asked. â€Å"I don’t know.† I was still torn on what to do. â€Å"I’m open to suggestion.† Liam smiled, a cute smile that showed in his blue eyes too. â€Å"Well, how about this?† He leaned down and kissed me, much as Dante had nearly done. Oh, Liam. Liam was a good man. A good, good man. Seth caliber. The moment our lips touched, I felt the sweetness of his life energy trickling into me. My desire woke up, and I pressed myself to him. I might not like to use this body, but these were unusual circumstances. I made my decision. I’d sleep with him and part ways. He was a nice guy, not a psycho stalker. He might be disappointed, but he wouldn’t give me grief for wanting to be friends in the morning. He kissed me harder, pushing me against the side of the car. All that energy from just one kiss. The sex was going to be great. Yes, yes. More. Get more. Feed me. I jerked away from Liam. He looked down at me, legitimately concerned. â€Å"What’s the matter?† It had been a whisper in my head. Faint but real. It had been paired with a longing, a deep longing for Liam’s energy that rivaled my own need – but it hadn’t been mine. It had belonged to someone – or something – else. Suddenly, it all came back to me. The conversations with Dante and Erik. Some creature preying on me and stealing my energy. True, it was what I did to men†¦but, well, I couldn’t help how I felt. And just then, I felt nauseous at the thought of some parasitic creature coming to me tonight because I was full of energy. It made my skin crawl. Bad enough this thing was using me. It was also using me to use Liam. I looked back at him; he was so cute and so nice. I shook my head. I couldn’t do this. I needed the energy, but I was going to put if off as long as possible. I wouldn’t give this thing what it wanted. â€Å"Liam†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said slowly. â€Å"I should tell you something. I, um, just recently got out of a long relationship, and I went to the auction because I thought I could, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed, not appearing angry so much as regretful. â€Å"You aren’t ready.† I shook my head. â€Å"I’m really sorry. I wanted to help at the auction, and I thought I could move on.† He squeezed the hand he was still holding and released it. â€Å"Well†¦I’m sad, but I understand. And I like you†¦if we went out, I’d like to work on something serious. That can’t happen until you’re ready, and I’d never want to force you.† Oh, God. Nice, nice guy. â€Å"I’m so, so sorry,† I said. I meant it. I so wanted his energy. â€Å"Nothing to be sorry about,† he told me, smiling. â€Å"Come on, I’ll take you home.† He returned me to Queen Anne, and I kissed him on the cheek before leaving the car. He told me to call him when I was ready to date again, and I told him I would. Once he was gone, I didn’t go inside. Instead, I called Dante. â€Å"It’s your favorite succubus,† I said when he answered. I heard him yawn. â€Å"Debatable. What do you want? It’s late.† â€Å"I need to talk to you. Something weird happened.† â€Å"I’m in bed, succubus. Unless you plan on joining me, I’d rather not receive visitors right now.† â€Å"Please, Dante. It’s important.† He sighed. â€Å"Fine, come on over.† â€Å"I don’t know where you live.† â€Å"Of course you do. You’ve been here a gazillion times.† â€Å"You live in your store?† â€Å"Why would I want to pay rent for two different places?† I drove down to the shop. The sign read CLOSED, but there was a faint light inside. Dante opened the door when I knocked. He wore jeans and a plain T-shirt, nothing unusual, but the disheveled hair suggested he had indeed been in bed. â€Å"Sorry,† I told him. â€Å"Maybe I should have waited.† â€Å"Too late for regrets. Come on in.† He led me through the storefront, back to the small door I usually saw closed. On the other side was a large room that appeared to be a combination living space, office, supply closet, and†¦workshop. â€Å"Erik was right,† I said, walking over to a high set of shelves. They were filled with jars and bottles of herbs and unidentifiable liquids. â€Å"You are a magician.† I considered. â€Å"Or at least you’re pretending to be.† â€Å"No faith in me. Probably smart.† He pointed to a bean bag chair and a plaid ottoman. â€Å"Take your pick if you don’t want the bed.† I chose the ottoman. â€Å"Well, it’s not that I don’t trust you†¦but everything else you do is a scam. Of course, Erik has to hate you for something legitimate, and he wouldn’t have sent me to you in the first place if you didn’t have some kind of skill.† â€Å"Interesting logic. Maybe he hates me for my charming personality.† He rubbed his eyes and yawned again. With the motion of his arm, I noticed faint punctures in the middle of his arm that I’d never seen with long sleeves. â€Å"Maybe he hates you for your vices.† Dante looked at where I was staring. He shrugged, unconcerned. â€Å"Nah, Lancaster has better things to worry about than a casual hit now and then.† â€Å"From my experience, there’s no such thing as a casual hit.† â€Å"What, are you here to do an intervention now, succubus?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. I had neither time nor interest to reform Dante. â€Å"But I heard a voice tonight.† â€Å"I heard a voice too. It called and woke me up.† â€Å"Dante!† Angrily, I explained the situation. A hint of his sarcastic smile remained, but otherwise, he actually seemed concerned. â€Å"Huh. Interesting. It actually raised its ugly head.† â€Å"What do you think that means?† â€Å"Not a clue until we know what it is. The only thing I can guess is that it was desperate for some reason. Until now, it’s done a pretty good job at hiding itself – aside from your energy loss, obviously.† He brightened a little. â€Å"I don’t suppose it’s here now, urging you to jump me?† â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Ah, well. I’m probably not as good a catch as Seventeen-hundred-dollar Man. Your predator has standards.† I shuddered, hating the idea that I actually had a predator. I looked up at Dante and must have looked truly pathetic because a startled look crossed his features. â€Å"Dante, you have to help me. I know we don’t have the answers yet†¦but, well, I’m scared of this thing. I can’t bring myself to take a victim because I’m afraid of this monster coming back. I don’t even want to go to sleep.† His gray eyes assessed me, and to my astonishment, he almost looked gentle. It completely transformed him. â€Å"Ah, succubus. You can sleep tonight. No energy, no visit. I doubt the kiss was enough of a lure.† â€Å"But eventually†¦eventually I’ll have to get another fix†¦and until I’m able to talk to Jerome about all this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, I could maybe make you a charm or something. Protection to ward this thing away.† â€Å"You can do that?† I tried to keep the skepticism out of my voice but failed. His face turned wry once more. â€Å"If you don’t want the help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No! I do. I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. I asked for your help, then backed off.† â€Å"Well, as you said, I haven’t inspired much faith in you.† â€Å"I’ll take whatever help I can get,† I said honestly. He stood up and stretched, then walked over to his shelves, studying their contents. â€Å"You sure about that? You might not like what I have to do to make this. How badly do you want it?† I thought about that voice, that creature’s need inside my head. â€Å"Pretty badly. Provided you don’t, like, give me a necklace made out of goat entrails, I think we’re good.† His eyes were still on his shelves and jars. Several moments passed while he considered. â€Å"I’m going to need some time on this, I’m afraid. It’d be a lot easier if I knew what it was we’re dealing with. Without that, I’ve got to try to make some sort of catch-all charm that may or may not work. The broad spectrum ones are always hard, too.† â€Å"So nothing tonight.† He strolled back over to me. â€Å"You’re fine tonight, remember? Of course, you’re welcome to stay here, and I’ll stay awake and make sure nothing happens to you.† I couldn’t help a smile. â€Å"Just like Kayla.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"My boyfriend’s niece†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I’d nearly forgotten about our weird conversation. â€Å"She said some funny things. But I don’t know if it was just kid imaginings or if she maybe has some kind of psychic ability.† â€Å"Fine line with kids,† he said. â€Å"If she has any powers, I’m sure science and discipline will work them out of her. What’d she say?† â€Å"She said that I was ‘magic.’ And that there were monsters in the air who got into people’s dreams.† When he didn’t respond, I exclaimed, â€Å"Do you think she could help with this?† He shook his head. â€Å"No. If she is psychic or gifted or whatever, she’s too young and inexperienced to know what she’s perceiving to be of any real use.† â€Å"But she could be sensing what’s following me.† â€Å"Sure. If she’s a really astute psychic, she’d be sensitive to anomalies in the magical and spiritual worlds.† Interesting. Tiny little Kayla, possibly with the potential for great spiritual powers some day. â€Å"What’s your advice?† â€Å"Huh?† he asked. â€Å"For someone like her. To develop her abilities and make sure science and discipline don’t beat it out of her.† â€Å"My advice?† He gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"Let them beat it out of her. You’ll be doing her a favor.† I sat quietly for a long time, studying my feet. When I finally looked back up at him, I asked, â€Å"Why are you so unhappy?† â€Å"Who says I’m unhappy? I make money by doing nothing.† I gestured around. â€Å"Everything says you’re unhappy. Your attitude. Your arm. The pile of beer bottles over there. The fact that even though you claim I annoy you, you keep helping me and always seem glad to have me around.† â€Å"Misery loves company. You aren’t exactly all that chipper yourself.† â€Å"I’m very happy with my life,† I argued. â€Å"Well, then, go back to it, and let me sleep.† In a not too subtle signal, he walked over to the door and opened it. â€Å"I’ll work on your charm and get back to you.† I started to snap back at the abrupt dismissal, but he looked so weary, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Besides, I knew I’d been right. Dante Moriarty was a very unhappy man who used sarcasm and substances to hide it. I wondered what it was that plagued him so much – what it was that had darkened his soul. â€Å"Are you ever going to tell me why Erik hates you so much?† I asked quietly. Dante pointed at the door. â€Å"Good night, succubus. Sweet dreams.† How to cite Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 13, Essay examples

Jesus Image Essay Example For Students

Jesus Image Essay Jesus` Image When thinking of the physical image of Jesus Christ, one usually pictures a middle aged white, bearded male. This has been a common image for centuries; however, it is now the year 2000 and everything is changing. During this period of change and to celebrate the millennium and observe Christs birth, the National Catholic Reporter decided to sponsor an international contest which invited artists to conceive new images of Christ. Janet McKenzies painting Jesus of the People represents the complete antithesis of the common overused image of Jesus. McKenzies painting portrays Jesus as not white but black, not male but androgynous. Her image has shocked many and received many varying responses. Personally, I think that this portrayal is amazing. Its avant-garde and ahead of the times. The world is changing in all aspects and I believe that this new image of Jesus is extremely appropriate in that the world is no longer predominately run by wealthy white males. Although some may not accept McKenzies work now, I think that in time it will become more and more appropriate and desirable. McKenzies Jesus seems to be calm and relaxed. I strongly agree with Sister Wendy Becketts comment of Jesus gazing back at viewers with ineffable dignity. Although he/she appears to be at ease, he/she also suggests a state of Dombrowski 2 deep thought and contemplation. His physical characteristics and stance are also quite interesting. As he/she stands with his/her arms crossed and closed, he/she still appears loving. I believe that this feeling comes from his/her facial expression. Yet although his/her arms are crossed shut, it almost seems that he/she is embracing someone or something. Its inviting as if he/she wants to be holding the viewer. In conclusion, Janet McKenzies Jesus of the People is a work of art both representative of the times yet parallel to old ideas. I admire her courage to portray Jesus in her personal unique view and respect her vision. I believe that it is time that our common image of Jesus transforms into one which is more universal and acceptable by all races and both genders.

Sup. Natl In Macbeth Essays (745 words) - Characters In Macbeth

Sup. Nat'l In Macbeth ?Supernatural Forces in Macbeth? In Shakespeare's Macbeth, specific scenes focus the readers' attention to the suspense and involvement of the supernatural. The use of witches, apparitions and ghosts are an important element in making the play interesting. Examining certain scenes of the play, it can be determined that as supernatural occurrences develop, Macbeth reflects a darker self-image. Macbeth experiences his first strange encounter of the supernatural when he meets the three witches in act one, scene one. After learning of his prophecies to become king, Macbeth states, ?Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: The greatest is behind (still to come).? (1.3.117-118). Shakespeare uses foreshadowing, a literary technique, to suggest to his readers the character Macbeth will suffer a personality change. Macbeth also implies his first notions of plotting an evil scheme by this comment. After the prophecies of the witches revealed the fate of Macbeth, the quest of the throne will be his next vi ctory. ?The witches reveal a fate for Macbeth and imply that a part of what will come to him must come, but they reveal no fate of evil-doing for him and never, even by suggestion, bind him to evil doing. ?, states literary critic Willard Furnham. Furnham declares the only power the witches obtain over Macbeth, is the power of insinuation. By offering to Macbeth the idea of power, the witches push Macbeth to the next level of greed and evil which was non-existent prior to the encounter. The murder and death of King Duncan initiates Macbeth's second encounter with the supernatural when he witnesses a floating dagger. As Macbeth awaits the signal to make his way up the stairs, he sees the floating dagger and proclaims, ? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, fatal vision, sensible (able to be felt) to feeling as to sight, or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain (2.2.33-38). This apparition confuses and frightens Macbeth. He can not comprehend how he can see something and not be able to touch it. ?Thou leads me the way I was going; and such an instrument I was to use. And on thy blade and hilt, drops of blood which was not so before. There's no such thing. It is bloody business which takes shape.? (2.2.43-49) Here, Macbeth begins to question whether his mind is playing tricks on him. The situation seems quite coincidental considering he is minutes from murdering a man with a similar weapon. He states the apparition is due to the bloody business about to occur. The dagger symbolizes the point of no return for Macbeth. If he chooses the path in which the dagger leads, there will be no turning back. Macbeth fears Banquo for his prophecy is to father kings, so Macbeth proceeds to plot the murder of his once friend, which spurs yet another brush with the supernatural. Macbeth attends a banquet at which he witnesses the ghost of his dead friend. (3.4.37-145) The fortunes of the three witches sparked Macbeth' s desire to murder Banquo and caused him to dig himself into a deeper hole. Macbeth's guilt and fear combined drive him to darker and more evil actions in an attempt to cover his past misdeeds. ?What man dare, I dare. Approach though like the rugged Russian bear, the armed rhinoceros, or th' Hyrcan tiger; Take any shape but that (Banquo) and my firm nerves shall never tremble.? (3.4.100-104) Macbeth is terribly frightened by the bloody ghost haunting him and is angered that the ghost revealed it self to him. His guilt causes him to proclaim he could take on a rhino, tiger or any other wild animal, but not Banquo's ghost. After his encounter with the ghost, Macbeth proceeds to visit the witches one last time to insure his security. After this last visit, Macbeth becomes overconfident and a tyrant, which cause his downfall. The use of supernatural in Macbeth, is a major factor in the suspenseful nature of his work. Without the witches, apparitions and the ghost, Macbeth could not have reached his downfall. The use of supernatural in Macbeth caused Macbeth to become a darker and more evil person with each

Internal Conflicts in The Cruc essays

Internal Conflicts in The Cruc essays In Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, he tells the story of the notorious Salem witch trials. During this mayhem the people of this small village are faced with false accusations, lies, and sins commited either for the survival of their own lives or to harm others. In a crisis such as this where all the evidence is invisible and the only witness to testify is the victim, all that the people are left with are their own principles, morals, and faith. Unfortunately some are forced to depart from their strongest beliefs and others completely lose their sense of right or wrong with the strong energy that created this entire catastrophe. Three characters in Millers play who abandon their ethics are Mary Warren, whose whole personality turns upside down, John Proctor, who contemplates between the importance of his family and his good name, and Reverend Hale, who battles with himself whether to do what his job says or do what he believes is right. Mary Warren is a girl who is confused with her own uncertainties throughout the play. At the start of the play she is perceived to be a very shy girl who will never speak her mind as shown when Proctor sends her home and she responds with, I'm just going home (Miller 21). As the play continues and as Abigail influences her, Mary begins to break this self-induced mold and does what she wants. Mary Warren, along with many other girls gets caught up in the hype of all the attention and exercising power by provoking and continuing these witch trials. Finally John Proctor, the rationalist, shows that when people like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor who are the saintliest of people are accused of being witches, something must be wrong. Mary Warren has a difficult decision to make and a tough time realizing Proctor is right but she finally realizes that her whole way of life has become full of injustice. However, she is scared to confess to Abigail and her friends a...

Leadership in Today's Education System in America Essay

Leadership in Today's Education System in America - Essay Example The university is reviewing the other models to see if they better portray the leadership in military. 1 In USA the knowledgeable and effective school leaders are extremely important. This is to determine the technology use and to understand of learning of the students. These two issues need the leadership qualities in principals and teachers. The administrators used to feel uncomfortable about the leadership qualities, but the removal of uncertainty implemented effective technology and leadership qualities. This is by developing own knowledge about technology, discipline, management, learning and understanding. Technology has been a significant factor in the above factors. 2 According to Heifetz the leadership is a change or adaptive process. This is for addressing the conflicts in the values people hold. This can diminish the gap between the different values of the people. This makes them stand for the facts they have to face. In the past the views of the leadership involved managerial or operational functions. Now the discipline, learning and understanding has to be involved in them to make teachers, principals and educational leaders to guide the student community towards the changing times without or with minimum conflict. This is due to the fact that the American education cannot continue as usual with the systems from 70's. The previous system produced managers but not leaders who can take care of curriculum, instruction and assessment. When the education is concentrating only on management and not on learning and understanding, the principals, teachers and educational personalities cannot be good leaders to resolve the conflicts in the education system. After 1980 the data driven decision making came to the fore. The test results and school design were the chief topics and professional development workshops evolved. The system sought the school leaders to be instructional. This focused on staff, students and parents to concentrate on student learning that is emphasized by effective teaching. School leaders were exhorted to become instructional leaders and focus the staff, students, and parents on student learning by emphasizing effective teaching and learning strategies, use of data for decision making, parental involvement in schools, and more. In the present situation the administrators in educational institutions are managing operations of the institutions focusing on student learning, standards, high stakes accountability and performance assessments. These include the restructuring efforts. This resulted in the excessive work loads for the administrators, teachers and students as it resulted in shifting from operational to instructional leadership. The following is the quote of Lasway and Mazzarella and Grundy in 1995. "At a minimum, we can be sure they [school districts] want someone who can carry out a long list of specific duties. The new principal will be expected to arrange class schedules, resolve discipline problems, administer a labor contract, evaluate teachers, and apply the oil of public relations to points of friction with the community. And that's just in the morning." This is a follow up of the emphasis laid on standards based school leadership in 1990s. Though the focus on the standards is convincing, there is a current need for renewal of focus on

Human resources management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resources management - Research Paper Example Mayo Clinic is one of the top 50 companies in the United States. This position represents the success of the company in terms of employment, revenue, and profitability. The current number of employees at the company is estimated to be around 61,100 (Mayo Clinic). This number comprises staff physicians, scientists, residents, fellows, students, and allied personnel in clinics and hospitals. In terms of revenues and profitability, Mayo Clinic has revenue of around $8.8 billion, an estimated profit of $395 million, and benefactor contributions of around $245 million. On its part, NuStar Energy is a leading company in the energy sector. This company ranks in the second half of top 100 companies in the United States. NuStar Energy is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and undertakes business operations in at least six countries (NuStar Energy). The company’s progressive growth came after it went public over a decade ago. Today, NuStar Energy has at least 1,900 employees, and its revenue standings are in excess of $6 billion. In light of the above discussion, human resources are critical to the success of any given organization (Noe et al. 91). Mayo Clinic’s human resource policies are aligned with the organization’s objective of enhancing patient care, education, and research. To do this, the company employs diverse and dynamic human resource strategies. Notably, Mayo Clinic works with physicians, scientists, fellows, students, and allied health practitioners. This allows the company to diversify its human resource approach towards long-term effectiveness, efficiency, and success. Most importantly, the company understands that remuneration and employee rewarding are significant in the health care sector. The company’s benefits include comprehensive health benefits to employees over and above part-time or full-time pay. Work hours are divided into up to three shifts of around eight hours per shift. In terms of pay,

As the growth of the number of elderly increase, so does the need for Essay

As the growth of the number of elderly increase, so does the need for Licensed Practical Nurses - Essay Example (U.S.) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010, p.423) which assert that â€Å"employment of LPNs is expected to grow by 21 percent between 2008 and 2018†¦in response to the long-term care needs of an increasingly elderly population†. This is because the elderly have greater chances of getting injuries, illnesses and other diseases because of which they need twenty four hour care that is only possible in nursing homes. Also, the trend of moving the elderly to nursing homes is increasing because they often need full time care if they are suffering from disorders like Alzheimer’s disease due to which their attendance at home is not possible. So, adult children find it feasible to move their elderly parents to nursing homes and the trend is increasing due to which there will be need for more LPNs in future. Since, the nursing homes can provide them with high quality healthcare services which help the elderly to live longer and stay healthy, thus their demand is rising re sulting in good job prospects for LPNs especially in rural areas. In early times, the proportion of the elderly population was relatively low due to which the dependent older people were looked after at home.

The Types Of E Commerce

The Types Of E Commerce Emergence of internet over the past few years has changed the trends of business world at exponential rate. Now world has become a Global Village which means what used to be a single physical market place located in one geographical area has now become a border-less marketplace, attracting customers and businesses from all over the world. It provides businesses with many advantages for instance setting up an online business is less costly since it doesnt require physical infrastructure for a shop, a business can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, these long working hours helps businesses generating more profits. It also offers businesses to try new product lines and marketing strategies in cost effective way. The biggest advantage of online business is that even small businesses can compete with international corporations since consumers cannot figure out the actual size of firm. E-commerce can be defined in different ways: E-commerce refers to various online commercial activities focusing on commodity exchanges by electronic means, internet in particular. Zheng Qin (2009) , Introduction to e commerce, Page 7 E-COMMERCE refers to the paperless exchange of business information using electronic data interchange, electronic mail, electronic bulletin boards, electronic funds transfer, world wide web, and other network-based technologies. E-COMMERCE, The Cutting Edge of Business , Second Edition (2005) by Kamlesh K Bajaj and Debjani Nag E-COMMERCE is the use of telecommunications and computers to facilitate the trade of goods and services E-commerce by S. Pankaj (2005) page 3 Types of E-commerce There are Four Main Types Of E-commerce Model: 1) Business to Business (B2B) B2B can be define as commerce transactions between businesses, such as transactions between a wholesaler and retailer. 2) Business to Consumer (B2C) As discussed in class lecture, B2C refers to a commerce transaction between business and individual rather then a company or Businesses selling to the general public for example Dell computer which sells directly to general public through website. 3) Consumer to Business( C2B) C2B is a reverse form of business to consumer, in C2B the commerce transaction take place between consumer and business, for instance Elance.com, which allow individuals to place their requirements on a website within hours companies review the project and make bids on a project then consumer review the bids and select the company with most suitable bid. 4) Consumer to Consumer (C2C) C2C is simply a commerce transaction between consumer to consumer, manay auctions webistes allow consumers to interact with other consumers to buy and sell all sort of items for example Ebay.com, Amazon.com. Above mentioned types of E-commerce clearly shows that electronic commerce is becoming the back bone of transactions at every level for both businesses and consumers. The impact of this emerging trend has changed the fundamentals of supply chain management by redefining the way in which consumers select, purchase and use products and services. E-commerce has also provided companies with opportunity to work more closer to customers what we call consumers intimacy which allow companies to shape their innovation process with changing demand of consumers. Classifications of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-Commerce: As described by Deborah Morley Charles S. Parker(2010) With the business to consumer model, businesses sell goods or services to individual consumers. The B2C model was one of the first major types of e-commerce business models to be defined and implemented using the Web. Some example of B2C businesses include Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Overstock.com, and BestBuy.com. There are two main types of B2C E-Commerce: 1) Direct Sellers Direct Sellers are those companies which provide products or services directly to consumers. The important factors that contribute towards the success of B2C e-commerce are Direct Selling experience and consumers database. There is a limit to amount of information that can be communicated through catalogs but internet offers a powerful medium by which direct sellers can provide consumers with thousands of products with detailed description and high-quality visuals. Example: Dell Computers 2) Online Intermediaries Online intermediaries are companies that facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers and receive a percentage of the transactions value. For examples Internet Service Providers( ISP). Supply Chain Management An electronic alternative to the traditional paper chain, providing companies with a smarter, faster, more efficient way to get the right product to the right customer at the right time and price. Combines the power of the Internet with the latest technology, enabling participating suppliers to access up-to-date company information and enabling companies to better manage and track supply and demand http://www.geemultimedia.com.au/glossary.asp IMPACT OF E-COMMERCE ON AIRLINE INDUSTRY: The blessings of Internet have been observed the most by Airline Industry and as a result of it Airline ticket sales now comprise of the largest portion of all product sales made online. This is because e-ticketing is beneficial for both the airlines as well as the travelers. Traditionally the only options available to a passenger were either to buy tickets from a travel agency or from airport. But now with the advent of Internet, airlines have used tool like e-distribution system. An airlines costs can be divided into following two parts: Direct Operating Costs- which includes aircraft, its fuel and salaries of the staff Indirect Operating Costs- which is the distribution cost. The direct operating cost will remain more or less fixed while there is room for saving on indirect cost. This is where e-commerce can play an important role by integrating all business units and efficiently managing logistics. The major components of indirect cost for airline industry includes Sales office, Reservation system ,Travel agent fees,Ticketing fees Promotion and advertisements. Previously, airlines payed commissions to travel agents for selling their tickets, in addition money was also spent on setting up of sales office and staff salaries. Extra capital was used for printing and issuing of tickets. To cut down the operating cost airlines had to turn to e-ticketing to limit their sales offices and reduce their dependency on sales agents. Every airline has now setup their own website offering online booking facility. This also allow Airlines to promote different marketing strategies through web site which gives them more chance to attract new customers. Through the use of e-commerce and development of websites airlines has integrated all the parties involve in a business process for instance tourism business industry can link up with airline website using the integrated information system so that they can get the real time data through share database about the customers booking for their hotel along with the airline tickets. Online sells has also extended the business hours for airlines since customers can do online bookings round the clock and thus throughout the year. While passengers have the luxury of scheduling their own flight in a matter of few clicks saving both time and money. Conclusion: E-commerce has revolutionized the business models. Trading online enables businesses to reach much wider audience while cutting the costs of traditional retailing methods. It also provide businesses with long working hours and minimum human capital. E-commerce allows businesses to better understand and meet the demands of customers, working more closely with them by managing databases, resulting in better supply chain management activities and efficient logistics. E-commerce has also changed the way customers learn , select, purchase and use products and services, providing them with more personalized experience ever and by cutting the middle man out businesses have provide consumers with fast processing and close interaction with company.

Essay --

Congregation Bet Breira One does not simply walk into an unknown world without feeling some sense of fear or confusion. It is this unnerving feeling that wrapped its icy web around my gut as I stepped into the Bet Breira Temple. I pressed onto this unknown territory, full of regret for taking up this assignment and not choosing a religion that was closer to mine. This temple, that had always seemed to pose as a strange piece of architecture, became a totally different entity once I was inside. I felt like I was staring at a grand stadium, all of the pews lined up in rows leading towards the heavens all staring at one center altar. This place had its similarities to my usual place of worship back at St. Kevin Catholic church; however the people and the religious symbols that hung were completely new to me. It was as we entered however that the biggest surprise struck me. Accompanied by my Jewish friend Chris, I asked him, â€Å"Hey who is that woman wearing those strange clothes?† and all of my Catho lic upbringing could not prepare me for what he had to say next, â€Å"That’s the Rabbi.† As I recall the events that transpired, I realize my ignorance could have been perceived as sacrilegious had anyone noticed my face of disbelief. In Reformed Jewish Synagogues, Synagogues being the Hebrew word for Temple, women can be ordained as Rabbi’s. They go through the same process as men, learning the Hebrew language and mastering the Torah. The Torah is Judaism’s most sacred item, a book written by man through their God’s intervention. One difference between the different sects within Judaism is the differences of views of the Torah. Though Reformed Jews see the different Jewish laws to be guidelines, Orthodox Jews believe them to be essential laws... ... them and cares for them. It is through a Reformed Judaist view that God has been caring for humanity for thousands of years, and one can see the amount of pride there is in each of the parishioners. Ultimately I am very happy for partaking in this experience. Having visited a church that I have never gone to has not only taught me a valuable lesson about another group’s belief system but has also made me grown more appreciative of my current faith. I am glad that I was able to do research prior to coming to the synagogue because it helped me understand the events that were transpiring before me. However, much like looking up the â€Å"Spark Notes† of a book, no research compared to the actual experience of participating in their ritual. It was a great honor to have been allowed this opportunity and I now know that many religions have very similar religious dimensions.

Ethics in Decision Making Essay

Decision making or the process of choosing among alternatives is practiced by almost all individuals (Mingst, 2001). In almost every situation people is faced with the idea of making decisions whether it is as simple as choosing what clothes to buy up to life changing choices like deciding on a particular career path. This kind of act is not always as simple as it looks like especially when decisions are perceived according to particular factors that affect it. The choices that a person made are often influenced by many factors and one of which is the idea of ethics. Ethics is a set of standards that directs an individual on how to act in certain situations. The idea of ethics is often confused with feelings, law, religion, science, and cultural norms. These concepts influenced ethics in one way or another but these are not synonymous with it. Ethical standards are derived from five sources namely: Utilitarian Approach, Rights Approach, Fairness or Justice Approach, Common Good Approach, and Virtue Approach (Santa Clara University, 2007). The Utilitarian Approach emphasizes the idea that ethical action gives greater good and minimal harm. This approach is after the results of particular decisions that it should strived to give more advantageous effects rather than adverse consequences. A good example of this is ethics in corporation that aim to produce more beneficial results for everyone in the company (Santa Clara University, 2007). The Rights Approach is a source of ethical standards that gives high regards in respecting and protecting the moral rights of those people concern. This can be rooted from the idea that the very essence of an individual’s humanity that enables him/her to make decisions for oneself entitled each one of them to a sense of dignity. Based on this dignity, their rights as individuals should be given due importance. These rights also come with its corresponding duties and one of which is to respect the rights of other people as well (Santa Clara University, 2007). The Fairness or Justice Approach is based on the arguments of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers that â€Å"all equals should be treated equally†. Ethical actions should treat individuals equally but if there is inequality then there should be a defensible standard as to such. A corporate environment is a best example of such approach because workers are paid according to their productivity and contribution to the company, which is perceived as fair. However, there is contention when it comes to the CEOs of companies because their salary is many times larger than the others which make such disparity unfair for some (Santa Clara University, 2007). The Common Good Approach gives value in the importance of life. They believe that the very idea of life is good which is why ethical actions should contribute to the well-being of that life. The intermingling of societal relationships as well as the respect and care for others especially the marginalized are emphasized. Furthermore, this approach also highlights the importance of conditions that bring common good (Santa Clara University, 2007). The Virtue Approach is considered as a very ancient way of looking at ethical actions. Certain virtues are to be followed in order to attain the full development of human beings. These virtues are needed in order to reach the full potential of ones character. Questions like â€Å"What kind of person will I become if I do this? † or â€Å"is this action consistent with my acting at my best? † are taken into consideration in this approach (Santa Clara University, 2007). These aforementioned sources of ethics could be applied in the process of decision making especially with the individuals or decision makers that are involved within the process. Decision makers have various motivations and characteristics that affect their choices. There are two types of motivation namely the â€Å"in-order-to motives† and the â€Å"because-of-motives†. The â€Å"in-order-to motives† explains that a decision maker will choose a particular decision in order to accomplish a certain objective (Mingst, 2001). Ethics could highly influence this kind of motivation especially in terms of the Utilitarian, Virtue, and Common Good approaches. The Utilitarian approach is manifested in the â€Å"in-order-to motives† because if an individual will make a decision based on an objective of producing more good rather than harm then it already fulfils an ethical action in the Utilitarian perspective. In terms of the Virtue approach, ethics is seen in the motivation of the decision maker when the choices made are based on an objective that helps the development of an individual towards its full potential. The Common Good approach also asserts ethics because actors are influenced to choose decisions that will bring about the greater good to the most number of people. On the other hand, the â€Å"because-of-motives† arises from the â€Å"unconscious or semiconscious motives or impulses arising out of previous life experience or inner values, interests, or drives of the decision maker† (Mingst, 2001). Ethical action becomes possible in the decisions made by an individual based on the ideas of the Rights Approach and the Fairness or Justice Approach. The Rights Approach exemplified the moral rights of the people that should be respected and protected. These rights motivate the decision maker to make choices that will uphold these values. Similarly, the Fairness or Justice Approach also influences the motive of the decision maker by putting in mind the idea of what is equal from what is not especially if such idea is something that the individual values or has interests on. According to the assumptions of the Decision Making Theory, a rational actor plays a vital role in the decision making wherein that individual is well-aware of the list of available alternatives and capable of calculating each option’s possible results and has the freedom of choice to select the one with the highest preferential value. However, the biographical knowledge of the decision maker has a crucial role in the choices that will be made. Factors such as a person’s educational background, religion, life experiences, mental and physical health as well as other activities could explain the interests and values of the decision maker (Mingst, 2001). An individual decision maker is already influenced by numerous factors that affect its decisions which make decision making for a collective entity of diverse people more complicated. A population would have various and sometimes conflicting interests and basically different decisions. In such case, the important factor for this diverse population to successfully arrive at a most advantageous decision is to acquire consensus. Consensus building is an important factor for the decision making process of a diverse population. Since they have numerous interests and motives they need to be able to arrive at a decision that everybody will benefit from even if it means having to compromise at times. In doing so, they also need an appropriate leader that would collaborate their interests. A democratic form of leadership is a good example of how the process of decision making takes place in a diverse population (Bissessar, 2004). The interests of its citizens are represented through party system as well as by elected political leaders. However, numerous party systems is still not that easy to manage which is why a rational and appropriate leader is still needed that would be able to make sound decisions for its citizens. The decision maker is the most important part of the decision making process. The motives, interests as well as the background of this rational actor are vital in order to understand the choices that are made. Being the case, ethical standards is also one of the factors that influenced these decisions. This also applies in the decision making of diverse population because they need consensus building in order to embody their various and sometimes conflicting interests. In doing so, it also need an appropriate leader that would collaborate their interests and implements the decision.Ethical standards and the other factors that influence the decision maker have a big part in the selection of sound decisions. References Bissessar. A. M. (2004). Globalization and Governance: Essays on the Challenges for Small Countries. North Carolina: McFarland. Santa Clara University. (2007). A Framework for Thinking Ethically. Retrieved 14 May 2008, from http://www. scu. edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework. html. Mingst, K. (2001). Essentials of International Relations. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

Germany and Sweden as Cmes

To what extent would you regard Germany and Sweden as coordinated market economies? 1. Introduction In an era where internationalism is contemporary, it has become crucial for countries to liberalize markets and renovate traditional structures. This is particularly important for countries whose social values and economic relationships are based on public coordination. This essay is going to explore the degree to which we consider Germany and Sweden as modern coordinated market economies, and the changes brought about in recent decades.To assess the changes we shall look at trends in trade union and employers’ association participations, collective bargaining reforms, training systems amendments, renewals in corporate governance and fluctuations of wage inequality; first by uncovering the basics in each element and then evaluating their stability in relation to globalization. 1. 1 What is a coordinated market economy (CME)?Being one of the wings of capitalism in which industria l relations and economic conditions are measured, as Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes (2011) state, CMEs can be used as â€Å"an approach for comparing†¦different countries, [with this comparison, it allows us] the understanding of convergence and/or divergence† between different economies. And in each of the key elements we mentioned, companies in CMEs resolve problems through relational, non-market based strategies and the outcome will be strongly dependent upon co-operation with supporting institutions. . 1 Past dominance of trade unions and employers’ associations A key feature of a CME is the dominance of employers’ association and trade unions within the country’s industrial relations; both Germany and Sweden have had a high degree of centralization during the 1980s. Trade unions were a powerful, acting as representative for labour in large corporations and also intermediaries of employment between labour and employers.A common characteristic is tha t the labour unions in the two countries manage institutions for all labour participation; Hancke (1996) states that in Germany, three quarters â€Å"of the members of works councils are union members and they coordinate actions with the labour union sections (Vertrauensleute). In Sweden, local â€Å"shopfloor clubs† (Verkstadsklubben) not only negotiate company agreements with the firm†¦[but also] recruit every newly arrived worker†.On the other hand, employers’ associations were also well-managed in both countries for a long post-war period; German industry federations are able to authorize private firms that are even no longer part of central arrangements on cases involved in collective bargaining, employee training and other social policies. In Sweden, Kurzer (1993) finds, â€Å"large companies in the export sector are part of financial conglomerates holding, which allows for high coordination capacities amongst large firms†. 2. 2 Recent trends i n membershipsHowever, both countries have become less concentrated in the recent decades as both have experienced less union and association densities for the massive individualization of enterprises and the falling popularity of collective agreements – now with the society seeing less value of group negotiations, which makes the industrial relations less compact compared to before. In Germany, both employers’ associations and trade unions have been experiencing a slump in the number of members since late 1990s.This is particularly evident in industries from Eastern Germany, where many organisations have resigned or become reluctant to join associations and took preference in company level negotiations. Shroeder and Silvia (2007) use the Metals Industry Employers’ Association to exemplify that employment density in Eastern Germany has fallen more severely than Western Germany. We can notice from the diagram below that since 1992, the percentage of Eastern associ ation density has decreased dramatically from over 65%, down to less than 25% in a decade.After the German unification, union members have clearly declined, Eurofound (2009) shows that â€Å"from 1991 to 1998, German Trade Unions lost almost 3. 5 million members†. The majority of these resignations were found to be eastern German labour, Eurofound states, â€Å"leaving the unions because of unemployment and disillusion with the western-type unionism†. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2013) further shows the downward sloping of German Trade Unionists density since 1999; from 25. 3% it has dismounted to 18. 8% in 2009.The main cause for this trend is due to the loss of traditional dominant union memberships in manufacturing industries and public sectors, worsened by issues in persuading younger generation in the expanding service industries within private sector. Hence, the value of collective agreements has been called into que stion as it is becoming extremely difficult to positively coordinate the relations between employers’ associations and trade unions. This is predominant in â€Å"a growing number of private services industries†, Eurofound informs, where â€Å"concluding collective agreements at all has shown to be increasingly difficult or not realizable†.Unlike Germany, Sweden on the other hand has dealt with much higher historical density in trade union members which suffered recent decline but continuously concentrated employers’ associations; the decrease in trade unionists is spread evenly between white-collar and blue-collar workers, men and women, and more problematic amongst the younger working generation who have less regard for unions – a drop in the private sector from 78% in 1993 to 65% in 2009 as shown in the table above; â€Å"the decrease in membership is mainly due to the government’s amendments of the fees to the unemployment benefits in Ja nuary 2007†, presented by Kjellberg (2007); the main objective to significantly amending the funds was to â€Å"to persuade unions with high fund fees to be more moderate in wage negotiations†. As for employers’ associations, unlike trade unions, its density has been rather stable over the years, with only 2% drop from 1995, private sector labour in 2009 has still got over 75% density in employers’ associations.Therefore, when compared to Germany, Sweden has a higher degree of coordination in balancing the density of the two sides of its industrial relations over the years, and has remained rather stable; if not long-term then this rather forecasts the near future of these two economies – the summary being Germany becoming more market-oriented with less collective participation of its social partners, whereas the Swedish economy is more likely to maintain a coordinated market in this sense. 2. 3 Decentralization of collective bargaining In this sect ion we will discover that the industrial relations within both countries are becoming more decentralized in the second half of 21st century as the level of collective bargaining decreases, and therefore moving further away from a coordinated market system;The initiation of Germany’s decentralization has actually long been observed by researchers since early post-war periods. Many have argued that the main outcome of this renewal was to avoid the rise of another â€Å"centralized super-state†, says Johnson (1973). In hope this will bring separated powers of legislation, politics and administration between the government, the federated states and the local authorities, to produce the ideal, ‘good government’. Following such perception, the German economy has been made key amendments in its industrial relations policies – extending its collective bargaining with opening clauses into agreements within sectoral level, making terms more flexible and less controversial.This has been seen as an improvement to prevent organisations from completely abandoning the usage of collective conditions. Such clauses were put into four categories listed by Schnabel (1998): 1) Hardship Clauses; enabling companies to be exempted from certain industry-level bargaining when facing bankruptcy and show signs of making viable strategies for future. 2) Clauses with Veto Rights; these give social partners such as managers and works council to negotiate particular agreements related to individual firms. 3) Clauses without Veto Rights; unlike the previous category, these clauses empower plant-level social partners to terminate collective terms that show signs of irrelevance with industry-level agreements. ) Small Enterprise Clauses; giving special treatment to small companies facing economic downturn by allowing them to set wages below the minimum level which was collectively agreed upon. In terms of the distribution of such opening clauses, the IAB Institu te for Employment Research (2005) shows that more than  Ã¢â‚¬Å"13% of the companies surveyed in both eastern and western Germany that are covered by collective bargaining confirmed that opening clauses exist in their collective agreements. Of these establishments, 52% made use of opening clauses in 2005†. However, even with such adjustments in the system, the use of opening clauses will rely heavily on the economic situation of the specific organisation. When the figures are favorable, then such clauses will be implemented less often.Compared to its neighbouring countries, Sweden has showed early signs of decentralization beginning late 1980s with government sharing more responsibilities with local administration; the most symbolic being the release of ‘free communes’, as mentioned by De Vries (2000), a system â€Å"in which a limited number of communes and counties were allowed to apply for dispensation of state laws, rules and regulations†. Together wit h the downsized central government, closer attention was then paid to market forces and began the establishment of â€Å"hollow states†. One of the nationwide movements was the erosion of collective bargaining within the past two decades, as social partners have become more willing to pass on the negotiation on wages and working hours to local level. For instance, certain terms on wages are left intentionally ambiguous to let the local level authority take charge and decide on the specific figures on final rates and figures.However, there still remains a high degree of controversy as employers harshly pursue a improvements in the bargaining system while attempting to take payment agreements to local levels – making to extremes in manual industries such as negotiating wages individually; the state is facing difficulties to respond to these demands, because from the perspective of economists, it is most ideal to be either highly centralized or as it was before, greatly d ecentralized, not somewhere in between. When making decisions, as debated by Eurofound (2009), parties at national level will consider the economy as a whole and correspond with a collective responsibility, whereas with enterprise leveled agreements, only individual firms’ stakes are considered – but when placed in the middle, parties often lose the acuteness in authority.The national coverage of collective terms remains a high figure in recent period; reported by Eurofound (2009), as much as 92% in 2001 and 91% in 2007 – however, such coverage figures is extremely misleading in this case with the decreasing rate of unionists and employers associations in Swenden – that is, although remaining high above EU average and constantly used as an indicator to measure the strength of bargaining powers and the extent of benefits received by social partners, less of them are actually being bounded by collective agreements in recent years, making the coverage less e ffective. 2. 4 Transforming education and training One of the most noticeable features of a CME is its highly proficient education and training system; the purpose is to have an extremely skilled labour force with skills specific to the industry or enterprise in which they are employed in. Culpepper (2001) states that in order for companies to coordinate employee capabilities and for workers to receive beneficial employment, there are various ways how a CME manages its training systems;In Germany, the responsibility of training and education is shared amongst firms and public authorities, â€Å"organized on a co-operative, tripartite basis†, referred by Hoffmann (2004); the German â€Å"Dual-system†, is acknowledged as world’s leading model for high-quality training, business practices and theoretical learning. The foundation of the dual-system is built by altering training in vocational schools and private firms, â€Å"while in-firm training is regulated natio nally, the vocational school instruction programs are the responsibility of the Lander (states)†, Trembaly and Le Bot (2003) mention. However, the durability of this system has been at the centre of debate ever since the elimination of the nation’s Training and Apprenticeship Law back in 1969.The model faces numerous challenges in meeting demand from rapid changes brought about by modern production systems; it is essential to keep a large working population to sustain its framework, but becoming problematic as currently Germany is having an ageing population, thus harder to recruit as many apprentices as forty years ago. As the occupational structure is dependent on collective agreement, when lacking skillful labour, Masden (1990) worries that if in such â€Å" difficult labour market situation, some firms [do not comply to regulations by] increasing wages to attract apprentices or, alternatively, poaching apprentices trained in other firms, then the whole system may p rogressively be brought into question†.The focus of this system also faces a huge dilemma between the increasing demand for theoretical learning amongst younger workers and the higher standard of skills wanted within productive systems, Gehin and Mehaut (1994) discuss it is potentially challenging the logics of the whole system while creating stocks of unskilled workers out of the job market. Additionally, issue is raised for the outpaced training speed against technical changes in the modern production system, especially for key requirements in multi-tasked occupations and practical de-compartmentalization. Kern and Schumann (1989) suggest that this trend of demand for â€Å"theoretical, general and vocational training are increasing and will continue to do so†. Therefore, if the dual-system were to be sustained, serious adjustments would have to be made to comply with modern requirements.Since the 1940s, new forms of vocational training have taken shape in Swedish org anizations, where the majority was still conducted by public institutes. This has started to shift, however, in the final quarter of the century, where responsibility began to move to local authorities from the central government. Following this trend of decentralization, the manufacturing industry in particular, has taken chance to put large investments into different training programmes to enhance productivity. But serious questions has been raised as trainees in the manufacturing sector face challenges â€Å"with the increased amount of theoretical education†¦as firms’ demand for workers with better theoretical knowledge† began to soar at the same time, Lundahl and Sander (1998) mention.With this given circumstance in Sweden, four models of education and training are used to demonstrate the degree to which coordination is deteriorating and decentralization has taken place; firstly, we have to acknowledge that the demand for labour competence has changed vastly with the increasing demand of formal education amongst new workforce and the general rise of demand for new products and practices in organisations. Within the industrial programme, the most controversial of all models, as Lundalh and Sander (1998) describe, a system in which inhibits a distinctive characteristic of â€Å"education in workshops† (arbetsforlagd utbildning); although very intensive and effective, it requires a large amount of time in workshops and includes theory as well as practical exercises. Many firms are reluctant to take initiatives as they argue that not enough human capital or time can be allocated to give proper training to each group of trainees.Continuously debated by researchers, such as Olofsson (1997), is the relevant application of the apprenticeship system onto modern organisations as its value has been rethought alongside secondary education, now deserted in most large cities, remaining exclusive to areas such as Svedala. The third model, Firmà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Schooling, is a highly demanding system that require 50% more time input and only submits students with outstanding performance, applied only in large enterprises such as Volvo or Scania where intensive training is seen as obligatory to match international competition. Lastly, Technical Programmes is widely accepted by municipalities with provisions of extra vocational studies, and also organizations can be more involved in supervision. It is a co-operation between groups of firms in terms of common facilities and cost-sharing, and has become more popular after producing impressive recruitment effects.According to Trembaly and Le Bot (2003), several amendments were proposed to reform the German system following the listed principles; â€Å"1) modernization of regulation, 2) inclusion of new occupational fields, 3) mutual recognition of the various parts of the system and 4) differentiation of training†. Hence, in order to adapt to evolving market demands, the German training system still is, and needs to be coordinated by public authority to a great extent to aid the private sector in improving employability, incorporating occupations and general training. As for Sweden, the transition of training responsibility onto individual organizations from local authority is due to its failure to provide emerging labour with desired competence.At the present, different methods are implemented by firms that deliver contrasting quality levels in training programmes; this is hugely differentiated from traditional forms of Swedish vocational training. The four models all demonstrate a degree of success but act more as a forecast of future vocational practices in Sweden – the extinction of conventional industrial programmes, further proving the liberation of Swedish economy from central coordination. 2. 5 New models for Corporate Governance In terms of corporate governance, a CME is established through the solid relationships between its financial inst itutions and private organizations. In this section we shall look specifically at the role of public financial institutions and other external stakeholders on the corporate operations of organizationsIn Germany, there was definitely a strong coordination of economic exchanges between industrial companies and institutions by means of cross-shareholding, supported by many scholars and again proves Hall’s relational view of CMEs; such â€Å"close relationships and interlocking between board members of different companies† and financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, Hopt and Prigge (1998) also support, which composite the country’s main characteristics of corporate governance, together with heavy reliance on personal connections. It is essential to discover the features of the German model before discussing the reforms in recent years; there is a universal banking system that permits banks to possess equity shares in industrial organisations â €“ allowing banks to alter company’s decisions. Porter (1992) refers this as the â€Å"shareholder direction† situation since more the equity share, the larger the influence. This relationship between banks and firms is long-term and fairly stable because as well as equity, the banks also provide a large share of debt and carries operational management in the firms’ finance, this strongly protects companies from being taken over.To get further involved with company decisions banks are able to release proxy votes, as clarified by Onetti and Pisoni (2009), â€Å"this is done in relation to votes related to direct equity shares, [for instance by exercising] the voting rights for the shares that retail customers deposit with them†. Consequently, this gives more authority to banks in public firms. Since the German model is heavily influenced by banks, the stock market has therefore a small role to bear in corporate governance, proved by the IMF World Econo mic Outlook (2007) the fact that during 1990 to 2005, the capitalization as a percentage of GDP in Germany was only 38%, compared to 132% in UK, a much more liberal market economy.Since the shareholding in Germany is usually long-term with companies, there is a reciprocal of equity connections between firms themselves and firms and banks, creating a system of cross-sharing. Despite its robust features mentioned, the Germany corporate governance system is bending due to socio-economic changes brought about internally and externally; the globalization of Germany markets, enabling the listing of top companies on international stock exchanges, such as Daimler being traded on the New York Stock Exchange. There is a substantial increase in the amount of foreign investment in domestic industries, referred to by Jurgens et al. (2000) as the â€Å"turning point in the transformation of the German system of corporate governance.Due to recent economic recessions that caused a wave of bankrupt cies in German markets, banks have started to reduce the amount of their corporate equity in shareholding as more value is discovered in freer financial markets, stated by Jurgens and Rupp (2002), and began to focus more on economic performance; this in turn gave more freedom to the financial market legalizing numerous new financial choices for companies. On the other side, Swedish corporate governance consists of a great division of ownership from control by means of â€Å"pyramids, dual class shares, and cross-holding [that] increases the potential for private benefits of control†, cited by Holmen and Knopf (2004).The basic structures are formed by two types of partnerships; first, it is between entrepreneurs and rich families, then there is the alliance between engineers and technology innovators. Sometimes Sweden is described as an extreme version of â€Å"Rhineland model†, as Habbard (2008) stresses, it contains corporations that are owned by big industrial groups , â€Å"privileging organic growth† and features of a typical CME. Taking a closer look at the Swedish model of ownership we notice that the power is usually held by one to two owners, who are most of the time wealthy families. Henrekson and Jakobsson (2003) conclude that â€Å"regarding controlling ownership, the Swedish ownership model thus resembles the predominant corporate governance model on the European continent†.The rigidity and concentration of this structure has been based on a few important Swedish families and banks, Habbarb (2008) continues; Wallenberg, Lundberg, Stenbeck, Klingspor, Von Horn families and Svenska Handelsbanken SHB, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken SEB banks. There are two main fundamental differences when Sweden is compared to other European corporate models; the whole ownership of shares on the stock exchange is controlled by just a few holders. Secondly, the capital base that this ownership is constructed on, is usually much smaller compar ed to other EU countries. Nevertheless, even the most stable models have their weaknesses. During the last two decades, there had been some drastic transformations in the corporate models within Swedish organizations.The most challenging is the rise of foreign investment and ownership in domestic firms. This has been more dramatic than any other industrialized countries in Europe, shifting the power of control and operation from foreign owners. Hence, as Henrekson and Jakobsson (2003) propose, new models are likely to form under the inadequacy of the traditional one; first and the least likely it is the complete ownership by foreign investors – where domestic firms transform into subsidiaries to companies such as multinationals. â€Å"Dispersed ownership†, as in shared ownership between foreign investors and Swedish owners where no one supersede the other in terms of control.Having an external institution such as the state pension or corporatist as owners; more probabl e as currently joined with the central government they are already biggest shareholders of stock exchange. Lastly and most likely to surface is the ownership by entrepreneurs supported by public authorities; especially during crisis where governments put more faith in worthy investors to The observed changes in the financial exchanges within German economy forecasts a certain extent of convergence towards a market-oriented financial model. However, due to the deep roots of German customs in its bank-firm relation, certain aspects of its corporate governance will remain nchanged in the near future due to the emphasis placed on â€Å"Mitbestimmung, or co-decision and co-responsibility† culture quoted by Hacketal et al. (2003) and other scholars in defense of the German persistency in relational structure. On the other side, the predictions for corporate governance amendments are various in shape and none will be take over completely in the future. Some conceive of more coordina tion from the government and other less so. But it is for certain that the old model will lose its dominance over time and the Swedish overall corporate structure will become more market-oriented for economic wellbeing. 2. 6 Wage distribution and inequalityA CME should not only have a highly skilled workforce but when compared to liberal market economies, it should also high wage levels with low dispersion across different deciles of its population. It is essential to look at our two countries starting from the 1990s to have a deeper insight of the impact of the great recession upon its income distributions over the following years, and to verify whether the advancement in modern socio-economic models have weakened their coordination powers. From the study conducted by Bach, Corneo and Steiner (2007), there proved to be a general rise in the dispersion of German market incomes between 1992 and 2003.Using the Gini coefficient, as a â€Å"standard summary indicator† to measure the equality of income levels we can observe that dispersion of market income from the average earners has increased substantially since the 1990s; from 0. 6155 it has gone up to 0. 6522 in 2003. As detailed by the following table, the median income has dropped by more than 30%, being â‚ ¬12. 496 per individual in 1992, compared to â‚ ¬8,173 in 2003. An obvious trend is the accumulation of market income on the top percentile of income earners. Back in 2003, around 41% of total market income was composited within the higher percentile earners. Bach, Corneo and Steiner further point out that â€Å"this group was formed by about 640 individuals, with an average income of 16 million euro, excluding capital gains†.The sources of rising inequality in German income levels are as follow; the unemployed numbers have steeply gone up in the past two decades, Biewen and Juhasz (2010) note that in 2005, there were an estimated peak of five million people registered out of work, with â€Å"more unemployment growth concentrated in the lower part of the income distribution†. This creates a larger income inequality as a huge segment of the low-income population is unemployed, losing their potential income. The different changes in taxation schemes; although it was reduced overall, it has favored top income earners than the rest, distorting the original distribution of income levels.Moreover, the transition in domestic structure such as more single parents and smaller family sizes that have drastically differed from past family average income patterns, as studies by Peichl et al. (2010). Lastly, with the ageing population; Germany now has a much narrower age segment of young adults, and a greater demand for qualification in addition to other factors in demographics that contribute to the wider dispersion of income levels. Although at a very low level, Sweden has also experienced an increasing inequality of income distribution in its income market. The trend has began since the early 1990s, caused if not worsened by the economic crisis, noted by Palme et al. 2003), as the Gross Domestic Product had been consecutively negative for three years 1990-1993, together with the declining employment rate that is more than 10 percent during the period. Then there was an increased number of workers involved in labour market policies, Palme (2006) mentions that† triggered a crisis for the public finances which was then responded by a combination of tax increases and benefits cut†. This had further burdened households’ income levels. We can see from the table that there was a decrease in annual average disposable income from 1992 (1991 as the base year) with â‚ ¬138,000 to â‚ ¬126,000 in 1995, that only managed to pick up again in 1997.However, the figures provided by Fritzell (2001) showed an upward trend of average disposable income levels after the crisis; first, it was due to the rapid rise in capital gains hat helped th e top income percentile with higher earnings, secondly, the wage per hour was increased in all registered occupations. , this was however, slowed down by the growing unemployment in the same period. To measure the inequality of income dispersion, we will again use the Gini coefficient and the poverty rate. The inequality has risen since the beginning of 1990s, Palme (2006) proves, from 0. 219 it has increased to its peak – 0. 279 in 2000. The reason is the adjustments in the taxation systems that strongly affected households in making serious financial decisions. Despite the economic slump during the 1990s, poverty rate in Sweden has not changed largely which is phenomenal considering the extent of the recession all European countries faced.It is not until 1999 where poverty started to pick up but is again astonishing as Swedish employment figures were still healthy even when compared internationally. Conclusively, German central coordination is losing its battle to market po wers, becoming less effective in moderating wage equality in recent decade, as the intention of keeping a low dispersion of income levels has began to give way modern socio-economic developments. Sweden, however, when compared to the rest of European countries, is doubtless a strongly CME in terms of moderating its equality of market income levels and keeping its poverty rate to the lowest and most stable within the union. 3. ConclusionChanging demographics, socio-economic and technological patterns have created mass distortion in traditional market structures in both Germany and Sweden. After looking at them in five different aspects, we learn that there is decreasing participation of social partners in collective terms in both countries but much less in Sweden, thus a decreasing value for collective bargaining; wage inequality is more dispersed in Germany than in Sweden; while corporate structure in both countries have become more market-oriented in time but still retains usage of old models; and German still contains a mixture of public training whereas Sweden is moving quicker towards privatized programmes.Conclusively, although both countries have become less coordinated than few decades ago, Germany has got a greater degree of decentralization compared to Sweden, taking higher level of reforms in its economic structures while Sweden tends to cling more onto traditional coordination values. 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