Love in 4 pre 1940 poems Essay

What differences have you found in the presentation of attitudes to love in any 4 of the pre 1940 poems I am going to write about 4 different poems and about there differences and similarities The 4 poems i have chosen to write about are: To Celia – by Ben Jonson To His Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell My Picture – By Abraham Cowley Shall I Compare thee†¦? – By William Shakespeare The predominant attitude to love before nineteen-fourteen was to base affection purely on surface qualities and not the internal qualities. Some of the poems support and others contradict this view. I am going to explore the different attitudes to love in poems written before nineteen-fourteen by Shakespeare, Jonson, Cowley and Marvell. The main purpose of Shakespeare’s sonnet, â€Å"Shall I compare thee†¦? † is to immortalise his beloved through his own poetry. The sonnet is initially seen as typical of the love poetry of Elizabethan England because he is comparing his beloved to nature’s beauty However, Shakespeare takes the Elizabethan love poem a step further by explaining that his beloved is, in fact, not to be viewed at all like this: â€Å"And every fair from fair sometime declines†. The sonnet is split into three quatrains with a rhyming couplet to end the poem. Shakespeare uses examples of natural beauty to explain that his beloved is not as beautiful as these exquisite natural beauties, but will last longer and will stay even more beautiful inside: â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade† He reveals that she is, in fact, is even more beautiful than the summer as her beauty will never fade. Shakespeare appears to be very mature in his views on love and talks realistically rather than in a passionate moment. Shakespeare used a conventional form of poetry to praise poetry and his beloved. He boasted that both would be preserved nearly eternally. Five hundred years later, no one refutes his boast. On the other hand, â€Å"To Celia† is an example of the idolatry that the Shakespeare sonnet mocks. Jonson likens his beloved to a goddess, giving her special powers beyond realistic measure. He writes lyrically and expresses deep personal emotions about love as someone who was foolishly and passionately in love would do, using many exaggerated metaphors and vivid language phrases: â€Å"But might I of Jove’s nectar sup, I would not change for thine. † He attempts to show the extent of his love for her, by telling her, that even if he was offered to drink from the Holy Grail, he would prefer to drink from her cup. Using religion to express love was very popular in love poetry at that time, as it was viewed as extremely important part of their culture. In â€Å"To His Coy Mistress†, Marvell’s beloved is also not idolised, as in â€Å"To Celia† but he does use excessive flattery as a persuasive device. This makes many of the supposedly devoted phrases he uses seem false. â€Å"An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze† He exaggerates how beautiful he thinks she is by likening her to a Goddess who should be worshipped, hoping that this will convince her of his love. The Shakespeare sonnet makes references to the five senses. Jonson’s â€Å"To Celia†, written at a similar time, also refers to the senses: â€Å"Drink to me, only, with thine eyes† Marvell writes â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† in 1621, also attempting to persuade, like Jonson. This time not to get his beloved to love him, but to persuade her to sleep with him. Both men are seen to be being rejected whereas in the Shakespeare sonnets, it is obvious that the couples are very much in love already. The poem â€Å"My picture† by Abraham Cowley is similar to â€Å"To Celia†, as both women are the two men’s life forces. They imply in their poems that if the women were not there, then their lives would be worthless and they would die. In â€Å"My picture† Cowley gives his beloved a picture and he implies that if she is not in his life then the picture will no longer look the same. This is even though the picture has only recently been drawn, because he will have withered away as he has been out of her presence. As you can see both in â€Å"My Picture† and â€Å"To Celia† both men rely on the two women to keep them alive. If we look at the poem â€Å"My Picture† by Cowley the words he has used looked quite forced as if he has just used them to make the poem rhyme. I think however that Cowley has tried to make the poem quite light hearted by using simplicity with the rhyming- â€Å"The next sun’s rising will behold Me pale, and lean, and old. † – We can see from this small extract the simplicity of the poem and also the way Cowley has just used words that fit but therefore look forced. However if we look again at the language of â€Å"To Celia†, Ben Jonson has used quite complicated language that some might find hard to understand – â€Å"Deserts of vast eternity† Doth ask a drink divine; But might I of Jove’s nectar sup, I would not change for thine The poem â€Å"To Celia† has a rhyming scheme ABCB. Ben Jonson has made the words of the poem flow really well – â€Å"Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I’ll not look for wine Or leave a kiss but in the cup And I’ll not look for wine† As you can see by reading this the words Ben Jonson has used do not seem as if he has just used them because they rhyme, he has simply used them because these chosen words are telling his story. If we look at the poem â€Å"Shall I compare thee†¦ † by Shakespeare the language he has used is simple and easy to read. The poem is also understandable unlike parts of â€Å"To Celia† by Ben Jonson. In conclusion we can see that all four poems however being similar in some way also have there on qualities and downsides. In Shakespeare’s sonnet he tries to say that beauty on the inside will last forever however beauty on the outside will be destroyed one day. On the other hand Marvell writes his poem to persuade his beloved, not to adore her. Jonson writes to try and tell his beloved how much he loves her as he is desperate to be with her.

Spartan Society – Year 12 Ancient History Assignment

Part 1 (a)He was believed to be the creator of the Spartan society and how it functioned. Most of the Spartans thought him as a God-like figure and worshipped him. There is no certain source or a piece of evidence about Lycurgus and archeological records contradicted his existence often. Even Spartans had no idea of what Lycurgus looked like but there were his portraits and statues as what people imagined how a wise lawgiver would look like. (b)The  Hyakinthia festival This was a festival named after Hyakinthos, a youth who was lover of the god Apollo and died when Apollo accidentally hit him with a discus.The flower of the red hyacinth was believed to have sprung from his blood. In his grief, Apollo ordained an annual festival. This festival was held at the ancient shrine of  Amyclae  (about five kilometres from Sparta). This site was the location of a huge statue of Apollo, the tomb of Hyakinthos and an open area for festival dances. The festival took place over three days in the (summer) month of July. Athenaeus, writing in the 2nd  century A. D. , has given an account of this festival, which basically revolves around mourning for Hyakinthos, and praise of Apollo: The festival had two stages: 1.The first stage involved rites of sorrow and mourning in honour of Hyakinthos. There was a ban on the wearing of wreaths and on joyful songs. Offerings were placed at the dead youth’s tomb. The eating of bread and cakes was forbidden; there was a special funeral meal, then a day of ritual grief. 2. The second stage involved rejoicing in honour of Apollo, the wearing of wreaths, the singing of joyful songs, sacrifice to Apollo, a festive meal, a procession to Amyclae, choral song and dance. The historian Hooker has interpreted the festival as a festival for the dead on one hand, combined with a thanksgiving for life on the other.The  Gymnopaediae festival This was ‘The Festival of the Unarmed Boys'. The festival was held in the Spartan  agora  (market place). It commemorated the battle of Thyrea fought against Argos c. 550 B. C. The festival featured: choral performances; the setting up of images of Apollo and Artemis â€Å"boxing† amongst boys and men. Although much has been written about the violent aspect of the festival, it has been interpreted as a ‘rite of passage'; on the way to manhood, an initiation that indicated membership or belonging to the community.The Gymnipaediae were celebrated in July, the hottest part of the year. The festival consisted of a series of athletic competitions and musical events among boys and men. Dancing and running in tough conditions proved the strength of the Spartan citizens to the onlookers. In its early context it was part of the whole warrior code to initiate the young soldier to a life of physical excellence. It was not confined to Sparta. This festival was a thank-offering to Apollo for military success. c)Religion in Sparta, like in many civilizations, had a comm itment to support the ideals of a militaristic society. The Spartan ideal of an elite military state influenced the approach to religion and the ways in which religion would be molded to suite state doctrine, therefore highlighting the importance of religion in upholding the values of Spartan society such as endurance, loyalty, obedience, conformity, and skill. Religion was also use to create social coherence, important in promoting conformity and in controlling the society under the ideals of the military state.At an individual level religion provided a way of ensuring fertility both human and natural as well as averting disaster and ensuring victory in war. Religion was important for the State and this could also be seen in the wartime practices of the Spartan Army. According to Powell, Spartans believed in military divination, following an army to war was a herd of sacrificial animals ready to appease the Gods. Consultative sacrifices were held before embarking on a military camp aign, before a battle and when stepping into the threshold of the enemy.As written by Herodotus, Cleomenes in 494 on an invasion campaign to Argo was sent troops home because he had seen bad omens at the river Erasinus. Spartans also consulted Oracles at Delphi for predictions, famously at the battle of Thermopylae Leonidas was told to give up or fight to the death against Persian troops. The Spartan reliance on divination is reflective of how religion was used for military organisation and was important in supporting the state with battle strategy and on issues of joining battles. The reliance on religion creates a sense of reassurance for warriors if they had een given a good battle prediction and also a justification for retreat with a bad omen, as seen through Cleomenes. The mythology was interwoven with every aspect of Greek life. Each city devoted itself to a particular god or group of gods, for whom the citizens often built temples of worship. They regularly honoured the gods in festivals, which high officials supervised. At festivals and other official gatherings, poets recited or sang great legends and stories. Many Greeks learned about the gods through the words of poets.Spartan mythology was different than any other city-state in the Ancient Greece. Their gods were the same as others but Spartan gods were geared with armors and weapons. This is an example of how militarised Sparta was. Even their lawgiver Lycurgus is believed to be a myth by historians. Many Spartans worshipped as a god and in order to create a perfect city-state, he could be constantly recreated to explain why things were as they were. Although the Greeks had no official church organization, they universally honoured certain holy places.Delphi, for example, was a holy site dedicated to Apollo. A temple built at Delphi contained an  oracle,  or prophet, whom brave travellers questioned about the future. A group of priests represented each of the holy sites. These priests, who al so might be community officials, interpreted the words of the gods but did not possess any special knowledge or power. In addition to prayers, the Greeks often offered sacrifices to the gods, usually of a domestic animal such as a goat. (d) The religious connection to the military can be first seen in the Greek Gods the Spartiates emphasised and worshipped.The principal Spartan Gods were Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Discouri and Zeus. Apollo, Artemis and Athena more explicitly demonstrate the militaristic nature of Sparta with the three Gods associated with victory, wisdom, and skill in battle. Even Gods that were not usually known for battle were given militaristic traits, like the statue of the Armed Aphrodite in Thornax. The worship of Apollo and Artemis and their high status reflects the military value of Spartan society in training the youth for future defence.Such devotion to Apollo and Artemis can be seen in the Sanctuary of Apollo at Amyclae where coins in the likeness of Apollo were found and at the Temple of Artemis Orthia where thousands of votive offerings were found. Rites of passage within Spartan society were also carried out at the Artemis Orthia and can be likened to a vigorous military test of endurance with religious overtones. Young boys endured harsh whippings whilst trying grabbing stringed cheeses off the shrine. Those who could withstand the punishment were given honour and moved onto another stage in their military training.Religion in this case was used to sort out those with better warrior potential. Another function of religion in Spartan society was to train the hoplites. Hoplites were taught religiously devotional dances and songs, but the worship taught in the barracks also had military purpose. The song and dance helped with coordinating war movement, as the musical devotions not only praised the Gods but taught ideas of rhythm that was used in coordinating Phalanx in battle and the ability to move in a manner that was in harmony wi th the other warriors.Other examples of religion being a form of endurance training and test can be seen in the Spartan festivals. In the Carneia, the participants had to live in barracks as though on campaign and were made to run and chase a figure to train, test and celebrate athletic ability. The festival was associated with military success and the state used this festival as a way of glorifying past victories, therefore promoting the successes of the military state.According to Hooker ‘The Principle aim of the Gymnipaediae [another festival] was the habituation of the Spartan manhood to arduous activity’. The festival consisted of athletic competitions, musical events and dancing as displays of strength and endurance. This gave the state the opportunity to train hoplites, and separate the strong from the weak The role of religion was to support the military organisation and was vital to a state, which valued an elite defence force and celebrated skill in battle.As shown above religion was used a form of preparation, training assurance and guide in military situations. It was believed in Sparta that â€Å"a king by virtue of his divine descent should perform all the public sacrifices on the city’s behalf† [Xenophon]. The Kings acted as a priest towards the Gods. Aristotle, â€Å"Dealings with the Gods are assigned to the kings† Ritual responsibility was associated with political power giving kings special authority in religious interpretation or jurisdiction.The kings through public sacrifices first received the divine messages of Gods and Kings could also consult the oracles as they wished. As divination was passed through the kings to the rest of society, the Kings had the power to make the people to bow to the ‘Gods’ will. Religious authority equates to political power an example of such power was when King Cleomenes refused to go into battle but got off trial by saying that the omens were bad so he could n ot fight. If a Spartan King had reasonable religious excuse he could be forgiven for losing battles and refusing battles.Such religious connection was important in gaining, loyalty and obedience in the political arena, the divine status of the Kings was sign of military elitism. Spartan society according to Xenophon depended on the king and was loyal to the King, even believing that if an untitled person occupied the royal seat military disaster and famine would ensue. Spartan society valued conformity, coherence and believed in strong social controls, which religion then reinforced.Sparta’s social organisation was formed to encourage a sense of community and kinship, which in turn intruded on private religious practice. The Spartiate was required to share sacrificial meat with his mess-companions. Religion was interpreted to support the system of shared messes. Other ideals or Social cohesion can be seen in the Spartan religious festivals. In this festival people would commu nally mourn the dead and have a thanksgiving to life, it was to religiously as a community reaffirm the need for a close society.The festival of Carneia also emphasised a communal time of celebration, which honoured heroism and past successes in battles. During this time the Spartans were not allowed to travel to wars or battles, the Carneia being the reason they were late to fight in the Marathon 490BC and the lesser numbers at Thermopylae. Spartans had special departments, which were in charge of dealing with the oracles from Delphi and keeping records of signs from God. The power to consult the Gods however was exclusively among the authoritative forces of the state just as power itself was.Even Ephors had divination powers and all political classes of Sparta had religious duties to perform. It is evident that religion in Sparta functioned as political organisation; religion was used to demonstrate prestige, power and authority which were vital to society that honoured divinity a nd, religion also assisted in creating a way for the governing forces to manipulate the wider society with claims of celestially ordained political decisions. The political connection to religion was a way of promoting the Spartan ideal of an elite warrior society.Part 2 (a) 1- Leonidas (Famous for the Battle of Thermopylae and the Persian Wars. ) 2- Menelaus (Famous for the Trojan Wars and the husband of the Helen of Sparta, later became known as the Helen of Troy. ) (b) According to Plutarch, the council originated when Lycurgus attempted to reduce royal power. More than likely, Gerousia originated as a result of a conflict between the kings and nobles during the first Messenian War. There were 28 members and the two kings in the Gerousia.Membership was restricted to Spartans over 60 years of age that were no longer liable for military service. Thus it was a body of elders who held their office for life. The Assembly elected members by acclamation and although any Spartiate was el igible in practice members probably belonged to highly respected noble families. Aristotle mentions â€Å" the best families†, Plutarch says that they have to be† the best and most deserving. † and the selection was by acclamation (shouting and clapping).The Gerousia was a Probletic body and this meant that they prepared and deliberated on bills to be presented to the Assembly for voting and if the vote was not approved by the Gerousia, it could simply ignore it by adjourning the bill would not be passed. The Gerousia, Kings and Ephors acted as a court of justice and they tried cases of murder and treason and imposed penalties ranging from death to banishment and fines even the prosecution of a king would come before the Gerousia and the 5 Ephors.All these factors ensued that men of conservative opinion had the best chance of getting into the council, staying there and replacing themselves with people of the same outlook. â€Å"It would take a brave and confident king to pursue a policy that did not command the support of the majority of the Gerousia, knowing that in the event of failure, he was likely to be prosecuted upon his return. † T. J Buckley stated in his book â€Å"Aspects of Greek History† to exemplify the power of the Gerousia. (c) The Ephorate was the fourth major institution in the Spartan constitution.Five Ephors were elected each year from the whole citizen body and by the fifth century, they were constitutionally the most powerful public officials. They were in charge of the day-today business; and were also main executive body of state, implementing the decisions of the Assembly, at which they presided. They were also in charge of private lawsuits, which they judged sitting separately. They were combined with the Gerousia in the trial of a king. They supervised the other public officials, having the power to suspend, imprison and even bring capital charges against them.One of their most important responsibilit ies was the supervision of the â€Å"agoge†, the long and tough system of state education that was essential for the high standards of the Spartan army. In the field of foreign affairs, they would receive foreign ambassadors to ascertain their business before presenting them to the Assembly. In time of war, it was their responsibility to organise the call-up of the army, deciding the precise size of the army that was needed for the coming campaign and may even have possessed the power to give orders to commanders (except for the king) in the battlefield.When king set out an expedition with the army, he was accompanied by two of the Ephors who acted as overseers. Aristotle saw the Ephors as the most powerful of the four key institutions of state but also the most corrupt. However, Ephors had disadvantages as well. For example, Ephors did not have a continuous power in the state as they were only elected for a year and could not be re-elected ever again. This caused differences of opinion over policy between successive boards of Ephors, but also between individual members of the same board.There was often disagreement, even personal animosity, between the kings and it is likely that each king would have his supporters among the Ephors. However, Ephors, for all their constitutional powers, only held office for one year and then returned to political obscurity, whereas the prestige of the king was long-standing. Some of their other functions were: * They had the right to declare war on Helots. * They could fine people in the spot for being lazy. * They were the only magistrates who could conduct a civil trial. * They had the absolute power over all the magistrates. They controlled Krypteia and state finances. (d) Spartan government contained elements of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy and this was described as a mixed constitution. Spartan government was consisted of 2 kings and this dual kingship maybe was to prevent one king becoming too powerful. The S partan Kings had ranges of powers and responsibilities. Some of them were; they were the supreme commanders of the army, were the chief priests and decided on the marriages of orphaned heiresses. Spartan kings were the supreme commanders in the battlefield.However, the policy stated that only one king was suppose to lead the army to prevent any differences of opinion about the strategies and tactics during the battle while the other remained at home. This dual kingship ensured that each could keep an eye on the other. The leading king was usually accompanied by 2 Ephors and they kept a close supervision of the king’s leadership and the Kings were blamed if the campaign had failed and severely punished. The king that leads the army had the absolute power in the battlefield and picked bodyguards were to accompany the king.Aside from the kings’ responsibilities for the military, they were also the chiefs of priests. It was believed that Spartan kings were the priests of Z eus and they were to offer solemn sacrifices to Zeus requiring a favourable omen to proceed. Those sacrifices were performed on the frontier and the fire from these sacrifices carried with them throughout the entire campaign. Kings were also expected of to be responsible for the oracles of Delphi. It was believed in Sparta that â€Å"a king by virtue of his divine descent should perform all the public sacrifices on the city’s behalf† [Xenophon].The Kings acted as a priest towards the Gods. Aristotle, â€Å"Dealings with the Gods are assigned to the kings† Ritual responsibility was associated with political power giving kings special authority in religious interpretation or jurisdiction. The kings through public sacrifices first received the divine messages of Gods and Kings could also consult the oracles as they wished. As divination was passed through the kings to the rest of society, the Kings had the power to make the people to bow to the ‘Gods’ will. Source B is an excavation of a portrait in Acropolis area of Sparta in 1925.It is believed that the statue was a portrait of Leonidas. By the look of the statue, it is a typical Spartan man with a helmet, however it does not necessarily indicate that it is Leonidas or even a king. Though in the Spartan religion, Gods were geared up with weapons and armors. This is evident of even if it was a statue of Leonidas, it illustrates what sort of people kings were to the Spartan people. Spartans assumed the kings were descended from Heracles and they are the best kinds of semi-humans, this might be the reason why the king was wearing a helmet, if it really was a statue of Leonidas.

Theme: Gender Stereotyping Essay

Based on the novel, The Curse by Lee Su Ann, I have acquired an interesting theme from the many others that have been portrayed in the story. The theme is gender stereotyping, in which, involves unfair treatment upon the rights of a certain gender requiring them to act in a certain manner, where it is greatly influenced by culture and upbringing. There are a few unfortunate characters in the story who have been condemned to such discrimination and in this story; the female gender faces the dilemma of being subjected to gender stereotyping. The first character is Siti, Puan Kamsiah’s 17 year old daughter. She is a student about in the course of taking her SPM but we have seen in the story where Siti monologues about having to ask a teacher at school to persuade her father to let sit for the exam. Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry early, be obedient and submissive and Siti, like every other woman before her, is required to follow the customs and norms. This shows that in that society, women, in general, have no say in their lives especially for someone as young as Siti. Siti was also portrayed to have felt a sense of envy towards Azreen who was lucky enough to have furthered her studies overseas, in London, while she is still shaky on taking her SPM. Opinion provided, her father’s role in making decisions may well ruin the possibility of a bright future as mentioned in the book where Siti is actually a hard-working student who loves to study. Secondly, the character Madhuri is the perfect depiction of how gender stereotyping may ruin someone’s life and in her case, it took away her life. Madhuri as portrayed in the novel is the perfect example of a woman who possesses the behaviour requirements and is considered innocent by the villagers through her soft spoken ways. She can teach Qu’ran lessons to the children of the village and she can cook very well as seen when Azreen’s mother asks for the porridge Madhuri made. Madhuri also obliges her father’s manipulative orders to marry Haji Ghani despite having the flutters for another. Additionally, Madhuri takes care of her parents even after her marriage to Haji Ghani. As a reader, I have seen how this changed in the  eyes of Azreen when she finds out the truth regarding her sister’s death and secret love affair to Asraf. Madhuri’s character takes a big leap in change and naturally becomes her facade to cover up for the forbidden affair that she had entangled herself into. She is no longer the perfect idol for women to follow and men to like and this contrast led to her demise. In my opinion, her naivety to confess her true heart led to the adulteration of her flawless personality which was perceived by the ignorant and self-righteous villagers. When her egoistic father discovered the truth, he had killed her in uncontrollable rage, not being able to accept his daughter loving other than her own husband. Lastly, gender stereotyping is depicted throughout the novel, in the main character Azreen through the aspect of female behaviourism. This statement is further proven when Azreen’s school friends start to cast suspicious eyes towards her when she behaves unlady-like. She plays hockey with the boys and even â€Å"laughs like a bunch of hyenas† with them. To them, as a woman, Azreen is not expected to be tomboyish and hangs too closely with boys. She is also considered obstinate and rude by the villagers and her own parents when she chooses to speak her mind rather than remain silent which is against the norms of the villagers as shown in various occasions in the novel, namely, the bull incident where she takes the blame for Asraf out of loyalty in friendship. In my opinion, Azreen’s unladylike and outspoken behaviour has triggered a sense of discomfort among the people around her as she does behave in the stereotyped manner, where they perceive her as disrespectin g the elderly. People tend to be cast out when they don’t follow certain norms of a society. This is evident in the reasons that I have stated. In my opinion, Lee Su Ann has shown perfectly how narrow-minded thinking can lead to detrimental outcomes. These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth. Additional point: Puan Fatihah. In the sense of a woman having to marry and produce offspring, Puan Fatihah is seen as someone who has failed this. She is incapable of bearing her husband a child and always feels insecure about herself. This flaw renders her nearly useless in her husband’s eyes when she is unable to fulfill her duty as wife. I can understand her pain of insecurity as she looks into the mirror and see her unstoppable aging face. Meanwhile, Hj Ghani the insensitive husband marries another woman, Madhuri, who is by both men and women’s standards beautiful. We have seen how much the villagers worship her flawless personality and beauty and Hj Ghani, despite a wise man, also falls for the stereotyped mind set. Pn Fatihah’s declining beauty has caused her to feel envy towards Madhuri and to be angry at her husband. However, it is not her fault, but rather, the fault of the villagers who use the subject of beauty to measure the worth of a woman. How sure you are that it was not Hj Ghani who is barren? Madhuri, the second wife, also did not produce a child for him before her untimely death.

Leadership and jopsatisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and jopsatisfaction - Essay Example Leadership is â€Å"an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes† (Draft, 2005 quoted by Ying & Ahmad, 2009, 54). There have been a significant number of literatures covering the nature, theories and applications of leadership and its effect to job performance and satisfaction. The diverse patterns of behavior and actions that leaders exhibit over a period of time and perceived by followers have been identified as the dominant style of leadership. This style is developed utilizing an interplay of factors which shape leadership development. Leadership seeks to bring people and groups from where they are to where they have not been. It enables people to go beyond the confines of mediocrity and tread into the realm of excellence. In the process, it induces people to define their desires and to pursue them with passion. Ultimately, leadership transforms potential into reality. In any organization, the influence of leadership in its operations of has evolved from a simple theoretical framework to the complex structure we have today. The development of leadership theories opened a whole spectrum of information which enhanced the interaction and interrelationships among personnel, especially its effect on job satisfaction. Leaders are concerned with the creation of an environment for performance. They integrate tasks, structure, technology, resources, and people into a productive configuration. They achieve goals through the efforts of other people. They have to influence the behavior of other people in order to get things done. The essay aims to present two sides to the argument that stipulates the critical role of leadership in creating job satisfaction in an organization. One side of the argument supports that an effective leader would create an environment where the subordinates would be satisfied in the accomplishment of their tasks.

Liberty, Equality, fraternity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Liberty, Equality, fraternity - Assignment Example This  redefinition  can be seen by the passage of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen during the beginning of the revolution 1. A revolutionary document that declared all men are born and remain free, and have inalienable rights to liberty, security, property and to resist being oppressed. Pre-revolution France was an unequal society where the aristocracy and the clergy enjoyed enormous privileges and power above ordinary  countrymen 2. The two groups were subject to different laws, and this created legal inequality. Peasant rebellions during the early days of the revolution saw the abolition of feudalism 3. This elimination in addition with the Rights of Man and of the Citizen had the effect of granting equality to all French citizens. The concept of fraternity had not exercised prior to the French revolution with the monarchy being indebted to the whims of the aristocracy and clergy4 . Fraternity requires putting the interest of others above your own. The Rights of Man and of the Citizen eliminated the privilege enjoyed by the nobility and clergy. Therefore, the French residents were not indebted to the monarchy but each other. The French revolution personified the ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity which the old regime had failed to protect. Revolts and riots led by the middle and low-class citizens resulted in several fundamental legislation such as the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the elimination of the feudal system. These laws unified French citizens and signaled the entry of an era where every man free and

Critical dialogs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical dialogs - Essay Example However, one has to have impressions to a substance despite not knowing it (Bronner 17). Therefore, democracy is viewed as a complete system and tries to accomplish incompleteness. Fitche together with Kant, made a donation to critical theory by reinforcing the ideas of the theory. They and termed it as a dual relationship between nature and persons in terms of ideas. In addition, he stressed on key thoughts such as that of alienation improvement and importance of freedom. Alienation of improvement (disagreement between mind and nature) this is always occurred when there is the disparity of purposeful effort of concern with involvement of freedom. (Bronner 18). On the other hand, language is also key factor when studying emotional realm; the relationship between history of individual subject and the determination of the subject, in addition, record is made perfect though language; language expresses one event better and it is also a mechanism which conveys accuracy of the subject. (Bronner 101). Therefore, better understanding of communication will allow one to discuss a topic well whether in politic of proper context; this implies that it will provide a participant the proper value it stands in it place. Hence reducing chances of misinterpretation of the subject or object; this implies that an individual will improve his or her ability understand issues of life. Therefore, clear understanding about key theory nurtures one’s conceptual abilities; it outlines qualitative and quantitative interpretation of a research analysis. Thurs, one can easily show that critical theory is more of encouraging to an issue than destructive; brings a function of positivity than indifference in essence that it brings certainty in when judging (Bronner 102). Decision making is made easier since an outline for judgment is provided; an individual can easily for the procedures set for wise decision

Analyze a Piece of Music from a Concert Hall Essay

Analyze a Piece of Music from a Concert Hall - Essay Example Several times through the rendition observed the major key D exudes positivity and the desire to simply lean back and enjoy is overwhelming. There is a full orchestra accompanying the verbal portion of this particular piece which is reminiscent of the full sound that can be seen in Claude Debussy’s La Mer. While relaxing La Mer had more significant changes in its harmonic rhythm than did Ave Verum Corpes. There was no unresolved dissonance within the recitation itself. As I believe Leonard Bernstein is one of the pre-eminent conductors of our time a small amount of bias may in fact exist from my viewpoint. This rendition was completed and recorded in 1990 and is grainy yet beautiful. Ave Verum Corpes was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and reflects his rendition of the Eucharist hymn with the same title; this hymn dates from the 14th century and is frequently used during the Benediction of Blessed Sacrament. This particular hymn is attributed originally to Pope Innocent VI dating approximately 1362. In 1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his rendition for a friend Anton Stoll and it was used to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. (Ave Verum Corpus 1) With a small 46 bars of music this particular piece serves to introduce transition and end the piece. ... When he was born in 1756 his given name was, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. He personally preferred Wolfgang Amede Mozart to the given name and the name he is known by today. The middle name spelled in that manner reflected his appreciation of French culture and language. Mozart never attended a formal educational facility to advance his abilities. (Mozarts life 1) When I listen to the piece I feel as though the very sky is around me, I feel relaxed, and as if I am floating on the clouds. I am also immediately transported to the past and religious services attended. I see robes, crosses, sunlight and clouds. This is a piece that is easy to enjoy and I am no exception to those who enjoy it. It is short, however, even in its relative shortness it is complete and lends itself to the easy listening sometimes required to relax. I enjoyed this piece simply because it allowed me to feel as though I was in another place if only for a few short minutes. By closing oneâ₠¬â„¢s eyes the full quality and beauty of the piece is made readily apparent. With the vibrant crescendo of sound from the full accompaniment in the background it is easy to find myself slipping from the now into the warmth and comfort provided by my imagination. Additional repetitions listening to the piece from a variety of composers lends credence to the idea that a well written musical number is hard to play or perform poorly. One of the more easily enjoyed renditions was the poorly recorded rendition performed by Diana-Marina Fisher in 2008. This particular rendition brought forth a variety of tonal qualities and did nothing to hinder personal enjoyment, in fact

Effect of Credit Crunch on Banking Sector in the UK Dissertation

Effect of Credit Crunch on Banking Sector in the UK - Dissertation Example 33 Figure 1.2: UK Banking Sector - Northern Rock Example 34 Figure 1.3: Business and Financial Services Growth Relative to Overall UK GDP Growth 35 Introduction The origin of the credit crunch was in the US in the year 2007. Several evidences proved that UK had also been affected due to the credit crunch (Ball & Et. Al., 2009). This report will analyse several aspects regarding the impacts of the credit crunch on the UK banking sector. General Statement The report will be dealing with the impacts of the credit crunch on the UK. It is a broad aspect hence the topic has been specified through restricting its focus only on the banking sector. Therefore, the prime research statement undertakes the analysis of the impact of credit crunch on the banking sector. Specific Statements In order to draw the ultimate findings of the research statements, the following specific statements will be evaluated ‘The Credit Crunch Explained’ ‘Credit Crunch — Banks Stop Lendingâ €™ ‘Banking Sector Timeline - From Credit Crunch to Present Day’ ‘Bankers Made 'Astonishing Mess'’ ‘UK Banking Regulation’ Requirement for Further Investigation The scope of study is huge as it encompasses the entire banking sector of the UK. Due to the constraint of time, it might not be possible to conduct an immense research. The study can be more concrete if increased number of real evidences could be included. Moreover, views of the managers or the finance managers of the banks in the UK can be taken into consideration to acquire the in-depth analysis of the topic. It is evident that the impact of credit crunch will not have similar implications to the big and small banks. Therefore, it can be stated that there is a further scope of investigating the differences of the impact in between the... The origin of the credit crunch was in the US in the year 2007. Several evidences proved that UK had also been affected due to the credit crunch. This report will analyse several aspects regarding the impacts of the credit crunch on the UK banking sector. The report will be dealing with the impacts of the credit crunch on the UK. It is a broad aspect hence the topic has been specified through restricting its focus only on the banking sector. Therefore, the prime research statement undertakes the analysis of the impact of credit crunch on the banking sector. The scope of study is huge as it encompasses the entire banking sector of the UK. Due to the constraint of time, it might not be possible to conduct an immense research. The study can be more concrete if increased number of real evidences could be included. Moreover, views of the managers or the finance managers of the banks in the UK can be taken into consideration to acquire the in-depth analysis of the topic. It is evident that the impact of credit crunch will not have similar implications to the big and small banks. Therefore, it can be stated that there is a further scope of investigating the differences of the impact in between the smaller and the bigger banks. The primary objective of the project is to determine the impact of the credit crunch in the banking sector of the UK. The concept of the credit crunch is related with the banking sector as it is based on the lending procedure. It indicates that basic concepts are needed to be conceptualised.

Ethical Issues in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Issues in Business - Essay Example Likewise, the working definition from the ISO 26000 Working Group on Social Responsibility (2007) was noted as: â€Å"Social responsibility (is the) responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behaviour that is consistent with sustainable development and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and is integrated throughout the organization† (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007, p. 4). When apparently asked by the area’s food bank for donation of day-old products, it was noted that management declined making any donation for the reasons that it could be a precursor for potential lost revenues which could be due to possible fraud and stealing by employees who might say they are donating the food. These statements are indicative of management’s narrow perspectives that focus on negative insights and unsubstantiated claims. In no way is corporate social responsibility being exemplified and manifested by Company Q by opting to throw the food instead of having other community members benefit from their products. To improve on Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility, the organization’s management team must be apprised that organizations that actively implement and practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) by integrating CSR activities within their policies and philosophies, were found to be more productive and financially successful (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007). As such, the following recommendations are suggested: (2) Address any perceived potential fraud or stealing through enforcing stricter control measures that could easily detect violations of trust and applying sanctions through the organization’s code of

Impact of Globalization on General Motors Essay

Impact of Globalization on General Motors - Essay Example These include simplifying the process where possible, finding cheaper but high quality material to help with the manufacturing process (Reader 2006, p.7). Additionally the company believes that innovative technology will help it attain better production hence increasing output but the question is how globalisation in the automotive industry affects GM. Globalisation is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways in this case it has both the positive and the negative impact on any industry. However, the degree of managing these effects determines the success or failure of a company in a particular industry. When examining the effects of globalisation in a company for instance GM, we have to look at all the department, branches, plants and any subsidiaries of the company. The reason for this is that globalisation is a multifaceted phenomenon. For instance, we have to look at how globalisation has affected GM employees, the production process, the marketing aspect, the information technolo gy aspect and the management aspect (Alias 2008, p.10). The complexity of the automotive industry demands that the company should effectively deal with the impact of globalisation because if the competitors are able to deal with it more effectively than the GM then this can be catastrophic or detrimental to both the company image and the market. The world is moving towards becoming a global village hence having a very fast rate of globalisation. As a result, companies should strategise and gear up for this cause to avoid eradication due to drastic changes. However, in dealing with the effects of globalisation on the GM it is important to separate all the sections and critically examining them individually ratherthat having a... The paper tells that increased globalisation has led to increased competition in the automotive industry with registration of new entrants who have better ways of manufacturing and production of vehicles. However, one of the biggest competitors to GM is the Japanese company Toyota manufacturing durable and affordable vehicles. Additionally, due to the persistent hard economic times more and more people are opting to buy fuel-efficient vehicle and vehicles whose spare parts are easily available. The Toyota Company has managed to tap into this market both locally and globally hence giving GM very stiff competition. Additionally, due to globalisation vehicles are becoming cheaper hence reducing the profit margin of GM. Because of this, it forces the company to seek ways of cutting down costs in order to increase the profit margin because they cannot increase the prices due to the demand and supply forces of the market. Globalisation has also made information readily available to consume rs in the market. Additionally, the introduction of ecommerce solution has also cut down on the cost of business transactions. Customers are now able to purchase vehicles from another counter through the internet and go through all the relevant processes that will enable him or her get the vehicle at his or her disposal. GM has to deal with these globalisation effects in order to stay afloat in business. The distance between countries is closing up very fast due to the development of efficient ways of transportation and business transactions are becoming easier due to the technological development.

Ethics in IT Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics in IT Assignment - Essay Example Software for business or for entertainment is designed with the sole purpose of making money which makes it mandatory for an engineer to design quality software to make it worth the price. It will be senseless to distinguish software as the same people that use them for entertainment use it for health and rescue purposes. A team of engineers working on a project will have effective methods of execution. Every member of the team having a role to play, it will be easier to share responsibilities. The chances of making mistakes when in a team are expected to be minimal as the work has been broken down in order for an individual to give more concentration to his or her part. Mistakes that may arise from a project handled by a team of engineers will have a greater moral responsibility as it is expected they have consulted widely within the team to avoid any mistakes from arising (Whitbeck, 2008). An individual engineer on the team will not have a greater moral responsibility as compared to the team since the team as a whole is expected to have helped in guiding him from making any

Industrial Development and Labor Movement Essay Example for Free

Industrial Development and Labor Movement Essay The answer is FALSE. The development of industrial development contributed to the rise of labor movement. The significant change that was caused by the industrial revolution – the increased efficiency of production through the use of machines – has caused the displacement and alienation of human workers as machines have taken over the production process. The industrial revolution is one of the most significant highlights for the development of human history. It was an advent for the most important technological changes and advancement which translated to increased production efficiency – producing the most number of goods at the least amount of costs. However, the rise of giant industries which made use of machines in production has caused human skilled workers to be displaced from their jobs. The automation of production has made human labor less appealing and less needed. The advent of the rise of machines has caused severe changes in production and labor, and consequently it has driven profound social changes and also driven the economy to be more production efficient with little help from human labor (Hooker). Consequently, the displacement of human laborers and their seemingly less involvement in the process of production have made them less powerful in voicing out their demands. The mechanized production system has made them less represented and less significant in the industry, thus, factory owners didn’t regard them as assets in the industry. This turn of events marked the era wherein laborers didn’t have the ability to speak of their work-related grievances, they lost the voice to call out for fair treatment. In contrast to the earlier times wherein the small employer-employee relationship was prevalent, the workers had the ability and chances to address their demands to their employers. However, the increased automation of production system has also caused the growth of enterprises and the owners hired skilled professionals to more efficiently manage the workers. As a result, there existed a larger gap between the owners and the laborers, making it harder for the laborers to communicate directly to the owner to express their grievances (The American Labor Movement). Moreover, during these times, the workers were forced to work longer hours, getting the most work from them though giving them the lowest wage possible. And because of the production automation, skilled laborers and craftsmen were less valued and the number of unskilled laborers has significantly increased. Thus, these instances, developments and the further impoverishment and unequal treatment for laborers have resulted to the emergence of labor unions that advocated to protect the rights and welfare of laborers. Labor unions became a prevalent action in protecting the common interests of laborers, particularly issues regarding wages and working conditions. These labor and trade unions served as collective organizations that represented the interests of the working class. Moreover, labor unions were sometimes looked upon as political wings campaigning for equitable treatment from employers and lobbying for the implementation of laws governing labor relations. These labor movements focused on issues related on rank-and-file movements, collective bargaining conflicts and organizing political campaigns. These efforts flickered the hopes for industry workers to attain increased political influence to be able to push legislations that shall benefit their cause, and deflect labor laws that were inefficient in protecting the rights of laborers (Turner, 2001). The rise of labor movement became more prevalent in the newly industrialized countries. This happened as global transformations became more influential and encompassing – for example, the â€Å"relocation of low-wage areas, automation and the increasing use of unregulated work arrangements† – all of which contributed to the strong urge of forming a strict and rigid framework of a union that shall defend workers against unfair treatment. (Silver)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, in addition to the animation of production, there is another aspect of industrial revolution that has hastened the rise of labor movement. The unfair labor practices rendered by industrialized nations towards less powerful and poor countries have made it more appealing for workers to organize a movement that was geared minimizing these effects. As the industry grew larger and more powerful, industrialized countries have sought for new markets and new sources of cheap labor, wherein they can yield the most production with labor-intensive processes, with the least amount of costs possible. They utilized the presence of satellite countries wherein they can extract from them the cheapest raw materials, and wherein they can impose to make use of the human capital as a source of cheap and intensive labor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, the rise of labor movements was sponsored by the industrial development. This happened in such a way that, as the industry flourished and became automated, it resulted in harsh treatment and displacement of the workers. This unfair treatment led workers to form unions that shall represent them as a whole in addressing their grievances and sentiments. The development of labor movements were hastened by (1) need for social mobilization and institutional change; (2) need for significant representation by workers; (3) call for industry changes; and (4) economic and political protectionism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The industry development happened in such a manner that it gave utter importance to machines and deliberately misappropriated the use of human skills in the course of production. It displaced the rights and abilities of craftsmen and haggardly made use of unskilled worker, as they offered cheap labor despite the intense labor work and long work hours. Consequently though, this instances and treatments have hastened the movements to revive the industry that is mindful of human existence and welfare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, industry development, coupled with intense form of exploitation, mistreatment, alienation and displacement for workers have eventually led to the emergence of labor movements. References Hooker, Richard. The Industrial Revolution. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from, http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/INDUSTRY.HTM Silver, Beverly. Labor Movements from a Global Perspective. The American Labor Movement. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from, http://www.bookrags.com/research/the-american-labor-movement-dirl/ Turner, Lowell. (2001) Reviving the Labor Movement. School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Cornell University.

Sumitomo Corporation And Yasuo Hamanakas Copper Scandal Finance Essay

Sumitomo Corporation And Yasuo Hamanakas Copper Scandal Finance Essay The financial world had been confronted heavily by trading scandals in 1995, with Japans Daiwa Bank and the rouge trader, Nick Leeson. When it seemed the scandals couldnt get much worse, the Sumitomo Copper Scandal emerged. This was the biggest scandal in the history of commodities trading and ranked in the top five trading losses in financial history up until the late 1990s. Sumitomo Corporation is a Japanese trading house, which is currently one of the largest worldwide trading companies headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In the 1990s Sumitomo owned large amounts of both physical copper, which was stored in warehouses and factories, as well as numerous futures contracts. Copper was a relatively small market compared to other metals, such as aluminum. According to Andrew Beattles article, The Copper King: An Empire Built on Manipulation, copper is an illiquid commodity that cannot be easily transferred around the world to meet shortages. For example, a rise in copper prices due to a sho rtage in the United States will not be immediately cancelled out by shipments from countries with excess copper. This occurs because moving copper between storage and delivery costs money, which can cancel out the price differences. It is important to note that Yasuo Hamanaka was the chief copper trader of this trading house, and attempted to corner the entire worlds copper market leaving Sumitomo with a loss of more than $1.8 billion (Beattle). WHAT HAPPENED: For ten years, Yasuo Hamanaka had successfully managed to control the worlds price of copper. He eventually came to control five percent of the entire supply of copper, which may not seem like much considering ninety-five percent was in other traders hands (Beattle). However, due to the fact the abundant and cumbersome challenges that exist in the copper market (in movement, delivery, etc.) and the fact that even the largest traders in the market owned an even smaller percentage, Hamanakas five percent was indeed very significant. During the ten years of his manipulation he was able to use Sumitomos size and large cash reserves to corner and squeeze the market through the London Metal Exchange. The London Metal Exchange is the worlds biggest metal exchange. Furthermore, the London Metal Exchanges copper price essentially dictated the worlds copper price at the time (Beattle). Although the London Metal Exchange was large in size, it was fairly poor in terms of regulation. In fact, this exchange had little to no regulation at the time of Hamanakas rampant market manipulation. The Sumitomo Copper Scandal lasted for about a decade due to these negligent and almost nonexistent regulations on behalf of this particular exchange. To put the entire crisis into laymens terms, one must first understand that Hamanaka was taking a long futures position on copper and simultaneously buying up a substantial amount of physical copper as well. This caused any one trader who took a short futures position to have to buy long positions in order to cancel out their short positions. Due to the fact that Hamanaka had a large number of long positions, those people looking to buy them had to pay increasingly higher prices. These skyrocketing futures prices are what Hamanaka was able to control; the more the prices rose, the more money he made. This is because those with short positions were still paying this higher price in order to liquidate those positions. Another way that Hamanaka was making money was that while these prices continued to rise, some people holding short positions thought that instead of paying a high price for a long position they would buy the physical copper and deliver it to the holder of the long positi ons. So, because Hamanaka also owned 5% of the physical copper he could charge a very high price to those with short positions because they didnt want to keep paying money to liquidate their short positions. Essentially, he was making money by owning long futures as well as physical copper. WHY: There are no assured reasons as to why Hamanaka engaged in such illegal trades. Perhaps he felt pressured to maintain the consistent levels of annual revenue for Sumitomos traditional copper business-about ten billion dollars. He would therefore maintain his reputation as a phenomenal copper trader as well as his firms dominance in the commodities market. It is also important to note that individuals such as Hamanaka, do attempt to corner the market in order to create an unfair advantage by purchasing a significant amount of shares. This eventually increases the price of shares, making them appear to have a greater value. As the price of the shares continues to rise, more buyers become attracted, and then demand further increases the price of the shares. This causes short sellers to be driven out of the market through a short squeeze. In the article Short Squeeze, it explains that a short squeeze is a situation in which an increase in the price of the stock triggers a rush of buying activity among short sellers. Therefore, it is necessary for the short sellers to buy stock in order to close out their short positions to minimize their losses, causing a further increase in stock prices. Overtime, this causes one to sell their holdings at an artificially inflated price and then leave their investment or opt to sell their shares with the knowledge that the price will decrease once normal supply and demand forces return (Investing Answers). WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE: Yasuo Hamanaka, also referred to as Mr. Copper, was the former copper trading chief for Sumitomo Corporation. Following research of the Sumitomo Copper Scandal, one can confidently say that Hamanaka is the key player who is held responsible for the 2.6 billion dollar loss over a ten-year period. In fact, the article, Sumitomo Corporation states that, it believed that Mr. Hamanaka was solely responsible for the unauthorized trading (215). His attempted action to corner the worlds entire copper market by falsifying financial records and forging signatures alluded to such a significant loss for the company. It is also important to note that prior to the discovery of Hamanakas accumulation of illegal trades, he was given a great amount of responsibility within the company. This was because he was perceived by top executives to have superior knowledge and experience within copper trading. Therefore, one can also conclude that the top executives within the corporation can also be held responsible for the Sumitomo Copper Scandal. This is because the Sumitomo Corporation and senior management did not have secure safeguards in place to ensure that they knew exactly what their employees were doing. Furthermore, Hamanakas reputation as being a superstar copper trader only worked to solidify the lack of regulation and discipline (Sumitomo Corporation). When Sumitomo Corporations reputation began to tarnish from individuals outside the company, they responded to the allegations by stating that Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase were the two banks responsible. In the article The Copper King: An Empire Built On Manipulation, author Andrew Beattle explains that Sumitomo Corporation claimed that Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase granted the loans to Hamanaka via future derivatives; hence the two banks kept the scheme going. Consequently, both banks were found guilty to some extent (Beattle). RIPPLE EFFECTS ON THE MARKET: Historically, there has been a close correlation in the behavior of metal prices. When one metal falls, the others tend to follow. However, the Sumitomo announcement did not harm other metals despite the recent dramatic drop in copper prices. Copper is a relatively small market compared to other metals, such as aluminum and gold. The price of the metal was above $1.25 a pound in New York in early May of 1996, but it fell to $1.04 on June 13, just before Sumitomo announced its loss. Following the announcement, copper was trading at about 89 cents (Wall). The decline in prices of copper before the Sumitomo scandal was believed to have risen from people being concerned about the number of new copper mines that were planned and the potential supply problems that it could bring about (Wall). Copper prices fell ten percent in the weeks following Hamanakas removal (Fletcher), however, prices had been falling for a while, and the scandal only exacerbated the trend (Uchitelle). The main effect of Sumitomos losses was the decline in public confidence in financial institutions. Americans wondered how well their local financial institutions were handling oversight of management. They also were concerned about a temporary decline in stock prices as well as higher interest rates for money to seek to borrow from banks (Uchitelle). The dollar is driven by peoples perception of commodity price movements, and although the dollar had weakened before news of the Sumitomo scandal, the fall in copper prices has contributed to the dollars softness (Wall). The Sumitomo affair concerned the United States about the openness of Japans financial system and the implications for interest rates. These worries as well as the copper crisis had contributed to the decline of the yen. The collapse in copper prices also hurt the Australian dollar. RISK MANAGEMENT ERRORS: In the Sumitomo copper scandal, the financial debacle originates from the failures of proper risk management. By entering into fictitious trades for over ten years and manipulating several accounts, Hamanaka successfully misled his management into believing that he was making huge profits. Hamanaka had been trading on the London Metal Exchange forward market for copper. Sumitomo was the largest participant in the physical market for copper-he handled twice the volume as his competitors. Hamanaka was known in the copper markets as Mr. Five Percent because Sumitomos copper trading team traded approximately 500,000 metric tons of copper a year, which was five percent of the total world demand for copper (Weston). In regards to risk management, whenever any hedge fund or speculator who was aware of manipulation tried to take short positions, Hamanaka invested more money into his positions, thus sustaining a higher price because he dominated the market. However, despite these illegal practices no action was taken against Hamanaka because of the profits he generated for the company (Weston). There are several reasons from a management perspective as to why the scandal carried on as long as it did. The middle office may have bypassed early warning signals perhaps because Hamanaka was perceived as an experienced senior trader. Hamanaka was chief of the trading office and intentionally had an incentive to maximize profit opportunities through illegal ways. Employees within the firm may have allowed the fraud to occur by turning the other way. This is a case of decentralization (Tschoegl). The Sumitomo scandal has provided valuable insight and enables one to appreciate and understand the importance of internal and external controls. If there had been any controls, it is believed that the scandal would have been detected much earlier and before a loss of $1.8 billion. WAS IT PREVENTABLE? IF SO, HOW? The Sumitomo Copper Crisis was, at its core, a very preventable crisis-almost embarrassingly so. The huge financial swings that the copper market saw in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a result of Hamanakas indiscretions were exactly that: the result of one mans greed and indiscretions. Hamanaka initiated and participated in the illegal trade of copper-like making off the book deals in order to recover unrealized losses-and incited a wave of regulatory laws by the London Metal Exchange and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Hamanaka exploited various agents and partnerships in his ten-year long market-manipulating extravaganza. He was able to do this due to serious misgivings and loopholes in the commodity futures markets, as well as taking advantage of gaps in the chain of command and knowledge. Hamanaka maintained two different sets of trading books: one that recorded fabricated profits for the Sumitomo Corporation and another real record of all the off-the-book and under-the-table deals that were made to maintain control of the market. This long-term interference and domination of the copper market was nonetheless very hard to maintain due to one key fact: in order to corner a commodities market, the company must actually hold the assets, which presents an additional strain on resources and funds. This very requirement may be the answer to preventing scandals like this in the future (Wall). As aforementioned, the Sumitomo Copper Crisis was largely unavoidable simply because one mans poor decisions affected the rest of the affiliated market. The essence of the problem was unauthorized trading that the culprit undertook to enhance his firms profitability and then his own career and pay, Adrian Tschoegl mentioned in The Key to Risk Management. However, the true debacle is a result of a lack of internal and external controls. The Sumitomo Corporation, which was divided into essentially three separate offices (front, back and middle), simply did not harbor or even encourage communication between departments and sectors (Tschoegl). The middle office (which is responsible for one of the most key business functions: risk management) can easily be said to have failed most spectacularly in this scandal. The lack of risk awareness and management led to a loss of $1,800 million dollars and a stain on the Sumitomo name, all because of a decentralized, non-communicative corporate str ucture (Tschoegl). The most effective approach to avoiding something like this in the future is basically three-pronged: more and better management-level controls, independent transaction monitoring, and more stringent regulation (of the London Metal Exchange, by the government, and of corporations e.g. corporate social responsibility) (Tschoegl). The management-level controls should consist of a conscious effort at centralizing every part of the company, as well as maintaining strict inter-company discipline and training. Independent transaction making should be monitored so no two-book accounting systems are permissible; that is to say, that there is a system of checks and balances within the corporation to ensure above-board transactions. In terms of regulation on behalf of various agencies and governments, its only necessary to say that more of it is probably needed to avoid price manipulation. Perhaps a system of rigorous reporting and accounting policies could be implemented, which would strength en the markets effectiveness anyways. CONCLUSION: Its fair to say that the Sumitomo Copper Crisis leaves the skilled and careful trader with a few pivotal takeaways. First, both internal and external management controls are absolutely crucial to the success of any company, but if said management is left to run unchecked through the system, mishaps and misdeeds are bound to occur. Strict and standardized corporate training and discipline is the remedy to this pitfall. Second, given the right amount of determination and finesse, the market on almost any given commodity can be cornered, for better or for worse. Events like this, despite their far-reaching negative implications for the perpetrator, always help make the market a more efficient and fluid network. The lessons that are learned from scandals such as the Sumitomo Copper Affair in the long run only work to better and enhance the market.

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature review starts with past studies and researches based on the crisis in general. Different types of crisis are referred and what kind of effects do they cause to businesses and people. Additionally are past studies on management strategies in period of recession and what does a business has to follow, not only old businesses but also new. Furthermore we focus on the new start up businesses that decide to grow in period of crisis. What Past studies and researches found and proved through history, when again in the past there was a recession. Crisis A crisis is an adverse incident with an unpredictable outcome (Campbell, 1999; Coombs, 1999; Coombs Holladay, 2002; Ruff Aziz, 2003). Interestingly, it should be pointed out that there is a wide range of crisis categories, from a basic ‘internal versus external’ introduced by Evans and Elphick (2005, p. 135), to a more complex system proposed by Henderson (2007) who categorized crises into economic crisis; political crisis; socio-cultural crisis; environmental crisis; technological crisis; and commercial crisis. Although there are numerous approaches to crisis categorization, The Pacific Asia Travel  Association (2003) has suggested that crises can be largely categorized into two major types, which are human-made and natural-made crises. It is crucial for one to understand that not all types of crisis lead to the same consequences, differing from one another in terms of the scope and extent of damage caused (Aktas Gunlu, 2005). Different public reactions to both human-made and natural crises provide a clear example of the critical differences in the public’s reaction to different types of crisis. The public normally reacts more negatively to the effects of human-made crises than to those of a natural crisis. While it is generally conceded that organizations have little control over natural crises, human-made crises can devastate the established reputation of an organization. As human-made crises are usually preventable, this type of crisis therefore often receives severe public condemnation (Pearson Mitroff, 1993). Furthermore, different crisis types, particularly both natural and human induced crises, are neither absolutely predictable nor avoidable. This means while crises occur rarely and randomly, it is also true that no industries are unaffected by those crises. In  response to the near certainty of experiencing crises, it is suggested that organizations come up with a plan for minimizing the damage of, and accelerating the recovering from, such crises through the development of crisis management strategies (Faulkner, 2001). Therefore the concept of crisis management is discussed below. Crisis Management Being able to effectively respond to a crisis is critical for the survival of an organization. Whether an organization is prepared or not for a possible crisis usually depends on senior officials and other private operating within organizations. More importantly, studies have shown that organizations with an established crisis management approach are able to effectively communicate and respond in the event of a crisis (King III, 2002). Clearly, it is crucial for an organization to have a crisis management approach in place. In general, a crisis management approach can be viewed simply as involving the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Rs’ of a four-stage process, which are reduction, readiness, response and recovery (Evans   Elphick, 2005). The Pacific Asia Travel Association (2003) has summarized and described each stage as follows: Reduction. In this phase, an organization’s analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (a SWOT analysis) will help the managers to assess a potential crisis and to prepare a contingency plan. After identifying potential crises, organizations need to be prepared by developing strategic, tactical and communication plans. Readiness, the second phase, crisis response and crisis simulation exercises are very important in order to acquire and maintain crisis management skills as managers and staff need to be ready for the impact and stress from crises. Response, the third phase, a contingency plan is implemented immediately after a crisis occurs, as organizations that have a well-established crisis management plan tend to be more successful in handling crises. A crisis communication strategy should be utilized to communicate with not only the customer, but also the stakeholders and the public. Recovery. In the last phase, the crisis recovery could be measured by the speed with which an organization resumes full business operations; the degree to which a business recovers to pre-crisis levels, or the amount of crisis-resistance added since the crisis occurred. Whilst corporate managers are faced with the reality of trying to implement this process (Evans Elphick, 2005), it should be noted that all stages of the crisis management process need to be flexible, which allows for potential evaluation and modification, depending on the nature of the crisis/disaster (its magnitude, scale and time pressure) and stakeholder response to strategies. Although crisis management is a requirement for organizations, and although business leaders recognize this, many do not undertake productive steps to address crisis situations. Managers who do take productive steps however will be in a much better position to respond when a crisis or disaster affects an organization or destination (Ritchie, 2004). So, because a start up business in time of a recession has knowledge of all the stages, it is easier to handle the crisis as they are aware of the consequences a bad economy has on a business. Measurement are been taken before they have any bad influence on the ir business from the recession. Start-ups business and existing business in time of recession First of all, we are going to study past studies that were done during a period of recession and see how they coped during the period. Small businesses in their starting period are responsible for the New England turnaround and the Massachusetts miracle in the early 1980s. Small businesses had the willingness to expand and form and were the reason the economy became so strong (Lamp, 1988). It was found by Birch (1987) that the keys to new job creation are pioneering firms. Stable economies that can offer a proper environment for start-ups and existing firms to expand and grow but on the other hand those that cannnot offer such an environment usually suffer. With the reason that large businesses are reengineering, resizing and most importantly, downsizing, many people are leaning towards small business as a reason of economic expansion. In 1994 Dun Bradstreet anticipated that 3.1 million new jobs would be created with 72.4 percent following up from new firms with less than 100 employ ees. New small firms with less than 20 employees have also been seen as the creators of new markets for large firms and as the nations job creators (Phillips, 1993). As from this example, it is clear that new businesses and especially a small one can survive and also take advantage of the recession, if handled in the right way. Small businesses are considered to add to the local economy and therefore invigorate the economy (Violaris, Harmandas and Loizidis, 2012). When there is an economic recession, it is a period where all firms are struggling for their survival, especially for new firms and start-ups the failing rate proved to be higher compare to larger companies (Latham, 2009 p180-201, Lawless and warren,2005). However, some scholars have argued that smaller firms (start-ups) can have their own unique competitive advantage since they are closer to the market and realize the customers’ needs more easily (Young and Shepherd, 2005, Tavakoli and McKierman, 2009) There are several success factors that new companies can adopt in order to survive the crisis or event to expand in this recessionary environment. According to professor, John Quelch (2012), a success factor during a recession is that the firms should continue spending on marketing and in order to survive a firm should be able to realize how the needs and preferences of customers change in order to adopt their strategies. They should keep 8 factors in mind when making the marketing plans: research the customer, focus on family values, maintain marketing spending, adjust product portfolios, support distributors, adjust pricing tactics, stress market share and emphasize core values. A research of (Srinivasam, 2009) on six recessions that took place in US, from 1969 to 2007, showed that increases in RD (research and development) decreases profits for B2B and B2C, while there is no change for service firms. However, more expenditure in advertising increases the profits to B2B and B2C but not for firms that are in service. Also another research agreed that increases in advertising spending increases returns during recession but disagrees that increases on RD decreases returns (Graham and Frankenberger, 2008). Another strategy for start ups to follow during recessionary environment is a â€Å"Lean start-up† strategy. Many start-ups do not manage to survive because they spend a lot of money and time trying to produce products to customers that they might don’t like and therefore will mathematically drive the company out of business ( Eisenman, 2011). The methodology on start-up businesses is all about avoiding waste in terms of money and time. A good example is through the Toyota Production System (Dennis 2002). Important factors, for the success of small firms, especially in recessionary environment are the role of education, training and prior knowledge and experience. There are evidences that prove entrepreneurs having previous experience in the industry and knowledge of the market will have positive impact on the firms (Harada, 2002). A research that took place by Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008, shows that only one group out of the four( â€Å"the empire builder†, â€Å"the happiness seeker†, â€Å"the vision developer† and â€Å"the challenge achiever†) showed clear evidence that education and training had a positive impact on the success of the business. He found out that motivation and teamwork is a key factor for success. According to Fiol (2001) employees are recognised as one of the most valuable resources to the business in order to achieve their objectives. For some small firms the key point for success is happiness. Entrepreneurs must be happy at wor k as well the employees and the customers must enjoy the experience at the place of work (Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008). Analysts have researched on firms choosing to start during recession by following investment strategies. In antithesis with downsizing, firms like to take recessions as opportunities to innovate, expand and invest into new markets in order to extend or expand in a competitive advantage during the recession. Most of today’s household names had successfully launched businesses during recessions in the past. In the oil and steel industries that were emerging during the 1870s recession Rockefeller and Carnegie took advantage of steel production and technologies and of the weakness of various competitors from the same industry (Bryan and Farrell, 2008), and Edison also established General Electric which is until today a big and successful business (Lynn, 2009). Hershey started up their brand and distribution during the 1893-97 depression. Everybody also know until today Kellogg’s which grew out of another period of depression in the 1920s (Rumelt , 2008). The electrical, che mical and motor industries that were very important to post-war British industry expanded during the 1930s. Also two massive companies today, Microsoft and Apple corporations were also both founded in the 1970s, following from the oil-crisis. A lot of different studies disagree that firms adapt to recession conditions by applying business strategies based on new investment, market diversification and innovation, and a a strategy such as that usually leads to higher levels of business performance. Such examples are :targeting new market niches ,increased marketing spending and new product development (Roberts, 2003; Srinivasan, 2005; Pearce II and Michael, 2006); pricing strategies that centre the value, whereby rich resource firms highlight brand and quality instead of low prices to attract customers, or even, adopting ‘acquisitive pricing’ policies, to control low prices in sensitive markets that are influenced by prices (Chou and Chen, 2004). On a macro-level, quantitative studies of quantities and asset prices show that quantities differ more than prices do over the business’s cycle, including time between the periods of recession (e.g. Bhaskar, 1993; Geroski and Hall, 1995). From the above it is referred that most firms respond to macroeconomic shocks from a recession by prices maintenance, leading to quantities sold eventually to decrease. For a lot of firms, this is more likely to consequent into lower sales and, to extreme cases, exit. Studies like this show important data on the response of firm under financial crisis conditions but offer a small insight on why firms pick to respond in this way or if the price maintenance is advised by efficient measures. For the new business, more recent studies claim that a recession is normally an opportunity, not a threat for them, if handled correctly (Rumelt, 2008; Williamson and Zeng, 2009). The recent recession the whole world is facing is characterised by its nature globally and the risk that companies in rising markets take are becoming more active than expected. But research also show businesses not doing very well. Williamson and Zeng (2009) said that a key strategy business might be adopted to avoid this by focusing on developing what rising markets know to do well by offering value for money. They also suggest that companies should invest in research that is aimed at service and product innovation offers similar purposes but at lower expenses and costs. To sum up, a new business has to have a strategy to begin with. The proof on start up businesses adopting investment strategies to grow through recession is not so clear. Taking on strategies in the beginning and especially in a recession is under risk and most businesses are more likely to be very busy with short-term survival to think correctly about way to innovate and grow. Investments need resources –managerial skills, technical expertise and especially finance –and businesses with no or fewer resources are more likely not to be able to implement them. On the other side, history has proved that companies can adapt competitive advantage though a recession period from innovating into services, business models, products and also by getting into new and growing markets. As seen from previous studies they make very little efforts in explaining the reasons why particular firms do so very well when starting up their business in time of recession. No explanation is clearly given why they take the risk in the first place and avoid the potential risks of attempting such investment. It is consequential from the various researches that when a business adopts investment strategies from the beginning, success without any doubt follows. But the procedures a business has to take to imply these investment strategies and also having profitable outcomes is more likely to be more complicated than just said. However, such suggestions ignore the external issues: if all new firms start up by adopting investment strategies, would all succeed? In such crucial times of a recession, when nearly all customers turn to cheaper products, market conditions may not be able to support a wide range of unique and new innovations or a large number of firms looking for diversity, or new business wanting to grow and succeed. It is known that new business cannot lower their costs as they have more expenses than a mature business. REFERENCES Aktas, G. Gunlu, E. 2005, Crisis Management in Tourist Destinations, in Global Tourism,  3rd edn, ed. W. Theobald, Elsevier Inc., New York, pp. 440-55. Bhaskar, V., Machin, S. and Reid, G. (1993) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustment over the  Business Cycle: Evidence from Survey Data’, Oxford Economic Papers, vol. 45, no 2, pp. 257-268. Bryan, L. and Farrell, D. (2008) Leading through uncertainty, McKinsey Quarterly, online  at: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Leading_through_uncertainty_2263 Campbell, R. 1999, Crisis Control: Preventing Managing Corporate Crises, Prentice Hall,  Australia. Chou, T-J. and Chen, F-T. (2004) ‘Retail Pricing Strategies in Recession Economies: The  Case of Taiwan’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 82-102. Coombs, T. 1999, Ongoing Crisis Communication: Managing, Responding and Planning,  Sage Publications, London. Coombs, T. Holladay, S. 2002, Helping Crisis Managers Protect Reputational Assets:  Initial Tests of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory, Management  Communication Quarterly : McQ, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 165-87. Evans, N. Elphick, S. 2005, Crisis Management: Evaluation of their Value  for Strategic Planning in the International Travel Industry, The International Journal  of Tourism Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 135-51. Faulkner, B. 2001, Towards a Framework for Disaster Management,  Management, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 135-47. Geroski, P. and Hall, S. (1995b) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustments to Cost and Demand  Shocks’, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 185-204. Henderson, J. 2007, Crises: Causes, Consequences, and Management, Butterworth-  Heinemann, Oxford. King III, G. 2002, Crisis Management Team Effectiveness: A Closer Examination,  Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 235-50. Lynn, M. (2009) The new capitalism, Sunday Times, 17 May, p.4.  Pacific Asia Travel Association 2003, Crisis: It Wont Happen to Us, Pacific Asia Travel  Association, Bangkok. Pearce, J. II and Michael, S. (2006) ‘Strategies to Prevent Economic Recessions From  Causing Business Failure’, Business Horizons, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 201-209. Pearson, C. Mitroff, I. 1993, From Crisis Prone to Crisis Prepared: A Framework for  Crisis Management, The Executive, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 48-59. Ritchie, B. 2004, Chaos, Crises and Disasters: A Strategic Approach to Crisis Management  in the Retail Industry, Retail Management, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 669-83. Roberts, K. (2003) What Strategic Investments Should you make During a Recession to  Gain Competitive Advantage in the recovery?’ Strategy Leadership, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 31-39. Ruff, P. Aziz, K. 2003, Managing Communications in a Crisis, Gower Publishing Limited,  England. Rumelt, R. (2009) Strategy in a Structural Break’, McKinsey Quarterly, no. 1, pp. 35-42. Simpson M., Tuck N., Bellamy S. 2004. Success factors of small businesses: the role of education and training Srinivasan, R., Lilien, G and Rangaswamy, A. 2005, ‘Turning Disaster into Advantage:  Does Proactive Marketing During a Recession Pay Off?’ Journal of Research in Marketing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.109-125 Williamson, P.J. and Zeng, M. (2009) Value-for-money Strategies for Recessionary  Times, Harvard Business Review, vol.87, no.3, pp: 66-74.

Essay --

The station which might get to be London first shows up in history as a little military space warehouse utilized by the Romans throughout their attack of Britain, which started in A.d. 43. It was conceivably found as an exchanging focus with the landmass and soon formed into a paramount port. It had turned into the base camp of the Procurator, the official responsible for the funds of Roman Britain, when Boudica, the Queen of the Iceni, a local British tribe possessing East Anglia, blazed it to the ground in A.d. 61 over the span of her grisly rebel against Roman guideline. It was reconstructed by the year 100, and first shows up as "Londinium" in Tacitus' Annals. It quickly got to be both the common capital and the regulatory, business, and budgetary focus of Roman Britain. Its populace by the center of the third century numbered maybe 30,000 individuals, a number which developed in fifty years to about twice that number. They existed in a city with cleared boulevards, sanctuaries, open showers, work places, shops, block fields, earthenwares, glass-lives up to expectations, humble homes and fancy estates, encompassed by three miles of stone dividers (allotments of which still remain) which were eight feet thick at their base and up to twenty feet in stature. Throughout the course of the fourth century, nonetheless, as the Roman Empire started to fall, Roman Londinium fell into indistinct quality as its defensive Legions withdrew; history records no hint of it between 457 and 600. Throughout that time, then again, it steadily turned into a Saxon exchanging town, in the long run one of respectable size. In that century Christianity was acquainted with the city (St. Augustine named a diocesan, and a church was constructed), yet th... ...istfulness for a quickly vanishing provincial past which headed William Morris to establish the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings, and headed him, too, to start his The Earthly Paradise with the accompanying lines: Disregard six provinces overhung with smoke, Disregard the grunting steam and cylinder stroke, Disregard the spreading of the repulsive town; Think rather of the pack-horse on the down, What's more long for London, little, and white, and clean, The reasonable Thames flanked by its enclosures green. . . While near the thronged wharf Geoffrey Chaucer's pen Moves over bills of filling. . . From the mid life years on, and well into the nineteenth century, much of London was vicious and dirty. Throughout the eighteenth century, the poor and the unemployed much of the time involved themselves, as Hogarth exhibited, by drink

Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey :: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being 'dehumanized' (Porter 49) into a machine created by the evil Nurse Ratched. I. Bromden in the beginning A. Dehumanized by Nurse Ratched 1. structured 2. forbids laughing 3. controlling B. The effect that the Nurse and the ward have on Bromden 1. could not smell 2. thinks of himself as little 3. hides in the fog 4. fears everything 5. sees himself as comic 6. hallucinates II. Bromden in progress A. Gives up deaf and dumb B. Great turn - around C. Begins to smell things D. Regains his laugh E. Loosens up III. Bromden at the end A. Bromden escapes B. Bromden is a hero C. McMurphy is death; Bromden strength D. Bromden becomes big IV. Conclusion A. Modern world; machines destroy B. Nurse Ratched the machine C. Modern world is the combine Bromden and his Changing Mind In One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest by Ken Kesey, Chief Bromden is a character who has to work his way back to being and acting like a real human after so many years of being ?

Life Experience Growing Up Essay

It is hard to explain to most people the reason why even though I was born in the United States of America and had a complete set of parents at the time of my birth, I was still sent to Haiti to be raised by a surrogate family. Not everyone understands the crazy things that parents do when their marriage is failing and the family is falling apart, as my parents chose to do. I do not remember much about my childhood in the USA because I left when I was seven years old. All that I could remember about that time was that my mother came home one day really sad and she asked my two sisters and I to pack up our things because we were going on an airplane ride. When I asked her where we were headed, thinking that we were probably going to Disneyland or something, she told me that we were going to take a vacation at her sister’s house in Haiti. This did not strike me as strange at the time because I had never met my mother’s sister at that point in time so I was excited to meet her. Mom told us that we had cousins in Haiti and we would get to meet them for the very first time during this trip. When I asked my mom if Dad would be joining us on this trip, she said that he was too busy at work to come along but that he loved us and wished us a safe trip. So it happened that I left my country of birth in 1973 to embark on a life that was thrust upon me without a choice nor a reason why I had to live it. Our mother spent a whole month with us in Haiti. I have some vague recollection of my mother sitting at the dining table at night with her sister, crying and in need of consolation. At the end of the month, I remember seeing my mother packing her suitcase. I thought it was time to go home and that she had simply forgotten to tell my sisters and I to pack up our things. So I began doing so without being instructed to. When mom saw what I was doing, she asked me to stop and come out to the backyard to have a talk. We sat on the swing in the small backyard of my aunt’s house as my mother explained what our new family situation was. She asked me if I remembered how she and dad had been fighting a lot lately and sometimes he would not come home for days because of the arguments. I recall that at the time I had vague recollections of my parents voices breaking through the bedroom walls at night when they thought we were already asleep. Slowly, mom explained to me that the marriage was in trouble and that the family was falling apart. She assured me that they both still loved us more than life itself but that they felt it would be best if we stayed n Haiti while they finalized the divorce and they both tried to get back on their feet after. It hurt me a lot to be indirectly told that my sisters and I had no place in our parents lives anymore. I felt abandoned and betrayed by both my parents. I was angry that even though I was just a little girl, I would have to find a way to explain what was going on to my sisters and make sure that they would be able to adjust to a life without our real mom and dad. We were all born in New York City and were accustomed to its lifestyle and culture. O when we were forcibly left in Haiti by our mom, we had to overcome the culture shock and social difficulty of having to live in a different environment from what we were used to. My sisters and I also had to lowly began to adjust to life with our surrogate parents. That is, our aunt and her husband. We had surrogate siblings as well because they eventually had their own children. We were a large, convoluted, extended family. As time passed, we became less American and more Haitian. French became our mother tongue and English was a stranger to us. We were happy and well adjusted kids who saw no difference in the way we were treated by our guardians who loved and treated us as if we were their own flesh and blood. Our parents? We spoke to them separately over the phone 4 times a month. We were strangers who did not really know anything about each other and did not have much to talk about over the phone. Those times were more like mandatory duties that our aunt and uncle made sure we accomplished without fail.