Dickens writes Oliver Twist Essay

Dickens creates sympathy for Oliver and the other orphans throughout the first four chapters of the book. He does this by describing in depth the neglect, mistreatment and emotions of the children. There is a strong example of this at the end of the first chapter when Dickens writes â€Å"Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder. † Oliver suffers dearly while living in the workhouse; he is quite regularly made an example of. One of the occasions he is made an example of is when he is forced to ask for more gruel by the other orphans. For doing this he is harshly beaten by cane in front of the other children and is then imprisoned. Oliver and the other orphans were beaten both mentally and physically, neglected and starved from birth, until either leaving the workhouse as slave laborers or dieing. Oliver is terrified of Mr.Gamfield he openly shows his emotion to the whole board of the workhouse when in chapter three he falls to his knees, praying that they would order him back the room, that they would starve him, beat him, kill him. He prays for all of this rather than them send him away with Mr. Gamfield In the time of workhouses the standard of living was near to none. The unwealthy basically had no choice to but to enter a workhouse. They would work for a roof and little food. All of the people in the workhouse had to sleep on the hard floor and receive poor medical attention. Overall the living condition were appalling, Charles Dickens uses irony to create a feeling of how bad the conditions where, a good example of this is that nearly every member of staff is overweight even them giving out the tiny amount of gruel to the orphans. Dickens attempts to create a feeling of pity for the orphans, by doing this we can see that he is trying to relive poverty, stop other people from going through what he went through. Dickens somehow manages to take a subject as important as poverty and put it across by using humor, and at the same time still manages to keep that feeling of seriousness.

Resume Cover Letter samples Essay

Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name: Your opening paragraph should briefly introduce you and your interest in the company. If you are aware of a specific position or opening, refer to it now. This paragraph should also be used to mention the names of individuals you have met from the company (e.g., at the EIS, company event or other networking event), or the individual who directed you to this person. Cite other research that prompted you to write, such as a recent article on the company or a positive networking interaction. The last line in this paragraph should give a summary statement of who you are and why you are a strong fit for the position. Your middle paragraph (or two) should consist of specific examples from your background that would be of greatest interest to the company and consequently create the â€Å"notion of fit.† Do not just make broad generalizations about your skill set – any assertions about your skills have to be backed up with specific examples of how/why you have developed those skills. Focus on your skills and accomplishments and how they could contribute to the company, but do not simply restate what is on your resume. Demonstrate that you know about the organization and the industry. If you are a career changer, it is essential to clearly state your transferable skills from previous experience that directly relates to the skills required in the position you are interested in. Your closing paragraph represents your summation and should outline the key next steps. For example, state  that you would like to discuss employment opportunities or other information with the person and that you plan on contacting them on a specific date. If the company has a specific position available, ask for an opportunity to interview. Thank the addressee for his or her time and consideration. Include your telephone and email address in case the cover letter gets separated from your resume. Sincerely, (signature) Your Name Enclosure(s) (If you send resume or other materials.) Student Name 123 Riverside Drive Philadelphia, PA 19103 wstudent@wharton.upenn.edu Date Ms. Recruit Mint Best Company 123 Recruiting Lane New York, NY 10027 Dear Ms. Mint: As a first year student at the Wharton School, I would like to be considered for your product development summer internship program. After attending your on campus presentation in October, I became very excited about the exciting career opportunities and dynamic culture at Best Company. I was particularly impressed with Best Company’s ability to maintain a small company culture while offering the resources and professional development opportunities of a large conglomerate. Additionally, my conversations with Joe Smith and Susie Queue served only to strengthen my belief that Best Company would be the ideal place for me to leverage my strong analytical and marketing abilities to make a substantial impact in the consumer goods industry. I believe my strong finance and marketing background, along with my prior consumer goods experience will enable me to be an effective part of Best Company’s team. Prior to Wharton, I worked in the consumer goods industry for 5 years,  handling export sales and marketing products for a leading beverage firm. As the leader of a 15 person cross functional team tasked with launching the company’s first new product in 5 years, I learned a great deal about the importance of creating buy in at all levels of the organization and understanding consumers’ needs and preferences. Despite aggressive deadlines and budget constraints, I led the team to successfully launch a $10 million new product which continues to be one of the top 3 selling beverages in its segment. In addition, during my MBA training, I have focused on developing my strategic analysis and financial planning competencies, two areas which I know are critical success factors for product managers in Best Company. These skills, along with my prior work experience and passion for new product development, will enable me to significantly contribute to your business. I would welcome the opportunity to interview with your company when you are on campus on February 4. Please find my resume attached. I look forward to meeting with you soon and want to thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Wharton Student Enclosure: Resume Student Name 123 Uris Street, Apt 3 New York, NY, 10025 Date Ms. Recruit Mint Recruiting Coordinator Unilever 123 Any Street Anytown, State, 12345 Dear Ms. Mint: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School of Business planning on  pursuing a career in brand management. While attending your company’s presentation on October 4, I was particularly impressed with the entrepreneurial mindset of Unilever brand managers and their emphasis on both the qualitative side of marketing, creativity, and the quantitative side, market research. I believe that my background in consulting and strategic planning, combined with my exposure to marketing and consumer insight would be a strong fit for Unilever. Therefore, I am writing to request an interview for the Brand Management Summer Intern position in the Home and Personal Care business. Prior to attending Wharton, I acquired a diverse set of marketing, analytical and project management skills. My experience working directly for the Vice President of Market Research and Consumer Insight at Seagram’s Spirits and Wine on an ethnic marketing strategy will enable me to immediately grasp consumer marketing and demographic issues facing your products. My role as Manager in Strategic Planning for Seagram’s gave me the opportunity to interact with senior management, to work with marketing directors in foreign affiliates and to gain marketing experience with a global perspective. Specifically, I led cross-functional teams in Costa Rica, Venezuela and Mexico to refine marketing strategies for presentation to senior management. In addition, I managed several external agencies in public relations, advertising and events planning for a Captain Morgan awareness campaign which resulted in a 20% increase in brand awareness. I believe that my exposure to senior management and to the tactical side of marketing, combined with the skills I gained as a management consultant – analytical thinking, team leadership and client relationship management- will allow me to make an immediate impact at Unilever. I believe I possess the essential marketing and management skills to be a successful brand manager at Unilever and would appreciate the opportunity to interview on your closed list on February 8. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Regards, Student Name Enclosure: Resume Student Name 123 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA, 19111 Date Ms. Jane Doe Senior Recruiter Bank 123 456 Wall Street New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Doe: As a second year MBA student at The Wharton School of Business, I would like to be considered for your XXX position. Through discussions with current employees, including Victor Jones from your XYZ group, I am convinced that Goldman Sachs offers the best platform for a successful career. I have long been interested in the various financial innovations employing fixed income securities. This passion, combined with my strong banking experience this past summer and my very strong analytical and quantitative abilities, makes me a strong fit for your fixed income group. Over the past summer, I worked as a summer associate at Bank ABC in both equity research and corporate finance. I learned a tremendous amount about the operation of securities business and how to communicate and market one’s idea; however, it also made me realize fixed income securities and derivatives are a better fit with my quantitative and analytical approach than equities. Before business school I was trained and worked as a scientist in genetic research, during which I led teams in successful completion of two projects and further developed my communication and leadership skills. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to interview with your company when you are on campus on February 4th. I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any additional questions, I can be contacted at 215-XXX-XXXX or abc@wharton.upenn.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, John M. Carter 123 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA, 19111 XXX-XXX-XXXX abc@wharton.upenn.edu Date Ms. Jane Doe Senior Recruiter Bank 123 456 Wall Street New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Doe, I just graduated from The Wharton School of Business and am extremely interested in pursuing a full time position in Sales and Trading with your firm. I am a highly motivated and outgoing individual, as evidenced by my previous work experience in the investment banking industry, and I am convinced that an opportunity in Sales and Trading would allow me to combine these traits with my analytical, computer and quantitative problem solving skills. Spending the summer rotating through the trading floor at Bear Stearns allowed me to realize that a trading environment with excitement, challenges and learning opportunities is where I need to be. While an analyst for Electronic Data Systems, I worked with Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank traders and their systems. Prior to that, at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette I worked for the debt-trading desk, capital markets group and investment banking group. Through these positions, I gained substantial knowledge of the securities industry and experience in project management and business development. In addition, the demanding time constraints taught me to work well within a team. In addition, prior to starting at Wharton, I spent four months trading full time for my personal account. With these experiences, I feel that I have  substantial exposure to the markets and their trends and will continue to learn how to use them to my advantage. I have the educational background, academic achievement, practical experience, and passion to be an outstanding member of your team. I hope that you will find me well qualified for this position and I would like to reiterate my strong interest to discuss this opportunity and my qualifications with you further. I will contact you early next week to discuss a mutually convenient time for us to talk and look forward to meeting you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration; I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Your Name goes here Student Name 1111 Ben Franklin Street Philadelphia, PA 19XXX XXX-XXX-XXXX xxx@wharton.upenn.edu Date Ms. Tina Brown Assistant Vice President Bank XYZ 999 Wall Street 12th Floor New York, NY 11111 Dear Ms. Brown: As a second year MBA student at Wharton School of Business, I am writing to express my interest in the full-time associate position at Bank XYZ in the London office. I am impressed with the opportunities the firm gives its employees to work in diverse teams and to advise clients on cross-border strategic decisions. Over the summer I served as a Summer Associate in the Real Estate Industry Group of JP Morgan’s corporate finance division. On the third week of my internship I was assigned to work on a French acquisition for a major client and was thrust into a field in which I had no prior experience. My rapid  understanding of this new area and my solid transaction management, people management and strong analytical skills enabled me to make valuable contributions to the project. The subject matter was fascinating and convinced me to further develop my real estate expertise by attending relevant classes, such as Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Transactions. I am interested in building on my summer experience and building a career in investment banking, particularly in the real estate field. Should you require additional information, please contact me by phone or via e-mail. I look forward to meeting with you when you are interviewing on campus in October. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, XXXXXXXXX Enclosure Student Name 123 West 21st Street Philadelphia, PA 19XXX Date Ms. Jane Johnson Strategic Planning Company ABC 101 JFK Parkway 5th Floor Any city, PA 19XXX Dear Ms. Johnson: I would like to express my interest in the XXX internship position with the Company ABC’s Strategic Planning Group. I have followed closely the movement of your company, and I have been very impressed. I believe that Company ABC has done a fantastic job leveraging its unique brand and assets into a relationship with the consumer that generates multiple streams of revenue from a single customer, and that it has done extremely well in creating new and profitable business segments for the company. Much of that success I attribute to the Strategic Planning  Group, and I would be very excited to use my skills in the development of the next set of strategies that will further strengthen that bond with the customer and that will produce consistent and profitable growth over the coming years. Prior to Wharton, I honed my team leadership, strategy development, and analysis skills while working at XXX Bank. I managed a project to boost net profits by $70 million per year by identifying dissatisfied customers and designing solutions to address their concerns. To succeed my team conducted focus groups to understand the reasons for card member complaints, brainstormed on programs to address these issues, created detailed cost-benefit analyses of proposed solutions, and ultimately coordinated the various groups necessary to implement our recommendations. The project required a comprehensive strategic vision, tremendous attention to detail, strong analytical skills, the ability to clearly communicate ideas, and the ability to mobilize groups with different agendas towards a common objective. I believe these skills would allow me to contribute to Company ABC by developing, analyzing, and implementing the next generation of business strategies. With my penchant for producing tangible results and my enthusiasm for tackling tough issues, I am confident that I can make significant contributions to Company ABC. I hope that you find my background and experience a good fit for your company, and I ask that you include me in your upcoming full-time interview schedule. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best regards, Student Name Steve Stevenson 222 Western Street, Apartment A Philadelphia, PA 19995 abc@wharton.upenn.edu 215-999-9999 mobile Date Mr. Jeff Jefferson Associate, Investment Banking ABC Bank 123 Wall Street. New York, NY 10004 Dear Mr. Jefferson: I am a first year MBA student at Wharton and am interested in interviewing with ABC Bank for a summer associate position in investment banking. After conducting informational interviews with Eric Erikson, Daniel Danielson, and David Davidson, I am very interested in becoming a part of the successful team at ABC Bank. Before attending business school, I worked for over four years in acquisitions at Company ABC, the nation’s largest health care REIT. My major accomplishments at Company ABC included: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Closing over 50 transactions totaling $425 million; Analyzing the acquisition of a $1.5 billion competing health care REIT; Preparing and presenting investment committee packages to the board of directors for transaction approvals; Leading multiple deal teams simultaneously on numerous transactions; and Ascending from analyst to assistant vice president through two promotions. I am confident that my skills and experience in the real estate industry will enable me to positively contribute to Company ABC. I appreciate your consideration for an on-campus interview with your firm in February. Should you require additional information please contact me at 215-999-9999. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Steve Stevenson Steve Stevenson 222 Western Street, Apartment A Philadelphia, PA 19995 abc@wharton.upenn.edu 215-999-9999 mobile Date Mr. Jeff Jefferson Recruiter ABC Company 123 Main Street. New York, NY 10004 Dear Mr. Jefferson: I am a first-year MBA student at Wharton with a concentration in marketing and prior experience in market development. I recently read about the joint venture ABC Company is doing with XYZ Communications to expand its broadcast presence in the young adult market. I would be very excited to speak with you about how I could contribute to the success of this exciting new partnership. I believe my background and prior experience will enable me to be an effective part of ABC Company’s team. Prior to Wharton, I worked in the European consumer good industry for four years, handling export sales and marketing for a leading Italian beverage firm. My experience working with the primary European and North American markets gave me a range of essential skills, including insight into consumer purchasing behavior, distribution channels, and advertising and media planning. I successfully managed new product launches and campaigns throughout Europe, helping the company expand into new markets. During my MBA training, I focused on developing my strategic analysis and financial/investment planning competencies. I believe that these skills coupled with my passion for media would enable me to significantly contribute to your business. I would like the opportunity to discuss how my talents could be utilized at Company ABC. I will contact you during the week of February 18 to set up a mutually convenient time for us to talk. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, Steve Stevenson David Green P.O. Box 5555 New York, NY 10010 215-XXX-XXXX Date Ms. Mary Davison Vice President Company XYZ 100 5th Avenue New York, NY 10101 Dear Ms. Davison: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School of Business pursuing a career in investment management and I am writing to express my interest in the XYZ position with Company XYZ. Your long-term investment perspective and multiple portfolio counselor system bring a richer perspective to your investments. In addition, your unique research portfolio allows your Research Analysts to directly contribute to your friends’ success. During four years in the management consulting industry, I concentrated on improving distribution and manufacturing activities in my clients’ supply chains. The projects I completed taught me the many factors that influence the performance of publicly traded companies and allowed me to hone my client relations skills. Both competencies would serve me well at Company XYZ. My current part-time equity research position at ABC Asset Management is also developing my equity analysis and valuation skill sets. The detailed  research I am performing is furthering my knowledge of how to best analyze a company’s future prospects. I am very interested in speaking with you about how I would contribute to the success of Company XYZ. I hope to have the opportunity to meet with you during you on campus interviews on February XX. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, David Green Enclosure John Talksalot 155 East 45th Street New York, NY 10001 xyz@wharton.upenn.edu 917-201-6716 Date Ms. Natalie Andrews Human Resources Associate Consumer Products Company ABC 555 Amsterdam Avenue Tarrytown, NY 10591 Dear Ms. Andrews: I am a first-year student at the Wharton School concentrating in marketing. I am writing to request an interview on March 3, 2003, for the Summer Associate Global Brand Management position. After attending your MBA Open House on October 21, 2003, and speaking with your colleagues, John Harvey and Jay Fisher, I believe Consumer Products Company ABC would be an excellent match for my future career in global brand management. My passion for the food sector stems from the early exposure I had by working in my family’s food business. I am also excited about contributing my four years of strategic planning and consumer insight to your company. As Manager of Strategic Planning at MasterCard, I led cross-functional teams that developed and implemented integrated marketing plans and successfully communicated our platinum card’s benefits to consumers with maximum impact  and efficiency. This role also afforded me the opportunity to interact with senior management from other divisions, work with marketing directors in foreign affiliates and gain marketing experience with a global perspective. I believe that my tactical success in expanding MasterCard’s brand name by targeting new consumer segments as well as my success in refining its core market strategies would enable me to make a fine contribution to your team. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Best regards, Michael Talksalot Enclosure Jacob Jacobson 100 South 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19100 abc@wharton.upenn.edu Tel: (215) 999-9999 Date Ms. Karen Smith Campus Recruiting Manager ABC Consulting 150 Broadway New York, NY 10101 Dear Ms. Smith: I am a first year MBA student at the Wharton School writing to apply for a consulting position in your summer associate program. I am particularly interested in working in the Health Care practice of your New York office. After attending your company presentation and speaking with several consultants from your firm, including John Johnson of the Philadelphia office, I was excited by the opportunity to contribute to ABC Consulting’s innovative work in the health care field. Furthermore, I was impressed by the excellent structure of the summer program, and ABC Consulting’s strong reputation for focusing on both strategy and implementation. As a faculty  member at University of Pennsylvania Medical School, I led a number of basic science projects in diverse disease areas enjoying the opportunity to create and confirm hypothesis. (EXAMPLE) I also had the opportunity to gain managerial experience by collaborating closely with teams of biomedical researchers and ensuring the team thrived in environments of uncertainty. (EXAMPLE – include sentence here about quant skills and an example of how you used them). My biomedical science training coupled with my strong leadership experiences and extensive quantitative skills will enable me to provide value to ABC Consulting and its clients. I look forward to speaking with you or your representative when you visit campus in February. In case you require additional information, please feel free to contact me at 215-XXX-XXXX. Thank you very much for your consideration Sincerely, Jacob Jacobson Ms. Susie Stephenson 1955 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19101 Mr. John Johnson Company ABC Corporate Finance Date Dear Mr. Johnson: I am writing to apply for a position as a Summer Financial Associate with Company ABC. As a first-year MBA at the Wharton School, where I am majoring in finance and health care management, I have come to appreciate the unique opportunities provided by Company ABC. After attending your on-campus presentation, I am excited about the finance opportunities at Company ABC. I have been particularly impressed by Company ABC’s ability to maintain a  small-company culture while building a large conglomerate of consumer products, medical device and pharmaceutical companies. With over four years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, I have not only developed sophisticated analytical skills, but also the leadership capabilities necessary to address the growing financial and strategic concerns facing companies today. Most recently as a Financial Analyst at XYZ Pharmaceuticals, where I provided financial support for two therapeutic areas as well as business development activities, I mobilized my colleagues to offer a struggling business unit better financial support. I implemented more insightful ways to look at value options through financial analyses as well as provided deal support on several out-licensing and codevelopment opportunities. In addition, my previous work advising biopharmaceutical clients at ABC Consulting enabled me to fine-tune my communication skills. With my drive, skills, and experience, I am confident that I can make an immediate contribution towards the growth of Company ABC. I look forward to the opportunity to interview with you or your representative when you are on campus in February. Attached please find a copy of my resume. If you have any questions, I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Susie Stephenson Date Mx. XXX XXX Company X Address City, State, Zip Dear XXXX, I am writing to apply for an XXX position with Company X’s ABC Division. After gaining additional perspective on ABC through my attendance at Company X’s information session and conversations with Benjamin Lim and David Kasper, I am convinced that ABC Division would be an ideal environment to  further my marketing career pursuits. I am impressed with Company X’s marketing training, cutting-edge drug research and ethics-driven culture. The pharmaceutical sales and marketing strategy insights I gained from health care consulting will enable me to make immediate and lasting contributions to ABC Division’s brand management teams. During my tenure at Consulting Firm Y, I assisted executives at Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies in devising innovative, multi-channel sales and marketing strategies. By leveraging my creativity and analytical skills, I enabled my clients to differentiate themselves from their competition and enhance physician penetration and reach. My strong communication skills will also be valuable in crafting physician messaging and internally sharing information with my Company X teammates. This skill was recognized by upper management at Consulting Firm Y, as I was selected to lead firm-wide training on presentation crafting and storyboarding. Lastly, my initiative in developing a corporate knowledge sharing system at Consulting Firm Y reshaping ABC Pharmaceutical’s training and vendor qualification system, and serving on the Wharton MBA Curriculum Advisory Board demonstrate my leadership and involvement in continued enhancement of the environments where I have worked and studied. I look forward to the opportunity to interview and to continue to learn more about marketing career opportunities at Company X. Should you have any questions regarding my interests or qualifications, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail hc@wharton.upenn.edu or at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Sincerely, Student Name

Job Satisfaction, Work Attitude Essay

As stated by Black (2001), teachers’ stress is rising due to such factors as greater time constraints, low salaries, excessive work overloads, lack of involvement in decision – making and problems with school disciplines. Teachers suffer, due to in part of to the low-pay-high-cost-of-living gap. Decisions handed from the top down leave teachers feeling like more trainers than educators. Teaching in low performing schools should be a rewarding experience, yet these schools are labelled failures. These are confounded as some educators are seen publicly lambasting others. The education community is on edge. With all the finger pointing and name calling, it is a wonder teacher can push this negativism out of their minds while they turn their full attention on their students (Nichols, 2006). Furthermore, a nationwide survey conducted by the Rural Editorial Service of the University of Chicago reported in July 2006 that job satisfaction depends also such factors as the community’s attitude toward them and the schools, the quality of educational leadership, the amount of responsibility granted to teachers, adequate housing facilities, teacher welfare benefits, and others. In point of fact, there were signal improvements in teachers’ conditions of service throughout the year. New or liberalized retirement plans were authorized by well over half the states, and class registrations were reduced to thirty in Maryland and Arkansas. In the Philippines, one of the major problems in the Department of Education is the shortage of trained and competent teachers. Major reason of this shortfall is that a number of trained teachers turn to other types of employment and some went abroad for greater employment opportunity. Generally, as observed that some teachers are disillusioned, demoralized and confused at being forced to carry out unpopular Government policies, while being constantly blamed for the society’s ills. Some factors might have created dissatisfaction amongst teachers will probably include references to discipline problems created by unruly pupils, class sizes, the introduction of the National Curriculum, and lowered professional status. Additional factors also include level of salaries and benefits, increased work-related pressures, like having too many forms to be filled up, the here and now changes of different proposed programs of the department, the concern over employment security like the most recently problem on the Government Security Insurance System (GSIS) and lessening support for education on the part of political opportunities. As someone who has spent many years working as a schoolteacher at the same time a School In – charge in one of the schools in Davao City, and had continually work closely with teachers especially in the schools in the interland. I have observe that some teachers are somewhat fed up with having to teach children in even larger classes, working in schools which are dilapidated, underfunded and overstretched. Taking in to account that most of these teachers are working away from their home and family and could only go home weekly, or the least once a month due to the distance of the schools they are assigned. However, districts located in the hinterland such as Paquibato, had most number of teacher applicants every year. Reason of this scenario could be the fact that many teachers are applying for transfer to the nearby schools after a one or two years of service and that applicant could be hired easily. Nevertheless, some teachers had tenured in this district up to their retirement period and some had flourished and raised their professional status and positions. The ground for conducting this study is that it is intended to shed light on what influences how teachers feel about their work and profession so that positive job-related attitudes may be cultivated. Theoretical Background The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, a motivation theory, laid the foundation for job satisfaction theory. It is founded in the premise that goals or needs underpin by being the fundamental source of all desires. This theory explains that people seek to satisfy five specific needs in life – physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs, and self-actualization. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied, nor the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on (Evan,2010). According to Hackman & Oldham (2007), Frederick Herzberg’s Two factor theory (also known as Motivator Hygiene Theory) attempts to explain satisfaction and motivation in the workplace. This theory states that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different factors – motivation and hygiene factors, respectively. An employee’s motivation to work is continually related to job satisfaction of a subordinate. Motivation can be seen as an inner force that drives individuals to attain personal and organizational goals. Motivating factors are those aspects of the job that make people want to perform, and provide people with satisfaction, for example achievement in work, recognition, promotion opportunities. These motivating factors are considered to be intrinsic to the job, or the work carried out. Hygiene factors include aspects of the working environment such as pay, company policies, supervisory practices, and other working conditions. However, Path-Goal Theory contends that the leader must motivate subordinates by: (1) emphasizing the relationship between the subordinates’ own needs and the organizational goals; (2) clarifying and facilitating the path subordinates must take to fulfill their own needs as well as the organization’s needs (google. com,2010) Another well-known job satisfaction theory is the Dispositional Theory (Jackson April 2007). Accordingly, it is a very general theory that suggests that people have innate dispositions that cause them to have tendencies toward a certain level of satisfaction, regardless of one’s job. This approach became a notable explanation of job satisfaction in light of evidence that job satisfaction tends to be stable over time and across careers and jobs. Moreover, a significant model that narrowed the scope of the Dispositional Theory was the Core Self-evaluations Model, proposed by Timothy A. Judge in 1998. Judge argued that there are four Core Self-evaluations that determine one’s disposition towards job satisfaction: self-esteem, general self-efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism. This model states that higher levels of self-esteem (the value one places on his/her self) and general self-efficacy (the belief in one’s own competence) lead to higher work satisfaction. Having an internal locus of control (believing one has control over herhis own life, as opposed to outside forces having control) leads to higher job satisfaction. Finally, lower levels of neuroticism lead to higher job satisfaction (Wikipedia,2010). Evans (2001), gives eight stages progression for a teacher moving from a modest level of job satisfaction towards a higher level of job satisfaction towards which is helpful. These are the following: first is being aware that there is a problem. Being aware that there is an issue, and agreeing what issue is, is by far the most important aspect of seeking to change a situation. Then devising a strategy. Once they know what the issue is that they are addressing they can start work on devising a strategy to solve it. It is followed by effecting the new strategy. It means that once they have decided what to do, they have to start work on implementing this strategy. Fourth stage is awareness of having made changes work. This implies that there is excellent communication in school. Next stage is perception that this is all worthwhile. By this stage everyone needs to start feeling better about the work being undertaken. Then sixth stage is each teacher needs to feel good about his or her own contribution to the scheme of change. In this way, teachers become not only positive about the change programme, but they also see their contribution as being significant. Seventh is a sense of achievement. This comes from the feeling of a job well done. Lastly is job fulfilment and job comfort. By this stage teachers feel good about themselves and about the job and most important about their ability to affect their meaningful way. However, according to Weis, (2010) job satisfaction can also be seen within the broader context of the range of issues which affect an individual’s experience of work, or their quality of working life. Job satisfaction can be understood in terms of its relationships with other key factors, such as general well-being, stress at work, control at work, home-work interface, and working conditions. Stress as defined by Hans Selye, is the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it. It is not nervous tension, but the wear and tear of life. Stress describes the effects of the body’s reaction to pressure. The source of stress, called stressor, may be purely physical, social, or psychological. The mind may interpret it as pleasant or unpleasant. Whatever meaning it gives, the mind sends it via two pathways. One pathway, is known as the subconscious appraisal pathway, is responsible for the physical and emotional reflexes of the body. The other pathway, responsible for voluntary actions, is used for perception, evaluation, and decision – making. In this other pathway, the individual is made aware of the environmental demands. As he perceives his situation, he interprets it according to his previous experiences, value system, self-concept, ego-strengths, attitudes and feelings. Emotions are usually aroused which in turn give color to the person’s interpretation (Fabella, 2008). According to Good Health Handbook, life and stress are interwoven with each other. It depends on how you view life and how stress affects you. Stress is a highly individual phenomenon. It is strange in its own way – because when it occurs it becomes difficult for the body and mind to adjust to the pattern of life. However, Fabella stated in his book, that stress can be minimized and channelled for growth and development, and life can be filled with joy, peace, love and security. He added accordingly, that stress- resilient people have been observed to have a specific set of attitudes toward life- an openness to change, a feeling of involvement in whatever they are doing, and a sense of control over events. He further said that man who places his entire self in the sphere of work neglecting love (family) and play (sports, hobbies, socializing, friendships) decreases his overall adaptability. If he defines his existence in terms of achievement in his work, he will find that if for external reasons (i,e. , poor health) or boredom ( loss of interest or loss of faith in his employer) his work loses meaning, then so will his life. He will become demoralized, confused, and unable to function. Mayo Clinic stated that there is a link between work approach and job satisfaction. Work is often approached from three perspectives. Usually all three perspectives are important for job satisfaction, but one is often the priority: First is, It’s a job. If you approach work as a job, you focus primarily on the financial rewards. In fact, the nature of the work may hold little interest for you. What’s important is the money. If a job with more pay comes your way, you’ll likely move on. Next is, It’s a career. If you approach work as a career, you’re interested in advancement. You want to climb the career ladder as far as possible or be among the most highly regarded professionals in your field. You’re motivated by the status, prestige and power that come with the job. The third is, It’s a calling. If you approach your job as a calling, you focus on the work itself. You work less for the financial gain or career advancement than for the fulfillment the work brings. One approach isn’t necessarily better than the others. But it is helpful to reflect on why work if unsatisfied with the job and are ready to move on. Think about what originally drew on the current job, and whether it may be a factor in lack of job satisfaction. Additionally, the Clinic noted several ways to increase job satisfaction depending on the underlying cause of the lack of job satisfaction. One is by Improving job skills. Keeping abreast to the new strategies and techniques, and by attending seminars. Developing a new project also helps. Working on something one care about can boost confidence. Mentoring a co-worker. Once a job is mastered, it is a becoming routine. Helping a new co-worker or an intern advance his or her skills can restore the challenge and the satisfaction you desire. However, when personal abilities do not match the responsibilities, boredom will attack. Keep in mind that boredom can literally be deadly if a job involves working with machinery or caring for people, much more on dealing with children. If the mind is wandering to the point that a life or the lives of others is put in jeopardy, take action now. Stay positive. Use positive thinking to reframe thoughts about the job. Changing one’s attitude about work will not necessarily happen overnight or increase job satisfaction overnight. Stop negative thoughts. Put things in perspective. Look for the silver lining. â€Å"Reframing† can help find the good in a bad situation. Learn from mistakes. Failure is one of the greatest learning tools, but many people let failure defeat them. Be grateful. Gratitude can help focus on what’s positive about the job.

Exxon Mobil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Exxon Mobil - Essay Example 43). 3) The weighted average rate of interest at which Exxon Mobil Corporation procured their long term debt during the financial year ended 31st December 2013 was seen to be 3.3%. This is also the general lending rate of banks in the U.S to commercial organizations (p. 42). 4) The current yield on 31st December 2013 was lower than the yield on 31st December 2012. The decrease in the current yield rate was primarily due to a rise in the coupon rate. This implies that the binds were being traded at a discount (p. 40). 3) The value of common stock held in treasury amounted to a value of 212,781 million dollars. The average cost per share was approximately $150.56 and number of stock held in the treasury amounted to 2.5 million (p. 40, 42). 5) The company is seen to provide a number of employee stock option plans so as to induce savings and thereby enlarge their pool of investments. However there are no obligations imposed on the employees to invest in the company’s shares and therefore no deductions in this respect are made from their monthly payments. Employees who participate in the stock option are provided with a number of benefits such as higher medical reimbursements and travel allowances than employees who do not participate in the stock option (Harrington, 2003, Exxon Mobil, 2013). 1) The fair value of the investments of Exxon stood at 36,328 million dollars at the end of the year (p. 42). These investments were made in the form of stocks majorly. A considerable portion of the investments also consists of long term receivables granted to debtors. These were treated as investments by the company. Advances of long term maturity were also treated by the company as investments. 3) The net income per share in the year 2012 was seen to be $9.70. This had considerably fallen in the year 2013 to reach $7.37 (p. 41). A probable cause of the decline in net income per share was repurchasing

Human Resource in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource in context - Essay Example Instead, it should be understood that changes with respect to the way in which businesses integrate with one another and with respect to how they manage the necessary inputs that are required for producing a given good or service have also shifted dramatically. As a function of seeking to apply this to a relevant understanding of human resources, the following analysis will engage in a discussion that is focused on the growth and evolution that human resource management has taken over the past several decades. Ultimately, the following analysis will be split into two main parts. The first part will provide a running commentary in brief history with respect to the growth and development of strategic human resources as compared to traditional human resource management. Likewise, the second section of the analysis will be concentric upon analyzing the following three models: the Bach model, the Ulrich model, and the Guest model. By analyzing and discussing each of these three models of human resource integration, the analysis will seek to provide the reader with a running commentary regarding the proscriptions that these analysts denote as well as potential criticisms that are inherent within their approach. Before delving in to an interpretation of these three theorists that were listed within the introduction, it is necessary to engage with a primary understanding for why a gradual shift between human resource management towards strategic human resource management has been evidenced over the past several decades. As was at alluded to within the introduction, the underlying rationale behind this has to do with the fact that human resources, as a general practice throughout the globe, has slowly shifted from seeking to promote the best interests of the individual employee towards seeking to promote the best interests of the firm and strategic goals that it hopes to accomplish (Ananthram & Nankervis, A 2013). This is not to say that

Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hitler - Essay Example f races (including the Jews), he ran away to Munich where he stayed until the outbreak of World War 1 where he voluntarily enrolled to become a soldier. He therefore joined World War 1 as a soldier with the Germany Army and fought in several wars. Other than receiving awards at the war (he was awarded two iron crosses which was a mark of bravery (Haugen 103)), he also received injuries including serious one on the thigh which led him to be admitted for two months and this was followed by the first bout of blindness as a result of a mustard gas (both bouts of blindness were temporary however). His heart hardened in the military and he gained confidence which was useful later on when he decided to join politics. His road to politics was built from the defeat of the Germany army in the way and also the exploitation of the detrimental economic, social and political conditions in that nation. Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to j oin politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German... Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to join politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German Workers Party replacing Dexter who was the very same person who introduced him to the party in the first place. His quest for power is what made him organize a coup (a fact that is not known to many people). Hitler served a prison term in Landsberg prison after attempting a coup (Beer Hall Putsch) to overthrow the German government but which failed. The prison term was supposed to be for five years but later he was released only after nine months (after the Supreme Court of Bavaria pardoned him) and he then decided to take over the government legally. It is while in prison that Hitler wrote a book about his struggles while in prison and they were published in a book called Mein Kampf.

What does Campus Safety Mean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What does Campus Safety Mean - Essay Example Among the measures that the university has ensured in order to keep students at a school, safe is a network of 24-hour emergency telephones, night transport and escorting services, adequately lighted sidewalks, and limited hostel access by strictly the hostel occupants. Students have been made aware of all these services that the campus offers and most have given feedback of effective measures taken to adhere to all of them. Complaints of shortages of personnel in activities such as night escort have been initially raised by some students and the university took it into an account and promised to improve on the same. Despite the installed measures that the university has enforced in its surroundings, it is also paramount that students take responsibility for their own security by not exposing themselves to scenarios that might promote insecurity. Such measures include using recommended pathways and avoiding trespasses, walking in at least a group of three and above when walking at night, taking into account the university’s measures that promote security such as calling for escort and using the 24-hour emergency phones and knowing self-defense mechanisms. These measures could keep a student off any security threats and help ease the pressure on the university in providing security for the students. In case of attacks, the victims have an opportunity to go through a healing process assisted by the MSU Counseling Center. With regard to this, the MSU Counseling Center has put some procedures and processes that are used to guide the counselors in assisting victims with diverse effects from various insecurity attacks or similar incidences. These include group counseling and testimonies, one-on-one counseling, group therapies, assurance of future security, and advice on actions to partake in case of future incidences.  

Three Strikes Law in South Florida Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Three Strikes Law in South Florida - Essay Example In the beginning of 1993, the federal government adopted a new approach in serving justice to repeat offenders. Twenty-three states adopted the three-strike law including South Florida. The version of the three-strike law varied from state to state, but the law generally reduced the judicial discretion through the mandating severe penalties for third felony convictions. The three-strike law had a limited impact in most states including South Florida on the federal system. This is evident from the fact that the number of convicted felons under the three-strike law was very little. The number of convicted felons under the three-strike law over fifteen states ranged between one and six people. Therefore, the effectiveness of the three-strike law was in question especially in south Florida. The lack of effectives of the three strike laws in South Florida was due to the poorly structured government drafted laws. This resulted in pressures to eliminate the three strike laws (Domanick, 2004). The three-strike laws in South Florida were expensive to implement. This is evident from the additional costs incurred for pre-conviction jail time. There are also more costs incurred in case processing and trials whereby defendants facing three strikes choose the option of going to trial as opposed to pleading guilty. There was also an increase in the number of the number of prison convictions on third and second counts. This resulted in overcrowding of prisons and hence more expenses incurred from prison building costs. Increased length of prison sentences has led to long-term costs. This is evident from the fact that the costs incurred from the incarceration of older prisoners are three times that of healthy younger inmates. The three-strike law did not have the expected effect on crime in South Florida and other states, in the United States. This is because of the reason that that repeat felons in South Florida were already faced with life sentences before sentencing under the th ree-strike law. The impact of the three strike laws was to imprison less serious offenders whereby they were subjected to longer sentences for less serious offences. The law also affected less serious offenders such that it resulted in the longer sentences being served to offenders, as they are aging from their crime prone years (Three strikes law: sentencing: statute, 2007). The three-strike law had uneven and unintended impacts in South Florida. One of the impacts is witnessed from the long-term prison sentencing of less serious crimes. This effect was witnessed throughout the states implementing the three-strike law. The application of the three strike law had and uneven implementation depending on the state jurisdictions. Hence, this has resulted in bargaining and pleas from defendants, which come off as a hindrance to justice. This fact alone has resulted in the pressure to eliminate the three-strike law in South Florida. The three-strike law promoted racial disparity. This is evident from the fact that the fact that the impact of the three strike convictions were observed to disproportionately affect the African-Americans. This was observed in the South Florida the number of convicted African-American felons increased with the strikes of convictions. Hence, this comes off as a racial bias in the implementation of justice within the federal system. This therefore resulted in the elimination of the three-strike law in South Florida (Shichor, 1996). The application of the three-strike law had a very insignificant effect on the deterrence of crime in South Florida. This is due to the reason that the threat of punishment under the three-s

Group project discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group project discussion - Essay Example f the applications can be applied to gain a competitive advantage in the market and to reap higher profits through either cost cutting or making higher revenues. Below, each of these applications is discussed along with its benefits and challenges of implementation. Customers are the main focus of SWU who they must treat with care, respect and value so that they keep returning to buy home decorations. The aim of a CRM system is to deliver the company’s services in such a way that it builds goodwill and customer loyalty. It is an interactive process that turns customer information into positive customer relationships. By offering â€Å"the right product (or service), to the right customer, at the right place, at the right time through the right channel, to satisfy the customer’s need or desire† customer loyalty, customer retention and customer profitability can be built (Swift, 2001). Today the emphasis of marketing has shifted towards 1 to 1 marketing and thus CRM now caters to needs of the customers by giving them customized products and services. Deploying CRM software from well known vendors including Siebel, SAP and Oracle, even large organizations are reaping enormous profits. CRM has grown into a business need and SWU can gain more market share by implementing it to cater to its small customer base. (Turban et al., 2005) While CRM systems cater to the customer side, SCM is involved at maintaining healthy relationships with the company’s suppliers and improving its supply side processes. Being a manufacturer of home decoration goods, SWU needs supplies and inventories of raw materials at the manufacturing times. Inventory management, costing, production and maintaining friendly relationships with the suppliers all comes under the domain of SCM. However in a competitive world, only this is not enough. The company needs to collaborate and share its information with the suppliers making them business partners to achieve the necessary integration required

The effects of ergonomics, health and safety on productivity in hotels Dissertation

The effects of ergonomics, health and safety on productivity in hotels - Dissertation Example The current economic climate in Ireland poses many challenges for businesses entities in the country. Many have had to reduce costs drastically. One of the highest costs for any employer is staffing and a reduction in staff numbers has become the main criteria for cutting costs. With a reduced number of employees and a larger work-load, a high level of labour productivity is essential. Some may argue that the level of productivity from an employee depends on their attitude towards the job, the job rewards, and the way in which a manager motivates the employee, all of which have been proven to be true. But today, employers are under more pressure to ensure that maximum level of productivity is achieved which necessitates finding new ways to achieve this. Fraser, 1994, makes a point that the level of work productivity depends on basic human abilities, enhanced by education, training, selection, and direction. Education and training transform an individual’s basic abilities into skills. Selection and direction ensure that these skills are matched to the most appropriate tasks. But if the tasks, the working environment and job factors are not suited to the worker, the resulting mismatch can lead to poor work quality, worker fatigue, and reduced productivity. Traditionally, projects focusing on the improvement of working environment were based on energy-saving. ... Productivity can be defined as â€Å"output to the labour hours used in the production of that output† (Bureau of Labour Statistics). In more simplified terms, it is a measurement of work produced within a given time. Attention to productivity levels is particularly important in Ireland as the cost of labour is very high in comparison to other countries. Hotel managers must ensure that the high rate of pay is justified. An emphasis on productivity in hotels over the past few years with the economic decline has meant that employees have had to work harder and some employees have lost their jobs. An article by James R. Brown of Cornell University suggests that a hotel's size, its service orientation, its ownership arrangement, and its management arrangement affect productivity. His research also found that large hotels use their labour more productively and generate the most income from their capital investments. Upscale hotels are inclined to be more productive than mid-market hotels, while hotels operated by branded management companies use their capital and labour resources more efficiently than do hotels operated independently or by independent management companies. Finally, company owned properties tend to employ their labour more productively than do franchised hotels. (Brown, 1999). Currently hotels in Ireland are focusing on reducing labour costs while maintaining sales. Concentrating on the reduction of labour costs as a percentage of sales may achieve short term productivity targets but can also jeopardise long term viability due to the erosion of service standards. Poor service affects customer satisfaction, which in turn influences sales and

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 48

Assignment - Essay Example nalysis is to find an experience or idea that is vital in providing me with a new perspective about different situations of my life especially managerial issues. In analyzing the events and concepts, I will be able to get meaning and connection by evaluating the impact a story, concept, suggestion or idea has on my personal life. Physical, spiritual and mental impacts are aspects that operate under the law of cause and effect,† and these effects are vital in the personal analysis. The result of a persons thoughts can be manifested in the short term, a factor that makes this law effective in the analysis. Therefore, the law of â€Å"cause and effect† is very important as it helps one to become conscious at making decisions through experience, and learning vital aspects of ones lives. Information and different ideas can be found either in the library or in the internet. However, I choose the latter as it is readily available at any time of the day. As I own a computer, it is easier for me to get information at any time of the day. Moreover, there are relevant numerous resources that expound on various scenarios that company experi ence. This provides a perfect platform for relevant knowledge. The resources I utilize from the internet must be of recent and able to provide numerous scenarios that give different viewpoints. Therefore, different meanings can be deciphered from different aspects of our lives. However, the route to personal meaning is a very hard task, which requires time and different tools of analysis. In scrutinizing various resources on managerial issues, I am able to deal with any situation that I experience. Consequently, the knowledge on managerial capabilities and issues leads eye-opening facts about an individual, which he/ she was not aware. Ideas and stories are concepts that are connected at various levels, and through capturing, sharing, analyzing and articulating the various aspects of the ideas, we are able to make a personal analysis of

The murder of Duncan on Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The murder of Duncan on Macbeth Essay To what extent is it fair to place the main blame for the murder of Duncan on Macbeth? It is obvious that Macbeth did actually kill Duncan, but is Macbeth really to blame for his actions? There are many other factors to take into account. One reason for Macbeths actions is that he was under a lot of pressure from other people and changes in his life. Also there maybe a supernatural element to take into account for the killing of Duncan by Macbeth, which may have influenced Macbeths decisions. There also maybe of coarse, no-body else that could have influenced Macbeth and just Macbeth himself. Or maybe all of the different pressures and influences combined together, making one mass attack on Macbeths mind. The blame for the murder of Duncan could be placed on anyones shoulders, but who do we blame specifically? Do we blame Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, or was it the atmosphere and society of the 11th century? The most obvious person to blame for the murder of Duncan is Macbeth. This is because he actually took hold of the knife and stabbed Duncan. Therefore he should be and feel responsible for the murder. His motives for the murder are that if he kills Duncan then he will be made king of Scotland. He believes strongly in the afterlife, but still doesnt care about what happens to him when he dies, may it be of old age, or of murder also. All he cares about is becoming king. He backs that up by saying: Wed jump the life to come. It is his high ambitions that drive him into murdering Duncan. But, surely Macbeth knows that killing Duncan is a treasonable offence, and he could also be killed for it. He would lose everything because it would be obvious that Macbeth killed Duncan. This is because no-body else would have the right motives. He would lose his titles of Thane of Glamis, and also when he became Thane of Cawdor, he would lose that too. So he cannot really afford to commit the murder. This is where the argument of whether Macbeth is mentally ill comes into play. A sane person wouldnt risk his life and livelihood like that. His normal personality is that of a human being that hasnt got it in his personality to kill someone who hasnt done anything to harm him. Macbeth is able to kill a man on a battlefield, but that is a totally different situation. On a battlefield you dont know the person you are about to kill, and he is also prepared to kill you also, so it is like killing in self-defense. But by killing Duncan, it is killing in cold blood, someone that is asleep and has no defense. A split personality perhaps, where one minute he is nice, and wouldnt hurt a fly and the next minute he is a cold-blooded killing machine. You could even say that he is slightly sycophantic towards Duncan. Even Duncan himself says that Macbeth is loyal: What he hath lost noble Macbeth has won The word noble says it all in that line. Macbeth has the respect of the King, and so has won the position of Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth or The Three Witches could also have influenced Macbeth into killing Duncan. The Three Witches prophesised that Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor, and then King. They say: FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be King here- after! Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis, so that doesnt count as a prophecy, but he wasnt Thane of Cawdor when The Witches spoke to him, but then Ross and Angus came from the battle with the Norwegians, and told Macbeth that he was Thane of Cawdor because Sinel had been killed in battle. So the witches first prophecy had come true. That is when Macbeth fell into The Witches trap, or spell, or whatever you wish to call it. He decided to trust The Witches, so he expected that Duncan would die soon, whether it be of old age or by murder, but the prophecy did not come true. So Macbeth decided to kill Duncan himself, to make the prophecy come true. He was greedy, because the witches forced Macbeth into killing Duncan through temptation. But, Macbeth could have backed out at any point along the road to the murder. Lady Macbeth influenced Macbeth by putting so much pressure onto Macbeth to kill Duncan, to give her and Macbeth a better life. Macbeth gets pushed around by her, and does whatever she tells him to. This may have caused Macbeth to murder Duncan, but again, Macbeth could have backed out at any point. Lady Macbeth first finds out about The Witches prophecies when he writes her a letter. He writes this letter because he knows he needs somebody to push him to kill Duncan. She drives him to the crown, and therefore acts as a catalyst to Macbeth. She bullies his and uses emotional blackmail against him. She knows that he has good positive morals, and so she has to push him. She ridicules him by saying: When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. This basically means that when he dared to do it, then he was a man. This is insulting towards Macbeth, because she knows he is a warrior and is mocking his bravery. She also answers every objection that Macbeth has against the murder, and tries to motive his with her answer. Macbeth says this: If we should fail Lady Macbeth then immediately jumps in by saying: We fail? There is a hint of surprise in that reply, surprise about Macbeth, of him thinking that they will fail. But Lady Macbeth could also be implying that if they get caught, then Macbeth should get all the blame. Macbeth also doesnt believe that they will be able to cover up the murder successfully. Lady Macbeth objects to this lack of optimism by saying: Who dares receive it other, As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar Upon his death? This suggests that no one will dare believe anything else (this is referring to the daggers planted on the soldiers), because Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will mourn so much that everybody will think that the couple is genuinely upset. Lady Macbeth also organises the finer points of the murder. When Macbeth come back from the murder scene with the daggers, she is annoyed with him because he is being careless. She then has to plant the daggers onto the soldiers herself because Macbeth is too scared of getting caught. The reason why Lady Macbeth is pushing so hard is maybe because she is possessed. She actually asks to be possessed by Demons or Spirits. She says: And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty She is asking to be possessed because then she will be able to lose here feminine side and become cruel and greedy. These evil spirits may be connected to The Witches. Macbeth first meets The Witches after the battle with Norway, and they predict that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and then King. When the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth and Banquo are extremely surprised. We can tell this because Banquo says: Can the devil speak true? This shows us that they did not expect The Witches to be telling the truth. Then Macbeth goes into deep thought about the second prophecy. Banquo tells us this when he says: Look how our partners rapt We could say that Macbeth is thinking that it is his destiny to be King, and therefore King he must be. After this point Macbeth is always thinking about the second prophecy and whether to do anything about it or not. The Witches made him fell like this and so must take some of the blame. The Witches also may have contributed to the murder of Duncan because they were making some kind of spell onto Macbeth at the start of the play. There is obviously some kind of sorcery going on in this first scene because the First Witch says: I come Greymalkin! A Greymalkin is a greycat, which is a spirit associated with the Devil. The Witches would not call to this demon if they werent planning on evil spells, and in this context Macbeth is surely going to be involved. Also, The Witches obviously arent bluffing about their power, because they then hovered off, which is a tricky thing to do if you arent a witch. This proves their power and their strength for the rest of the play. We fist get an idea of what the atmosphere is like in 11th century Scotland when Macbeth and Banquo appear. Macbeth says: So foul and fair a day I have not seen. There is a contradiction here, because a day cannot be foul and fair at the same time. But what he may mean is that the weather is bad, but because of the victory over the Norwegians, it has made his day good. Perhaps The Witches made the weather bad with their evil presence. In the 11th century, it was not unusual for highly respected people to get murdered, so that other people could climb higher up the ranks. Macbeth may have just been following the custom of that time. The atmosphere of the 11th century is evidently that of an evil, brutal place. I conclude that Macbeth should take the main blame for the murder of Duncan. He actually committed the murder and let ambition and greed rule him, despite knowing the consequences. I think that the other three factors are less important, but acted as catalysts, working alongside the main factor. If the other three factors were taken away, then the murder would have still occurred, but not as quickly.

Professional Ethics in Construction Industry | Proposal

Professional Ethics in Construction Industry | Proposal Background In the complex and hectic world of work, it is becoming harder to live and work by values and behaviors based on integrity and principles. Pressures are placed upon professionals of the construction industry, where they do not always act the way they should, and matters are seldom black and white. Even though professionals are trying to the right thing most of the time, grey areas do exist. With ongoing ethical misconducts blasted daily in the media, especially within construction industry, construction players must acknowledge that the need for professional ethics is increasingly obvious. Negligence, conflict of interest, fraud, unfair conduct, confidentiality, bribery, and violation of environmental ethics are among the commonly unethical conducts in the construction industry. The practice of profession poses challenging ethical questions for which a working knowledge of ethics and professionalism is critical to the construction players. Professionals have the fundamental right to perform with responsibility and accountability in their line of work. Professional ethics should be driven by personal ethics, where a balance of both the requirements of the client and the impact on the society should be maintained by the professionals when making decisions. It has been suggested, however, that professionals in general tend to believe that their obligations to their client far outweigh their responsibility to others, such as the public (Johnson, 1991, p. 28). Problem Statement Construction players may refer to standards such as the professional code of ethics; however, the cases are not intended to provide absolute answers nor are they resolution, standard operating procedure, or policy for ethical problems. The purpose of a code of ethics or set of ethical principles is to define a standard of conduct that reflects the values of the organization or profession. They are designed to guide about ones personal reaction to ethical dilemmas. But when it comes to ethical dilemmas, construction players may not have the skills or competencies. Individual implicit ethical knowledge and practice need to be amplified into the profession, turning implicit ethical knowledge into explicit that leads towards the development of ethical professional ethics. However, it seems doubtful that professionals can always rely on own personal ethics as they find themselves working with diverse cultures, values and expectations. Professionals are often left to make tough decisions in the face of extremely chaotic and complicated ethical dilemmas. Scholarly publications have offered little help in terms of offering solutions to ethical dilemmas whereas practitioner publication have been ineffective for helping professionals reinforce their moral character. There will always be cases when professionals struggle between what they assume the profession expects and what the moral character tells. Even though majority of organization have their own ethical codes of conduct, the curbing of unethical conduct is difficult. Despite having professional code of ethics in the organization, professionals of the construction industry had directly or indirectly experiences some degree of unethical conduct. Aim Dignify and elevate the professional ethics among professionals in construction industry. Objectives To determine the factors affecting participants behaviours in professional ethics To identify the impacts of unethical behaviours on the project cost, safety and quality of work To evaluate the awareness on the importance of professional ethics in construction industry. Research Question What are the significant barriers that limit professional and ethical behavior? Why ethical issues occur in the construction industry practice? What should be done differently to improve professional and ethical behavior? How do ethical principles apply to the current construction industry? Scope of Research The scope of the research will be focus on assessing the professional ethics in construction industry. Prime attention is taken on the consultant firms at Klang Valley area only due to time and cost factor. The targeted respondents for this research will concentrate on the consultant quantity surveyors as observed from the working title, within the areas selected for the study. Research Methodology A literature review was undertaken to study the current issues of professional ethics in the construction industry, types of ethical misconducts and impacts of unethical conducts to the consultant quantity surveyors. Questionnaire survey will be directed towards consultant quantity surveyors concerning their views and experiences on a range of ethical issues surrounding construction industry activities. The survey will be conducted through postal mail and personal interviews. Case study of ethical issues in the construction industry will be set up. Significance of Implications of Study The outcomes of adhering to the professional ethics among professionals are highlighted in this research. These outcomes will be cornerstone for encouraging the professionals to comply with the principles of ethics, so that their works meet the clients expectations and that their obligations will be carried out in professional manner in the future. It is important for professionals to practice the knowledge of ethics using applicable codes or standards. The more the professionals practice their responses to ethical dilemmas, the more likely it is to make the right decision when the pressure is on. What is more, implementing the ethical conducts gain professionals significant credibility and respect from the clients and these professionals will win further in the long run. This study also suggests that professionals better understand why professional ethics is critical to be successful in the field. Corporate Social Responsibility: Marketing Strategy Corporate Social Responsibility: Marketing Strategy 1. INTRODUCTION Companies and their managers find themselves in an uncertain environment. This happens of the ever changing conditions that occur on the global economic market. Due to the changes and improvements of the new information and communication technologies, the companies and their managers find it harder and harder to reach an convince their clients or consumers. It is mandatory that these managers use all the potential promoting techniques in order to attract the consumers. It is no longer just about the usage of standard advertising techniques, the marketing specialists must take into account several other methods of advertising like online social networks, viral marketing, corporate social responsibility etc. In our paper we are underlining the importance of the Corporate Social Responsibility from the marketing point of view and especially of using this tool as a brand notoriety increasing factor. We live a world of continuous change, were mankinds influence on the environment is large r and larger. But Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not just about the environment like many people think. The organizations of the entire world become more and more preoccupied by the necessity and the benefits of a responsible approach to society. 2. THE CONCEPT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has first appeared in business for the first time in the second part of the 18th Century in the USA as a form of philanthropy, or donating to organizations / individuals in need (Sethi, 1977, in Bronn and Vrioni, 2001). From a historical point of view, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility has become an important field of study, associated with management, in the 1950s. One important aspect to this development of CSR, was presented by Frank Adams in 1951, when he wrote in a Harvard Business Review about the importance of good citizens that should become professionals of the top management level (Banerjee, 2007, p. 5). Other authors state that CSR is concerned with treating the stakeholders of the firm ethically or in a socially responsible manner. Stakeholders exist both within a firm and outside. Consequently, behaving socially responsibly will increase the human development of stakeholders both within and outside the corporation. (Hopkins M. 1998) The performance of each organization, no matter its type (private, public, economical or NGO), is linked to the degree of development of their communities and in their social environment. Also the impact of such organizations on the environment has become an vital aspect which reflects the human interest for preserving the natural ecosystems and the pollution. This first aspect is joined by other elements of interests like: social equality and good governance. In 2001, the European Commission has defined CSR as: a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis (EU Commission, 2001) Over the years, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility has become more present in the everyday life of corporations and even public administration institutions. There were numerous efforts to define this concept, but often no clear definition is given, making theoretical development and measurement difficult. Mallen Baker (2004) states that CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development considers corporate Social Responsibility as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large (Baker, 2004). Also in 2001 (McWilliams and Siege, 2006), CSR is defined as: situations where the firm goes beyond compliance and engages in actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility usually refers to a couple of important elements like: (1) a collection of policies and practices linked to relationship with key stakeholders, values, compliance with legal requirements, and respect for people, communities and the environment; (2) the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable development, commonly understood as sustainable development is the ability of the current generation to meet its needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs objectives. (ECRC, accessed in October 2012). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the way a corporation achieves a balance among its economic, social, and environmental responsibilities in its operations so as to address shareholder and other stakeholder expectations. It is known by many names, including corporate responsibility, corporate accountability, corporate ethics, corporate citizenship, sustainability, stewardship, and triple-E bottom line (economical, ethical, and environmental;) (. After a careful analysis of the above mentioned concepts we can underline several important aspects of the CSR concept: Companies and organizations in general must act responsibly with regard to their environment; The concept of corporate social responsibility must integrate social, environmental and education aspects in their day to day activities; The usage of corporate social responsibility in ones company must have a positive impact on the organization and on society; All the activities integrated in the CSR scope must have an ethical aspect which must not by crossed. Following the 2001, EU Commission definition, the European Commission has defined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society (EU Commission, 2011). The same paper underline that enterprises should have in place a process to integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into their business operations and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders, with the aim of: (1) Maximizing the creation of shared value for their owners/shareholders and for their other stakeholders and society at large; (2) Identifying, preventing and mitigating their possible adverse impacts. 3. PRINCIPLES OF IMPLENETING A CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES In order to create a proper Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, and to use this important tool in the marketing aspect of the organization, companies must adhere to several important principles that we consider to be of great importance of the companies (ISQ, 2012): Ethics and transparency accordance to the principles of ethics, honesty, mutual respect, trust between the parties, integrity and transparency in business, combat the traffic of influence, offering or receiving bribes and corruption in the public and private stakeholders and influence in this fight, as well how to promote fair trade practices. Fundamental Human Rights fully respect the protection of fundamental human rights based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and incorporating into their practices, the principles of fundamental United Nations and International Labor Organization Conventions. Recognize the right of all workers to form trade unions and representative bodies of workers and to comply with these organizations and respect the effective right to collective bargaining. Good governance Organizational commitment to the practices integrated into the social, environmental and economic leadership to the organization, seeking to reduce exposure to risks of economic, environmental and social activities, implementing requirements, standards and documents, to ensure its continuity. Dialogue with stakeholders Rely on dialogue as the only legitimate means of achieving persuasion, resolving disagreements and conflict resolution. Ensure an open, transparent and trust relation with the various stakeholders, establish channels of consultation with stakeholders and incorporate their concerns, and report a credible and objective performance in its economic, environmental and social. Value Creation Promote management of high quality products/services and processes by integrating environmental and social aspects in planning and decision making. Promote investment in research and development and incorporating innovation in your products/services and processes. Diversity and equality Respect and value differences as a fundamental condition for the existence of an ethical development of humanity and seek to encourage the promotion of cultural diversity, social and ethnic difference as a positive development of the organizations mission, not tolerating discrimination under any pretext. Environmental Protection and Management Promote projects, initiatives and good practices that contribute to the preservation of the environment. Investing in sustainable technologies and products and enhance the ecological dimension and eco-efficiency. Development of local communities Support initiatives to promote social, economic and cultural, based on transparent criteria for evaluation of relevance to the community. Promote the participation and involvement in volunteer work. Responsible Marketing Lead the marketing and communication policy of respect for truth, transparency, consistency and integrity of assertions, reflecting the organizations values. Encourage ethical and responsible behavior from the public to environmental, social and citizenship. 4. USING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN MARKETING The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility as we can see it has a great impact on many of the organizations departments and functions. We can not discuss the concept of CSR without taking into consideration the environment, the ethical aspects of consumer communication, the implication in local community and many others. One of the most important aspects and activities that the Corporate Social Responsibility, is the promotion and advertising activities, that the companies undertake when developing CSR strategies and activities. Even when the company undertakes, environmental protection activities, charitable activities, the assurance of diversity and equality and the development of local communities the organizations use them as marketing and brand notoriety increasing agent. Corporate responsibility policies have been gaining increasing attention from senior executives as questions of sustainability and green agendas have come to permeate business the world over. The business and marketing environment have evolved greatly in the last 20 to 30 years. If we look back at the evolution of the economic world in the last century, we can clearly observe a clear development of this environment. Before we can start to understand the development of the corporate social responsibility as a marketing tool, we have to understand the evolution of the marketing concept in the last century. Philip Kotler has made a short presentation of the marketing concept evolution in his book Marketing 3.0 (2010): Evolution Marketing 1.0 product orientation Marketing 2.0 consumer orientation Marketing 3.0 value orientation Objective To sale goods To satisfy and keep clients To make the world a better place Potentiating factors Industrial revolution Information technology New technology wave The manner in which companies see the market Mass consumers with physical needs A smarter consumer A human being with heart and soul The marketing fundamental concept Product development Differentiation Values Marketing general directions for the company Product specification Company and product positioning The companies mission, vision and values Proposal value Functional Functional and emotional Functional, emotional and spiritual Interaction with the consumers Transaction between a company and several consumers An individualized relationship Cooperation between more companies and consumers Source: Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., Setiawan, I., Marketing 3.0 de la produs la consumator Ã…Å ¸i spiritul uman, Publica Publishing House, Bucharest, 2010, p. 20 As we can see for the above presented table, we find ourselves in the 3.0 marketing period which is considered to be the orientation of the entire marketing activity as an actor that create value for the consumer, the company and the society. So from what we can observe we can state that the two concepts have similar interests. Bur right now we find ourselves in the middle of an financial and economic crisis, this position has forced the companies to present themselves as trustworthy and responsible. The companies and their managers have pursued easy-win strategies or activities with direct commercial benefits, such as measuring and reducing their corporate carbon footprints. Such activities undoubtedly bring some value to businesses and society, but they fall far short of the mark (Bhattacharya, 2011). What we are slowly starting to see is a second wave of corporate responsibility behavior marked by a clearer focus on the total business value such policies can bring. To fully benefit from corporate responsibility, businesses must wake up to the fact that they need to take a more indirect route to creating value with it. They must start by seeing where and how key stakeholders react to a firms corporate responsibility initiatives. In order to have a successful marketing campaign using CSR strategies and activities there are several steps that have to be taken into consideration (Yohannan, 2012): Start Inside: Internal education and engagement is essential for the success of any CSR commitment and campaign. Defining CSR must work for the internal stakeholders based on the reality of business practices, their propensity for risk and desire for leadership. Brand or Bust: Branding provides a way to tie disparate assets together and provides a framework for key audiences such as employees to contribute and share the companys story. Industry Matters: Understanding the material issues of the company are critical. While many companies focus on environment, philanthropy and diversity and inclusion, they may be missing compliance issues or areas that may lead to brand differentiation or leadership. Efficiently Influence: Focusing on a handful of sustainability or key opinion leaders in the social space can elevate your companys profile dramatically. Gaining CSR notoriety can provide a halo for an improved reputation and drive core business objectives such as license to operate and sales. Measure Relentlessly: Know the end game. While CSR is a journey, it must deliver a spectrum of results every step of the way. Understand the urgency in the business and customize your marketing by audience and channel. Of course there are several advantages for using corporate social responsibility as a marketing tool. Among the most important ones we must consider the following ones (Corporate Social Responsibility, 2007): (1) Enhanced reputation and brand image Reputation is an important sustainable competitive advantage, because it is very hard to build and cannot be easily mimicked by competitors. A organisations reputation results from trust by its stakeholders. A strong reputation in ethical environmental and social responsibility can help a organisation build this trust; (2) Increased profit and customer loyalty Research has shown that there is a growing desire by consumers not only to buy good and safe products, but they also want to know that what they buy was produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way such as sweatshop-free and child-labor-free clothing, smaller environmental impact; (3) Creating new business opportunities Experience gained through addressing CSR challe nges also provides opportunities for organizations to create new business opportunities. (4) Increased ability to attract and retain employees A organizations dedication to CSR can be an important aid to recruitment and retention compared with competitors. People want to work for a organization that is in accordance with their own values and beliefs; (5) Increased productivity and morale Committing CSR internally to improve working conditions, lessen environmental impacts can lead to increased productivity and staff morale where the workforce are more reliable, enthusiastic and efficient. (5) Innovation in market through cooperation with local communities CSR requires cooperation with the local communities and relationships can be improved. This can help organisations in tailoring products and services as well as more rapid acceptance to local markets. 5. CONCLUSIONS The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is in the same time a new and a old one. As we were able to see, CSR has developed in practice since the late 1800 as philanthropic activities. But today, this concept has evolved to take into account several other aspects like: (1) environmental protection; (2) implication in local communities; (3) involvement in social, educational activities and (4) internal and external business environment. In order for the managers and their companies to bee successful in their marketing campaigns they must use CSR as a marketing tool following and being aware of several important principles: Ethics and transparency; Fundamental Human Rights; Good governance; Dialogue with stakeholders; Value Creation; Environmental Protection and Management; Development of local communities; Responsible Marketing. Using all these principles and a responsible CSR activity towards society, the consumer and ethics in general, the companies will have successful market ing and profitable activities. Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles: Model of Chemical Cycling Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles: Model of Chemical Cycling The general model of nutrient cycling shows the main reservoirs relating to both the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Most nutrients accumulate in four reservoirs, each of which is defined by two attributes: whether it contains organic or inorganic matter and whether or not the matter is directly accessible for use by organisms. One section of organic materials is comprised of the living organisms themselves and detritus; these nutrients are available to other organisms when consumers feed and when detritivores (decomposers) consume non-living organic matter. The second organic section includes fossilised deposits of once-living organisms (i.e. fossil fuels, e.g. coal, oil, natural gas and peat), from which nutrients cannot be assimilated directly. Material moved from the living organic section to the fossilised organic compartment long ago, when organisms died and were buried by sedimentation over millions of years to become coal, oil, natural gas or peat. The Carbon Cycle. Biologically the transfer of carbon between living organisms and the non-living environment is The Carbon Cycle. In the atmosphere, carbon is covalently bonded to oxygen to form a gas; carbon dioxide (CO2). As a result of the process of photosynthesis (powered by light energy, usually from the Sun), CO2 is extracted from the atmosphere to make plant food from carbon. The process is called fixation; the integration of CO2 into the molecules of organisms. The majority of CO2 fixation is accomplished by photosynthesis, in which photosynthetic organisms form carbohydrates from CO2 and water (H2O), using light energy to drive the biochemical reactions involved. Photosynthetic organisms make use of carbohydrates to manufacture other organic molecules that make up their cells, e.g. cellulose, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Inorganic CO2 in the atmosphere is converted by photosynthetic organisms via the process of photosynthesis into simple carbohydrates. Carbon dioxide+water(+ light energy)glucose+oxygen 6CO2+6H2O(+ light energy)C6H12O6+6O2 Herbivores and omnivores obtain carbohydrates and other more complex substances by consuming photosynthetic organisms and metabolise (chemically break down) the carbohydrates and complex substances into useful constituents for their own bodies/cells/molecules. Carnivores obtain these useful substances by eating herbivores/omnivores. Carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere when organisms undergo the process of cellular respiration; small amounts of CO2 are released into the air by the decomposition of dead organisms by the action of certain bacteria and fungi (detritivores): the majority of this CO2 returns to the atmosphere to be available for re-use in further photosynthesis. Carbon-containing substances from photosynthetic organisms are required by animals and some microorganisms in order to produce energy and as a source of materials to drive many of their own biochemical reactions; this is essential to such organisms. Glucose+oxygenCarbon dioxide+water+ Energy (ATP + heat) C6H12O6+6O26CO2+6H2O+ Energy (ATP + heat) The reciprocal processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration are responsible for the major transformations and movements of carbon. On a global scale, the return of CO2 to the atmosphere by respiration is closely balanced by its removal by photosynthesis. However, the burning of wood and fossil fuels adds more CO2 to the atmosphere; as a result, the amount of atmospheric CO2 is steadily increasing. Humans have an impact on the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere with the use and burning of fossil fuels; these actions also release CO2 into the atmosphere. Not all carbon-based matter is immediately decomposed. Under certain conditions dead organic matter accumulates more rapidly than it is decomposed within an ecosystem. The remnants are locked away in subterranean deposits. Fossil fuels will be formed when deposits of sediment compress this matter; this process takes many millennia. Continuing geological processes may expose the carbon in these fuels to the environment after an extensive period of time, but mostly the carbon within the fossil fuels is liberated during human activities, e.g. use of fossil fuels for combustion. Carbon, in the form of CO2, is the major greenhouse gas released to the environment/atmosphere as a consequence of human activities. The continuing discharge of greenhouse gases (CO2 is just one greenhouse gas) is causing the temperature of the earth to rise, disrupting the climate and affecting sea-levels. Sometime around the middle of the 18th century the industrial revolution began. Since then the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by approximately 40% and will carry on increasing unless society reduces or eliminates the consumption of fossil fuels. The exploitation of fossil fuels for energy has resulted in the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Additionally over 30% of the CO2 rise over the last 150 years came from transformations in land use. These include deforestation and the cultivation of land for food production. The primary source of carbon/CO2 emissions from the Earth is as a result of tectonic or volcanic activity. Much of the CO2 released as a result of tectonic or volcanic activity is derived from the subduction of rocks including carbonate rocks. Much of the overall released CO2 was trapped when the Earth formed. Some discharged carbon remains as CO2 in the atmosphere; some is dissolved in the oceans; some is incorporated into organic molecules in living or dead/decomposing organisms, and some is trapped in carbonate rocks. Carbon is removed into long-term storage by burial of sedimentary strata (e.g. coal), that store organic carbon from un-decayed biomass and carbonate rocks e.g. limestone (calcium carbonate). The processes of tectonic movement and subduction release some of the CO2 through vents such as volcanoes (above and below ocean surfaces). The Nitrogen Cycle Although Earth’s atmosphere is almost 80% nitrogen, it is mostly in the form of nitrogen gas (N2), which is unavailable to plants and hence to consumers of plants. Green plants absorb nitrogen in the form of nitrates dissolved in the soil water. They use these nitrates to make proteins or nucleic acids; these proteins or nucleic acids are passed along the food chain as herbivores eat plants and are then themselves eaten by carnivores. In this way the nitrogen taken from the soil becomes incorporated into the bodies of all types of living organisms. The nitrates are returned to the soil in a number of ways. Urine contains urea, a breakdown product of proteins, and proteins are also passed out in the faeces, so the waste passed out of animals bodies contains many nitrogen-rich compounds. Similarly, when animals and plants die their bodies contain a large proportion of protein. Some of the detritivores that break down the waste products from animals and the bodies of animals and plants specifically digest the proteins. As detritivores break down the protein they excrete ammonium compounds. These ammonium compounds are then digested by nitrifying bacteria which excrete nitrates, which are returned to the soil to be absorbed by plants again. By the time the microbes and other animals that feed on decaying organic material (detritus feeders) have decomposed the waste products and the dead bodies of organisms in ecosystems, all the energy originally captured by the green plants in photosynthesis has been transferred to other organisms or back into the environment itself as heat or mineral compounds. A natural pathway for nitrogen to enter ecosystems is via nitrogen fixation. Only certain organisms (prokaryotes) can fix nitrogen, i.e. convert N2 to molecules that can be used to synthesise nitrogenous organic compounds e.g. amino acids. Prokaryotes are vital links at several points in the nitrogen cycle (see picture on next page). In terrestrial ecosystems nitrogen is fixed by free-living (non-symbiotic) soil bacteria as well as by symbiotic bacteria (Rhizobium) in the root nodules (also called nitrogen nodules) of legumes and certain other plants. Some cyanobacteria fix nitrogen in aquatic ecosystems. Organisms that fix nitrogen are fulfilling their own metabolic requirements, but the excess ammonia (NH3) they release becomes available to other organisms. A major contribution in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to the pool of nitrogenous minerals is the industrial fixation of nitrogen for fertiliser: this is in addition to the natural sources of usable nitrogen. The direct result of nitrogen fixation is ammonia (NH3). Since NH3 is a gas, it can evaporate back to the atmosphere. This local recycling of nitrogen by atmospheric deposition can be especially pronounced in agricultural areas where both nitrogen fertilisers and lime (a base that decreases soil acidity) are used extensively. Although plants can use ammonium (NH4+) directly, most of the ammonium in soil is utilised by particular aerobic bacteria as a source of energy; their activity oxidises ammonium to nitrite (NO2) and then to nitrate (NO3); the nitrification process. Nitrate released from these bacteria can then be assimilated by plants and converted to organic molecules e.g. amino acids and proteins. Animals can assimilate only organic nitrogen, and they do this by eating plants or other animals. Some bacteria utilise nitrates, under anaerobic conditions, to obtain the oxygen they need for metabolism from rather than from O2. As a consequence of the denitrification process, some nitrate is converted back to N2, returning to the atmosphere. The process called ammonification, mainly carried out by bacterial and fungal decomposers, is the decomposition of organic nitrogen back to ammonium: this process recycles large amounts of nitrogen to the soil. Overall, most of the nitrogen cycling in natural systems involves the nitrogenous compounds in soil and water, not atmospheric N2. Although nitrogen fixation is important in the build-up of a pool of available nitrogen, it contributes only a tiny fraction of the nitrogen assimilated annually by total vegetation. Nevertheless, many common species of plants depend on their association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria to provide this essential nutrient in a form they can assimilate. The amount of N2 returned to the atmosphere by denitrification is also relatively small. The important point is that although nitrogen exchanges between soil and atmosphere are significant over the long term, in most ecosystems the majority of nitrogen is recycled locally by decomposition and re-assimilation.