Professional and organisational Development Assignment

Professional and organisational Development - Assignment Example It is a procedure of continuous evaluation, planning and implementation of the knowledge for the improvement of the organisation’s ability of problem solving, capacity management and changes in future. Organisational development assists in improving the business by engaging several products and services. It helps in observing the dynamics of the working environments so that the progress in faster and effective. The three components of the organisational development approaches are systems thinking, behavioural sciences and values. Fig 1: Organisational Development Approach Source: (Haneberg, 2005). The managers within an organisation use the organisational development approach for increasing the effectiveness and capacity by implementing the set of values by systematic thinking approach to provide best output in the work. Moreover, they apply the behavioural sciences theories for the success of the organisation. The values of the organisation are set which are to be followed by the people to indulge in for greater success (Haneberg, 2005). Organisational development depends on the values which help in taking proper decision regarding the employees and the organisation. These values give a shape to the decision taken and replicate an appropriate result for the efficiency of the success. The values are the most eminent part of the organisational approach as it involves the process of engagement within the culture and the employees. Relationship building, authenticity, respect, empowerment and flexibility are the values which help in the success of the organisations in any sector. In the automobile sector managers also implement these approaches for ensuring success and proper coordination among the people (Haneberg, 2005). The objective of this management report is to deal with the organisational approaches followed by the automobile sector giants such as Ford Motors, General Motors and Toyota. The approaches and their effectiveness in the development for t he professionals or leaders and the organisation are evaluated in this study. Organisational Development Approaches of a Group of Organisations in Automobile Industry Ford Motor Company Organisational development approach is an essential part in an organisation for its successful functioning. It is imperative as the profit of a concern depends a lot on the systems thinking approach and the values of the employees in accordance with the business. In this regard, it is affirmed that Ford Motor Company follows the open system approach which is a continuous process that renders emphasis on the environmental dynamics. As Ford Motors follows the open system, it gets continuous flow of information regarding the products in the form of feedback. The feedbacks are then analysed thoroughly for the betterment of the product as per the need of the environment. Therefore, the efficiency of the company depends on the interaction level with the environment. In the recent years, the organisational development demonstrates a shift in the approach from system to the organisational approach. Correspondingly, it is acknowledged that Ford Motors has used the systems analysis approach which is effective (Brown & Harvey, 2006). In this regard,

Putting An End To Worship Wars Essay Example for Free

Putting An End To Worship Wars Essay There are many different kinds of worship styles because there are different kinds of people with different kinds of personalities. America is made up of different races and religion therefore we worship God differently. God created mankind in His image and His likeness to worship Him in spirit and truth. We must Worship God according to the principles of Scriptures so that He is magnified, glorified and exalted. It does not matter that we express our worship differently. What does matter is that we worship God with all our hearts and inner being. We as the church, the body of Christ must learn to except the difference in worship, if the worship is legitimate and stop trying to force our way of worship on other members of the body of Christ. America is the only nation that has different worship styles in the churches. The change in worship is because of culture changes such as the Internet, computerized television screens, and the Interstate freeway. American no longer chooses a church by denomination or church doctrine but by worship service and gift gravitation. Research revealed that churches were growing because of renewal, revival, and excitement not from outreach programs. The excitement of worship produced growth. Worship service are different because of cultural difference, different spiritual gifts and because the commands and principles of Scripture are applied differently. Worship wars have split churches, caused Pastors to be replaced, caused members to leave, and caused drops in church growth. The Evangelistic church exists to accomplish evangelism, which is communicating the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible Expositional Church exists to equip believers for the work of the ministry through the systematic expositional preaching and teaching of Scriptures. The Renewal Church exists to worship God the Pastor is often the worship leader. Worship is the focus of the service and exhortation is the spiritual gift. The Body Life Church purpose and mission is the context of fellowship. The focus is on the cell group and corporate gatherings of believers therefore; their strength is small group ministries. The Liturgical Church exist to serve God with praise and worship and to service other in the name of God. Its strength is their involvement in society causing leaders to emerge. The Congregational Church is a church of balance. They have no single spiritual gift and are described as a single cell churches. Their strength is balance in ministry. These six paradigms mean that Christians worship differently because we are different. We have different spiritual gifts, different callings, different personalities, different background and different doctrine. In the future of worship there will be more of a thirst for God, thirst for worship, and worship will be more spontaneous. The Holy Spirit will inspire, and release whole hearted worship in people of all expressions. Worship will become more of a celebration causing the atmospheric presence of God to be felt in worship. The Impact and Implementation of this Book in My Own Life The knowledge that I received from this book has help me to understand the different worship styles. I have a greater respect for them because I understand that they are worshipping God in their own way. It also help me to understand why I worship the way I do. I am what we call a radical worshipper. I love Worshipping God and I love when others people worship God. I can fit anyway as long as I can worship God.

the culture of disbelief Essay example -- essays research papers

Page 2 THE CULTURE OF DISBELIEF   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The culture of disbelief is a book written to people who are very interested in religious beliefs, liberty and all the influence that religion cause into the public square. Carter argues that religion should not be present in politics, education, and so on. . Moreover, Carter is not about one’s person beliefs, he makes demands of its adherents, and wishes some kind of hope for their lives. The preface of this book shows perfectly with it’s titles what is The Culture of Disbelief going to talk about (e.g. How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion). Therefore, it takes us to the point where readers implied a connection between religion with law and politics. The author states in page 3 that in political and legal culture faith does not really matters, therefore, I agree because there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of too many people that devote themselves to someone or something, without giving the remarkable importance reli gion has. Also, Carter states that people have to believe in something else, and do not take your religion so seriously. God as a Hobby:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our society thinks that people believe in things just because they want to believe in something to keep them busy.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å" When citizens do act in their public selves as though their faith matters, they risk not only ridicule, but actual Page 3 punishment†#. This example of Nati...

Leadership Theories and Concepts

Evolution of leadership theories 1) The Great man Theory (Trait Theories) These were basis of leadership research until 1940’s. The great man theory from Aristoteham philosophy asserts that some people are born to lead whereas others are born to be led. Trait theory(ies) assume that some people have certain characteristics or personality trait that make them better leaders than others. (refer to traits as stipulated by Bass (notes) Behavioral Theories During human relations era, many behavioural and social scientists studying management also studied leadership.Emphasis was on what the leader did – leaders style of leadership (Lewin 1951) and White & LippiH (1960) came up with leadership styles: i) Authoritarian ii) Democratic & leissez-faire Authoritarian leader is characterized by the following behaviours (refer previous notes also) i) Strong control is maintained over the work group. ii) Others are motivated by coercion. iii) Others are directed with commands. iv) Com munication flows downwards. v) Decision making does not involve others. vi) Emphasis is on difference in status (â€Å"I† and â€Å"you†). ii) Criticism is punitive (should be constructive) Productivity is high but creativity, self motivation and autonomy are reduced. Authoritarian leadership is useful in crisis situations and frequently found in large bureaucrasis such as Armed Forces. Democratic leader exhibits the following behaviours * Less control is maintained. * Economic and ego awards are used to motivate. * Others are directed thorough suggestions and guidance. * Communication flows up and down. * Decision making involves others. * Emphasis is on â€Å"we† rather than â€Å"I† and â€Å"you†. * Criticism is constructive.Because many people have to be consulted it takes time and therefore frustrating to these who wants modified. Leissez-Fair Leader * Is permissive with little or no control. * Motivate by support when requested by the group or individuals. * Provides little or no direction. * Uses upward and downward communication – members of group. * Places emphasis on the group and does not criticize. * Leissezfare leadership is appropriate when problems are poorly defined and brainstorming is needed to generate alternative solutions. Situational & Contingency Leadership Theories:No one leadership style is ideal for every situation Situational Theories: Leaders are product of a given situation. It supports the follower theory which states that people will follow people who they see as means of accomplishing their personal ends. Contingency Theory .The theory urgues that leaders must alter their style in a manner consistent with the aspects of the context Combines traits and situation. People become leaders because of their responsibility and situational factors. * Leader subordinate relationship (a leader/people to lead). The extent to which the leader is liked, trusted and respected by followers. * The task structure, whether jobs are structured and clarified. The position power and degree of influence a leader has over the group e. g. hire or fire, discipline promotes rewards and 1. Blake and Moutonris managerial grid 9 roles of managerial gnd). The managerial grid Five leadership styles are plotted in four quadrants of a two dimensional grid. The grid depicts various degrees of leader 1. Impoverished – Low concern for both production and people. 2. Authority compliance – high concern for production and low concern for people. . Middle of the road – moderate concern for production and people. 4. Country club – High concern for people and low concern for production. 5. Team – High concern for both production and people. MANAGERIAL GRID 91. 9 Country club9. 9 Team 8 Concern for people 7 6 55. 5 Middle of the road 4 3 2 1 1. 1 Impoverished9. 1 Authority Compliance 0123456789 Concern for production Continuum of leadership behavior Leadership is depicted as occurring along a continuum. It focuses on decision making styles of managers let and continuum – reflects a manager’s centred style.Managers are autocratic and directive and simply makes and announces decisions. At the right end, managers are employee centred. They use a laissez-faire style and permit employees to set their own goals and function within established parameters. NB: No leadership style is appropriate/correct for every management situation. Manager centred leadershipEmployee centred leadership Use of Authority by The manager Area of freedom for employees * incentives. Contemporary Theories of Leadership i) Schein (1970) – Systems Theory. SYSTEM 4 MANAGEMENT Developed by Likert.It is based on the premise that involving employees in decisions about work is central to effective leadership. It has four dimensions based on increasing levels of employee’s involvement. 1. Autocratic leaders – have little trust in employees and exclude th em in decision making. 2. Benevolent leaders – Are kind to employees but still do not involve them in decision making. 3. Consultative leaders – Seek employee’s advice about decisions. 4. Participative or democratic leaders – they value employees involvement, team work and team building.They also have high levels of confidence in employees and seek consensus in decision making. Transformational Leadership Burns (1978) suggested that both leaders and followers have the ability to raise each other to higher levels of motivation and morality. He identified this concept as transformational leadership. He maintained that there are two types of leaders in management. 1. The traditional manager, concerned with the day to day operations was termed as Transactional Leader. 2. The manager who is committed, has a vision and is able to empower others with this vision was termed as Transformational leader.Differences between the two: Transactional LeaderTransformation al Leader * Focuses on management tasks. – Identifies common values. * Is caretaker (takes care of tasks. – Is committed (extra mile). * Uses tradeoffs to meet goals. – Inspires others with vision. * Shared values not identified. – Has longterm vision. * Examiner causes. – Looks at effects. * Uses contingency rewards. – Empowers others. Vision is the essence of transformational leadership. Vision implies the ability to picture some future state and describe it to others so they will begin to share the dream.Wolf and colleagues (1994) defined transformational leadership as an interactive relationship based on trust that positively impacts both the leader and the follower. * The purposes of the leader and follower become focused, crating unity, wholeness and collective purpose. Transformational leaders are able to crate change because of their futuristic focus, values, creativity and innovations. * They value organizational culture and values strongly perpetuating these some values and behaviours in their staff. â€Å"Visioning is the mark of transformational leader; visionary leadership allows nurses to create a picture of an ideal future.In sharing these visions the transformational leader empowers staff to find a common ground and a sense of connection. Transformational leaders do the following to achieve results: i. Involve stakeholders (including staff) from the outset when change occurs. ii. Focus on the quality of service. iii. Use non-hierarchical teams with devolved leadership. iv. Create supportive and informal culture. v. Implement successful change leadership. Important concepts in leading/directing Supervision (overseeing) Supervision is another leadership behavior.It includes inspecting another’s work, evaluating his/her performance and approving or correcting performance. Good supervision is facilitative because a good supervisor inspects work in progress and can remedy inadequate performance befor e serious consequences develop. The intensity of supervision should match situational requirements, employees needs and managers leadership skills. Supervision must be appropriate in type and intensity for work groups members to interact effectively e. g. technical nurses need closer supervision than professional nurses. Intensity of supervision should also depend on manger-caregiver ration.A manager can effectively supervise a large number of subordinates when they are confined in a small area, perform similar jobs and are fairly educated. The purpose of supervision is to inspect, evaluate and improve worker performance. Therefore a criteria is needed for judging the quality of work processes and outcomes. Job description and associated performance standards provide such evaluation criteria. The following performance elements should be appraised. 1. Quantity of work output 2. Quality of output 3. Time use 4. Conservation of resources 5. Assistance to co-workers 6. Support of admini strators Co-ordinationThis is another leadership activity. It includes all activities that enable work group members to work together harmoniously. Co-ordination ensures that everything that needs to be done is done and that no two people are doing the same thing (or duplication of activity). Coordinating means: 1. Distributing authority 2. Providing channels of communication 3. Arranging work so that the * Right things are done. * At the right time * In the right place * In the right way * By the right people The overall results of coordination should be orderly work, harmonious, efficient and successful activities CommunicationManagement is working through others in order to achieve organizational goals. Therefore a manager must be able to communicate ideas, opinions, requests and directions effectively to co-workers. Effective communications consist of transmitting an accurate message to the proper recipients at the appropriate time in a manner that conserves the senders and rece ivers energy, followed by checking that the intended message was received. Communication can therefore be defined as the exchange of information or understanding between a sender (source) and a receiver (audience).It includes verbal and non verbal through which meaning is conveyed to others. Silence is also considered as communication since it can also convey a meaning. The process involves a message which is encoded and transmitted through some medium to a receiver who decodes the message and then a feedback to the sender. Communication model: Methods of communication (channels) Receiver Sender Message Feedback Giving feedback indicates understanding of the message; hence there is effective two way communication which is necessary for effective management: ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATION: (give a handout)Formal channels of communication: Those are the official paths prescribed by the management which generally follow the organizational chain of command: information may be communicated i n several ways: a. Downward communication b. Upward communication c. Horizontal communication Downward communication: The information flows down the organizational hierarchy from managers to subordinates and the objectives of this four of communication is: * To give directives. The staff is told what needs to be done or given information to facilitate the job to be done e. g. procedure guidelines. Upward Communication:Occurs from staff to management or from lower management to middle or upper management. It mainly involves reporting pertinent information to facilitate problem solving and decision making. It reveals problem areas, indicates status of worker ‘s morale and makes workers feel part of the organization. Horizontal communication: This is routinely achieved through committees or teams e. g. Outpatient management teams, clerical teams. Committees provide a mechanism for representatives of different organizational units at similar levels to discuss common problems and p otential problems face to face.This is time consuming, expensive and their decisions are often compromises that may represent ineffectual solution. Lateral Communication: Occurs between individuals or departments at the same hierarchical level (e. g. nurse managers). Diagonal Communication: Involves individuals or departments at different hierarchical levels (staff nurse to chief of medical staff). Both lateral and diagonal communication involves information sharing, discussion and negotiation. Informal Communication: An informal channel seen in organization is the grapevine (i. e. rumours and gossips).This is often rapid, haphazard and prone to distortion. Managers can control negative aspects of the grapevine by communicating accurately, timely information, by maintaining and activating open channels of communication in all directions and by moving quickly to correct inaccurate information. BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION 1. Environmental Barriers: (Noise, Attention, Time) a. Noise â₠¬â€œ Can cause misunderstanding since it makes it difficult for one to hear. b. Attention – Multiple and Simultaneous demands on the sender may cause the message content to be packaged inappropriately (phone, signing documents). c.Time – If less, the sender may have little opportunity to completely think through structure the message to be conveyed, while to the receiver there is inadequate opportunity to ascertain its meaning. 2. Philosophy, Levels, Power Status a. Philosophy – an organization that is not interested in promoting communication upward or downward will certainly establish procedural and organizational blockages. E. g. inaccessibility to superiors, lack of interest in employees, insufficient time to receive information, retard communication flow, lack of action with regard to complaints, ideas, and problems tend to discourage flow of information.Multiple levels in an organization hierarchy tend to cause message distortion. b. Levels: When multiple links exists in the communication chain information will be rearranged as it is transmitted to other receivers. c. Power status relationship: This can also distort or inhibit transmission of message. A discordant superior-subordinate relationship can dampen the flow and content of information. In health organizations it is quite common e. g. patients may not question the doctor or a very experienced nurse may not tell a doctor that the treatment is wrong! d.Terminology and Complexity of the message: Words mean specific things to those who are familiar with them and tend to minimize misunderstanding vice versa. Complexity of message with terminology that may be unfamiliar to the receiver will obviously lead to misunderstanding of the message. COMMUNICATION IN GROUPS / TEAMS A GROUP:- A group is an aggregate of individual who interact and mutually influence each other. We have two types of Groups Formal Groups These are clusters of individuals designated by an organization to perform specified organ tasks. Taskforces, committees teams e. injection control team. Informal Groups Groups that evolve from social interactions that are not defined by an organizational structure. e. g People who take levels together who convince sponeneously to discuss a clinical dilemma. A. Teams Teams are real groups in which individuals must work co0operatively with other in order to achieve some goals. They demonstrate healthy interdependence. A team is composed of a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals and approach for which they held themselves mutually accountable.Teams have commend or line authonty to perform tasks and membership is based on the specific skills required to accomplish the task. Phases of GROUP AND formation Concepts/ leaves develop in the following phases 1. Forming 2. Storming 3. Norming 4. Performing 5. Adjourning 1. Forming This is the initial stage of group development in which indivi dual members assemble into a well defined cluster ( members get to know each other, and very cautions. 2. Storming The second stage of group department, in which group members develop ** and relationship; competition and conflict generally occur. . Norming 3rd stage of Group development. The Group defines its goals and rules of behavior. They define acceptable and unacceptable behavior attitudes. They define acceptable and unacceptable behavior attitudes ** develops. 4. performing (4th stage) The members agree on basic purposes and activities and came out the work. Cooperation improves and emotional issues subside. Members communicate effectively and interact in a relaxed atmosphere of sharing. 5. Adjourning This is the final stage of group development, in which a group dissolves after achieving its objectives.Team building/ team development. This is a group development technique that focuses on task and relationship aspects of group functioning in order to build team cohesiveness. Team building involves a) Gathering data through individual interviews, questioners and or group meetings a benefit the team and its functioning. b) Digressing the team strengths and arcsine need of development. c) Helding semi- structural retreat sessions usually ducted by an experienced facilitator aimed at addressing priority team problem. Characteristics of effective teams 1. Clear objectives and agreed goals . Openness and confrontation 3. Support and trust 4. Co-operation and conflict 5. Sound procedures 6. Appropriate leadership 7. Regular review 8. Individual development 9. Sound intergroup relations Communicating in Groups Characteristics of Groups 1) Norms: These are informal rule sin behaviour shared and enforced by group members e. g Time keeping, changing of shifts. Roles A role is a set of expected behaviors that fit together into a unified whole and are characteristic of persons in a given context. Roles commonly seen in groups can be classified as auther; Task RolesN urturing roles or social emotional roles Individuals performing task roles attempt to keep group focused on its goals. STATUS This is a social ranking of individual relative to others in a group based on the position they occupy. Status comes from factors the group values such as achievement, personal characteristics the ability to control rewards or the ability to control information. Higher status members often exercise more influence in group decisions than others. In Summary Communication is influenced by the status and roles of the individuals who dominate team discussions. e. High – status members who are fulfilling key roles in relation to a teams priorities are likely to exercise considerable control over communication in the group by determining topics, setting the tone of the discussions and influencing how decisions are made. Communicating with others in the clinical setting 1. Communicating with supervisions Communicate with supervision to develop a good working r elationship. 1. Always observe professional courtesy. 2. incase of any problem, follow the policy and procedure of the organization 3. If not an emergency, request for an appointment, to discuss the problem further.This demonstrates right time and place. 4. State the concern clearly and accurately. 5. Provide supporting evidence 6. State a willingness to co-operate in finding the solution. 7. Match behaviors to words. Communicating with co-workers * To collectively provide quality patients care, nurses depend on co-workers and this requires effective communication. * Do unto others as you wound have them do into you * Your perspective should be that all members of the team are important to successfully realize quality patient care. * Appreciate others for work well done * Offer constructive feedback Be open to the possibility that coworkers especially those with experience have some wisdom to share with you. Communicating with others practitioners * Always introduce yourself to othe r practitioners. ( or if you are the manager, introduce new gradates. Students to other practitioners) * Be honest and up front. Ask something that you are not aware off. * Show respect and consideration for other practitioners you work with ( But don’t be a dormant) * Present information in a straight forward manner, clearly delineating the problem supported by pertinent evidence. Document well especially if the expected actions were not done in the incident book. MOTIVATION Motivation describes the factors that initiate and direct behavior. Therefore a nurse manager’s most important leadership task is to maximize subordinates work motivation because employees bring to the organization different needs and goals, the type and intensity of motivators vary among employees. Therefore the nurse manager must know which needs the employee expects to satisfy through employment and should be able to predict, which needs will be satisfied through the job duties of each nursing position.Importance of Motivation Motivation is a very important for an organization because of the following benefits it provides:- 1. Puts human resources into action Every concern requires physical, financial and human resources to accomplish the goals. It is through motivation that the human resources can be utilized by making full use of it. This can be done by building willingness in employees to work. This will help the enterprise in securing best possible utilization of resources. 2. Improves level of efficiency of employees The level of a subordinate or a employee does not only depend upon his qualifications and abilities.For getting best of his work performance, the gap between ability and willingness has to be filled which helps in improving the level of performance of subordinates. This will result into- a. Increase in productivity, b. Reducing cost of operations, and c. Improving overall efficiency. 3. Leads to achievement of organizational goals The goals of an enterpr ise can be achieved only when the following factors take place :- d. There is best possible utilization of resources, e. There is a co-operative work environment, f. The employees are goal-directed and they act in a purposive manner, g.Goals can be achieved if co-ordination and co-operation takes place simultaneously which can be effectively done through motivation. 4. Builds friendly relationship Motivation is an important factor which brings employees satisfaction. This can be done by keeping into mind and framing an incentive plan for the benefit of the employees. This could initiate the following things: h. Monetary and non-monetary incentives, i. Promotion opportunities for employees, j. Disincentives for inefficient employees. In order to build a cordial, friendly atmosphere in a concern, the above steps should be taken by a manager.This would help in: a. Effective co-operation which brings stability, b. Industrial dispute and unrest in employees will reduce, c. The employees will be adaptable to the changes and there will be no resistance to the change, d. This will help in providing a smooth and sound concern in which individual interests will coincide with the organizational interests, e. This will result in profit maximization through increased productivity. 1. Leads to stability of work force Stability of workforce is very important from the point of view of reputation and goodwill of a concern.The employees can remain loyal to the enterprise only when they have a feeling of participation in the management. The skills and efficiency of employees will always be of advantage to employees as well as employees. This will lead to a good public image in the market which will attract competent and qualified people into a concern. As it is said, â€Å"Old is gold† which suffices with the role of motivation here, the older the people, more the experience and their adjustment into a concern which can be of benefit to the enterprise. From the above disc ussion, we can say that otivation is an internal feeling which can be understood only by manager since he is in close contact with the employees. Needs, wants and desires are inter-related and they are the driving force to act. These needs can be understood by the manager and he can frame motivation plans accordingly. We can say that motivation therefore is a continuous process since motivation process is based on needs which are unlimited. The process has to be continued throughout. We can summarize by saying that motivation is important both to an individual and a business. Motivation is important to an individual as: 1.Motivation will help him achieve his personal goals. 2. If an individual is motivated, he will have job satisfaction. 3. Motivation will help in self-development of individual. 4. An individual would always gain by working with a dynamic team. Similarly, motivation is important to a business as: 1. The more motivated the employees are, the more empowered the team i s. 2. The more is the team work and individual employee contribution, more profitable and successful is the business. 3. During period of amendments, there will be more adaptability and creativity. 4.Motivation will lead to an optimistic and challenging attitude at work place. Motivational theories (REFER TO NOTES ON NEOCLASSICAL THEORISTS) Motivational theories were concerned with three things: a. What mobilizes or energizes human behavior. b. What directs behavior towards the accomplishment of some objectives. c. How such behavior is sustained over-time. Motivation theorists 1. Maslow Hierarchy of needs (5). 2. Alderfer – 3 need levels: Existence, relatedness, growth theories. 3. Herzbergs two factor theory 4. Skirine’s reinforcement theory – behavior modification (behavior becomes associated with a particular consequence.Consequences may be positive or negative. A positive reinforces reward, a negative reinforces like punishment. 5. Vrooms expectancy theory à ¢â‚¬â€œ emphasizes the role of rewards and this relationship to the performance of desired behavior. 6. Adams (equity theory) – the motivational theory that suggests that effort and job satisfaction depend on the degree of equity or 7. Goal Theory (locke). 8. Equity – the perception that one’s work contribution is rewarded in the same proportion that another person’s contribution is reward.

Grapes of Wrath Essay

The exodus of the Joad family from Oklahoma to the promised land of California. They were cheated by tradesmen along Highway 66, harassed by border guards at state boundaries, and on arrival were burned out of their makeshift camp by police deputies. One dark night the Joads wandered into Weedpatch Camp, a government refuge for migratory farm workers, where they found clean beds, indoor privies, food, friendship, and hope. â€Å"Oh! Praise God,† whispered Ma Joad. â€Å"God Almighty, I can’t hardly believe it! † pronounced Tom. (p. 390) Their praises were addressed to Providence, but were intended for Washington. Here, they believed, for the first time in their lives, was hard visible proof that their government, whatever and wherever it was, really cared about them and the hundreds of thousands of people like them–landless, homeless, penniless victims of a fickle climate, an unstable economy, and a pernicious way of life. Between the Lesters of Georgia and the Joads of Oklahoma, a profound change of spirit had come upon the land. The great revolution of the twentieth century, not only in the United States but also in the emerging nations abroad, is the kindling of an extravagant hope that the human condition of man can and should be improved, through the harnessing of the power, resources, and machinery of government, not in some distant millennium, but during the lifetime of those now living. The effective response of modern governments to this enormous challenge depends not only on the dreaming of dreams and the preaching of hope, but also on the capacity to convert the pictures in men’s heads into the realities in their lives. 4. Considering the characters in the novel, which actions do you find admirable, and why? Which do you find reprehensible, and why? Admirable A considerable indecisiveness emerges from the novel about how radical the problem is: whether the circumstances of class war exist likely from the interchapters or whether there is a clear-cut villain in the Farmers’ Association with no broader implications—likely from the chapters and their limited point of view. The problem is partly compounded by the pragmatism of the Joads themselves, in many ways admirable in the face of degenerating circumstances but also dangerous in their willingness to lower their expectations: at the beginning Ma Joad dreams of a white house in California after a few months on the road, she hopes they may one day afford a tent that does not leak; Rose of Sharon plans early in her pregnancy a comfortable future for her child at the end she is sulking for a little milk so that her baby may be born alive. The disadvantages of nonteleological thinking are apparent when the result is a perpetual readjustment to straitened conditions: while we are told that the metaphysical grapes of wrath are ripening for the vintage, what we see among the poor is stoicism, sacrifice, and one supreme act of charity. Reprehensible Rose of Sharon and Connie think only of themselves and of now they will break from the group, and when difficulties arise Connie wishes that he had stayed in Oklahoma to man a tractor driving the people from the land. Later, alone, Rose of Sharon complains of her plight and frets about the coming child, and instead of sharing the family responsibility she adds to family worries. Uncle John is similarly preoccupied with his guilt and his personal problems and is almost useless to the group, picking cotton at only half the rate of the other men. Both he and Al withhold money from the family treasury. Noah, thoughtless of the others, wanders away. Connie, leaving a pregnant wife, also deserts. Even the children show a teasing selfishness. Ruthie eats her crackerjacks slowly so that she can taunt the other children when theirs is gone, and at croquet she ignores the rules and tries to play by herself. 5. Describe the role women play throughout the novel The seemingly gratuitous details of the truck driver and the woman driver may intentionally suggest Steinbeck’s awareness that men are often destructive while women are usually more protective: Tom Joad has just been revealed as having committed manslaughter; later we shall see that Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon try to preserve the family and nurture life. Ma Joad would be womanly and maternal in any station. If she had been a duchess, she would have labored with heroism for the integrity of the family and would have had a comprehensive vision of the serious social obligations of her class. The scene of her farewell to Tom†¦ is of the pure essence of motherhood. The pathos is profound and free from a taint of sentimentality. The courage and devotion of the woman are sublime In Ma Joad, Steinbeck created one of the most memorable characters in American fiction of the twentieth century. It is her courage which sustains the family through the almost overwhelming distresses suffered during their epic migration to the West. She voices the author’s belief in the common folk’s invincible will to survive. Ma is a tower of strength to her group, like Pilar in Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls though less articulate. She is a kind of pagan earth mother, kind to her father-in-law and her mother-in-law, anxious to let her husband Pa lead the family but quickly assuming the reins when he lets them slip through weakness and lack of understanding, firm but sympathetic with her children, friendly with deserving strangers. Ma holds her family together far longer than anyone else in the group could have done. She suffers intensely when she sees Grampa die, then Noah disappear, then Granma die, and then Tom obliged to hide and then go away. But she almost never reveals the degree of her misery. She knows that while she holds, the unit will hold unless man’s inhumanity to man and nature’s indifference put pressure upon her which simply cannot be endured. She goads Pa into near frenzy, knowing that it will make him stronger. She threatens to slap Rose of Sharon at times, but when the poor, pregnant, abandoned girl needs comfort, Ma is there with it in full measure. She knows that she can rely on Tom, not Al. She lets Uncle John have money for one quick drunken spree, knowing that without it he might crack. References Steinbeck John, (1939) The Grapes of Wrath New York: Viking.

Morals essays

Morals essays If a person that never lived in the twentieth century visited 1997 for just one day, he or she would probably think that we are all trying to kill ourselves. Everything from sports, to music, to advertisements is extreme these days. People are doing things in sports that have never been attempted and are seemingly crazy. In advertising, people of this decade are portrayed as risk-takers, and dare-devils. There seems to be little regard for safety and a lot of regard for fun. I think that advertisers have grasped what this decade is all about, and I am proud to be a member of Generation X. Not everyone in this world is a risk-taker. I would say that most people try to live their lives peacefully and without very much drama. But, it is impossible to ignore the people who live their lives on the edge with "No Fear." A clothing company called "No Fear" has had much success in selling shirts to the worlds youth. They have been so successful because that is the exact attitude of Generation X. "Don't worry, be Happy," and "Live life to its fullest" are all catch phrases of this generation. People just want to have fun, and they find new and exciting ways to do it. Sports are a great example. The cable network ESPN hosts an event every year called the Extreme Games. It is a festival that lasts one week which involves sports that most sane people would never try at home. These sports include, skateboarding, in-line skating, sky-surfing, and street luge. Most of these sports are new to the 90's. While these games are being held, other advertisers have a field day. The soft drink company Mountain Dew ran commercials that said, "Nothing is more intense than slamming a Dew." It also had many female actors in its advertisements in which they wore grungy clothes, nose piercings, and heavy make-up. This showed that women can be "extreme" too, and should not be counted out in Gener ...

Free Essays on The Marxist Ideal

Karl Marx’s idea of a communist state, which is supposed to be an almost utopian society, is impossible to achieve due to the fact that it requires the human mind to be almost flawless. It asks society and its members to be absolutely without ranks, greed or leadership. This has been clearly impossible for society. Each step to achieving a communist society has always been a step towards becoming a totalitarian society like past and current communist countries. Communism became popular in under-developed countries, which is opposite to what Marx believed, and its rise in these countries was the beginning of its fall. Marx believed that the only way to overthrow capitalism was to create a revolution of the lower class but this revolution carries the cause even farther away from true communism. Equality is the next issue that Marx tackled, and in the communist ideal, it is very important but, unfortunately, in the real world of distorted ideologies, it isn’t as important. The ultimate goal for communism, however, is that eventually there will be no need for government but as communist societies in the real world progress, nothing could be further from the truth. Today, communism, active in the few Communist countries left in the world, is far from what Marx had in mind. From the beginning to the present day and into the future, communism has become distorted into something that would be Marx's worst nightmare. Because of faults in the human mind that just can't seem to be worked out, the Marx’s plan simply cannot work. Marx's prediction was that communism would be successful in the highly industrialized countries of Western Europe. Instead, it took place in Russia, a country troubled by its corrupt head of state. A Communist revolt needed an industrialized country as its focus, where an organized lower class, willing to fight, had had a chance to develop. The revolution of 1917, however, occurred in Russia, one of the most bac... Free Essays on The Marxist Ideal Free Essays on The Marxist Ideal Karl Marx’s idea of a communist state, which is supposed to be an almost utopian society, is impossible to achieve due to the fact that it requires the human mind to be almost flawless. It asks society and its members to be absolutely without ranks, greed or leadership. This has been clearly impossible for society. Each step to achieving a communist society has always been a step towards becoming a totalitarian society like past and current communist countries. Communism became popular in under-developed countries, which is opposite to what Marx believed, and its rise in these countries was the beginning of its fall. Marx believed that the only way to overthrow capitalism was to create a revolution of the lower class but this revolution carries the cause even farther away from true communism. Equality is the next issue that Marx tackled, and in the communist ideal, it is very important but, unfortunately, in the real world of distorted ideologies, it isn’t as important. The ultimate goal for communism, however, is that eventually there will be no need for government but as communist societies in the real world progress, nothing could be further from the truth. Today, communism, active in the few Communist countries left in the world, is far from what Marx had in mind. From the beginning to the present day and into the future, communism has become distorted into something that would be Marx's worst nightmare. Because of faults in the human mind that just can't seem to be worked out, the Marx’s plan simply cannot work. Marx's prediction was that communism would be successful in the highly industrialized countries of Western Europe. Instead, it took place in Russia, a country troubled by its corrupt head of state. A Communist revolt needed an industrialized country as its focus, where an organized lower class, willing to fight, had had a chance to develop. The revolution of 1917, however, occurred in Russia, one of the most bac...

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page If you already have a Facebook profile, you may be wondering why you would even need a Facebook author page. Heres my answer: Facebook profiles are for people. They are a venue to connect with friends and acquaintances to share information about your lives. A Facebook profile can’t be used to market businesses or products, such as your books and workshops. On a Facebook author page, you can market your books, promote your readings and workshops, and notify fans about your discounted prices and Goodreads giveaways. In short, this is where you can communicate meaningful content that your fans will want to know as well as promote books and other products and services you may offer. In addition, a Facebook page will help you to build your brand, engage with your readers, and improve your search engine results, which in turn will boost sales of your books and attendance at your workshops. Here are some of my favorite tips for increasing shares and Likes on my page. 1. Focus on producing quality content, writing short posts (80 to 190 characters), and always including images that are colorful, unique, and compelling. 2. Respond quickly to your fans’ comments, promote their publishing successes, and just enjoy the experience. 3. Balance the mundane with the meaningful. Cute kitten pictures are mundane while posts with links to solid content are meaningful status updates. I balance my page 4. Gear your messages towards your audience. If your audience loves YA books, don’t post information about literary fiction. Keep to the topics they care about. 5. Use stellar images. Facebook users love them. 6. Post videos. They are popular on Facebook. 7. Experiment with your posts, study your Insights – Facebook’s free analytical feature – and learn what works best for your audience. What works best on your Facebook page?

Business Economics Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Economics - Speech or Presentation Example   In winter, it is vice versa. Product supply and demand imbalances also cause the prices of gasoline to fluctuate. This is so because at times demand rises unexpectedly or supply declines suddenly due to production problems. When supply is low, people tend to compete for the little available stock, thus increasing the prices. Such imbalances cause the common fluctuations (Stone, 2008).Since 2005, the prices of gasoline have been continually rising. At no given time have the gasoline prices of the previous year been higher than in the current year. Prior to 2004, the prices were relatively stable – around $2 a gallon. With the growing economy and population, there has been global fear that the oil deposits may soon run out. This has led to people being persuaded to use fuel saving vehicles (Verma, 2007). This, however, has not been forthcoming, because the rich still use fuel guzzlers, and governments have been forced to increase prices of gasoline so that people feel squeez ed and obligated to use fuel conservatively.The prices of gasoline rose steadily from 2005 to 2011, at one point reaching a peak of $4 a gallon in 2011. However, they gradually declined to $3 a gallon in following months. The reason that has caused the prices to rise in 2011 was the political tension in the Middle East and parts of North Africa. Situations like this cause downward shift in the supply curve. When supply decreases and demand remains constant, this leads to a higher price equilibrium.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 10

Strategic Management - Essay Example Positioning of the organisation through strategy, responding to real time issues through strategic management and managing the resistance offered by the competitors through systematic planning are some of the broader aims of strategic management (Ayanda, M., n.d.). There are a few key attributes that strategic management addresses. It helps the organisation to move towards its goal and achieve its objectives. It helps the stake holders to be a part of the decision making body. The need of incorporating short term and long term goals can be identified. It also helps in understanding the trade off between efficiency and effectiveness in order to achieve the goals of the organisation. Some theorist do believe that the traditional approach is the standard approach to strategic management however it can no longer cope up with the complexities of the new demands (Dess, et.al., n.d). Brinkerhoff had a very simple way of defining strategic management. He defined strategic management as ‘looking out’, ‘looking in’ and ‘looking ahead’. According to Brinkerhoff looking out means, evaluating the environment in order to set organisational goals and also recognise the potential stakeholders. By looking in he means to identify the strengths that the firm possesses meaning the resources like finance and the man power. Looking ahead points out at formulating strategies and allocating resources to set targets and evaluate performance. Strategic management mainly consists of the following five factors. They are setting goals, analysing, strategy formation, strategy implementation and evaluating the strategy. These factors need continuous interaction and feedback between them (Susan. n.d.). The Balance Scorecard is an effective tool by which organisations can evaluate its performance which in turn helps to accomplish the vision.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Management - Essay Example The most significant problems that are affecting the plant include, material cost and a bad co-ordination between Research & Development people and Production engineers. Repeated design changing is making the overall cost higher. Had been designs coming from R & D section go directly for production without any more rectification, cost would have lowered. There is a dispute between R & D and Production peoples. One is blaming the other, which forces me to incorporate one special investigation team to govern actually where the conflict is. One design after coming to Production section does not reserves the right to be changed without proper notification to me. According to the notice sent by Employee & Community Relation Manager, we need to hire women and people of color very soon and make sure a higher percentage will be recruited into Production section which requires more effective manpower. Nothing is born perfect. We have to give the color of perfection. Question is not how effective we are, rather question is how much more we have to be. There must be a good relation among the people in the department as well as within various departments. After getting sure that design is complete and may rule over the market then only materials should be purchased. Otherwise it’s immaterial to periodically purchase and change the model structure. To set up good relationship, weekly meetings will be organized where all the in- charges of various sections may come with their ambiguities and questions if any. Other than this, picnic party, cultural activities will help the employees to intermingle. As Baker and Baker is interested for our model 80, so production engineers must do their work to make the product available as soon as possible. After that only other models and multi channel digital system will be carried out. As we are hiring people, later on works can be split up.

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Essay - 2

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries - Essay Example This explication concentrates on the lodging, food and beverage industries. The food, beverage and lodging industry constitutes diverse managerial careers, which require professionalism and utter commitment. Such managerial positions include human resource managers who efficiently direct, plan and coordinate the administrative duties of the organization. They authoritatively conduct and oversee interviewing, recruiting and eventual hiring of new staff (Davis, 2013). They also consult with ranking executives on strategic planning and pose as a link between an organization’s management of its workforce. Public relations managerial staff creates and upholds an auspicious public image for their clients or employer. They compose material for media publication, plan and lead public relations programs, and procure funds for their affiliation. In both industries, financial manager assume a key role in holding the responsibility for the financial health of the affiliation. They generat e financial reports, direct investment businesses and create strategies and plans for the financial goals of their affiliation. Advertising marketing and promotions managers compose programs to induce interest in a service or product (Davis, 2013). They operate with sales agents, monetary staff members and art directors. Food, beverage and lodging industries have operational managers in place. Their chief function is to assist the organization’s director in the healthy running of the businesses. They have the responsibility to create, deliver and design product mixes that have quality, while maintaining lump sum monetary returns (Davis, 2013). They do this while ensuring that all working prototypes are under critical review to induce growth and deliver outstanding guest services. Food service managers are explicitly responsible for overseeing the daily operations of restaurants and other affiliations that serve beverages and food to their clientele. These managers ensure that clientele derive sufficient satisfaction with their dining experience in the entire food and beverage industry (Davis, 2013). Maintenance managers in both establishments administer the yearly operating plans and establish yearly objectives and goals for the staff and departments, while reviewing work completion for efficiency and adequacy. This ensures accountability in the hospitality industry when such managers are active in their positions. The food, beverage industry has a career opportunity for directors of new merchandise sourcing, who have a chief responsibility to manage and invent new merchandise product lines. They additionally oversee sourcing selections and support new product introduction and production (Davis, 2013). They also levy for rapid prototyping, therefore they ought to have ample qualification handling such technical matters that are critical to the success of the food and beverage industry. In both industries under study, directors of sales have the mandate to develop an overall strategy with a corporate sense including creation of roadmaps for the affiliation. This is for ensuring that the organization acquires significant sales growth by extending sales in the present customer base. The have an additional role of developing the entire business (Davis, 2013)s. From the past to contemporary times, the hospitality industry ensues growing both internationally and nationally,

Short Answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Short Answers - Assignment Example Between kazuo’s camera andKurosawa’s intuitive directions, there is hardly any words needed to be used. The inconsistency is evident from this point where the camera accounts for the gesture, passes a forest’s breeze rush. The truth showed twenty four frames for each second, a bit different every time. Outstanding in the stellar cast is Toshiro’s bug-bitten outlaw, his antics surprise and even confuse into depths. Inconsistency is a cyclic technique employed in films to inspire the audience and make it interesting. A film may have a flow but at some point it makes a new turn and then it takes the pattern. The pattern is crucial in movies for capturing the audience and breaking boredom. Inconsistency captures senses of the audience as they are left with a range of conclusion on how the film is flowing and its conclusion. It is also vital in capture of emotions of the audience in different ways. Lastly, inconsistency is meant to disapprove the expectation of the audience there by making them attentive. Question two From time immemorial, film buffs, film critics and filmmakers will refer to a film period by the name the French new wave. To other people the term is to be thrown out to sound impressive. For some other people it carries significance and inspiration that represents a defining moment in cinematic innovation and individuality. It is very vital to note that while cahiers critics talked about their views, there was variation and diversity within the groups. This ranged from cinematic aesthetic to age. It was by diversifying their thoughts that they were able to challenge their views and engage in debates. The French new wave from their debates and diversification made films that shared variety aspects of filming in Europe making it unique. The French new wave created films in various genres deviating from the usual narrative conventions. The use of held cameras, natural lighting, real locations and improvised scripts formulated a feeling of realism. These techniques were different from the ones other movements employed. One of the directors’ aims was to have the audience know that they are watching a film. This was done through the medium employed. The directors had a character talk to the audience face to face hence having a break on the fourth wall. At that time it was a unique, surprising and new technique which today is employed in present cinemas. This movement also employed a film that maximized memory as a subject, showing a changing mentality that is modern in the history of film making. The technique the movement used was unusual as it influence other movements as they adopted it. Question three Third Cinema is known to be credited to two filmmakers, Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas. Following a film completion in 1968, the two drafted a manifesto. The manifesto had a laid down structure on the classification of cinemas: the first cinema, second cinema and the third cinema. First cinema is a Hollywood production model. It also applies to other cinema production of in other countries that is done in large scale like Bollywood. A very vital factor for the two, the production mode represents an ideology that there exists a specific relationship between the spectator and film where cinema is taken as a spectacle (Chanan, pp.375). The cinema relays the messages of an overwhelming ideology through its content, its production

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Essay - 2

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries - Essay Example This explication concentrates on the lodging, food and beverage industries. The food, beverage and lodging industry constitutes diverse managerial careers, which require professionalism and utter commitment. Such managerial positions include human resource managers who efficiently direct, plan and coordinate the administrative duties of the organization. They authoritatively conduct and oversee interviewing, recruiting and eventual hiring of new staff (Davis, 2013). They also consult with ranking executives on strategic planning and pose as a link between an organization’s management of its workforce. Public relations managerial staff creates and upholds an auspicious public image for their clients or employer. They compose material for media publication, plan and lead public relations programs, and procure funds for their affiliation. In both industries, financial manager assume a key role in holding the responsibility for the financial health of the affiliation. They generat e financial reports, direct investment businesses and create strategies and plans for the financial goals of their affiliation. Advertising marketing and promotions managers compose programs to induce interest in a service or product (Davis, 2013). They operate with sales agents, monetary staff members and art directors. Food, beverage and lodging industries have operational managers in place. Their chief function is to assist the organization’s director in the healthy running of the businesses. They have the responsibility to create, deliver and design product mixes that have quality, while maintaining lump sum monetary returns (Davis, 2013). They do this while ensuring that all working prototypes are under critical review to induce growth and deliver outstanding guest services. Food service managers are explicitly responsible for overseeing the daily operations of restaurants and other affiliations that serve beverages and food to their clientele. These managers ensure that clientele derive sufficient satisfaction with their dining experience in the entire food and beverage industry (Davis, 2013). Maintenance managers in both establishments administer the yearly operating plans and establish yearly objectives and goals for the staff and departments, while reviewing work completion for efficiency and adequacy. This ensures accountability in the hospitality industry when such managers are active in their positions. The food, beverage industry has a career opportunity for directors of new merchandise sourcing, who have a chief responsibility to manage and invent new merchandise product lines. They additionally oversee sourcing selections and support new product introduction and production (Davis, 2013). They also levy for rapid prototyping, therefore they ought to have ample qualification handling such technical matters that are critical to the success of the food and beverage industry. In both industries under study, directors of sales have the mandate to develop an overall strategy with a corporate sense including creation of roadmaps for the affiliation. This is for ensuring that the organization acquires significant sales growth by extending sales in the present customer base. The have an additional role of developing the entire business (Davis, 2013)s. From the past to contemporary times, the hospitality industry ensues growing both internationally and nationally,

Mgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Mgt - Essay Example It is clear that, it cannot be business as usual due to the stagnation and global expansion is a brilliant idea. The business is big, since it operates a 35,000-square-foot factory with 75 employees and I believe that it has the capacity to realize global expansion. What is more viable? Should it consider a joint venture or hire a sales team of indigenous people in the countries that it enters? The dilemma is whether to employ a sales team of indigenous people in the countries it enters or to forge a joint venture. According to Emery (2011), â€Å"a joint venture is a strategic alliance between two or more entities to engage in a specific project.† Its difference with partnership is that the former is for a particular undertaking while the later is for a long- term business relationship. A joint venture is advantageous, for example it ensures sharing of resources, skills and risks. However, it has myriad of problems like: disparity in assets, expertise and investments of each entity, varied cultures and organizational management styles, and it requires thorough research and a long time to be able to establish and make operational (Emery, 2011). Though costly, hiring sales personnel of native people in the countries of diversification is a good idea since it helps in building a business empire that will benefit from centralized management. Forming a business dynasty will help in addressing the problems of sustainability and enhance reliable distribution

Fire Safety Essay Example for Free

Fire Safety Essay The entire casualty of a fire to a society may be equal to all the fire hazards in the society; this would comprise of the buildings, agriculture, transportation, and so on. A lot of factors contribute to the total cost. With regards to the damage caused by the fires we have, definitely, the direct casualty of life, harm and the real economic losses due to the occurrence of fire. There are indirect or important outcomes because of the disorder of amenities, loss of trade, and means of employment. There is also community distress and unease, specifically the subsequent chief catastrophes and the cost of any hassle caused. The outlay of fire safety procedures includes costs meant for fire prevention, fire control when they occur, and extenuating their direct and indirect aftermath. This comprises the cost of services such as the fire contingent, fire indemnity, and an extensive part of building power or other variable measures (Rasbash, 2004). The Nature of the Fire Hazard The hazard of fire is the result of unrestrained, exothermic responses, particularly involving natural resources and air. It is predominantly connected with flammable materials and energy resources utilized by people in daily life. Although fire intimidates both the living and their property, and its management costs much disbursement, the danger must be situated against the advantage achieved from these properties so that an unbiased view can be attained. Furthermore, existing principles are greatly reliant on the utilization of buildings. The additional risk when fires happen in an enclosed space, by means of the increased temperature and smoke being trapped rather than moving comparatively safely upward, requires being located against the essential worth of using buildings. It then follows that one cannot, in general abolish the danger of fire, although one can lessen it to an adequately low intensity by appropriate design measures (Kiurski, 1999). Major Fire Hazard Areas Loss and damage caused by fire can occur anytime activity happens. Maybe the most common setting for such activity is inside buildings. Such incorporate both domestic and nondomestic grounds, and the latter can expand to a broad array of tenure, such as various factories, establishment structures where there are particular dangers to the community, these includes areas of open assemblies and spaces where people sleep, like hotels and hospitals. Business occupancies broaden further than building structures to take in mines, process plants within open, offshore mechanisms, agricultural harvests, and forestry. Lastly there is an entire variety of amenities for highway, rail, marine, and air transportation even lengthening in current period to satellites and space sections. For most of these danger zones, a substantial and expensive fire incidence conditions has built up over the time being and has known to widespread necessities for fire safety. In the world of fire insurance, particular danger locations are regularly called â€Å"risks† (Rasbash, 2004). The Chemistry of Fire Fire is basically a chemical reaction that involves the rapid oxidation of combustible material or fuel, with the subsequent liberation of heat and light. In a typical community, all the elements essential for fire to begin are present – fuel, heat or ignition source, and oxygen (air). However, recent research suggests that fourth factor is present. This factor has been classified as a reaction chain in which burning continues and even action of the molecules from the material burning with the oxygen in the atmosphere. Fires have been divided into four classes based in the nature of combustible material and requirements for extinguishment: Class A: usual flammable solid equipment, such as paper, wood, plastic, and fabric. Class B: flammable liquids/gases and combustible petroleum products. Class C: electrical apparatus that are keyed up or energized. Class D: combustible/reactive metals, such as magnesium, sodium, and potassium (Bishop, Fody, Schoeff, 2004). Fire Extinguishment and Inhibition The most basic and most efficient approach on hand to the architect to guarantee fire safety is to avoid fires from starting, that is fire prevention. If this tactic is successful, then there is no need even to attempt any other fire safety measure. Prevention of ignition and the limitation of the fuel available are the twin methods of fire prevention. In scheming to lessen the explosion danger, there are two things the architect has to do: firstly plan out the assumed explosion danger or causes; and secondly, to facilitate the infrastructure to be controlled in such an approach that the danger of explosion is get rid of. The actual design against the risk and the design to permit management against the risk must be seen together. The first necessity for the designer is an understanding of the most likely ignition risks in the particular building type under construction: it is essential to know your enemy if it is going to be defeated. Probably the most common cause of ignition, and certainly the hardest to design against, is human carelessness. Almost all fires started by smoking materials or matches could be avoided, and yet these are one of the major causes of domestic fires and consequent loss of life. Similarly, the continuing high incidence of fires concerned with cookers and stoves are normally due to human carelessness (Stollard Abrahams, 1999). Types and Applications of Fire Extinguishers Just as fires have been divided into classes, fire extinguishers are divided into classes that correspond to the type of fire to be extinguished. Be certain to choose the right type – using the wrong type of extinguisher may be dangerous. For example, do not use water on burning liquids or electrical equipment. Pressurized-water extinguishers, as well as suds and multi-use dry-chemical types, are used for Class A fires. For Class B and C fires, on the other hand, multi-use dry-chemical and carbon dioxide extinguishers are used. Halogenated hydrocarbon extinguishers are particularly recommended for use with computer equipment. Class D fires present special problems, and extinguishment is left to trained firefighters using special dry-chemical extinguishers. Personnel should know the location and type of portable fire extinguisher near their work area and know how to use an extinguisher before a fire occurs. In the event of fire, first evacuate all personnel, patients, and visitors who are in immediate danger and then activate the fire alarm, report the fire, and attempt to extinguish the fire, if possible. Personnel should work as a team to carry out emergency procedure. Fire drills must be conducted regularly and with appropriate documentation (Bishop et al. , 2004). Fire Safety Codes Fire safety codes and regulations exist to provide a reasonable measure of safety in a building from fire, explosions, or other comparable emergencies. The model code used by most jurisdictions is the Life Safety Code written by the National Fire Protection Association, Covering many of the same concerns with design, construction, and materials as in the building codes, the Life Safety Code attempts to lessen the danger to life from fire, smoke, and hazardous fumes and gases. The intent of these codes is to prevent a fire whenever possible. However, since all fires cannot be prevented, the codes also focus on fore control. Fire prevention is facilitated by the regulation of hazards and such things as controls on the kinds of material – both construction and furnishings – that can be used in buildings. Fire safety control is facilitated by the requirement of fire sprinklers, fire doors, and the like. Fire codes focus on such matters as egress interior architectural finishes, and fire protection equipment such as sprinklers and smoke detectors. Fire regulations related to furniture construction and fabrics or finishes are more a matter of federal, state and local regulations (Piotrowski, 2001). Contribution of Fire Safety Engineering Fire safety engineering can be defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles to the effects of fire in order to reduce the loss of life and damage to property by quantifying the risks and hazards involved and to provide an optimal solution to the application of preventive or protective measures. The concept of fire safety engineering may be applied to any situation where fire is a potential hazard. Although this text is mainly concerned with building structures, similar principles are equally applicable to the problems associated with oil or gas installations or other structures such as highway bridges. The additional hazards from gas and oil installations are primarily caused by the far more rapid growth of fire and the associated faster rates of temperature rise. This has been recognized by considering the testing of material response under heating regimes other than those associated with the more conventional cellulosic fires. The design methods are, however, similar to those for the situation covered by the more normal cellulosic based fires (Purkiss, 1996). Conclusion: Sticking to Basics Most instructive programs of any kind boil down to making an audience aware of a few key points. A rule of thumb in virtually any kind of education is that the more elementary a skill or given bit of knowledge is the more valuable it is. A general, fundamental rule can be more generally applied in everyday life than one that is tied to more advanced principles. For the fire service, this means educating an audience on basic means of prevention and coping with emergencies – subjects that professional firefighters might almost take for granted or consider obvious, but about which the average citizen may never have given much thought (Kiurski, 1999). References: Bishop, M. L. , Fody, E. P. , Schoeff, L. (2004). Clinical Chemistry: Principles, Procedures, Correlations (5th ed. ). New York: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Kiurski, T. (1999). Creating a Fire-Safe Community: A Guide for Fire Safety Educators. New Jersey: PennWell Books. Piotrowski, C. M. (2001). Professional Practice for Interior Designers (3rd ed. ). Canada: John Wiley and Sons. Purkiss, J. A. (1996). Fire Safety Engineering Design of Structures. Oxford: Elsevier. Rasbash, D. (2004). Evaluation of Fire Safety. England: John Wiley and Sons. Stollard, P. , Abrahams, J. (1999). Fire from First Principles: A Design Guide to Building Fire Safety (3rd ed. ). London and New York: Taylor Francis.

Worldwide Impact Of Magical Realism English Literature Essay

Worldwide Impact Of Magical Realism English Literature Essay Imagine a world where flowers rain from the sky and people can transform into animals at will, a place in which time flows unpredictably and the fantastic seems unremarkable to observers. This is the chimeric, phantasmagorial realm of the magical realist genre of literature. Magical realism, as seen in the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a reflection of the Latin American postcolonial culture and has greatly influenced world literature for the last century, despite a complicated history and chronic nominal confusion. The history of magical realism is complex and multinational. To understand it, one must understand the history of the term itself. The phrase magic realism was coined by Franz Roh, a German art critic, in his 1925 book Post-Expressionism, Magic Realism: Problems of the Most Recent European Painting (Bowers 9) to describe the post-expressionist art of certain contemporary German painters (Bowers 9-10). This original magical realist movement featured a detailed, clear depiction (Bowers 9; Zamora 24) of, in Rohs words, the strange, the uncanny, the eerieaspects of everyday reality (Baker). In 1949, a second, similar term, marvelous realism, first appeared in Cuban author Alejo Carpentiers seminal essay On the Marvelous Real in America, describing the extraordinary idiosyncrasies that make up the everyday reality of Latin American life (Bowers 14-16; Feinstein). Finally, the more familiar term magical realism was first used by Angel Flores in his 1955 essay, Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction, in which Flores contends that the genre has its roots in the romantic realism of Spanish-language literature (Bowers 17-18). Soon after this essay was published, the 1960s saw the beginning of a decades-long flowering of Latin American literature and of magical realism. During this Latin American Boom, an emerging continent-wide desire to develop a distinctly Latin American culture catalyzed a creative explosion led by Garcia Marquez of Colombia, Carlos Fuentes of Mexico, Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru, Jose Donoso of Chile, and Julio Cortazar of Argentina that perfected the genre (Bowers 17-18; Feinstein). Neither magical realisms authors nor its origins are confined to Latin America, however. It was largely influenced by the Romantic and Surrealist movements in Europe, and important precursors include quasi-surrealist German writer Franz Kafka, sixteenth-century Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, and Italian surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico (Bowers 18). Among the first genuine magical realists was German author G ¨unter Grass, author of The Tin Drum (Bowers 19). Modern magical realists hail from such nations as the United States, India, Japan, Canada, Nigeria, and Italy, including noted authors Toni Morrison and Salman Rushdie (Bowers 18; Cowan 4). Perhaps because of this complicated history, there is a general consensus that there is no general consensus on how to precisely define magical realism (Baker). This can be attributed in part to confusion over the precise meanings of and distinctions between the terms magic realism, magical realism, and marvelous realism (Bowers 2). However, the styles features are less nebulous and readily identifiable. According to Flores, the essence of magical realist fiction is that, time exists in a kind of fluidity and the unreal happens as part of reality. Wendy B. Faris gives an irreducible element of magic as its most important criterion (Faris, The Question 102), in addition to a strong presence of the world we know (Faris, Ordinary Enchantments 7). This corresponds to the realism portion of magical realisms name.In general, the supernatur al coexists with the mundane, and neither character nor narrator express any feeling that such fantastic occurrences are out of place (Baker). This all creates what Adam Feinstein eloquently calls a rich, often disturbing world that is both familiar and dreamlike(Feinstein 15). Briefly, magical realist fiction presents magical events in a realistic manner. Magical realism can best be understood through examples from its authors. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian author of the novels, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, has come to typify the genre, and even all of modern Latin American literature (Bowers 3). Fuentes calls magical realism the personal stamp of only one: Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Faris, The Question 108), and Michael Wood refers to him as the undisputed master of the magical realist voice that tells of fantasies in deadpan prose (Wood 10). Garcia Marquezs work is full of examples of magical realism. For instance, in his short story, Light is Like Water, the light from a common house fixture acts in such a way that children can sail boats on it (Faris, The Question 114), and household objects [] [fly] with their own wings through the kitchen sky (Faris, Ordinary Enchantments 12). But all subsequent examples will be taken from what is arguably his most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, the story of the Buendia family. The erraticism and ambiguity of time can be seen in the example of Pilar Ternera, who, upon turning 145, [gives] up the pernicious custom of keeping track of her age and [] [goes] on living in the static and marginal time of memories, in a future perfectly revealed and established, beyond the futures, disturbed by the insidious snares and suppositions of her cards. (Garc ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a M ´arquez 394) Similarly, a rain shower lasts for nearly five years; insomnia can erase the past; a room exists where it is always a Monday in the month of March (Faris, Ordinary Enchantments 23); and, after he dies, Melqu ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±ades Buend ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a begins to chronicle the history of the town of Macondo, both recording and predicting the towns events (Faris, Ordinary Encantments 10). In another example of magical realism, yellow butterflies, relentlessly swarming and invasive, accompany Mauricio Babilonia to his trysts with Meme Buend ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a (Garc ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a M ´arquez 285-287); despite being magical, they are vulnerable to an insecticide bomb, demonstrating the realist component (Faris, Ordinary Enchantments 18-19). And, during the funeral of Jos ´e Arcadio Buend ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a, tiny yellow flowers rain from the sky, carpeting the streets (Garc ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a M ´arquez 144). The fantastical elements of magical realism can be explained in part by the cultural situation that existed at the time of the genres nascence. Magical realisms duality might be considered to be a residue from the colonial occupation of the Latin American continent. The European conquerors imposed their own culture on that of the conquered, resulting in the coexistence of two conflicting world views-European rationalism and ancient native spiritualism (Baker). In the words of Stephen Slemon, the two oppositional systems [] each [work] toward the creation of a different kind of fictional world from the other (Faris, The Question 102). Magical realism can also be seen as a form of resistance to colonial ideologies, a discursive system that challenge[s] the restrictions of a circumscribed colonial space (Baker). It honors native tradition by frequently giv[ing] voice [] to indigenous myths, legends, and cultural practices and simultaneously serve[s] a decolonizing role, one in which new voices have emerged, an alternative to European realism (Faris, The Question 103). The fact that magical realist authors often hail from transitional, third-world countries supports this hypothesis (Cowan 6). But now the magical realist tradition appears to be dying. Magical realism has been victimized by modernization and unification in Latin America, and the need to develop a distinct Latin American writing style no longer persists (Feinstein). Only a few writers like Isabel Allende still practice it (Cowan 6; Feinstein). Also, recent magical realist work is a testament to the change in the landscape of the continent, infused with urban elements and modern issues. (Feinstein). And, unfortunately, the magic is increasingly being used as an instrument of lazy deus ex machina instead of an element in an alternate world, resolving plot conflicts rather than creating them (Khair). Thus, the future of magical realism looks dim. Even if the magical realist movement has lost its  ´elan vital, it has been an important player in the history of twentieth-century literature, spearheaded by fountainheads of creativity like Gabriel Garc ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a M ´arquez. Although the remnants of European hegemony led to it being most prominent in Latin America, over the course of its rich history, magical realism has left a permanent impact on worldwide literature.

Essay examples --

The mobility paradigm proposed by John Urry (2000) brought a significant shift into the way of researching in social sciences. According to BÃ ¼scher and Urry (2009: 100), this shift allows theorize the social from the perspective of economic, social and political practices, ideologies and infrastructures. These, as reported by authors (2009: 100), engage the mobility of people, things and information. However, this radical shift in theory goes hand in hand with an inevitable need of new methods to gather sociological knowledge. We can see this need on the example of cycling as a practice of mobility. As Spinney and Brown (2009: 132) stated, the dissatisfaction with such a small range of methods that could help to explain various aspects of cycling has been rising lately. Thus, how to research on this practice of mobility to gain as much sociological knowledge as possible? The answer might be hidden within developing methodologies of sociology with emphasis on visual and sensory app roach. In this essay I will demonstrate how might be cycling investigated with the assistance of new methods that include video. Firstly, the mobility paradigm will be briefly introduced and connected with the realm of cycling. Subsequently, I will show in which ways can be video used for researching. Ultimately, the most important part of this paper will be dedicated to practice shown on examples of two different but in many ways similar investigations. The mobility paradigm, turn from analysing society to analysing mobility, was pioneered by John Urry (2000) in his book Sociology beyond Societies: Mobilities for the Twenty-First Century. The author (2000, 2007) laid the foundations of mobility paradigm and proposed a shift from research on society to ... ...nvestigation. These are participatory video, videography and video elicitation. Accordingly, on an example of video use in sociological research practice we have demonstrated benefits and tried to find drawbacks of this methodology. When researching on cycling, we might encounter various obstacles. For instance, the terrain will not let the researcher to follow the participant and conduct uninterrupted interview in real time. By using of mobile video camera enables to experience and understand various practices (In our case cycling.) that would not be possible to approach and brings a new perspective into contemporary research. Moreover, use of representations allows researchers to produce knowledges that are hard to describe with language. Finally, we can clearly see from our evidence that video bridges the gap between the embodiment of practice and the language.

Tort Law: Stella Liebeck Report

Hot coffee spill worth cool award McDonald's may fork over $2. 9 million Denver Post Copyright 1994 Friday, August 19, 1994 The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE – A woman, who was scalded when her McDonald's coffee spilled won a jury award of $2. 9 million – or about two days' coffee sales for the fast-food chain. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81, who suffered thirddegree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. A state district court jury imposed $2. 7 million in punitive damages and $160,000 in compensatory damages Wednesday.Ken Wagner, one of Liebeck's attorneys, said that he had asked the jury for punitive damages equal to two days' worth of McDonald's coffee sales, which he estimated at $1. 34 million a day. Testimony indicated McDonald's coffee is served at 180 to 190 degrees, based on advice from a coffee consultant who has said it tastes best that hot, Wagner said yesterday. The lawsuit contended Liebreck's coffee was 165 to 170 degree s when it spilled. In contrast, he said, coffee brewed at home is generally 135 to 140 degrees.Defense attorney Tracy McGee said the company will appeal. Juror Richard Anglada said the jury was trying to deliver a message to the industry. â€Å"The coffee's too hot out there. This happened to be McDonald's,† Anglada said Wednesday. Liebeck's lead counsel, Reed Morgan of Houston, said there have been several lawsuits nationally over the temperature of McDonald's coffee, but that he believes the Liebeck case was the first to reach the verdict stage. A California case was settled out of court for $235,000, he said. He said the woman's medical bills totaled nearly $10,000.According to testimony, Liebeck was a passenger in a car driven by her grandson outside a McDonald's in southeast Albuquerque when she was burned by a cup of coffee purchased at a drive-through window. The jury found, among other things, that the coffee was defective and that McDonald's engaged in conduct justif ying the punitive damages. Caption: PHOTO: Associated Press/Adolph Louis THE VICTIM: Stella Liebeck, who suffered third- degree burns when a cup of McDonald's coffee spilled on her, is shown with her dog at her residence in Albuquerque. Woman burned by coffee given $2. 9 million by jury Austin American-Statesman Copyright 1994 Friday, August 19, 1994 ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. – A jury awarded $2. 9 million in damages to a woman who suffered third-degree burns after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee. Stella Liebeck, 81, said in her lawsuit she was riding in a car in 1992 when she put a cup of the coffee between her legs while she removed the cap. The coffee spilled, scalding her. Testimony indicated McDonald's coffee is served at 180 to 190 degrees, based on a coffee consultant's advice that it tastes best that hot. In contrast, the lawsuit said, coffee brewed at home is generally 135 to 140 degrees.Juror Richard Anglada confirmed the jury was trying to deliver a message to the fas t-food industry with the large punitive damages. â€Å"The coffee's too hot out there,† Anglada said. Coffee burns result in $2. 9 million award from McDonald's †¢ The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Copyright 1994 Thursday, August 18, 1994 Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. – A jury awarded $2. 9 million in damages to a woman who suffered third-degree burns after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee. Stella Liebeck, 81, said in her lawsuit that McDonald's serves coffee that is too hot.Liebeck testified she was riding in a car in February 1992 when she put the cup of coffee between her legs while she removed the cap. The coffee spilled and she suffered severe burns on her legs, groin and buttocks. Reed Morgan, her attorney, said the woman's medical bills totaled close to $10,000. Juror Richard Anglada said the jury was trying to deliver a message to the fast-food industry. â€Å"The coffee's too hot out there,† she said. â€Å"This (just) happened to be McDonald' s. † Tracy McGee, McDonald's attorney, said the company would appeal. Coffee Spill Burns Woman; Jury Awards $2. Million †¢ The Wall Street Journal Copyright (c) 1994, Dow Jones & Co. , Inc. Friday, August 19, 1994 The Business of Law ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. (AP) — A woman who was scalded when her McDonald's Corp. coffee spilled was awarded almost $2. 9 million by a jury. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, who incurred thirddegree burns in the1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. On Wednesday, a state district court jury imposed $2. 7 million in punitive damages and $160,000 in compensatory damages. Defense attorney Tracy McGee has said the company will appeal.Ms. Liebeck's medical bills totaled almost $10,000, according to one of her attorneys. Testimony indicated that McDonald's coffee is served at between 180and 190 degrees, based on advice from a coffee consultant who has said the beverage tastes best at that temperature, Ken Wagner, one of Ms. Liebec k's attorneys, said yesterday. The lawsuit contended that Ms. Liebeck's coffee was between 165 and 170 degrees when it spilled. In contrast, the complaint said, coffee brewed at home is generally between 135 and 140 degrees. Woman spills coffee, sues, wins $2. 9 million The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Copyright 1994 Friday, August 19, 1994 Jennifer Packer Star-Telegram Writer A jury in Albuquerque, N. M. , awarded nearly $2. 9 million to an81-year-old woman who was burned by a cup of coffee that she spilled on herself while riding in a car. Stella Liebeck suffered third-degree burns on her buttocks, groin and legs after she removed the top from a cup of McDonald's coffee that she had placed between her legs while riding in a car being driven by her grandson, according to testimony. The incident occurred in 1992. The jury awarded $2. 7 million in punitive damages and $160,000 in compensatory damages Wednesday.Liebeck's medical bills totaled nearly $10,000, according to court documents. â€Å"She couldn't sit. Her butt was burned, her crotch was burned -if you could see the pictures . . . it was disgusting,† Tracey Salazar, an Albuquerque civil court clerk, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. â€Å"She did deserve something, but $2. 9 million dollars? That's how it works in society today,† Salazar said. Testimony at the trial indicated that McDonald's coffee is served at temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit under a corporate guideline based on advice from a coffee consultant.The woman's coffee was between 165 and 170 degrees when it was spilled, according to testimony. Liebeck's lawyer, Reed Morgan, told The Associated Press that Liebeck's isn't the first lawsuit filed over McDonald's coffee temperature. But it's likely the first one to reach a verdict, he said. McDonald's attorney Tracy McGee said the company will appeal the decision. â€Å"We will pursue all the appropriate remedies,† she said. Ray Waddell, a Texas Wesleyan Univ ersity law professor, said he believes that the heavy punitive damages were meant to serve as a lesson to McDonald's and other restaurants. It's their legal duty not to serve dangerously hot coffee,† Waddell said. â€Å"The $2. 7 million is to . . . get McDonald's attention so they won't make boiling hot coffee anymore. It's more than likely the jury just got mad at McDonald's and decided to punish them. † Waddell said the publicity surrounding the case could provoke copycat coffee-inspired lawsuits. â€Å"You can suppose that people all over the country will go around buying big cups of coffee and spilling it on themselves,† he said. Fort Worth Fire Department Lt. G. D. Wilder said any liquid hotter than 110 degrees can cause a burn.Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. â€Å"The hotter it is, the less time it takes to burn,† Wilder said. The depth of the burn, he said, depends on how long the skin has been exposed to the hot substance. A small, unscient ific survey yesterday by the StarTelegram showed that coffee temperatures at Tarrant County restaurants ranged from 155to 175 degrees. The hottest coffee, at 175 degrees, came from a Dunkin' Donuts store. A 7-Eleven store served it at 170 degrees. A Whataburger restaurant's coffee was 160 degrees, and a cup of Texaco coffee registered 155degrees.One McDonald's manager in Fort Worth, who would not give her name, said company policy mandates that coffee be prepared at a temperature of about 195 degrees. But another Fort Worth McDonald's manager, who also declined to give her name, gave the official temperature as 170 degrees and said she has never had any complaints. â€Å"It's not a problem,† she said. â€Å"They always come back for more. † A Fort Worth Jack in The Box manager said company policy dictates that coffee be made with water that's about 195 degrees. â€Å"It's supposed to come out at 191 or better.We just want to make sure there's a minimum temperature,â⠂¬  manager Bobby Woodard said, adding that the staff checks water temperature daily with digital thermometer. â€Å"I've never had anybody saying that it was too hot. † At Grady's American Grill, a nationwide franchise whose parent company owns Chili's and several other chain restaurants, the only coffee temperature policy is an informal one: â€Å"As long as it's steaming, it's hot enough to serve,† said David Lalas, general manager of the chain's Helen Street restaurant. But Lalas said that he thinks the McDonald's verdict will change that soon. I'm sure there'll be some kind of stipulation on how hot it's supposed to be and to calibrate it,† Lalas said. â€Å"For true coffee drinkers,† Lalas said, â€Å"it's never going to be too hot for them. † Law Professor Waddell said he wouldn't be surprised if the verdict against McDonald's opens the door to a new era of food servers who will poke their fingers into cups of coffee before offering them to customers- all in the name of protecting their restaurants against legal complaints. â€Å"It would cost them millions of dollars a day to check their coffee,† Waddell said. The cheapest way to test it is to stick a finger in it. † Staff writer Chris Vaughn contributed to this report, which contains material from The Associated Press. LETTERS †¢ Austin American-Statesman Copyright 1994Friday, September 2, 1994 Take responsibility When are we going to make people responsible for their own actions? To blame McDonald's for serving hot coffee, let alone awarding $2. 9million for damages as reported Aug. 19, is ludicrous. It was Stella Liebeck who spilled the coffee, not McDonald's! McDonald's should not be held responsible for her bad judgment.I'm no fan of McDonald's but I am a senior citizen myself, and in good conscience I could not sue McDonald's for personal injury caused by mown carelessness. What's happened to our legal and jury systems? Is there no commonsense left in America? ROSE M. DONOVAN Austin, 78731-3918 Hot topic And lawyers wonder why so many view them as liars, cheats and corrupters of our legal system. Just look at the $2. 9 million given to an Albuquerque, N. M. , woman by a jury that was somehow convinced that McDonald's makes their coffee too hot!Stella Liebeck, 81, was riding in a car in 1992, and spilled coffee between her legs when she removed the cup's lid and burned herself. Testimony indicated that McDonald's serves coffee at between 180 and190 degrees Fahrenheit, while home brewed coffee is between 135 to 140 degrees. Just for fun, I checked the temperature of our two noncommercial coffee pots – a Freeware percolator and a Militia drip. The perc serves its brew at 190 and the drip at 185. I'll bet by the Laws of Chemistry that if I served boiled coffee it would be around 212, egg shells included.When Ford Motor Co. purposely chose to let people die in Pintos and face injury in models with a C-4 transmission ins tead of spending pennies on prevention, that was criminal. When McDonald's or any restaurant serves you hot coffee you should get exactly what you order -hot coffee. I guess I want to ask the lawyers and plaintiffs what's next -insulated cups, Tabasco, the famous cry in Mexican restaurants â€Å"Hot Plate,† melted cheese on pizza? Maybe that woman was too old to be served hot coffee and we should withhold dangerous food and beverages from anyone over 65.I'll be real disappointed the next time I order Hot and Sour soup and can only get Vichyssoise instead. ROBERT D. ATKINSON Austin, 78753 THE COFFEE'S HOT, STUPID! A proud nation of pioneers has become a land of whining plaintiffs †¢ Atlanta Journal Copyright 1994 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday, September 13, 1994EDITORIALDebra Saunders San Francisco – Is it the job of the courts to protect Americans from themselves? Recent court cases suggest that many plaintiffs and jurors believe so. Last month's jury a ward in Albuquerque of $2. million in punitive damages to a woman scalded by McDonald's coffee is the first case. Stella Liebeck, 79, was a passenger in a car driven by her grandson whence bought her megabucks cup of coffee at a McDonald's drive-through in1992. She spilled the coffee on her lap after she pried the lid from the cup, which she had placed between her legs. It shouldn't take an Einstein to figure out that you don't open a full cup of coffee anywhere near your legs – never mind between them in a moving car. But in America, we reward such thoughtlessness and punish entities that don't treat people like mindless boobs.Juror Richard Anglada explained that the jury wanted to send the restaurant industry a message: â€Å"The coffee's too hot out there. This happened to be McDonald's. † It's true, restaurant coffee tends to be served at temperatures hotter than java brewed at home. So make McDonald's pay for Liebeck's medical bills. But reward her with $2. 7 mill ion for being careless wither coffee? Now some restaurants are considering putting warning labels on their coffee. Let them read: â€Å"Hot! Stupid. † Because in this litigious age, it's not enough to be hot, and everybody knows it, you have to shout â€Å"hot! † so that no one forgets it.In Sacramento and San Luis Obispo counties, separate lawsuits have been filed against authors Laura Davis and Ellen Bass, whose book â€Å"The Courage to Heal,† has become a self-help bible for incest survivors. Or, perhaps I should say, people who believe they are incest survivors. The book encourages readers to explore for retrieved memories of incest thus: â€Å"Even if you are unable to remember any specific instances of childhood sexual abuse but you have a feeling that something happened in your childhood, it probably did. † No doubt the book has prompted some desperate people to conjure up false memories, with tragic consequences.Last week, a Sacramento Superior C ourt judge dismissed the suit against the authors but let stay Deborah David's suit against her therapists, minister and health-care provider. As Neil Shapiro, who represents authors Davis and Bass, told the San Francisco Chronicle: â€Å"These are ideas, and you can't have liability for ideas. † While the court ruled correctly, it is disturbing that David asked the courts to shield her from the power of an idea. Her therapists and the authors through their books â€Å"convinced† David, the$4million-plus complaint argued, that â€Å"she was abused as a child, and that she had multiple personalities. The suit complained that while the book promised healing, it â€Å"failed to heal† David. She â€Å"relied on such representations and, in reliance thereon, purchased the book and the workbook and read them as directed. † There is an irony in this suit: Two priestesses in the cult of victimology have faced two suits based on the assumption that the plaintiffs were helpless before their rhetoric. Victimology has gone full circle. America has devolved from a country of pioneers to a nation of plaintiffs.