International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example One such country is China or officially named as The People’s Republic of China. China is one of the most populous countries of the world. It is also considered to be a communist state among five other communist states still found in the world. In fact China is both a communist state as well as a socialist state, having being ruled by The Communist Party as well as the Working class. China, in the recent decades, has been able to develop a perception of a country that excels in manufacturing, be it electronics or textiles. Having a population of more than 1.3 billion people, this country has the advantage of providing cheap labor for businesses around the world; and thus China is considered to be the chief option of organizations wanting to open up business units outside their home country. In this paper, an attempt would be made to evaluate the political, economic and technological factors that have led to the consideration of China as an emerging economy. Based on this evalu ation, recommendations would also be made in this paper. Since China is an emerging economy, it is safe to assume that the political, economic and technological aspects of China are far from perfect, thus recommendations developed in this paper would provide a better way forward for the country. Background of People’s Republic of China China, the most populous country in the world, is located in Eastern Asia which a population exceeding 1.3 billion people. The capital city of China is Beijing, known for its trading. After China adopted is economic reforms in 1978, it became the fastest growing economy in the world. However, due to the large population of China, this growth has still not allowed the country to enjoy the position of a developed nation (LeFleur, 2003). China is known for its manufacturing around the world and thus is the biggest exporter of all kinds of goods to the world. Since the population of China is very high, imports also form a substantial part of the ec onomy. This results in China being the second largest importer of products from all over the world (Lardy, 2001). Having a rapidly growing economy, China is often considered as a threat to the United States. This is because China has been able to exercise considerable power over the rest of the world as foreign investment flows heavily in the country and this country also invests in other countries. Thus, this country is a potential super world in the coming times. Despite its growing economy, China is ruled by the Communist Party which has immense control over the economic and other affairs of the country. This to a certain extent has hampered the growth of the economy. Evaluation of Political Factors In terms of political factors, this paper would refer to the political parties ruling the country and their impact on the overall economy of the country. China is a country ruled by the Communist Party, with interference from the working class on some levels. Thus the country is ruled on the basis of both socialist and communist forms of government. These two opposing powers form the two main parties within the China, namely the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Self-Analysis of Leadership Abilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self-Analysis of Leadership Abilities - Essay Example This paper discusses that  the leadership style survey test helped to assess the leadership style I normally operated out of.   After taking the self-assessment test, I computed my highest score to be that of a participative or democratic leader.   Clark explained that the best leaders â€Å"operate out of the participative mode and use the other two modes as needed†.   He cites an instance when the firm would have a new crew or a temporary work force.   Such a leader has to practice a more authoritarian type of leadership in order to get the crew to work efficiently. But for a leader who is already working with professionals or a crew which knows more about the work than he does, then a leader can best apply a delegative style of leadership.   For these instances, a participative leader makes the necessary adjustments in leadership styles based on the situation he or she is faced with.This study declares that  for the leaders who want their members to grow beyon d their employee status and knowledge, the participative leadership style helps these employees adjust and grow into their jobs.   In the interim, these employees are usually given more authority over their jobs.  Some leaders may exemplify with an impoverished leadership style, where they are weak on both tasks and on people skills; some may be authoritarian, where they are strong on tasks and weak on people skills; some may be socialites and be weak on tasks and strong on people skills; and the rest may be on the middle-of-the-road leaders, and with more experience can later manifest with good team leadership skills.

Replacing a Legacy Application Essay Example for Free

Replacing a Legacy Application Essay â€Å"Because we live in a highly competitive and ever-changing world, at any given time most organizations are improving or replacing their information systems† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 579). As an organization needs change due to increase competition, regulations, business growth and other reason and company needs to respond by also changing its system in order to meet the needs of the business. The need for changing to a new system helps the business because the new system has much more capabilities then the older system allowing the company to be able to perform business more efficient and effectively. The need for changing to a new system helps to eliminate flaws and system incompatibilities created by the old system. â€Å"A reliable information system is a necessity for all companies. Companies must properly maintain accounts and detailed records or face unnecessary costs. A well-devised accounting information system, which ensures relevant and reliable information is reported in financial statements, benefits every type of company† (Pettir Accounting, 2013). I believe that a company should change to new systems in order to keep up with technology and their competition. An updated â€Å"accounting information system can help businesses run better by providing timely information on internal operations† (Small Business-Chron, 2013). A company should consider their budget and because accounting information systems can be very expensive to purchase and maintain. Firms should make sure that they can afford purchasing an accounting information system and set realistic expectations. Firms should also make sure that they accounting information system has been through tested by performing simulation before the system goes live to avoid any potential problems that could cause firm time and money. Firms should also make sure that employees have been properly trained on how to use the new and/or updated accounting information system. (1) Potential Benefits One of the potential benefits associated with changing a new system is that its help increases a company’s competitive advantage. As technology increases and changes companies will need change its system in order improve and increase the quantity, quality, speed and accuracy of information. Also companies need to stay ahead of their competitor so any upgrade in technology that will provide a competitive edge is crucial for a company. This will also help to improve products and services, lower cost and to provide other competitive advantages. Secondly, another potential benefit associated with changing a new system is that is provides productivity gains. By having a system that can perform certain employee tasks reduces money spent on hiring and paying employees and also increases performance time. This also helps relieve employees of certain clerical tasks allowing them to focus on other important issues. Thirdly another benefit associated with changing a new system is it eliminates outdated systems†. System become old and need to be updated constantly in order for them to remain effective. The benefit of updating an outdated system results in better system capabilities and faster processing time. (1) Potential Risks One of the potential risks associated with changing a new system is how the employee will react to the change. Employee will either view the changes being made as good or bad depending on the individuals being affect by the system change. â€Å"Management view changes positively if it increases profits or reduces costs. Employees view the same change as bad if their jobs are terminated or adversely affected† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 588). Employees who view the changes as bad will act out displaying aggression, projection or avoidance. All of these forms of resistance can result in decrease company performance, low morale and sabotage. Resistance usually takes places because of: fear, lack of top management support, negative experience with prior changes, lack of communication, disruptive nature of change, manner in which the change is introduced, person biases and emotions and personal characteristic and background. Managers can help minimize the risk of behavioral problems by electing a manager who can help rally, boost employee’s moral and encourage coworker to help and cooperate with the systems development. Secondly, the manager needs to involve anyone that is affected by the change in the development of the new system. Management should let employees offer suggestions and help in the decision making. Management needs to let employees know which feedbacks will be used and which will not be used and why. By doing this employees become more â€Å"knowledgeable, better trained, and more committed to using the system† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 90). Thirdly management should effectively communicate with anyone who is going to be affected by the system change immediately. The employee should be told of the changes that are going to be made and the benefits the changes will provide to them. Lastly, management should help ease employee fears and stress by â€Å"addressing their concerns and provide assurance (to the extent possible) that job losses and responsibility shift will not occur† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 590). Management should also reassure employees that they will be properly trained on how to use the system. Secondly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"employees are not properly trained†. Companies will sometimes take short-cut because of time and cost associated with training employee. This however can result in the company not being able to reach its expected benefits and return on its investments. Lack of employee training can also result in employees having to ask other employees who are experts in using the system for help thereby â€Å"decreasing productivity of coworkers and increasing company costs†(Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 49). This threat however, can be reduced my companies providing employees with proper training, system documentation and procedural manuals for employees to use. Thirdly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"poor system planning†. Management sometimes may have unrealistic goals and expectations of what they want the system to do or the system may be too complex to under stand which can result in the system failing. In order to mitigate this threat management should set realistic goals and expectations. Management should prepare a feasibility analysis were they address the five aspects (economic, technical, legal, scheduling, and operational feasibility). Management should also prepare a system analysis in order to address the â€Å"current problems, the reason for the change, the proposed system’s objectives, and its anticipated benefits and costs† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 590). Management should evaluate design alternative and have the steering committee to evaluate and chose the best decision that will meet the organization’s needs. Lastly, another potential risk associated with changing a new system is â€Å"not testing the system properly†. Poor system testing can be very costly for a company. Testing should be done in order to discover and eliminate problems as early on in the development process as possible. â€Å"The Gartner Group estimates that bugs discovered later in the SDLC cost 80% to 1,000% more to fix than those discovered earlier† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 646). In order to reduce this threat companies should use debugging techniques in order to discover and eliminated problems. Companies should also test the system by using system testing techniques such as; walk-through, processing test data and acceptance tests. (2a) Purchase Software One of the advantages of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is the company doesn’t have to worry about the risk of â€Å"loss of control† that could result from outsourcing its AIS system. The company is able to manage its system and data without the threat of having to worry about their losing its system and data. Secondly, another advantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is increased service. Poor service can result if the company chose to outsource its AIS to Oracle. By the company housing its own AIS will result in the company be able to better respond to changes in organization. Lastly, another advantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle and having it maintained by the company’s information system group is flexibility. The company is under no contractual agreement so if at any time the company becomes dissatisfied with the product or needs to change products because of structural changes, the company can do so without consequences. If the company would have chosen to outsource its AIS to Oracle then the company would have to follow the terms and agreements stated in the contract or risk legal and costly consequences. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is risk of the software â€Å"not being flexible, easily maintained and user friendly-software. This can result in the company having to spend money in order to maintain the system and to keep it running efficiently. By purchasing a system that is not user friend will result in employee who will be resistance to use the system and time wasted trying to train employees on how to use the system. This threat can reduce by the company investigating and researching other companies that use the software and their feedback on the program. Secondly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is the risk of the software not having adequate control capabilities. Software that doesn’t have adequate control capabilities can result in internal control threats that can cause the company money in time in order to correct. An example is the software the companies purchase for Oracle should not give accounts payable employees access to accounts receivables duties and vice versa. This threat can be reduce by the company performing tests on the software in order to make sure that the software is error free and that the controls are working properly. Lastly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to purchase the software from Oracle is the risk of the software not meeting all mandatory specifications. By the software not being able to meet all of the companies need will result in the company having to waste money in order to modify the software or to purchase software that will meet the company’s needs. This threat can be reduced by the company evaluating all system proposals and selecting the best system. The company should compare the software with the â€Å"system requirements in order to determine if all mandatory requirements are met and how many desirable requirements are met† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 614). (2b) Modifying Current AIS  One of the advantages of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultants is â€Å"freeing up systems resources†. According to the information provided the information system group will rely on the consultants to assist in the development, configuration, and testing of the system. This will help free up systems resources and â€Å"reduce both the invisible and the invisible backlog of systems development projects† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 618). Secondly another advantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultants is â€Å"versatility and ease of use†. The software developed by the consultant will easy to understand and use because the consultants can modify the information they produce or change application at any time the company needs them to be changed. This is helpful work employee who work from home or employees on business trip and employees on airplane for business meetings. Lastly, another advantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is timeliness. Consultants are able to develop the software more quickly and with little ease than the company would be able to. This due to the company having to get budget approval, provide detailed requirement definitions, cost/benefit analysis, and other political requirements that may halt or slow the development process. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to modify its AIS is â€Å"poorly controlled and documented systems†. According to the information given the company’s information system group is going to rely on consultants to assist in the development, configuration, and testing of the system. The company runs into problems this way because the consultants may not install controls in order to protect the system. Also because the consultants may view documenting the system as boring and unimportant, this may result in them not creating very good system documentations. By consultant not creating or creating poor system documentation will lead to the employees not fully understanding how to operate the system. Secondly another disadvantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is â€Å"inexperienced consultants†. This can result in the company hiring consultants who have little understanding about the business environment and how it operates result in poorly written software that does not meet the company’s strategic plans and goals. In order to mitigate this threat the company should evaluate each consulting group that has experience in the company’s industry and an in-depth understanding of how the company conducts its business. Lastly, another disadvantage of the company choosing to modify its AIS with the help of consultant is â€Å"poorly written and vague contracts†. This can result contracts having to be rewritten causing the company money for having to reimburse contractors. This can also result in the consultants not creating systems that didn’t specify system requirements and performance criteria. In order to mitigate this threat the company should â€Å"sign a contract that rigorously defines the relation between the company and the developer, places responsibility for meeting system requirements on the developers and allows the project to be discontinued if key conditions are not met† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 617). (2c) Outsourcing is hiring an outside company to handle all part of an organizations data processing activities† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 619). The company is considering hiring an outside company in order to do the installation because this will involve very little work on the company’s information system side. One of the benefits of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is the â€Å"development time is lesser†. According to the information given if the company chooses to outsource it will take no more than 15 months to complete the project. If the company decided not to outsource, it may result in the development of the system taking longer than 15 months to complete and the company only has 18 months to complete the project. It would also take Oracle less time to develop the system then the company, because Oracle is the maker of the application â€Å"PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management†, because of this Oracle would be able to â€Å"develop and implement the system faster and more efficiently than in-house staff† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 620). Oracle will be able to cut through the development politics unlike the company which may have to follow stringent guidelines when developing the AIS. Secondly, another benefit of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is the â€Å"access to greater expertise and better technology†. By the company letting Oracle install, configure and maintain the AIS application, this greatly reduces the cost and time that would be wasted by the company â€Å"in staying at the cutting edge of technology were rising significantly† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 20). Since Oracle already know the system it would be more logical to let them be responsible for upgrading and keeping the system maintain because they would have a better understanding and knowledge of how the system functions. Lastly, another benefit of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is, it is an â€Å"Excellent strategic and economic business solution. By allowing Oracle to handle the AIS this will give the company a chance to focus on other important areas of the business. â€Å"Outsourcing is a viable strategic and economic business solution that allows companies to concentrate on core competencies† (Romney Steinbart, 2012, p. 620). The company is able to work on the areas that is does successful in and leave the AIS application â€Å"PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management† to people who understand and know how to maintain and handle the system. The company will need to treat Oracle as a partner and work side-by-side with them in order for the company to meet its strategic and operational objective. One of the disadvantages of the company choosing to outsource its AIS system to Oracle and have them to maintain the system is because of the â€Å"inflexibility in contracts†. If the company becomes unhappy or decides to change its AIS it will be extremely difficult or costly to break the contract. For example the contract between the company and Oracle may stipulate a 10 year contract with a cost of $5 million dollars if the contract has been breached. If the company changes its mind whether because being unhappy with Oracles performances or structural changes and decide to cancel the contract at year five, this will result in the company having to pay $5 million dollars because they breached the contract which was for 10 years.

Influenza Vaccination for Pregnant Health Care Workers

Influenza Vaccination for Pregnant Health Care Workers Jee Hae Kim Introduction A certain pregnant nurse was fired because of refusing to get a flu shot in Pennsylvania in December, 2013 (Murphy, 2013). Getting a flu shot is the one of the biggest issues for health care professionals who are especially pregnant health care workers. However, vaccination still remains the most effective way for preventing severe influenza illness. According Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), seasonal flu vaccination is recommended for all pregnant women (Goldfarb, Panda, Wylie Riley, 2011). But, why do they hesitate to get a flu shot? Current vaccination rate Flu vaccination rate for pregnant women is still low in the US. In 2005, the US achieved just 16% influenza vaccination coverage of pregnant women, and it is estimated that less than 10% of pregnant women who are at highest risk of influenza receive the vaccine (Broughton, Beigi, Switzer, Raker Anderson, 2009). Even with increased morbidity during pregnancy from seasonal influenza, only 11% of pregnant women were vaccinated during the 2008 through 2009 flu season (Dlugacz, Fleischer, Carney, Copperman, Ahmed, Ross Silverman, 2012). In addition, influenza vaccination rates have remained substantially below 50% for Health Care Personnel (HCP). Within the population of HCP, nurses have been shown to have lower influenza vaccination rates than physicians (Clark, Cowan Wortley, 2009). Although the rate is getting increase little by little, it is still low compared to physicians’ vaccination rate. Barriers for vaccination According to a certain survey, 58.3% of patients reported feeling scared about seasonal flu infection during their pregnancy (Goldfarb, et al., 2011). What are the main causes they are afraid of getting a flu shot? One of those reasons is that they have a fear uncertainly because they do not know specifically how safe flu vaccine is while they are pregnant. In addition, they do not know as well about how dangerous unvaccinated status is during pregnancy. Vaccinated nurses demonstrated greater knowledge about influenza and risk factors for influenza, while unvaccinated nurses believed they were not at risk (Clark, et al., 2009). These facts show that knowledge about safety of vaccine is one of the most important keys to decide whether they get a flu shot or not. Vaccine declination was associated with less knowledge about influenza, lower perceived susceptibility, and beliefs that the vaccine is not efficacious of safe (Eppes, Cameron, Gracia Grobman, 2013). Furthermore, health care workers in the obstetric field also have limited knowledge about the epidemiology of influenza infection and most of them do not consider influenza as a potentially serious disease (Broughton, et al., 2009). Political, social and economic backgrounds The states role is to reduce morbidity and mortality by nosocomial inflammation of influenza and maintenance of a reasonable health care workforce and to show that mandatory influenza vaccination is sensibly related to reducing the flu budget (Ottenberg, Poland, Jacobson, Koenig Tilburt, 2011). It can be one of the political reasons for getting a flu shot for health care workers and government forces them to vaccinate. In addition, we can concern about economic aspect. The commerce legislation can make the federal government regulate activity essentially that affects inter-state commerce, including parts of the health care industry which is related to the management infectious disease and prevention. With the public health service act, health and human services department in the US has organized the national vaccine plan, the national vaccine advisory committee, and the national vaccine injury compensation program (Ottenberg, et al., 2011). Through these mechanisms, the commerce legislation permitted the federal government to control, strengthen, or potentially obligate the vaccination of health care workers against influenza and ensure fair movement to arbitrate complaints related to vaccination (Ottenberg, et al., 2011). It shows that mandatory vaccination can lead saving budget for government because they do not have to pay for the treatment of the secondary infection for people due to influenza . Ethical concerns There are also possible ethical arguments underlying mandatory vaccination. Hospitals are enforcing health care workers to vaccinate for two primary reasons. The one is for supporting of the professional duty of health care workers to benefit for patients individually and to ‘Do No Harm’ and another is for meeting the shared obligations of hospitals and health care workers to protect the public health with infectious disease which is preventable (Ottenberg, et al., 2011). In these situations, we can think about the important questions such as â€Å"What are the obligations of health care workers to their patients?† or â€Å"Is it proper for patients to expect health care workers to get a flu shot because of influenza?† Possible solutions I suggest some solutions to promote vaccination for pregnant health care workers. First of all, the convenience of influenza vaccination is strongly needed such as using mobile vaccination carts. Instead of fixed date or time for vaccination, health care workers can have it depending on their schedules. Secondly, provision of free vaccination and peer vaccination is another good method for promoting vaccination. For example, some pregnant nurses who are already vaccinated could be a good model for other pregnant nurses who are not vaccinated yet. Thirdly, incentive programs also can be a great way for health care workers. If they can get extra pay, the rate of vaccination can be raised. Lastly, education about safety of vaccination for pregnant health care workers is the most effective method. Indeed, I had concerned about wearing a mask while they are working without vaccination, but this could be not a perfect prevention of pandemic influenza. Instead of this, it would be better to persuade them who refuse vaccination and to emphasize again about the safety of vaccination during pregnancy. Safety of vaccination during pregnancy There are already several studies to prove safety of vaccination during pregnancy. According to CDC, studies of a lot of pregnant women in scientific view have checked the safety of vaccination during pregnancy. These studies did not show any evidence of danger to pregnant women, even to the unborn fetus and to newborns of vaccinated women (CDC, 2013). In addition, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) and CDC’s periodic monitoring of side effects’ occurrence has not raised safety concerns (CDC, 2013). Rumors and fears should not be an obstacle to promoting patient safety and public health. The implementation of mandatory vaccination should solve the ambiguous concerns and misconceptions of vaccine safety as well. Rates of serious side effects’ occurrence following vaccination, such as Guillain-Barrà © syndrome, are vanishingly low as no higher than 1 in 1,000,000 (CDC, 2013). Conclusion Among several solutions as I mentioned above, I guess the best way to promote the flu-vaccination rate for pregnant health care providers is education. An effective educational strategy should focus on known misconceptions and knowledge gaps. Furthermore, the influence of health care workers on patient vaccination coverage should not be underestimated. It has been shown that health care workers’ recommendations have positive effects on the likelihood of patients to be vaccinated (Broughton, et al., 2009). According to an article, women whose maternity care provider has recommended the vaccine are much more likely to receive it than those whose providers did not (Broughton, et al., 2009). It shows that how critical education affect not only pregnant health care workers, but also pregnant patients. I insist that health care workers should be vaccinated because reducing the transmission of preventable diseases cannot prevent any harm in the clinical care area. Health care worker vaccination of influenza is consistent with a collective professional accountability to treat all patients moderately and to use appropriate precautions against preventable harms. With mandatory health care worker vaccination, health care organizations should make sure that vaccination is an informed procedure. Health care workers should also get the information clearly about benefits and risks related to influenza vaccination and that vaccines are offered handily. Reference Broughton, D. E., Beigi, R. H., Switzer, G. E., Raker, C. A., Anderson, B. L. (2009). Obstetric health care workers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding influenza vaccination in pregnancy. Obstetrics Gynecology, 114(5), 981-987. Center for Disease Control (2013, September 3). Seasonal Flu Vaccine Safety and Pregnant Women. Retrieved March 17, 2014 from: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_vacpregnant.htm Clark, S. J., Cowan, A. E., Wortley, P. M. (2009). Influenza vaccination attitudes and practices among US registered nurses. American Journal of Infection Control, 37(7), 551-556. Danzon, P. M., Pereira, N. S., Tejwani, S. S. (2005). Vaccine supply: a cross-national perspective. Health Affairs, 24(3), 706-717. Dlugacz, Y., Fleischer, A., Carney, M. T., Copperman, N., Ahmed, I., Ross, Z., Silverman, R. A. (2012). 2009 H1N1 vaccination by pregnant women during the 2009-10 H1N1 influenza pandemic. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 206(4), 339-e1. Eppes, C., Wu, A., You, W., Cameron, K. A., Garcia, P., Grobman, W. (2013). Barriers to influenza vaccination among pregnant women. Vaccine, 31(27), 2874-2878. Goldfarb, I., Panda, B., Wylie, B., Riley, L. (2011). Uptake of influenza vaccine in pregnant women during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 204(6), S112-S115. Murphy Carrie (2013, Dec 23). Pregnant Nurse Wrongfully Fired For Refusing Flu Shot Because Of Miscarriage Concerns. Mommish.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www.mommyish.com/2013/12/23/pregnant-nurse-wrongfully-fired-refusing-flu-shot. Ottenberg, A. L., Wu, J. T., Poland, G. A., Jacobson, R. M., Koenig, B. A., Tilburt, J. C. (2011). Vaccinating health care workers against influenza: the ethical and legal rationale for a mandate.American journal of public health,101(2), 212.

Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights - A Truly Romantic Novel Essay

Wuthering Heights - A Truly Romantic Novel    Wuthering Heights embodies the idea of a classical Romantic novel.  Ã‚   Written at a time when the novel was just becoming a popular form of entertainment/writing Wuthering Heights employs many of the typical elements of the Romantic writers.   There are elements of innovative experimentation in subject, form, and style, a mixing of genre's, use of powerful emotions, and several traits that could also classify Wuthering Heights as a "Dark" Romantic piece.   The "Dark" Romanticism is revealed within the strange/ non-normative story, super-natural elements, and the Gothic setting.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When originally printed the author of WH (Emily Bronte under the pseudonym Ellis Bell) was widely criticized for authoring a piece of work with such blatant tones of mental disturbance.   One reviewer, compared Wuthering Heights to Jane Eyre saying that, "Wuthering Heights casts a gloom over the mind that is not easily dispelled" (WH 300) while Jane Eyre manages to provide some cathartic element that offers its reader a release.   While, obviously not loved by all, the subject matter of WH was new and unique to the time, offering a break from the traditional literary works such as Paradise Lost or Gulliver's Travels that often included a strong underlying moral or political message.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book also possesses a unique style; it is a story within a story.   Lockwood is the narrator that has direct contact with the audience while Nellie Dean is carries the bulk of the tale, though she never directly conveys information to the readers.   Most stories, before Wuthering Heights, had a single narrator, typically a first person account, that walked the readers through the story... ...ce as reflected by the time it was written.   One reviewer criticized it for its lack of realistic elements saying that a "few glimpses of sunshine would have increased the reality of the picture and given strength rather than weakness to the whole" (WH 300).   Unfortunately these could be very realistic pieces of a person's life if they were to fall in love with the wrong person in that time.   Revenge is also a predominant theme; perhaps few people would be so willing to take it as far as Heathcliff but the general theme is very realistically inspired.    Works Cited Damrosch, David, et al., ed.   The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B.   Compact ed.   New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. Bronte, Emily.   Wuthering Heights. Norton Critical ed.   3rd ed.   Ed. William M. Sale, Jr., and Richard J. Dunn.   New York:   W. W. Norton, 1990.

Threatening Relationships in Carver’s Cathedral Essay -- Carver Cathed

Threatening Relationships in Carver’s Cathedral  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Although many critics have written numerous accounts of Richard Carver’s "Cathedral" as being about revelation and overcoming prejudice, they have overlooked a very significant aspect: the unfolding of marital drama. The story tells of how a close outside friendship can threaten marriage by provoking insecurities, creating feelings of invasion of privacy, and aggravating communication barriers. The close outside friendship between the narrator’s wife and Robert, the blind man, provokes the narrator’s insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten long years. During those years, they have exchanged countless voice tapes wherein they both tell each other what has happened in their respective lives. Because of this, the narrator feels that his wife has told Robert more than Robert needs to know. The narrator laments, "she told him everything or so it seemed to me" (1054). The narrator’s fear is somehow confirmed when Robert arrives and says that he feels like they have already met (1055). The narrator is left wondering what his wife has disclosed. This murky situation leaves the narrator feeling insecure, especially when he sees the warm interaction between his wife and Robert. The narrator’s insecurities unfold when it takes him almost five pages just to demonstrate how close the friendship is between his wife and Robert. It is as though he is justifying his irrational behavior or perhaps questioning if his wife could be secretly in love with Robert. The narrator assumes this because his wife only writes poems if something really important happens to her. He recalls that his wife never forgot that instant when Robert "touched his fingers to every part of her face... ...m. Ed. Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. 23-28. Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062. Eder, Richard. "Pain on the Face of Middle America." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski. Detroit: Gale Research Publishing, Inc., 1986. 103. Works Consulted Robinson, Marilynne. " Marriage and other Astonishing Bonds." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale Publishing Inc., 1989. 276-278. Weele, Michael Vander. "Raymond Carver and the language of Desire." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Publishing Inc., 1989. 36-41. Yardley, Jonathan. " Raymond Carver’s American Dreamers." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Eds. Daniel Marowski and Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989. 63.      

Physical Appearance and Status

â€Å"Physical Appearance and Status â€Å" Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what the beholder sees and how it is interpreted are shaped by culture’s values. Appearance/ Beauty are social constructions. Appearance derives from status symbols. George Herbert Mead express through theory of significant symbols and language. His theory says symbols are those that arouse in the person expressing them the same kind of response that they are designed to elicit from to whom they are addressed. Society has excessive pride in their interactions with others.Society also has other traits which reflect their culture appearance, narcissism, and social status. Society has views which are built on appearances. This is because of the media’s influence on what Americans view as â€Å"socially acceptable†. Hollywood sets a standard by using celebrities to show off high fashion that trigger the minds of Americans on what they should wear and look like to be accepted. Men are usually viewed as wearing â€Å"masculine† clothing which emphasize the size of upper body musculature, allow freedom of movement, and encourage an illusion of physical power and a look of easy physicality all suggest masculinity.Such appearance of strength and readiness to action serve to create or enhance an aura of aggressiveness and intimidation central to an appearance of masculinity. On the other hand, women have more of a variety of clothing styles all of which reflect back to femininity. Feminine styles of dress display subordinate status through greater restriction of the free movement of the body, greater exposure of the bare skin and an emphasis on sexual characteristics. Along with clothes how a person presents his or herself through body language is also important to achieving a certain appearance.Americans set specific standards that others achieve through clothes and body language (among other things). Even though society may view them as coming from a very patriotic background they are also viewed for being self-centered. Even other countries have picked up on the fact Americans take pride in being narcissistic. In America people also view themselves based on social class. In America there are three social classes: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The upper class is said to have all the wealth and the power. Hollywood has a way of, â€Å"Glamorizing the lives of the wealthy†.The middle class has been viewed in the media as, Not only as unlettered and uncouth but also as less desirable and less moral than other people. This can be seen throughout a variety of Hollywood films and television shows. The upper class (or the rich) are viewed in America has having all of the wealth and the power, while the middle and lower classes are left in the shadow. America’s culture is reflected through what is displayed in the media. Therefore a conclusion can be drawn that Americans base their stereotypes of soci al status off of what is viewed in the media.America uses values inherited from the industrial revolution to view itself as individual, class, or society. The Industrial Revolution created new values in Western society, values that are central to our thinking today. Three things from the Industrial Revolution that directly affected people's values were the creation of the middle class, the urbanization of cities, and the growth of rights for women. The Industrial Revolution was the first time when the middle class appeared. The Industrial Revolution was what made the middle class a recognizable group. The people in the middle class had their goals and shaped their values around them.The major goal of the middle class was to be like the higher or â€Å"old money† class. The shaped their values so that they could achieve this desired position. They strictly enforced manners and rigidity, making sure that all members always acted in the utmost respectful way. Also they tried to make their lives as controllable as possible and because children were the most unpredictable thing they believed strongly in the principle that children should be seen and not heard. The urbanization of cities also had an effect on the values of people. During the Industrial Revolution cities became more and more urban.This shifted people's focus away from country life and more towards city life. People's values were originally based on home life in the country, but as life shifted to the cities values also shifted. Family became less important. People focused more on getting the money because it was there. They also needed to get money to buy things this is how consumerism came about. Consumerism became the most important value to people. Woman also made their position known in society. Women struggled for their rights. They had certain values that they wanted society to accept. The worked hard for suffrage and equality in the work place.These were the values that were forced upon society just by the sheer volume of women supporting them. If not for the Industrial Revolution women would not have known what they were missing and thus would still be living sheltered lives. The industrial Revolution created new values for people that still influence life today. Values created by the Industrial Revolution such as women's suffrage, consumerism, and life styles of the middle class are all things still valued today. The values that are held today will stay with the people because they have been accepted and practiced.Values are not changed that much and as long as people keep living their lives they will be basing them on the same values as long as they are convenient. Works Cited â€Å"81. 02. 06: The Industrial Revolution. † 81. 02. 06: The Industrial Revolution. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Beauty and the Beast: Study on the Relationship between Clothing and Social Status. † Beauty and the Beast: Study on the Relationship between Clothing and Social Status. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. Boston: Pearson, 2013.Print. Kendall, Diana Elizabeth. Social Problems in a Diverse Society. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print. Ritzer, George. Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics. San Francisco, CA: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Kendall, Pg 80. , (2013) [ 2 ]. Ritzer, Pg 59, (2010) [ 3 ]. Social Status. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013 [ 4 ]. Social Status. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013 [ 5 ]. Hurst, Pg 16. (2013) [ 6 ]. 81. 02. 06: The Industrial Revolution [ 7 ]. 81. 02. 06: The Industrial Revolution