Public Policy – Agricultural credit

Agricultural policy is a set of rules that are related to domestic agriculture and imports of food products. The governments of every state implements these set of rules with the aim of brining about a sound stability in the domestic agriculture   markets and to protect the interest of the farmers from supply levels, price rise, land use and agricultural subsidies.The agricultural subsidies, loans and other forms of credits that are offered to the farming community is money paid to them at subsided rates in order to help them overcome the issues of rising maintenance   and production costs, supplement their incomes, and protection from inflations.For example, the United States Agricultural department, reviews its policies every two years and agrees to subsidize a dozed commodities every two years. Between the period of 1996 and 2002, an average of $16 billion/year credit was paid to the farmers at subsidized rates.According to the people who favor agriculture credit to farmers, t he credit policies and agricultural subsidies offer farmers extra income and market protection.It also helps the farmers to compete in the international market For example, in the year 2002, the United States paid an extra 52 cents for every bushel of wheat, and at the same time also promised a price of 3.86 from 2002–03 and 3.92 from 2004–2007.Experts who oppose these agricultural policies laid down by the government, argue that the farmers do not need such grants as they have already got a fair deal. They continue that there are equivalent risks in other business as in agriculture, so why is the farming community given more benefitsBACKGROUND –The main aim of this paper is to study the public policies towards the Agriculture credit and the future prospect of funds and other lending programs that can be available for the agricultural banks. It is believed that these federal policies related to agriculture credit can lend an important role in determining the sta nd of the different lenders in financing the agriculture sector.Credit has become a significant instrument of the agricultural policies and most of these policies with time have given guaranteed competitive loan rates on these funds, thereby giving a helping hand in the process of transformation of the agricultural sector into a highly modernized and capital efficient one.Most of the farmers are dependent upon the funds for their yearly production and also to own land and the figures show a substantial rise in the level of debts as the inflation rises.The paper gives an introduction to some of the policies and then reviews the prospects and the general credit conditions along with the role of Federal, involvement.Also discussed here is the ability of these funding institutions to fund the growing needs of the agriculture sector and how can these credit policies make a positive effect on the sector. These policies contribute heavily in the price determination of land prices and absor ption of farm ownership and production.The paper also discusses the altered arrangement and economic character of the agriculture sector which is proposed in order to reconsider the role of public agencies which offer credit to the farmers.INTRODUCTIONMost the recent agriculture credit programs actually originated after the First World War, when the incomes of the farming community were not stable and unsure.At that time lending money was not considered to be safe enough by both the farmers and the lenders as farming became a suspicious sector. With these developments, the farmers faced lot of problems in receiving funds and gave higher interest rates than other borrowers anywhere.Soon, the need of a Farm credit system was established which included the involvement of Federal Land Banks, Federal Intermediate credit Banks, Banks for cooperatives and other agencies related to the Farmers Home Administration which helped to greatly increase the flow of funds into the farmer community.A t almost the same time, many other programs and initiatives for the farmers to increase their income and reduce the risk in the farming sector by bringing about price stabilization and making farm lending more easy than before were brought about by the government.The easier terms and conditions on which the farmers were able to borrow money and could get finance for industrialization of their farms favored the reform to a highly productive and capital intensive farming sector.Today credits have become the backbone of the rise of the farming sector and major reasons that are behind the increase in the behavior of the farmers to borrow money are the uncomplicated funding issues, high production expenses, increase in land prices, machinery and the willingness to increase the size of their production capability.The high production expenses have decreased the funding capability of the farmers to utilize their own money.Within a span of 30 years, the debt of the farming sector had increas ed by an overwhelming figure of $13 billion in 1950 to an anticipated $158 billion on January 1980’s, along with the increase in the value of the farm assets of the farmers which had considerably doubled during that period.The farmers slowly become more sensitive to the changes and fluctuations that occurred in the cash flow, interest rates, and costs of debt service to them. This led to an increase in the borrowed funds by the farming community and decrease in the net farm incomes, thereby increasing the net debt burdens on the farmers.In a number of regions across the United Stated, which are located along the north and the western edges of the corn belt,   most of the commercial banking institutions, most interestingly the country banks have come through two years of a reasonably high loan-to -deposit ratios, which brought about a number of liquidity problems for the farmers at some point of time.In most of these districts the commercial banks and other funding instituti ons were not able to meet the growing needs of the farmers and thereby the interest rates grew by a phenomenal rate.It was estimated that the farm production expenses will rise by more than double the price and subsequently the funds that will be needed to satisfy this demand will grow by more than $250 billion in the coming 10 years as compared to a total expense of $140 billion during the 1980’s.According to these figures, it was estimated that the farming community will have to borrow most of the money and it was estimated that the farming debt would be around $700 billion by the end of the year 2000.At the same time, the asset value of the farmers will also increase to $3.5 trillion and the ratio between the debts to asset values will not rise higher than 17%.The increasing and prices, competition of the loan funds, farm prices, can all make it difficult for the farmers and especially those who have no other source of income to subsidize their farming needs. Looking at th is analysis of the trends, some reforms and agricultural policies were introduced.

Travel Writing

The reluctance to enter this climatic journey was brought upon the experiences of other riders. The facial expressions and comments I was hearing as people exited the ‘Mechanical Emotion Drawer' was unbelievable. The excruciating pain being hidden behind anxiousness and expectation. Every small, timide step forward added to the suspense making me want to break free of my personal pride. The source of my anxiety is in the U.S.A, where they are renowned for making the impossible, possible and reaching new heights in technology. Being a British Asian (Living in England) the creativity and imagination for producing the best inspires me, just like what I was about to experience. As I looked into the skyline of this masterpiece park, one ‘Godzilla' like stature dominated my view. It stood tall, bright red in colour and dominant across this sea of other great participants. This added to my sense of fear and I began to realise that anticipation would soon turn into reality. As I queued impatiently along with four of my fearless cousins, constant screaming and shouting was heard. This was coming above my head, as this piece of high-tech metal flew at a great pace. As I approached the end of my queue, clear, loud and precise instructions came from speakers beside me. ‘Pregnant woman, people with heart problems, back problems should not enter this†¦' As I heard this message , I started to question why this announcement was read out. The message continued, read in a firm manner. ‘This is due to the high speed and great heights this †¦' After hearing this I shut out the rest of the instructions. At this pacific moment, I felt, dare I say it, scared. All I could hear was the laughter and the normality of the conversations my fellow occupants of the seats that we would soon sit in. My personal pride and respect was brought into doubt when my silence was questioned as fear and cowardliness, but as stupid as it sounds I quickly dismissed these suggestions. I used reverse psychology tactics and questioned back, ‘Your frightened, that's why your asking!' Clever eh! My time eventually came and the automatic barriers opened before my glaring eyes. I hurried forward, this was to show my unconditional confidence I had. I sat on these comfortable, leather, soft seats and then only I realised one key point. There's no way back from here! As soon as everyone were seated my legs were lifted slowly behind me. I was literally lying down and, believe me, I was as nervous as going to open some important exam results. Safety padding came slowly down from above me and escape was impossible. This horror machine commenced and all you could hear was the screeching between the contact of the track and each individual open cabin. I felt somewhat relieved to have a secure seat and the thought of me turning back was out of the question. Twisting, turning, looping movements were what I was expecting as we were taken up on top of the skyline. I began to question my real respect, for why I come on death defying stunts?

Current Cultural Trends And Their Impact On Organizational Communications Essay

Communication in organizations depends on the type of organization and the setting of the workplace. The question is which management style should be used although it is safe to say that the best style of management is participatory. Current cultural trends have come into the picture and effectiveness is seen as the result when these trends are considered important in an organization. This is so because ensures that the output generated by the work of an employee is of high quality. When these cultural trends are noted well, employees are given tasks and the manager makes sure that the employees understand their duties and responsibilities. The employees are also given the chance to make their own decisions and impart their ideas and opinions in the process (All Business, Undated). Cultural trends affects management since it is the circle in which the management goes around. It is critical as the type of management, especially in a teamwork setting, would largely depend on the existing social culture between the employees. The manager will have a hard time adjusting if the social culture among his employees is not good, meaning the relationships are damaged or broken (Veser, 2004). Being efficient in the light of these cultural factors means producing outputs with little wasted effort because the communication is free-flowing. It is important, therefore, that employees are given good communication venues in order to come up with quality on the output they produce. Sometimes, an employee may be efficient but not effective. In being effective, one should could focus and concentrate on the particular work they have to do and dispose the clutter. It is better to be effective and produce good results than be efficient with poor outputs (Lifetools, Undated). Yes, quantitative techniques can be used to motivate employees in such a way that these tools will help them imagine or picture in their minds what the goal or strategy is all about. An organization is highly affected by cultural trends. It is particularly significant when there is an attempt to propose a change in the whole organizational system. Culture directly affects innovation and development in an organization. Culture serves as the foundation where the organization is laid upon, it is a conglomerate of ideas and beliefs of employees which nurtures the existence of the organization (Forte, 1998). Stakeholders can both help or pull down an organization. It could do either way, enhance the company or organization’s reputation or damage it. It should be ensured that there is a good existing relationship between the stakeholders or shareholders, otherwise the company will be in trouble. The advantage of managing this kind of relationships is that there will be various ideas when it comes to setting the direction of the company. A multi-stakeholder organization has a democratic and participatory environment. The setback is when these shareholders do not agree with each other and may result to split up. A borderless organization widens the scope of the management system, therefore there is the possibility that the management might be spread too thin in the organization. It will be harder to direct and lead a group that has wider, or worse no defined boundaries. It is necessary that management can focus and not flow to too many directions. It will be hard to gather the members as the organization grows, along with the different viewpoints and opinions (Jarillo, 1995). Going global has both positive and negative effects in an organization. It will be an advantage since the organization or company will be known in a wider arena and could even establish a network of stakeholders. Kentucky Fried Chicken, the fast food that sells chicken and is known all over the world, is a classic example of a success story of going global. But this may not always be the case as going global has its setbacks and weaknesses. For one, there is the possibility that the organization or business may not be accepted in another place other than its place of origin. Another would be that if the new branch or franchise does not perform well, it would carry the original name of the organization and would destroy the reputation of the original organization as well (Starks 2001). When members of a dominant culture become suspicious of subcultures and seek to isolate or assimilate them, it is often because the members of the dominant culture are making value judgments about the beliefs and practices of the subordinate groups. For instance, most Anglo-Americans see the extensive family obligations of Hispanics as a burdensome arrangement that inhibits the individual freedom. Hispanics, in contrast, view the isolated nuclear family of Anglo-Americans as a lonely institution that cuts people off from the love and assistance of their kin. This tendency to view one’s own cultural patterns as good and right and those of others as strange or even immoral is ethnocentrism. An individual becomes aware of his worldview as an individual comes as one applies his values in different situations. An example to illustrate this is when we see that most Americans today accept and approve racial equality in the workplace. Yet relatively few extend the value of racial equality to their family lives. They would not approve of a member of their own family marrying a person of another race or adopting a child of another race. Authors Sue & Sue (2002) have unique answers to communications across different cultures. Its focus on counseling racial populations as well as other diverse organizations makes us understand norms and cultures and its interrelationships. Their views have made clinicians take a second look at individual roles in understanding varied populations. People become aware of their worldview as an individual when they examine their values in relation to their environment. Values provide the framework within which people in a society develop norms of behavior. A norm is a specific guideline for action; it is a rule that says how people should behave in particular situations. Like values, norms can vary greatly from society to society. Polite and appropriate behavior in one society may be disgraceful in another. Norms also vary from group to group within a single society. From a societal perspective, choices and actions of an individual in U. S. society are highly influenced by norms. According to Turner and Killian’s emergent-norm theory, people develop new social norms as they interact in situations that lack firm guidelines for coping. These norms then exert a powerful influence on their behavior. The new norms evolve through a gradual practice of social exploration and testing. The crowd begins to define the situation, develop a justification for acts that would in other circumstances seem questionable. In this way, new norms may emerge that condone violence and destruction, but still impose some limits on crowd behavior (Turner and Killian, 1972, p. 21). Norms and values are resources for communication. They help us evaluate our past, interpret the present, and plan for the future. Can you think of two examples each of evaluating the past, interpreting the worth of the present, or planning for the future that do not involve implicit values and norms you use in everyday life? How so and why to each? New norms evolve through a gradual process of social exploration and testing. One or more people may suggest a course of action (shooting obscenities or hurling bottles, for example). Other suggestions follow. The crowd begins to define the situation, to develop a justification for acts that would in other circumstances seem questionable. In this way, new norms may emerge that condone violence and destruction, but still impose some limits on crowd behavior. The emergence of new norms, Turner and Killian argue does not mean that members of a crowd come to think and feel as one. Although it may appear to outsiders that a crowd is a unanimous whole, some participants may just be going along to avoid disapproval and ridicule. All these kinds of crowd action depended not just on the other people around but on the patterns of social organization by which people were both motivated to join the crowd and organized within it. One of the common sources of loss of motivation in the workplace is the presence of difficult employees (Darby 15). Employees are usually very sensitive with poor performers that are not given attention or sanctioned in the workplace (Blades, 1967). The presence of poor performers and the presence of problem employees usually affect the working environment and thus bosses should be able to improve the situation of the work environment in order to make working a positive experience for all. At the core, one of the important steps that should be employed is the ability of the manager or leader to identify the problem immediately. One of the key methods of problem identification is constant communication with the subordinates. It is very important to recognize that the differences in personalities in the workplace are really a major cause of conflict (Stanley 6). This means that the manager should always assume that there is always a tendency for conflict to arise. Even employees themselves are aware that conflicts are already occurring. In this particular scenario, the structure is that each technical team that handles technical support concerns of customers is headed by a team leader or manager. The role of the manager is to handle escalated concerns and the performance of the agents or staff. There is a problem of communication between the agents and the supervisor. The supervisor is having some problems with the performance of the agent and he handled this through massive sanctions against absenteeism and heavy corrective actions against minor offenses. The manager used a rather punitive system of motivating the employees, which the employees disliked because this adds to the already stressful job of handling technical problems of customers. The agents are also not very open to the manager regarding their problems because of his tyrannical method of leadership. The agents also viewed their manager as lacking technical skills and therefore do not really understand their line of work and the stress that is attached to it. Thirdly, there is an internal conflict between employees because they believed that some non-performers appeared to be more favored by the manager. The employees accomplishments are not recognized while their little mistakes are always emphasized. The manager should inculcate the recognition of higher level of needs of the employees. Glen (41) believes that motivating employees is really a difficult task because people have different sources of motivation. It is however very important for managers to never behave in a ‘demotivating’ way. According to Glen (41), the manager may not be able to motivate their people always, but the manager will always have a way of killing the source of motivation. To illustrate his point, he pointed out that in a technical company, it is very important that managers always consult their team. In computer companies, managers are always viewed to be less knowledgeable regarding technical areas. Inability to incorporate ideas from the team would generally make them feel that their talents are neglected. The technical expertise of the team should always be consulted because of the need to recognize their technical talents. The manager therefore should be responsive to the specific needs of the technical staff and understand the difficulties of their job and open the communication lines for solution. It is essential that in technical teams, where basis of membership is through technical skills, that the talents be recognized. The employees’ ability to make full use of their talents and skills would help them to maintain high level of performance. In this case, it is a recognition that motivation, does not merely come from rewards, but may also come from higher level of needs such as the need to have capabilities recognized and be utilized towards their full potential. On the issue of conflict, tt the core, one of the important steps that should be employed is the ability of the manager or leader to identify the problem immediately. One of the key methods of problem identification is constant communication with the subordinates. It is very important to recognize that the differences in personalities in the workplace are really a major cause of conflict (Stanley 6). This means that the manager should always assume that there is always a tendency for conflict to arise. Even employees themselves are aware that conflicts are already occurring. Secondly, there is a need for the manager to have an effective conflict resolution method. In most cases, it would be important that the manager provides individual conflict resolution (Stanley 6). This mean providing employees themselves is given the opportunity to resolve their own issues in order to empower them. The ability to resolve issues and conflicts help the employees in improving their level of confidence. Ability to resolve problems through their initiatives is one point of motivation for employees in the workplace. One way of illustrating an effective consolidation of cultural trends is illustrating the IBM example. IBM Institute for Business Value asserts that increased competition, changing workforce demographics and a shift toward knowledge-based work are requiring companies to place an increasingly higher priority on improving workforce productivity (Lesser and De Marco, Abstract). Companies rely on their Human Resources (HR) function to go beyond the delivery of cost-effective administrative services. They require the HR to provide expertise on â€Å"how to leverage human capital to create true marketplace differentiation. † Facing these challenges, many HR organizations have been actively revamping to more effectively deliver the strategic insights their businesses require. IBM’s study entitled â€Å"A New Approach, A New Capability: The Strategic Side of Human Resources† shows that competing in today’s environment requires companies to focus on building a more responsive, flexible and resilient workforce (p. 2). To do so, organizations must do a more effective job of sourcing talent, allocating resources across competing initiatives, measuring performance and building key capabilities and skills. HR organizations that provide strategic guidance on these issues can become proactive drivers of organizational effectiveness, rather than simply a supporter of these efforts. The HR organizations’ attempt to resolve the growing needs of quality recruitment by a new process of human resource hiring. This process is described as â€Å"positive discrimination in order to select the best† (Beardwell, 84). Others call it â€Å"affirmative action. † This refers to the concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate employment discrimination but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination (87). The underlying motive for affirmative action is the principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities. Those who obtain employment can be sure that the company values them. Unfortunately, this also means rejecting people who smoke, are clinically obese, have high debts, participate in high-risk sports, and the like. In addition, the company also seeks permission from employee to access various databases, which include: criminal records; credit bankruptcy and mortgage defaults; vehicle license checks; educational records; curriculum vitae and applications search. The company believes this is a modern, sophisticated human resource approach because it is able to compare employee’s profiles against the national average for physiological, psychological, social and demographic factors. Affirmative action affects small businesses in two main ways. First, it prevents businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and physical capability in practices relating to hiring, compensating, promoting, training, and firing employees. Second, it allows the state and federal governments to favor women-owned and minority-owned businesses when awarding contracts, and to reject bids from businesses that do not make good faith efforts to include minority-owned businesses among their subcontractors (Encyclopedia para 2). The interpretation and implementation of affirmative action has been contested since its origins in the 1960s. A central issue of contention was the definition of discriminatory employment practices. The discriminatory employment practices as listed by the Department of Administration and Equal Opportunity (p. 1) include: gender identity, sexual orientation, race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. Contrary, the prevailing employment practices include three things. First is the counseling and litigation with respect to employment discrimination (race/sex/disability/sexual harassment), wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, trade secrets/unfair competition, privacy in the workplace, workplace violence, executive contracts, affirmative action, use of independent contractors, OSHA, union organizing and other issues pertaining to hiring, promotion, compensation and discipline (Fenwick and West LLP, p. 1). Second is the representation of large and small employers in class actions and individual cases in state and federal courts and in arbitrations and mediations throughout the country. Last is the regularly advise employers concerning personnel systems, policies and practices that includes, among others: handbooks, policy manuals and drug testing programs, employment and independent contractor agreements, terminations, severance plans and releases, management training (sex harassment avoidance, EEO, rightful discipline: managing for high performance), protecting trade secrets and confidential business information, wage/hour and leave of absence compliance, disciplinary investigations, legal compliance audits, and whistleblower and retaliation claims (para 2 and 3). As the interpretation of positive discrimination evolved, employment practices that were not intentionally discriminatory but that nevertheless had a â€Å"disparate impact† on affected groups were considered a violation of affirmative action regulations (Encyclopedia of Small Business, section 2). Another central issue was whether members of affected groups could receive preferential treatment and, if so, the means by which they could be preferred. This issue is sometimes referred to as the debate over quotas. In the next level of new HR approaches is the care it provides for the employees’ well being. Companies are now committed to the health and wellness of its employees and this extends to the employees’ families. Companies do recognize that all employees from time to time have personal problems. If unresolved, these issues may affect emotional and physical health which ultimately could affect job performance. It is now within the HR’s goal to provide a confidential resource to all employees and their families to help address these issues before they interfere with well being. According to a review of the Gallup Studies by Harter, Schmidt, and Keyes (2002, p. 4), the well-being of the employees is to the best interest of the communities and organizations. They believe that the workplace is the significant part of an individual’s life that affects his/her life and that of the community. The average adult spends much of his/her life working. He/she spends much of his waking hours in work or about one third. Thus, the well-being of the employees is the best interest of the employers who spend substantial resources hiring employees and trying to generate products, profits and maintain loyal customers. Studies show that happy and productive employees clearly link emotional well-being with work performance (p. 2). In sum, work is a pervasive and influential part of the individual and the community’s well-being. It affects the quality of the individual’s life and his/her mental health and thereby can affect the productivity of the entire community. The ability to promote well-being rather than endanger strains and mental illness is of considerable benefit not only to the employees in the community but also to the employers’ bottom line. This aspect should be greatly taken care of by the companies’ HR organizations (Cornelius, p. 142). Concern for the well-being of employees extends to the environment. The company provides background music to help eliminate stress, it plays messages to staff throughout the day for the same reason: to relax people. Messages such as â€Å"stay calm†, â€Å"help colleagues†, â€Å"remember, the company is our community† are all designed for positive reasons. Employees also receive electronic messages by email. The company argues that this â€Å"thoughtfulness† ensures high morale. Video and audio surveillance ensures that staff feels secure. Other companies believe that the physical environment is also important to wellness and productivity. Fragrant aromas such as evergreen may reduce stress; the smell of lemon and jasmine can have a rejuvenating effect. These scents are introduced to all work spaces through the air- conditioning and heating systems. Scents are changed seasonally (Marx, Section 6). Some companies also believe that music is not only enjoyable to listen to but can also affect productivity. Thus, some companies continually experiment with the impact of different styles of music on an office’s or plant’s aggregate output. Personal computers deliver visual subliminals such as â€Å"my world is calm† or â€Å"we’re all on the same team. † Other companies have dietitians who guide the companies’ cafeteria and dining room. They make sure that the companies serve only fresh, wholesome food prepared without salt, sugar, or cholesterol-producing substances. Sugar- and caffeine-based, high-energy snacks and beverages are available during breaks, at no cost to employees. In a practical example of work productivity and employee performance, let us cite Dominion-Swann’s new workplace. Dominion-Swann (DS) is a technology-based company that respects its employees and whose knowledge is the core of its technological enterprise. It cares about its work community and value honesty informed consent, and unfettered scientific inquiry. Its employees understand company strategy. They are free to suggest ways to improve the company’s performance. It also offers handsome rewards for high productivity and vigorous participation in the life of its company. Committed to science, this company believes in careful experimentation and in learning from experience. Since 1990, DS has instituted changes in our work environment because it faced an uncertain future. Our productivity and quality were not keeping pace with overseas competition. Employee turnover was up, especially in the most critical part of our business- automotive chips, switches, and modules. Health costs and work accidents were on the rise. Its employees were demoralized. There were unprecedented numbers of thefts from plants and offices and leaks to competitors about current research. There was also a sharp rise in drug use. Security personnel reported unseemly behavior by company employees not only in our parking lots and athletic fields but also in restaurants and bars near our major plants. In the fall of 1990, it turned to SciexPlan Inc. , a specialist in employee-relations management in worldwide companies, to help develop a program for the radical restructuring of the work environment. There was instability while the program was being developed and implemented. Some valued employees quit and others took early retirement. But widespread publicity about the company’s efforts drew to the program people who sincerely sought a well-ordered, positive environment. DS now boasts a clerical, professional, and factory staff which understands how the interests of a successful company correspond with the interests of individual employees. To paraphrase psychologist William lames, â€Å"When the community dies, the individual withers. † Such sentiments, we believe, are as embedded in Western traditions as in Eastern; they are the foundation of world community. They are also a fact of the new global marketplace. DS’ four principles that underlie work-support restructuring are worth studying for every HR organizations who want to implement structural changes and get valued results. It consists of the following: 1. Make the company a home to employees. Break down artificial and alienating barriers between work and home. Dissolve, through company initiative, feelings of isolation. Great companies are made by great people; all employee behavior and self-development counts. 2. Hire people who will make a continuing contribution. Bring in people who are likely to stay healthy and successful, people who will be on the job without frequent absences. Candor about prospective employees’ pasts may be the key to the company’s future. 3. Technical, hardware-based solutions are preferable to supervision and persuasion. Machines are cheaper, more reliable, and fairer than managers. Employees want to do the right thing; the company wants nothing but this and will give employees all the needed technical assistance. Employees accept performance evaluation from an impartial system more readily than from a superior and appreciate technical solutions that channel behavior in a constructive direction. 4. Create accountability through visibility. Loyal employees enjoy the loyalty of others. They welcome audits, reasonable monitoring, and documentary proof of their activities, whether of location, business conversations, or weekly output. Once identified, good behavior can be rewarded, inappropriate behavior can be improved. These principles have yielded an evolving program that continues to benefit from the participation and suggestions of the company’s employees. This is a good support system to the promotion of the employees’ well-being. Providing support for employees with caring responsibilities in the workplace makes good business sense. Creating a positive work atmosphere that encourages employees to speak out is also another important factor. Benefits can be gained for both the employer and their employees. Companies nowadays attract qualified employees by providing a progressive and motivating work atmosphere. This is because such environment is an excellent opportunity for employees to grow professionally in a professional yet fun and casual environment. According to Susan Heathfield, HR Consultant, about 16 percent of the people responding in a recent Human Resources Forum poll have no performance appraisal system at all (p. 1). Supervisory opinions, provided once a year, are the only appraisal process for 56 percent of respondents. Another 16 percent described their appraisals as based solely on supervisor opinions, but administered more than once a year. The main reason is that performance appraisal is universally disliked and avoided. She concludes that, after all, how many people in an organization want to hear that they were less than perfect last year? How many managers want to face the arguments and diminished morale that can result from the performance appraisal process? This might be certainly true. Performance Management, however is geared towards employee development and organizational improvement (para 3). HR organizations should really implement the most effective and succinct measure of employee performance. Performance management begins when a job is defined. Performance management ends when an employee leaves the company. Between these points, the following must occur for a working performance management system. Heathfield suggests the following Performance Management and Development as the best initiatives to have a systematic appraisal in the general work system. It includes defining the purpose of the job, job duties, and responsibilities; defining performance goals with measurable outcomes; defining the priority of each job responsibility and goal; defining performance standards for key components of the job; holding interim discussions and provide feedback about employee performance, preferably daily, summarized and discussed, at least, quarterly; maintaining a record of performance through critical incident reports; providing the opportunity for broader feedback; using a 360 degree performance feedback system that incorporates feedback from the employee’s peers, customers, and people who may report to him; developing and administering a coaching and improvement plan if the employee is not meeting expectations (para 5). Based on the new tasks of the HR organizations as the company’s business partner, there are five key capabilities that are needed to make a strategic contribution to the organization (Lesser and De Macro, p. 6 ). These include: analytical skills; business acumen; consulting skills; change leadership skills; and the ability to share knowledge across the HR organization. HR organizations need analytical skills to develop evidence-based recommendations and effective business cases. They must understand how data flows through various HR and financial systems, and how to obtain and analyze human capital data that supports their recommendations. HR organizations also need to be proficient in developing models and scenarios that determine the cost and impact of changes in HR policies and procedures. Participants in our study found that they were unlikely to have sufficient depth in these ills within their own HR organizations and considered them among the most difficult to develop. HR organizations also need business acumen in the form of understanding their business unit’s strategies and operations. To serve as true advisors to the business, they must understand the dynamics of their industry, as well as the day-to-day activities performed by different functional units and how individuals within the units are evaluated. They also have to understand the needs of customers and partners to better see how their human capital decisions impact stakeholders beyond the organizational boundaries. Many organizations reported that this in-depth knowledge of the business was often in short supply within their HR groups. HR organizations will have to serve as lead advisors to their business units on human capital issues. To do so, a number of consulting skills are essential, including the abilities to build trusting relationships with senior executives, diagnose organizational problems and determine root causes, develop recommendations and business cases, and create action plans. Further, they must have the strength and conviction to deliver difficult messages to senior leaders, even if those messages may prove to be unpopular. HR organizations also need to be effective at driving change through the organization. This includes soliciting and initiating participation from individuals within the business unit to support change efforts, aligning recognition and performance measurement systems to support desired activities, and effectively communicating with multiple stakeholders. HR organization not only needs to provide expertise to the business units they support, they also should share knowledge across the HR organization (Mello, p. 138).

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 13

Sociology - Essay Example Looking at the daily newspaper and the stories of violence between white Australians and Lebanese-Australians or violence perpetuated against Indian students in Victoria, one senses that racism is an ever-present aspect of the social condition here in Australia. Seeking to explore social stratification and racism through my personal experiences working in this country, the following will discuss this concept with relation to major sociological theories. Following this I will apply the issue of social stratification to modern Australian society and conclude with an overview of the major issues discussed. What have been my experiences with racism here in Australia? Have there been positive aspects about race here? What emotions and symbols are associated with my racial experiences in this country? How has this impacted your life? What could have happened differently and what would I change about race in this country? These questions and many more will be explored in relation to my anal ysis of racism and social stratification in Australia. I now turn to an analysis of social stratification through an exploration of the major sociological theories (Shaefer, 1998: 254-266) Functionalism, one of oldest theoretical perspectives within sociology, focuses on the individual within society and seeks to apply scientific method to the social world. Furthermore, Functionalists argue that society is in fact an organ and espouse what is described as the organic unity of society. Thus, social systems exist for Functionalists because institutions themselves serve a variety of purposes (re: functions). Social systems are homeostatic and work to maintain equilibrium. Equilibrium is achieved, according to this theory, through socialization, where members of society are taught basic values and norms of society. Social control mechanisms – also known as sanctions – help maintain social equilibrium and keep individuals within the social unit in check.

Jews and Race in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jews and Race in the United States - Essay Example History has it that Jews entered America years earlier than 1700s (Pattai and Pattai 27). They mainly immigrated to the Southern States of the US, where they were slave masters, big economists, planters and slave traders. As they continued to stay in America alongside increased immigration of other races into America, Jews related and liquidated with the new races as well as the original ones. These interrelations led to complication in identification of the Jews and to an extent tell whether Jews have a race or not. With reference to Marcus, before 1790, American Constitution did not allow room for naturalization of impure white race(s) into America (3). Fascinatingly, by that time Jews who immigrated to America were white and thus got naturalized as citizens of the US. Today, determining Jews is a big problem that may require expertise of doctors to determine genetic makeup of the suspected Jews. Steinsaltz and Henegbi mention that in the 19th century, Jews were considered merely a s religious group and not people belonging to any special race (1). Jews were most known to be anti-Christian though they lived and originated from Israel believed to be birth place of Christ. The recruits into Judaism or Jews have to learn and adhere to the strict commandments of Torah. Jews constitute of diversity of races among them Africans, Asians and Europeans and as religion, every individual who join Judaism becomes an automatic Jew. From the prior review, Jews therefore disqualifies to be a race but rather a people sharing common beliefs. Unlike other races whose physical makeup changes when they mingle and live long with other races, Jews at all times despite the color variations are identical when certain physical characteristics are carefully speculated (Pattai and Pattai 30). Jews are naturally promiscuous group who in the early 18th centuries when they dominated as slave masters in the US, copulated with Negros in the Southern part of America to produce intermediary ra ces or just Negro. The Jews also intermarried with the some of the European races like the Irish, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons among others. The intermarriages produce individuals of varied races depending on the Jew’s intermarrying partner. Among the characteristics used to determine Jews is the self-hatred psychology. As observed by Goldstein, Jews will easily be identified from their motives towards the Semites, they are always anti-Semites and this is a common attitude in every descendant of Jew in spite of color (10). Goldstein indicates that the facial appearance of the Jews that makes them easily identified, resemble that of a black African (5). First, Jews are characterized by muzzled-shaped mouth that does not resemble any race. Second, Jews have small chins, projected mouth and closely packed eyes. Jews are also at times in America, viewed as cultural people who share certain cultural and social beliefs. Jews are like a family believing in the same orders and rules. This aspect was also dominant in the American history when the slave masters taught and influenced the slaves with their cultural practices and finally converting the slave Negros to adapt Jews concepts. Fishberg dictates that the spread and contamination of the original Jewish race was due to their capabilities of mixing and fitting in any environment despite of weather, culture and language differences

Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne Essay

Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne - Essay Example Symbolism, most of which is spiritual, is used throughout the story to show the downfall of the once-holy community, including Goodman Brown. Faith is a symbol unto herself, from her name to the pink ribbons that she wore in her hair. As Goodman Brown sets out to meet with the devil, he talks himself into giving up such a horrid life for the sake of Faith. Whenever he thinks about the evil deed at hand, he allows his mind to turn back to Faith. This can be taken in two ways - Faith, as in his wife, and faith, as in his religious beliefs. Faith, his wife, is a personification of Goodman Brown’s spiritual faith. He does not want to live a life of evil, but one of good, religious faith. As such, Faith symbolizes Brown’s desire to live a religiously fulfilling life while also, while also wanting to remain good for the sake of his wife. Faith’s ribbons symbolizes Faith and her purity. The ribbons are pink, a color often associated with purity and innocence. As she say s goodbye to her husband as he leaves, Brown takes notice of the pink ribbons in her cap. At this moment in the story, Faith is pure and innocent. However, as Brown is wandering through the forest towards the evil gathering, he thinks he hears her voice, calls out to her, and then notices one of her pink ribbons falling from the sky. Since the ribbons symbolize purity, then as Faith loses her ribbons, she also loses her purity.

Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Immigration - Essay Example While some argue that the migrants are adversely affecting the economy as the inequality between the rich and poor has widened, it is strongly believed that any reforms to drive these migrants would disrupt the economy as the wages would rise and both the employers and the migrants would suffer. Immigrants and low-skilled immigrant workers are concentrated in a few states and in those states, in a few metropolitan areas (Chiswick, 2006). Immigrants are usually drawn to expanding cities particularly to cities with historical enclaves of earlier immigrants (Card, 2007). There is an unbalanced skill distribution and it has been observed that high-immigration cities have more low-skilled people in their local population. America is not being overrun by immigrants. The immigrants residing in the US make up for only one percent of the American population. Besides, the migrants do not enter the country illegally. Most enter legally but overstay on student or visitor visa (Cole, 1994). This only demonstrates the flaws in the US administration. Moreover, immigrants do not fill jobs but create jobs. They do not take the jobs from the Americans and there is no evidence to support this view. In fact the immigrants start their own businesses and employ both immigrants and natives. Chiswick argues that immigrants are localized and concentrated in certain areas but the jobs that migrants perform are still being done in other areas or states and a large number of these low-skilled workers are native to the United States (Chiswick, 2006). The census of 2000 shows that males between 25 and 64 years employed that year, of those with less than a high school diploma, 64% were born in the US and 36% were foreign born. Even those that have graduated from high school have not acquired any other skills essential for higher earnings and there are no low-skill jobs that American workers would or would not do. This only

The Mistake of the Month Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Mistake of the Month - Essay Example Paine decides to start up a program that would help members admit their mistakes, and come up with solutions that would help them avoid making the same mistakes again (Lee, 2009). During the implementation of the program, Paine discovers that at least 2000 mistakes have been reported, and that very few were repeated (Lee, 2009), such an observation proved to Paine that the winning practice was effective. On the other hand, Sen, Choudhury & Nelakuditi (2011), explain that listening is one of the most essential skills that are needed for effective leadership and communication. It is always important that people evaluate the consequence of their words before they get the opportunity to speak them out, this way; they can avoid some common mistakes that would arise when such care is not carefully followed. Consequently, it is important to understand that mistakes are part of everyday human life; the ability to learn from previous mistakes and avoiding them is important for everyone. One of the ways of being understood is careful listening and attention to detail in every conversation, it is only through this that effective leadership skills can be nurtured in

Student's Post Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student's Post - Research Paper Example Empowering leaders to mould employees’ behavior, according to Johnson, however, offers an effective approach to ensuring employees’ safety (2009). I also concur with your opinion that employees should be recognized for both their jobs and their outstanding performances because of the competitive rewards and benefits’ trend in the job market (Fay, 2009). Your post therefore succeeds in identifying significance of leadership, at different levels of an organization’s human resource, in ensuring personnel’s safety and maintaining their potentials. You offer an explorative discussion that answers the question, ‘how can managers maintain a cohesive and effective human resource base?’ This is an important question in the extremely competitive business environment in which poorly managed human resource may lead to high rates of mobility or inefficiency in workers’ output. It is therefore important that managers consider all stakeholders, including labor unions in making human resource management decisions. A leadership approach is, however, necessary in ensuring that employees utilize available empowerment programs (Johnson, 2009). Your critique of organizations’ poor approach to rewards and benefits is also important to human resource managers because employees’ motivation also depends on their knowledge of the market trends of rewards and benefits (Fay,

London Borough of Hackney Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

London Borough of Hackney - Case Study Example It is anticipated that this move will greatly catalyse economic development in Hackney. Generally, Hackney has experienced a big transformation, hence leading to a removal of some of the negative stereotypes attributed to the city. It has in the recent past become a centre of attraction for a number of creative industries. Hackney has seen its GCSE grades increase by an estimated 50 per cent increase in the recent past. The emergence of numerous specialist schools has raised prospects in the borough's education. The borough has in the past lacked specialists in various fields due to its economic hardships. However, the borough continues to have a high number of adult without education. Hope therefore lies in the new upcoming generation. Moreover, the existing education schemes in the borough have not done much in increasing employment opportunities. Consequently, the number of people with appropriate skills that can offer them gainful employment is very low. This has led to a very low income flowing into the borough from other parts of England. On the other hand, there is a lot of hope for the borough following the emerging trend of a growing number of qualified professionals, especially those of level 4. Moreover, the recent infrastructure development is increasingly attracting many firms into the borough. This greatly increases prospects of economic development in Hackney. However, Hackney still has many challenges ahead in its endeavour to attain economic power. It is going to be an uphill task to enlighten the Hackney community on the importance of education. Moreover, the current situation does not inspire students into pursuing higher education. Employment Hackney has over the years suffered some of the highest rates of unemployment in England. However, in the recent past, the borough is experiencing an improvement in the rates of employment. A great deal of Hackney's potential comes from its closeness to the City. This will greatly influence the borough's economic growth, especially with the construction of a link between the borough and the city. This will in turn create numerous employment opportunities for the borough. The growing presence of the service sector in the area will help in the creation of employment opportunities for the locals. However, Hackney borough continues to experience high levels of economic inactivity and unemployment. This can be attributed to the borough's limited opportunities. Moreover there is a high rate of migration of businesses and labour to other parts of England from Hackney. Moreover, there is a huge disparity between the north and the south in the borough. On the other hand, the growing cultural industry in Hackney borough presents it with a lot of opportunities. It will greatly improve the borough's tourism sector and, by extension, create employment opportunities. Additionally, the current development programs in the borough will go a long way in improving economic development in Hackney (NERC, 2006). For instance, the developments aimed at improving accessibility will connect the borough with its neighbours, particularly the city. This will enable a free flow of resources from the city or other parts to the borough. The new investments

Essay on Abortion Essay Example for Free

Essay on Abortion Essay Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. If a woman falls pregnant and she does not wish to go through with the pregnancy then she may choose to have an abortion. Abortion is a controversial issue, some people say it is ok to abort a baby but others are strongly against it. Sometimes people are against it because they believe it is wrong but some are against it because of their religion, their background and their up-bringing. People who are for abortion may have had one and therefore think it is ok or they may know someone who has had one. In this essay I will discuss the arguments for and the arguments against abortion. An argument in favour of abortion is if the woman was raped. If a woman was raped then she would often not want to keep a rapist’s child. Also she would probably be scarred for life, even without the baby. If she had the baby she would be reminded of the rape every single day of her life. When the baby gets older he/she would want to know who his/her dad was when he/she saw that every other child at school had a dad and he/she never, unless the mother has another partner. Secondly, the mother should be able to terminate the pregnancy if she is told that her unborn baby is going to have a disability. If your baby was born with a disability then you would struggle to cope, as would your family. When the baby grows older he/she may have difficulties in school and may even get bullied because of his/her disabilities. It would be possible to abort this baby as every parent wishes for a good, happy, normal life for their children. Lastly, a reason for a woman to have an abortion is if she is under the legal age of consent, sixteen. A young woman under sixteen may not be able to cope on her own and may not be able to provide the maternal and emotional support the baby needs. The girl also may have to leave school for a little while to take care of the baby which would make her fall behind on a lot of school work. She may have the pregnancy terminated because she may have wanted to go to college or university to study further. I feel that she should have the chance to live her life and be free without having any major responsibilities, like having to look after a baby. However, even though a woman may have a perfectly good reason to have an abortion she would still be killing a human life. Some women think they are doing the right thing at the time but when it comes to a later stage in life, many of them can regret their decisions. It would probably be at the back of their mind- they would think about it when they got the chance to. They would probably think how their lives would be different if they had had the baby. Furthermore, there are many people in the world that cannot conceive for many different reasons and would do anything for a child, therefore they would adopt. Instead of a woman having a termination because she think she is unable to cope then she could have the baby and then put it up for adoption. Sometimes in these situations women have the baby and they often change their mind about having the baby put up for adoption and they keep their baby. Of course if the woman still does not want the baby she may have him/her put up for adoption for another family to take care of. Lastly, if the woman is old enough and responsible enough to have sex then she should have to take responsibility of a pregnancy that results in her actions, even if this does mean having to leave school or to leave a brilliant job to raise a child. Any woman should have to take care of a baby because she knew what she was doing and knew what could be the consequences of her actions. Therefore she should not be allowed to terminate her pregnancy. Having researched the topic fully presented three arguments for abortion and three arguments against abortion, my opinion is that it should be legal but for one reason only – if the baby is going to have any sort of disability. In every other circumstance, it should be illegal because, as I said in one of my points, many couples are unable to have children of their own and this would give them a good chance to have a baby of their own.

Mercedes M class Essay Example for Free

Mercedes M class Essay This year Mercedes-Benz Company announcing the new M Class SUVs for their middle aged costumers. The M Class offers a stylish alternative to box-on-box SUVs, and can be equipped with as much off-road capability as most drivers would ever need. It doesn’t go light on luxury or amenities, either, and its cabin feels more like a Mercedes sedan than a premium sport-use. In fact, Mercedes has made an effort to step up its materials, fit and finish game on the inside of third-generation M Class models, and its efforts show. Market segmentation strategy The purpose for segmenting a market is to allow your marketing/sales program to focus on the subset of prospects that are most likely to purchase your offering. There are four different dimensions used to describe a product’s market segmentation. These four things are demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and geographic. The most popular marketing segmentation used by researchers is the demographic segmentation. Demographic segmentation: Mercedes Benz M class demographic includes adults, both male and female, mostly middle-aged people. They are not very popular with youngsters since the brand is very expensive. Yes there is college kids and in some cases even high school kids with Mercedes Benz cars, but they were still purchased by their parents. Due to their relative expense, * 2013 Mercedes-Benz M class /http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-mercedes-benz-gl-class-photos-and-info-news The M class is targeted to people of middle to high incomes. Unlike Chrysler or GMC, for instance, Mercedes doesn’t offer prices ranging from high to low so the products don’t resemble consumers with a low income. Behavioral segmentation: is the most powerful approach because it uses actual consumer behavior or product usage to make distinctions among market segments. When referring to the M class behavioral segmentation, it is purchased among heavy users, it’s a car you can use on a day-to-day basis, whether going to work or to the grocery store. Most of the people that purchase the M class do it for different reasons; quality, beauty, speed, etc. Psychographic segmentation: the M class is commonly purchased among  people who have a family, since it’s a SUV. Some of the reasons its customers prefer the M class is for its safety, and by being a luxury car it gives you a certain status among society. When referring to the geographic segmentation of the M class, it is mainly targeted toward somewhat wealthy countries. The M class is sold worldwide m even though its biggest market is in the United States. Other target markets for the M class may include single males, females, single parents with or without children or teenagers, married couples, and males and females who are divorced. There are many different target markets for the M class and the ones mentioned before are its main target markets. Positioning: Mercedes Benz has always been known for delivering quality, reliability and its safety. Delivering Mercedes-brand qualities and features at a more moderate price is a luxury marketing strategy conceived with a long range vision. Their goal is to build lifetime brand loyalty by meeting the automobile consumer at nearly every price point throughout their progress through different life stages. In line with the Mercedes-Benz brand philosophy, the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class represents the embodiment of the Mercedes-Benz holistic safety concept of Real Life Safety, which is derived from what happens in a real accident situation. In combination with the front and rear deformation zones, the high-strength passenger cell of the M-Class provides a highly effective foundation for the occupant protection systems. Both active safety and driver-fitness safety in the new M-Class are further improved by assistance systems that will already be familiar, primarily from the S-Class and E-Class. Reference: 1. Benz says its like a three-row S-class, but theres also a heck of a lot of M-class. / http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-car-buying/mercedes-benz/m-class/review/ 2. Mercedes Benz M class /http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-mercedes-benz-gl-class-photos-and-info-news/ 3. On Mercedes Benz’ luxury /http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-articles/on-mercedes-benz-luxury-1111/

Right and Wrong Ways to Diet

Right and Wrong Ways to Diet Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Literature Review What’s Right and Wrong about Eating like a Caveman Insulin Resistance and Weight Gain Indigestion and Heartburn Poor Sleep Nutrient Deficiency Chronic Disease Extra Pounds The Domino Effect Finding and Discussion Poor Brain Function Poor Exercise Capabilities Conclusion References Abstract In this study, the wrong way to diet The consequences of that and right way to diet and exercise is discussed. The Paleo diet with high in protein and low carbohydrates are becoming popular in American restaurants such as HG SPLY Co. that is Dallas, and Hu Kitchen of New York City. Limited diets make the body starve hence slow down the metabolism if someone diet in â€Å"on and off† pattern again and again, according to NEDA. According to MayoClinic.com sleep consultant Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, balanced snack intake before bed can assist in sleep as going to bed in hunger as well as overeating may disturb the sleep. For losing body fat, both proper diet and exercise is highly effective as compare to dieting alone. Without exercise, the most nutritious low calorie diet would cause loss of muscle mass. One pound of muscle carries just 600 calories or one sixth of calories are present in the pound of fat. The Wrong Way to Diet Introduction A nutritious diet provides satisfactory amount of minerals, vitamins, protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates with the help of different food items. Conversely, a diet that is not good for health, consists of so much saturated and trans fats as well as sodium, cholesterol, added sugars and several processed ingredients with no or very small amount of nutrients. These unhealthy diets can cause poor nutrient-to calorie ratio. This result further leads to increase body weight and multi-nutrition issues related to health. A healthy and balanced diet for the majority of people contains various nutritious foods like fish, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and vegetables, whereas moderate quantity of low nutrient fare is supposed to be problematic, having poor diet even for the short interval of time can put negative results (Waxman, 2005). Having knowledge about the related short term risks become an inspirational factor for making unhealthy diet an exception instead of rule. For making sure the diet is full with the required needs, an individual then must take guidance from registered dietitian. In this study, the wrong way to diet The consequences of thatand right way to diet and exercise is discussed. For this study, literature review focuses on what is right and wrong about eating like a caveman along with the issues of unhealthy diet such as insulin resistance, mood problems etc. The topic seems to be crucial because wrong way to diet can lead to several problems and to know the correct way to diet and exercise is the need of today. Literature Review What’s Right and Wrong about Eating like a Caveman The eating habits of cavemen are not so much well recognized. The question is, do we have to talk about menu cues from the ancestors of ancient age? The Paleo diet with high in protein and low carbohydrates are becoming popular in American restaurants such as HG SPLY Co. that is Dallas, and Hu Kitchen of New York City. The products with inspiration of Paleo including grass-fed beef pemmican that is a native meat paste of America, are among those popular foods groups. Miley Cyrus, some other celebrities and Kobe Bryant are the eager followers of Paleo diet (Sallis, 2008). The Paleo diet has been famous for many years in the U.S. but the current momentum has been significant. The magazine Scientific American stated on June 3rd, that Paleo diet was suspected to be half baked, though the story was ridicules. The magazine proposed as if the caveman was imagining of a lean, tall, ripped and agile young man with 30 years of age; and it was nothing but an invention. In fact, there has been a smart cut down on processed and preserved packaged foods. There was an observation about the idea of gathering foods of stone age, that includes dairy products beans and grain (Aday, 2011). In the same way, the U.S. News ranks the Paleo diet as the food placed at bottom with 31st in the ranking of the â€Å"Best diets Ever† in its 2014 rankings along with the Dukan diet. The magazine stated that the issues were taken by experts with the diet with all measures. As a matter of fact, this has been a lifestyle as well as a weight loss effort that has been programmed with the promotion of the food that has low carbs. Insulin Resistance and Weight Gain Insulin resistance is characterized by a condition in which insulin hormone’s ability to manage the blood sugar is lowered. In this condition, risk for diabetes occurrence increases and weight gain is also one of its consequences. In July 2009, a study published in Molecular Medicine in which eighteen lean and healthy participants consumed high calorie diet for almost four weeks (Aday, 2011). The volunteers gained about ten percent of the body weight by the end of the study as well as nineteen percent of the body fat. They developed medium insulin resistance while they maintained their lean mass. Consuming low calories may also result in weight gain. Limited diets make the body starve hence slow down the metabolism if someone diet in â€Å"on and off† pattern again and again, according to NEDA. Indigestion and Heartburn During or after eating, indigestion leads to uncomfortable sensations in the upper abdomen. The common causes include consumption of fatty foods or eating fast and intake of lot of alcohol or caffeine, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. On the other hand, heartburn occurs in the navel and breast bone characterized by burning or pain often occurs with indigestion (Neinstein, 2008). People can also experience bloating, nausea as well as acid reflux occurring at the time when stomach contents move back into the esophagus. The UMMC suggests eating slowly to prevent indigestion and making eating environment calm enough as well as avoiding exercise just after the meal. Poor Sleep According to MayoClinic.com sleep consultant Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, balanced snack intake before bed can assist in sleep as going to bed in hunger as well as overeating may disturb the sleep. Fatty and spicy foods before sleep may lead to aggression during night if one is prone to heartburn hence it causes unwanted wake-ups. Poor sleep may lead to other temporary effects of an unhealthy diet for instance, weight gain and decreased brain capabilities and exercise capabilities (Sallis, 2008). Mood Problems Food and nutrients are the basis for the chemicals present in the brain to function properly. The chemicals in the brain promoting positive moods like serotonin and dopamine require proper functioning. Prudent on the calories or carbohydrates that enhance production of serotonin may lead to depression. People taking low carbohydrates have indicated high depression feelings, tension and anger feelings, according to Judith Wurtman, a psychologist as well as director of the Women’s Health Program (Aday, 2011). Feelings of guilt, shame and depression can also be the consequences of overeating that interfere with the blood sugar control and that can disturb the positive moods. Nutrient Deficiency The human body needs a healthy diet in order to get nutrition that further benefits the body to grow, glow, maintain and perform the functions of the body. Different whole and fresh foods, are considered as an plentiful source of nutrients. The American diet, though, many times looks short of sufficient amount of main nutrients like dietary fibers, potassium, calcium and vitamins specially vitamin D. if the calcium is not according to the needs of the body, it can cause loss of bones and shortening of vitamin D that further weakens the bones (Waxman, 2005). The shortage of potassium according to proposed levels can cause muscle weakness and body weaknesses. Failure in getting the proper amount of fiber can cause unhealthy colon and increased risk of heart diseases as well as diabetes. Chronic Disease The nutrients that are gotten from nutrition help the body to fight against diseases. A diet with less nutrients as well as with high amount of fats, sugar or salt, can cause some developed chronic conditions. The intake of unhealthy diet enhances the risk of hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 has stated (Aday, 2011). Extra Pounds In order to prevent from chronic disease, the management of weight must be kept in mind as a primary concern. The increased weight has been a major consequence of an unhealthy diet. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the increased weight causes an increased body mass index, or equal to 25 or higher the BMI. Insufficient fruits, whole grains, vegetables are the food elements that many times have contribution in high BMI. The other factors responsible for high BMI include diets with excessive amount of meat, fried foods. The food intake habits that cause high BMI are regular use of beverages with high calories such as soda and lack of physical activities (Sallis, 2008). The Domino Effect If the BMI level reaches equal to 30 or higher, the conditions are considered as obesity. More than thirty five percent of American adult citizens are considered to be having obesity. Obesity is the major cause of increased risk of other health issues. As CDC states, obesity becomes the host of several health concerns including heart disease, type two diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, stroke, liver diseases, gallbladder diseases, gynecological issues, osteoarthiritis and infertility (Waxman, 2005). Finding and Discussion There is a simple theory behind the diet: Our hunter-gatherer forebears, who survived on fish and meat that wasn’t saturated with growth-stimulating hormones or antibiotics, and also on fresh vegetables and fruits, were on the right path till the introduction of toxins by Agricultural Revolution into the food chain some 10,000 years back Therefore, the goal is for the 21st Century citizens to go back and eat in such a way that was used by primitive people in the Paleolithic Era, circa around 2million years back. But this is found by dieticians as limited, even choosy, requirements like joining with very pure plants and meats. As put it by American Scientists, â€Å"The Paleo diet is based on privilege more as compare to logic. There are a number of food groups that are restricted by some diets. These diets cannot be described asbalanced diets because they consist of some specific good groups. As food experts have an opinion that there is no connection between the Paleo eaters and their age because what they eat does not prove presence of any life increasing ingredients scientifically, neither there is any connection between their healthy life and the diet they intake (Aday, 2011). Marlene Zuk is an associate of the University of Minnesota in the Biology department. She has an evolutionary character with different objectives. In Paleo-Fantasy, she states that the process of evolution has made people significantly learn about their way of life along with sex and diet. Ripping apart, she states several contemporary concepts with regards to Paleolithic ancestors. She insists on saying that the book was not a dietary book about telling people eating ways but the evolution must be understood by the people (Aday, 2011). Poor Brain Function The brain of humans depends on glucose which comes from the carbohydrates and antioxidants and healthy fats for functioning in a proper manner. In accordance with the published study in December 2009 â€Å"The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology†, foods containing fats could through negative effects on the function of brain. A study on rats, in which they are tested significantly by giving high fat diet which resulted in lower cognitive abilities after being eaten the fatty diet (Aday, 2011). Skipping meals or eating limited diets can through same effects which include poor concentration abilities and memory. Poor Exercise Capabilities Eating too little or too much can fatigue, lethargy, and other impacts that become a blockage for doing physical activity. After eating the diets full of fats, the rats in the study â€Å"The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology† covered distance 35% less as compare to rats that were given lower amount of fat. In accordance with National Eating Disorders Association, one often confronted with poor muscles, endurance, coordination, oxygen utilization, and strength. Dieting can cause fainting and physical weakness also. To keep the weight in check, one should exercise as well as healthfully eat. According to the research, when people become conscious and devote time to a healthy habit then they pay less attention on the other. People have lower body mass index (BMI) who believe that diet is the most essential factor in weight control as compare to those who think that exercise is significant (Sallis, 2008). In Canada, China, U.S., South Korea and France, researchers asked approximately 1,200 people in the studies about the main factor making people overweight. The height and weight of the participants were also taken for calculating their BMIs. Consequently, those who said eating right is significant to weight control had lower BMIs than those who said to stay active are significant for prevention of obesity. The weight control beliefs of people influenced their food choices. Brent McFerran, PhD and an assistant professor at Ross School of Business said, â€Å"Our beliefs guide our actions†. People might move more as well as focus less on what they eat if they think exercise is significant to weight control. Exercise may support weight loss among other advantages (Waxman, 2005). People watch over to overestimate the amount of calories during compensating for the extra activity by eating more. People should hold onto their gym membership. Staying active help lose weight although it is difficult to slim down with just exercise as it is crucial for the health. Moreover, it highly supports heart health, helps sleep, reduces stress, strengthens bones as well as improves mental health. Exercise not only produces endorphins which increases metabolic rate but it also motivate to eat better. These are the outstanding reasons to hit the gym when one can. Exercise habits as well as diet can determine that either one is gaining body fat or loosing body fat. Both of them determine that how much calories have been taken in and how many used up. One need to control the number of calories attained from a balanced diet to lose body fat as well as one should increase the number of calories which are being burnt through exercise. For losing body fat, both proper diet and exercise is highly effective as compare to dieting alone. Without exercise, the most nutritious low calorie diet would cause loss of muscle mass. One pound of muscle carries just 600 calories or one sixth of calories are present in the pound of fat. Therefore, muscle calories can be lost much faster as compare to fat. One should anticipate to lose less than one percent body fat in a month or about one to two pounds of fat in a week because a pound of fat contain approximately 3,500 calories (Neinstein, 2008). Muscles are losing if someone losing any more than that of mentioned value. One simply is not able to hasten fat loss. It is not possible to gain fat overnight and also it is not possible to lose fat overnight. However, the losses attained would be permanent. The consequences may be extraordinary with the associated changes that would make by the exercise to the body. Conclusion Before starting to reduce calorie diet as well as exercise program, one should consult the doctor, particularly if anyone has a history of health issue or those who have not had a physical checkup on a recent basis or being pregnant or lactating. Proper diet for losing fat is not difficult as well as more pleasing as compare to one might consider. Many people consider diet as a short-term method of limiting the food until the time they attain a particular weight target. It is not the reality. People do not need to go on a certain diet forbidding some of the foods or guide regarding what to eat daily. This is what people may stick with for certain times however they tend to go back to the previous eating habits when they go off that type of restrict diet. Hence they again gain weight. People must never imagine of being on or off a particular diet. As an alternative, one should make their own choices within any guideline of a healthy diet in which person can enjoy and continue for life. Eating fruits, vegetables and fruits more and fat foods less is the best diet for not only to lose fat but also for the lifetime. There are two things to lose body fat that one should think how and what to eat: Pursue a healthy and balanced diet by taking some foods from each food group. Those diets that remove a particular food group in the diet will never last long because they do not offer healthy nutrition. The best diet must enhance the health during losing fat. Cut down the calories amount or give up some of the favorite foods one select. It indicates selecting low calorie foods frequently without giving up the required nutrients. Diet on the basis of these two terms â€Å"balance† and â€Å"calories† is the best concept one attain to a â€Å"magic† diet to lose body fat. Do not eat too much of any food but eat variety of foods. References Aday, L. A., Cornelius, L. J. (2011). Designing and conducting health surveys: a comprehensive guide. John Wiley Sons.http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=enlr=id=gfHpTiGcdO4Coi=fndpg=PR11dq=guide+to+health+dietots=e8csd9XrUKsig=o5_FyalAgjQJYkeRBrVKDok1hUw Neinstein, L. S. (Ed.). (2008). Adolescent health care: a practical guide (Vol. 414). Lippincott Williams Wilkins.http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=enlr=id=er8dQPxgcz0Coi=fndpg=PR13dq=guide+to+health+dietots=UZ-WV09CBmsig=004gVmOmaF1VnC5hKELsL09eTUA Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., Fisher, E. B. (2008). Ecological models of health behavior. Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice, 4, 465-485.https://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/40920657/1475713404/name/HB+%26+HE-+Glanz+Book.pdf#page=503 Waxman, A. (2005). Why a global strategy on diet, physical activity and health? (Vol. 95, pp. 162-166). Karger Publishers.www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/88302

The Tragedy of Isolation Exposed in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

The Tragedy of Isolation Exposed in Of Mice and Men  Ã‚   The Great Depression of the 1930's was a tumultuous time. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and means of unemployment. Whole families would roam the country, desperate for food and a place to rest, struggling to survive. There were also many men who tramped across America alone, searching for menial jobs to keep them alive another month. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men details the lives of several such men and shows that the principle quest of so many was not money or things that money can buy. Rather, whether they were travelling from one job to another or employed in some capacity, the vast majority of the wandering laborers were searching for human companionship and reassurance that they were not alone to fend for themselves- something very few of them actually found. It was not merely the migrant workers who felt detached form the world- even the boss's son Curley was manifestly desperate for real companionship. Curley's biggest obstacle was himself, as he possessed simultaneously an enormous ego and very little self-esteem. As the son of the owner of a large ranch, Curley had considerable power over the men who worked there, and he chose to abuse that power rather that try to befriend those who were beneath him. Unable to realize that constantly picking fights would do little to combat his loneliness, Curley pounced upon everyone who looked at him funny as an excuse to vent his frustration at being friendless and hated. He could not love his wife because that would mean breaking down the barrier of pride he had constructed, and so he perpetuated the cycle of loneliness both in himself and others. And what of Curley's wife? Nameless, she epitomizes the wife displayed as a trophy by a status-conscious husband, whether he is a prominent politician, a millionaire, or the son of a ranch owner. It is tragic that two individuals so alone in the world could be thrown together by fate and succeed only in strengthening each others' isolation, and that is often the case. Curley lived his life picking fights or discussing future ones, while his wife, desperate for meaningful attention, flirts with all the ranch hands. She sought out Lennie and the others in Crooks's room for conversation in desperation, hoping for companionship yet dooming it from the start by her arrogance and unwillingness to concede that, to be truly happy, she must bend a little.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) :: Globalization World Trade

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Before I took this class I would have never fathomed the fact that an organization such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) existed. I’m interested in the fact that the whole world takes part in the WTO’S dealing with rules of trade between all of the different nations. The World Trade Organization is located in Geneva Switzerland with about 147 countries in association with the organization. It was established on January 1st 1995 in an effort to forum for trade negotiations, handle international trade disputes, and monitor national trade policies and administering WTO trade agreements. I feel that this organization is very necessary because the world definitely needs the kind of formal order that the WTO gives regarding trade issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The IMF stands for the International Monetary Fund which is in charge of overseeing global monetary cooperation, securing financial stability, and promoting high employment and economic growth. This organization is associated with over 184 different countries in operating surveillance, and both financial and technical assistance. This organization strives to prevent any type of crisis in the system by encouraging countries to adopt effective economic policies. The World Bank Group on the other hand supports the efforts of developing country governments to build schools and health centers, provide water and electricity, fight various diseases and protect the environment. The World Bank is currently involved 1,800 projects around the world to try to improve every lacking quality of a country. Even though the World Bank claims the name that it does, it actually is not a bank at all but does lend money to nations with the intent of completing various projects. The IMF can be held responsible for this as well but the World Bank Group is probably more involved in giving the necessary funds to countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The WTO and the IMF play a big economic role because they continue to strive to improve the present global economic situation. I also like how they will not give a country the necessary funds if they are under communist rule because then the country’s leader could be doing God knows what with that money that’s really supposed to be used for the country’s well being.

Roman Pool Essay -- Architecture Structure History Essays

Roman Pool The private residence built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California is quite a site to behold. Originally named La Cuesta Encantada it is now often referred to as Hearst Castle. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The estate took 28 years to build and includes the main house, guest houses, two pools, and acres of gardens, terraces and walkways. Its rooms and gardens are decorated with an impressive collection of antiques from around the world. One particularly interesting building is the Roman Pool. The Roman Pool at Hearst castle is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 CE. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5 C. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy (Kastner, p. I-261.) They are also representative of traditional marine monster themes that can be found in ancient Roman baths (Strong, p. 124.) The statues are rough copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues. One such copy represents the "Apoxyomenos." Statuary was used on a considerable scale in the Baths of Caracalla (Strong, p. 124.) The pool and surrounding room, which were built from 1927-1934, can be compared to an ancient Roman bath. The pool, like the baths, is located indoors. Its water was heated as in a tepidarium. However, in Hearst's complex there were no hot or cold baths as there were in the ancient complex. The Roman Pool complex was designed to contain an exercise room, sweat baths, a handball court and dressing rooms (Cohn/Kastner p. I-258.) The Baths of Caracalla covere... ...ing fingers of the outstretched hand. We will never know what Hearst was thinking when he created his Roman Pool. Was he hoping to accurately depict an ancient Roman bath, or did he just like Roman art? Overall he kept to a romanticized 1930's version of the Roman theme, with decorations that span three centuries. Looking at the rest of his "castle" leads one to believe that Hearst combined whatever he thought was impressive. This pool is truly impressive. Works Cited: Boardman, John. Greek Art. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. Cohn, Leslie and Kastner, Vicki. Roman Pool. (Information from Hearst Castle P.R. Department) Hutton, Edward. The Story of Ravenna. London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd, 1926. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1995. Strong, David. Roman Art. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd, 1976. Roman Pool Essay -- Architecture Structure History Essays Roman Pool The private residence built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California is quite a site to behold. Originally named La Cuesta Encantada it is now often referred to as Hearst Castle. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The estate took 28 years to build and includes the main house, guest houses, two pools, and acres of gardens, terraces and walkways. Its rooms and gardens are decorated with an impressive collection of antiques from around the world. One particularly interesting building is the Roman Pool. The Roman Pool at Hearst castle is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 CE. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5 C. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy (Kastner, p. I-261.) They are also representative of traditional marine monster themes that can be found in ancient Roman baths (Strong, p. 124.) The statues are rough copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues. One such copy represents the "Apoxyomenos." Statuary was used on a considerable scale in the Baths of Caracalla (Strong, p. 124.) The pool and surrounding room, which were built from 1927-1934, can be compared to an ancient Roman bath. The pool, like the baths, is located indoors. Its water was heated as in a tepidarium. However, in Hearst's complex there were no hot or cold baths as there were in the ancient complex. The Roman Pool complex was designed to contain an exercise room, sweat baths, a handball court and dressing rooms (Cohn/Kastner p. I-258.) The Baths of Caracalla covere... ...ing fingers of the outstretched hand. We will never know what Hearst was thinking when he created his Roman Pool. Was he hoping to accurately depict an ancient Roman bath, or did he just like Roman art? Overall he kept to a romanticized 1930's version of the Roman theme, with decorations that span three centuries. Looking at the rest of his "castle" leads one to believe that Hearst combined whatever he thought was impressive. This pool is truly impressive. Works Cited: Boardman, John. Greek Art. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. Cohn, Leslie and Kastner, Vicki. Roman Pool. (Information from Hearst Castle P.R. Department) Hutton, Edward. The Story of Ravenna. London: J.M.Dent & Sons, Ltd, 1926. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1995. Strong, David. Roman Art. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd, 1976.

Characterization in John Updike’s A&P Essay

John Updike’s short story, A&P, is recounted from the point of view of its nineteen year old narrator, Sammy. Sammy’s character is particularly significant in the story. While the work has received several different interpretations, the focus of the story is clearly the lesson that the narrator learns in the course of events. The use of narration and description are especially revealing for Sammy’s personality. The story is told in the Present Tense and the style is appropriate for oral rather than written presentation. The descriptions, which focus on the appearance and gestures of the three girls in bathing suits who walk into the supermarket, are also significant as they monitor Sammy’s reactions. Thus, through the raw style used for narration and description, the story reveals Sammy’s subjective perception of the events, his youthful, romantic infatuation with the three girls and his desperate, chivalric but useless act. Sammy, who works on the cash register of a supermarket, is dazed by the appearance of three young girls, dressed in bathing suits. This is immediately apparent in the opening line of the story: â€Å"In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits† (Updike 187). The beginning of narration already reveals the impact that the image of the three girls has on the young boy. Significantly, Updike preserves the ungrammaticalities that Sammy makes in his speech. This technique has the effect of characterizing the narrator as a young, unsophisticated, middle-class boy. The whole of the story is dedicated to Sammy’s careful, detailed observation and description of the three girls and to his own, chivalric act, which concludes the story. The description of the three girls is in itself revealing for Sammy’s character. The focus is on the narrator’s eye, as he follows the girls from his place at the register, as they appear and disappear behind the aisles of the supermarket. He is both surprised and delighted at their appearance and their beauty. His eye is first caught by the chubby girl, wearing a green two-piece bathing suit and then by the brunette girl. Ultimately however, his focus remains with the third girl, that he calls Queenie. As the name he gives her shows, she is his favorite of the three and, in his view, the most beautiful one. Thus, the description is made exclusively from the narrator’s subjective point of view and registers faithfully his own reactions and impressions. What is significant moreover is the way in which Sammy perceives the girls on the whole. If the other characters in the story are either judgmental of the girls’ impropriety or else sexually attracted to them, Sammy is fascinated with the girls. According to his idealized perception, they are mythological or exotic creatures that belong to another world. He is so struck by their nude appearance and their natural beauty that he feels they are unlike everything else he has seen before. The setting of the story is particularly important in this respect. As Sammy himself emphasizes, the supermarket affords only dull views, unremarkable or ugly people. In Sammy’s view, there is a striking contrast between these unwonted customers wearing only bathing suits and the regular clients of the supermarket. Thus, when the girls approach with their single purchase, they hesitate between Sammy and one of his colleagues on another register. Sammy’s description of the old couple that goes up to Stokesie is very significant: â€Å"†¦Stokesie with his usual luck draws an old party in baggy gray pants who stumbles up with four giant cans of pineapple juice (what do these bums do with all that pineapple juice’ I’ve often asked myself)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Updike 193). The couple is dressed in â€Å"baggy, gray pants†, contrasting deeply with the girls’ colorful bathing suits and their young bodies. Also, Sammy is puzzled by the old couple’s purchases and obviously perceives them as ridiculous. On the other hand, he is not struck by the girls’ attire in an unpleasant way. When he notices one of his coworkers looking at the three girls in an improper way, Sammy feels that this is unjust and he even feels sorry for them: â€Å"All that was left for us to see was old McMahon patting his mouth and looking after them sizing up their joints. Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn’t help it† (Updike 195). There are other examples in the description that emphasize Sammy’s own perception of the girls. For instance, he is absolutely struck by the way in which Queenie wears her suit, with the straps down: â€Å"She had on a kind of dirty-pink – – beige maybe, I don’t know — bathing suit with a little nubble all over it and, what got me, the straps were down† (Updike 188). The fact that the girl wears the straps of her bathing suit down is delightful for Sammy. Moreover, the fact that he is sometimes clumsy in his description, not knowing, for example, what the exact color of Queenie’s suit is, also speaks of Sammy’s character as a young boy who is not extremely pertinent in fashion matters. Also, when the manager reprimands Queenie and her companions, Sammy sees the pickled herring jar reflected in the blue eyes of the girl. Again, the way in which Sammy observes and describes the situation shows him to be a romantic character, who regards the girls as representatives of an exotic, mythological world. Furthermore, Sammy’s romanticism is obvious in the way in which he contrasts the girls with the other shoppers. For him, the others are blind to the beauty of the three siren girls: â€Å"You could see them, when Queenie’s white shoulders dawned on them, kind of jerk, or hop, or hiccup, but their eyes snapped back to their own baskets and on they pushed. I bet you could set off dynamite in an A & P and the people would by and large keep reaching and checking oatmeal off their lists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Updike 192). The others do not perceive the girls as Sammy does and are not struck by their aesthetic quality. Queenie’s white shoulders, bare and indicative of purity, are the symbol of the natural, uncensored by social rules world of the beach, whereas the consumers are symbols of the automatic drives of production and consumption of the capitalist society. Sammy sees the other shoppers for what they are – not individuals, but the components of a system, a mere herd, their personalities limited to the very automatic gestures and directions imposed by the shopping list. In his descriptions, Sammy sets the girls well apart from the ordinary, mechanical and artificial world of the supermarket. As critics have emphasized, the story’s symbolism clearly points to Sammy as a romantic hero who becomes lured by the beauty of the sirens: â€Å"Updike pokes gentle fun at Sammy because he succumbs to the girls who are cast in the roles of the legendary Sirens–the mythological temptresses who lured unwary males to their destruction† (Blodgett 103). Sammy portrays the girls as being in sharp contrast with the common world, which is represented by the materialist preoccupations in the supermarket. As he stands dazed by the appearance of the girls, he significantly makes a mistake on the register, ringing the same box of crackers twice. The mistake further emphasizes Sammy’s abstraction into the fairytale, mythological world the three girls belong to. His final gesture of quitting his job in order to defend the girls is also significant: he refuses any connection to the pragmatic, insensitive world of the supermarket, which remains careless in front of the girls’ beauty. Their exoticism is further underlined by the fact that the city is far from the ocean that the girls’ image represents so well: â€Å"It’s not as if we’re on the Cape; we’re north of Boston and there’s people in this town haven’t seen the ocean for twenty years† (Updike 189). For Sammy, the girls are sirens who conquer him with their beauty and who also prove to have a fatal influence over his destiny in the end. Thus, Sammy’s narrative and descriptive style points to his personality and his views on the events he participates in. He embodies the young, inexperienced youth who becomes infatuated with a beautiful, exotic girl. As Wells points out, Sammy is not aware of his sexual attraction to the girls and idealizes it, transforming it into a gesture of honor and chivalry: â€Å"A&P is told after the fact by a young man now much the wiser, presumably, for his frustrating infatuation with a beautiful but inaccessible girl whose allure excites him into confusing his sexual impulses for those of honor and chivalry† (Wells 129). In the end however, Sammy learns a hard lesson. His romantic view, resembling that of Don Quixote, makes him quit his job and adopt the role of the unacknowledged hero: â€Å"The girls, and who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero†(Updike 194). However, like Don Quixote, Sammy obviously mistakes the girls’ potential for sexual appeal for something more. Instead of the glory he expects as a hero, he is left with the uncertainty of a future without a job. The girls, like fairies, vanish into thin air and the supermarket world remains as grey as before, with its usual inhabitants: â€Å"I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course. There wasn’t anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didn’t get by the door of a powder-blue Falcon station wagon† (Updike 196). Sammy is therefore the embodiment of an idealist, inexperienced young man, who seems to believe that the three girls belong to another world. Through the use of narrative and description, Updike renders a vivid portrait of the narrator of A&P. Thus, the narrator speaks in his own language, using his own particular style. Moreover, his observation and description of the three girls and of the events is very significant, as it reveals him to be an idealist young man, with unreasonable expectations of what the surrounding reality should look like. Works Cited: Blodgett, Harriet. Imagery in the Works of John Updike. New York: Heldref, 2003. Updike, John. â€Å"A&P. † Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories. New York: Knopf, 1962. 187-96. Wells, Walter. â€Å"John Updike’s ‘A&P’: A Return Visit to Araby. † Studies in Short Fiction. 30. 2 (1993): 127-33.